The exorcist's face was a mask of solemn resolve, as he slowly walked towards the translucent cube. The blue light of the cube cast an ethereal glow on the ground, making the area seem surreal.
He stopped a few feet from the cube, his eyes fixed on the house within, a house that was now a burnt outline of what it had once been. The black flames still roared, but they were contained, their destructive energy unable to escape the confines of the magic cube prison.
He turned his head slightly, his gaze falling on Damian. The look in his eyes was one of deep sadness, a sadness that seemed to come from years of seeing such tragedies.
"My name is Eldrich," he said, his voice low, one that cut through the silence. "For whoever asked who took out this demon."
He didn't wait for a response, as if saying his name was a formality, a simple fact to be stated before the real work even began.
Without another word, he began to move. He quickly broke into a run, a blur of motion in his light blue robe, his long black hair flowing behind him. He wasn't running to escape; he was running to meet his fate, to confront the horror that lay within the cube.
As he ran, his voice began to rise, the words of a prayer coming from his lips, a melodic chant that seemed to resonate with the very tension.
"By the holy princess of the seven moon palace, may this inflicted soul find rest in your lap," he chanted, his voice gaining in power and intensity. "May you intercede for him so that he may find final rest in the palm of the goddess."
He reached the cube and, without breaking his run, plunged right into the side of it. He didn't even seem to notice the barrier, passing through the translucent wall as if it were a mere illusion. The moment he was inside, the prayer stopped, and the air around him grew heavy, thick with the scent of smoke, burning flesh and something else, something foul and unnatural. He stood in the center of the burning house, the black flames swirling around him, but not touching his robe, as if they knew not to.
The demon, was still standing there, a living statue of fire. Eldrich stopped, a mere ten feet from the monster, his hand resting on the hilt of his ceremonial blade. The air was filled with unseen tension, a silent standoff between two opposing forces. The demon's red eyes glowed brighter, its head cocked to the side as if it were sizing up its opponent.
"I know what you are," Eldrich said. "I see your kind daily. You appear like mindless beast, but you are a cunning, intelligent creature. You possess the memories of your host, but you use them as a means to inflict more pain."
He took a step forward, his feet making a soft thud on the floorboard. "Tell me, what do you want? Why have you come to this place?"
The demon's response was a piercing shriek, a single, guttural sound.
"EEEEEE!"
It was a sound that made Damian, who was still standing outside the cube, wince. It was a sound of absolute annoyance for him.
Eldrich did not flinch. He remained still, his hand still on his blade.
"You are a parasite," he continued. "You feed on the grief of those who have lost their loved ones. You twist their memories, their love, and you turn it into a weapon. You thrive on the pain you cause." He took another step forward. "But I will not let you. I will not let you corrupt this place, and I will not let you cause any more pain."
The demon let out another shriek, this one even more piercing than the last. The black flames around it flared, and the sound of something cracking filled the air. A large piece of the ceiling, a heavy wooden beam, snapped and fell towards Eldrich. But the exorcist did not flinch. The beam simply disintegrated into dust as it came within a foot of him, as if it had hit an invisible shield.
Eldrich's expression remained unchanged. He simply watched the dust fall, his eyes never leaving the demon.
"You see?" he said. "You can't hurt me. You are nothing but a dead man. A memory of a life that you have stolen. But I can hurt you, and I will."
The demon shrieked again, its body shaking with what looked like pure rage. The black flames around it began to pulse, It raised its hand, a skeletal form of pure fire, and pointed it at Eldrich. The sound of a thousand voices screaming filled the air, a sound of agony that seemed to come from the demon itself.
"I will send you back to the pit from which you came," Eldrich declared. "I will not rest until you are gone. Your kind will not terrorize this world. Not while I live."
The demon seemed to understand. It took a jerky step forward, its head tilted to the side, its red eyes glowing. It let out another shriek, a sound so full of pure hate that it felt like a physical blow. The air around it began to vibrate, and the house, which had been burning steadily, began to crumble at an even faster rate.
The demon lunged forward, a blur of motion, its hand outstretched, ready to tear Eldrich apart. But Eldrich was faster. He drew his blade, a blade of pure silver, and a soft, white light emanated from it. The light seemed to push back against the darkness of the demon, a somewhat battle of opposing forces.
Eldrich didn't even hesitate. He took a single step forward, his body relaxed, his eyes focused on the target in front of him. He moved with the precision of a trained warrior, his blade quickly raised, ready to strike.