[Chapter 206: Forced Soul Calling]
"Don't rush. Tell me first, what happened to your child?"
Daniel asked after seating the couple opposite him.
Perhaps it was Daniel's calm demeanor that helped settle their nerves, as their emotions visibly eased.
Josh answered, "My son, Dalton, has been in a coma for three months."
Daniel blinked in surprise. "Three months?"
"Yes, three months," Josh replied, his face etched with pain and helplessness. "The doctors say he's in a deep coma, but all his physical signs are normal. His brain isn't damaged, but he just won't wake up. We've sought out the best neurologists, but nothing has worked."
He hesitated and then added, "A friend of my mother recommended you. She said this isn't a medical problem -- maybe something else."
'A coma? But a healthy body?' This was all too familiar in paranormal cases.
Daniel pressed them to explain more, but they had nothing further to add.
"Take me to see him." After a moment's thought, Daniel said, "But you should know my fees aren't cheap."
Renai's voice was desperate. "As long as Dalton can be saved, we'll pay whatever it takes! We can sell our house, take out loans, anything!"
Josh, a high school teacher with a modest income, nodded firmly. "Money is not an issue."
Daniel nodded. "A $20,000 deposit upfront. Pay the rest once the problem is solved. If I can't fix it, you owe me nothing."
Without hesitation, Josh wrote a check.
...
Half an hour later, Daniel followed the Lamberts to their new home in the suburbs. It was an older single-family villa, well-maintained but somewhat tired in appearance.
As soon as Daniel stepped out of the car, he sensed something off.
The house felt overwhelmingly "tainted," laden with unseen negativity.
Noticing Daniel's frown, Josh asked anxiously, "Mr. Cross, what's wrong?"
Daniel said grimly, "It's a miracle you haven't all died living in a place like this for so long."
Josh and Renai exchanged startled looks.
"Is our house... dangerous?" Renai asked nervously.
"More than that," Daniel replied. "Forget it, let's go inside."
Josh quickly unlocked the door.
Inside, the chill in the air was even more pronounced.
And as if sensing the arrival of an Ascendant like Daniel, the unseen presences lurking around stirred and pressed outward.
Daniel glanced at them coldly, ignoring the restless spirits for now.
Following Josh and Renai upstairs, Daniel was led to a child's room filled with scattered toys, including several old-fashioned dolls.
A pale boy of about ten lay motionless on the bed, his eyes tightly closed.
Though his chest rose and fell faintly, he looked like a hollow shell -- emptied of his Soul.
Daniel stepped to the bedside and gently tapped the boy's glabella with a fingertip, probing subtly with his magic.
His eyes narrowed.
As he'd suspected, his Soul wasn't in his body at all. Only a faint trace of Soul aura remained, enough to keep his vital signs barely alive.
This was a textbook case of "Astral Projection."
Astral Projection was rare and unnatural. Most who experienced it returned quickly to their bodies.
Dalton had been comatose for three months, meaning his Soul hadn't returned in all that time.
An ordinary person would have died long ago.
For a Soul to be missing so long and the body to survive meant the Soul must be trapped somewhere.
At minimum, Daniel detected no sign of Dalton's Soul here in the house.
The pieces clicked together in Daniel's mind instantly.
Dalton. Astral Projection. Failure to return. This couple...
A scene from a movie flashed through his thoughts -- disturbing and familiar.
In it, Dalton had the talent for Astral Projection. During a dream, his Soul wandered too far into the afterlife realm called The Further, lost and unable to find its way back.
His body, soulless and unprotected, became an empty vessel tempting countless evil spirits eager to cross into the living world.
"Mr. Cross, what do you think?" Renai gripped Josh's hand so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Daniel withdrew his hand and said flatly, "The doctors were right. There is nothing wrong with his body."
The couple's eyes dimmed.
"But," Daniel continued, "his Soul is lost."
"Soul... lost?" Josh blurted, stunned.
"Think of it like this: he went out to play, got lost, and can't find his way back."
Daniel pointed at Dalton. "Now his body is like an unlocked mansion with no owner. The 'vagrants' nearby all want to move in."
He turned sharply toward the dark corner of the room and shouted, "Get out!"
His expression hardened. "Since you refuse to leave, none of you are leaving."
Boom!
An invisible ripple radiated from Daniel's center.
Though Josh and Renai saw nothing, the room instantly warmed by several degrees, and the eerie chill vanished.
"Mr. Cross, you mean... ghosts want to take my son's body?" Renai whispered, trembling.
[Ding! Killed G-rank Ghost, gained 500 merit points.]
[Ding! Killed G-rank Ghost, gained 300 merit points.] ...
Daniel heard the notifications in his mind.
"Not just one."
Their faces drained of color, fear overtaking them.
Josh blurted out, "What do we do now?"
Daniel thought carefully.
In that movie, Dalton's Soul was trapped in The Further, imprisoned by a so-called Red-Faced Demon.
He wasn't sure if a forced Soul calling would bring him back, but it was the only option.
"We'll discuss the plan tonight."
...
That night, the ritual altar was prepared with sanctified incense, consecrated candles, and parchment offerings.
A crimson cord was tied around Dalton's wrist, its other end secured to the altar.
Daniel raised the Edict of Sealed Authority and stepped forward. His spiritual authority spread outward, enveloping the entire house.
He declared,
Between the living and the departed stand only the boundaries of lawful order.
By the Edict of Sealed Authority, I command the hidden path to be opened and every barrier to be broken.
Dalton, wherever your soul may wander, answer this summons and return to your rightful vessel.
Defy this command, and all unlawful bonds shall be consumed by the Flame of Judgment.
By sealed authority, Manifest!
Boom!
The Prayer Seal upon the parchment erupted into brilliant white flame.
The candles on the altar flared brightly.
The sanctified incense burned rapidly, its smoke rising in a single straight column.
The crimson cord suddenly drew taut, as though seized by an invisible hand.
An unseen force pulled against it from beyond the veil, as if two opposing powers were locked in a silent struggle.
Daniel's expression hardened.
The cord around Dalton's wrist trembled violently under the immense strain.
The candle flames flickered wildly despite the still air, surging high before shrinking to tiny points of light that cast distorted shadows across the room.
"Dalton... please come back."
Renai clutched Josh's arm, her voice trembling with anxious hope.
Josh forced himself to remain composed, but the beads of cold sweat on his brow betrayed him.
His eyes never left the crimson cord. It was the only thread connecting his son to the world of the living.
"Silence."
Daniel's voice rang through the room as he raised the Edict once more.
By the authority entrusted to this seal, let every barrier yield.
Wardens of the Veil, seize the wandering soul and bring it safely before this altar.
Authority affirmed. Act without delay.
*****
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