THE number one rule when it came to lying was that you say your part first.
What did Isaac expect? Demons played dirty.
Isaac also couldn't blame him. He would have probably done the same in his place. The problem was exposing him.
He needed two things to do that. The name of the demon and the correct spell.
Even if he knew the spell, how could he cast it with all eyes on him?
Isaac grabbed Blanc's sleeve and whispered in his ear.
"Demon."
"How can you be so sure?" Blanc asked.
"Same thing that happened with Audrey," he explained. "Isn't there anyway to expose it?"
"The easiest way is to make him touch Iapsus," Blanc told him. "He has the power to expose the truth."
"And how are we going to do that?"
"I'm taking your word for this, Isaac. Let's hope you are not wrong," Blanc said and walked over to Brandon. He helped the demon possessed boy up and Isaac saw Blanc shift his feet.
Isaac watched Blanc punch the poor boy. He flew across the length of the chapel and hit the window which should have shattered because of the force but it was still intact.
"Just 'cause I'm a window doesn't mean you should throw things at me, Noah!" Bob yelled then he noticed what Blanc had punched. "Why is there a demon in this school?"
The teachers surrounded Blanc who explained the situation.
"Evacuate the students," Blanc ordered and they began rushing them out.
Isaac, Reyna and Leo were about to leave when they flew upwards.
"Not you three!"
They could somehow hear his voice amidst the noise of the other students. He dragged them back.
Someone grabbed Isaac's waist and pulled him down. It was Ethan. He saw John do the same for Leo and Reyna.
"What's up with him?" Ethan asked him.
"You may not remember but does being stuck in a mirror ring a bell?" Isaac replied.
He saw the countenance on Ethan's face change.
"Let's just get out of here and let the teachers take care of him," John told them as he ran past them with Leo and Reyna just behind him.
Isaac turned around to see why they were in such a hurry.
All the chairs in the chapel rose up and dismantled themselves. They split into smaller pieces which sharpened as they multiplied.
This has to be some serious case of deja vu, Isaac thought, turned around and fled with them.
"We're not going to make it!" Reyna yelled. The doors slammed shut in front of them.
"We don't have to," John said.
He stopped in his tracks, turned around and dug his fingers into the ground.
Isaac literally watched his fingers sink into the floor like it was water. He pulled up a portion of the floor which was as large as a wall and used it as a barrier just in time before the stakes started flying.
"Good thinking, John."
They turned to see Blanc behind them. God knows how he'd gotten behind them.
Then came the sound of marble shattering.
"Above," Leo yelled and pointed up.
The rest of the stakes that had not crashed into the wall swerved over the wall and rained down on them.
Isaac had no choice.
"Defendere," Isaac whispered. The magic circle for 'defend' appeared above them and formed a shield.
The force of the stakes increased and the circle began to crack.
Isaac felt a gust of cold wind rush past his face. Water rose up from where John had created the wall and created a dome around them. He turned to see Ethan with his hand stretched upwards.
Isaac's circle shattered the stakes rained down on the dome of water.
They didn't shatter on contact nor did they bounce off. They merely sank into the dome and stayed there.
Ethan sighed and looked at Isaac. "Are you -"
"Hmm," a voice said behind them. "You're not old."
They all felt a shiver run down their spine. Behind them Blanc was face to face with Brandon.
"How fast -" Reyna started.
A large force caused the dome to collapse and it knocked them away. Isaac and Reyna flew towards Bob, Ethan and John crashed into a wall leaving Leo and his father with Bael.
Isaac had to admit that the Joshua charism was pretty awesome. Leo and Blanc could withstand Bael's telekinesis.
Where are the teachers when you need them? Isaac thought.
Isaac was about to cast another spell when Reyna told him to keep quiet.
"The only way to separate Brandon from Bael is to either make him leave of his own free will or to exorcise him -" Bob was explaining behind them.
"Tell us what we don't know Bob," Reyna hissed.
"You know the last option," Bob told Reyna.
"Nope," she denied. " Not in a million years."
"Why won't -" Isaac began
There was an explosion behind them.
Leo, Ethan and John were sprawled on the floor behind Blanc.
Brandon was battering Blanc with stakes which he blocked with flicks of his fingers.
"Ok, we'll do it," Reyna said.
"I've got a plan," Isaac told her.
Bael launched more spikes at the Principal.
"You lasted longer than I expected, cursed one," Bael complimented. "If we were fighting alone with no drawbacks, you could have won. This host won't last much longer, so if you're going to try something, do it fast."
"Hey, Bael!"
Bael broke a column and threw it at the old man.
He turned and looked at the person who was foolish enough to gain his attention.
It was his target.
Bael smirked. He'd roughed up the child badly but that didn't matter. He was needed alive but not necessarily in good condition.
"I'm the one you want bastard!" the child yelled. "How about you take my body instead?"
He laughed. The child didn't know what he was saying. Even if Bael were to take another host, he couldn't possess him.
"Well it was a nice try," the child said and ran towards him.
This is going to be interesting, Bael thought and charged at his target.
* * * * *
The goal isn't to beat him, Isaac reminded himself. He just had to buy Reyna enough time.
At this point Bael probably didn't care about Brandon's body. He had to beat him without beating him up.
He clapped his hands together. "Fumus."
Smoke extruded from the magic circle in between his palms. He stretched his hand out to make it spread forward.
He couldn't see the demon and it couldn't see him also.
"I know where you are," Bael yelled.
Isaac saw Bael's fist come out of nowhere. He sidestepped and grabbed his hand. Bael shot his second hand at his head.
Isaac brought his arm up to block.
SNAP!
Isaac backed away in pain. "Damn it!"
It was the breaking of his radius that had caused the sound.
Who knew a broken arm would hurt this much?
Isaac was exhausted. He couldn't dodge every blow and blocking wasn't an option. Even casting another spell was tedious.
He wondered if Reyna was done preparing.
Bael walked slowly towards him and grabbed his neck. He rose Isaac up and tightened his grip.
"If it were up to me I'd have killed you from the moment I saw you," Bael cackled. "Why don't you be a good boy and come with me willingly?"
He could see that Brandon's eyes were already bloodshot.
"Go... to hell," Isaac said in between gasps of air as he was losing consciousness.