Chapter I : Althea

A cool fall night breeze flows into Jett’s open bedroom window. The clairvoyant tosses and turns in his sleep. Beads of sweat form on his forehead, and he groans in frustration. Jett’s heartbeat thuds loudly in his ears, making them pulse. He pleads in his sleep as horrible images flash through his mind, and he clenches his fists as if ready to fight, sitting upright in bed.

“No-no! Stop it! Leave them alone!” he yells, his pants catching on his breath.

As his breath evens out and he calms himself with a shaky hand, he grabs his phone from the nightstand and presses the Internet icon. He types Aeon into the search bar. This was the second night in a row that Jett had the same nightmare. He was sure that whatever this was, it was terrible news. A few of his friends had told him about a famous demon exorcist named Aeon, who always had a successful hunt.

He rubbed a hand over his face as he scrolled the home page of Aeon’s site to find contact information and an address. “Good, they’re close,” Jett muttered. He would visit Aeon. After all, he wouldn’t go back to sleep soon. Leaning back against the headboard, he closed his eyes, trying to remember the essential parts of his vision.

“You got this, Jett...whatever this demon is, it won’t harm you,” he said in a shaky, shallow breath. What he could remember was a hotel deep in the backwoods. A young woman with dark, curly hair walked up its creaky steps and opened the door. She met a sophisticated young man there, but Jett saw pitch-black eyes with gold pinprick pupils. A calendar on the wall had a date circled, and a clock was positioned to the right.

“September 9th at 8:00 p.m. is when he will take her life,” said Jett.

At Aeon’s office building, Jett walks inside and sees an individual a little shorter than himself flipping through a file containing a report. He clears his throat as if announcing his presence before speaking. “Excuse me, you’re Aeon, correct?” he asks. Aeon looks up at him, nodding, and motions for him to sit down. He pauses before speaking and sits down, rubbing his sweaty palms against his jeans. “Thank you,” Aeon says, asking why and who he is here.

“My name is Jett, and I’m a clairvoyant. I’ve been having dreams about a demon named Oren. He’s searching for four specific human souls. So far, I have only seen the first victim.” Jett explained. Aeon looks at Jett, surprised, as he explains things to them. They immediately recognize the name Oren and ask Jett if he is sure the demon’s name is Oren.

“Yes, I’m sure that it’s their name. Do you know anything about them?”

Aeon nods and sits in their creaky office chair. They look Jett in the eyes. “I’ve been searching for Oren for a long time, but he always manages to escape,” they explain to him. “I want to save these people, and if you have been hunting him for a long time, I feel like my visions won’t let me rest until I do something,” said Jett, his heart thudding against his ribs. The honor was deep in thought. “As long as you listen to me, I will keep you safe.”

Excited, he scoots to the edge of his seat. “I promise that I will listen to you. For the first time, I know the location and time the incident will happen, and we only have a couple of days to get there to stop them from meeting.”

Aeon takes a pad and pen, ready to write down the location, time, and date. They tell Jett to pack a bag and be prepared to travel. Jett nods, agreeing. The sound of a pen scratching on paper breaks the brief silence.

“It will happen in Redwood Falls at the Amber Hotel—on September 9th at 8:00 p.m. A woman with dark, curly hair will meet with a well-dressed man in the lobby, and he will take her away,” he explained. Aeon agrees and stands from their chair. They held out their hand to Jett, offering a handshake. “It will be a pleasure working with you,” they told him. Clumsily, Jett provides a sweaty palm and shakes Aeon’s hand.

“It will be a pleasure working with you, too.” He sighs in relief, feeling more at ease. Now, he won’t have to feel guilty over someone’s death he could have prevented. With the help of Aeon, he hopes they will be able to put a stop to Oren for good. Aeon stands and looks around the office. “I’ll get going. I have to pack, and so do you.” Jett steps back and bows slightly. “See you later, Aeon. We’ll meet up here and head out to Red Falls.”

Aeon agreed and watched as Jett left the door. It shut, and they were left to the room’s silence and the faint sound of the clock behind them. Oren...it was a name that was the bane of their existence, but soon, they would put a permanent stop to it for good. “Let’s see...where did I put that duffle bag?” he made it back home, rushing through the door.

Rummaging through his closet, he let things fall and clatter to the ground. “Ah...there you are!”

