Ansel had always found comfort in the stories of the Monkey King. The Monkey King was a symbol of resilience and cunning that Ansel aspired to be like.
As he approached a crossroads, a sudden scream shattered the calm. It was not just one voice. But there were a lot of people crying out in terror.
Ansel turned toward the source of the chaos. There was a woman with a knife weaving through the crowd. Her eyes were wild. She looked really scared.
People were running away in all directions. Cars were stopping suddenly to avoid the chaos. The woman's movements were erratic. The knife was shining, which made everyone really terrified.
Everyone was keeping their distance trying to get away from the danger. Everyone was doing that, except Ansel. He did not know why he was not running away like everyone else.
He wanted to run but something in his mind told him to stay still and wait for the woman to approach him.
Thus, he stood still while watching the woman's movements. He thought to himself. "It seems like she is possessed by a spirit."
The truth was clear in his mind the woman was not in control of herself.
Another woman in the crowd was crying out in anguish. She was the mother of the woman, Austyn. Her face was pale with fear. She was desperate.
She was too scared to approach her daughter so she just screamed out her name. "Austyn stop! Austyn!"
Tears were streaming down her face. The flickering mind, the flickering heart, she wanted to do something to stop her own daughter. However, nothing she could do. expect, watching her daughter from afar.
Austyn charged toward Ansel with a lot of speed. The knife was raised high in her hand. But Ansel was ready he dodged the strike easily.
The knife missed Ansel. But Austyn did not stop. Her eyes were fixed on Ansel with an unnatural focus. Though she ignored everything, as she only saw Ansel. He was the only figure through her eyes.
In that moment Ansel understood why he had come to New Haven. This was the reason he had been preparing for without realizing it.
Something was waiting for him.
Ansel was not sure what to do. He could have run away or hidden. But he did not. He could not. As it was the fate bound him.
Damn, all he had was a toy. The stick in his hand could be used as a weapon if needed. Although he knew it the toy would be the peak weapon to stop the women.
At least it didn't hurt her or leave a severe injury.
Ansel's heart was pounding, not because he was scared. Because he knew this encounter was not an accident.
Whatever happened next Ansel knew he could not turn away. This was his problem to deal with his responsibility to face.
The evil spirit that possessed Austyn was a test for Ansel, a challenge that would push him to his limits.
Ansel did not want to hurt the woman. Despite the danger she posed she was still a human being, not a monster. Every chaos was not her fault.
She was under control. Her mind and her body were completely not hers. Yet she didn't have any power to fight, to take her body back, to make her body become hers.
The knife she had was a weapon. The woman behind it was lost and a victim herself. To hurt her would be wrong.
Deadlock, when every path becomes erroneous.
However, the reality was harsh. If Ansel did nothing he would die. Not just him, but also, the innocent people around him were caught in the middle.
Ansel's heart was pounding fiercely. He wanted to act to save himself and the people around him. Unfortunately, he did not know how to perform an exorcism.
He did not know the rites, the sacred words, or the rituals to banish evil and the other stuff.
In that moment the choice was clear: fight or die. Time was running out. Ansel had to decide quickly.
Ansel's mind was racing. If he stayed still and silent he might die immediately. Though he knew it was not his time to die yet, he would never die. Although something put him on the edge of life.
There was more for him to do battles to fight, and mysteries to solve.
If he chose to fight he risked everything: his body and his life. The wounds from an opponent might be painful but they could heal.
Wounds from an evil spirit were different. They were like curses that would not heal with time. The pain would be searing like his body was being consumed by flames from within.
Ansel remembered the time he faced such agony. When the fayfiends attacked him his hands turned red. The pain was so intense it nearly broke him.
To heal Hansel had to soak his hands in ice cubes for a day. The memory was vivid a reminder of the cost of fighting the devil.
As these memories flooded his mind Ansel made his choice. Back then, he would definitely run. He would hide. He ran away from the danger but toward it, his resolve hardened with every step.
Nowadays, Ansel was no longer the boy who ran from shadows. He had grown, learned, and endured. It was time to face reality and confront the darkness head-on.
Whatever the outcome Ansel had to try. He was tired of running, tired of living in fear.
And Austyn was relentless. Her eyes fixed on him refusing to let him go.
Austyn, with eyes wild and glowing with a light continued to pursue Ansel relentlessly. The spirit that possessed her moved with a speed and ferocity as if it were fueled by a hunger that could not be satisfied.
Ansel could do nothing but run weaving through the sidewalk and crowded streets, dodging obstacles and trying to keep his distance. His breath came in gasps his heart pounding like a drum, in his chest.