"Your brother told me this morning that you'd be coming." In the marble-tiled hallway, a stout, middle-aged Black woman stood in Anna's way. "I also know what you're planning, Anna."
"Great. Then let me and my friend… go see my mother." Anna slung her gray trench coat over her arm, holding it with both hands. Tilting her head, her short hair swayed playfully. She stopped and shifted her weight onto one leg, seemingly preparing for a proper discussion with Dr. Hastings.
"I told him this wasn't a good idea," Dr. Hastings said, glancing at Damon, who avoided eye contact with her. Anna also glanced at her brother.
"Oh? And what did he say?"
"I'm telling you now—it's not a good time to visit your mother." Dr. Hastings didn't seem angered by Anna's rudeness or Damon's evasiveness. "Your mother had a terrible night… that thing is tormenting her."
"And seeing me will make her feel better?" Anna's tone dripped with sarcasm, her mistrust plain to see. "We won't know unless we try, right? You've been letting her down for twenty years already. Maybe this could be a new beginning!"
She didn't like this woman. Dr. Hastings was just an ordinary person, incapable of solving anything. The fact that she had kept Anna's mother in this psychiatric hospital was likely the best help she could offer. Anna disliked how Dr. Hastings tried to psychoanalyze her mother, despite knowing her mother was possessed. This hospital's funding came from the Vatican, and Anna suspected Hastings saw her mother as nothing more than a test subject for exorcisms—otherwise, the doctor wouldn't have suggested Damon use his free time for exorcism work.
"I don't know what you told your brother," Dr. Hastings continued, still unflustered. "But your mother is my patient. I'm not letting you see her alone, let alone with that… friend of yours. If you're going in, I'm coming too."
Anna let out two cold laughs, her heels clicking heavily on the floor. She stepped closer to Dr. Hastings. "You know, if I want to see her, you can't stop me." Anna placed a hand on the doctor's shoulder. The rough fabric of the coat's padding irritated her slightly. "Doc. Tor."
"There are cameras everywhere here. Do you really think throwing a tantrum won't have consequences?"
Anna exaggeratedly shrugged. Dr. Hastings repeated her earlier stance, clearly unwilling to back down. "This is the only way," the doctor said with a shake of her head, unfazed by Anna's cold glare. "It's the only way."
"Enough, Anna," Damon interjected, attempting to pull his sister away from Dr. Hastings. His movement exposed Solomon, who had been hiding behind Anna. Dr. Hastings cast a questioning look at the sorcerer, and Solomon rolled his eyes.
"Oh, come on," he said. "I know I'm tall, and Anna's tall too. Can't a guy get a little cover? Anna, did you really think I enjoy meeting strangers?"
"You were quite enthusiastic when you sought me out," Anna teased, tilting her head mockingly.
Dr. Hastings gestured with her eyes, silently urging Anna to explain, but Anna ignored her, instead turning to look out the window. She continued to lean on one leg, looking utterly carefree, as if Dr. Hastings didn't matter to her in the slightest.
"He's a sorcerer," Damon finally explained. "You know we're not professionals, but he has abilities similar to mine." He coughed twice, awkwardly filling the silence. After Damon thoroughly explained the situation, Dr. Hastings, the chief physician and head of St. Teresa's Psychiatric Hospital, reluctantly nodded in half-belief.
"Is he going to see your mother too, Damon?" Dr. Hastings asked. After receiving Damon's affirmative response, she sized Solomon up. "He'll be under my supervision," she declared. "No exceptions."
"But I won't be responsible for your safety," Solomon said, pulling Anna by the hand. Turning to the doctor, he continued, "While helping ordinary people affected by magical incidents is my responsibility, I can't do much for those who deliberately throw themselves into danger. Good luck, Doctor. Anna, tell me—where's your mother? You should be able to sense the demon's presence."
"Well, well, well. What a show."
