9 Chapter 9: Sense of Security (Edited)

"Father!"

At Ed's call, everyone present turned their attention to York.

Looking at them, York nodded in response. He knew that by arriving, he had already taken the central position.

"Come over, everyone."

Children should not hear these things, York said, heading towards the dining room on the other side.

All the adults exchanged glances and rose to their feet.

Roger and his wife comforted their daughters. "Stay here."

"Mom!" The eldest of the five girls, who was the protagonist in a tablet video and had been greatly frightened the night before, expressed her concern.

Karen smiled and reassured her with a gentle voice, "We will be fine."

The girl pursed her lips and nodded seriously.

Karen nodded back and, with her husband who had been waiting, headed to the dining room under the children's watchful eyes.

"What does the father plan to do?" Ed had already approached Lorin by then.

Lorin calmly said, "Tonight, we will expel Bathsheba."

Ed felt a sigh of relief. The father's words had always come true; what cannot be done, cannot be done, and what can be done, will be done.

The house was quite large.

In the center was a staircase leading upstairs, connected to a small path beside it, extending to the backyard, with the living room and dining room on either side of the staircase.

Compared to the living room's arrangement, the dining room was more simplistic, with a clean kitchen and a set of dining table and chairs.

York took his seat at the center of the dining table, waiting for everyone to take theirs.

Ed and Lorin, inseparable as always, sat to York's right, while Roger and his wife naturally sat together, directly across from York. As for Officer Brad and Drew, they took their seats to the right of Roger and his wife.

Once everyone was seated, York didn't beat around the bush. Looking at the eyes fixed on him, he calmly said.

"There is indeed evil here, not one but several."

This statement didn't surprise anyone present, as they had all experienced various inexplicable events before.

"In the church, paranormal incidents have always been divided into two major categories: exorcisable and inexorcisable."

York continued without pausing. Aside from Ed and Lorin, Roger and his wife tensely awaited the answer, fearing the worst.

Fortunately, York's next words lifted their spirits while also leaving them feeling somewhat drained, as if they had seen a glimmer of hope in a sea of suffering.

"This place meets the criteria for exorcism. I will conduct the exorcism ceremony tonight."

Roger and his wife's voices trembled.

"Thank you!! Thank you so much!!"

Hearing this, York glanced at them, noting the couple's closeness and the tears in their eyes. He sighed internally, understanding the torment they must have endured.

"This is my duty," York responded simply, standing up.

"Night is falling, and it's time to act. Tonight, we must expel all the evil spirits."

Everyone looked at each other with serious expressions.

........................

The church's traditional method of exorcism has always been the same: confession and prayer, followed by the use of holy water and holy oil to suppress the demon's power, and finally, reciting scripture to expel it.

On the surface, it's about torturing the demon with the power of the Lord, similar to interrogating a prisoner, to force the demon to reveal its true name.

Since demons cannot lie about their true names, those unable to withstand the severe torture of holy water and the cross might reveal theirs.

A true name represents a demon's essence and power. Once exposed, even the weakest priest can easily expel the demon with the Lord's power.

However, the success of this torture depends on the priest's own strength. Insufficient power can enrage the demon, making the situation more dangerous and possibly leading to the victim's death...

As the saying goes, "When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you." The same principle applies to demons; reciting a demon's true name is akin to summoning it, exposing the priest to the dark powers associated with that name. Thus, the priest's strength and faith must be strong enough to resist the demon's corruption...

Traditional exorcism works this way, but York has never encountered a demon requiring such measures. He relies on his own magical power to overpower and forcibly expel demons.

This time is no exception. Under everyone's gaze, York opened a backpack, revealing a multitude of items.

Stacks of crosses and various containers, along with coils soaked in holy water, among other things.

Even though Ed and Lorin had seen York's exorcism methods before, the sight of so many items made them exchange understanding yet resigned looks.

If Ed and Lorin felt this way, the reaction of the others was even more pronounced, with expressions ranging from baffled to outright stunned.

Drew, watching York search through his supplies, asked, "Father, do you need all these items for the exorcism?"

York handed Ed a coil soaked in holy water for ten days, effective for two, along with ten crosses, and calmly replied, "Exorcism is a dangerous affair, of course, it's necessary."

After responding, York instructed Ed, "Ed, use this coil to surround the entire house, and hang the ten crosses at the four corners."

Ed nodded, then tapped his assistant Drew.

"Let's go, Drew."

With that, Ed left, and Drew, scratching his head in confusion, had no choice but to follow. This was not the exorcism method he had envisioned.

As Ed and Drew departed, York continued to search through his supplies under everyone's watchful eyes.

However, Officer Brad couldn't help but ask, "Father, what effect will surrounding the house with this coil have?"

York, without looking up, replied, "To prevent the evil spirits from escaping."

"Uh..."

York's straightforward answer left Brad speechless, unable to utter a word.

Lorin smiled, remembering their own initial reaction to York's methods.

"Each of you wear one of these crosses. When an evil spirit tries to harm you, the effect of these crosses will cause them pain, alerting you to their presence."

York then distributed a cross to everyone, including the children and Karen, and sprinkled them with consecrated holy water.

Finally, York used the remaining holy water to create a safe zone in the living room, instructing Roger's family to stay within it, to prevent the evil spirits from attempting a last-ditch possession during their desperate struggle.

These meticulous and professional actions provided everyone, except Ed and Lorin, with a strong sense of security.

Especially when York took out his shotgun from another backpack, his imposing stature combined with the presence of the shotgun reassured everyone, significantly boosting their sense of safety.