"Good morning, Miss Peri. How's your head?" Alaric asked, his voice steady as he gestured for the baker's wife to approach the altar.
Euric watched intently from the corner of the room, his body tense as he fought the urge to warn his father. Miss Peri's usual cheerful demeanor had faded to a pallid expression, her eyes distant as she moved toward the altar with slow, unnatural steps.
She nodded weakly, her lips parting as if to speak, but the words caught in her throat. Euric glimpsed the spirits twisted arm flex, its grip tightening around Miss Peri's head.
The old woman winced, placing a trembling hand on her temple. "Good morning… as always, you beat me to it," she managed. "I had terrible nightmares all night, and since I woke, there's been this pounding headache."
She stopped before Alaric, who sat cross-legged on the floor, his palms pressed together in a silent gesture of prayer. Without breaking the connection of his hands, he rose to his feet.
"Ruler of the altar, Ancient Valoryn of Virtue. Lend me your strength to shield the faithful and purge this foe." As Alaric chanted, the statue on the altar began to glow. Gradually, the room filled with a dense spiritual energy, thickening the air so much that Euric struggled to breathe. The bracelets on his arms rattled against his skin.
"What… is this?" Euric whispered, clutching his throat as his breathing grew labored. Taking big gulps of air, he rose to his feet, ready to flee the room.
"Calm down," his father's voice whispered in his mind, startling him. Euric glanced over at his father, who placed his right hand on his chest and took a deep breath, as though showing Euric what to do.
Then, a flicker of movement caught Euric's eye. Shifting his gaze, he saw the spirit trembling as it looked at Alaric—yet its hand remained locked around Miss Peri's head.
Alaric slowly placed his hand atop the spirits twisted arm, his fingers barely grazing its surface. As his touch made contact, the spiritual energy in the room seemed to shiver, a sudden, unnerving chill washing over the air. The dense pressure that had been choking the room began to dissipate, but not without a final, violent tremor.
In a flash, the spirits presence was completely erased, as though it had never existed. The oppressive weight in the air lifted, and Miss Peri's body relaxed, her hand falling away from her temple as she let out a soft, exhausted sigh.
Euric stood frozen, the lingering taste of spiritual power still thick in the air. His eyes darted between the altar and his father, his mind racing to process what had just happened.
Alaric stood still, his hand resting on the now-empty space where the spirit had once been, his gaze unwavering as the last traces of the spiritual energy faded.
He turned slowly toward Miss Peri, his voice soft but steady. "How do you feel now, Miss Peri?"
The old woman blinked a few times, her eyes clearing. A smile began to form on her lips, gentle but genuine. "Better than ever," she replied, her voice stronger, more vibrant than it had been moments ago.
Before Alaric could respond, she threw her arms around him in a brief but heartfelt hug. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice tinged with gratitude.
Alaric nodded, offering a small, reassuring smile before gently pulling away. "Rest. Now, the nightmares will not bother you again," he said, his tone kind but firm.
With that, Miss Peri stepped back, her movements lighter than they had been when she first entered. She made her way to the door, leaving the room briefly.
Euric watched her from the corner of his eye, still processing the events. It didn't take long before she returned, holding a small basket of freshly baked bread, its warm scent filling the room as she stepped back inside.
"Here is a batch of freshly baked bread. I hope you both enjoy," she said with a bright smile, waving at Euric. Without waiting for a response, she turned and made her way to the door. As she closed it behind her, the faint sound of her footsteps against the altar steps could be heard.
Euric and his father chuckled. Taking the offering, Euric placed it by the altar before returning to his seat.
"Euric, every time the spiritual energy in here thickens. I want you to try and take slow, deep breaths. Let the energy course through you" Just as Alaric finished speaking, another person walked into the room. With another chant, the air grew dense in spiritual energy.
Euric silently nodded to himself, taking his father's advice to heart. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, letting the familiar weight of the spiritual energy envelop him. The air was thick—more suffocating—but he focused on the sensation, doing as he had been told in the past by breathing using his diaphragm
Once the ritual finished, Euric only got a short break. During this break, he placed the offerings provided by the person near the altar before returning to his corner. This process continued through out the early morning. He saw various spirits of different shapes enter, their bodies always mangled in some way.
For most of the rituals, the energy swirled around him, his breath steady despite the stinging sensation that was felt all through out his body. But suddenly, something felt off. The spiritual energy seemed to react to something. It began to shift, moving in a different direction—away from him, as though being drawn to something else. Euric's heart skipped a beat as his senses heightened.
Against his instincts, he opened his eyes.
The sight before him froze him in place.
