Chapter 295: Fear
Gavriel and Althea happened to meet Prophet Elior on their way to Ward Manor, so Gavriel invited the older man to join them for dinner since the manor was along the way anyway.
“It’s so nice to see you again,” Althea said with a warm smile while they sat inside the carriage.
“How long are you planning to stay in our kingdom? Can you stay longer?” she asked enthusiastically.
She genuinely wanted to learn more from him and hoped he would remain for a while.
She already had his written guides and scriptures, but it felt different having Prophet Elior personally there to teach and guide them.
The prophet chuckled softly. “Yes, I will be staying longer. His Majesty also requested it. He wants me to oversee the Spiritual Elite Guards that he recently formed.”
Althea nodded excitedly.
Soon, their carriage came to a stop as they arrived at Ward Manor.
The moment they stepped inside, Althea suddenly felt something unsettling.
“What’s wrong?” Gavriel asked when, instead of following the butler toward the dining hall where everyone had gathered, she turned and started walking in another direction leading toward the veranda outside.
“Oh, Princess Riela and Lord Arturo are currently in the garden,” the butler quickly explained. “I was just about to call them since dinner is already prepared.”
“You may go ahead. We’ll call them ourselves,” Gavriel instructed before dismissing the butler.
“I feel something there,” Althea murmured, pointing toward the garden.
She froze the moment she saw Riela speaking with Lord Arturo.
Her eyes widened in alarm.
“Why is there a demonic spirit latched onto her?” she gasped. “It wasn’t there before.”
She had never seen anything like that around Riela before and wondered when it had appeared.
“Oh, it was likely already there, only hiding,” Prophet Elior explained calmly. “Some principalities are capable of concealing themselves well within their hosts.”
“Why would there be a demonic spirit attached to my sister?” Gavriel demanded, his expression darkening. “There shouldn’t be any open door. She was the victim. She already overcame everything and...”
His words trailed off as realization slowly crossed his face.
“Despair... and trauma,” he muttered quietly.
“Yes,” Elior replied solemnly. “There is rarely fairness when it comes to demonic spirits, Your Majesty. More often than not, their targets are victims who have suffered abuse, pain, and hardship. Those who are wounded become easier to manipulate, especially when they are at their weakest.”
Althea frowned. She always made sure to check on the people she cared about, ensuring that no demonic, unclean, or foul spirits were lingering around them.
“This demonic spirit hid itself well,” she said grimly. “Maybe it only revealed itself now because it felt threatened when Riela started opening her heart to Lord Arturo.”
Her expression darkened further.
“Demonic spirits are destructive by nature. They don’t want their prey to heal or move on from the very wounds that gave them an opening in the first place, like trauma and fear. Lord Arturo became a threat to that, so the spirit manipulated Riela into pushing him away and worse...”
Althea stopped herself from continuing, not wanting to voice out what else could have happened.
“We need to dispel that spirit immediately,” Althea continued under her breath as she turned toward the direction where her angel Aurus stood.
It was then that they witnessed Lord Arturo pulling Riela into a hug, only for Riela to suddenly shove him away.
It should have been a romantic moment, if not for the demonic spirit ruining everything by filling Riela with fear and anxiety.
“We need to move,” Althea said quickly as she hurried forward. “The demonic spirit is instilling fear in her, confusing her and feeding her anxiety.”
She could hear the spirit whispering inside Riela’s mind using Riela’s own voice against her. The creature itself had taken on a small, distorted version of Riela’s appearance as it clung tightly to her, especially around her head.
But Gavriel stepped ahead of Althea first. Raising his palm, he called out firmly,
“Lionel.”
In an instant, a frosted double-edged sword materialized in his hand in spiritual form. Gavriel had grown stronger within the spiritual realm to the point that he could now summon and see his angels whenever he needed to confront demonic entities.
Althea closed her eyes briefly and whispered to her own angel Aurus, “Be his eyes.”
At once, Gavriel’s eyes began to glow, allowing him to clearly see the demonic spirit latched onto his sister.
“Riela!” Lord Arturo called out in panic when Riela’s body suddenly began convulsing. The spirit had started manifesting the moment Gavriel approached.
Althea quickly grabbed Arturo’s arm when he tried to rush toward her.
“Stop. Let Gavriel handle the situati—”
Her words were cut off when Arturo suddenly collapsed against Prophet Elior.
Althea blinked in surprise. The older man had knocked him unconscious.
“I assume he is someone not yet familiar with the spiritual realm,” Prophet Elior explained calmly. “It is best for him to remain unconscious so he does not unintentionally interfere with the deliverance His Majesty is about to perform on his sister.”
Althea simply nodded as Prophet Elior dragged Arturo carefully toward the corner.
“I need to return inside,” she said quickly. “Everyone will start worrying and come out looking
for us otherwise. I’ll stall for time.”
Prophet Elior nodded in understanding.
Althea immediately turned and hurried back inside.
Not everyone possessed enough knowledge about the spiritual world yet, unlike her and Gavriel. That was likely one of the reasons Gavriel had invited Prophet Elior to remain in the kingdom longer, so he could teach not only the Spiritual Elite Guards they had begun forming, but also help guide the people themselves.
It would not be easy, especially when many had grown up believing differently. But Althea and Gavriel believed that, in time, the hearts and minds of their people would open to the truth about the one true God, the Creator of the world.
She hurried back into the dining hall, where everyone immediately rose from their seats and greeted her with respectful bows.
“Your Majesty.”
Althea greeted them back with a calm smile.
“Where is His Majesty?” the Queen Mother asked. Then she turned toward the butler. “Didn’t you already call Riela and Lord Arturo to join us?”