Author’s Note: Hello and welcome to
chapter two of The Monster Exorcist Two. I
hope that you enjoy it. I hope to try and release at least five or six chapters
over the coming months, but it can be difficult to find time to edit everything
while working full time. Feel free to read the previous chapter if you hadn’t
already, and also don’t hesitate to tell me what you think.
Chapter Two
Akito called everyone into the living room
(or what was left of it) for a meeting. There was a giant hole in the wall, the
windows were broken, and the wooden floor was burnt in several places. There
wasn’t much furniture to begin with, but the coffee table had been split into
two, and blank charm paper and encyclopaedia pages were scattered around the
room like graffiti. I even spotted signs of my handwritten raccoon assignment
scattered amongst the debris.
Akito looked
dead serious and commanded the others to bring in a whiteboard, and set up
chairs from the storage room in three rows facing the front. He stood with his
back towards us anxiously staring at the white board and marker, like he was
still contemplating the best way to convince the other exorcists not to kill
me. I still refused to trust him, but part of me hoped he’d changed his mind
and was going to act like my teacher again.
The old guy’s
two lackeys were too stingy to untie me, and instead carried my chair to the
front of the room. They then sat on either side of me like prison guards. The
old man was seated two places to my left, and he would occasionally glare at me
like I was going to try to escape. I could sense Isaac lurking at the back of
the room behind me, but it was a relief to find that most of my friends were
still alive and well. Tyson was holding an ice pack to his head, and was
anxiously tapping his foot nervously while staring at his beaten up phone.
Tyson was the oldest teenager amongst us (and kind of like a leader) but the
guy had a strange phone obsession, so I could see that he was suffering.
Laurence also looked a little beaten up and bruised, but he was still his
normal cheerful and lively self.
“Hey Michael!
What’s up with the ropes? ” Whispered Laurence from the seat behind me.
“I don’t know, ”
I sulked. My situation was already bad enough and I did not feel like talking
about it. “Maybe they're into some weird S and M stuff. ”
“S and M?”
Questioned Laurence. “Is that some sort of candy, like M and Ms? ”
I heard Kurt
suddenly burst out laughing at the back. Kurt had been outside patrolling the
perimeter when the fox monster attacked, so luckily he’d missed out on the
action and didn’t have a scratch. Kurt was the biggest kid at school and liked
to use it to his advantage. He and I were also buddies until we had a falling
out over his lazy attitude.
“Hey, where were
you when the fox monster attacked? ” I heard Isaac hiss at Kurt from behind me.
“I was out
patrolling the perimeter. ” said Kurt.
“Liar, you were
probably hiding in the bushes! ” Said Isaac.
“Like you did
any better, ” Kurt retorted. “At least I didn’t scream like a girl when the fox
monster threw me outside.”
“At least I
didn’t just stand there and watch as the monster began attacking my friends! ”
Said Isaac.
“Hey! Hey! ”
Yelled Akito as he banged his fist on the whiteboard to get our attention. He
was trying to bring the meeting to order, but everyone was already too busy
talking with each other.
“Just look at
this,” said Tyson as he showed Laurence his damaged phone. “I had a year left
on this contract and now look at it, it still works, but now there're cracks
all over the screen. What am I supposed to do if the hospital calls about my
sister Annie? ”
“I think there
might be cracks in my elbow,” replied Laurence sadly.
“Can we all just
be quiet for one moment,” said Akito. He seemed stressed and moodier than
usual. “I’ve gathered you all here to discuss the fox attack and debrief you on
the events of tonight. ”
“Who’s the old
dude up the front?” Asked Kurt.
“Old dude?” Said
the lackey with the dark hair and glasses as he sprang to his feet. “How dare
you refer to your superior, the great commander Sebastian Williams that way.
You kids should already know that he's the most successful exorcist of his
time. This amazing man has slain countless monsters, and is the most effective
exorcist in our organization by far!”
The old man
beamed, and waved at his minion to sit down. “Now, now, there’s no need to go
that far. I may have been the best exorcist of my generation, but there’s no
need to brag about it to everyone.”
“Hey, is he the
moody old man that you always complain about Akito?” Asked Tyson. “The one you
said has no real exorcist skills and used to defeat monsters by blowing
everything up?”
