Lukas felt bittersweet nostalgia as Peter sat on his knee and explained the drawing he'd made.
"In this picture I'm so bloody tall that Papa and Father can sit on my head! I drew Cutie there too! See, Cutie?"
"Arf!" the small puppy chirped as she licked Peter's face and curled back up on his lap.
"My Papa and Father are fighting villains right now!" Peter turned towards Lukas and grinned "They're the best heroes ever! Father is really tall and strong and Papa isn't as tall but he's really good at shooting things. I'm going to be just like both of them when I'm older."
Lukas nodded thoughtfully "Good plan."
"Yep! I think so. Oh, I should draw a picture of you and your brother now! I always thought it'd be the neatest thing to have a brother," Peter hopped off his knee and ran back over to the table. "Hey Cutie, I know you're a girl and kind of a dog, but do you think you might like to be my brother?"
"Arf!"
Lukas's heart stung as he recalled childhood memories of himself and Emil.
"Look Big Brother! I drew a picture of us together. You're taller than the whole earth and I drew myself giving you a fish because I love you!"
I can't help but wonder what exactly happened between now and then, Lukas thought as he glanced over at Emil, who had his back turned and was angrily glaring out the window. Apparently he was still upset after Lukas had tried to reason with him earlier that afternoon.
That brat is still in denial that his stupid bird is dead and gone. Lukas silently seethed as he opened his encyclopedia of fantasy creatures. I almost wish that annoying feather duster would return, I hate seeing Emil upset like this.
Eager to distract himself from family problems, Lukas started flipping through the pages in search of an entry that matched Tino's symptoms. Maybe if they could determine what exactly the demon was they'd have a better chance of being able to help him be rid of it. Eventually he found something under the "parasitic spirit" section.
Soul Harvester
Generally originating from a fallen elemental spirit, the soul harvester will use its host to gather souls that will be used to construct its physical form once it and the host have separated. This separation can occur in three ways:
An experienced soul guide can perform an exorcism, leaving the host unharmed and eliminating the demon. This is the only method of separation that will prevent the demon from constructing a physical form of doom and destruction.
The demon can initiate control level 5 and cause the host to explode into a fireball.
The host gains complete control over the demon and is temporarily able to utilize the soul harvester's powers for their own purpose. After this episode the host's soul will be left in a state of disrepair and can only be cured if the demon and its physical form of doom are defeated.
Oh brother, thought Lukas as he bookmarked the page and closed the book. Fire extinguishers haven't been invented yet and our entire town is built out of wood. Guess that means we better find an experienced soul guide.