“You know… when your mom was talking about a haunted location, I wasn’t expecting a department store of all things.”


    That same night, Ivan and Mikah had made their way to the location specified by the commission, and soon found themselves crouching outside the maintenance door of a shopping mall a few towns over. Mikah looked up from where he was actively trying to pick the lock with an unimpressed stare.


    “What were you expecting? A desolate haunted house in the middle of nowhere?”


    “Well… sort of,” Ivan admitted sheepishly.


    “Ghosts were once human, so they tend to prefer hanging around places frequented by other humans. A haunted mall is not unusual,” Mikah responded, once again concentrating on the lock.


    A snap echoed in the quiet of the night, and Mikah pulled the broken lock pick out before throwing it on the ground in frustration.


    “Dammit! That’s the second one that broke already. I usually have no problem with this…” As he spoke, his gaze shifted back to Ivan, the accusation clear even without a word.


    “Seems like my bad luck is rubbing off on you,” Ivan said with a chuckle.


    “Is it something to laugh about?” Mikah huffed. “Just… give me some space.”


    “Fine,” Ivan pouted while crossing his arms. Begrudgingly, he took a few steps back and looked away.


    “Remind me again why we have to break in? What if we get caught by a security guard or something?” Ivan questioned, observing their surroundings as though he expected someone to jump out at them at any moment. However, Mikah’s car was the only one in the entire, barren parking lot.


    The lock finally clicked open on the third try, and Mikah stood up as he answered. “Exorcists aren’t exactly a profession recognized by the general public. We often have to carry out missions in secret like this. As for the security guards, there aren’t any.”


    “Huh?” Ivan turned back to the now open door. The towering mall loomed over them like a beige cinderblock fortress. “In a big place like this? There must be.”


    “There were,” Mikah corrected, moving inside and gesturing for Ivan to follow. “But they all quit after witnessing paranormal activity.”


    Ivan gulped, feeling a little nervous. Just how bad was it that even several trained security guards couldn’t handle it anymore? Compared to them, Ivan was probably like a freshly hatched chick leaving the nest for the first time. Unlike his partner, he didn’t have any supernatural combat abilities or experience. Should he be worried?


    As if sensing his nerves, Mikah put a firm hand on Ivan’s shoulder as they slinked down one of the long marble corridors. However, the accompanying blank look on his face was hardly what Ivan would call ‘reassuring’.


    “Just stick close to me, and you’ll be fine,” Mikah said quietly. All Ivan could do was nod.


    They finally exited the narrow maintenance hallway and entered the main body of the mall. It was much more open, with shops lining either side of the length of the building across two floors. The only light they had was the pale moonlight streaking through the skylights overhead, washing over the scene in patches of white.


    “This place gives me a bad feeling,” Ivan muttered, practically clinging to Mikah’s back.


    He was shamelessly using the taller man as a human shield. Mikah was experienced, after all, and his build gave Ivan confidence in his abilities. He clearly worked out, something Ivan never gave much merit to. He tried to imagine himself in a gym and shuttered. So much could go wrong in an environment like that. Getting shredded by a treadmill or crushed by a barbell was not on his to-do list.


    Apart from being more physically built, Mikah was also taller than Ivan, though only by a little. Ivan didn’t consider himself short by any means, but Mikah was surely above average. Suddenly, Ivan remembered that Mikah was a year younger than him and got slightly ticked off. He should share some of his height with his elders.


    “Maybe you have an aptitude for spirits after all,” Mikah said in a low voice. “Because this place is crawling with them.”


    Ivan could only imagine how the scene must appear through Mikah’s eyes, actually being able to see the alleged spirits. Despite that fact, the other man remained calm.


    “Do crowded places always look like that to you?” Ivan asked in realization.


    “Pretty much, but I’m used to it now. Besides, most of them are harmless,” Mikah said with a shrug.


    Suddenly, he came to an abrupt stop and his gaze shifted rapidly, following something only he could see. He reached for the weapon at his waist and took a step back, pushing Ivan further behind himself.


