Back at the Agency, Sephirot lay on the sofa scrolling through his phone.
He had already released Grace and left her in the mansion.
However, when the girl emerged from Silent Hill, her snow-white wedding dress was filthy, and the floor-length skirt had been crudely torn into a mini-dress. Her mental state was at its breaking point.
There were no bloodstains on her, though. He had no idea what kind of "creative" games Alessa had arranged to entertain her in there.
Sephirot searched on his phone: Haddonfield.
Since Belial had mentioned this place, he had to confirm whether the legendary "Myers" from his past life truly existed in this world.
The webpage loaded quickly, and a series of news headlines popped up.
"Haddonfield Serial Murders: Masked Killer Strikes Again?"
"High-Risk Patient Escapes from Smith's Grove Sanitarium; Police Launch Full-Scale Search"
"Indiscriminate Killings Trigger Community Panic"
Seeing these reports, Sephirot's eyes narrowed slightly. Unsurprisingly, Myers existed in this world as well.
Michael Myers was a sociopath who had been locked in a mental hospital at the age of six for the brutal murder of his older sister.
He always wore a white mask, killed without ever uttering a word, and seemed impossible to kill no matter how grave the injury he sustained.
According to Belial, Myers was also likely a demon who had smuggled himself into the human world from Hell.
He had simply used a special method to successfully evade the investigation of the Council of Angels.
As for the specifics of his situation or what modifications had been made to Myers, Sephirot would have to see for himself when the time came.
After confirming his target, he sent a greeting text to Constantine on a whim.
After learning that the man would have to stay bedridden in the hospital for a while longer, Sephirot felt completely at ease.
He had plenty of time. He could use this long-distance trip as an opportunity to figure out the issue regarding his bloodline awakening.
Putting his phone down, he intended to take advantage of the weekend to rest for a couple of days.
Tomorrow was the weekend. Patty had already warned him days ago that he had to make time to accompany her back to the orphanage.
She had grown up in an orphanage and had maintained a habit of sponsoring it ever since.
If he stood her up again, Sephirot felt certain his phone would explode from her relentless "death calls."
—--
The next day.
Sephirot was sleeping soundly on the sofa when a faint scent of perfume drifted over.
He opened his eyes instinctively, meeting a pair of blue eyes staring back at him.
"You're sleeping like a dead pig! I called you dozens of times and you didn't pick up once!"
Seeing him awake, Patty stood up and planted her hands on her hips. "And another thing, why was the Agency's front door replaced? Do you have any idea how long I was standing outside?!"
"I thought you'd be back last night." Sephirot sat up from the sofa, rubbing his temples. "Then how did you get in?"
"I eventually realized the door wasn't even locked," Patty said, lifting her chin with pride.
Sephirot: "..."
*You're actually proud of that.*
Patty efficiently pulled an apron out of her bag and slipped it on, tucking her hair into a cleaning cap.
"I went out with a new friend last night. We were too far from the Agency, so I just went back to my apartment.
"I'm not like some people who just rot at home the moment they have some free time."
Patty ran a hand across the coffee table; seeing the dust on her fingers, her brows knitted tight. "Have you gone this whole week without cleaning once?!"
Sephirot stretched. Seeing her fully armed for chores and sensing the explosive nature of her interrogation, he quickly changed the subject:
"New friend? Not that group of lowlifes from the car last time, I hope?"
A pair of yellow cleaning gloves smacked him in the chest.
"Shut up."
Patty rolled her eyes at him. "This one's different. Her name is Carrie. She's a transfer student who just joined our academy. She's very quiet, maybe even a bit shy."
Hearing that name, Sephirot paused slightly while straightening his clothes.
*Carrie?*
*A shy transfer student?*
With that name and background, it was hard not to think of a certain witch with terrifying psychic abilities.
He tested the waters: "Sounds interesting. We should invite her out sometime so I can meet her."
Patty sized him up suspiciously, leaning her hands on a mop. "Forget it. Carrie is afraid to even speak out loud to people usually. Looking the way you do, you'd only scare her."
She pointed toward the bathroom, urging him, "Hurry up and get washed. Throw those takeout boxes away.
"We have to go help out at the orphanage this afternoon."
—--
At noon, after a quick lunch, the two of them drove toward the orphanage in the suburbs.
"What about tomorrow? What are your plans?"
