On The Road

Max hurried out the shed, motioning for Richard to follow. "C'mon, we gotta go before George figures out what we did."

Richard, still adjusting the limiter on his arm, glanced back toward the house. "You sure he won't notice?"

Max scoffed. "Oh, he'll definitely notice. But that's a future us problem. Let's move."

They slipped out the back door, stepping onto the quiet street. The sun was starting to set, painting the sky in a deep orange glow. Max's car—his sleek, black Vortex R-9—was parked nearby, its polished exterior shining under the fading light.

Max clicked the key fob, and the car's lights blinked twice. He slid into the driver's seat, adjusting the rearview mirror.

Richard, hopping into the passenger seat, ran a hand across the dashboard, admiring the smooth interior. "Man… this car is still sexy as hell."

Max smirked. "I know, right?"

Richard turned to him with a hopeful grin. "So, when are you gonna let me drive it?"

Max immediately shut that down. "Never."

Richard gasped dramatically. "Dude. That's not fair."

Max shrugged. "Neither is life."

"C'mon, just once—"

"Not happening."

"Just a short trip—"

"Richard, you don't even have a learner's license."

Richard leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. "I have video game experience. Same thing."

Max slowly turned to him, looking completely offended. "Did you just—"

Richard nodded. "Yeah. I did."

Max looked like he was physically restraining himself from throwing Richard out of the car.

"Richard. Buddy. Driving in GTA is not the same as driving in real life."

Richard shrugged. "Agree to disagree."

Max exhaled through his nose. "This right here is why I have trust issues."

Richard smirked. "Then give me a chance to prove myself."

"Yeah, no. Not risking my car—or my life—because your dumbass thinks drifting in Need for Speed qualifies as real experience."

Richard groaned. "Dude, just let me drive—"

Max revved the engine, making the whole car vibrate powerfully.

Richard shut up instantly.

Max smirked. "See? That's how you shut up an annoying passenger."

Richard glared at him. "I hope your engine explodes."

Max just laughed as he shifted gears and pulled onto the road

---

Max gripped the steering wheel, his fingers tapping against it as he stared at the road ahead.

His mind was racing. Where the hell was Raven?

He muttered to himself, barely paying attention to the passing streetlights. "No known hideouts, no recent sightings, no reported supernatural activity that fits his pattern… there's gotta be something we're missing."

Richard, still slightly salty about the whole "never driving the car" thing, leaned back in his seat. "You talk to yourself a lot, you know that?"

Max ignored him, deep in thought.

Richard sighed. "Okay, well, since you're doing your whole 'mysterious detective' thing, I'll help. What about the cemetery? Where we found Oliver? And that sick-ass ritual tree?"

Max shook his head. "Already checked. It's gone."

Richard blinked. "…Gone?"

"Yeah." Max kept his eyes on the road. "When I went back, it was like nothing ever happened. No blood. No ritual remains. No tree. Nothing."

Richard frowned. "That doesn't make sense. That place was a ritualistic scene—there was no way Oliver's cult could've cleaned it up that fast."

"They didn't," Max said flatly. "Someone else did."

A chill ran down Richard's spine.

"Wait, so… someone erased all traces of what happened?"

Max nodded. "Whoever did it wasn't just covering up a ritual site . They were covering up the supernatural presence. And that's a whole different level of power."

Richard let that sink in. Someone out there had the ability to wipe an entire supernatural event off the map. That was insane.

Max reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out something wrapped in black cloth.

"Here." He tossed it to Richard.

Richard caught it, feeling the weight of fabric and metal. He unwrapped it, revealing a sleek pair of arm sleeves—similar to the limiter he wore before, but upgraded.

His eyes widened. "Is this… my limiter?"

Max nodded. "An improved version. The last one was rushed and kinda shit. This one should work better."

Richard held up the sleeve, inspecting it. "What's different about it?"

Max shrugged. "I dunno, probably would allow you to use more power than before. Also it probably might explode on you."

Richard gave him a deadpan stare. "That's not funny."

"It's a little funny."