“No!” Said Akito
a little too quickly and I could see his face start to turn red. “He’s
my...Deeply respected talented superior, and he was kind enough to come to
assist us with the fox attack.”
“Right you are
Akito!” Said Sebastian. “You children are all lucky to have such a remarkable
man as your teacher. It's a shame that he never quite got to the same level as
Sean Lopez, but he's a great man in his own right.”
My teacher stood
there with his mouth open for a moment (Sean Lopez was Akito’s friend who got
promoted over him, and since then Akito had developed some strange complex
about the guy) before clearing his throat and continuing. “The two men behind
him are his subordinates Hugo, and Nina’s older brother.”
“It’s nice to
meet you all,” said the minion with glasses who I assumed was Nina's bro. He
stood up and looked at us all with a huge grin, despite yelling at Tyson a
minute ago. “I’ve heard a great deal about you all from my younger sister. I
hope we can all get along well during our time here. If you have any worries,
concerns, or notice anything out of the ordinary, please don’t hesitate to tell
me. I may be your superior, but please think of me as your friend, or your super-friend,” he said with a wink.
“Not this
again,” I heard Nina mutter as she covered her face with her hands.
“Wow Nina, I
didn't know you had an older brother,” said Laurence. “I bet he’s super awesome like you too, right?”
“He used to be
awesome, but now everyone calls him the super suck-up,” I heard her whisper
back.
Hugo also stood
up to introduce himself. “I’m Hugo, enjoy being young and cheerful while you
have the chance,” he said before quickly sitting down again. I could almost see
a dark aura surrounding the man.
“Hey! Why didn’t
Sean come?” Complained Tyson as he poked one of his bruises and winced. “Isn’t
he one of your best agents? He promised he'd come help out if we were in
trouble.”
“Agent Lopez is
currently engaged with other business,” said Sebastian.
“Aww, but he
promised that he’d show me the secrets of his S-Chop,” said Tyson.
“Don’t be
ridiculous,” said Nina’s bro. “Agent Lopez’s S-chop is classified information
which only certain elite members are allowed to access.”
“But Akito said
that it was just a lightning charm attached to a rubber-,” said Laurence before
Akito cut him off.
“This isn’t the
time to talk about Sean!” Exclaimed Akito. “I brought you all here to debrief
you about what happened here tonight, so I would appreciate it if you could all
shut-up and listen,” Akito began to frantically write on the whiteboard with a
marker. I think he may have been attempting to draw us, but all I could see was
badly proportioned stick people. One of them even had cat ears so I assumed he
was trying to draw the fox monster. “At exactly six PM this evening our base
was infiltrated by a fox monster,” he said while anxiously glancing at
Sebastian. “Despite taking the proper precautions and installing a barrier, the
fox monster managed to obliterate all our defences. Her aim, Michael
Matsumoto.”
“Duh, we already
know all of this,” said Kurt as he began swinging on his chair. “Boring.”
“This creature?”
Questioned Sebastian while glaring at me. “That’s ridiculous. Akito, even you
should know that fox monsters only eat humans.”
“Hey, I’m
human!” I protested.
“Yeah! He’s
human,” added Laurence even though I had a feeling he didn’t understand what we
were talking about.
“That’s what I’m
getting to,” said Akito. “As you already know agent Matsumoto perished to the
same fox monster over ten years ago. Somehow the fox monster heard of another
Michael Matsumoto living in this area, and even though they are not blood
related, for some reason she thought he would taste the same. I took shelter
with Michael and Nina in my office, but despite my best efforts she discovered
our location. With no other option left, I used a knife to loosen the seals on
Michael’s back and temporarily unleash his monster powers.”
Akito began
furiously drawing a giant stick man with claws surrounded by fire on the board,
but everyone just stared at him blankly.
“Wait, did you
just say monster powers?” Asked Tyson.
“Hey, what are
you talking about Akito?” Asked Laurence. “How can Michael have monster
powers?”
“Maybe he drank
too many energy drinks or something,” said Kurt.
“Don’t you get
it!” Yelled Isaac from behind me. He jumped up and angrily pointed in my
direction. “He’s not really human! He’s a monster, and has been all along. We’ve
all been lied to!”
