November 1, 20XX. New Walk village. A black jeep was parked on the grassy side of the road. The sun was up, glaring at the residents walking by the road with their bags and luggage.
The village chief who was leading the residents instructed one of his members to take his role. He hurriedly left the front of the march, greeting the people from the black jeep.
"Welcome to our village. Thank God you're here." the chief said.
"Do not worry. We will do our best to stop it," Sao said.
The chief was in tears, as he felt relief from fear. "Its location is at the end of the road. If you see a black house, that's it," the chief instructed.
"Got it. Please go to Rizal village. The mayor is waiting for you guys there. They prepared a vehicle for all of you," Sao informed.
The chief bowed to Sao, before going back to the march. People who lived in New Walk village were mostly farmers. They don't have any form of transportation, while those in the middle class who have theirs, already escaped from the village.
The black jeep went back to the road, following the chief's instructions. They went past many troubled citizens, carrying every belonging they could carry. Some even brought their cattle and other farm animals.
The side of the road was filled with sugarcane and coconut trees. Few fruit-bearing trees could be seen standing between the coconut trees. The village view was serene, however, the lack of people made it disturbing.
Without any people in sight, the village felt like a ghost town. Further down the road, crows cawed at the black jeep while perched on the plantation's fences.
After a kilometer, they arrived at a wooden house. The house was a two-story one, its design was old, and its color was as black as charcoal. It sat in the middle of a corn plantation, surrounded by flying crows.
"Let's wait the night here," Sao said to everyone inside the jeep.
Previously.
3 am at SDD, Pablo's office. Lorian, Sao, and Rain sat on their chairs looking at the image projected to the wall.
"The month of the dead is coming. It is also the month when the Astral is the strongest. We received urgent news that the Pitu village of Magalag Town was leveled. Houses were destroyed along with their crops. Residents of Pitu village are currently missing..." Ann reported, explaining the details of the task.
"We also hired an expert exorcist, Pastor Opium. The danger level is Astral: Tier B-. You need his caliber to deal with this threat. Please pick him up at the Incarnated Son church of Bagahi." Ann added.
Lorian, Sao, and Rain rode the black jeep heading to the location of Pastor Opium. They arrived at the Incarnated Son church. A statue of a man carrying a cross stood at the center front of the church. The church was as large as a gymnasium, grand and expensive looking.
The windows were made of stained glass art. Its walls were stacks of white marble bricks. Christmas lights flickered like the stars while the sound of the choir singing a Christmas jingle was played by their speakers.
The black jeep was parked in the parking lot, located at the side of the church. They went out of the black jeep and headed to the back of the church. At the back of the church, there was a mansion built for the church's use.
The mansion was the place where the pastors of the small churches around the city of Bagahi lived. This also housed their current bishop.
Sao stood in front of the door pressing the doorbell, while Lorian stood behind him. Meanwhile, Rain stayed inside the jeep, soundly sleeping. The mansion's door opened, and a young man appeared whose eyes glowed at the sight of Lorian.
"Lorian!"
"Julio!"
The two greeted each other.
"Teacher is getting ready. Please wait inside." Julio said letting Sao and Lorian in.
They sat down on the sofa, while Julio served them a cup of coffee. Lorian and Sao gladly accepted the cup. Due to the urgency of this task, they were forced to wake up and they really needed coffee right now.
"Hey Lorian, I heard you'll be facing a Tier B-. Are you scared?" Julio curiously asked.
Lorian was composed, as he calmly sipped his coffee. "Actually, I'm really excited to try fighting a Tier B-. I heard they give lots of money." Lorian replied.
Julio awkwardly grinned at Lorian's reply. "Yes, they do. But they are also quite strong. You need to be careful sir."
"You don't need to worry about Lorian. This guy is made out of stone." Sao interjected in their conversation.
"I can still feel pain, Sao," Lorian said.
"Yes, after a hundred kicks maybe. Hahahahaha," Sao laughed.
"It's not like you didn't improve though. You're getting nimbler now. I couldn't even catch you like last time." Lorian said.
The two laughed. While the veteran exorcists took care of the surge of possessed people in the region. SDD didn't receive any requests, making Sao and Lorian's past weeks free. They spent all their time training hard. It's a miracle that no other supernatural beings were rampaging as well.
"Oh, by the way, Julio. Did Iku make it?" Lorian asked.
Julio nodded in response to Lorian's question. "He's now being trained in the neighboring city."
"He's an interesting fellow indeed. He had an innate attitude that evil spirits fear. The carefree attitude." a towering man appeared, going down the stairs.
"I'm Pastor Opium. I thank you for helping out my student." Pastor Opium introduced himself.
"I'm Lorian."
"I'm Sao."
The two also introduced themselves.
Pastor Opium looked at Julio who stood on the side. "Continue your prayers," he instructed.
Julio bowed to Pastor Opium and then to Sao and Lorian, before heading to his room.
"Let's go. We must not waste any more time," Pastor Opium said.
Lorian and Sao acknowledged what the pastor said, as they hurriedly walked back to the jeep. Pastor Opium followed behind. His eyes closed, murmuring his prayers while he placed a thick book on his chest with his right hand.
They arrived at the jeep. Lorian opened the door to the back seat, offering it to Pastor Opium. However, when he was about to step inside, Pastor Opium stopped.
"I'll take the front seat. I don't want to sit beside a heretic," he said as he opened the door to the front seat.
Lorian looked at Rain who was snoring under the cloth, clueless that she was being called a heretic.
"Boy, time is gold," Pastor Opium said to the still Lorian.
Lorian was taken aback. He hurriedly sat beside Rain. When he got closer to her, a sweet scent filled Lorian's nostrils, making him swallow his saliva. Lorian moved to the side, acting like nobody saw him.
Sao looked at his friend sitting in the corner, who had an uneasy expression. He started driving while holding himself from laughing. However, his face couldn't help but smirk.
'Oh, Lorian. You looked like a tamed dog,' Sao thought.