I hesitated, trying to recall what we'd covered in class—
Nothing.
Blank.
"No need to dig through theory, Holivan," Grek cut in sharply. "I already told you—the only knowledge that matters comes from practice."
"Yeah. And that once we graduate, no one's going to hold our hand. We're supposed to think for ourselves."
"Exactly," Iveson grunted, clearly pleased. "So—your answer?"
"If you think about it…" I said slowly, forcing my thoughts into something coherent, "for a possessed, the main objective is to fulfill the terms of the contract."
Iveson nodded, impatient.
"If it's stopped hiding, then the contract must be close to completion. Either it lost patience and started acting recklessly… or it's already in the middle of finishing it."
"Correct," Iveson said, satisfied.
"But it's hard to imagine a spirit losing control after it's already secured a host," Matthew added. "It's not exactly easy for them to find one in the first place."
"You're right," I said. "So either something forced it to act… or it's almost done."
"Yes," Matthew's instructor cut in. "We don't know the exact terms of the contract or how long it's been active. As always, our goal is to determine whether the soul can be restored. If not—we eliminate it."
"But this isn't some abandoned house in the middle of nowhere," I said. "How are we supposed to contain it without a barrier?"
"Holivan," Iveson replied, already losing patience, "you won't always have the luxury of barriers when dealing with possession. That's why I told you to think."
He gave me a hard look.
"We don't know how this will play out. No clear plan. Which means today's exercise is going to be more complicated—and more dangerous."
A chill crawled down my spine.
Last time hadn't exactly gone well.
Then—
a warm hand settled on my shoulder.
I looked up.
"It'll be fine, Alan. I'm here," Andrew said with a small, reassuring smile.
And just like that—
my brain short-circuited.
Damn hormones.
No—around him, I didn't stand a chance.
"I can handle myself," I muttered, shrugging his hand off and picking up my pace so he wouldn't notice the heat creeping up my face.
A quiet chuckle followed me.
"Ready?" the second instructor asked as we stepped out through a side door into the city.
He pulled out something that looked like a compact radar and fed his power into it.
The black screen flickered—
A map appeared.
A green dot.
Then a red one.
"What's that?" I whispered to Andrew.
"Students," Iveson answered instead, "this is another device designed to detect entities. This one is calibrated specifically for possession. It's the only type directly tied to a human body."
"And how does it work?" Matthew asked.
"See the green marker?" We nodded. "That's the one whose energy activated the device. The red marker indicates the possessed."
He tapped the screen.
"We can't detect spirits or entities at a distance—their energy is too weak. But a possessed human is different. This tracks life force."
"But how does it tell the difference?" Matthew pressed. "If it detects human energy, shouldn't there be dozens of signals right now?"
"Good question," Iveson said. "During possession, a person's energy becomes distorted. Our engineers studied that distortion well enough to tune the device to it."
"Like a metal detector," I said.
"Not exactly—but close enough," he allowed. "Since it runs on energy, it can pick up anomalies from a distance."
"What's the range?" Matthew asked.
"About three kilometers."
"That's not much."
"It's more than enough for this. Ready?"
Matthew leaned in, squinting at the map.
"If I'm not mistaken… that's one of Torrent's favorite gambling spots."
"You've been there with him?" I asked, surprised.
"A few times."
It was past one in the morning, but that didn't stop the city from buzzing. Bars, restaurants—
—and the gambling house now looming in front of us.
Alive.
Packed.
"According to the radar, the possessed is inside," one of the instructors said.
"That's a problem," Iveson muttered.
"What's the plan?"
"Holivan's underage—he won't get in. So you—" Grek pointed at Matthew's instructor, "—watch the students outside. Storik and I will check inside."
"Instructor Iveson," Matthew spoke up.
"What is it now, Vauser?"
"Alan doesn't necessarily have to stay outside. That place isn't exactly… law-abiding. They won't turn him away."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely."
"…Fine. That works. Let's move."
"Grek, I don't think barging in is a great idea," Storik cut in.
"What now, Storik?" Grek snapped. "We're here to deal with the possessed, not stand around debating."
"Instructor Storik's right," Matthew said. "This isn't exactly a legal establishment. If we all walk in together—especially with you two—"
"With me?" Grek bristled. "What's wrong with me?"
"Instructor Iveson," I cut in quickly, seeing where this was going, "it's just… you and Matthew's instructor don't exactly look like regulars in a place like this."
"What exactly are you implying?"
I didn't even hesitate.
"Grek—you look like a retired military relic. The kind that still thinks yelling counts as strategy." I jerked my chin toward the other instructor. "And you? You look like a monk who took a wrong turn and ended up somewhere he absolutely shouldn't be."
"Hey! That was out of line!" the man snapped.
"We don't have time to protect your egos, gentlemen," Andrew cut in smoothly. "Here's a better plan."
He pointed toward a narrow alley between the gambling house and a closed atelier.
"You two wait there. We go in, flush it out from the inside."
"That's absurd!" the "monk" snapped. "We're responsible for these students, and you want to send them in alone?"
"I'm going with them," Andrew said calmly. "And what's your alternative? Walk in together and scare it off?"
He didn't wait for an answer.
"What if its objective is to level half the city—and we trigger it early? I'll be with them. And these two?" He nodded at us. "They're among the best in their year. You really think they can't handle something this simple?"
Grek clicked his tongue.
"As much as I hate to admit it… Storik's right," Iveson said. "Three young guys out on a Sunday night draw less attention than we do."
"There's just one thing…" Matthew started.
"What now, Vauser?" his instructor snapped.