[Chapter 41: The Real Katherine]
"Quick, stop her!" Douglas shouted urgently, his heavy frame lunging forward, but he was held back firmly by his butler, Charlie.
Daniel fully understood just how important Katherine was.
In his hand, a second triangular ward took shape. He did not activate it immediately. Instead, he drew out three sticks of incense, lit them, and carefully set them into the center of the ward. As the smoke curled inward, he wrapped the ward tightly with a length of red cord, cinching it closed.
At last, he pressed his thumb to the sigil, leaving a single drop of blood behind. "By living essence, the soul is bound, now."
Instantly, Katherine's body trembled as the eerie energy around her began to fade. The physical transformation halted.
"Ah..."
She let out wild, guttural roars, baring her teeth at Daniel like a feral animal. Her eyes seemed ravenous, as though intent on devouring him whole.
But an invisible force pressed her down; she could only twitch slightly and couldn't come near Daniel.
Douglas stepped forward. "Mr. Cross, please, tell me -- how is my daughter Katherine?"
'According to the situation, the real Katherine should now be living in an old woman's body; I just don't know if she's still alive.'
Daniel murmured to himself, then turned to Katherine. "Did you hear that? Where did you hide the real Katherine?"
"You killed my husband. Do you think I'll tell you? You're so powerful -- go find her yourself," Katherine spat, her expression wild with fury, her eyes venomous.
Daniel's demeanor remained calm. "If I'm right, you transferred Katherine's soul into an old woman's body. And that old woman was the physical form you used before."
Katherine's eyes froze. "You... how do you know that?"
Daniel answered steadily, "I know a lot more than that."
She sneered, "Even if you know, it won't help. You'll never find her."
"That's not necessarily true," Daniel said firmly. "Your husband Morian transferred his soul before you, correct? He must have contacted you often before that."
"We just need to check who among the people your husband was in touch with before. One of those old women has to be the body holding Katherine now."
Katherine was speechless, silenced instantly.
Daniel turned to Sheriff Ford. "Sheriff, what did your team find during the investigation?"
Ford replied, "We pinpointed an address and sent out officers. Unless something unexpected happens, we'll make contact soon."
At that moment, his phone rang. He pulled it out and answered quickly. "What? You found her? Confirmed to be Katherine Douglas? That's fantastic. Bring her in immediately -- send her to the hospital."
Douglas jumped in, "Send her to the best hospital, Cedars-Sinai."
Ford repeated firmly, "Cedars-Sinai. Don't worry about cost; someone will cover the bill."
He hung up and said, "They've found her. She's being rushed to the hospital now."
"Ah!" Katherine screamed, thrashing wildly again. Though the incense still burned, the suppressive energy continued to hold her, preventing any escape.
She snarled, eyes full of hatred. "You -- evil man -- why don't you just die? You should die! I'll curse you. I will--"
"Evil?" Daniel laughed coldly. "I killed your husband, and that makes me evil? How many innocent young lives have you destroyed in your quest to live forever? I exposed your schemes and ruined your plan -- does that make me evil? Remember, I had no intention of interfering at first. You brought this upon yourself."
Douglas's face tightened awkwardly at Daniel's claim of neutrality.
Katherine sneered again, "Even if you find her, it's useless. Our souls have already transferred -- they cannot be restored to their original bodies. That old body is ancient. She won't live much longer. Hahahaha..."
Douglas's expression darkened. "Mr. Cross, is this true?"
Daniel's face grew sober. "I'm afraid it's true. At least for now, I can't reverse the transfer."
Douglas stepped back, looking like he aged years overnight. "Then what do we do now? Do you have any other solutions?"
Daniel pointed at Katherine. "Give me some time -- I need to properly question her."
Sheriff Ford said immediately, "I'll get on the phone to find out exactly where they are."
Lara understood and hurried outside with Ford.
Daniel looked at Douglas. "Are you staying?"
Douglas glanced at his daughter's struggling body, then slowly moved away. With his boss gone, Charlie hurried after him.
...
Katherine's face twisted with panic as Daniel approached. "What do you want? Stay away from me!"
Without a word, Daniel pulled out a ward and pressed it firmly onto Katherine's forehead. Strangely, it adhered without any adhesive.
Katherine tried to rip it off but her arms wouldn't lift. She then tried blowing it away, but it only fluttered slightly, unable to escape.
Daniel began chanting, performing intricate hand seals.
The ward marks the path; truth stands as its light.
Let falsehood fall away while the spirit remains unharmed.
What is hidden steps forward, what is guarded stays within.
By binding law and rightful authority, speak what is true, now.
As he spoke the spell, Katherine's raging eyes gradually dulled, her expression blanking out.
Daniel whispered, "What is your true name?"
"Tanusha," she said hollowly, revealing her real identity.
Daniel pressed on, "Tanusha, is it true the transferred soul cannot be restored?"
"No, it can be restored..."
A glimmer of hope sparked in Daniel's chest.
"How?" he asked eagerly.
Tanusha explained, "After the soul is transferred, there are two optimal windows for recovery. The first is within three hours -- before the soul and body begin to fuse -- making transfer back relatively easy."
Daniel immediately dismissed the option. The transfer happened long ago.
"When's the second?"
"After thirty years. Otherwise, the soul can't survive the trauma of moving back and will collapse and disperse."
Daniel's smile vanished instantly.
Thirty years.
The old woman's body would have long since died.
By now, their souls were deeply fused with those physical vessels. Once those bodies die, the real Katherine inside would die too.
Daniel asked grimly, "If we forced a transfer within a year, what's the chance of soul dissipation?"
"100 percent," Tanusha replied.
A pounding headache set in.
This Katherine was in peril.
While the ward's power still held, Daniel continued to question her. Tanusha answered with reluctant honesty, especially once asked about soul transfer methods.
When Daniel finally asked, "Which sect did you belong to? Who did you worship?" Tanusha's body suddenly trembled violently.
*****
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