The faint sound of the city and the station announcement fade into the background as Valencia steps off the sky train and into the residential area. As she continues walking through the bustling street, she gazes slightly over the vendors lining the sidewalks near the station, their trollies overflowing with sizzling cuisine and colourful sweets. Groups of people, mostly office workers, gather eagerly and chat about their work.

Valencia blends through the crowd effortlessly, her pace steady but unhurried. Even with her unique hair colour of a light blue that should catch many eyes from a distance, she manages to remain surprisingly unnoticeable in the large crowd. As she moves deeper into the district, the lively sound diminishes, replaced by the flickering streetlights and the occasional sound of rustle of leaves.

The appointed location lies ahead, a shining two-story house settled in a wealthy district, its modern design and landscaping screaming the prosperity of its owner. Valencia eyes the house judgmentally; her gaze lingers on the modern architecture. A scientist, wealthy enough to afford this, yet desperate enough to call for an exorcist before seeing a doctor? she contemplates, ringing on the doorbell near the polished steel gate.

Footsteps can be heard rushing from the distance, the automatic door slowly slides open with a man greets Valencia in a rush. The middle-aged man is pale, his clothes quite dishevelled, and the faint stench of decaying flesh clings to him. Despite his professional credentials, he seems restless and fragile.

“The Lotus?”

“And you must be Mr. R,” Valencia says in a steady voice.

“Ah, yes, yes. That is me. Please, come in,” Mr R says, his voice shaky but polite as he guides her into the living room. The minimalist décor immediately catches her attention, with neutral shade walls and sparse furniture with the same colour tone. The space feels clinical like it was designed to be functional rather than comforting. A single abstract red painting hangs on the wall, and a low coffee table sits in the centre.

Mr. R gestures for his guest to sit, offering a tray of refreshments with a forced smile. He sits down across her and tries to calmly explain his strange situation. He tells Valencia the same story Yei had reported: feeling the drained and irresistible craving for raw meat that overtakes him at night. Valencia listens, allowing him to continue without interruption, his words are filled with desperation, and it’s clear that he’s already convinced that what he’s experiencing is something supernatural.

When he finishes, there’s a brief silence before he looks at her, expectantly. “…Can you sense anything? Do you feel anything…unholy?” he asks with the hope that perhaps she can provide an answer.

Valencia does not respond immediately. Instead, she watches him for a brief moment and sensing his vulnerability, she decides to test him. “Run around your house three times,” she commands as if it’s the most natural thing people do. “It’s part of the ritual,” she elaborates like that is making any more sense. Without a moment of hesitation, Mr. R nods and heads out the door, following strange instructions without a question.

As he jogs around his own house, Valencia's lips curl into a sly smile. It wasn’t just a command to test his trust— there was something far more deliberate in her plan. She knew the task was absurd, but the simplicity of it would occupy him long enough for her to carry out the next part of her strategy. While rummaging through her handbag for the necessary items, she couldn’t help but think, how could a man like him qualify as a scientist? And he’s the head researcher at Aether? Even Mali is more sensible than this.

With quiet, seemingly practised movement, she slips a dose of sleeping drugs into the glass of refreshment Mr. R had set down earlier. The technique may seem generic, but it makes things less complicated when working with a potentially possessed person. The last thing she needs is a witness seeing her using out worldly ability, and in most cases like this, pills are often the most effective method. Now, it’s only a matter of time before he returns to drink from the glass.

When Mr R is back, exhausted, he subconsciously takes the drink from the glass Valencia has spiked without her making any effort to persuade him. He slowly slumps onto the sofa, unconscious within moments. Valencia crosses her legs and waits, her fingers tapping lighting against the armrest.

“Alright,” she mutters softly, her tone sharp as she calls out, “Show yourself. There’s no point in hiding now.”

The man, supposedly in a deep sleep, jolts upright. The man’s eyes snap open, revealing an unnatural, inhuman glow—milky white, devoid of black iris and emotion. His entire demeanour changes instantly, movements slow yet deliberate, like those of an older person weighed down by both time and malice. His voice, no longer shaky, is gravelly and dry. “…Don’t step in between me and my prey…I shall empty its insides and feast…!”

Valencia’s eyes narrow, expecting what’s to appear in front of her. “Hm. A type of ghoul from the east. However, the likes of you typically possess women or children. What’s so special about this man?”

The entity rises with a sickening creak of joints, movements more animalistic than human. His back arches unnaturally as he drops to all fours, a low growl rumbling from his dry throat. Valencia steps back. The air grows colder around them, and she feels the weight of the entity’s presence pressing against her. She flexes her fingers, readying herself.

“…I’ll ask again, why are you possessing this man?” she repeats, her voice lowered with suspicion. She steps forward, her eyes locked onto the possessed form in front of her.

The ghoul responds in a high-pitched scream, its lips peeling back to its ears revealing countless teeth too sharp and long to belong to any human. It crouches, muscles coiled tightly, ready to spring at her. But its movements are slightly slower than expected as if it’s not used to its new body.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Valencia’s brow furrows as she dodges the attempted attack, her mind whirring elsewhere. Something is definitely wrong. She can sense it, this isn’t just a ghoul, not one like any she’s encountered before. The presence inside the man is… layered. It’s not just a spirit, not just a possession—it feels like something dangerous, something far more ancient.

“You shall be my next prey.”

The voice and growl are no longer coming from the man’s mouth, it’s an echo, a whisper in the back of her mind. Valencia stifles a shiver, surely this is no ordinary spirit. She tightens her fist, channelling her ability, “Imagination”, deep within her. With a thought, she could bring almost anything into existence, manifesting whatever she needed to confront this entity. But this time, she is holding back, she needs to be careful as she doesn’t know yet what she’s up against.

