The sound of thunder echoed through the village as the strong, chilly wind battered the trees. The rustling leaves and swaying branches painted a horrific scene, illuminated by flashes of lightning. The possessed boy grinned as he looked at Mitchell, a pure flame dancing in his hand.

“Look at the light!” Mitchell exclaimed. “Focus on the fire, return to your senses. Do not let these beings take control of you, boy!”

The malicious smile of the child, still in his sleeping garments, faded. The bluish hue of his veins, faintly visible, began to recede.

“That’s it… just focus. Let my fire be your guide!” Mitchell urged.

The violent weather suddenly calmed; the wind became gentle, and the lightning and thunder waned. The boy’s red eyes turned white, and tears formed, streaming down his cheeks.

“That’s good… just focus on the light. Never look into the abyss!” Mitchell continued.

The boy reached out for the flame in Mitchell’s hand. Mitchell smiled at the child, encouraging him.

Thinking the child had regained control, Mitchell extended his hand. Suddenly, the flame was snuffed out. Disbelief painted Mitchell’s face; a powerful force must be behind the child’s possession.

“No…” Mitchell’s lips quivered.

“You think I will just let you, exorcist?” the child’s distorted voice taunted.

“W-who are you?” Mitchell stammered, retreating in surprise and fear.

Lightning flashed and struck a nearby tree. Thunder roared once more, and the wind turned violent again. The possessed boy approached Mitchell, a malicious grin on his face.

“You are no ordinary exorcist but an Abler—a human who can wield the pure elements!” The possessed boy sneered. “Your powers do not work on me!”

“Don’t let him win, boy!” Mitchell covered his left hand with the pure flame again.

Gentle warmth radiated from Mitchell’s hand, illuminating the surroundings. The possessed boy, feeling the warmth, started to regain consciousness. The battle for control of the boy’s body continued.

“Don’t let him win. Fight for your soul!” Mitchell yelled, urging the child to resist the possession.

“Foolish mortal!” The Phantasm inside the boy resisted, closing its eyes and laughing.

Mitchell, witnessing the Phantasm’s actions, felt his chest pounding and his legs trembling. The being he was facing was far more powerful than any he had encountered before.

Meanwhile, near the exit of the village, an invisible barrier suddenly blocked the entrance. Lucia, Gary, and the others were separated from Mitchell.

Gary, regaining his senses, tried to breach the invisible barrier. However, the barrier pushed him meters away. Undeterred, he wanted to try again, but Lucia prevented him.

“Stop. You’ll hurt yourself!” Lucia grabbed Gary’s arm, pleading with him not to continue.

Tears formed in Gary’s eyes, thinking of his friend in a perilous situation. He could not bear the thought of running away in fear while his friend was fighting alone.

“Damn it! Lucia, don’t stop me!” Gary yelled, crying on the ground, unable to help his friend.

While Gary was crying on the ground, Maureej was walking on the opposite side of the barrier where Lucia and the others were. Maureej, looking smug, glanced at Gary and the others. He tried to speak but realized it was useless as the people on the opposite side could not hear him.

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Maureej tried to touch the barrier but retreated after his finger landed on it. Lucia noticed that Maureej was trying to say something. However, she could not properly read his lips; the word “evacuate” was the only word that made sense.

Lucia angrily glared at him, thinking he was getting away selfishly while the others were fighting. Maureej sighed, seeing Lucia’s expression. Unable to find a weakness in the barrier, he decided to head back.

The boy started attacking Mitchell, who barely dodged. He could not engage in a fight with the possessed boy, much less kill him just to release the Phantasm and haunt him.

“Are we just going to play dodgeball, exorcist?” The Phantasm inside the boy taunted, laughing.

“I won’t give up on you, boy!” Mitchell replied. “Free the child, you foul creature!”

“Come and try!” The Phantasm retorted, controlling the boy’s body at whim.

The Phantasm, using the boy's body, continued to attack. With unbelievable strength, he damaged walls and trees, kicking and punching through them. Any ordinary mortal, unlucky enough to be at the receiving end, would not fare well.