Jett triumphantly holds up the duffle bag, packing it with clothes and essentials. He looks at his apartment before he locks the door and heads back to Aeon’s office. He hopes that in the three days they have, they will be able to save this woman from Oren’s grasp. Jett tosses his duffle bag into the boot of his car and slams it shut. Getting into the car, he presses the button to start the engine; as he adjusts his mirror, he lets out a shaky breath. “Time to go play hero.”

Aeon packed their things into the boot of Jett’s car and shut the door with a loud slam. “Are you ready to go?” he asked the exorcist. Jett stuck his head out the window, watched Aeon nod, and got into the car’s passenger side, shutting the door and fastening their seat belt. “I hope you don’t mind some music. I don’t like the silence when I’m driving,” Jett said. Aeon shook their head. “I don’t mind.”

They weren’t talkative and didn’t want to get close to the clairvoyant in case things turned sour since they didn’t want to lose someone again. Jett hums along to the music, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as they cruise down the highway; every so often, the GPS assistant barks orders. Jett tsks, rolls his eyes, and then mumbles, “I heard you the first time.” He huffs, annoyed, and makes the turn; the squeal of tires is faint. Aeon grips the handle above their heads, cutting their eyes at Jett, who grins and laughs as they tell him to be more careful.

He teases, “Oh, I’m sorry, your highness. Does my driving scare you?”

Aeon rolls their eyes and relaxes. “Oh, hush.” Then looks out the window at the passing trees. The two finally arrive at the Amber Hotel. Jett parks the car and, with Aeon, retrieves their things from the boot. With a slam of the hood, both walk up the steps and enter. Aeon talks to the receptionist, and Jett looks around the lobby. Among those people is the man from his dreams—a well-dressed gentleman currently talking to someone on his cell phone.

He catches Jett staring and gives him a wink and a smile. His eyes were pitch black with pinpricks of gold. There was no doubt that Oren had already possessed this person. Jett’s breath caught in his throat, and he gently gripped Aeon’s shoulder to get their attention. They turned slightly and glanced over in the direction their companion was pointing.

“We arrived just in time. It looks like the hotel will be completely booked,” Jett rasps. Aeon nods, agreeing with him, spotting the man Jett had described to them. Even with his back turned, they knew it was the demon, Oren. They handed Jett the extra room key. “We should put our things away so we can keep an eye on Oren,” Aeon says.

“Yes, let’s get settled in. I want to check out the town,” he whispers. Hopefully, the dark, curly-haired woman would be in this town. Or she would be here soon. They needed to know why Oren had chosen her. There had to be a good reason.

Something about the woman had to be unique. Nervous Jett stutters, “So uh... do you have any special techniques for dealing with pre-heroism jitters?” They walked down a hallway and found their room. Entering inside, they chose a bed to place their things on and decided to discuss the game plan to exorcise Oren from the man in the lobby. The demon would use his hijacked flesh vessel to harm or take something away from the dark, curly-haired mystery woman.

Aeon shook their head. “Unfortunately, there is no such thing.”

Jett sighs. “I figured as much. Well, since there is no such thing that helps with that. How are we going to deal with Oren?”

Aeon looked deep in thought and then began to explain about Oren.

“Oren was my ex-coworker and once a human. We worked together to expel demons from possessed people until Oren became too interested in dark magic. This particular interest cost him his life, but when he returned, he wasn’t himself anymore,” they explained.

“I see. That demon was your old co-worker. He got too interested in dark magic, making him what he is now. But how exactly did he lose his life?”

Aeon’s expression saddened, and Jett knew then what it meant. “I’m so sorry. That must have been awful to discover.” He frowned and picked at the skin around his nails. “We should talk about the simple methods to expel demons. We will use runes, magical charms, sage, and salt,” they told Jett, changing the subject. Rising from his seat on his bed, Jett slapped his hands together. “I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. Do you want to get something to eat? Who knows, we’ll see that woman in town.”

Aeon agreed, and both exited their room, with Jett following behind Aeon down the hall. When they reached the lobby, Oren was already gone with his hijacked vessel. Jett assumed he must have gone on the hunt. “You can’t back out now, Jett. You’re already in the middle of all this chaos. Might as well keep moving forward.” His heart thudded in his ear so hard that it made his ears thrum and pulse, and he calmed himself by giving himself a pep talk in a low whisper.