    “Shit, that problem of yours is really annoying,” he said, no longer trying to be quiet. “They’ve already noticed you and are starting to surround us.”


    “I thought you said they’re mostly harmless!”


    “They are. Clearly, something about you agitated them,” Mikah snapped.


    With a swift motion almost too quick to follow, he unsheathed his spiritual sword. When they left, Ivan had asked him why he chose a sword rather than the gun he used before. It turned out that the sword was his actual weapon and also the one he was most proficient with. The gun was stored in the back office for emergencies, and Mikah had only used it out of convenience.


    Swinging the sword in a large arc, a streak of white light shot out. It stopped after a few feet and burst into a blinding light that made Ivan have to shield his eyes, and he assumed that it had hit its target.


    “That was only the first wave,” Mikah told him, continuing to hack and slash at invisible enemies.


    His movements were graceful and controlled, barely even budging an inch from his spot in front of Ivan. Staring at his broad back, Ivan felt like he was being protected by an immovable wall. He couldn’t see the ghosts, but he was surprised to find that he fully trusted Mikah at that moment.


    Bursts of light continued to explode in front of them like fireworks as the sword sliced through the air. After a few minutes, Mikah let out a breath and sheathed the weapon. His skin was glistening with a light sheen of sweat, and it took him a moment to collect himself. Ivan wasn’t sure how many ghosts the other had exorcised just then, but it couldn’t have been easy.


    “T-thanks,” he said awkwardly now that it had become unnervingly quiet again. “Is it over now?”


    “No,” Mikah told him, expression frosty. “Those were just the small fries. The actual commission is over there.”


    Saying that, he pointed to the left. At the end of the long building was the looming entrance of a department store. It seemed to be going out of business, with bright yellow banners on either side reading “Sale - 70% Off” and “Everything Must Go”.


    The unnerving feeling from before increased tenfold as Ivan stared into the abyss beyond the entrance. Metal shutters were blocking the way like a prison gate, and past that only pitch black awaited. All light, even the reflection of the moonbeams, stopped right at its border as if denied entry.


    “We have to go in there?” Ivan asked nervously.


    “You’re welcome to stay out here,” Mikah said, patting his sword. “But I can’t protect you if more spirits show up.”


    Ivan hated the smug expression on the other’s face. Still, he hurriedly agreed to go with him.


    “Who knows? Maybe your spirit attraction skill will be useful in luring out the culprit. This spirit seems to like hiding away,” Mikah added, eyes narrowing as he began to walk towards the department store.


    “How can you tell?”


    No matter how scary a situation Ivan found himself in, his curiosity always seemed to win out in the end. And besides, he was there to learn, right?


    “Every spirit in this place flocked to you as soon as they sensed you,” Mikah explained before coming to a stop in front of the metal shutter. “Except for this one.”


    He unsheathed his sword once more, slicing through the metal like butter. The bottom half of the shutter clattered to the ground with a bang, the sound jarringly loud in the quiet space. Ivan couldn’t help but be amazed. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    “Exactly how good is your spiritual weapon?” he asked.


    “It’s an S-rank,” Mikah replied without looking, but Ivan could see the proud smile on his face.


    “Does that mean it belonged to someone famous?”


    “My great-great-grandmother. She was a big-shot exorcist.”


    Just then, a low groan rumbled through the air, so powerful that Ivan felt it rattle his bones. Mikah’s expression quickly grew stern once more, determined ice sharpening his gaze.


    “It was waiting,” he said.


    “Well you didn’t exactly break in quietly,” Ivan pointed out.


    “Shut up. It was already aware of our presence before that,” Mikah defended.


    He readied his sword as he took a step forward, preparing to go inside. However, before he could even cross the threshold, something slammed into him and Mikah flew back several feet, barely managing to stay upright.


    “Run!” Mikah yelled as he returned to a fighting stance with a cough. “It’s after you!”


    Ivan wanted to follow his advice and run, he really did. Only, he was presently glued to the spot. The reason was that he had seen the ghost that pushed Mikah back. He had actually seen it! How was that possible? He hadn’t seen any of the spirits up to that point.


