Aric manifested a military knife and gripped on the knife tightly.
You're overreacting. he told himself, It's just an old house. Houses creak all the time.
[I wouldn't bet on that being 'just a house' boss. Remember? Demons exist here. And if Evelyn said she felt something evil, we should assume it's legit.]
I know. Just…trying to rationalise it.
He moved cautiously toward the door, sweeping the beam of his flashlight across the hallway.
There was nothing. Satisfied for now that the noise hadn't come from something nearby, Aric returned to his search.
The study, which he'd entered shortly after arriving, was riddled with documents detailing deliberate sabotage; families denied aid, businesses shuttered under false pre-tenses, entire communities driven into poverty for reasons that benefited only a select few.
Each page he read only fueled his anger toward Sebastian.
"This is beyond corruption." as he shoved another stack of papers into his satchel.
"Sebastian wasn't just lazy or incompetent. He intentionally destroyed lives."
[Honestly, I'm surprised you haven't started throwing punches at walls yet.]
"I have better self-control than that." Aric replied calmly even though he was frustrated,
"Besides, punching walls won't help anyone."
[Speaking of helping… why aren't you using your trump card?] Ivy asked suddenly,
[You've got blueprints for guns floating around in that hyperthymesia brain of yours. Lightning bullets, normal rounds, rifles. You could actually arm yourself instead of creeping around with knives and flashlights like some budget adventurer.]
Aric glanced down at the knife in his hand, "Because this isn't Earth. Guns are my ace-in-the-hole. If I start manifesting weapons like that, it'll draw too much attention. Plus…me shooting rounds here would probably be about as smart as a toddler eating a crayon."
Ivy rolled her eyes, [Fair point. But still, a gun wouldn't hurt.]
Before Aric could respond, a low growl reverberated through the room, cutting him off mid-thought.
It was guttural, primal, that sent chills down his spine. Instinctively, he spun around, raising both his knife and flashlight toward the doorway.
Aric held his breath as he scanned the room. Escape routes flashed through his mind: the window behind him, the hall to his left, the hidden space near the bookshelf.
[Sooo... Plan America now? Lightning pistol? Big-ass rifle? Something with boom?]
Aric's fingers twitching slightly as he debated whether to manifest a gun,
Yeah…a gun doesn't sound like such a bad idea.
But just as he began focusing on materialising his pistol, the growling stopped. Aric was confused but relieved as he didn't need to use his ace.
After several tense seconds, he peered out into the hallway.
Left, then right. Nothing. Whoever or whatever had been watching him had vanished,
Great. Now I'm imagining things.
[Imagining things wouldn't trigger my sensors, genius.] Ivy snapped,
[Something's definitely here.]
Aric sighed and opted to press forward. He moved briskly through the house in search of more answers. But as he rounded a corner, heading deeper into the house, a blood-curdling voice shattered the silence;
"VAYNE! VAYNE! VAYNE!"
[Oh hell nah!] Ivy said in panic. [We are leaving. Right now.]
Then came the running noises. Heavy footfalls thudded against the floorboards, growing louder with each passing second.
Aric ducked into the nearest corner, pressing himself flat against the wall as he quickly manifested a CZ 75 pistol.
Using a small glass shard he created, Aric angled it to check his blind spot. What he saw made his blood run cold; a silhouette moving swiftly down the hallway, distorted yet unmistakably humanoid.
Deep within Sebastian's mind, he wrestled with the demon that had taken root in his soul. The creature snarled, clawing at his consciousness like a beast.
"You will not harm Vayne!" Sebastian declared with fury,
"That task belongs to me! You're nothing more than a fucking contract slave."
The demon laughed, "Oh? But you made a deal with Nathaniel, didn't you? You begged for power, for vengeance. And now you dare defy me?"
"I didn't beg for you." Sebastian snapped back,
"I struck a deal for strength, not submission. So eat my fucking ass if you think I'm handing over the reins. You're a tool do you hear me!? Your entire existence is to serve me!"
With that, Sebastian unleashed everything he had left to regain his body. It shrieked in outrage before retreating deeper into his subconscious.
For now, Sebastian had regained control but the cost of maintaining dominance weighed heavily on him. He may have demonic powers now but he couldn't tap into its full potential without risking possession again.
And because of that, he couldn't even sense Aric nearby.
"That pathetic excuse for a man thinks he can undo everything I've built!? Ashwick doesn't trust you anymore, Vayne. They see me as their saviour! Their leader."
"I will kill you. I'll parade your head on a fucking cross for everyone to see. Because I built Ashwick you hear me!? Brick by brick!"
