Mutated Ectoplasm

27. A Curse

"Well, sorry! I can't control this stuff." Vriska's mood took a turn, swinging right into irritation. However, it was clear to everyone this was born out of fear more than anything, knowing that they didn't have a way out now. "Maybe I can mess with our chances here, but I don't think that'll help a lot."

"Maybe we still have time!" Tavros looked really guilty, waving his arms as he tried to think. "We could try and find some other ghosts that could help. I mean, I don't know any ghosts other than you guys, but maybe you guys do? I don't really know."

"We don't know any other ghosts. The fact we even know so many now is kind of a miracle." Aradia's positivity was dying down fast. A part of her considered that maybe she should text her parents about this, feeling startlingly out of her depth. "And, again, we're on an invisible time limit."

"...Can humans have Aspects?"

The question caused everyone to turn to the person in question, turning out to be Sollux of all people. The nerdy human raised his hands defensively, asking them to hear him out.

"Considering some of guys here are pretty much just dead humans, I'm not too far from being an actual ghost." Sollux didn't seem to fully buy his logic, but he figured he should share his thoughts anyway. "Humans should have an Aspect thing too; it just doesn't appear since we don't have ectoplasm."

"That's right!" Karkat suddenly felt so much better with that explanation, the possibilities also interesting on an academic level. "I'm not even a full ghost and I have a Blood Aspect. Again, not very high chances, but it could work."

Everyone looked to Nebit, who was frowning as she looked at the dais. She bit her lip, a fang almost breaking open the skin before she sighed loudly.

"That also might mean you'll have to pledge yourself to your Aspect since you can't use passively." The adult didn't really like the possibility, especially since they were kids. They had lives to live, nothing that should be wasted for some invisible entity or thing related to this place. "Are you willing to put yourselves through that just to take Fright Knight down?"

"We'll do it together and help each other out with it." Aradia was reinvigorated by the new possibility. Hell, if it ended with them getting powers of their own, it would be even better. "We might get lucky since we're not ghosts or anything."

Nebit didn't look happy about that, but considering the other options were either to fight Fright Knight fruitlessly or let an entire town get destroyed, she figured that it would be okay. She'd just have to keep an eye on them.

"Fine." Nebit motioned for the two humans to try it out, still reluctant when it came to the possible consequences. "I'll help you recite the oath if one of you happens to be a match, but only then."

Aradia only nodded while Sollux eyed the circle with some suspicion. The two moved closer to it, both stopping at the edge. They gave each other a brief look as the situation dawned on them, causing them to take deep breaths.

Aradia, predictably, was the first to go. Whether by confidence or anxiety, she walked quickly in the circle to find her Aspect quicker, if it would even work at all. Their answer came when she stepped onto the red symbol of a gear, having it light up before them.

"Time. Decay, inevitability, and death."

The description caused everyone to wince, the triumph of Sollux's theory being trumped by the wrong Aspect lighting up. Sollux, as gloomy as the rest, moved forward afterward, avoiding Aradia as she stared at her symbol with a dazed expression. He honestly didn't expect much of his either, which is why he kept a steady pace as he walked.