    A dark figure emerged in the shape of a human, peeling itself out of the inky darkness. It lacked depth, like a cloud of black mist, as it advanced towards Ivan.


    “Ivan!” Mikah called again, rushing forward just in time to parry the shadow’s attack with his sword. Still, he grunted from the force of the blow before letting go with one hand to shove Ivan out of the way. “Move, idiot!”


    Ivan finally returned to his senses, backing away a few steps in alarm. “Where do I go!?” he yelled in panic.


    Even if he wanted to run, they were in a very open space. Besides, he still felt much safer by Mikah’s side than he would going off on his own.


    The silhouetted figure melted into the shadow of a pillar on the floor and disappeared, before reemerging in front of Ivan once more. In a flash, Mikah was there, slashing his sword right as the ghost disappeared again. It seemed to be avoiding Mikah’s attacks entirely.


    “Stand under the brightest spot of moonlight!” Mikah commanded. “This thing hates light.”


    Without needing to be told twice, Ivan sprinted to an open space under the skylight, the moon almost directly overhead. He was instantly bathed in that white light, and the ghost shifted around the perimeter of that square of protection, not daring to cross it.


    Mikah was tracking it with his eyes, able to follow its every movement even better than Ivan. But every time he slashed at it, it dodged his attack and disappeared into the floor.


    “Something’s wrong,” he panted out, slightly breathless as he tried to pin down the spirit. “This is much stronger than a B-rank.”


    “What do we do? Can you handle it?” Ivan called from his spot some distance away.


    “Of course, just give me some time to think,” Mikah retorted bitterly, missing yet another slash. “Dammit, come out and fight me, you coward!”


    The spirit’s determined avoidance was severely grating on his nerves. It seemed it didn’t intend to confront Mikah at all, focused entirely on Ivan instead. If they fought one one-on-one, Mikah was sure he’d have a fair chance of exorcising it. If only it weren’t so damn slippery!


    Just as his sword cut another long gash into the marble floor, the worst possible thing happened. A large cloud passed over the skylight, effectively blocking the moon! How unlucky!


    In an instant, the spirit rushed Ivan, who could do nothing but await the inevitable. Mikah was still several feet away, one step behind. He wouldn’t be able to parry the attack in time.


    Cursing under his breath, he did the next best thing he could think of. Mikah channeled a huge amount of energy into his sword, and from it burst a pure white light. It lit up the area like a flashbang, so bright that everyone present had to squeeze their eyes shut. A shrill shriek of pain echoed out as the spirit was hit by that light.


    Mikah opened his eyes to see that the cloud overhead had passed, Ivan once again safe under the square of moonlight. He let out a breath of relief before he felt the spirit‘s claws at his back. Apparently, the attack hadn’t been quite enough to exorcise it, leaving it wounded instead. And now it was finally taking its anger out on Mikah.


    He hissed in pain as he whirled around, swinging outward with his sword. But the spirit had already become an expert at dodging his attacks, able to use the shadows as cover. It could pop out from anywhere there was darkness, and Mikah could only remain on high alert.


    “Are you alright?” Ivan called out in concern. “Come over here into the light!”


    “No,” Mikah responded, his entire demeanor filled with frosty determination. “I need to exorcise it. We can’t both run from it forever.”


    Ivan couldn’t help but feel like the statement was a slight dig. “Hey!”


    “Still,” Mikah continued, eerily calm even as more scratches appeared across his body from the spirit’s attacks. “It can’t run from me forever, either.”


    He moved swiftly, stabbing his sword into a shadow on the ground. The spirit wailed as it was impaled. Mikah had correctly predicted which shadow it would emerge from!


    Still, it seemed that it wasn’t enough. After the grand display with the great big flash of light, Mikah’s spiritual energy was seriously depleted. He didn’t put enough into his strike just then, only enough to wound, and he was quickly running out.


    The spirit was growing increasingly agitated as well, having been injured twice now. It attacked even more ruthlessly, and Mikah could just barely fend it off. A few more hits landed, fresh wounds littering his torso.


