The school was nothing like it was during the times of Nanako and Jin. It was reconstructed as their memorials by both the foxes and the wolves. It was built across a large area of land, to accommodate students from far and wide. 
Merindale marveled at its sheer structure once her parents left her at the gates. 
“ I will manage on my own. Don't embarrass me by coming inside.Please, Mother. ”
She pushed Xie out because apparently, she had grown up. It was considered a sign of weakness if parents showed up in class. Merindale was a teenager, she didn't need escorting. 
The teachers sorted the new students before the start of the assembly and introduced them to their seniors. 
“ I am hoping you will show them around the school, just like your seniors did. It is their first day. And it's up to you to make them feel welcome and comfortable.”
The teacher left Merindale and the other newcomers with the seniors, to interact. 
As soon as the teachers left, the seniors exchanged a wicked smile. 
“ Let's take them for a tour. ” they broke into a loud laugh as they shared some joke. 
Merindale did not care. She followed the seniors around, admiring the intricate details on the walls. It was painted beautifully with stories from Immortal history.
“Hey there, newbie. You know about the ghost that haunts these halls, right?"
Merindale was taken aback at the sudden question directed at her. 
She paused and looked back at the senior questioning her. 
Her eyes wide open. "A ghost?"
"Oh yeah," he continued, his voice dropping to a dramatic whisper. "Legend has it that the Ghost of Lysandra prowls these very grounds. She's said to snatch unsuspecting newcomers like you.”
He tried to scare Merindale but she just scoffed. Apparently,it did not sit well with him.
 “Absolutely," another senior chimed in, a sly fox . "In fact, if you're not careful, she might just appear when you least expect it."
Before Merindale could respond, the seniors exchanged glances and suddenly locked the doors, trapping the new students inside the hall.
“Hey! Let us out!" Merindale shouted, banging on the doors.
“ How immature and childish.” She looked done with their play, “ I am definitely going to report this to teachers and my father. Just wait and see. ”
She wasn't that lame, but she was just trying to spare herself unnecessary harassment. 
The seniors chuckled from outside before they left. "Enjoy your stay with the ghost, newcomers!”
The doors seemed laced with spells so there was no use trying brute force to break out of there. She could see the rest of them whither in fear. 
“Guys, there's no ghost. They're just trying to scare us.”
"But what if there really is a ghost?" a trembling little mer-witch,chirped from the back. 
“Even if there is one, they don't come out in broad daylight.Seriously,grow up. "
Merindale was already looking around, trying to find another way out of there. 
It took her only a few minutes to locate the perfect way out. The window of a bathroom that was attached to the hall. 
As the other newcomers hastily tried to escape through the bathroom side, they caught sight of a faint, ethereal figure in the mirror, attached at the back of the washroom.
“ It's the ghost. They weren't lying. She is real, ” one of them yelled and the rest followed suit. 
Fear echoed through the marbeled walls, sending a chill down everyone's spine.
They scrambled out of the window too scared for their dear life, even though they were all immortal offsprings. 
“ Pathetic, ” Merindale seemed very offended by their behavior. 
Despite the trembling fear in the air, Merindale felt a strange tug at her heart. As the others fled in terror, she hesitated, her gaze fixed on the ghostly apparition.
She walked towards it, not away from it. 
Once everyone escaped, she was finally alone with the apparition. 
Merindale extended a hand. "Hey, it's okay. I won't hurt you.”
It was a shimmering, translucent figure with a gentle, mist-like presence. She seemed both fragile and ethereal, with wisps of faint light dancing around her form.Wisps of ephemeral mist swirling around her and she seemed to flicker with surprise at the approach. She made intricate gestures with her hands, a silent language that Merindale couldn't quite grasp.
But she felt a pang of sadness, Merindale tried to communicate. "I want to help you. What do you need?"
The ghost's gestures became more frantic, expressing something urgent. Yet, the meaning eluded Merindale, adding to her frustration."I wish I understood," Merindale murmured, her voice tinged with sorrow. She tried to go nearer but the apparition eluded her, moving away everytime she approached. "I don't want you to be alone."
The ghost's ethereal form seemed to soften, a sense of loneliness emanating from her gestures. Merindale's heart ached at the sight, a deep empathy welling within her.
Reaching out once more, Merindale attempted to mimic the ghost's signs, despite the difficulty. "I'm Merindale. Can you tell me your name?”
There was no response. 
But it seemed like she wanted Merindale to follow. 
After hesitating momentarily, Merindale decided to give it a go. Everyone didn't say she took after her aunt for no reason. She was a risk taker just like Roe. 
But before Merindale could actually do anything, the door knob in the hall turned and the seniors burst inside laughing, expecting their juniors to be whimpering in fear. 
But the smiles on their faces vanished as they watched the empty hall. 
Merindale looked back after watching them but by that time the apparition was gone. 
“ There is one in here, ” one of the seniors yelled when she noticed Merindale. 
What followed was a string of apologies followed with a list of reprimandation from the teachers. 