Sephirot reclined in the driver's seat with his hands folded behind his head. Two pale purple magical Devil Bringers were dutifully and steadily handling the steering for him.
"Aren't you afraid of getting points docked on your license doing that?" Patty watched the Devil Bringers with curious eyes.
She continued, "Tomorrow you can stay on the sofa and grow mold by yourself. I already have plans with Carrie to go see that new comedy that just came out, Scary Movie."
"Points? I never even got a driver's license, so what points am I going to lose?"
Sephirot looked completely indifferent, though strangely enough, no police had ever bothered him to this day.
Patty was speechless. She ignored him and looked down to organize the gifts she had brought for the children.
The car cruised smoothly onto a sparsely populated suburban highway.
After driving for a while, they were still some distance from their destination.
Just as Sephirot was about to complain about why an orphanage would be built so far out in the sticks, his gaze suddenly sharpened.
The Devil Bringers slammed on the brakes and spun the steering wheel.
A few strange black silhouettes stood silently in the middle of the road ahead, blocking their path.
They were several oddly-shaped monsters. They were hulking figures, their upper torsos replaced by engines. Some had high-speed spinning propeller blades mounted on their heads, while another had a buzzing chainsaw where its head should have been.
Jumper wires of various colors were threaded through their bodies, with conduits left exposed. A wave of machine oil mixed with the stench of rot wafted toward him.
"What the hell are those things?!"
Patty instinctively reached for the handgun in her bag.
"Stay in the car. Don't move."
Sephirot pushed the door open and stepped out, scanning the surroundings.
"Alessa, take her inside for a while."
A plume of black mist appeared out of thin air, swallowing Patty in the passenger seat along with the gift in her arms, pulling her into the Otherworld.
Sephirot cracked his neck and stretched his limbs. Looking at the monsters before him, their designs felt strangely familiar.
Before he could make a move, the monster with the propeller blades let out a roar. Exhaust fumes billowed from the pipes on its back, and its body surged forward like a kamikaze truck, charging straight at Sephirot.
Sephirot sidestepped to dodge.
Crash!
The monster slammed directly into the car, instantly smashing it into a heap of scrap metal, completely totaled.
"Tch, I guess I'm just destined to never own a vehicle in this life."
He sighed, looking at the car that had literal parts scattered all over the ground.
Sephirot scrutinized these creatures that fused technology with flesh; he could even smell a messy, chaotic demonic scent clinging to them.
These abominations, forced hybrids of machinery and meat, reminded him of the organization behind the Ogre observations and the Jotunn research.
This looked very much like their handiwork.
Was it because he had repeatedly ruined their plans that they finally couldn't hold back anymore?
"You're sending this pile of scrap metal to die?"
Sephirot sneered, the thunder sword dropping into his hand.
(Translated by yourtl.app)
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TL NOTES — CROSSOVER GUIDE
Some references in this chapter come from source universes that may be unfamiliar to some readers. The notes below provide the context needed to understand them without leaving the page.
SOURCE UNIVERSES
Carrie — A horror novel by Stephen King, adapted into a celebrated 1976 film directed by Brian De Palma. The story follows Carrie White, a deeply shy and socially isolated teenage girl who is relentlessly bullied at school and controlled by her fanatically religious mother at home. Unknown to those around her, Carrie possesses powerful telekinetic abilities. The narrative builds toward a catastrophic event at her school's prom night. The character introduced here, a shy transfer student named "Carrie," is a clear reference to this universe.
CHARACTERS
Carrie White — The protagonist of Carrie. In both the novel and the 1976 film, she is a withdrawn, timid girl whose telekinetic powers are triggered by extreme emotional distress. Her name and characterization (shy, afraid to speak in public, a transfer student) are enough for Sephirot to immediately suspect her true nature.
Michael Myers — The central antagonist of the Halloween franchise, introduced in chapter 72. His existence in this world is confirmed here through news headlines. Institutionalized at age six for murdering his older sister, he escaped Smith's Grove Sanitarium and returned to Haddonfield to kill again. He is characterized by a white mask, complete silence, and apparent immunity to injury.
PLACES
Smith's Grove Sanitarium — The mental institution in Illinois where Michael Myers was held for fifteen years following his childhood murder. Its mention in the news headline confirms Myers has escaped and is active again.
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