Rafa turned to face the brujo, his expression a mix of confusion and concern. "Yeah, she just left," he replied, his voice filled with uncertainty. "Do you know her? She seemed... different."

The brujo let out a sigh, his weary eyes scanning the room. "No," he grumbled, a hint of irritation in his voice. "But she's been coming here for the past couple of days, driving away my customers," he said, carefully moving Marisol's seat aside. "I saw the demon on your shoulder," he confessed, taking a seat next to Rafa.

"You did? Alright then, who was it? And how do I get rid of him so that I can swoop in, save the day, and get the girl?"

"Well, first of all, how are you, Rafa?" he asked genuinely. "And how's your mother doing?"

"Meh, my mom's doing fine, she started seeing this new guy from work," he said, knowing it would tug at the brujo's heartstrings. And it did. His expression saddened and Rafa quickly reassured him, "I'm kidding," he chuckled."

The brujo had caught a glimpse of Rafa's mother once before at the bookstore. He pulled a similar move back then as he did with Marisol, only he hid from Rafa's mother out of shyness.

The brujo adjusted his glasses and a tiny bead of sweat trickled down his cheek. "Don't do that to me, Rafa," he said, coughing to clear his throat. "So, how's the search for your father going?" he asked, trying to change the topic.

"Not too good," he admitted. "Honestly, I'm starting to think my old man might've walked out on me."

"Maybe you're not supposed to look for him." the brujo replied.

"Yeah, maybe. But the girl's demon said something that's got me thinking otherwise," he said.

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"I'd stay away from that girl Rafa, that demon is not to be messed with."

"Yeah, you say that about every ghost and demon. But this one didn't look so tough if you ask me. Besides, don't you want her to stop coming here and scaring away your customers?"

The brujo was at a loss for words, but the look on his face spoke volumes, silently concurring with Rafa.

"By the way," Rafa continued, "she was reading the book of Aquarius, and if I'm not mistaken, that's a recipe for a philosopher's stone, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. But I don't think she'll be too eager when she discovers the process and the amount of time that it takes to create a philosopher's stone."

"Oh, and why is that?" Rafa asked, his curiosity peaked.

The brujo smirked," "Because it only requires one ingredient," he revealed, "Urine."

Rafa's face twisted in utter disgust.

"It's a whole process," the brujo went on. "What I'm more upset about is that she didn't pay for it. That was my only copy," he said.

"Well, you shouldn't have been hiding," Rafa playfully teased.

The brujo sighed a breath of defeat, "So what brings you here Rafa? I assume you're here to do more research on your father."

"No. This time I need info on someone that I saw in a nightmare last night named, Belial," Rafa admitted.

The brujo's expression grew fearful, as his heart sank, "Belial," he repeated with a whisper, his mind racing.

"Everything good, brujo?" Rafa inquired, gesturing his hand in front of the brujo's motionless expression.

"Yes, sorry I just... I've heard of that Demon before. Although I don't know much about him. I do have a book that mentions him," he explained, getting up to look for it. "Come with me," he invited.

Rafa walked behind him. It was the first time today that he didn't feel followed inside the Arcadian. Although he could still feel the energy of the resting spirits that lay dormant throughout the bookstore.

"Ah, here it is," said the brujo.

He took out a book from one of the shelves and it read "The Lesser Key of Solomon."

"In here you will find what you're looking for," he said, handing it to Rafa.

"Sweet," Rafa replied, cracking open the book to take a peek. "But can't you just give me the lowdown on him? This book is massive," he grumbled, wearing an irritated expression.

"I'm sorry Rafa, but I think the less I know about Belial, the better."

"Fine," Rafa said, "How much do I owe you?"

"Take it, it's yours. But don't forget to read the sign on the front door."

"Oh yeah, I did see that. So you've finally spruced up the joint, huh? Personally, I would've gone for a window or something, you know, to lighten up the place. What's the deal with that sign, anyway?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Just some lady who claimed one of my books released a demon in her home. Something about her husband getting possessed or what not and she threatened to sue me."

"So you just let her take it back home?"

"Of course not," he exclaimed. "I put the sign up after she left. After her, no more returns."