Allen looked concerned at Red’s words. “What do you mean by strange? I-Is she possessed too?”

Red hesitated. “I don’t know, but we should…”

The boy trailed off as he felt Eiwin’s fluctuation speed up in their direction. He gritted his teeth as he looked around in a hurry.

‘Of course she heard us.’

Red knew that Eiwin had a special technique for opening her acupoints too, and although he didn’t know the details of said technique, it was clear that it gave her an edge in many aspects. This included her senses.

Red considered whether they should hide, but he knew there was no point.

He looked back at Allen. “Take out your sword and be prepared. If she’s possessed, she might try to trick us to lower our guard.”

The young master’s eyes widened in shock. “W-Wait, do you want me to-”

“Just do as I told you!” Red cut him off before also taking out his short sword.

A few seconds later, they heard footsteps approaching them from afar. Eiwin’s figure appeared in view, and her face lit up once she saw Red and Allen waiting for her.

The woman smiled. “Red! Young Master Allen! What are you…” she trailed off as she noticed their drawn weapons, which they didn’t lower even after she announced herself. She looked over at Red. “Is there something wrong?”

The boy didn’t respond, instead examining Eiwin’s actions. More importantly, he focused on her fluctuation.

Allen, however, couldn’t hold himself back. “We… We need to know if you are possessed.”

Red’s eyebrow twitched, but he remained quiet.

“Possessed?” Eiwin seemed surprised, before an expression of realization came to her. “I see, so that is what is happening. I had my suspicions once I saw that flying head attack us, but to have it confirmed…”

Allen nodded. “If it wasn’t for Red’s help, I don’t know what could have-"

“Quiet!” Red cut him off.

The young master immediately stopped speaking and stood at the ready, pointing his weapon at Eiwin.

“I-I’m sorry, Eiwin.” Allen said.

“There’s no need to be sorry.” Eiwin shook her head with a smile. “Red is right. You need to make sure I’m not possessed.” She looked over at Red. “Is there any way I can prove it to you?”

Red frowned, falling into deep thought. From her fluctuation, he could feel the woman was happy and relieved upon seeing the two of them, but the boy didn’t dare to lower his guard just because of that.

“You seemed to be very anxious before coming here.” Red noted. “What happened?”

Eiwin's expression became troubled. “… After the head appeared, I don’t remember much else. I suppose I must have fallen unconscious, but I do distinctly remember having strange dreams, violent and rage-filled dreams. Now that you have mentioned this matter of possession, I’m quite certain something must have tried to take control of my body while I was unconscious.”

“You’re telling me the ghost failed?” This revelation immediately put Red on guard.

“Back in my temple, the elders taught us how to steel our mind against outside influence.” Eiwin said. “I never experienced possession myself, but this must have been what shielded my mind from its control.”

“And you’re sure you’re completely free of any influence?”

The woman shook her head. “I can’t say for certain. I know there are ghosts and evil spirits who can hide within someone’s mind and trying to take control once the time is right. In fact, after I woke up and saw that I was alone in the middle of the forest, I felt a bout of nervousness I never quite felt before. I didn’t feel it was weird at the time, but now… It is entirely possible that this was the result of a failed or hidden possession..”

Red frowned. Even he was not aware of this, and the fact Eiwin revealed this of her own volition made him feel more confident about her identity.

“So you might have a ghost in you too?” Allen seemed concerned. He looked back at Red. “Can’t you help her like you did to me?”

Eiwin raised her eyebrows in surprise as she looked at Red. “You helped him?”

“I did.” Red nodded. “But don’t ask. Not right now.”

The woman nodded. “I understand. Do you think you could check me to see if any ghosts are within my body?”

The boy hesitated. “I’m not sure I can do that, but… If there are any ghosts in your body, I might be able to take them out.”

Allen smiled in relief. “That’s great! Then can you help her right now?”

“I can, but…” He looked over at Eiwin.

The woman seemed to understand the meaning behind his gaze. “You are afraid something will happen if you approach?”

Red nodded. “You yourself said you don’t know if there are any hidden ghosts within your body. If there are, they will probably act as soon as I try to extract them.”

“That is indeed a very likely possibility.” Eiwin nodded with a troubled look. “There might be a solution for that, though.”

“What do you suggest?” The boy asked with some wariness.

He was still considering that this might all be an elaborate ruse to trick him.

“Possession all stems from taking control over a host’s body parts.” Eiwin said. “The evil spirit will always aim to take control of the brain, where the mind lives, upon which it will command the rest of the body to obey it. However, if it cannot do that, it may still be capable of taking control of other body parts, such as an arm or a muscle.”

“You mean that you could have a sudden muscle spasm and punch me to death when I approach?” Red asked.

“That… is indeed the case.” Eiwin nodded with an embarrassed expression. “However, I have a way to gain a deeper control over my body’s movements.”

“Your meditation technique.” Red followed her logic.

“Indeed. As long as the ghost tries to do something, I should be able to stop it before it happens.” Eiwin said. “That would require you to put your trust in me, though.”