    As he slowly ran out of steam, Mikah gathered the last of his spiritual energy into one final slash, hoping it would be enough to finish the job. He readied his sword, letting out a long sigh. If the next attack failed, they would both be done for.


    In that instant, the worst possible thing happened again, and Mikah felt his heart drop. All light was blocked as another cloud moved in, and Ivan was left exposed in the pitch darkness. That bastard’s shitty luck!


    The spirit rushed straight for Ivan, and Mikah could only helplessly watch. He didn’t have enough spiritual energy left to do another blast like before. Was there really nothing he could do?


    Then, the black mist abruptly stopped and began to writhe in pain on the floor as a young girl’s voice carried across the space. It was humming a pleasant melody, but as it echoed around the empty mall it sounded unnervingly otherworldly.


    The spirit let out one final pitiful cry before dissolving into mist and vanishing completely. The beautiful tune also stopped, and at the same time, a young woman jumped down from the second floor and landed gracefully between them.


    As the clouds finally parted and the moonlight filtered down, it illuminated her youthful appearance. She was on the shorter side, with long black hair woven into two slick braids. She had a distinct and somewhat familiar fire in her eyes. Her overall features were quite pretty, and that’s when it clicked for Ivan.


    “Wren,” Mikah grunted out in greeting.


    She turned to him with a teasing grin. “Hello, little brother. Mom told me you might need my help, and it turns out she was right.”


    “I had it under control,” he said, sliding his sword back into its sheath with a huff.


    “Really? Because you seem pretty worn out to me,” she commented before strutting over to him, poking him in the forehead repeatedly. “You should be thanking me, you ungrateful brat. I rushed over here even though I just came back from my own job.”


    Mikah ignored her, turning his head with a frown.


    “Hey, are you even listening to me!?”


    “Um… thank you for the help,” Ivan chimed in, walking over with a polite smile.


    “That’s more like it!” Wren said cheerfully before pausing. “Huh? Wait. Who are you?”


    Ivan froze awkwardly. Did Mikah’s mom not mention him?


    “His name is Ivan,” Mikah answered for him, finally tuning back into the conversation now that his forehead was free from assault.


    Wren’s eyes instantly lit up in recognition. “I’ve seen you in the diner before! And you went to high school with my brother, right?”


    “Uh, yeah, but how did-“


    “Let’s get to the point,” Mikah interrupted. “This commission was for a B-rank spirit, but that was clearly wrong information.”


    Wren put her finger to her chin in thought. “Hmmm, I agree. How could a spirit that dangerous go unchecked for so long? If they knew about it, it should’ve ranked at least an A and been taken care of by now.”


    Mikah’s expression was grim. “Something’s off about this job. When we entered, there were way more spirits than usual. Even though they were lower ranked, so many in one place without a cause is suspicious.”


    “Why did you act like it was normal, then!?” Ivan asked in disbelief.


    “I didn’t want you to panic,” Mikah answered simply.


    Ivan was about to protest but was cut short.


    “Well anyway, we definitely need to report this,” Wren said. “Maybe another investigation is in order.”


    The sound of approaching footsteps froze them all on the spot.


    “There shouldn’t be any spirits left,” Wren said with a frown. “Any that were lingering should’ve been exorcised once they heard my voice.”


    “They were,” a voice answered, coming from the same direction as the footsteps. It was the direction of the department store.


    Suddenly, a new person emerged from the depths, stepping casually over the fallen shutter before they came to a stop in front of the group of three, head lowered.


    It seemed to be a young man, but a dark hood hid most of his features. A long cloak shadowed his body, and he slowly looked up at the exorcists before him. Immediately, one thing stood out. His eyes were a bright, bloody red, and they shone even in the dim light.


    Mikah and Wren recoiled in shock before settling into defensive positions, shielding the clueless Ivan behind them. Wren’s frown became a full-blown scowl. What terrible luck, she thought, to run into one here.


    She spat one word under her breath, causing Ivan’s hair to stand on end.


    “Demon.”