Chapter Nineteen

Everyone's attention snapped to Isha as his eyes opened, his head snapped upwards. His pupil and iris were a dark red, almost like blood. The whites of his eyes had become the opposite, turning pitch black. They listened as Isha spoke to himself, looking around. And then they watched as his hair floated in mid-air, his head jerked upward.

"No I won't let you!" Isha screamed. The lights flickered as his head was smashed against the wall. May went to run over to him, but Rose stopped him. Before anyone from outside could notice, Mr. Ilan closed the blinds, turning the sign off.

"Isha. Please overcome this." The old man said outloud, his wrinkles starting to show a bit as he looked down at the young man. Isha's head was slammed against the wall again, and then it was as if time stopped for a moment.

"Kuhuhuhu." A devlish laugh came from Isha's mouth, breaking the silence. Mr. Ilan's face took on an expression of anguish as he let out a sigh.

"I see…" He mutered softly. Isha's body stood itself up, cracking his neck a bit too far, a sickening crunch ensuing as it snapped back into place.

"That's some wicked regeneration…" Rei muttered, getting her weapons ready as two blades appeared from her sleeves.

"I-Ishya? Are you okay nya?" May whimpered. She tried to approach him, but Rose wouldn't let her, bringing her into the kitchen.

"What's with all yer long faces? Let's get this party started yeah? I'm free kuhuhuhu. Firs things firs," He looked at Rei. "Yer the Catholic bitch yeah?" He cracked his neck the other way. "I'd like to see how ya taste." He grinned cynically. Two horns slowly began to grow from his forehead.

"Oh I'd love to see you try." Rei replied, letting out a small laugh. Isha disappeared for a second, reappearing behind her.

"W-wha?!" Rei barely had enough time to turn around and block. "W-when'd you get so fast…" Isha grinned and sent a foot to her stomach, sending her back against the wall. She hit it with a thud, blood coming from her mouth.

Rose and May watched from the kitchen, a horrified expression on their faces.

"Isha. Cease this. This isn't you." The old man stepped in front of Rei. Isha seemed to furrow his brow for a moment, freezing. His evil smirk soon came back however.

"Hah! You don't know me you damned Catholic dog!" He spat, a red sword appearing in his hand. Mr. Ilan's eyes widened a bit at the sight of the blade, readying his cane. With a sudden movement Isha went to attack the old man but froze. The horns started to get bit shorter as his eyes began to regain a bit of color.

"M-mr. Ilan…" A scared sounding voice came from him as tears started to flow. Mr. Ilan looked sorrowfully onto the young man.

"Don't worry Isha, I will help you. Then after this, me and Rei will help you control whatever is in you." The old man reassured Isha.

"Oh cut the shit ya damned geezer!" The horns shot back as his eyes became black again. Isha charged the Mr. Ilan, swinging at him. As the blade went for the old man, he brought the can up, it glowing blue as it collided with the sword, stopping it.

"Isha, I don't want to hurt you. But you do regenerate, so forgive this old man if his aim isn't what it used to be." Within an instant, Mr. Ilan had already gotten behind Isha, striking him in the back with his cane.

However, instead of being sent flying, Isha froze in place for a moment, his eyes rolled back.

"Please young man. Fight back." The old man pointed the tip of the cane at Isha's spine, a blue magic circle forming as Mr. Ilan began to speak lines from scripture.

"The seventy-two returned with joy, saying "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!" and he said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from the heavens! Behold! I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you! Nevertheless, do not rejoice in the fact the spirits are subject to you, but alas in the fact your names are written in the book of life!" The old man took a breath, a slight Irish accent revealing itself.

"Lord you have written and proclaimed this yourself!" He began praying outloud as the circle grew more. Rose watched intently, May's ears down as her tail drooped, watching Isha as she listened to her grandfather. Rei watched from the ground, barely able to move as she struggled to get up.

"I do not know what burdens this young man, nor do I know from whence the demon inside him came. I know not where his faith may lie, I have suspicion, however. Lord, father, I pray that you give this young man your strength to fight through this! For he needs you Jesus, it is clear he cannot do this on his own, and I know I am unable to subdue this demon that resides in him."

The magic circle grew as text filled it and caused it to expand. Tears streamed from Isha's eyes as his body stood rigid.

"Father, lay your merciful hand on this young lad, I know I just met him, but I rather enjoy his company. I know this isn't the traditional way of exorcising demons, at least as a Catholic, but these past dozens of years I've been studyin your word lord, and just as I recited you have given us power to command spirits Lord! And so, I command this spirit to reseal himself inside the body of this lad! I command the seals to be redone until this lad accepts him and unleashes them himself."

The circle was about three feet in diameter now, the old man looking a older by the moment.

"In Jesus name I command it to be so! Amen!" And with that the circle vanished, Isha's body falling down to the ground as his horns disappeared, his eyes returning to normal. At this both May and Rose ran to him, clinging to his currently limp body.

As they did that, Mr. Ilan went to help Rei up, guiding her to a stool.

"The. You were the last person I'd expect would convert to those beliefs." She scoffed, smiling at him bitterly.

"Well, the bible tells it all so plainly, I am ashamed at how blind I was beforehand." He replied, clearing his throat. "Anyways, if you want, we can have a study about it sometime." He said to Rei, smiling to his pupil, the Irish in his voice gone again. She smiled back up at him.

"I'd like that, master. So, what exactly happened anyway?" She asked Mr. Ilan, watching the girls check over Isha, making sure he was indeed alive yet.

"I can't say for sure, but something definitely happened with the church. More than likely another one of their experiments…" Mr. Ilan sighed. "But there seems to be more than that as well. He has, as you saw, a deep-seated hatred against Catholics in general. At least the part of him we just fought." Mr. Ilan went to make coffee, letting out a sigh.

"Is that part him, or a demon?" She asked him, tilting her head.

"In all honesty, I have no idea at the moment. However, it seems to be keeping some memories from him. Whether he's making it, or it's doing it itself." Mr. Ilan poured coffee into her cup.

"So we're going to need to train him to control it then?" She tilted her head, taking the coffee up and blowing on it. Mr. Ilan nodded his head.

"Indeed. I put on six seals, each on containing more power than the last. When he feels comfortable enough, he'll undo the seals one at a time. At that time, I suspect memories to come back to him. As well as the possibility of fighting that power again." Rei nodded at him.

"So why even go this far for this kid? You said you just met him?" She asked Mr. Ilan, furrowing her brow. "Is it because of May?"

"That…" Mt. Ilan smiled softly at her. "Is a question that will be answered in due time. Anyways, let's call it a night. The café can't always be open anyway, we all need rest." Rose and May perked at the old man's words, both of them smiling to themselves as Mr. Ilan went over to Isha, hoisting him up.

"This old man is getting old you know?" He stated rhetorically to the passed out Isha, heading towards the stairs in the kitchen, the two girls in tow. He stopped and looked at Rei. "I'll come back to help you after I tuck this lad in." He glanced at the two girls, smirking two himself.

"Of course, I'll be here waiting." Rei nodded, watching them walk upstairs. "When I'm better I am going to give that boy hell." She muttered to herself, drinking her coffee.