It felt like only a second, but when he regained consciousness, he was covered in blood. In his hand, he held the heart of the possessed.
Glancing downward, he saw the remains of the creature, shattered and broken.
Unbeknownst to him, this was the first sign of an awakening exorcist.
The situation was truly baffling, or rather incomprehensible.
Moments ago, he was on the brink of losing consciousness, yet now, somehow, he had vanquished the possessed.
None of that mattered, though. At that moment, their primary concern was not understanding the situation but escaping it. If they couldn't escape, their mother's sacrifice would be in vain.
Wasting no time, he grabbed Maggie's arm and attempted to resume their escape. However, their flight was quickly halted as they found themselves cornered by the possessed once again.
Unluckily, the possessed had moved away from their home and now surrounded the exorcists on all sides. This spelled certain doom for the siblings, as all routes of escape were blocked by the ravenous possessed.
"Shit, shit. What should I do?" Eddy thought as he stepped in front of Maggie, trying to shield her.
It was futile. They were cornered, and he had no idea how he had killed the last possessed. Even if he had, killing one was far different from facing dozens at once. Without a doubt, they were both doomed.
"Stay behind me." Eddy commanded, stepping forward.
At that moment, just as before, his head began to throb, and a high-pitched ringing strained his ears. The pain and ringing intensified, and before he knew it, he blacked out once again.
Gasp!
With a loud gasp for air, Eddy regained consciousness, swiftly sitting up in the bed he was lying in. Panicked, he inspected the unfamiliar hospital room. Dressed in a patient gown, he noticed Maggie lying in a bed beside him. His head and hands were wrapped in white bandages and patches. Whatever had happened to him back home must have been gruesome.
"Oh good, you're awake." said a voice from his right. Turning, he saw Otto seated in a chair in the corner of the room.
"Hello, Mr. Lawler."
With an uninterested glance at the exorcist, Eddy turned his attention back to Maggie.
"Don't worry. She's stable and she'll live."
"What about my parents?" Eddy asked, still avoiding Otto's gaze.
Releasing a short sigh, Otto replied.
"I'm sorry. They weren't so lucky."
Hearing this, Eddy looked down in despair as a tear rolled down his cheek.
Otto, unmoved by Eddy's grief, continued his speech.
"Do you remember anything from when you encountered the possessed?"
Eddy silently shook his head, indicating a negative answer.
"I see... you've awakened."
Otto's words immediately drew Eddy's attention, causing him to turn to Otto.
"Awakened?"
"Yes. You see, your father might have failed to mention this, but you come from a bloodline of exceptionally blessed exorcists."
"Exorcists? I thought all that stuff was a hoax."
"You've personally experienced it, haven't you?"
Raising his left hand to Eddy's gaze, Otto charged his raised fist with rinn, displaying the burning flame coursing through his arm.
Eddy sat, bewildered by what he saw. Never had he known that people were capable of such feats.
"What's that?"
"Rinn. It's a power only we exorcists possess, which aids us in battling the possessed. People die in large numbers daily, often due to the possessed—the same beings that took your family from you. We exorcists are the only force that can oppose them and, of course, bring peace to the world."
"I don't care about the world. I've lost everything already. There's nothing left."
"No, there's still hope. You still have your sister, and if I were you, I'd want to do everything in my power to protect her."
"I do!" Eddy sharply replied, glaring at Otto.
"Then I have a proposition. Become an exorcist, not for the sake of saving the world, but for the sake of making it a better place for Maggie. Ensure she never has to endure what she went through today. If you agree, I'll handle all the paperwork and make sure you don't end up in foster care. That way, you both can be together, forever and ever, safe and sound."
It wasn't a horrible idea. Not only would he gain control over the power to protect Maggie, but he would also possess the means to support her. It might have sounded too good to be true, but at that juncture, he had just lost everything he held dear. The least he could do was protect what he had left.
"Do we have a deal?" Otto asked with an almost mischievous smile.
Hesitating for a moment as he contemplated his options, Eddy returned his gaze to Otto.
"Deal."
***
Back to the present, the soft, dim evening flares over the busy and fairly crowded downtown Greenland city. The beautiful, peaceful atmosphere swirled about as citizens moved to their abodes, conversing and laughing.
In the hospital where Eddy was admitted, a loud yell echoed throughout the building, catching the attention of patients, nurses, and doctors alike. The commotion originated from Eddy's hospital room.
"Sir, what you're doing goes against all our rules and is incredibly unsafe for a man in your condition!" a doctor, dressed in the regular attire, screamed at Eddy, who was currently dressing up in his exorcist uniform, ignoring the doctor's pleas.
Eddy's torso was still covered in bandages, but he was determined to leave the building, regardless of what anyone, including Maggie, said. Behind the doctor stood a nurse, dressed in white.
"You could have internal injuries. You are far from recovering your former self. Don't you think it would be wise to stay on the shelf a little longer until you're cleared to be discharged?" the doctor added, desperately trying to reason with Eddy.
"I feel great, so there's no need to be here anymore." Eddy replied while putting on his white T-shirt.
"You just woke up from a coma a few hours ago; you're anything but great!" the doctor yelled.
The nurse turned to Maggie, who stood by the door with her arms crossed, staring at the wall in front of her.
"Aren't you his sister? Surely you can talk some sense into him. You must realize he'd be putting himself in danger if he leaves this room." the nurse asked Maggie with a worried expression.
Maggie turned to the nurse, right before sharing a glance with Eddy sighed heavily in annoyance. tucking her hair behind her ear, she turns away once more.
"I'd try, but he's as stubborn as they get. Once he's made up his mind, as he has now, no one can talk him out of it... not even me." she replied, turning to the nurse.
"That's my brother for you."
"Call me whatever you want, I'm not staying here any longer." Eddy said as he put on his jacket.
"Sir, surely you can—"
"Doctor, you don't need to worry about me. If it makes you feel better, I won't be anywhere near the field. I'll take my medications to go, but I've made up my mind; I'm not staying here any longer. This is my decision."
Eddy cut the doctor off as he picked up his katana from the bed side.
The dumbfounded doctor stared at him, amazed by his brave yet foolish decision. Forcing out a regretful heave, he replies to Eddy.
"I don't believe this. Anyway, it doesn't matter. I'll be seeing you soon. You can get your meds at the reception counter."
Eddy walked past the doctor as he exited the room, and Maggie followed from behind.