Chapter 13 – The Further
As she made her way downstairs, Elise recalled a piece of recent news.
There had been a ritual sacrifice incident in Philadelphia, involving over a hundred people.
Although the orchestrators failed in the end, the rumors said someone affiliated with the Church intervened to resolve it.
Could it be...
Elise looked at the young man before her.
"Hello, I'm Elise," she greeted, carefully trying to gather more information about him.
To her surprise, the priest was indeed from Philadelphia—and had even attended the same exhibition.
Sigh... he was such a kind, gentle old man, Gideon Black said with a wistful expression.
"Those sacred relics were given to me by him for protection.
And the philosophy of 'exorcism without risking your life'—he taught me that too."
…
Although Elise was a bit disappointed, she understood.
A man like that had surely seen much in his lifetime, and probably had long since grown indifferent to fame or recognition. Compared to him, her own exorcism methods felt amateurish.
"Luring the spirits in before striking them down..."
Her eyes lit up at the thought.
This trip hadn't been a waste after all—she felt her skills had advanced just by listening.
Clearly, the priest didn't want to be disturbed.
Elise had only learned bits and pieces because she happened to know one of the officials involved in that Philadelphia case. They'd brought it up casually in conversation.
Now, back in the moment, she realized: if this priest had truly received guidance from that man, then getting his help would greatly increase their chances of success.
All of this had been part of Gideon Black's plan from the start.
He'd already prepared his story in advance.
After all, he was far too young—who would believe someone like him had the power to perform high-level exorcisms?
Renai hadn't seen him in action the night before, and Gale had been knocked unconscious.
Only Dustin had actually witnessed it.
"Maybe I should get that kid to... no, I'll save that for later," Gideon thought to himself.
After a bit more small talk, Elise was ready to proceed with the rescue.
She invited Gideon inside to discuss the plan in more detail.
"Let's just do it out here—I've still got some preparations to finish," he replied calmly.
"Out here?" Elise asked, puzzled.
But she quickly got her answer.
Gideon asked Josh to bring out pots, pans, and kitchen utensils from the house.
He even picked up a frying pan and gave it a few swings like a weapon.
Around the edges of the lawn, small traps had been set up, complete with bells tied to them.
...
"This... this is real exorcism!" Elise's eyes widened in astonishment.
"Have protective gear ready at all times during a cleansing."
"Set traps in advance to detect incoming spirits."
Compared to this, her own strategy—shouting orders and hoping the evil entities would listen—suddenly felt embarrassingly naive. Had she been wasting decades of her life?
Even her two assistants were stunned.
They had always believed themselves to be professionals.
But now they realized just how mistaken they were.
Gideon and Josh worked hard for a while longer, and finally, the entire setup was complete.
They had constructed a fully fortified, zero-blind-spot safe zone capable of repelling evil spirits.
Given the limitations of time and materials, the success rate of this barrier was only about 90%. But it would have to do.
Meanwhile, hidden within the shadows of the house...
Several spirits began to take form.
This was the moment their last hope was shattered.
When the new visitors arrived, the spirits thought the priest would enter the house as well.
But who could've expected...
Who even does a house call like this?!
...
Everything was ready.
Elise first attempted to contact Dalton directly, hoping she could guide him back on his own.
But midway through the process, the red-faced spirit reappeared and once again imprisoned Dalton.
Left with no other choice, the group switched to Plan B—Josh would enter The Further and bring Dalton back himself.
Just before the ritual began, Gideon handed Josh a strange facial mask.
"This comes from the Church. It carries blessings," Gideon explained.
Thanks to the earlier sacred relics he had provided, no one questioned the mask's authenticity.
"Perfect. Now we can see what kind of effect it has when worn."
Of course, Gideon had no intention of trying it on himself recklessly.
The mask was designed to strengthen the connection between soul and body—just the tool they needed for this mission.
With preparations in place, the hypnosis ritual began.
As the rhythmic ticking of a metronome filled the room, Josh gradually slipped into a trance... and crossed over.
---
In The Further
Darkness. Silence.
Josh opened his eyes to find everyone gone. Only his own body remained visible.
He heard Elise's voice gently guiding him through the void.
Looking down, he noticed a glowing, thread-like tether stretching between his spirit form and his physical body—an unmistakable sign of their connection. He could clearly sense his body's presence.
Step by step, Josh began walking away from the house.
Back in reality, only Elise and Gideon had any inkling of what was happening.
Elise could faintly sense Josh's position.
But Gideon... he could see Josh clearly—his spirit moving rapidly in a fixed direction before vanishing from view.
---
Deeper in The Further
Holding a lantern, Josh walked alone through the pitch-black void.
At first, he felt a little afraid.
But soon, something strange began to happen—his attention shifted inward.
For some reason, he suddenly became self-conscious about his appearance.
Unshaven stubble... unwashed from the night before...
Josh stopped in his tracks.
He raised a hand and noticed dirt under his fingernails.
Frowning, he thought, How could a guy let his nails get this filthy?
He made up his mind—he needed to find a bathroom and clean himself up properly.
He kept walking, though his steps became oddly delicate, almost bashful.
Before long, he encountered a young boy.
Josh crouched slightly and spoke with gentle, refined politeness.
"Excuse me, do you know where I can find a restroom? I really need to freshen up."
The boy was stunned by the sudden change in Josh's demeanor. Wide-eyed, he silently pointed in a direction.
"Thank you."
Josh gave him a soft, refined smile and walked off.
Soon, he arrived at a house—and instantly recognized it.
It was his former home.
Smiling, he strolled to the front door.
He didn't seem to question why it was here. He simply accepted it.
---
Back in the Real World
"Hmm… This is a perfectly normal reaction. No need to be alarmed," Gideon said calmly, addressing the confused looks from the others.
At that moment, Josh—still seated on the chair—was twisted into an elegant, flowery pose.
Even Renai was stunned. Not even I could pull that off, she thought.
Meanwhile, Gideon was secretly jotting down notes:
"Different creatures exhibit different personality traits under spiritual influence…"
---
Back in The Further
From inside the house, Josh could hear what sounded like a violent scuffle.
Knock, knock.
He knocked politely.
The door creaked open on its own, revealing a chaotic scene filled with spirits locked in battle.
One of them—the red-faced spirit—was being attacked by the others.
The room was a wreck, clearly the fight had been going on for some time.
The man in the leather jacket had half his clothes torn off, with a nasty gash running down his side.
Another man, who looked like a middle-class gentleman, was missing half his head, yet still managed to pick up a broadsword.
A ghostly woman in a wedding dress had the red-faced spirit locked in a fierce grapple, clinging to its beast-like limbs.
Just then, a young girl in a white dress charged at the red-faced spirit—only to be violently thrown back, landing right at Josh's feet.
He immediately reached down and helped her up with gentle concern.
"Are you alright? Your dress is lovely, by the way. Where did you get it?"
The ghost girl stared at him in utter shock.
And the rest of the spirits, locked in mortal combat just moments ago, all turned their attention to Josh at once.
For a moment... the entire battle ground to a halt.