The Talisman

Sebastian Novak was jolted awake at 6 AM.

At this hour, he had just finished cleaning the bar and was about to crash into bed, so he was barefoot and shirtless, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans when he went downstairs to open the door. He knew it was his best friend, Thomas Light, but he didn't expect to see him with Elena West, who was wearing only pajamas.

"Take her inside. I'll pay for the cab fare," Thomas Light said immediately, pushing Elena toward Sebastian. It wasn't until then that Sebastian noticed Elena wasn't speaking and was barely standing without help.

He cursed inwardly, knowing trouble had finally found its way to him. There was no escaping it now.

"What are you standing there for? Can't you see she's about to pass out? Upstairs, now!" Thomas shouted, locking the door behind them and speaking in such an offhanded tone it almost made it sound like he was at his own home.

Sebastian didn't say anything. Though he was fuming inside, he did as told. The second floor, apart from the two separated rooms, served as storage, and the stairs were steep. It took Sebastian almost a half-carry, half-support effort to get Elena safely to bed. Then, with a passive resignation, he watched as Thomas bustled around, making himself at home, and finally letting Elena sleep in his bed.

"We need to talk," Sebastian Novak couldn't hold back anymore and walked over, reaching to draw a few symbols on Elena West's forehead with a casual hand.

Elena West, lying in the bed that still held the warmth from Sebastian Novak, felt comforted at first. But when he wrote on her forehead, it tickled, and before she knew it, she drifted off into a deep sleep without warning.

"I feel like I'm forcing a sale," Thomas Light chuckled awkwardly.

"Good self-awareness," Sebastian Novak replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You've turned being unreasonable into an art form, and you've broken your word, too."

"Sorry," Thomas Light said sincerely. "But if I had the chance again, I'd still do the same."

"Oh?" Sebastian Novak raised an eyebrow.

"I had no choice."

"Oh?"

"Why are you so indifferent to everything? That's what she said." Thomas Light pointed to Elena West, who was still unconscious.

"Oh?"

"Stop with the 'oh's. There's a real demon trying to harm her, and you need to help me."

"I don't see why I must help you."

"Then let me beg you. We've been friends for years, Azhān. You're not really going to ignore me, are you?"

"Beg me?" Sebastian Novak stretched the word meaningfully.

"Don't misunderstand," Thomas Light quickly clarified, knowing what Sebastian Novak was thinking. "I admit, I have more feelings for her than for an ordinary friend, but it's not love. She..." Thomas Light paused, looking at Elena West's sleeping face, a touch of sadness crossing his features. "She reminds me of Nana."

Sebastian Novak froze. "Nana's been dead for ten years. This is just psychological compensation, and it's useless. Besides, she doesn't look anything like Nana. You must be seeing things."

"Her personality is similar, and her current situation mirrors hers, so I don't want to make the same mistake again."

"Stop lying to me! She's nothing like Nana! This woman has no patience, can't swallow her pride when asking for help, she's sensitive and willful—what part of that is like Nana? A 'too good' person or just a coward?"

Sebastian Novak's words made Thomas Light chuckle. "You two really are kindred spirits! You've only met once, and you've already analyzed each other's flaws perfectly. It's a shame you can't see each other's strengths. You know, there's a bit of a love-hate dynamic here."

"You backstabbing bastard, how dare you laugh!"

Seeing Sebastian Novak lose his usual calm, Thomas Light knew he had a chance to make him budge. He quickly seized the moment. "Alright, alright, I'll take whatever you say. But you're not really going to stand by and watch, are you, Azhān?"

"You've done nothing but bring me trouble!" Sebastian Novak cursed, his usually composed demeanor shattering. "You know I don't want to use that power, and you're pushing me to break my word. You know I never let women into my place, yet you let her take my bed like it's nothing! What kind of friend does that?"

"It's all my fault, okay? Now... will you help?" Thomas Light asked, clearly frustrated but hopeful.

"Will you let me go if I don't help you?" Sebastian Novak finally resigned. "Fine, but let me make this clear: I'll help you, not her."

"What does this mean?"

"It means that I'm helping her because of you. If she provokes any other demons, it's no longer my problem."

"Alright, alright," Thomas Light responded. Who goes around deliberately inviting demons?

"Now, tell me what happened last night. Why were things so chaotic?" Despite a thousand reasons to refuse, Sebastian Novak had no choice but to gather information; he needed to know what he was dealing with.

Thomas Light's sudden serious tone made Sebastian realize that this wasn't a simple matter. He and Thomas had been through life and death together twice, so Thomas wouldn't panic over something small.

"I don't know what Elena went through last night. She didn't say anything when we took a cab this morning. All I know is that I encountered a wall of demons, one that tried to separate me from Elena. And before that, we had a strange experience at the hospital."

He went on to recount the details of Elena's nightmare and the murder case, before continuing with what happened at Elena's place. "Around ten last night, I woke her up to take her medication, and she was fine. Then I fell asleep on the living room couch. Sometime before one, I heard her scream my name, her voice so loud it sounded distorted. Such a sound would normally carry through the night, but oddly enough, none of the neighbors heard anything. I panicked, but I couldn't find her room. Then, it was like I was in a vacuum; I couldn't hear her voice anymore. I used the method you taught me to recite the incantation and pushed through everything that had substance, but all I could do was run from the living room to outside. I still couldn't find her room, and even the phone wouldn't work. By morning, when I forced the door open, she had passed out, I don't know for how long. One thing to note is that the door was locked from the inside, but Elena would never do that."

"Maybe it was her way of protecting herself from perverts?" Sebastian joked, but already had an inkling of what was going on. He walked over to the still unconscious Elena, reaching out to her chest.

Sebastian ignored him and gently took the cross from Elena's neck. "I'm sure that thing wanted to possess her, or at least harm her. But why didn't anything happen?" He looked closely at the pendant. "Do you know where she got this treasure?"

Thomas thought for a moment. "She said that her grandmother gave it to her. Her grandmother was a devout Christian, and when she passed away three years ago, Elena started wearing the cross. She hasn't taken it off since."

"I see." Sebastian placed the cross back down. "This cross likely holds a lot of spiritual power. Elena's grandmother's love for her created a powerful protective force. It's incredibly rare. Now I understand why she survived this, the solar energy was weak but persistent."

"So, she's safe then?"

"Relatively. The thing is, too much demonic energy can pollute this treasure, much like how air pollution harms the human body."

"This can't be told to her, or she'll be reckless."

"That's not my concern." Sebastian said as he bent down to draw a symbol on Elena's forehead. He murmured a few words and watched her slowly regain consciousness. He immediately began asking her what happened last night, his thoroughness making Elena think he would have made an excellent lawyer.

"It said you were the sixth?" Sebastian asked.

"Yes," she answered, the memory still making her uneasy. "Does this have anything to do with that case I worked on?"

"Let's wait and see." It seemed likely that it was connected to the mass murder, but this was beyond normal reasoning.

"So, you'll help me?"

"I'm helping him. But I want you to promise you won't speak of this again. Consider it my payment for helping you."

"Do you want her to swear an oath?" Thomas Light interjected.

"No need. Someone swore before, but they still betrayed me."

"Don't worry, I won't say anything. Whether you believe me or not." Elena wanted to thank Sebastian for his help, but his cold and reluctant attitude wounded her pride, making her a little angry.