Cornered, the Phantasm smiled at Mitchell, knowing that Mitchell was reluctant to hurt its host. Mitchell knew he had to act quickly or risk being pulverized. An aura of malice emanated from the boy.

"This is a futile fight... soon, your world will be ours!" The Phantasm inside the boy declared. "Just like this boy, he's ours for the taking."

"No... I will not allow that!" Mitchell protested. “I know you are not the enemy. You are just a product of some calamity. Whatever your goals are, I know that you are not malevolent. You were just victims..."

"Hah!" The Phantasm interrupted. "Enough talk, exorcist. You ask for coexistence?"

The Phantasm laughed loudly. Thunder continued to echo, and lightning intensified as the Phantasm slowly took over the boy. It closed its eyes and concentrated on the portal that started to appear in front of the runes of Jingo. The house where the boy stayed was also engulfed by the bright light that parted the heavens.

"There's no coexistence; the strong will prey on the weak!" The Phantasm inside the boy's body walked away from Mitchell.

"Where are you going?" Mitchell asked.

"You will be one of the witnesses of my resurrection, exorcist!" The Phantasm said, continuing to the portal of light.

Mitchell gave chase to the possessed boy heading to the portal. He knew that if a possessed being entered the portal, the town would become a crack in the veil. This crack would strengthen other cracks in different places, making the Phantasm Phenomenon more dangerous. The dangers of stronger beings and Phantasms would come to the world, causing chaos.

"It's hopeless, exorcist!" The Phantasm inside the boy chuckled.

Mitchell couldn't catch up with the possessed boy as it sprinted to the portal. However, the boy suddenly stopped and looked at the ground he stepped on. It was another rune of Jingo drawn by the eastern exorcists. "W-what!?" The Phantasm suddenly choked.

Mitchell stopped and noticed a familiar aura around him. Glancing to his side, he saw Maureej approaching, the symbol of the wielder of 'pure water' glowing brightly on his skin like a tattoo.

"Using the flame of clairvoyance was a clever move, Fire Exorcist. However, it's not enough!" Maureej said.

Mitchell was surprised to see Maureej, whom he thought had left earlier. He faced Maureej and asked, "What brings you here? I thought you didn't wish to help?"

Maureej sighed and replied, "If you were such a good exorcist and the level of malevolence here was bearable, this crisis should have been over."

"What do you mean?" Mitchell asked.

"This place reeks of malevolence from malicious forces on the other side of the veil. I believe there's already a hole, undetected by your head exorcists in your region," Maureej said.

Mitchell was convinced by Maureej's words and asked, "You are not Maureej, nor just an ordinary follower of Jingo. I can tell based on your experience. Who are you?"

The possessed boy suddenly hurled a huge plank of wood towards Mitchell and Maureej. Mitchell used his pyrokinetic ability to make short work of the plank, breaking it into pieces and burning what remained to ashes. The possessed boy collapsed to his knees, coughing bluish liquid from its mouth.

"What did you make the boy drink?" Mitchell asked Maureej.

"Poison," Maureej replied.

"What!?" Mitchell exclaimed in surprise.

"It's no ordinary poison. It's only harmful to ordinary humans for a short time, then they become immune to it. However, the spirit suffers, making it suitable for possessing Phantasms." Maureej explained.

"Fyxofam!" Mitchell identified the poison.

"Yes, you're right," Maureej confirmed.

"What shall we do with the boy? If we kill him, his grudge will haunt us and make us targets for possession..." Mitchell asked Maureej.

"As a fellow Abler like yourself, wielder of the 'pure water' element, I will help you. I just couldn't allow myself to be discovered by your superiors earlier," Maureej answered.

"Please, let's end this phenomenon together," Mitchell urged.

"Call me Vashni Rao. What's your name, flame exorcist?" Vashni asked Mitchell.

"Mitchell Saunders. So I should call you the water exorcist," Mitchell replied.

"You can say that," Vashni smiled.

Vashni used his pure water ability to give the Phantasm inside the boy a drowning sensation. The possessed boy was gasping for breath, angrily glaring at the two exorcists. "Two Abler exorcists... Huh!? When I am done with both of you, I shall..." The Phantasm inside the boy choked and continued, "Use you as my guinea pigs!"