Hello everyone. So, there will be two parts to this chapter. This one might be a bit slow since the explanations required a lot of dialogue.
Second part however we'll discover more and have more action . Hope you guys like it. Enjoy.
Chapter 37. Exorcism 101. part 1
"A demon?… so… are you planning to do an exorcism? Like those on the movies?" asked Garfield with an incredulous expression.
"Those are plain fictional and an exaggeration of true facts. Even if a human is capable of performing a purging, is not at all reliable. They might be able to separate the spirit from the human body but they are powerless as to what to do with it afterwards. The outside purging can be mentally and physically stressful for the victim resulting on serious complications with minimal damage to the demon."
"Even if the spirit is weaken and unable to fight its way inside a new host, it can only manage to go back to the original host as both are vulnerable and remains dormant until is strong enough again. By then however, the victim is already mentally ill and any, if not every one of their actions are attributed to that fact. A demon's host is usually not aware of its existence, but, what we thought was a case of enhanced Multiple Personality Disorder was really a demon's side. Her powers however allowed her to acknowledge the other entity, just like you with the Beast"
Garfield's eyes went wide open "So you're saying the Beast is a demon… I'm possessed?" he said with some desperation.
"No. your case is the result of a mutation between your already altered DNA with an outside altered substance. An enhancement of the basic instincts of all the animals you can transform into. But just like you, Meliah adapts her entire being to accommodate the animals in mind to follow instincts. That's how she's been able to survive in the jungle."
There was silence while everyone pondered on Raven's words when Robin's voice was heard loud and clear from the main computer. Cyborg brought the screen to life to show their leader's face as well as Starfire's. With headphones and a microphone over their heads, in what seemed to be the cockpit of a plane.
"Titans, report! Is everyone alright?"
"Almost everyone dude" said Garfield nodding towards his unconscious friend.
"I'm sorry Beast Boy. Any idea what happened?"
"There is a demon trying to take over Meliah" answered Raven in a emotionless monotone while going thru the pages on the book she brought from her room while the Daytons seemed confused at the tone and demeanor the empath had adopted in the seriousness of their present situation. Then, Raven looked up at the screen and noticed their background.
"Where are you Robin?"
"We're on our way back. Cyborg called us a few minutes ago and told us about Meliah's transformation and the attack. We should be there in less that two hours"
"Friend Beast Boy, I see your former team has joined you in this troubled times. How are you Mento and Elasti-girl?" said Starfire, showing on the other half of the screen with a welcoming smile.
"A bit shaken up by what just happened dear, but we're fine" answered Rita. Mento had a somewhat sour expression, eyes closed and arms folded over his chest, listening to their conversation. But Starfire's optimistic tone brought him to the edge of his patience. doesn't she understand the kind of predicament we are all in right now?. Mento thought to himself.
"That's how Starfire deals with stressful situations" answered Raven simply to his self questioning. When Mento opened his eyes in surprise at her unexpected answer, she lifted her gaze from the book and continued. "I'm an empath Mento. I can sense what you're feeling and your annoyance towards Starfire's optimism is unnecessary"
Mento narrowed his eyes but said nothing. He glanced at Beast Boy but the changeling was too distracted with Cyborg at the console where Meliah's vital readings were displayed that he almost completely missed their conversation.
"We have more important matters at hand" Said Mento after clearing his throat.
"Mento is right. Raven, what can you tell us about the demon inside Meliah's mind?" asked Robin trying to dissipate the obvious tension growing
"Is a parasite. That kind of demon cannot survive without a host and usually settles in the deepest part of their host's psyche. Depending how strong the host is, is how strong the demon can be and in Meliah's case, her powers acted as the mutant agent that merged the two, allowing her to be aware of another entity within her mind"
"So, is Meliah aware of her condition?" Asked Rita, still unsettled by the situation.
"No. For all she knows, she suffers from a case of Multiple Personality Disorder as the entity resembles her image"
"Like your emotions?" asked Cyborg with an arched brow
"No. what you've seen is a mental representation of the different sides of my personality, but each one is limited to their specific boundaries and their line of thought is restricted by those parameters. The demon inside her is n entirely independent entity from her own emotions. But draws strength from her more stronger ones like fear or rage"
"But she can interact with it just like you can with your emotions" Said Garfield from the main panel where he had been with Cyborg.
"How do you know?" asked Raven with a frown.
"I've seen it. She was able to control when to bring her out. She was aggressive, but Meliah was able to restrain her until Alec came after her" Garfield said remembering the time when he and Meliah had flown out of the tower on the shore across the island after she had wrapped her legs around him in front of Raven in an emotional spur of the moment.
"Friend Raven, have you any idea how did Meliah acquired this demon?" asked Starfire with a more serious expression.
"More likely a ritual that is often misinterpreted. Is in an ancient language that hardly anyone nowadays knows how to translate. The few that have been able to, have misunderstood the meaning and the order of the words"
"If the incantation is misunderstood, what is the original purpose of this ritual?" asked Mento.
"Purging. Purifying of the soul. Whoever tried to perform this must have thought her shape shifting was some kind of evil, but instead of a cleansing, they created a portal from another realm directly into her mind"
"No offense Raven, but other than people like you, who else can have interest in such rituals?" asked Rita.
