Nisha POV
When Nisha opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the white ceiling.
Her head ached like she had been hit with a hammer.
She sat up slowly. Her body felt heavier than usual.
Oliver was sitting by the window, his jacket thrown over the chair. Lily stood near the bed, her face tight with worry.
"You're finally awake," Lily said, stepping closer.
Nisha rubbed her temples and looked around. "How long was I out?"
"One hour and twenty minutes," Oliver replied. "You came out twenty minutes after we left that Cursed Spirit's domain."
"Did you talk about Adrian to Lyra?" she asked quietly.
Oliver shook his head. "No. We were waiting for you."
"Good," Nisha said. She pushed the blanket aside and stood up, ignoring the slight dizziness that followed. "I just found a way to save Adrian. It might be our last hope."
Lily blinked in surprise. "Wait, what? You found a way?"
Nisha nodded. "Yes. But I'll explain later. We need to move now."
Oliver frowned. "You just woke up. At least rest a little before—"
"No time," Nisha interrupted, already reaching for her uniform coat. "If we delay any longer, there'll be nothing left to save."
Lily grabbed her arm. "Nisha, what's going on? We saw with our own eyes that Adrian was corrupted."
Nisha looked at her and said, "Follow me. I'll explain everything on the way."
Oliver stood up. "At least tell us where we're going first."
"To the old training site near the Halcrow's east wing. Adrian's body is sleeping there while his mind is in the Cursed Spirit's domain."
The two looked surprised.
Had she always known where Adrian's real body was?
Nisha didn't wait for more questions.
She opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
The floorboards creaked under their boots as the three of them walked quickly through the passage.
Lily spoke first. "So… are you going to tell us what happened?"
Nisha nodded slightly. "After Adrian lost control, I was about to kill him."
Lily nodded with a subdued expression.
Oliver frowned. "Then what stopped you?"
"Someone interfered. A man appeared through a portal. He called himself Alan Veritus."
Oliver's brow furrowed. "Never heard of him."
"He wore a white mask. He said he was going to save Adrian, and claimed he was the disciple of Monkey King."
Lily went eyes wide.
"The Monkey King?! Did his disciple really look like a monkey? Does he have hair all over his body and a tail?"
Nisha and Oliver gave her a stare. As though asking if that was what she was curious about.
She blinked, innocently, not understanding the meaning of their stare.
"Anyway." Nisha spoke, "I didn't believe him at first. But he told me was the one who killed Frank, and saved Adrian's son two years ago. He showed me the sword, Daritas, as proof."
Oliver stopped walking. "Daritas? That is Frank's sword. I see. If you've confirmed it was real Daritas, then he is really the one who killed Frank and saved Adrian's family."
Nisha nodded. "Yes, so even if he isn't Monkey King's disciple, there must be a reason why he helped Adrian before. And since he helped before, he must be actually trying to help Adrian again."
They reached their location.
Several Exorcists passed by them. A few greeted Nisha politely.
This location was where Exorcists could rest their body if they were entering a domain that only pulled their minds in.
Oliver glanced at her as they reached the stairs. "What does this Alan Veritus want in return?"
"Nothing," Nisha said. "He only told me to protect Adrian's body from the Exorcist Union until he finishes exorcising the Cursed Spirit."
"Exorcise? It's a Rank 3 Cursed Spirit. Anything above or on Rank 3 is Immortal Class." Oliver murmured.
"Maybe he will fail," Nisha replied. "But he is our only hope to save Adrian. So…."
She looked at both of them.
"We will protect Adrian's body until the last moment. Die if you have you, but don't fail me."
"I know," Oliver smiled, half amused, half sighing. "It's time we returned all the favors we owe him."
"I will do my best!" Nisha exclaimed with enthusiasm.
…
MC's POV
Nisha was dead.
A faint notification appeared in front of my eyes.
[+1 Heart]
[Total Heart: 44]
"Lord of Shadows, do you really know how to exorcise this Cursed Spirit?" Yuna asked softly.
"Yes," I said.
I did know the method.
Whether I could actually do it or not was a different story.
'No, I can't fail.'
'I must succeed.'
I looked around at the twisted landscape of the domain.
The noises from the sky were increasing in volume, and drilling into my head.
I kept moving, killing anything that still moved.
It took me nearly three hours.
When I finally stopped, only two of us were left: dad and me.
Yuna floated near me.
"Lord of Shadows…. if you don't know the method of exorcism, then don't push yourself. The Cursed Spirit has started affecting your mind. It's best if you leave quickly."
"I'm fine," I said.
My head throbbed like it was splitting open.
The whispers around me grew louder.
In the sky, the blurry figures within the screen now looked like they were shouting.
All I could hear was, fight, fight, fight.
"Lord of Shadows…" Yuna's voice was quiet, worried.
She had been watching me for hours, and I had done nothing to exorcise the Cursed Spirit.
"Lord of Shadows, this is enough. You should leave—"
"Shhh."
I raised my hand to my lips. Through the bushes ahead, I saw a figure moving slowly.
'That's Dad.'
He looked broken.
His right hand was missing. His left arm was covered in blood. His body shook every few steps, yet his grip on his sword never wavered.
I suppressed the feelings rising in my mind, and analyzed him… my opponent.
'He has been fighting for days without food or rest. He has faced countless Exorcists and even fought Nisha, a Rank 3 Exorcist.'