“Is that true
Michael?” Asked Laurence.
“No! This is
ridiculous, there's no way that I can possibly be a monster!” I protested.
“Come on guys,” I said while looking desperately at Kurt, Laurence, Tyson, and
Nina. “You all know me, you should know that there’s no way that I could be a
monster.”
Tyson also stood
up to protest. “Michael’s right, this has to be a mistake!”
“Tyson,” I was
honored that my friend was standing up for me.
“I mean, look at
him guys,” said Tyson. “He clearly has the spiritual power of a termite!”
“But I saw it,”
said Nina. “Michael was like a wild, uncontrollable animal with powers far
beyond our own.”
“That’s
impossible!” Said Kurt. "The only thing wild and uncontrollable about
Michael is when he let's one off during school assembly."
Akito coughed.
“I haven’t finished yet, so if you could kindly sit down Isaac, and I'll
continue.”
Isaac’s mouth
opened like he was about to launch another angry tidal wave of accusations
against me, but one glare from Akito was enough to silence him and he quickly
sat down fuming. If Isaac’s eyes had the power to set things on fire, I would
have been burnt to a crisp already.
Akito turned
back to the board and continued. “I took Micheal on as my student because he
showed high spiritual potential and a willingness to learn. I didn’t realize
that there was something out of the ordinary until I received the belongings of
the late Able Matsumoto. Inside were notes and research all dedicated towards
controlling and domesticating monsters. As you may know, the Matsumoto clan
once attempted to control and utilize monsters over a century ago, but every
attempt failed and the research was cast aside. From his belongings, it appears
that Able Matsumoto devoted the remaining years of his life working on that
project. I studied the materials and thought nothing of it, until I discovered
abnormal marks on Micheal’s back which resemble the research. I took pictures
of the marks and compared the two, and there is no denying that there is a
connection.”
“Tyson! The
projector please,” he commanded.
Tyson hobbled
away and came back with a projector from the kitchen which had miraculously
survived the attack. He plugged it into the wall and handed the cord to Akito
before returning to his seat.
“What I’m about
to show you,” said Akito while plugging the cord into a small digital camera
and glancing nervously at Sebastian. “Is the undeniable evidence that Michael
is the result of Able Matsumoto’s monster research.”
The camera
beeped, and loaded to show us a picture of a shirtless Tyson in front of a
mirror taking a picture of himself.
“Whoops,” said
Tyson as his face turned red and he slowly slouched in his chair in an attempt
to hide. “Don’t know how that got there,” he muttered.
“Is this a joke
Akito?” Said Sebastian. “Are you trying to waste my time?”
“No please, if
you could please just wait a moment,” said Akito as he frantically scrolled
through the pictures on the digital camera. Photos of Tyson and Kurt having a
water fight flashed up on the screen. There were also a few shots of Katie
training, and a video of Tyson trying to ride a bicycle while standing on the
seat.
“My phone
battery was flat,” muttered Tyson. "I didn't have a choice."
“Here! Here!
Here it is!” said Akito when he stopped at the photo of my back which he took a
few weeks ago. “It may look like scars,” he said while pointing at my old
wounds. “But it’s actually carefully planned seals and exorcist charms which
have been inserted under his skin. There are at least seven charms which suppress
all monster functions such as, spiritual power, memories, growth, metamorphose,
and give Michael the appearance of an ordinary teenage boy growing at a steady
rate. Look here,” he said while pointing to a jagged scar near my shoulder.
This seal controls spiritual power. Tonight I temporarily broke the seal with a
knife, and although he did not revert back into a monster, Micheal turned into
a monster like state and attacked the fox monster, as well as the window, the
wall, and my pot plants,” he said.
“Akito, are you
certain that this boy is what you say he is?” Asked Sebastian.
“Yes,” nodded
Akito. “Without a doubt.”
“By god,”
whispered Nina as she covered her mouth with her hand in shock.
I was also
bewildered as I gazed at the photo on the screen. The evidence was undeniable.
The damage done to the house, Gradpa’s monster research, Nina’s testimony, and
Akito’s explanation.
The evidence was
overwhelming and there was only one conclusion.
