Chapter 15

The detective, Chiaki, and Sota arrived at the crime scene. The house still reeked of blood and decay, the air thick with the stench of death. Everything remained in shambles—furniture overturned, deep claw marks gouged into the walls, and a massive bloodstain smeared along the staircase where the mother had fallen. The eerie silence of the house sent chills down their spines.

Chiaki surveyed the scene and turned to Sota. "It's time. Use your ability."

Sota took a deep breath and nodded. He closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again, now glowing a haunting white. His body stiffened, and he started moving, almost guided by an unseen force. He ascended the bloodstained stairs, stepping carefully past the spot where the mother had been slaughtered. His pace was slow but deliberate, his white eyes scanning through the veil of time itself.

Chiaki and the detective followed as Sota entered the boy's bedroom and came to a halt over the bed. He inhaled sharply. "This is where it began," he murmured.

Chiaki and the detective exchanged glances, waiting for Sota to explain what he was witnessing.

Sota's voice took on a distant, detached tone as he described the vision. "The boy was in his room alone, sitting on his bed, whispering to his teddy bear. He seemed at ease… until he heard a sound from under the bed." Sota's brows furrowed. "Curious, he climbed off the bed and peeked underneath. It was dark—too dark to see clearly. But then… a hand shot out and grabbed him. He was dragged under."

The detective's jaw tightened. "So the possession started then."

Sota nodded, continuing. "Moments later, the father entered the room, holding the boy's blanket, ready to tuck him in for the night. He had no idea that the boy lying on the bed was just an illusion. The real child was under the bed… possessed."

Chiaki's expression darkened. "What happened next?"

"The illusion-boy spoke," Sota went on. "He told his father to check under the bed. And when the father bent down… the real son—no, the demon inside him—lashed out. It tore into the father, ripping his face apart before dragging him down."

Chiaki exhaled sharply. The detective clenched his fists.

Sota winced but kept speaking. "The mother, reading a book in the parents' bedroom, heard the commotion and rushed to the boy's room. When she opened the door, she found something hunched over her husband's mangled body, feeding on him. She screamed. The creature turned its head to her. She ran."

"But she didn't make it," Chiaki murmured grimly.

Sota nodded. "She was caught at the stairs. The thing jumped on her, biting into her shoulder. She struggled, but it was no use. She was torn apart right there." His voice wavered slightly. "After that… the demon-child roamed the house, searching for more victims. But when it found no one else, it grew frustrated. It started to destroy everything—throwing furniture, slashing at the walls."

Sota's eyes returned to normal, and the weight of what he had witnessed crashed onto him. He staggered back and immediately threw up, retching from the sheer horror of the massacre he had relived.

Chiaki placed a reassuring hand on his back and handed him a glass of water. "You did great."

The detective, however, was deep in thought. His eyes widened with realization. "He was possessed at night. Just before he was about to go to sleep. That's around nine or ten o'clock. And it's now half past eight…"

Chiaki's heart pounded as she finished his sentence. "That means it only takes a few hours…"

"To take over a human's heart," the detective confirmed, his voice grim.

Chiaki's expression turned urgent. "We have to get to the boy quickly."

"He's at the hospital."

Meanwhile, at school, Jay walked alone down the hallway after lunch. Luna had gone to the library to finish her homework, and Katie had nervously excused herself after their conversation, her heart fluttering from finally speaking to him.

Before Jay could process much else, he was abruptly yanked into an empty classroom. He barely had time to react before a fist slammed into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

Nick loomed over him, seething with rage. "That was for talking to Katie again."

Jay coughed, clutching his stomach, but before he could recover, Nick threw another punch. "Stay away from her!" he spat.

Jay stumbled back, wiping the blood from his lip. "Dude, what the hell is your problem?"

Nick didn't answer. He just raised his fist for another strike.

"Stop!" Ellie screamed. But neither of them reacted—because Nick couldn't hear her. She was a ghost, after all.

Nick swung at Jay's face, but before the impact could land, Ellie grabbed a chair and lifted it into the air. Nick's expression changed in an instant—from fury to fear—as he watched the chair float on its own.

His breath hitched. "W-what the hell—"

Then, without warning, the chair flung itself across the room.

Nick screamed and bolted out of the classroom, fleeing in sheer panic. He refused to believe what he had just seen, but no rational explanation came to mind.

Jay groaned, rubbing his bruised jaw. "Thanks, Ellie."

At the hospital, the detective, Chiaki, and Sota moved quickly, searching for the boy's room. Once they located it, they stepped inside and pulled the curtains shut.

The boy sat up in his bed, blinking at them in confusion. "Detective?"

The detective approached carefully, keeping his voice gentle. "Do you remember me? I'm here to help. Do you trust me?"

The boy hesitated before nodding slightly.

Chiaki wasted no time. She began chanting an incantation, her hands glowing faintly as she cast a purification spell. The room tensed as a hush fell over them.

Nothing happened.

Chiaki's blood ran cold. "That's not good…"

Sota looked at her. "What does that mean?"

"It means the demon is already near the heart. It's deeply rooted."

Chiaki took off her hair tie and tied one end to the boy's finger and the other to her own, just as she had done with Jay before. She closed her eyes and focused, reaching into the boy's energy, searching for the corruption.

Moments passed. Then, her eyes snapped open in shock.

She pulled her hand back. "The boy is clean."

The detective's heart dropped. "Then where's the demon?"

Sota clenched his fists. "So, this demon is a traveler. It doesn't stay in one body—it jumps from host to host."

The detective's mind raced. "If that's the case…"

Chiaki's voice was grave. "Then where is it now?"

The room fell silent for a tense moment before Sota muttered, "If only someone had a demon-tracking ability."

They had come prepared to exorcise a demon. But now, a greater problem loomed over them—finding it before it claimed another victim.

Time was running out.