Learning to master an unfamiliar power was never supposed to be an easy task.

Yet, under Father Henn’s brief explanation and demonstration, Johnny displayed a talent far beyond ordinary men. Not only could he control and suppress the flames enveloping his body, but he could even extend them and alter their shape.

While this didn’t offer a significant boost to his raw strength, it proved that Johnny was beginning to comprehend and recognize his own power. That alone was a monumental leap forward.

"Do not become a puppet to the power and the contract. Turn the tables and master them."

This was the goal Seia had set for Johnny, and it was already yielding results by the third hour.

As Seia gradually weakened the effects of the Mimic Holy Grail, the fury in Johnny’s heart steadily mounted, putting his sanity through a grueling trial.

Fortunately, even after the light of the Mimic Grail vanished entirely, Johnny was merely a bit irritable. He didn’t revert to his previous state of taciturn brooding, capable only of mockery and silence.

This was more than enough.

Both the priest and Seia were deeply satisfied with the outcome. Although Johnny was still riding an emotional high, he was rationally aware of the massive progress he had made.

His current state was stable enough to allow a certain degree of communication with the demon.

With everyone satisfied, Johnny willed himself back into his human form.

The sensation of his sanity flooding back lifted his spirits immensely, and a grateful smile broke across his face. "Thank you, young lady. I’ve never felt better."

"Think nothing of it. This, too, is the Lord’s guidance and protection."

Seia had no intention of taking the credit, attributing everything to God.

Is this the exorcist who practically saved the world and already has a place reserved for her in Heaven?

Father Henn felt a sudden wave of emotion prick the back of his eyes, but he held back his tears, chiming in, "Indeed, Mr. Blaze. The trials you have endured are all part of the Lord’s test. Please, do not let this contract cause you to fall and become a minion of the devil."

Rumor had it that during the mission at the St. Carta Monastery in Romania, the generations of nuns who lived there had ultimately ascended to Heaven.

The holy power radiating from their prayers was something even a demon lord could hardly endure, filling the entire ancient castle with a brilliant golden light.

"Don’t worry," Johnny said, nodding firmly. Though he had returned to his human form, a physical wrath seemed to flicker in his eyes, matching the intensity of the Ghost Rider. "That demon and I are far from even."

Now that the matter was resolved, Johnny bid them farewell. He still had a battle of his own to fight.

"Though it couldn’t be helped before, try your best from now on not to expose your anomalies in front of ordinary people. The Church will explain your situation to the local police department, but we cannot be overly indulgent regarding the destruction you leave in your wake."

Seia had no intention of tagging along to help.

After all, Johnny could handle this matter himself without her extra assistance. Her only concern was ensuring his daily life wouldn’t be disrupted as it had been before.

"I understand. Thank you."

Johnny was genuinely grateful to the girl.

In truth, the police had already set their sights on him, and it was only due to a lack of physical evidence that they hadn’t formally arrested him, settling for a symbolic two-day detention instead.

It hadn’t been a pleasant experience.

Fortunately, now that he could control his power, he just needed to choose secluded places to transform.

After sending the man off, Seia and the priest were left alone once more.

"I recall you came here specifically to handle this matter," the priest said. "Now that this Chapter has drawn to a close, what are your plans?"

"Just hand over the requests submitted to the Church to me."

Seia naturally had no intention of sitting idle.

"Very well. But it is getting quite late today. Go back and get some rest first," Father Henn replied, a look of profound affection and warmth on his face.

As one of the major cathedrals in New York, St. Patrick’s didn’t lack exorcism missions, but they weren’t so overwhelming that a young girl who had just arrived—and wrapped up a major task—needed to stay up all night reviewing them.

In truth, their own exorcists were perfectly capable of handling the current influx of requests.

Besides, the Church wasn’t the only institution with exorcists; there were plenty of independent, rogue exorcists who had picked up methods from who-knows-where and scraped together their own gear.

New York had plenty of trouble, but it also had plenty of talent. This was the perfect opportunity to show this legendary-bound girl the grit and capability of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

After all, a request that had been stagnant for ages was wrapped up by her in a single day... No matter how composed Father Henn tried to appear, it was still a bit embarrassing.

However, an event would soon unfold that would leave him even more embarrassed.