Grandpa had
obviously transformed me into a super exorcist.
It made perfect
sense. Way more sense than Akito’s
stupid theory about me being a monster posing as a high school student. What
monster would possibly want to endure exams and homework? Grandpa had obviously
enhanced me with amazing spiritual powers and named me after his dead son,
because he knew that the fox monster would come hunting for my heart. When the
time came I could use those super powers and BAM! No more fox and he could get his revenge. Akito had just
unwillingly followed Grandpa’s plan, but he screwed up and released too much of
my mega awesome exorcist powers at once. It must have just looked like I turned
into a monster.
I was one
hundred percent certain that I was right, so I stood up and told my theory to
everyone, despite Nina’s bro telling me to shut up and sit down every time I
paused for breath.
“Wow, that’s
amazing,” said Laurence once I was finished.
“Hey, is that
true Akito, can you really turn someone into a super exorcist?” Asked Nina.
“There’s no such
thing as a super exorcist!” Said Nina’s bro.
“That’s because
I’m obviously the first one,” I said.
“I think you
might be in denial Michael,” said Akito. “I know that this is a very difficult
time for you-“
“You just can’t
handle the fact that I’m a super exorcist!” I said. The exorcists from the
organisation didn’t look like they belived me, but my friends started coming
over to my side.
“Wow,” said
Laurence while gazing at me in awe. “It’s the first time I’ve met a super
exorcist.”
“You have to be
kidding,” said Isaac. “Don’t tell me you actually believe this idiot. He’s
clearly a monster. No one can transform like that and still be human. You saw
it too, right Nina?”
“But it was dark
Isaac,” said Nina. “And everything happened so fast. I only saw him for a
moment. Maybe Michael is telling the truth.”
“I don’t know
what’s up with you Isaac, but Michael’s theory makes more sense than him being
a monster,” said Tyson.
“Yeah, Michael’s
my friend!” Added Laurence. “And I don’t make friends with monsters!”
“That’s because
he’s clearly trying to trick you!” Isaac protested.
“Stop your
bickering!” Yelled Sebastian. “The boy is a monster and that’s the end of it!”
“I’m not a
monster, I’m a super exorcist!” I yelled back.
“Monster!” He
roared.
“Super
exorcist!”
“Monster!”
“Super
exorcist!”
“Monster!”
“Super super
super exorcist!” I yelled back.
“We all know
very well that he's a monster Akito,” said Sebastian. “And he has an attitude
problem. He needs to be destroyed!”
“By all means
sir,” said Nina’s bro. “Let me do it. I would be more than happy to send this
fiendish beast back to the merciless hell from where he was spawned.”
“Please don’t
splatter me with innards again,” said Hugo.
“Please
reconsider,” said Akito. “He’s the perfect result of the monster pet project,
destroying him would destroy any chance of re-creating these results again.
Just think about how many more monsters we can destroy if we capture and train
other monsters to do it for us. It’s like killing two monsters with one charm.”
“You’re not
seriously going to kill him are you?” Asked Nina to her brother. “I never
thought that you would stoop so low.”
“Stop it,”
hissed Nina’s bro under his breath. “You’re making me look bad in front of the
commander.”
“Please don’t
kill Michael!” Said Laurence. “He’s my buddy!”
“And, like,
wouldn’t it be embarrassing if you found out later that he wasn’t really a
monster?” Added Nina.
“Yeah, what they
said!” I yelled back. “And I’m a super exorcist!”
I put on my best
sad face, and so did Laurence, Nina, and Tyson behind me. Kurt didn’t do
anything, and sat in his chair staring into space until Tyson elbowed him in
the stomach. He then crossed his arms and pretended to look angry. I think I
caught sight of Isaac dragging his finger across his throat as a hint to kill
me.
Unlike Akito,
their puppy faces didn’t seem to phase Sebastian, and he glared at me
skeptically like he was trying to determine my worth.
“He might also
be useful for….. Making things explode?” Added Akito.
Sebastian’s face
remained dead serious, but I could see his eyes light up. His mouth began to
twitch like he was trying to suppress a smile. “Fine,” he said. “If what you
say about utilizing this monster is really possible, then the creature lives,
for now.”
###############
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