Her fingers twitch as she taps into the power within her, summoning a thin veil of energy that wraps around her entire body. The air around her vibrates with a low hum, an invisible current flowing through her as she draws on her ability to peer into the layers of the entity. The truth, hidden beneath the monstrous form, begins to unravel. She focuses, on searching for its core, its vulnerabilities. The creature’s presence feels indeed ancient, bound by dark forces.

The creature moves again, it lunges immediately toward her, and its body moves too fast for a normal person to follow. Valencia reacts immediately, not wasting a single second to form an attack. Her hand extended and her mind swirled with possibilities. From thin air, a glowing blade materialises in her hand, its shape fluid, liquid light hardened into a sharp edge. She attacks preemptively, swinging the blade with precision, cutting through the air as it glows brighter with each movement. The creature tries to dodge, but its body is too slow and heavy. With a swift slash, the blade cuts through its torso, and the entity shrieks in agony.

The ghoul stumbles back, its body flickering like a distorted image in a broken mirror, pieces of its form beginning to unravel. Valencia doesn’t give it a chance to recover. With a swift motion, she raises her other hand. A ball of fire materializes in her palm, crackling with intense heat as she channels her energy directly toward the target. The flame expands rapidly, hurtling toward the creature with blistering speed.

The fireball slams directly into the ghoul’s chest, and with a violent explosion, the creature’s form is engulfed in flames. Its body writhes in agony as the fire consumes it, the once powerful form disintegrating into ash and smoke. The ghoul lets out a shrill, inhuman scream before it’s reduced to nothing, dissipating in the air. As the last of the ghoul vanishes, Mr R, whose body had been a vessel for the spirit, collapses onto the ground, his body suddenly disconnected from the malevolent force that had controlled it. He doesn’t appear injured, fortunately, just exhausted and under anesthetic.

Valencia stands still, her eyes watching the unconscious man, her breath steady but her mind still alert. The battle is over and the suspicious ghoul is no more. She lowers her hand, the flame fading as the last traces of energy are absorbed back into her. The room grows quiet again, but the remnant of the mysterious energy remains.

She inspects the whole area until she comes across the corner of the room where the wooden box still rests, the very thing that had drawn the ghoul’s wrath. With an exhausted sigh, she moves toward it, feeling the weight of its dark power pressing against her senses. It’s time to uncover its secrets.

──────────────────────────────────────────

Setting the wooden box that has been oozing mysterious dark energy on the table that once was set to accommodate the guests’ refreshment, Valencia takes a deep breath. The faint, otherworldly whispers coming from the artifact sent a shiver down her spine. It feels almost alive, pulsating with an energy that is both foreign and ancient. She steps back as she places it on the table, her eyes narrowing as she studies it.

Meanwhile, Mr. R is still unconscious on the same spot, the ghoul’s possession having left him as lifeless as a puppet with its strings cut. He had been a mere vessel, a food, and his body was now nothing more than a discarded shell, recovering into the normal state. Valencia glances at him once, making sure he is still breathing, before shifting her attention back to the box.

Her fingers hover over the surface of the artifact, an intense pulse of energy still emanating from it. Speculating closer, the power within it wasn’t just raw and chaotic; it was… controlled, and contained. She knows immediately that this is not a normal relic. Whatever was sealed inside, was meant to stay that way. But for how long?

image [https://i.imgur.com/Ql7NfgG.jpeg]

With a steadying breath, she uses another of her abilities, “The Truth”. Her gaze becomes intense, her consciousness shifting into a deeper state as she reaches out, trying to peak into the hidden layers of the box’s essence. The seals are formidable, carefully crafted to suppress whatever force had been trapped within. As she digs deeper, she feels something unsettling: the force inside the box straining against the barriers, as though it was waiting for an opportunity to break free. The energy pulses, desperate, almost alive, clawing at the seals with an intelligence of its own.

Then, a ripple of voice surges through her mind. Theodore. The name hit her like a wave of clarity. The artifact had belonged to him—the late owner, Theodore, the founder of the Aether Research Corporation.

The truth becomes clearer. This artifact wasn’t meant to remain hidden for long. It was meant to be sent to him soon by Mr. R, or Robert Hare, the very man who had fallen victim to the ghoul’s possession. The plan had been for Mr. Hare to deliver it directly to Theodore, a trusted agent tasked with bringing it to the Aether Corporation’s leader.

Valencia’s heart sank. The pieces of the puzzle are falling into place. The artifact isn’t simply an ancient relic. It is a weapon—an object of immense power, coveted by Theodore for reasons far darker than mere pseudoscience curiosity. She knows that with his knowledge and resources, the Aether Research Corporation would seek to abuse whatever power is contained within this box.

“Why would a high-profile scientist like him want an artifact of this kind? Unless he’s…” Valencia’s mind puzzles, piecing together the fragments of what she had learned. Valencia’s grip tightens around the box as a fierce determination sets in. There is no way she is letting him get his hands on it.

She takes a deep breath, forcing herself to focus. The box feels heavy in her hands, and even though she tries to seal its strong presence with her ability, its dark energy still simmering just beneath the flat surface. She couldn’t let it say here. Theodore’s agents could be closing in at any moment, and the last thing she needs is for them to collect the artifacts in this house.

“Sorry, Mr. Robert,” she mutters quietly, her voice barely audible the tension in the air. With the wooden box safely secured in her possession, Valencia slips out into the cold night, the weight of her decision settling on her shoulders, carrying the responsibility of stopping a catastrophe.

And with that, she disappears into the shadows, leaving Mr. R behind.