Richard sighed and started slipping the sleeves onto his arms. They fit snugly but weren't uncomfortable. As soon as they were on, he could feel the faint suppression of his powers.

Max glanced at him. "Wear it at all times. Trouble could come any second."

Richard flexed his fingers. "Feels… stable."

"Good," Max said, eyes still on the road. "I don't wanna be scraping your charred remains off the pavement because your flames went out of control again."

Richard scoffed. "Oh, please. If I go out, I'm taking you with me."

Max smirked. "That's the spirit."

Richard stared out the window for a while, his mind still turning over the erased crime scene, the new limiter, and the fact that someone out there was powerful enough to clean up after Raven.

But then, something else popped into his mind.

"Hey, Max," Richard said, turning toward him.

Max was still laser-focused on the road, looking for any kind of clue that could lead them to Raven. "What?"

"Can we make a stop first?"

Max frowned. "For what?"

Richard hesitated for a second. "...I wanna check on someone."

Max's expression immediately turned suspicious. "Who?"

"Emma."

Max slowly turned his head toward Richard. The car swerved slightly.

"Bro," Max said flatly, "this is not the time for romance."

Richard rolled his eyes. "It's not like that."

Max gave him a deeply skeptical look. "Yeah? Then why are we suddenly making a pit stop at your crush's house in the middle of a murder investigation?"

"She's not my crush, dumbass."

"That's what all simps say."

Richard exhaled sharply. "Listen, she came to me a while ago, talking about Jackson. She remembered him. Barely, but she remembered. And I—" He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "I pushed her away. I should've helped her, but I didn't."

Max actually paused at that.

Richard glanced at him. "Is there anything we can do for her?"

Max didn't answer right away. He drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. Thinking.

"...We could erase her memory," Max finally said.

Richard blinked. "Wait. What?"

Max shrugged. "We could make her forget Jackson ever existed."

Richard looked at him like he just suggested committing war crimes. "So… basically gaslight her?"

"Yeah."

"That sounds—insanely messed up."

Max just shrugged again. "Sometimes it's better not to remember, dude. There's a type of exorcist dedicated on helping people like Emma"

Richard stayed quiet, mulling it over.

"...That's actually a thing?" he finally asked.

"Yep."

Richard rubbed his temples. "Why do I feel like there's a whole lot more about exorcists that I don't know?"

Max smirked. "Because you're a dumbass."

Richard gave him a deadpan stare. "And because no one's explained shit to me."

Max sighed dramatically. "Fine. Lesson time, I guess."

He cracked his neck and started listing.

"There's different types of exorcists. Not all of them fight spirits like us."

Richard perked up slightly. "Wait, really?"

Max nodded. "Yeah, dumbass. Did you think exorcists were just a bunch of ghost hunters with swords?"

Richard shrugged. "…I mean. Kind of?"

Max shook his head in disappointment.

"Alright, listen up. There's six main types of exorcists."

Combat Exorcists – "That's us. We fight spirits head-on. Simple."

Cleansing Exorcists – "They're the ones who handle cases like Emma. If someone sees something supernatural, these guys erase their memories to make sure they don't go insane."

Ritualistic Exorcists – "Their whole deal is performing supernatural rituals. Summoning, sealing, blessings—you name it."

Investigative Exorcists – "Basically detectives, but for supernatural crimes. Most PTRD exorcists fall into this category."

Barrier Exorcists – "These guys are specialized in setting up barriers, seals, and protective wards. And before you ask, yeah, it's hard as hell to do. That's why there's a whole type dedicated to it."

Mediator Exorcists – "They negotiate with spirits instead of fighting them. Good luck with that."

Richard sat there for a second, processing.

"...Okay, that's actually kinda cool."

Max smirked. "Told you."

Richard looked at him. "So, if we really wanted to help Emma, we'd need a Cleansing Exorcist?"

"Pretty much."

"...And you don't know any?"

Max shrugged. "Nope. But I could find one."

Richard sighed. "Alright… thanks, I guess."

Max smirked. "See? You do have one brain cell."

Richard rolled his eyes. "Whatever, man. Just drive."