When it finally stops, and the globe clears, I see the kid collapsed, twitching, smoking. He doesn’t look too badly burned, but it’s clear that whatever he was trying for was lethal. I can feel him die right then and there, a tiny kick in the gut whenever someone nearby kicks the bucket. Yet one more side benefit of necromancy. Yay.

I lower the shield and run to him. Anybody else I’d probably just let go, but come on, he’s just a kid. I try to remember how to do CPR. I’m not in the business of keeping people alive so it’s not like I ever paid much attention.

I can feel the kid’s ghost starting to separate from him, and whatever’s left of his soul going wherever it needs to go. I’ve only felt this happen a few times before. Usually it all separates so fast it’s over before I even know it’s happening.

I’ve always wondered if I could do something about it. Now’s as good a time as any to find out. I can’t do anything from this side besides watch this all happen. But over on the dead side I might have a chance.

I will myself over to the other side, colors muting to midnight shades of blue and gray. There’s a rushing sound, like stepping through a waterfall. The city noises fade to a low, hissing wind. The cars on the street are missing, and some of the houses look different. Places leave a psychic footprint over here. With enough belief and history tied into a place or an object it’ll show up, regardless of what’s on the living side. There are whole buildings over here that were demolished decades ago.

The kid’s ghost hasn’t pulled away from the rest of his soul much. It’s more like a slow peeling than a clean break. The kid’s body is visible, though if he were alive he’d just be an indistinct blob of light. But he’s still in the process of shedding his soul, so it’s right here.

Neither piece, the ghost nor the soul, really looks like him, or even human. It’s too soon. They’re just ropes of white light splitting apart.

I don’t have a lot of time. This is a land of entropy. I can already feel it pulling my energy away from me. Stay too long and I’ll be just as dead as anything else here. Though the ghosts will probably eat me first.