Page 11

The sound of slurping echoed through the house as Evan sipped his chocolate milk, eyes wandering everywhere. Anywhere but toward the man sitting across from him at the coffee table.

Aaron sat glaring daggers at Evan’s head as Evan stubbornly avoided his gaze. He had reluctantly revealed the truth about what had truly happened at the Greene Mansion and then about the meeting with Rhea, where he’d discovered the demon's origin. But of course, conveniently leaving out the part where he'd formed a bond with said demon.

After hearing it all, Aaron had gone quiet. Dead quiet.

Evan had never imagined there would come a day when he would wish for Aaron to regain his chattiness.

He risked a glance at his friend. As expected, Aaron's narrowed eyes, brimming with disbelief, were locked onto him.

“What?” Evan asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

Aaron folded his arms around his chest. “Is that the best story you could come up with to explain the fire at the mansion? Evan, you know how easily I believe your bullshit and even I wasn’t convinced. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were writing a fantasy novel or something.”

See? He doesn’t believe me.

The first time Evan had met his future best friend, it was during a case of haunting outside town. One of Aaron's close friends had been tormented by a spirit that had latched onto him during a night stroll through a trail.

Real smart people.

During the exorcism of his friend, Aaron was present. Watching. Curious.

One week later, he showed up at Evan's doorstep: an excited apprentice (albeit much richer than the teacher), eager to dive into the world of the paranormal.

When they’d first started working together—or precisely, when Aaron had coerced Evan into letting him experience the thrill of an exorcist’s profession—Evan had already noticed something.

A huge part of Aaron’s curiosity was rooted in disbelief.

The man didn’t really believe in ghosts or spirits or demons. The reason he insisted on tagging along was still unknown to Evan, especially since this line of work was frowned upon by some and considered a bad omen by the rest.

But over time, Aaron had seen things. Things that were scientifically, naturally, and physically unexplainable.

After all, how often did one get to witness a teenage girl stretch her neck over half a meter, or a little boy bite off his own fingers only to grow them back, or multiple pairs of eyes sprout on the body of someone born blind?

Needless to say, Aaron had started taking Evan and his job seriously after that. Was he scared? Not really. Fascinated? Definitely.

Yet, even after all that, a part of him remained skeptical of every case before handing it to Evan, digging into its very core to make sure it wasn’t an elaborate hoax.

The expression on Aaron’s face right now resembled that skeptical look.

“It’s okay if you don’t believe me,” Evan took a bite out of a cream bun. “I didn’t believe it until I saw it.”

“I didn’t say I don’t believe you,” Aaron said. “I just don’t believe your story.”

Isn’t that…the same thing?

Aaron leaned over the table to stare at Evan, mouth twisted in some conflicted thought. “Be honest with me, did you hit your head that day at the Greene Mansion? Is that why you’re hallucinating?”

“You, of all people, should know that the stuff I see aren’t hallucinations,” Evan stared at him dead in the eyes as he spoke. “Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t around you.”

Aaron blinked, looking thoughtful, then leaned back and scratched his neck. He had great confidence in Evan’s skills and knew he wasn’t the type to fool around, but this story of demons and mirror portals sounded straight out of some children’s storybook. If he wasn’t concerned about his friend’s mental health, Aaron would have laughed.

“Okay,” Aaron said, clapping his hands together. “Alright, let me get this straight. You are saying you released a demon from a magic spell at the Greene Mansion. It killed Bruce and his men, set the place on fire, followed you into your house, and then just…disappeared?”

“More or less,” Evan nodded, scrolling through his phone gallery that was filled with Misty’s pictures. His face relaxed into a look of disinterest in the topic he had started himself. Internally, Evan’s heart palpitated, worried Aaron might see through his agitation and ask him what part he’d left out from the story. But even if he told Aaron, would he even believe that? And more importantly, what would that dude think of this?

“This remains between us,” the demon had said that night after Evan had agreed to run his relic-hunting errand. “You breathe a word of this bond to another, and he will never breathe again.”

Evan didn’t have to be told twice. His sister, Rhea, and Aaron were the few people he cherished in his life. He would willingly give up his soul before endangering any of their lives. Not to mention the damned demon was holding Evan’s dog hostage too.

Getting a part of the story off his chest was one thing, but letting Aaron interrogate the whole truth out of him was a whole different headache. And to avoid that, Evan had to find a topic distracting enough for Aaron.

Evan wiped his hands on a napkin and stood up. “Let’s go,”

Aaron looked up, startled. “Go…where?”

“Didn’t you say there’s a new case?” Evan picked up his backpack and shrugged on his coat. “Let’s check it out.”

“That…” Aaron sighed, rubbing a frustrated hand down his face. “What about your ring?”

Evan’s finger twitched reflexively.

“Take this ring of yours,” Evan had said to the demon that night as he flung his legs over the window ledge. “I don’t need it.”

The demon had turned around, studying the red crystal. “Reconsider that.”

“It cannot protect me from spiritual possession, nor does it indicate the presence of dark energies around me,” Evan’s eyes had narrowed. “What exactly am I supposed to reconsider?”