"Mom!" admonished Garfield with a frown to his adoptive mother .
"Its Ok Gar, is a valid question…" she said to Garfield with a soft expression. She couldn't help but be grateful and happy that he was so protective of her, even if the offender was his own adoptive family. "Voodoo clans…" she continued, this time addressing Rita. "their obsession with demons able to control human beings makes them go to extreme measures to understand the mechanics of possessions. Even if it means performing the rituals and casting spells they don't fully understand"
"But who has performed the ritual?… the savages that tortured her all those years?" asked Cyborg.
"I don't think so Cy. Those were mercenaries that tried to take advantage of her abilities and relied on technology to make her comply." said Robin.
"Garfield , what about those tribes in Africa you and Meliah grew up with. Might they be at fault?" asked Mento.
"No, they are peaceful people with traditions and their own beliefs of good and evil, they would never resort to rituals and incantations. And even though our parents were people of science, they were respectful of their culture. If they would have had the slightest notion of that kind of dark beliefs, then they would have never allowed us near them" said Garfield with a slight annoyance at the indirect accusation Mento had tried to imply, but when he saw his adoptive father narrow his eyes and glance at Raven with an almost there smile, his blood boiled and could barely contain his anger.
"And before you say or think that my parents would never accept Raven, let me tell you you're very much mistaken Mento. Because they were not narrow minded and would have seen the good in her even if they knew what she's capable of doing. So don't give her that look!"
After an awkward silence, another voice was heard " What about the monk that rescued Meliah and Beast Boy's mother from the wreckage… surely a guy like that traveling alone is up to no good"
"Is that from experience Red X?" asked Raven just as surprised as Garfield and Cyborg nearby.
"I'm wounded beautiful, here I am trying to help resolve this mystery and you don't even appreciate my input in the matter" said Red X playfully, finally appearing on a third panel on the screen.
"Red X!, why are you still around. This doesn't concern you anymore" said Beast Boy while he walked next to Raven and placed a hand on her waist. The thief only chuckled at the gesture.
"Well Garfield… the hottie next to you made me promise to help with this case as part of the deal before I was released from her… enchantment and as far as I'm concerned, this is still part of it" Beast Boy let out a low growl that Raven heard.
"Gar, don't mind him, he's just trying to get under your skin, besides, he's right. The deal is still not fulfilled" said Raven while she placed a hand on Garfield's chest.
"Beast Boy, we'll talk about Red X later, right now we need to get to the bottom of this. Cyborg… How is Meliah doing?"
Cyborg was running another scan on Meliah to make sure the excessive amount of meds were not damaging her already battered system. "Stable at the moment but at this rate, she'll be done burning the meds in no time so I'll suggest y'all to come up with something quick"
"How much longer do we have with those meds Cy?" asked Robin.
"hmmm, three hours tops, but I'll say two just in case"
"Alright then. We'll arrive in about fifteen minutes. Raven, can you get everything you need ready and wait until we get there?"
Raven started to answer but Mento interrupted "So Raven, you said you can go deeper past her mental barriers. How do you pretend to do that?"
"My soul self will travel to the deepest part of her psyche, find the demon and purge her mind from it" said Raven, unaffected by the tone of his questioning.
Cyborg came walking closer to his friends with a serious expression. "So there is no incantation or spell you can perform from out here?'
"Not if we want that demon gone for good" Raven said.
"Are there any risks to either of you?" asked Garfield quietly, still holding on to her.
"There is some risk. If the demon is too strong to keep contained within her barriers until I can open a portal and send it away, I would have to bring it out so the process wouldn't hurt Meliah further"
"Can that happen?" asked Rita.
"Is very possible. My being a half demon myself causes a certain… instability"
"Like her reaction every time you were nearby?" asked Cyborg.
"Yes"
"So what we were seeing was that demon, not her animal instinct?" asked Starfire.
"Actually it was a combination of both. Demons are angry by nature as well as territorial. Her animal instincts just enhanced that"
"So, if it's a demon like you…" started Red X gaining deadly glares from Beast Boy and Cyborg.
"Is not like me. This kind is a spirit demon. A parasite. They can only survive within a host. Once out, it will be easier to send to another realm"
"Raven, we'll be landing in two minutes. Robin out"
Raven walked towards Meliah's head and placed both hands on the girl's temples. Closed her eyes and chanted her mantra softly while the others observed. Garfield walked behind her and whispered in her ear. "Babe, are you sure there is no other way?" while he placed his hands around her waist. She arched an eyebrow and how intimate the moment was, then she removed her hands from Meliah's temples and placed them over his hands and looked over her shoulder. He was resting his chin on her shoulder and their noses touched slightly as he placed a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth.
