On this very day in Maddenport, the weather was notably cloudy. It had been three days since the harrowing incident with the possessed. Eddy found himself in his favorite coffee shop, seated at a cozy booth in the corner.
The café was well-furnished, adorned with laser-disc designs on the walls and unfamiliar chandeliers, evoking a nostalgic retro vibe. The soft tunes of classic retro songs playing from the boomboxes created a soothing and pleasant atmosphere for the patrons.
Eddy, still recovering from his recent battle, had his forehead wrapped in a bandage and a plaster covering a wound on his chin. He sipped his heavily sugared coffee, enjoying some sweet biscuits, when Damian approached and took a seat opposite him.
"Well, the papers are done. Maria will be shipped off to a foster home by next week. I made some extra checks with the foster parents to ensure she gets a good family."
Damian said, sighing in relief.
"It's sad, isn't it? No matter how strong we are or how much stronger we get, avoiding civilian casualties is inevitable," Eddy responded, his
voice tinged with regret.
"That's what it means to be an exorcist. It's a dark line of work. Many people join for the pay without realizing the dangers or the amount of humanity they lose when they have to watch innocent people die so often." Damian replied solemnly.
"But anyway, it's payday," Damian added, handing Eddy a thick envelope.
"I finally have enough to cover my tab. Yahoo!"
Damian exclaimed proudly.
"That's quite shameful, don't you think? Wasting all your money on beer." Eddy retorted.
"Shut up!" Damian snapped back, exhaling deeply before continuing.
"Oh, right, almost forgot. 001 has asked for our presence at HQ."
"The leader? What does he want with us?" Eddy asked, puzzled.
"How should I know? All I know is that he requested to see us as soon as possible, so wrap your shit up. We gotta get moving." Damian said,
standing up from the booth and snatching a biscuit from Eddy as he walked away.
Eddy, however, continued to take his time with his meal, unfazed by Damian's urgency.
After finishing, they made their way through the streets of Greenland and eventually arrived at a bus stop. The bus drove through the city, finally reaching HQ. Stepping off the bus, Eddy and Damian admired the impressive sight of the headquarters.
The complex consisted of three massive sections: a towering skyscraper, 600 meters tall and wide with glass windows, flanked by two other tall structures, each 300 meters high. Atop the central skyscraper was the emblem of the exorcists, a golden cross encircled by a black ring. Students and members, all clad in uniforms, moved about the premises.
"Well, here we are... HQ," Damian announced.
"Let's get this over with. I have a meeting with Maggie in a few hours " Eddy said as he strode forward.
Together, they entered the building, navigated through the reception area, and headed to the elevator. Eddy pressed the button, and the
doors opened. Inside, they selected floor 56, the second highest floor in the building.
As the elevator ascended, a jazzy tune played softly. The elevator, like the rest of the building, was highly sophisticated, reflecting the substantial revenue the exorcist guild generated to keep the threat of the possessed at bay. The demand for exorcists was so high that they earned far more greater than doctors. However, becoming an exorcist was no easy feat; the ability to wield a holy tool, like the katana and sledgehammer Eddy and Damian used, was extremely rare, as was possessing a technique like Eddy's in their universe.
Finally, they arrived at floor 56 and then the elevator doors slid open, revealing a room bathed in a deep, blood-red hue. Dark black curtains made of fine silk shrouded the windows, adding to the ominous atmosphere. At the center of the room stood an altar made of stone, surrounded by statues holding torches that burned brightly, illuminating the space with an eerie glow. In the middle of the room, the leader sat on a soft mat, legs crossed, with a table before him. Opposite him were two mats, clearly meant for his visitors. Behind the leader stood Beast, the number one elder, a man with a slight burn on his neck extending up to his chin and a scarred, blind eye. At his belt hung two curved blades, scimitars gleaming in the torchlight.
The leader extended his hand, inviting them to approach.
"Please, come sit."
Damian walked forward without hesitation, while Eddy paused briefly before following. They reached the table and casually sat on the floor, as accustomed by the Japanese.
The leader poured tea for all three of them, humming peacefully as he filled each cup to the tippy top.
Eddy glanced around the room, noting that aside from Beast, there was no one else present.
"Only one guard? Is that a testament to his strength, or just a cliché?" Eddy mused whilst maintaining his glance at Beast.
"Please, feel free to drink." the leader said, encouraging Eddy to partake in the tea. Eddy noticed that both the leader and Damian were already sipping their tea. He stared at his cup for a moment before returning his glance to the leader.
"I'm full." Eddy stated bluntly.
"Eddy!" Damian exclaimed in surprise.
"No, no... I don't mind. He's just being honest." the leader said, taking another sip of his tea.
"Do you have any idea why I sent for you?" he asked.
"Um... no, not really, sir." Damian replied, while Eddy continued to regard the leader with his usual emotionless expression.
"Is that so?" the leader responded, raising an eyebrow.
"If it has something to do with the number of casualties in our—"
"Casualties? Oh, please, that's a norm. We're all used to it, no matter how strong we become. Casualties serve as a reminder to the public to pay their dues to avoid the possessed," the leader interrupted.
"No, this has nothing to do with casualties. Well, except..."
He took out a file and placed it on the table. Eddy picked it up and opened it to reveal a photograph of an old, abandoned house.
"Old man Jeremy's villa." the leader began.
"Far to the west of Maddenport, about 30 years ago, old man Jeremy was a menace to society. He hated society just as much as it hated him, so he spent most of his time locked away in his house—this house in the photograph." He added as he pointed at the photograph.
"That's an interesting story, but what does it have to do with us?" Eddy asked, cutting to the chase.
"Old man Jeremy is said to have died about 25 years ago. According to rumors, he reincarnated as a possessed."
"So you want us to slay him... is that it?" Damian asked.
The leader cackled loudly. "You say it like it's easy."
"What's so hard about it? Possessed are possessed." Eddy replied coolly.
"To be blunt, most of the possessed we battle are newly reincarnated. The possessed you fought was less than a year old, and yet it took everything you had to defeat it." the leader explained.
"Old man Jeremy's possessed form has existed for over 25 years. Believe me, his strength is far superior to the intelligent possessed you've encountered so far."