The demon had seemed to ponder it over for a moment, then smiled. “Keep it.”

“What—”

“Keep the ring close and call for me whenever you need help, and I’ll come to you,” his form had dissolved into a mist of black cloud, leaving behind a faint echo of his words. “I’ll come to you…”

By call for me whenever you need help , Evan was guessing the demon meant while dealing with a spirit, which made sense. If his presence could shake up the malicious energies spread miles across the Dark Woods and draw them to the Greene Mansion, then surely he could keep a spirit or two from possessing Evan.

He was strong, Evan had to give him that.

Cool. Nice. Only a small hiccup.

How was he supposed to call him ?

The demon had not mentioned his name, a magical word, or a cursed spell. If Evan tried to summon the demon by all the names he’d come up with for him, the demon would probably crawl right back into a mirror.

Evan twisted the ring on his finger. “I found a replacement.”

Aaron stared at the red crystal, then glanced up at Evan. “I thought that ring was one of a kind, passed down from your mother’s ancestors. Where’d you find another one?”

“My basement.”

Aaron rolled his eyes, standing and grabbing his suit blazer. “You know, if you have a box full of antique heirlooms in your basement, you can always tell me,” Aaron fished out his car keys. “You sure the new ring works? You…won’t get possessed, right?”

“Well…” Evan opened his front door, and a wave of thunderstorm rolled above. “Guess we’ll find out.”

The house Evan was meant to inspect stood at the edge of the more modest part of Emberlyn. People who wished to enjoy the aesthetically pleasing visuals of nature while avoiding interacting with chatty neighbors often chose to reside in these areas that hosted houses a little removed from the town's center.

Dying remnants of the overgrown forest encircled the cluster of homes, giving the place the air of an abandoned ghost town. But the sunset visible from the mountain valleys beyond was nothing short of scenic.

As soon as Evan entered the last house in the row of residences, a gust of dark energy assaulted his face, the temperature dropping like a pin. Evan buried his hands in his coat pocket as the tiny hair at his nape spiked in attention.

The old lady with grey-sprinkled dark hair, who’d opened the door for them, lifted her dull eyes to Evan. She tried to smile, but the way it was forced made her eyeballs bulge, the dark rings nested under those cloudy eyes deepening.

When she closed the door, three scratch lines at the back of the wood instantly drew the two men’s attention. It looked like an animal had clawed the door from the inside, but the size of the said claw was small. Could be a pet dog.

Or a possessed human.

The old lady turned, her shoulders slumped and back slightly bowed, “Thank you so much for coming.”

There was so much strain in her voice. It seemed like she would collapse at any moment if she breathed another word. But no matter how much Evan studied her aura, other than sheer distress, there was no trace of malicious energy on her.

She wasn’t the one possessed.

“Please, Mrs. Simone, don’t mention it,” Aaron said, taking her wrinkle-ridden hand in both of his and giving it a solid shake. Evan could visibly see the bones in the lady’s arm rattling with the force of that handshake.

As Aaron let go of her hand—while it was still attached to her body—a loud thud resonated from inside the house somewhere.

Everyone stilled.

Moments later, a putrid stench followed the sound.

Aaron cleared his throat thrice, discreetly pushing his nose into his fist as he smiled at Mrs. Simone. He could handle a twisted corpse coming back to life, then charging at him, but not disgusting odors.

The whole house was doused in darkness, windows locked, blinds drawn. Ventilation slots were taped closed as if for extra safety. Even though it was broad daylight outside, not a ray of sun could enter this house. And there was no better place for evil to fester than darkness.

Evan’s face twisted in distaste.

As if sensing his thoughts, Mrs. Simone stepped beside Evan and explained in a stuttering tone, “Four days back…my d-daughter came back from school and shut herself in her room. She didn’t eat or talk,” her shoulders hunched lower. “The next day, I—I heard a scream. When I opened the door, she was…wailing in a corner. Her arms and legs had fresh burns, but there was no fire. I didn’t…didn’t know what happened.”

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Evan’s eyes snapped in the direction of the noise. It sounded like footsteps. Unsynchronized and unstable, but still footsteps. As if a fully grown adult was learning to walk for the first time. Such behavior was usually seen if the spirit of a buff man possessed a petite young boy, as the soul tried to get accustomed to the new body.

Mrs. Simone gulped heavily, “S-She would scream if light even grazed her body. So I—I…”

Blocked every source of light in the house . Evan nodded to himself as Aaron placed a hand on the lady’s trembling shoulder.

Thud. Thud.

The reason the girl was scared of sunlight could only be because of the burns. The sun was God’s greatest gift to humanity, and what God cherished, evil despised. Hence, some malicious spirits were scared of sunlight. But if this girl was possessed by an evil spirit, Evan had to be especially careful. He couldn’t saunter into the devil’s den like he used to because a particular pain in the ass had destroyed his protection ring.

Evan furrowed his brows. Should I call him?

The Doctrine of Blackwood Exorcists. Rule 13: “Summoning of spirits or unholy entities for personal gain or aid during exorcisms or otherwise is forbidden.”

