(Backstory on Venn's death)

Mr. Patters led Venn and Reed into the back storeroom of the library. "Here it is. If the Source is going to be anywhere, it's here. The most recent shipment and the problem boxes are over here." He gestured to a stack of boxes in the corner.

Reed paced around the boxes before nodding slightly. "Great. Thank you very much, Mr. Patters." He gave the middle aged man a charming smile. "Venn, could you set a circle here? I have a few more questions."

Venn shrugged off his pack and pulled out his coils of iron chains. The loud clanking drowned out whatever Reed was asking Mr. Patters. The chain circle was completed just as Reed shook hands with the older man and bid him farewell.

"Stay safe you two!" Mr. Patters called, looking back from the doorway. He looked straight at Venn as he added, "I'd hate to see either of you dead."

Venn took out a salt pouch and started reinforcing the circle. "Your library is as good as cleared," he said calmly.

Mr. Patters nodded with a smile. He gave the duo one last wave before he disappeared.

Reed leaned back against the wall. Venn leaned against a pile of boxes. The two stood facing each other in silence for a while. Neither was particularly well rested and neither was really excited to be there.

After a few minutes, Reed checked his watch. "Well we should get to sorting this. It'll take a while and it's almost four o'clock already." He pushed off the wall and stepped carefully into the circle. He pried open a box. "We stop when we find one that looks like Source material and see if any ghost shows up when we contain it. Sound good?"

Venn joined Reed in the circle and opened another box. "As good as any other idea."

The two fell silent as they both started emptying their respective boxes. After almost an hour, Venn stood up straight and turned to Reed. "I've got one."

Reed stood and stepped over a pile of books to Venn's side. He looked at the book Venn held. It was leather bound and stained. The pages were so covered in dark stains that the text was unreadable.

Reed nodded. "That's got to be it. Wrap it up and we'll see if- what?"

Reed had cut himself off, noticing that Venn's head had shot up. Venn turned slowly to the door. He pulled put his pocketwatch and looked down at it. "Five thirty..." his eyes narrowed as he turned his gaze back to the door. "Something fell out there. Didnt you hear it?"

Reed shook his head and drew his rapier. "Might just be a mouse. I saw a few traps laying around."

Venn unzipped his jacket before drawing his own rapier. It was almost impossibly thin and looked like a stiff breeze could bend it. The hilt was padded with soft leather worn shiny by years of use. The hand guard was ornately carved like woven vines. The Fittes unicorn was stamped onto the blade just above the hilt. Next to his pocketwatch, the rapier was Venn's prized possession. "No harm in checking it out. Better to be proven an idiot than end up dead."

Venn led the way through the library. As the only one of the two to have heard the sound, he had a better idea of where it was. They found the fallen book near a shelf in the corner of the library. They inspected the shelves and floor for mouse traps but found none.

Reed dropped a quick chain circle. Venn stepped into it to help. He bent down and reinforced the circle with salt. When he straightened, he jerked back with a curse, knocking into Reed.

A ghost stood right at the edge of the circle. She had stringy blonde hair that just barely brushed her shoulders. Her green eyes had a level of understanding and life in them that shouldn't have been possible in a ghost. She wore a plain white dress that marked her as a late 1800s spirit.

Venn stared at the ghost, mesmerized. His gaze was locked with that of the ghost. Wind picked up outside their circle. Reed snapped his fingers in front of Venn's nose, drawing his attention away.

The ghost tried to say something, but of course, neither boy had the talent of hearing well enough to get more than a quiet buzz. The ghost circled them. Reed nodded silently to the book that had fallen. He didnt need to say anything for Venn to understand. Source.

Venn edged as close to the end of the circle as he dared before reaching his rapier toward the book. The ghost surged back around toward the book. It was clearly shouting something. The wind yanked the rapier out of Venn's hand.

"Hey! You listen to me, spirit. If you get so much as a scuff on that blade..." Venn let the threat hang. He glared at the ghost.

Reed looked to the book. The pages where fluttering. He could just barely read the scrawling script.

They thought sending me here was the right thing to do. That the people here would end up any better than my family did. Well they were wrong.

"Venn..." Reed said slowly.

Venn didn't look over. He paced the confines of their circle, observing everything happening around them. He never turned to face Reed, but his tensing shoulders said that he was scared.

The next page that was flipped to had a crude sketch of a knife. They haven't found Sally yet. I keep her tucked under my bedframe.

"Venn," Reed said more sharply. Still no reply.

Another chunk of pages flipped. They hurt us here. They treat us like animals and do things to us. They'll be coming for me soon. But Sally and I are ready. They wont get us. The handwriting stopped in a splatter of dried blood.