The boy didn’t immediately respond. On the one hand, he could approach Eiwin to try to exorcise her and risk being pummeled to death. On the other hand, he could just leave her for now and try to deal with these underlying dangers later. Of course, for the latter option, there was still the risk that this possession problem could worsen later on. Not to mention, Red would definitely appreciate the woman’s help through the tasks ahead.

Both Eiwin and Allen stared at the boy, waiting for his response.

Red sighed. “Let’s do it then.”

“Yes!” Allen exclaimed in joy. “Thank you, Red!”

“Don’t thank me yet.” the boy shook his head. “You need to be on the lookout in case something goes wrong.”

“Right.” Allen nodded. “I’ll pay attention.”

Eiwin stared at Red. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Red nodded. “It’s the only sensible choice.”

Actually, the boy planned to execute the technique from a certain distance first before resorting to getting close to Eiwin. He didn’t think it would work, but there was no reason not to try.

After receiving his confirmation, Eiwin sat down cross-legged on the ground and executed the Radiant Current meditation technique she had taught Red. The mudras and mantras flowed out of her with ease as she closed her eyes and entered a reflective state.

Red observed her fluctuations, noticing that her previous nervousness and joy completely disappeared, being replaced by a serenity that grew over the next minute. He waited for her prompting, which came almost two minutes later.

“You can do it now.” she said, still keeping her eyes closed.

“I’ll try this technique from afar first.” Red said. “I don’t know if it will work, but it’s better than taking the risk.”

Eiwin didn’t respond, and the boy took it as her approving of his method.

Red took out his insectoid core from his backpack.

Allen looked surprised by the sight of the green crystal. “Is that a monster core?”

“It is.” Red nodded. “It’s a bit different, though.”

“I see…” The young master scratched his chin in thought. “I swear I feel like I saw it somewhere before.”

‘That’s because you did.’

Red used this core back in the trial to distract the fireleaf deer from attacking his companions. However, these memories had been wiped from Allen’s mind, it seemed.

“Now be quiet.” Red said. “I need to concentrate.”

Allen did as much and stopped talking.

Red focused on the insectoid core, trying to grasp into that ephemeral feeling he felt the first time he executed the technique. It didn’t come immediately though, so the boy decided to recite the words the necromancer taught him.

The string of strange and slightly ominous words came out of his mouth as the boy focused on the core. Allen gaze him a strange gaze, but Red ignored him.

The insectoid core glowed, but even after almost a minute passed, Red saw nothing come out of Eiwin’s body. He didn’t know if this meant there was no ghost inside her, or if the technique was ineffective from this far, so he had made a decision.

“I’m coming closer.”

Eiwin still didn’t respond, remaining in her peaceful and meditative state.

Red approached the woman bit by bit, reciting the necromancer’s words with every step. Nothing seemed to happen, and soon enough the boy was within four meters of the woman. He hesitated to approach further, though, since if he went any closer, he wouldn’t feel confident in escaping Eiwin’s sudden attack.

Still, Red furrowed his brows and continued to walk forward.

Three meters.

Two meters.

It was then that Red saw something come out of Eiwin’s forehead. An almost imperceptible trace of grey smoke that looked quite similar to the one that had come out of Allen’s body.

His method was working. There was indeed something inside of Eiwin’s body.

That was when he felt the woman’s fluctuation suddenly stir.

‘Crap!’

Red sought to dash back, but Eiwin shot up in a flash and threw a right punch directed at the boy’s face.

Just as Red braced himself for impact, the hand halted a few inches away from his face. The boy took a few steps in retreat, and noticed that Eiwin’s left hand was grabbing onto her right wrist, holding her own fist back.

The woman’s whole body tensed up, as if she was struggling against her every muscle to stay still.

She looked over at Red with an urging expression. “Quickly!”

The boy indulged her. He continued to repeat the mantra while holding onto the insectoid core a few meters away, as more and more of the grey smoke came out of Eiwin’s forehead and entered into the green crystal.

As this ghostly substance exited her body, the woman seemed to gain an edge in controlling her muscles. Soon enough, her struggling expression disappeared, and she sat back down as Red continued to execute his technique.

A few minutes passed by before the smoke finally stopped coming out of her body. Both Eiwin and Red let out a sigh of relief once that happened.

The boy looked back at Allen, who was cowering with the sword in his hand. “I thought I said you were supposed to help if anything went wrong.”

“Y-You did but… Was I supposed to hit Eiwin?” Allen shook his head. “I could never do that!”

Red frowned, but he decided to let the matter go.

Eiwin got up and smiled. “Everything turned out well, so there’s no need to focus on the details. We still need to hurry and find the others.”

Red nodded.

“What were those words you were saying, Red?” Allen asked in a fearful tone. “I swear that when I heard them I felt a chill run down my spine.”

Eiwin shook her head. “It doesn’t matter, Young Master. Whatever this technique was, it was the only way to help us right now, so you shouldn't be concerned about it.”

“I-I guess so, but still…”

The woman smiled. “You don’t need to worry. No matter how scary the words may sound, what matters is that they came from someone we trust. Isn’t that right, Red?”

She gave the boy a meaningful gaze.

Red didn’t quite know how to respond. However, he got the distinct feeling Eiwin knew very well what those words he uttered meant.