When Solomon and the others stepped into the hospital room, they found the white-haired woman, who usually sat dazed on the iron bed, suddenly turning her head. Like an owl spotting a mouse, she twisted her neck to an angle almost impossible for humans.
"My daughter, my son… and you, Solomon, kin-slayer, master of the temple."
Anna and Damon's mother locked her glowing eyes onto Solomon. Her head followed the sorcerer's movements as he approached, never wavering until he stood before her. Damon and Dr. Hastings were curious—up until now, the demon's attention had always been on Damon. The demon's icy voice usually tore at Damon's soul, but this time, it ignored him. It didn't even spare Anna a glance. Its full focus was on the new arrival, the sorcerer.
"It seems my daughter brought you here," the demon rasped, using the old woman's hoarse voice. "Is she your new lover? Oh, forgive me—I forgot. You don't limit yourself to just one lover, do you? Are you pleased with my daughter, master of the temple?"
"We're not that close, Marduk," Solomon replied, his voice so cold it sent shivers through the room. Though it was just the start of a hostile exchange, Solomon's words seemed to cut off whatever Marduk had been planning to say next.
"Not that close?" The old woman lowered her head. "In the past, I was called a god," the demon declared. "I not only brought bountiful harvests but also controlled the sun. I ruled storms, war, and magic. In the Esagila Temple, I sat in the seat of the chief god."
Suddenly, the demon's fury erupted.
"Not that close!" It sprang upright from the bed, spreading its arms as illusions of great floods and scorching suns churned behind it. Within the flood, a giant serpent loomed. The demon opened its mouth, its voice deafening and grating.
"Look at me, Solomon! I am the firstborn of Enki, born of Apsu, the embodiment of water! I am the guardian god of Babylon, the king who rules the East, the conqueror of Tiamat! My right hand wields a great hammer, my left hand commands lightning! I am Amar-Utu, I am Mar-Duku, I am the king of the gods, the lord of all realms! I am Yahweh's greatest enemy!"
Dr. Hastings gripped her rosary tightly. Damon and Anna clutched their heads the moment Marduk's proclamation began, overwhelmed by the demonic energy. Only Solomon remained unaffected, calmly watching the spectacle. His expression was unmoved—after years of training under Dormammu, a bit of magical turbulence was hardly worth noticing.
"Here's a little tip for you, Solomon," the demon said, relaxing and smiling slyly. "Seventeen years ago, when you were born, I tried to enter the Prime Material Plane to kill you. But your teacher stopped me. Do you know what she said? 'When he is ready to accept his destiny, you will submit to him.' Later, Belial offered the contract to you again. That's when I realized—you truly are you, and the contract was indeed valid. But Ancient One forgot one thing, and so did Belial: I will no longer submit as I did two millennia ago, Solomon!"
"So, are you leaving on your own, or do I have to make you?" Solomon asked impatiently.
"Seems like you've forgotten who I am. My king, I made a pact with the witches—your bloodline. The knowledge of carnal pleasure passed down through their lineage originates from me. One last clue, Solomon. The witches' chant to summon me is:
Vomit power
EX FA."
"You're…" Solomon seemed to recall something, though he had long dismissed such knowledge as nonsense.
"Yes! My king!" the demon said, bowing mockingly and glaring at Solomon with a taunting expression. "I am your loyal servant, the head of the Demon Pillars—the First Demon Pillar, Baal! Hahaha!"
Baal was once the god of the Phoenicians, symbolizing fertility and agriculture. After his fall, he became one of the 72 Demon Pillars of King Solomon. Often depicted with three heads—a man, a cat, and a toad—Baal also had a spider's body, a cat's tail and claws, and eight spider legs, making him grotesque in appearance. His raspy voice and abilities included making people invisible and mastering the arts of law and carnal pleasure. In the Middle Ages, he was a demon king commanding 60 legions in Hell.
Marduk, in demonology, is also known as Bel or Baal, the head of the Demon Pillars. They are one and the same.
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [[email protected]/Mutter]
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]