Standing before his father was a woman—a familiar face, but one that made Euric's stomach churn with unease. Her eyes were glazed over, lost in a trance-like daze, as though she were no longer present in her own body. But it wasn't the woman who made Euric's hands clench with fear; it was the towering creature looming behind her.
This spirit was different. Its form was massive, dwarfing the spirits he'd seen in the earlier exorcisms. Its skin, a deep and dark crimson, a layer of darkness seemingly covering its skin. The creature's twisted face held no hint of humanity—only a predatory hunger that sent a chill down his spine.
Worst of all, its right hand had pierced through the woman's back, the fingers splayed as if it were puppeteer her from within. Each slight twitch of its hand caused the woman's body to shudder. The spirits gaze wandered around the room, unfazed by Alaric's presence. It looked towards Euric, its gaze passing him. But to Euric's fright, the creatures blood red eyes widened and with a slow turned looked directly at him.
Euric quickly looked away. 'Did it notice that I could see it?' he worried, trying to keep a straight face. Focusing on the woman, Euric's eyes widened in recognition.
The woman before him resembled one of the people who had started the fight with him at the river—his mind instantly recalled the young man, the one who had threatened him. And with a sinking feeling, he realized this was the young man's mother. The resemblance was uncanny. This was the woman his father said wouldn't make it past winter.
"Good morning, Eli," Euric's father spoke, his tone tinged with sorrow.
"Goo... Good Morn...in," Eli struggled to speak. "I kn...know you said that you couldn't help with my condition. But... But is there anything you can do about my back pain?"
"I can't sleep," Eli added.
Euric's questioning gaze turned to his father. 'Why can't father help her, can he not see the spirit?' Euric turned to look at the figure that was now staring at Madam Eli with a wide toothy grin spreading across its face. Slowly it lifted its gaze, tilting its head slightly to the left as it stared at Euric's father.
'Is it mocking Dad?' Euric's mouth agape as he watched on. His father's expression seemed troubled, "I am sorry Eli, there is nothing I can do." Euric's father said helplessly, lowering his head.
"I see... is... is that how it is. I understand. Sorry for wasting your time," Madam Eli bowed. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a small bronze coin.
"Please take this offering," she spoke as she got on one knee.
"No, you don-" Euric's father tried to reject it, but was interrupted by Madam Eli's voice.
"Please, just take it. Grant me this." Not allowing Alaric to reject it, she slowly put the coin on the floor and turned back. No one did anything to stop her, she slowly walked towards the door. Her steps faltering, every time the spirits hand tensed.
She opened the door, but just as she was about to walk out the door. The spirit stopped. Madam Eli fell forward with a gasp, grabbing the door for support. Euric was about to rush forward but stopped himself as he noticed the spirits head slowly turning.
He was frozen in place, he locked eyes with the spirit. It jiggled the hand that was connected to Madam Eli, causing her to groan in pain. Euric clenched his fists in anger, the spirit noticed this and smiled. Every muscle in Euric's body tensed when he saw the creatures toothy grin. Finished messing with Euric, it looked at the crest fallen Alaric, and said something. Euric couldn't hear it, only able to see its mouth movement.
Euric's gaze snapped back to his father. Alaric's usual calm composure was gone. His face had gone ashen, his once steady hands now trembling, clenched into tight fists. 'What's happening? Why isn't he doing anything?' Euric's chest tightened with confusion. He couldn't understand. The spirit was toying with them, but Alaric was... letting it go?
His father had always been strong—unyielding. He had never been one to back down. So why now? Euric opened his mouth, but the words stuck in his throat. 'Is father afraid?'
The sound of the door closing echoed in the room. The silence that followed was suffocating, leaving Euric questioning everything he thought he knew about the man who had always seemed invincible to him.
'Why did dad just let that spirit go? What did the spirit say to dad? What happened... ' various questions flooded his mind. He watched as his father quietly sat back down, in the same cross legged position. His blind eyes seeming more dazed.
"Euric... are you still meditating?" Alaric called.
"Yes father, " Euric lied, not wanting Alaric to know that he saw the entire exchange.
"That's good son, are you getting used to the sensation?"
"Yes... yes I am, it's much more bearable" Euric stood up. He moved towards where Miss Eli placed the coin and slowly picked it up. Taking it up to the altar next to his father.
"I am glad to hear that," his father said with a nod. "You must be tired. I think it is best if you return home for the day, you can get ready for your chores."
"I am fine Dad, I think-" before Euric continued he stopped as he saw his father's face grow serious.
"Alright, Father, I'll head out first," Euric said. He opened the door but paused, stealing one last glance at his father.
'I have never seen father like this, maybe Shadow can help father like how he helped me?' he thought, while closing the door behind him.