"It won't be long before you leave this world, you evil bastard," the exorcist said, his voice cold and unwavering. His chanting continued as he threw pure water onto the spot where Thomas was bound, each droplet hissing like acid as it struck the invisible barrier holding Thomas captive.
Thomas screamed in agony, his voice filled with pain and terror. His form flickered, gradually beginning to dissolve into the thin air, like mist being burned away by sunlight.
Rita stood frozen nearby, trembling violently.
"I can't just stand here and watch this," she whispered to herself, clenching her fists, her nails digging into her palms. "I have to do something to help... but I'm scared... I don't know what to do..." Tears welled in her eyes as fear paralyzed her body.
Suddenly, Ryner, blood trickling from his mouth, forced himself to his feet. His legs wobbled under him, but his determination burned bright. Without hesitation, he charged at the exorcist and slammed his foot into the man's gut. The exorcist grunted and stumbled backward but quickly caught himself and straightened, glaring at Ryner with confusion.
"Why are you defending this ghost?" he demanded.
"You'll leave him alone right this instant!" Ryner shouted back, breathing heavily. "He can't go to the next world yet! There's still so much I need to ask him... and so much he has left to do!"
The exorcist frowned, a flicker of sympathy crossing his face before it hardened again. "I didn't want to do this to you," he said grimly, "but since you're standing in my way, I have no choice."
In an instant, the exorcist lunged at Ryner. His fist drove into Ryner's stomach, folding him in half with a sharp gasp. Before Ryner could recover, the exorcist delivered a brutal kick to his face, sending him crashing to the ground. Ryner's body went limp as he slipped into unconsciousness.
"No! Ryner!" Rita screamed, the sound of her voice breaking under the weight of fear and helplessness.
The exorcist adjusted his robes and turned back toward Thomas's weakening form. "Now, where was I... Ah yes," he said with a cold smile. "I'll be sure to make this quick. But it's not a painless process, so bear with me."
Rita's fear ignited into raw panic. Without thinking, she rushed at the exorcist, aiming to tackle him away from Thomas. But the moment she collided with him—nothing. Her body phased through his as if she were mist.
"No!" she gasped, spinning around and trying again. Kick after kick, punch after punch — but each time, her efforts met only empty air.
"What are you doing?" the exorcist asked, turning his head slightly with mild amusement. "Trying to protect this ghost too? Pathetic. He doesn't deserve your help. He committed terrible sins while alive. You're wasting your pity on a monster."
But Rita didn't listen. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she kept lunging, desperate to connect, to do something, anything.
"I have to stop him," she sobbed under her breath. "I have to stop him from taking Thomas from this world. I just have to..."
The exorcist laughed darkly. "Give it up. You'll never be able to touch me. You're a ghost — an echo of life. You can't make physical contact with the living."
Rita faltered, panting with exhaustion. His words echoed in her mind—until another memory surfaced.
Wait a minute... she thought suddenly, didn't Ryner say something like that the other day? She remembered it clearly now: Ryner teasingly reading her old love letter to Charles, and how in her anger and embarrassment she had slapped him—and had actually felt it.
Try to remember what you felt in that moment, she told herself fiercely. Extreme anger... humiliation... raw emotion... Pour it all into this! Focus everything into this slap!
Gritting her teeth, Rita summoned all the emotion flooding her heart — grief, rage, sorrow, hope — and with a furious scream, she swung her hand at the exorcist's face.
Smack!
The sound echoed sharply through the air. The exorcist's head snapped sideways, and he stumbled back a few steps, clutching his face in shock.
"You...!" he snarled, his voice shaking with rage. "You're going to pay for that!"
He quickly began chanting again, forming intricate symbols in the air with his hands. A pale glow enveloped him as he cast a binding spell — a spell designed to trap even the most powerful spirits.
But when the energy rushed toward Rita... nothing happened. She remained floating there, untouched, unaffected.
"What the hell...?" the exorcist muttered in disbelief. Sweat began to bead on his forehead. "Why didn't it work?! My spell traps every ghost... pure or tainted!"
Desperation creeping into his voice, he snatched a vial from his belt and hurled its contents toward her. "Burning water of divine retribution!" he cried.
The blessed water splashed onto the ground beneath Rita — but again, there was no effect. Rita floated calmly, untouched by the water that should have seared her essence.
"No... it can't be..." the exorcist whispered, dropping to his knees. His hands trembled as he looked up at Rita, his eyes wide with horror. Tears welled up in his eyes.
"You poor, unfortunate soul," he said brokenly. "What... what have they done to you?"
"What are you talking about?" Rita asked, her voice quivering. Confusion and fear mixed inside her.
The exorcist looked up at her with a sorrowful gaze. "You're not just a normal ghost... your soul... it was separated from your body."
Rita stared at him, stunned. "W-What do you mean?!"
Groaning, Ryner stirred on the ground nearby, forcing himself up despite the pain wracking his body. "What... did you say?" he rasped.
The exorcist wiped his face, trying to compose himself. "Her soul didn't naturally leave her body through death," he said. "It was extracted — torn away through a ritual. That's the only reason my exorcism techniques don't work on her. She's still connected to her physical body."
Ryner's eyes widened. "Wait... are you telling me that Rita... is still alive?"
The exorcist nodded gravely. "Her soul remains tethered to her body — barely. That's why she can interact with the physical world in limited ways. But..." he hesitated, his expression darkening, "...she's been separated for five years. If a soul remains detached for too long, it becomes nearly impossible to reunite."
"So you're saying," Ryner said slowly, the weight of realization settling over him, "someone stole her body? And it's been preserved... for five years?"
"Exactly," the exorcist said. "If her body is still intact... there's a chance. A small chance. But if too much time has passed... the body may no longer be able to accept the soul again."
Rita's hands flew to her mouth, her whole body trembling. "I'm... I'm not dead?" she whispered. "I can go back... I can be a normal girl again?"
Tears of joy flooded her eyes, falling freely down her cheeks.
"Yes," the exorcist said softly, "I believe so."
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, hope blazed within Rita's chest, banishing the despair that had long since hollowed her out.
"But," the exorcist added grimly, "we would have to locate your body. And quickly. Whoever separated you from it surely had an ulterior motive... and we need to find out who—and why—before it's too late."
Ryner slowly stood, his jaw clenched tight. His fists balled at his sides.
"We'll find it," he promised, his voice steely. "No matter what it takes."
Rita floated closer, her trembling hand reaching toward Ryner. This time, when she touched his shoulder, he felt it — the real, warm pressure of her fingertips.
They had a chance.
A slim, desperate chance — but enough.
And Rita would fight for it with everything she had.