Chapter 13: Bolliva, the Evil Reaper
The air around the Hollow Mountain Tavern grew colder as Jace and Juniper sat inside, reflecting on their latest mission. The eerie glow of the aura orb Jace held in his hand barely pierced the gloom of the dimly lit tavern. The enchanted Grim Reaper had disappeared into the shadows after their last conversation, leaving them with a sense of foreboding. Outside, the wind howled, rattling the tavern’s ancient wooden beams.
Juniper rubbed her arms, trying to warm herself against the chill.
“It’s like the air got ten degrees colder in here.”
Jace, still floating slightly off the ground, nodded.
“I feel it too, and I’m technically dead, so that’s saying something.”
Juniper shot him a playful look.
“Does anything scare you, Jace?”
“I don’t know,” Jace replied with a smirk.
“I’ve never been a fan of haunted forests or evil reapers. You know, just the usual ghost phobias.”
Before Juniper could respond, the tavern door creaked open, and the Grim Reaper appeared, his tattered cloak flowing as if it were made of shadows. His skeletal face remained expressionless as he approached them. He stopped at their table, the flickering light from the candles casting long, unsettling shadows across his face.
“We have a problem,” the Grim Reaper said, his voice low and filled with dark tension.
Juniper sat up straighter, a knot forming in her stomach.
“What kind of problem?”
The Grim Reaper’s hollow eyes shifted toward Jace.
“An enemy. Bolliva, an evil reaper, has learned of your quest to regain your body. She commands dark spirits and has a particular interest in stopping you.”
Jace narrowed his eyes.
“Why would she care about me? I’m just trying to fulfill some unfinished business.”
The Grim Reaper sighed, as if the very mention of Bolliva drained his strength.
“Because Bolliva thrives on chaos and suffering. She despises those who seek peace, especially ghosts who want to return to the land of the living. If you succeed, it challenges her control over the dark spirits that follow her. She will do everything in her power to stop you.”
Juniper exchanged a worried glance with Jace.
“So what now? What do we do?”
The Grim Reaper’s skeletal fingers tapped the table as he spoke. “There is another ghost seeking your help—a mother who died under tragic circumstances. Her unfinished business is to find the resting place of her child, who was buried in secret by those who wronged her.”
Jace frowned.
“That sounds... intense.”
“It is,” the Grim Reaper replied gravely. “The child’s grave is hidden deep within a haunted forest, one that Bolliva’s minions have taken control of. She knows you are on this path, and she will send her forces to stop you.”
Juniper swallowed hard. “Haunted forest, dark spirits, and now an evil reaper. Sounds like a fun Saturday.”
Jace couldn’t help but smirk at her attempt to lighten the mood. “You ready for this, Juniper?”
Juniper gave him a determined nod. “We’ve come this far. Let’s find this mother’s child and show Bolliva she can’t stop us.”
The Grim Reaper’s cloak rippled as he stepped back into the shadows. “Be careful. The haunted forest is no ordinary place. The spirits there are restless, and Bolliva’s influence makes them dangerous.”
With that warning hanging in the air, Jace and Juniper stood up, the glowing aura orb illuminating their path as they left the tavern and made their way into the dark night.
---
The haunted forest lay ahead of them, an endless sea of twisted trees and overgrown vines. The branches seemed to reach out like skeletal fingers, as if the forest itself was alive and hungry for trespassers. A thick fog curled along the ground, making it difficult to see more than a few feet in front of them.
“This place gives me the creeps,” Juniper whispered, clutching her jacket tighter around her shoulders.
Jace floated beside her, scanning the shadows. “I don’t like this either. It’s too quiet.”
Suddenly, the sound of soft footsteps echoed through the trees. Juniper froze, her heart racing. “Did you hear that?”
Jace’s eyes narrowed as he hovered protectively beside her. “Yeah, I did.”