Not long ago, he had dispatched a priest to handle an exorcism request. But just this afternoon, the client’s family had come knocking, explaining that the priest had been asleep in their home for a day and a night and simply wouldn’t wake up.

After gathering some details, Father Henn finally got a rough grasp on the situation.

But understanding the problem was one thing; actually resolving it was another.

A grand cathedral like theirs certainly possessed the power to handle this request, but... they currently lacked the heavy hitters to spare.

Even the bishop was away from the cathedral, and the high-ranking exorcists were all out on their respective missions. The earliest any could return would be a day or two, but by then, it would be too late.

If they sent weaker exorcists, they would likely just end up trapped there as well.

Left with no other choice, Father Henn could only seek out Seia, who had just finished her lunch and was currently playing with a fat little bird using a teaser wand.

"This is... the exorcist?"

In the living room of Seia’s quarters, the blonde woman who had come for help looked distinctly grim.

Her displeasure wasn’t aimed at Seia, but at the Church itself.

Father Henn understood the reason behind her expression perfectly. Free of any offense, he explained with a smile, "I told you that meeting her might catch you off guard, but Seia is indeed an adult."

"But..." She looked even younger than the previous priest. Did she truly possess the ability to solve this?

The woman couldn’t help but harbor doubts.

Being underestimated due to her appearance was a familiar song to Seia; almost everyone she met harbored similar thoughts to some degree.

"Please do not worry, ma’am."

The blonde girl spoke in a measured, soothing tone, her gentle smile unchanging. "I have quite a bit of experience with exorcisms."

"Indeed, she is the Church’s legendary exorcist," Father Henn added without hesitation, inflating her title. Though to him, it wasn’t an exaggeration—it was a statement of fact.

"A legendary exorcist..."

The woman’s brow remained furrowed, but the resistance in her eyes began to thaw.

"Would you mind telling me about the situation on your end?" Seia inquired.

"Alright."

Since she had already accepted the help, the woman didn’t dwell on her doubts any longer. "You can just call me Renai. Exactly three months ago, my eldest son, Dalton, inexplicably fell into a deep sleep. We visited numerous hospitals, but the doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with him."

"After Dalton slipped into the coma, strange things began happening all over the house... I’ve even seen malevolent spirits on more than one occasion."

"My husband is a staunch atheist. While he didn’t believe a word I said, he still moved us to a new house... But... Dalton hasn’t woken up, and the hauntings haven’t stopped..."

"Just a short while ago, I saw a clear silhouette walk past the doorway of Dalton’s room! It absolutely wasn’t a hallucination! That’s why I came here..."

Renai summarized the situation concisely, clearly having rehearsed her words since she had gone through this once before.

Finishing her piece, she looked toward Father Henn.

"Yes... We sent an exorcist to investigate the situation. Just last night, he requested a batch of spiritual mediums and tools from the Church," the priest nodded, supplementing the story. "Based on Mrs. Renai’s account and the tools requested by our exorcist, I suspect this incident is connected to the Further."

"The Further...?"

Renai clearly had no concept of the term, which was only natural.

"I understand," Seia nodded. "Leave this request to me. If it involves the Further, it’s only natural that an ordinary exorcist would find themselves at a loss."

"Do you need me to prepare anything for you?" Father Henn asked, knowing this meant she had accepted the task.

"No need. The tools required should already be prepared by that exorcist."

Saying this, Seia rose from her seat. "Let us head out now."

Renai was more anxious than anyone. Seeing Seia speak with such directness, she no longer hesitated.

After roughly a half-hour drive, the two arrived at a residential neighborhood.

This was the new home the family had just moved into, but even before stepping inside, Seia could already feel the distinct chill radiating from the house.

Guided by Renai, the two pushed open the door and entered the house. At this moment, the living room was quite crowded.

There was Renai’s husband, Josh, Renai’s son and daughter, and Josh’s mother.

In addition to them, there was an elderly, silver-haired woman. When Renai saw her, a flash of confusion crossed her face, and she didn’t speak immediately.

"I am Elise, a psychic called in by Josh’s mother to look into this matter." The old woman looked at Renai with a warm smile, then turned her gaze to Seia, her eyes widening with a mixture of surprise and disbelief. "Child, are you an exorcist from the Church?"

