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But presently, Evan didn’t have Crimson Eye nor the privilege to stroll into a haunted territory carelessly. Other than the fact that he was missing a very important piece of accessory on his finger, his wariness was also rooted in his doubts about this particular case.

This strong aura was familiar to him, not in a good way, though. His mind couldn’t recall when he had faced this particular essence before, but his body recognized it, going into full defense mode.

Over the years he had dealt with hundreds of cases. Remember every essence of every spirit he’d exorcised was simply not possible.

With an exhale, Evan dropped his head.

In the center of the pitch-black room, a soft blue light shimmered into existence. From his fingertips to his face and eyes, through the very pores of his clothes, light peeked through. Spiritual energy overflowed through his entire body, gushed in his veins, and circulated through his organs. It was the most amount of energy he’d ever channeled through his body in a while, and the effect was almost immediate.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Evan’s glowing blue eyes peeled open, clearly seeing through the darkness blanketing him.

Furniture and appliances were smashed to bits, concrete walls clawed like cardboard. Tiny pieces of debris dropped from the cracked ceiling. Words in foreign languages were smudged in blood across the walls along with a few English lettersscattered in their midst. Footsteps echoed from everywhere, whispers that seemed to fade into air before reaching his ears, but there was no one with him in the room.

As Evan regarded his surroundings with cautious eyes, a blackish-brown drop of liquid dripped on the floor, merely a few inches away from his boot. As soon as it hit the floor, the liquid sizzled, like acid being poured on raw flesh.

Evan’s eyes narrowed, then trailed up.

A dark figure stared back at him, hanging upside down from the ceiling.

Her neck was twisted in an unnatural angle, a pair of three-fingered claws in place of hands punctured through the ceiling as she dangled from them, swaying. Her slit-pupiled eyes studied Evan closely, then a grin broke out across her face. Black liquid spilled from her mouth as her lips tore at the seams, the smile stretching from one ear to the other—quite literally.

“Evan Blackwood…”The girl slurred through her bloody mouth, two voices echoing from her throat.“You came…so soon.”

The light barrier pulsed. Evan’s skin was so bright now that the blue light was reflecting in the possessed girl’s torn face. He quietly stared at her, then pocketed his hand.

“I wasn’t aware such a pretty girl was awaiting me,” he returned her smile half-heartedly. “Alas, sweetheart, I’m both too old for you and far too gay.”

The girl cackled, black blood spritzing from her agape mouth.

Evan tried to keep his smile intact, but it dropped after a few stretched moments. “Why don’t you come down so we can have a chat? My neck’s starting to hurt looking up at you.”

“Do you really think you can save them all?”She giggled, a growl gurgling low in her throat.“Save them… Save them all…?”

“Save whom?”

Her neck cracked, turning completely upside down over her shoulders as her slit-pupiled eyes darted towards the open entrance of the room.

“Them…”

The broken door lying on the floor suddenly swung upright before slamming over the entrance, shutting the only route of escape from the room.

Evan’s face remained impassive.

If needed, all he had to do was call out Aaron’s name, and that door would split in half.

“Mercy…”The girl crawled across the ceiling, staring at Evan with her upturned face.“Mercy… Oh, Mercy… Poor Mercy…”

It took Evan a moment to realize the spirit wasn’t pleading for mercy but calling out a name.

His mask of impassiveness cracked.

Evan’s hands clenched in his pockets, a muscle ticking in his jaws as he stared at the girl, trying his best to remain unfazed. But the sudden shift in his face didn’t go unnoticed by her.

The girl roared with laughter, shaking the entire room with the vibrations.“Oh, poor Mercy… Poor little Mercy… Gone. Dead… Gone.”

A twitch in his brows fractured Evan’s composure further as he willed himself to stay calm and not react. That thing was trying to provoke him with that name.