The seniors personally apologised to Merindale and told her that they had no idea about her father. 
They also confided in her that there was actually no ghost and that they made it all up to prank them. 
This disturbed Merindale more than anything. 
Why were they lying? 
If they were really sorry, they did not need to lie about the ghost's existence. 
Merindale just dismissed their entire lot and left. 
She hated falsehood. 
She hated when anyone lied.
Merindale did not go back to her dormitory.She lingered in the corridors, pondering the encounter with the adorable ghost.She did find the presence of whatever it was very comforting. 
Right at that moment, she sensed a faint tug at her consciousness. A soft, whispered invitation seemed to echo within her mind, a gentle beckoning that she couldn't resist.
Curiosity and concern fused within her, and as the ghostly figure shimmered at a distance, Merindale hesitated. She was real. Merindale paused momentarily before finally deciding to follow.
"Wait, where are you taking me?" Merindale called out, her voice trailing into the silence of the empty corridor.The ghost merely gestured, her movements graceful yet enigmatic, guiding Merindale with subtle signs that drew her forward. 
Her shimmering figure floated effortlessly through walls and out into the moonlit night, prompting Merindale to cautiously follow suit.
Within a few minutes they had crossed the territories that belonged to the school. 
As they ventured beyond the school grounds, across open fields bathed in silver moonlight, Merindale's curiosity mingled with a tinge of apprehension. "I hope you know where you're leading me.” She needed to ask because as per her knowledge, ghosts could not leave the lands they were bound to. Their haunting grounds. 
The little ghost continued her wordless guidance, the landscape unfolding before them as they ascended into the looming embrace of the mountains.
The path grew rugged, the terrain turned challenging, yet Merindale felt an inexplicable trust in the ghost's silent guidance. 
"I'm here. Keep going.”
She couldn't help but smile because the ghost kept looking back at her over and over again as if concerned that she might leave Merindale behind. 
They ascended further into the unknown depths of the mountains, the ghost's silent beckoning guiding her every move.
As they reached a secluded plateau, the ghost paused, her luminous form shimmering more brightly reflecting another light source that seemed pretty close. 
She hovered over a particular spot as if urging Merindale to come closer. 
She gestured towards a hidden cave entrance, her signs conveying a sense of urgency and anticipation.
Merindale complied to her request. She closed in and peaked inside. 
“What's in there?" Merindale asked. 
The ghost didn't respond verbally but motioned for Merindale to enter. 
There was something in the moonlight or perhaps in the air. Merindale felt melancholy and sadness, engulfing her completely. She tried shaking it off with a deep breath.
She stepped forward, crossing the threshold of the cave, drawn by an inexplicable pull,a sense of destiny. 
Merindale had to close her eyes with her hands at the sudden blast of light in her direction. It was as if the sun had descended in front of her. 
But slowly and gradually, her eyes accustomed to the surrounding. Or perhaps the source of the light diminished. 
In front of her was endless fire but the fire turned blue after she entered. 
Merindale could spot movement inside the fire. 
There was something living , trapped in there. 
Horrified, Merindale ran towards it, completely oblivious to the fact that blue was the deadliest type of fire and it was quite capable of burning her to ashes. 
It was perhaps destiny or her strong headed behavior, the sea of fire parted as she ran through. 
Her feet only paused when she was at the core. 
Suspended in front of her was the most handsome specimen of a male. 
Merindale watched as her jaws dropped. 
Her heart began humming a long forgotten tune. 
Her eyes feasted on his beauty as her fingers trembled while they moved closer to touch him. 
“ Who are you? ” Merindale exclaimed as her her fingertip touched the boy’s cheek. 
His eyes flew open. 
Merindale moved back. 
Eyes eyes were like the depths of the mer-world, unexplored. 
His breath felt like the sweetest scent and Merindale felt like she was unable to support her own weight anymore. Her knees were shaking and her teeth clattered with excitement as every inch of her skin, filled with irrational goosebumps. 
The boy turned his head slowly towards Merindale. His eyes blinking at an alarming rate, trying to focus on her. 
It was at this point that Merindale noticed the fire around them was turning bright orange and the split that she was standing on, was closing in. 
“ Come on, hurry, we need to get out of here, ”
Merindale grabbed his hands a pulled him out of his cocoon. 
It did not matter that he was completely naked. 
She had to save him. She knew it was urgent. 
Merindale guarded his with her own body as the fire almost closed in on them, only seconds before they could make it out in the open. 
She could feel her skin scalde but she pushed themselves out of the entrance she had come in from. 
As Merindale lay on the ground, she watched the entrance seal itself as the angry tongue of the flames danced and threatened to follow them outside. 
She watched till it was completely closed and she knew they were saved. 
Merindale looked up at the sky, the moon shining right over her head. 
She finally closed her eyes. 
She was relaxed that the imminent danger had passed. 
But the pain from the burns she had suffered was finally starting to tell. 
She closed her eyes and clenched her fists, trying to stop herself from letting out a painful roar.