"Yes. The previous exorcist risked his life to sound the alarm for us, which is why I am here," Seia replied.

She knew exactly why Elise looked so startled. Through Elise’s psychic vision, Seia likely possessed an aura entirely different from anyone else.

This was due to Elise’s innate psychic talent. Mediums possessed an incredibly rare gift, typically taking requests to channel spirits and help clients see departed loved ones.

Powerful psychics possessed incredibly sharp spiritual perception, allowing them to not only perceive the realm of ghosts but even foresee the future to some extent.

However, those were the terms used by rogue exorcists. Within the Church, these immense talents and abilities were referred to as blessings.

Elise wasn’t a devout believer, but looking at Seia standing before her, an indescribable feeling washed over her. Perhaps this was what her old friends referred to as sanctity?

It was her first time encountering an exorcist who exuded such pure holiness.

"Why would they send a child? This is dangerous!" Josh stated, looking at Seia with deep disapproval.

Because of the comatose priest upstairs, his atheism was no longer as ironclad as before. But precisely because he understood the danger of the situation, he didn’t want a girl who looked barely older than his own children to put herself in harm’s way.

"Please rest assured, Mr. Josh. I am an adult."

Seia explained patiently, a routine she was well-accustomed to.

After all, her appearance truly gave off an impression of frailty. It wasn’t as if she could carry a permanent waiver around her neck stating ’I am an adult.’

"She is indeed an exorcist you can rely on," Elise chimed in to help.

However, this only caused Josh’s eye to twitch.

The previous priest, though young—somewhere in his early thirties—had looked incredibly capable and trustworthy.

But now? The two individuals replacing that strong young priest consisted of an elderly woman and a young girl. Did the exorcism world have no regard for sending proper help?

Seeing this, Renai frowned and tugged at Josh’s sleeve. "Exorcist Seia is a legendary exorcist of the Church. The priest at the cathedral said so himself!" This was her warning to him to drop the skepticism.

Josh nodded reluctantly.

Since they had accepted the help, the next step was naturally to solve the crisis.

"Could you please take me to see your son and the exorcist sent by the cathedral?" Seia requested.

She didn’t question why another person had been brought in when she was already on the case. Josh’s mother and Elise, who had intended to explain, held their tongues upon seeing her professional demeanor.

In truth, Elise had already conducted an initial sweep of the surroundings and had even set up real-time monitoring across the entire house with her two assistants. However, every practitioner had their own methods, and Elise had no intention of interfering.

"Dalton and Mr. Clark are in the same room. Ms. Elise suggested we place them together," Josh explained, stepping forward to lead the way despite his mixed emotions.

As he walked, he kept glancing back at Seia, clearly eager to hear her insights.

Neither Elise nor Seia minded this subtle interrogation behavior.

"Ms. Elise’s approach is entirely correct," Seia noted. "If this is a case of ’astral projection,’ then their souls are highly likely lost in the Further. The Further is a warped, chaotic space where ordinary people cannot easily find their way back."

"But Mr. Clark is an exorcist of the Church. If even he hasn’t found his way back, there are only two possibilities: either his soul has perished, or he is engaged in something far more vital than returning."

"Something more vital?"

Josh didn’t want to leave the thought half-finished and pressed for answers immediately.

"I share the same suspicion as Ms. Elise. The reason he hasn’t returned is likely because he is searching for—or perhaps has already found—Dalton’s soul, and they are currently seeking a way back together."

"That...!" Josh froze for a moment. He wasn’t foolish, and the pieces quickly clicked together. "So placing them together ensures they won’t get separated in that chaotic space, allowing them to return together as quickly as possible!"

"Precisely." Seia nodded. As they spoke, the trio arrived at Dalton’s room.

Inside, the two assistants were busy setting up equipment, pausing in surprise as the three entered.

Seia swept her gaze across the room, her eyes eventually locking onto the area above Dalton’s desk.

The wall above the desk was plastered with various drawings and scribbles. On the vast majority of these sketches, there was a crude figure drawn entirely in pitch-black, save for a face painted completely red.

The sight caused Seia’s eyelashes to flutter slightly. Elise caught the sudden shift in her demeanor.

"Child, do you see something specific?"

--+--

T/N: The Horror Movie this time is Insidious.

--+--

T/N: If you want advance Chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL