Maryann Nichols Ghost's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Maryann drifted through the fog-choked streets of Whitechapel, her bare feet never quite touching the cobblestones. The living couldn't see her anymore. She searched their faces anyway, hunting for the one person who knew the truth about her death. She needed a place to start, somewhere to call her own while she searched. Down a narrow alley, past crumbling tenements, she found it. A grey brick crypt stood alone in a forgotten corner, its iron door hanging loose on rusted hinges. The cold stone walls wouldn't bother her now. She passed through the door without opening it and claimed the space as hers. Inside the crypt, she discovered an old wooden board covered in strange symbols and letters. Someone had left it behind years ago, abandoned like her. The board gave her an idea. She could use it to send messages, to reach the living who might remember that night. Her ghostly fingers traced the carved patterns, and the planchette trembled beneath her touch. But messages alone wouldn't be enough. She needed to move quickly through the streets, to search every corner where witnesses might hide. Around her neck, an amulet suddenly appeared, glowing with soft light. It pulsed against her chest, warm despite her cold form. When she touched it, the crypt walls blurred and she found herself standing in a different street entirely. The amulet would take her anywhere she needed to go. Now she had her tools, her sanctuary, and her mission. The search for her truth could truly begin.