C2 Chapter Two: Ghosts, Horses, and Bad Luck

Chapter Two: Ghosts, Horses, and Bad Luck

After much screaming, mirror-gazing, and denial, Ethan finally accepted reality: he had transmigrated.

The “original owner” of this body had the same name as him, a mansion in the mountains, and, apparently, the social energy of a hibernating bear. Sebastian explained that the young master rarely left his room, slept most of the day, and frightened the servants with his gloomy aura.

“Perfect,” Ethan muttered as he flopped back onto the giant bed. “I’ve become a rich emo recluse. Just what my résumé was missing.”

Still, after hours of thinking, he came to a decision: he had to visit this “family” in the capital and find out what kind of mess he’d landed in. If he had a brother running a giant company, maybe he could live peacefully under that guy’s shadow.

But first—food.

By midnight, Sebastian had prepared a feast that smelled better than anything Ethan had eaten in his life. Roasted duck, fragrant soup, stir-fried vegetables—his nose twitched like a cartoon character being lured by a pie on a windowsill.

“Sebastian, if you weren’t a butler, you’d be on MasterChef.” Ethan shoveled food into his mouth like a man who hadn’t eaten in days.

The butler gave a modest bow. “As long as Master is satisfied.”

After inhaling half the table, Ethan dismissed Sebastian for the week. “Take Sunday off. No—take the whole week off! Just come back once a week to clean. You’ll still get full pay.”

Sebastian’s eyes practically sparkled. He bowed so low Ethan worried he’d break his spine. “Thank you, Master!”

The moment Sebastian left, the mansion fell into silence.

Too much silence.

Ethan shifted in his seat, glancing around the grand dining hall. Without Sebastian bustling about, the air turned heavy, suffocating.

“…Okay, this is depressing.” He pushed back his chair and wandered into the garden, hoping fresh air would clear his head.

To his surprise, the garden was breathtaking. Moonlight spilled across trimmed hedges, flowering vines, and marble statues. For the first time since waking up here, Ethan relaxed. He found a bench and sat down, tilting his head back to admire the stars.

“This isn’t so bad. Rich, handsome, mansion, pretty garden… I could get used to this.”

That thought hadn’t even settled when a chill swept through the air. Ethan shivered, tugging his shirt tighter.

The temperature kept dropping.

His breath misted white.

And then—he saw them.

A pair of pale, floating legs dangling in the air in front of him.

Ethan froze, every muscle locking up. His eyes followed the legs up, but he couldn’t bring himself to look at the face. He didn’t need to. The smell of rotten flesh hit him like a brick.

“Nope,” he whispered. “Nope nope nope nope—don’t tell me the original owner could see ghosts. This is terrible. Terrible!!”

The legs hovered. Still. Waiting.

Ethan’s skin crawled. He sat there for thirty agonizing seconds, heart pounding louder with each tick of time, before survival instinct screamed louder than fear.

He bolted.

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

His shriek echoed across the garden as he sprinted into the dark. Behind him, the pale legs drifted after him.

But that wasn’t all.

Everywhere he turned, more ghosts appeared.

A headless woman clutching her decapitated skull. A man with one arm, his hollow eyes fixed on Ethan. A child crawling on all fours, bones jutting out of its back.

“WHY ME?!” Ethan wailed, running faster than he thought possible. “I JUST WANTED TO EAT DUCK, NOT BE THE MAIN CHARACTER IN THE CONJURING!”

He should have been exhausted. But weirdly enough, his body didn’t tire. His lungs didn’t burn. His legs didn’t slow. It was as though his new form was built for fleeing supernatural horrors.

“Small blessings! But also WHY?!”

He zigzagged through trees, dodging gravestones that hadn’t been there before, until finally—finally—he spotted a structure ahead.

A barn.

He sprinted inside, slamming the doors behind him. His chest heaved as he slid down the wood, laughing hysterically.

“I survived… I survived…!”

Then he heard a loud neigh.

Ethan’s head snapped up. In the barn stood a single white horse, majestic and gleaming under the moonlight filtering through the cracks.

“Oh. My. God.” Ethan staggered to his feet, tears pricking his eyes. “A normal animal. Thank you, universe! I’ve never been so happy to see a horse in my life!”

The horse flicked its tail, unimpressed.

“Listen,” Ethan said, stumbling toward it. “I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know why ghosts are after me, or why I’m in some rich emo’s body, or why cola betrayed me—but you, horse, you are my only chance.”

He stroked its mane, then mounted awkwardly. “Luckily, I took lessons as a kid. So… let’s get the hell out of here!”

The horse snorted as if to say, You’re heavy, but fine.

With a kick, Ethan urged it forward. The barn doors burst open, and together they galloped into the night. Wind whipped through his hair, his heart soaring with adrenaline.

For the first time tonight, he felt hope.

“Ha! Take that, you creepy ghosts! Bet you can’t catch me now!”

But the universe, as always, had other plans.

Because as Ethan rode triumphantly down the path, he spotted something in the distance.

A road.

A car.

A sleek black Mercedes gliding along the mountain curves.

Ethan’s eyes welled with relief. “Civilization! People! I’m saved!”

He wanted to cry, laugh, and hug the horse all at once. But then, the animal beneath him let out an ear-splitting neigh and lurched forward, faster and faster.

Ethan’s joy turned to horror.

“Wait, wait, WAIT! Slow down! Slow—!”

The horse ignored him, hooves pounding the ground like thunder. And then Ethan saw it.

The road curved sharply toward a cliff.

His smile shattered.

“…How unlucky can one guy be in a single night?!”