A Kiss for the Damned

Elijah sighed.

Given how urgently Nikolai came, he didn't even get the chance to know the situation beforehand.

Only now did he understand the full extent of the story, and also the reason why his instincts were keeping him awake.

"Hey, Elijah, do you want me to kill them for you? The ones who made you so miserable? Just tell me and I will do you a favor without anything in return, how about it?"

Failing to provoke Elijah, it had resorted to temptation.

"Alright, enough with tormenting the child."

Elijah bit on his lip, and using that he drew a cross in blood on the boy's forehead. The moment the mark touched skin, it sank in like ink on paper.

In the next second, an intense foul smell began to emit from Nikolai.

"Elijah, son of fire, called by none but the Almighty, and here not for vengeance, but to cast you out."

He quickly started reciting the prayer of the prophet.

A loud scream ripped from Nikolai's throat.

"Ah! Stop you bastard!"

His slight trembling soon turned into a full-body convulsion, startling both Chase and Alexei, who nearly lost their grips.

The clash of metal chains grew heavier.

"He who commands the fire of heaven — shine your light upon the lost, lead them to salvation, and burn away the evil that stands in their path."

The more he continued, the more violently Nikolai thrashed. Dark red blood gurgled from his mouth, splattering around.

Amidst the chaos of his violent thrashing, some even got on Alexei's taut face.

"If you try to extract me, this vessel will shatter! Aren't you so benevolent? Won't you save this pitiful child?!"

"By god's power..."

"Stop! If you willingly accept me inside you, I'll leave this vessel without any harm, I promise! Just stop, you bastard!"

Laughter almost escaped Eli. The spirit was trapped in a vessel so weak that it could shatter at any time.

Perhaps this was the reason why it must have started to shatter Nikolai's spirit faster.

"Mom! Dad!" This time, it started yelling in Nikolai's voice.

"This person is the real demon, Mom! Please believe me! Save me from this monster, Dad! Alexei, please."

Nikolai looked at the inverted face of his friend, "You said we are friends, right? You can't let your friend die again. Please, Lyosha, save me."

The muscle in Alexei's jaw twitched at how forcefully he was clenching his teeth.

"By the grace of God, I command the spirit that walks among the living, return to the pit from where you belong."

While praying, he placed his hand on Alexei's red hair. The darkness that had started to swirl inside his blue eyes vanished almost instantly.

The moment Elijah's focus shifted, the entity lashed out. It flung Alexei aside.

With a single swift move, he pinned Elijah to the ground. "You, fucking bastard!" it roared, hands flying to choke Elijah. "Be good and take me in!"

However, Alexei and Chase were quick to react. Even Anatoly rushed to hold the boy.

The moment they pinned Nikolai down, Elijah was quick to take his previous position.

While gasping, he muttered the one last prayer and leaned down.

Holding Nikolai's blood-stained face tightly in his hands, he gently pressed his lips onto the child's.

Just as the Almighty God breathed life into Adam when he molded him from the clay, Elijah, too, breathed a breath full of pure life into Nikolai's almost devoured body.

Eli moved back, but his breath kept chanting prayers that were elusive to all the other present.

Tears of blood flowed down Nikolia's face as he wailed loudly.

"May God protect you from the sins, and show you the path of light," Elijah whispered.

A black mist floated from Nikolai's parted lips. Before it could flee, Eli caught it in his hand.

Closing his eyes, he opened his inner eye to look at the violent spirit.

"Have mercy on me, please, I promise not to harm anyone ever again," it began to plead.

Eli stared coldly and then clenched his fist. Blue flames burst from his palm, burning the crying spirit, until there was nothing left.

The pitch black swirling in Nikolai's eyes had trickled down on the ground with his crimson tears. Even the spider-like web on his chest had vanished.

The surroundings were drenched with a pungent smell mixed with blood.

After an exorcism, one would feel completely drained of physical strength.

Even Elijah, who had maintained a healthy body, felt sweat beading his forehead in the middle of chilly winter.

He rolled off to the side.

"He is fine now," he rasped.

Then, just like Nikolai, he slumped down, huffing for breath.

The coldness of the ground gently seeped into his heated back, almost in reassurance that it was over.

While he closed his eyes to digest the disgusting memories of the spirit, Nikolai was immediately surrounded by his family.

The poor boy was utterly drenched in sweat as if pulled straight from a river.

"Are you okay?"

"Is it over?"

"Does it hurt?"

"Niko, baby, can you hear me?"

Many such questions drifted into his ears along with the sobbing echoes.

Unlike the previous time, these were the tears of joy.

That warmth, so pure and heavy, soaked into Elijah's bones, and it made the ache in his temples a little easier to bear.