Evan’s pride inflated dangerously in his chest as if in warning. Never in his career as an exorcist had Evan asked for anyone’s help during an exorcism. In fact, he threw everyone out of the room just to be sure no one would get in his way…or worse, die on his watch.

I don’t need his help .

This could just be another one of those boring exorcisms where the spirit would be too weak to possess Evan—an exorcist with incredible spiritual powers.

More importantly, what if Evan summoned him and someone saw that damned demon? With Aaron’s occasional quick wit, he might discover who the stranger was after Evan’s botched-up storytelling attempt this morning.

And that stranger wouldn’t take long to snap Aaron’s neck if his identity was discovered.

Tsk, I should have come alone.

Evan fished out a black talisman thread and handed it to Aaron, who tied it securely around Mrs. Simone’s frail wrist. In a reassuring voice, he said, “Everything will be fine.”

Evan didn’t confirm nor deny that statement.

As the trio walked deeper into the house, the same claw marks marred several walls, slicing clean through wallpaper and concrete alike. Some places had dried blood smudged across. Shadows seemed to dance in every corner, creeping, reaching forward. Watching. And the closer Evan got to the girl’s room, the stronger the putrid smell grew.

Twisting the dummy ring on his finger, Evan halted in front of a closed door. Mrs. Simone didn’t have to point out the room.

A normal human eye wouldn’t catch anything unusual with the door, but what Evan saw was thick clouds of black smoke wafting from the crack under the door, through the keyhole and small punctures across the wood. Malicious energy spilled from them like black ink, coiled around Evan’s feet, and crawled up his legs. When it touched his skin, it hissed, shrinking away.

Evan’s ears flexed, picking up the faint sound of squelching flesh, then a whiff of blood. More rotting smell.

“Open this door,” Evan forced out the words through the heaviness gripping his lungs. The energy was strong. “Open it, now,” When Mrs. Simone simply fumbled with her pockets for the key, Evan’s patience snapped. “Aaron!”

Aaron nodded and smiled at the lady. “Forgive my unruliness.” Then turned and kicked down the door.

It was more like a forceful push of his foot—barely a fraction of his strength—and the wood cracked.

A faint gasp left Mrs. Simone’s lips as the door crashed flat into the room. When her wide eyes shifted to the man beside her, Aaron was still smiling at her with his salesman face. “We can deduct the damages from the fees.”

“Stay here,” Evan motioned to Aaron to take care of the lady, and he readily steered the woman away from the entrance.

Okay, Evan, you know the drill.

Don’t die.

Relaxing his shoulders and demeanor, Evan stepped into the room and was greeted by pitch darkness and the same putrid stench. His senses shifted into extra-alert mode, ears straining towards the faintest shuffle and rustle.

In the past, with Crimson Eye on his finger, Evan was fearless in any haunted space. Most of the spirits could sense the presence of the powerful ring on Evan and would shrink away from him. Even if some brave-but-foolish ghost tried to attack him, it would combust and dissipate as soon as it touched Evan. It was not the same as exorcising spirits because these destroyed spirits would never have a chance to be reborn again and would simply perish forever.

That was how powerful Crimson Eye was.

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 letters scattered 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.

An immense amount of spiritual energy was flowing steadily throughout his body, acting as a shield for him and his core, but he hadn’t completely recovered from his adventure at the Greene Mansion. If he reacted to her and accidentally lost control of the energy flow, she would most likely carve an identical smile on his face with her claw.

Maintaining a calm expression, Evan commanded, “Leave the girl be. If you do, I’ll make this quick and painless.”

The figure suddenly leapt off the ceiling and latched onto the wall closest to Evan, and the first fluctuation of energy hit him.

Stay calm. Stay calm.

Fuck, stay calm!

The girl grinned, spitting black blood as she echoed, “Coward…Evan Blackwood—Killer…Evan Blackwood,” her upside-down head cracked back into place. “Poor Mercy…Dead. Coward Evan…Lived.”

Evan’s jaws clenched so hard his skull almost cracked under the pressure. He tried to stick to rationality and logic while impulse was urging him to send a blast of spiritual energy at the girl and rip the spirit out of her. But the aftermath would be damaging towards the girl’s frail body.

Spirits using personal attacks on exorcists was no special case. But the familiarity with which this thing was speaking of his mother was unsettling for some reason.

The second fluctuation of energy flow was brief. Evan quickly regained his composure. “You have tested my patience enough. Come out now or I—”

Before he could brace himself, the girl lunged, swinging her claw at him.

Evan side-stepped but wasn’t fast enough. The shoulder of his coat was caught and ripped, the razor edge of her claw slicing past his skin.

Evan froze, then blinked.

What ...

His shield had not worked. The fluctuations were creating holes in his barrier, and that thing had aimed exactly at the opening.

“You can’t save anyone…” she hissed, crawling on all four limbs towards him in the dark. “You couldn’t even save yourself…”

Evan’s nostrils flared. Brimming with unbearable irritation, he stepped back to rein in his temper. But as he did, he tripped over a broken chair handle.

Evan gasped.

His heart lurched.

The third and final fluctuation hit his system.