Before they could react, a low growl rumbled from the darkness. Out of the mist, a pack of ghostly wolves appeared, their glowing red eyes fixed on Jace and Juniper. Their bodies flickered like flames, yet they moved with deadly precision, circling the two of them as they prepared to strike.
“Great, ghost wolves,” Jace muttered. “Because regular wolves weren’t terrifying enough.”
One of the wolves lunged forward, teeth bared, but Jace was quick to react. He summoned his newly granted ghostly powers, conjuring a burst of energy that sent the wolf flying backward, yelping as it crashed into a tree.
Juniper gasped. “Jace! That was incredible!”
Jace grinned, though he kept his eyes on the wolves. “Yeah, the Grim Reaper gave me a few tricks to help out. Let’s hope it’s enough.”
The remaining wolves snarled, their ghostly forms rippling as they advanced. Jace floated higher, his hands crackling with spectral energy. He unleashed another wave of power, striking two more wolves and sending them scattering into the mist.
But the largest wolf, clearly the pack leader, stood its ground. Its red eyes glowed brighter as it howled, summoning even more wolves from the shadows.
“There’s too many!” Juniper cried, backing up against a tree.
Jace gritted his teeth, firing off blasts of energy to keep the wolves at bay. “I can’t hold them all off for long. We need to find that grave and get out of here!”
Juniper’s eyes darted around the dark forest. “But where? The grave could be anywhere!”
Just then, a faint voice echoed through the trees. “This way... please... this way...”
Juniper’s eyes widened. “Did you hear that?”
Jace nodded, his energy fading slightly as he fought off the wolves. “Yeah, I did. It’s the mother. She’s guiding us.”
Without wasting another moment, Juniper grabbed Jace’s arm—or rather, his ghostly form—and they followed the voice deeper into the forest. The ghost wolves chased after them, snapping at their heels, but Jace used his powers to slow them down with bursts of energy.
Finally, they came to a small clearing. In the center was an unmarked grave, a simple stone slab hidden beneath years of overgrown vines.
“This must be it!” Juniper exclaimed, dropping to her knees to clear the vines.
The voice of the mother ghost grew stronger, filled with emotion. “Thank you... you’ve found my child...”
But before they could celebrate, the pack of ghost wolves charged into the clearing, their glowing eyes fixed on their prey. Jace hovered protectively in front of Juniper, his energy fading from exhaustion.
“We’re running out of time,” Jace said, his voice strained. “I can’t keep them off much longer.”
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over them—a tall, menacing figure cloaked in darkness. Bolliva had arrived.
“You think you can defeat me, Jace?” she hissed, her voice dripping with malice. “You’re nothing but a weak, lost soul. You’ll never return to the living.”
Jace glared at her, his ghostly form flickering. “I’ve already come too far to stop now. We’re going to finish this.”
Bolliva raised her hand, summoning more evil spirits to surround them. But just as she prepared to strike, the voice of the mother ghost rang out.
“Leave them be!”
A brilliant light erupted from the grave as the spirit of the mother appeared, standing between Jace and Bolliva. Her presence was radiant, filled with love and protection.
“You will not harm them,” the mother ghost declared, her voice echoing through the forest.
Bolliva snarled, retreating slightly as the mother’s light pushed her back. “This isn’t over, Jace! You can’t defeat me!” With that, Bolliva and her minions vanished into the shadows, leaving the clearing in silence.
Jace, breathing heavily from the intense battle, turned to Juniper. “Are you okay?”
Juniper nodded, her heart still racing.
“Yeah... thanks to you.”
The mother ghost smiled softly, her form beginning to fade.
“Thank you for helping me find my child. I can rest now...”
As she disappeared, the grave emitted a soft glow, and an aura orb floated up into the air. Jace grabbed it, his eyes filled with determination.
“That’s another orb down,” he said, his voice steady.
Juniper smiled weakly.
“And one more step closer to getting you back.”
But as they left the haunted forest, the looming threat of Bolliva still weighed heavily on their minds. The battle was far from over, and the journey ahead would only grow more dangerous.