Aeon chuckles, teasing Jett, “Do you talk to yourself often?” This causes him to pout, stomp off down the stairs of the Amber Hotel, and unlock the car. “Just get into the car, Aeon.” Jett mumbles, opens the driver-side door, gets in, and buckles his seat belt. Aeon enters the vehicle, and Jett starts the car as his passenger looks up at a nearby diner where they can have their meal. “This place is bound to have the best burgers and milkshakes,” he grinned from ear to ear, getting excited like a kid in a candy store. Jett almost bounced in his seat as he parked the car and turned it off.

Aeon chuckled at Jett’s childishness and decided to humor him and let him get out all this stored-up energy. They let him walk ahead and followed behind as he entered the diner first. Inside, the restaurant was bustling with hungry customers, and Aeon looked over everyone, trying to spot either Oren or the woman. Jett spotted her first and tapped Aeon on the shoulder, leading them to a booth that would put them in her section. “That’s her,” he said, lowering his voice as he sat down, pointing at the woman.

Aeon looked over in the direction Jett had told them, and indeed, it was the woman with dark, curly hair. She noticed the two and walked over with a smile, introducing herself as Althea. They would be at her last evening table since she had a date. “Oh, and where will you be going on this date, Miss Althea?” He looked at her in surprise, hoping to get an answer from her. He had been thinking, please don’t think I’m weird.

Althea looked at him, twirling a strand of curly hair around a finger, gushing and bragging, “Well, I met this handsome man online, and we’re going to be on a date at the Amber Hotel. They have amazing catering.”

“The Amber Hotel? That’s where my spouse and I are currently staying. I had no idea they chartered it,” Jett said, surprised. He gave Aeon a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry, go with it. They shrugged, clearly not minding.”

Althea raved, “I was told it is five-star and tough to book.” Jett and Aeon agreed, saying they would, and she jotted down their drink and food order and went to place it.

He leaned forward, slightly slouching, and lowered his voice to a whisper. “At least we know Althea will be there this evening. If you don’t mind me asking, do you sense something about her?” Aeon sat upright in their seat and nodded. “She has a powerful soul. Althea has inherited old magic from her ancestors. Though I don’t, she knows she has this power.”

“So, she has a powerful energy that he wants to steal to make himself more powerful.” Jett reiterates, tapping his fingers on the table’s surface. Aeon nods. Althea brings them their food and drinks. Before she leaves, Aeon hands her a tip, which, in between, is a rune. She puts it into her pocket, thanking them with a smile. When Althea walks away, telling them to enjoy their meal, Jett can see a faint glow from her pocket.

“You gave her a protective charm, didn’t you?”

Aeon smiles and says, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Uh huh, just sit there nonchalantly like you didn’t indiscreetly do that,” he teases.

Aeon and Jett ate their meal, left money for the bill, and returned to the Amber Hotel. It wasn’t long before evening fell, and the hotel was bustling with business. Jett went down to talk with the front-desk clerk.

“Excuse me?”

The clerk glances at him and then goes back to their computer screen, ignoring him.

“I just wanted to ask about your services,” he said, not caring that the clerk was trying to ignore him. Annoyed, the clerk rolled his eyes, placed a few pamphlets on the counter before Jett, and returned to work.

Jett sighs and takes the pamphlets, walking away and muttering sarcastically, “Well, that was productive, and the workers here are so helpful.” He flips through the pamphlets, seeing a section about catering.

According to what he read, Amber Hotel’s catering was available only for in-room delivery. Now, if he knew what room number Oren was in, he and Aeon could pay him a personal visit. Asking the front desk clerk wasn’t an option, as he wasn’t helpful.

A door opens behind him, and he turns to see Althea walking inside. “Well, if it isn’t my new favorite waitress! It’s good to see you again so soon.” Jett smiles, walking swiftly over and greeting her. Althea was also surprised to see him. Jett could still see the faint glow on her from the protective rune Aeon had slipped her. He was thankful that Althea had kept it.

“I never got to ask you, Althea, but what was the name of this gentleman you will meet?”

She blinked as if in a trance and mumbled, “I’m here to meet Oren.”

Jett strained to hear her, and she repeated it a little louder. A deep voice from the stairs made them both turn, and Jett felt frozen in place, watching the man approach them.

“I’m sorry about this, Miss Althea.” He lowered his voice and slowly turned his head toward Althea. Jett felt his heartbeat throb against his ears, and without a second thought, he grabbed Althea by the hand and started running down the hall toward his and Aeon’s room.

