The girl was very small, probably around three or four years old, younger than me.
I thought she was cute. Since I only knew Aya-chan and Rin-chan, I couldn't really tell the difference between children's faces, but even I could tell she was a cute girl.
However, her body was almost half covered in a strange mix of blue and purple hues.
It was clearly a critical situation. I didn't know what to do, so I called for my father.
"Papa! This is bad!"
"Itsuki, you did well to exorcise the demon."
Father patted my head before turning his gaze to the girl.
"Let me see."
"Okay!"
As we switched places, my father examined the girl and muttered,
"...This is bad. She's in a 'becoming' state."
"Becoming? What does that mean?"
"It's the state when a human is turning into a demon."
"What?! Humans can become monsters?!"
"Yes. When children, whose sense of self is still forming, are exposed to demons for too long, their bodies start transforming into demons. This is called 'becoming.'"
"So, what's going to happen to her?!"
I asked, unable to hide my panic, and my father replied calmly,
"She'll fully turn into a demon within an hour. When that happens, we'll have to exorcise her."
...What? How can that be?!
I was struck speechless by the sheer unfairness of it all.
She was just a child, barely three years old. She was supposed to grow up in a normal family, living a normal life.
And now, not only had her parents been killed, but she was also being forced to cease being human and was to be exorcised. How could such a thing be allowed?
"Papa, isn't there anything we can do?! It's so unfair!"
"Of course, there's a way to treat it. If dealt with immediately, a becoming can be stopped."
"Then…"
But before I could finish, my father shook his head.
"But I can't do it. To stop a becoming, you need to stabilize their human form. However, I'm too different in age and gender from this girl. Besides, I'm not an expert in treating becomings. If I were to try and treat her, she would be left in an incomplete form."
"But even an incomplete form is better than turning into a demon, right?"
"No, Itsuki."
Father continued, his tone serious, as though he had seen such situations many times before.
"An incomplete treatment means the becoming will recur. The unstable form will constantly revert to demonic state. Without proper initial stabilization, she would live her life like a ticking time bomb, never knowing when she might become a demon again."
"But…"
"I've seen many people who were treated incompletely. They all ended up dead. Do you know why? Because they couldn't bear it and took their own lives. People whose sense of self is shattered have no way to save themselves other than that..."
His voice, filled with suppressed emotion, left me speechless.
Father had seen this countless times as an exorcist, witnessing the aftermath of such incomplete treatments.
He believed that exorcising the demon and ending the girl's life was the kindest option.
That must be the common sense among exorcists.
I clenched my fists tightly.
But letting such a young child die is wrong. I couldn't accept it.
I wanted to become stronger to avoid dying myself. That belief hadn't changed. Life is precious. Normally, death is the end. No one should have to die, especially not a child.
So, I blurted out,
"I'll do it."
"What?!"
"I'll save her. Just tell me how."
"But…"
Father was visibly perplexed.
But I repeated what he had said to reassure him,
"You said it yourself, Papa. You're too old and different in gender. But I'm almost the same age as her, even if we are different genders. So, I'll do it."
"..."
For the first time, I saw my father lost in thought.
He was considering whether to entrust the girl to me. But that thought didn't last long.
He nodded deeply.
"Alright. I'll leave it to you, Itsuki."
"Okay. What should I do?"
"Extend your Silveit to her heart and resonate your magic with hers."
"Resonate…?"
I tilted my head, unfamiliar with the term.
"Don't worry about the details. Since you're close in age, resonance will happen naturally. When it does, you'll feel your consciousness being drawn into her."
"Got it. What do I do then?"
"Exorcise the demon within her."
"...Okay."
That last part sounded a bit forced…
Still, seeing the girl already 60-70% transformed, I quickly extended my Silveit to her.
Maybe resonance doesn't work well for adults, I thought as my Silveit touched the girl's heart.
Immediately, I felt my consciousness being pulled into her.
This must be the resonance Father mentioned!
As I realized this, my consciousness was abruptly immersed, as if dropped into water.
The next moment, I felt the sensation of wooden flooring under my feet.
Looking around, I found myself in the same room, but with no sign of my father.
The window outside showed nightfall, though it had been daytime before.
So, this is the girl's mindscape…
"Exorcise the demon within her," I reminded myself of Father's words as I scanned the room.
Where is the demon?
As I pondered, a tremendous noise came from downstairs!
Startled, I shook, ready to head toward the sound when the room door opened and the girl was thrown inside.
The girl, half-transformed, clung to the door, crying for her mother.
I stepped forward to protect her, and the door opened by itself.
Standing there was a shadowy figure in a trench coat, with the woman's corpse at its feet.
I realized this was the girl's trauma being replayed.
I spoke, the words coming naturally,
"It's okay. I'll protect you."
As I spoke, I captured the demon with my Silveit.
The girl, noticing me for the first time, looked up with tearful eyes,
"Who… who are you?"
"I'm an exorcist."
I said, slicing the demon into pieces.
The instant the demon was vanquished, my consciousness was yanked back, the scenery around me blurring.
"Itsuki! Well done! You did it!"
I found myself in my father's arms.
"Did it work…?"
"Yes. It was a great success! Thanks to you, this girl is saved!"
Looking over, I saw the girl, now with healthy skin, peacefully sleeping as if the transformation was just a bad dream.