While inside the vehicle, Mitchell sat quietly in the back seat. Major Galahad was in the front, with his two bodyguards occupying the middle seats. They looked calm and composed, while Mitchell watched the view outside.

The sun setting over the grasslands was a beautiful sight, with the mountains in the background appearing like a painting. He wondered what life could have been like if he were just a painter like his uncle. If only it weren’t for a certain incident, Mitchell’s life would have been so different.

“Ever wondered what’s beyond the grasslands?” A woman’s voice echoed inside Mitchell’s head.

“I wish I could go there…” Mitchell muttered, then fell asleep.

To Mitchell, Phantasms weren’t the enemy but part of some anomaly created by unknown entities. His eyes grew weary and tired, his eyelids heavy, and he drifted to sleep.

On the second day of the twelfth month, several years ago, Mitchell was leaning against a tree. The shadows of the leaves provided some cover from the sunlight, and a gentle breeze hit his face. It was the last summer before the coming of age. He was seventeen.

During the coming of age, young people were about to be sent off into the real world. They were to choose a profession, trade, or craft that they wanted to practice their entire lives. Mitchell wanted to become a painter.

“Mitchell!” His mom called.

“Coming!” Mitchell replied, rushing towards their house.

Their house was an average home for artisans. His father, a well-known painter, made just enough to meet their needs. They lived frugally, a lesson Mitchell learned throughout his childhood.

The fragrant smell of freshly baked bread, cooked legumes, soup, and meat was mouth-watering. Starving, Mitchell went inside. He saw his mother preparing the dishes; the food was already on the table.

“You’ll have to wait, young man. We haven’t served lunch yet!” his mother told him.

Mitchell took a seat and looked at the meat, his mouth watering at the sight. Moments later, his mom and siblings arrived. His two sisters and youngest brother sat at their designated seats. His mother and father sat at the far ends of the table.

“Mitch, what did I tell you!?” Mitchell’s mother called out, noticing him chewing something.

“I didn’t eat anything…!” Mitchell replied, still chewing the meat in his mouth.

“Lying is bad, young man; your siblings are here…” Mitchell’s mother scolded.

“I’m sorry!” Mitchell gave up lying and apologized.

The next day, he and his father went to the forest to hunt. His father was a veteran hunter and soldier. Usually, they hunted deer and wild boar for their consumption.

At their usual hunting grounds, the father and son noticed something was amiss. The day was good for hunting, yet they found no game in the surroundings. It was eerily quiet; the birds neither made a sound nor could be seen anywhere.

Mitchell advised that they should proceed further, but his father told him to shut up. His father whispered, “Keep quiet, boy!”

Mitchell’s father noticed something strange was going on. When he ducked for cover, Mitchell hid near a gigantic tree beside him. The growl of the Circian Bear, one of the largest of its kind, appeared several meters away from them.

“These beasts do not usually appear in the wild alone, nor do they scare away all the fauna. Something’s not right, Mitchell…” Mitchell’s father started speaking in a low tone.

Mitchell shook his head and replied, “Why can’t we just kill it?”

Glaring at Mitchell, his father replied, “You don’t understand yet... That beast is possessed. We can kill it, but it will return in another form to hunt us down.”

“But why bears? Why not any other animal?” Mitchell asked cluelessly.

“Phantasms want to possess beings of power. Beasts like bears possess speed, power, and even guile more than any other beast. They are sturdy as well…”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

As the father and son continued talking, the bear noticed their scent. It sniffed the ground and slowly made its way towards them. Realizing the danger, Mitchell’s father spoke urgently, “Son, I want you to go. Run as fast as you can and notify the villagers! We need an exorcist to deal with this menace.”

“No… I don’t want to go!” Mitchell protested.

Seeing his son’s persistence, Mitchell’s father said, “I will follow you, hurry! The village’s safety is at stake.”

“I just can’t leave you here…” Mitchell stubbornly said.

“I said go!” Mitchell’s father insisted and grabbed his rifle.

Mitchell ran as fast as he could, hearing gunshots from his father’s rifle behind him. He continued running until he reached the lumberyard, the closest place to the village.

Seeing Mitchell running, the men working at the woods were surprised. They knew Alfred, Mitchell’s father, wouldn’t leave his son alone. One worker in the lumberyard asked him what happened.

“My Father… he’s fighting a Circian bear. He said a Phantasm possessed it and we needed an exorcist!” Mitchell said, catching his breath.