When they entered the room, Aeon rose from their seat, confused about why Althea was in their room, and looked to their companion for an explanation. As he shut the door, he looked at Aeon, who tapped their foot. Jett gulped and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “So, I should tell you why I brought her here.” Aeon shook their head and checked Althea over, leading her to sit on a chair since she looked dazed. Althea apologized, not knowing what had happened, and wondered where she was.

“We apologize, Miss Althea, but Oren isn’t a good person, and we can’t let you two be alone together in good conscience.” She was confused and looked from Jett to Aeon. Aeon nodded, confirming what Jett had said. They then looked at Jett and said, “I need to head out.” He furrowed his brow, stepping in front of Aeon and stopping them. “I can’t let you go and face him alone, Jett.”

Aeon sighed and crossed their arms. “If you want to help me stop them, then go grab the bag containing the tools we need to dispel Oren from his human vessel.” They paused and continued, “Take out a talisman and place it inside the room so Oren can’t get inside to Althea in case we fail.”

Jett smiles, quickly grabbing the bag, taking out the talisman, and placing it on the small hook close to the door. “So, you mean I can come with you?” he asks. Aeon nods, and Jett zips up the bag containing their supplies. “Let’s go exorcise a demon,” he grins, handing the bag to Aeon.

Ensuring Althea is okay, she tells her to stay put, and Althea agrees, resting. Aeon and Jett headed out of the room and down the hall. The air suddenly felt suffocating around them. At the end of the hall, Oren glares at them. Oren’s eyes fall onto Aeon; he mutters, “I should have known,” under his breath, and cuts his eyes to Jett, who freezes.

Aeon moves to stand in front of their companion due to his discomfort.

“Is he usually this intense? I’ve felt an energy like this before.”

Aeon nods as they prepare a short staff from their bag with a stamp on the flat end. The back has intricate encryption. Jett notices this and arches his brow, making him want to laugh.

“What will you do with that? Bonk him on the head and say some flashy words?” Jett snorts, amused. Aeon shakes their head as they watch the two run at each other. An image flashes in Jett’s mind, and he yells, “Aeon on your nine! Watch out for his right hand.” They dodge a swipe of Oren’s claws, which miss them by an inch.

They jump back and swing out their legs, getting him in the back of the knee and causing it to buckle. Oren glares at Jett, hissing, “Stay out of this!”

“Oh gee, excuse me, Mr. Demon. Where are my manners? I didn’t know there was proper etiquette when addressing a demon to prevent my companion from hurting,” the clairvoyant scoffs in return, getting angry.

Oren growls in rage and swipes with his other claw, which embeds in the wall past Aeon’s head.

Seeing his hand stuck, Aeon takes the staff and presses the flat end with the symbol to his forehead. When they move it away, the mark is red and glows. The demon is separated from his human host, appearing as a flaming red orb. “So that’s what he looks like? Huh, I figured he’d be more intimidating.” The orb hisses at them both before disappearing through the floor, making the whole Amber Hotel shake.

Both Aeon and Jett hold onto the wall as the shaking stops.

“Is it over now?”

Aeon nods. “For now,” they reply. They check the man Oren took as a human vessel and sigh in relief when they find a pulse. “Are they okay?” Jett walks over and joins them. The exorcist nods, and he sighs in relief. “Thank goodness, though we should probably call an ambulance.”

Aeon agrees with him, and they call to get them to check out both Althea and the man Oren had possessed. After they know Althea and the man are okay, they pack their things into Jett’s car as they finish their stay at the Amber Hotel..

“Where to next?” he asks, shutting the car’s boot. Aeon looks at him and smiles, “Wherever your dreams take us.”

“Wherever my dreams take us, huh...” he crosses his arms and thinks before speaking, “Now that you mention it...what do you think about abandoned amusement parks?”

Aeon looks at him, amused. “Sounds like fun,” they reply, getting into the passenger seat and shutting the car door. “Sounds like fun, they say.” He mimics Jett, laughing and shaking his head, ruffling his hair.

“Ugh, you could have at least said it sounds creepy.” He enters the driver’s seat and starts the car, exiting the Amber Hotel parking lot and heading to his next destination. Jett turns up the music, drumming his hands on the steering wheel.

“Well, Mystic Water World, here we come!”