Venn crouched down, about to leap at the book. Reed grabbed the back of Venn's jacket and yanked him back. "VENN!"

Venn finally looked up at Reed. His eyes were bright with fear. "What? That's got to be the source!"

Reed rolled his eyes. "Think for once in your life. I think this girl was put in an asylum and experimented on. She's insane and deadly."

The bookshelves rattled and Venn's fear spiked. "Reed, this is no type two. This is a type three." He took his silver pocketwatch from his pocket and pushed it into Reed's hand without another word.

Reed stared at Venn for a moment. He glanced down at the pocketwatch. "But type threes dont exist. Calm down. It'll be alright."

Venn shook his head. "Her lips haven't made the same motions in any repeating way, there's strong wind, and the bookshelves are shaking. Plus the ghost lock is strong."

Reed put the pocketwatch into his coat pocket and touched Venn's shoulder. "Please Venn, relax. Whatever happens we'll-"

At that moment, several books fell from the shelves. They struck the chains, breaking the circle. The ghost instantly leaped at them and a bookshelf fell at them. Venn tackled Reed to the side. They narrowly avoided being crushed by the shelf. The source book stayed where it was. No other books had fallen near it.

Venn scrambled to his feet, pulling Reed up after him. They hadn't been standing for more than a couple seconds when a strong gust of wind flung Reed back into the shadows with a cry of surprise and pain when he struck something. Venn couldn't see what, and didn't have time to look before he too was flung backward.

Venn slammed against the wall. The impact knocked the wind out of him. He collapsed to the floor, gasping. His recently sprained ankle throbbed dully and pain spiked through his chest. He wouldn't be surprised if he'd fractured or broken a few ribs. His vision swam, but he could see the ghost approaching him.

He coughed, still struggling to regain his breath. He groaned and started pulling himself away from the ghost along the wall. He hit the corner before he had gotten far.

The ghost knelt down in front of him. She seemed to be laughing. Venn shivered from the cold as she reached out toward him. He shrank away from her hand. She stopped inches from his face, toying with him. She pulled back, repeating the taunt several times.

Something changed in her expression when she reached out again. Venn braced himself for the painful cold, he knew subconsciously that he was ghost locked, but he couldn't shake it off.

A flash of silver arced through the ghost and she vanished. Reed held out a hand to Venn with a faint smile. "Get up, Venn."

Venn took his hand, smirking. "Took you long enough, Ponytail," he said as Reed pulled him up.

Reed looked a bit shaken. He nodded and opened his mouth to speak, and froze. His eyes fluttered, the tip of Venn's rapier protruded from his belly. The white shirt he wore under his coat was quickly turning red.

"REED!" Venn shouted.

Venn caught Reed as he fell forward. Venn's rapier yanked back, flying into the darkness somewhere. Reed's rapier fell to the floor with a clatter.

Venn gently lowered Reed to the floor. He took off his jacket, shivering violently as he did so. He quickly tied it tightly around Reed's new wound. "Hang in there buddy. Don't die on me."

Venn scooped up Reed's rapier and turned to the ghost. His fear was no less intense, but it was matched by his anger. "Alright, ghost. Square up. Nobody kills my brother in arms and gets away with it," he growled.

Reed's rapier felt heavy and clunky in Venn's hand. The blade was too wide, the hilt too long, and the hand guard brushed his knuckles. He adjusted his grip and realized he shouldn't have practiced with only his rapier. He should have used the practice swords.

The ghost stood just out of reach of the rapier Venn held at the ready. A chair flew into the air. Venn ducked to the side, but the chair still struck his right shoulder hard enough to throw the rapier from his hand. He managed to take a few steps from Reed before the ghost was in front of him.

Venn froze, staring into the ghost's eyes. The ghost wrapped her icy hands around his neck. Burning cold trailed after her fingers, pain followed immediately after, then the struggle to breathe. Out of instinct, Venn tried to pull the ghostly hands away from his neck. He only succeeded in getting the same burning cold pain in his hands.

The ghost stepped back. She watched in amusement as Venn fell to his knees. He was shivering uncontrollably and gasping. He wasn't getting much into his lungs.

The ghost psychically lifted Venn's rapier. The tip touched his chest gently and for once, Venn felt pity to everyone and everything that had ever stood at the end of his perfect sword. His head dropped, his chin resting on his chest.

Venn's shoulders shook and he closed his eyes to stop the tears. He had flares at his belt, along with chains and silver nets, but he couldn't bring himself to use any of it. "I'm sorry, Reed..." he whispered. "So... so sorry."