Series of gunshots continued from the forest, alarming the lumberjacks. They knew that Alfred was a seasoned hunter, and him firing more than several rounds at a single game was a serious matter.

“Mitchell, you need to go to the village, fast!” the head lumberjack said.

Mitchell nodded and ran again as fast as he could.

While sleeping soundly, Major Galahad looked at Mitchell behind his seat. His two bodyguards didn’t look concerned about him. Whatever Mitchell was dreaming, the Major noticed a strange aura from him.

It was warm and comforting. Inspecting closer, he noticed something in Mitchell’s hands. A bright yellow flame was covering his hands. At first, he was about to panic, but noticing that the flames did not consume the surrounding materials like cloth and wood, he calmed down.

“A pure flame, eh?” Major Galahad commented.

Upon hearing this, his two bodyguards were taken aback. They looked at Mitchell, who was still sleeping.

“An exorcist? The higher-ups didn’t tell us about…” Before one bodyguard could finish talking, Major Galahad signaled him to quiet down.

“We hit a jackpot!” Major Galahad addressed to his bodyguards.

Several minutes later, the vehicle arrived at the headquarters of the legion. Mitchell woke up from his sleep and saw Major Galahad and the others disembarking.

“Wake up sleepyhead, the Major and the others were on their way to the headquarters!” The driver told Mitchell.

After yawning out loud, Mitchell disembarked from the vehicle with his stuff. He was carrying luggage for his clothes and other needs. A separate attaché case held Mitchell’s weapons and other equipment.

Mitchell was told to wait outside of Major Galahad’s office as he went inside the headquarters of the legion. He did not know what awaited him, but he was sure that it would be better than his former job.

Inside his office, Major Galahad first looked outside of his window and grabbed a glass of whiskey. He looked at the papers on his table. His face shown satisfaction when he saw the order for Mitchell’s transfer.

Seeing that Mitchell would become a wonderful asset to him, he foresaw what Mitchell could contribute to their legion. After finishing the entire glass of whiskey. He told one of his bodyguards to let Mitchell in.

While waiting for his interview with the Major. Mitchell, in his mind, recalled what happened to his father that changed his that changed his decision to become an exorcist. Drops of sweat formed on his forehead.

The image of his father’s corpse, mutilated and partially consumed, his hands shook and remembered his aversion to beasts. Since then, he had aversion to beasts.

As Mitchell waited, his hands began to warm, and a bright orange flame flickered to life, casting dancing shadows in the dimly lit hallway. The flame brought him a fleeting sense of comfort, a brief escape from the haunting memories of his father’s death.

As the door of Major Galahad’s office opened. Mitchell immediately snuffed the flame on his hand. He stood up and presented himself firmly and saluted at the Major.

Seeing this, Major Galahad told Mitchell, “At ease, you don’t need to do that!”

Major Galahad signaled Mitchell to enter his office. Inside Mitchell was surprised about how orderly was Major Galahad’s office. The paper works were arranged neatly so were the books in the shelves.

“You may sit!” Major Galahad proceeded to his table and sat before Mitchell.

Mitchell did the same and sat on the chair in front of the Major’s table. He was silent at first, being cautious with his words. Seeing this the Major tried to make Mitchell comfortable.

“You can speak to me anything you wish, I won’t take it against you…” Major Galahad said and continued, “From now on, even if you were just a civilian operative. You are one of the brothers of the legion!”

Mitchell was surprised in what he heard and asked, “I am officially now part of the Legion?”

“From this day on? Yes!” Major Galahad replied.

Upon hearing the Major’s words, Mitchell experienced a sense of pleasure. At least working for a big organization, he knew that he could know more of the world. Aside from the limits of the town and the confines of the grasslands, he could travel wherever the mission took him.

Mitchell tried to contain his excitement and asked, “What are my duties, sir?”

“You’ll start with basic training, of course. We need to hone your skills and see where you’ll fit best within the legion,” Major Galahad explained. “Your unique ability

with the flame could be a significant asset.”

Mitchell nodded, eager to begin this new chapter. The memories of his father still haunted him, but now, he had a purpose. He was determined to use his abilities to protect others and perhaps, one day, find out more about the Phantasms and the entities behind them.

“Thank you, Major. I won’t let you down,” Mitchell said with conviction.

“I’m sure you won’t, Mitchell. Welcome to the legion,” Major Galahad replied, extending his hand.

Mitchell shook the Major’s hand firmly, feeling a sense of belonging and resolve he hadn’t felt in a long time. The path ahead was uncertain, but he was ready to face whatever challenges came his way.