When did he grow to be this charming? she thought to herself with slight amusement. "Gar, I was trained to do this kinds of things. You have nothing to worry about"
From across the room, Mento and Rita took glances at the young couple "I don't know about this Rita, these are all kids, and I'm afraid they are dealing with something bigger than what they can handle and our son is right in the middle of it"
"Steve, you have to give them more credit than that. They've had their share of experience and success. They defeated the Brotherhood of Evil when it took us years to even track them down"
"Is not only that Rita. I'm not so sure I trust either one of those girls. Both with demonic exposure. I don't think Garfield has thought things thru"
"Well, neither girl is at fault Steve. One was a victim, the other one was born that way, but regardless of anything we know, we have to help them. If not for them, do it for Garfield." when he gave her a quizzical look, she continued. "Look, these two girls are important to him Steve. Meliah represents his past. A past he thought was lost along with his parents and Raven is his present and future. Or are you going to tell me you didn't notice?… Put yourself in his shoes for once Steve, and tell me, wouldn't you do the same for them?"
"Rita, Garfield is not…"
"Garfield is not what Steve? You have always been hard on him and don't know when to stop being a leader"
"What do you mean Rita?"
"You're a great leader Steve, but what Garfield has always needed is a father and that's the last thing he can say about you… or me for that matter."
"Everything I've done is for him to learn how to be a man, how to take responsibility. Build a stronger character"
"Steve, what you don't realize is that he became a man the moment he decided to leave us. The moment he decided to find his own way, his own team and his own family since he couldn't find it with us"
"Rita, that's not what I …"
"It was a blessing when he came to us and even though I didn't give birth to him, I love him as if I did. But you drove him away and now I've had enough. If you're not going to help our son, I will. Even if I have to go over your head" Rita whisper the last few words with such anger that he felt ashamed, because deep down he knew she was right.
"Rita wait!" he said and grabbed her arm before she turned away. "I'll make it right, I promise" and then placed a kiss on her forehead and walked towards the young couple that were now talking in whispers, in very close proximity then cleared his throat to get their attention.
"Raven, if there is anything I can assist you with, don't hesitate and ask"
"You want to help" asked Garfield crossing his arms over his chest with a frown. Sarcasm seeping thru each word.
"Son, I know you're upset. I can only say I'm sorry and I honestly want to help" Garfield gave him an incredulous look. "I have also come to realize these two women are just as important to you as you are to us and if a battle with a demon is in order to achieve your happiness and well being , then so be it"
Raven could sense Garfield's mixed feelings. A combination of trust and mistrust and he didn't know which one to choose from. But she placed a hand on his forearm and softly squeezed it. Garfield turned to her still with a frown but the moment he saw her soft eyes and a barely there smile, he soften his features and smiled at her, then turned to his adoptive father who had noticed the exchange and could only think of one person that had the same effect on him, Rita.
"Cool. Thank you dad" said Garfield with a smile and Mento couldn't help smile himself because this was the first time Garfield had called him dad.
The tender father-son moment was past the moment Starfire flew in, followed by Robin and Red X.
"Raven, is everything ready?" asked Robin as soon as he walked in.
"Yes… Mento, I will get thru the mental barriers and lure the demon out. Once is out, I need you to reconstruct the barriers and keep Meliah's mind locked"
"You do realize that if I lock her mind, her brain and other organs will shut down and put her in a coma"
"I'm counting on it. If the mind is dormant, there will be no other place for it to hide. But focus on her mind only. If you even acknowledge the demon, it can take advantage of the link between your and her mind and invade yours as a way of escape from me. But if there is the slightest chance that the demon targets you, then you need to cut any connection to her mind to protect yours."
"What would happen with Meliah if that was the case?" asked Cyborg.
"It would be a lot harder to pinpoint the demon's location because by then, Meliah will be awake. Cyborg, Robin… you two need to keep an eye on her vitals, the moment she goes in a coma, she needs to be intubated immediately and once the demon is contained and exiled, her metabolism might change rhythm, so watch for the amount of meds. Starfire and Rita, ake sure Meliah does not come out of this bed. If she has to be forced to remain down then do what you have to. Beast Boy and Red X, stay by her side. The moment she wakes up she'll be either too scared or very enraged. Because eve though the dragon was an involuntary change, she might be able to do it again and hold it on her own. Either way, you two are the only ones she will trust then… ready everybody?"
Raven looked at everyone and they all nodded their agreement and understanding. Then, everyone assumed their respective positions. Garfield stopped by next to her and placed a tender kiss on her lips and whispered "Be careful, I love you". And moved to her left.
"Be careful beautiful, I'm right here if you need me" said Red X, stepping on her right side while Garfield glared. Raven looked from one to the other and was sure under that mask, the thief was smirking. "Idiots" she mumbled under her breath before resuming her position at Meliah's head, fingers on the girl's temples but the moment she started to chant her mantra, a shot of electricity run thru her fingers causing a grunt of pain escape her lips and her eyes to close tight. But the moment she reopened them, they were glowing white and in an eerie voice said "Mento, now!"
Everything was going according to plan, until…
"RAVEN, LOOK OUT!" yelled Mento and with a shock, both Mento and Raven were thrown back. Beast Boy who was closer to the empath, caught her before she hit the floor but her body was limp and Meliah's heart rate went flat.
"MENTO, WHAT HAPPENED?!" yelled Garfield. Desperation evident.
Panting, with barely any pause for exhaling, Mento said "They vanished… all three of them are gone!"