Reed, by some miracle or curse, managed to force himself up. He took one look at the scene in front of him. "NO! VENN!" He yanked a silver net capsule from his belt and flung it toward the Source.

Venn's rapier stabbed down. Venn let out a sharp cry of pain that cut off. His black eyes went dull as he fell to the side. The shivering, ragged gasping, and breathing were gone.

The net settled over the Source. The ghost vanished. The wind died instantly.

Reed fell to the floor next to Venn's body. "Venn... Venn please..." he pulled Venn into his arms and held him close to his chest. "Come back..."

Tears fell from Reed's eyes. Black threatened to take over his vision, but he fought it. He slumped over Venn, his shoulders shaking.

The pocket watch grew cold in Reed's jacket. He didn't notice, too lost in his emotional and physical pain. His best friend was gone. Really gone this time.

A dim flicker started a couple steps away. The flicker condensed into a spirit and slowly looked up at Reed. The spirit shuddered, making a quiet sound of pain. It could feel all the pain it had in the moment of death. After kneeling silently, trying to process what was happening, the spirit suddenly snapped alert.

"Reed. You need a hospital!" Venn stood up quickly, fear that his friend might follow in his footsteps powering him to push through the pain. He crossed to Reed and knelt dangerously close. "Ahh who am I kidding. You can't hear me."

Reed looked over, the broken look on his face tore at Venn's heart. "Venn...?" He asked weakly.

Venn started.  "Yeah, it's me Ponytail. Can you hear me?"

Reed nodded lethargically. He probably thought it was a hallucination, which hurt Venn more than if Reed hadn't been able to hear him at all. Venn knelt there, looking at his best friend helplessly. He reached out several times, only to pull back just before touching Reed.

"Hang in there, fratello. Don't die on me now..."

Reed made no response. His head fell as consciousness left him. He'd lost a lot of blood.

Venn growled, frustrated with himself for not knowing what to do. A vase flew across the room and shattered against the far wall. He froze, he was a type three. Surely he could figure out how to move someone with his ghost abilities.

Venn stood and stepped back. He couldn't only move Reed. He would need to move his body as well. Reed still had his arms wrapped around it. Venn reached out a hand, concentrating on lifting Reed.

Slowly, Reed and the body drifted into the air. Somehow Venn managed to float Reed through the library to the main door.

Venn opened the door and carefully moved Reed out. He lowered his friend to the sidewalk before he attempted to follow. He was brought to a painful stop by an unseen barrier.

He jerked back, his arms, chest, and face burned slightly from the iron line's wall. He stood there in silence, staring out at Reed. His source was out there. There was a way to transport closer to the source.

It took Venn several tries, wasting precious minutes to get across the line. He didn't dare look too closely at Reed's pale face. He didn't want to see if his friend was dead.

Venn stood on the street for a moment before he walked up to a house. He rapped the window sharply. "Hello! Psychically sensitive children! I need help!"

Inside the room, a young boy started screaming in terror. A light flipped on behind the curtain and someone moved inside. The screaming quieted as the someone shushed the child, then moved to the window.

The curtain was drawn back to reveal a girl about his age. She had long black hair, olive green eyes, and pale skin. She regarded him with a wary attentiveness.

Venn was relieved someone had heard him. He pointed at Reed. "I need you to help my friend. Call an ambulance. Please. He's going to die." He knew he sounded desperate but he didn't care.

The girl took one look at Reed and narrowed her eyes. "He looks dead."

"He isn't," Venn glanced back worriedly, making sure he was right. He was. "But he will be if someone doesn't call an ambulance. Please help."

The girl gave Venn a hard look. "And why should I trust the word of a ghost?"

Venn had to resist slamming his fist against the glass to scare some sense into her. "We're agents. I was killed by a powerful ghost and he was seriously injured. He's my best and only friend."

The girl kept staring for a few seconds before she nodded. The curtain fell closed and her shadow retreated. Venn could only hope she had gone to call for an ambulance.

Venn stepped away from the window. He sighed and closed his eyes. Now all he could do was hope.

A ghost lamp flashed on in front of the house. Venn could feel the harsh illumination tear him apart. Before he could register what had happened, he stood among the clockwork of his pocketwatch.

Venn let himself collapse against a gear. The pain caught up to him at last. The feeling of the sword running through his chest, the tightness and burning cold in his neck from the swelling ghost touch, the coldness that chilled him to the bone, the broken ribs, all of it. He almost wished he had completely died, but no. He couldn't leave Reed.

The muffled sounds of sirens wailed in the distance and Venn sighed in relief. The girl had believed him.