Harold wore an expression of anger as he addressed Alex, his gaze fixed on the man in the circle. "Son, do you know what this man has done?"
Alex became distracted after seeing his dad start to speak to him, shaking his head while trembling slowly.
"Son, let me tell you about a girl – a joyful girl," Harold began, narrating the man's background like a tale for his son.
He pointed towards the man on the floor and continued, "This man, this villain, approached that girl one day, offering candies as bait."
"Upon seeing the sweets, the girl forgot her parents' warning about 'never taking or talking to strangers' and eagerly accepted them. She expressed her gratitude and began to eat."
Filled with anger, Harold kicked the man on the floor and continued, "Little did she know, the candies were tainted. After consuming them, the girl fell ill and drifted into slumber beside this man."
"Taking advantage of her vulnerability, this man abducted her, separating her from her parents, forcing the girl to play some awful games with him."
Alex, too, started hitting the man on the ground after witnessing his dad's actions. He tried to imitate his father, and upon hearing that the man had deceived a girl, Alex became more violent because he knew from his father that deceiving girls was a bad thing. He had always been educated about this matter by both his dad and mom.
Observing Alex's aggressive behavior, Harold recalled the words of Dr. John Gray, feeling a sense of sorrow as he witnessed his son turning into something other than a child. Despite the heartache he was feeling, he bit his tongue and continued to speak, knowing this was necessary.
"Then, after playing with the girl, someday he got bored and dumped her into a lake, fully knowing that she couldn't swim and would drown without any help."
"While the girl was drowning in the lake, this bad man watched her with a smile before running away."
"Son, do you know how upset the girl's family was?" Harold asked his son, trying to evoke empathy in him and prevent him from turning worse.
Alex shook his head and couldn't answer. He was only feeling anger at the moment and did not understand the concept of being upset.
Harold tried to help his son. "Son, it's like the feeling you had after your mom gone away."
Alex's mood worsened as he remembered his mom leaving. He looked at his dad and replied, "I get it, Dad. Her family must have felt like me, missing their daughter."
Harold nodded and told Alex, "Yes, son, they felt the same way as us."
After that, Harold added while pointing to the man on the floor, "That's why it's okay to hurt him and punish him, son. He is a bad person, just like the ones you've seen in cartoons."
Alex nodded and then sat on the man's stomach on the floor, waiting for his dad's signal to punish this bad person.
After seeing Alex become stable and ready, Harold hurriedly finished the final touches on the circle and told his son, "Son, start to rephrase the script I taught you. And at the end of the script, punish this guy like I showed you."
"With this, your potential and soul power will increase, and perhaps this time we could bring your mother back," Harold assured his son.
Alex nodded his head and began reciting the script loudly, while the man on the floor thrashed his body around, trying to throw off the little kid from his stomach.
Witnessing this, Harold approached and restrained the man.
At the last line of the script, Alex stabbed the man on the floor. Then, with a bloody dagger in his hand, he followed his dad's instructions, walking over the circle while reciting another incantation.
As Alex passed over each key point in the circle, the floor beneath them trembled slightly.
"Continue, son. Don't forget to envision a portal in your head," Harold encouraged Alex.
As Alex continued to rehearse the lines and recite the script, he followed his dad's advice and tried to envision a portal in his head.
The blood of the lifeless man on the ground was flowing in curves around the center.
With each passing moment, beads of sweat streamed down Alex's forehead, while the area where his solar plexus was located was burning, causing him a lot of pain.
This pain in previous rituals made him lose his focus and caused him to stop reciting, eventually leading to the failure of the ritual.
Despite his previous failures, Alex's dad never became angry at him or punished him. Nevertheless, Alex could clearly perceive the disappointment in his dad's words.
That's why Alex was determined to succeed this time, so he tried to ignore the pain and continue reciting the script.
Alex had always adored his dad and loved him. Whenever he did something that upset his dad or made his dad disappointed in him, he would always feel bad.
Alex didn't want this to happen again, so he kept reciting the script, even when his whole body was in pain, and blood was coming out of his nose. He persisted.
Harold examined his son's determination and could see that he was in a lot of pain. He noticed Alex was sweating profusely and bleeding heavily. He felt his heart ache again. Nevertheless, despite this, he bit his tongue and encouraged Alex once more, "Son, keep going, it's almost finished. I'm proud of you."
After hearing his dad's proud words and seeing the smile on his face, Alex continued.
When Alex connected the last key points, both he and his dad waited in anticipation. However, the only thing that happened was a gust of wind in the closed cellar that extinguished half of the candles.
Harold shook his head in disappointment and murmured, "Different from the previous one, this time the environment and nature responded," thinking about the trembles and wind that happened during the ritual.
Lost in his thoughts, he heard his son's innocent self-blame, "Dad, did I fail again? Where is Mom?"
Alex looked towards his bloodied son, who wore a sad expression, and patted him gently. He said excitedly, "No, Alex, this time you did it! Didn't you notice how the earth trembled, and the cool wind blew?"
Alex nodded his head.
Curious, Harold inquired, "Did you feel anything during the process?"
Alex wondered and then spoke his mind, "It was painful, Dad, but with each passing moment, I felt lighter."
Alex struggled to explain the feeling he experienced with childlike words and gestures.
Harold intervened, "That means it worked. The reason why your mom didn't come back is that this was just your first successful attempt."
Harold elaborated, "The feelings you experienced during the process indicate that your soul is becoming more refined, and your potential is beginning to unlock and grow."
Alex asked childishly, "My soul grew?"
With a tender touch, Harold crouched down and wiped the blood from his son's face, responding, "Yes, son. With enough soul power, someday we might be able to bring your mother back."
Alex's mood brightened after learning he had succeeded and that he could bring his mom back in the future. He smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay, Dad, don't worry. I will bring Mother back."
Harold affectionately patted his son's cheek and stood up, cradling Alex in his embrace. "To do that, we need to do a lot of these rituals, son," he paused and looked toward his son's face, "Can you do it?"
Alex didn't want to do this again, but seeing the happy face of his dad and the promise of his mother coming back, he nodded his head and silently promised, "I'll do it, Dad," and fell asleep on his father's shoulder.
After witnessing his son's condition and hearing his heartfelt promise, Harold couldn't hold back his tears any longer. He wept quietly while repeating the words,
"I'm sorry, son."
"I'm really sorry, son. Forgive me."
Alex, still in a daze, murmured, "It's okay, Dad. Please don't cry," and drifted back to sleep.
***