"All of this is your fault. You ruined Ashwick. You turned them against me and now you think you can waltz in here and fix everything? No. No, I won't let you win."
Hiding in the shadows, Aric listened intently as Sebastian's voice carried through the house. Deciding it was best not to engage directly, Aric acted quickly by manifesting a slingshot. He loaded a small rock and fired it toward the kitchen, creating a loud clatter.
As expected, Sebastian bolted toward the noise, leaving Aric free to slip upstairs.
But fate had other plans.
As Aric rounded a corner, he collided with someone but before he could even process what was happening, a gloved hand clamped over his mouth.
"We should get out." Evelyn whispered urgently.
Aric recognising the voice, pushed her hand slowly away, "What the—? Why are you here, Evelyn?"
"That doesn't matter. We need to leave. The raw aura I feel from that man downstairs… it's beyond anything we can handle right now."
Aric frowned, glancing back toward the stairs. While he'd certainly felt tense during the encounter, he hadn't sensed the overwhelming threat Evelyn described. Still, she was far more experienced in these matters, so he chose to trust her judgment.
De-manifesting the gun with a flick of his wrist, Aric followed Evelyn outside. Once they were safely away from the estate, they both paused to catch their breath.
"So…" Aric began, breaking the silence. "My wife sent you, huh?"
"No." Evelyn replied flatly.
Aric raised an eyebrow, "Huh. That's too bad. It would've been sweet of her if she did. Guess my wife really does trust me after all."
Evelyn hesitated. On one hand, revealing her Grace's involvement might deepen their bond. On the other, it is probably wiser to keep it to myself… for now.
Still, judging by Aric's smirk, it was obvious he already knew the truth.
Evelyn said nothing more. They sat on a nearby bench, processing what had just happened.
"So what the hell is Sebastian now?" Aric asked
Evelyn sighed, "Whatever he's become, it's dangerous. I don't know how or why, but he's tapped into something dark. Forbidden magic, maybe even a demon pact. Either way, he's not playing around anymore."
Aric nodded, "What did you mean earlier? About his 'raw aura'?"
"For people like Lady Seraphina and me, we can sense the potential of others. Their inherent magical strength so to speak. It's like seeing colours and shapes surrounding them."
Aric leaned forward, "So… what does his look like? Compared to, say, my wife?"
Evelyn chuckled softly, "Sebastian has a menacing aura—deep red, black, and purple. He's stronger than I am, at least judging by aura alone but if I were to compare to Lady Seraphina? She has never gone all-out before. As far as I know, she hasn't even used half her power. If she and Sebastian were to fight, I'd confidently say she'd crush him ten times over."
Aric blinked in surprise. "Seriously? Then why didn't she come along?"
"She's not one to simply kill people for fun and she likes to do things cleanly." Evelyn explained,
"In fact, despite her immense strength, she's never killed anyone. Even when she debated killing you…"
"She debated killing me?" Aric interrupted.
"Oh, don't worry. She's warmed up to you now, hasn't she? You've done your best, Aric—was it? It's hard to say that name when you wear Vayne's face, but I'll try."
Aric was momentarily stunned, "…Huh. How do you know that?"
Evelyn gave a smile, "Lady Seraphina told me. She said you... possessed Vayne's body. That you're someone from another world. But honestly? It sounds crazy. But after everything I've seen you do—the work you've put in, from the estate to the slums of Ashwick, staying up late, waking early, rebuilding what Vayne destroyed…"
Her face softened as she continued, "It'd be stupid of me not to at least try believing it."
Evelyn continued as she recalled the memory of Sebastian's twisted aura,
"And after what I saw today? I believe it. Possession is real. That wasn't Sebastian anymore which means...maybe you really are who you say you are."
She gave him a sincere nod, "I'm just glad it was someone like you. A good person."
Aric was stunned by the genuine words, "Thanks. That…means a lot."
Not wanting to feel emotional, he cleared his throat to change topic,
"But what about me? What's my aura?"
Evelyn recalled Sebastian's corrupted and powerful aura then glanced at Aric. Aric was...
Average.
"Well, let's just say you're… modestly gifted. Like an eight-year-old mage, maybe? Your aura's green, which isn't bad. Just…a bit on the smaller side"
Ivy burst into hysterical laughter. [HAHAHAHHAHA. Oh my god!] she wheezed, clutching her sides,
[An eight-year-old?! That's adorable!]
Aric rolled his eyes, Great even with months of training, my offensive potential is that of a literal child.
"That's pathetic."
"Hey, I'm just stating facts." Evelyn replied innocently. "Besides, you've got the brains. That counts for something, right?"
Aric sighed as he put his hands over his face, "Right..."