[Chapter 42: The Art of Soul Transfer]
Tanusha trembled uncontrollably, foam bubbling from the corner of her mouth. Then her eyes rolled back, and she suddenly collapsed.
Daniel furrowed his brow, unsure whether this was due to the Seal's power being completely drained or if the cult had triggered some deep, forbidden curse in Tanusha's soul.
He searched her and found a tiny doll smeared with fresh blood. It was no bigger than a finger and made from some kind of paper. Beneath the bloodstains were dense, arcane symbols. Daniel sensed a formidable curse energy radiating from it.
Earlier, Morian had swallowed that small figure, and as a result, his flesh began to shrink rapidly. It was a horrific sacrifice -- trading his own flesh, blood, and life essence for potent curse power. That act explained why Morian wanted Tanusha to flee quickly; he intended to kill Daniel and the others, allowing Tanusha to continue living under Katherine's identity.
If Daniel hadn't previously collected Morian's hair and had Sheriff Ford identify the Morian's original details, the curse power Morian unleashed would have been far more difficult to contain. Had Tanusha performed the same ritual, Daniel might not have survived today.
Daniel felt a quiet relief that he had secured these key things ahead of time.
Although the cursed doll itself was useless to him, Daniel pocketed it anyway. He continued searching Tanusha but found nothing else of value.
Looking down at the unconscious Katherine, Daniel recalled the 5,000 Merit Points the System had rewarded him for killing Morian. Even if Katherine didn't yield a spell reward, Daniel expected at least 3,000 Merit Points for her. That was tempting.
However, weighing 3,000 Merit Points against a $2 million payoff, Daniel's mind was made up.
Pulling his attention away, Daniel withdrew the paperweight and collected the very faint Flesh-Mangled Face residue.
He then called for Sheriff Ford and the others to come inside.
...
The four entered and immediately noticed Tanusha passed out, foam at her mouth. Douglas quickly asked, "What happened to Katherine?"
Daniel shot him a sharp look. "You seem to have forgotten -- she isn't Katherine."
Douglas froze for a moment, then said, "But it's her body."
He asked the most important question: "Mr. Cross, have you figured out how to switch them back?"
Daniel nodded.
The four brightened instantly.
"It really can be done?" Douglas was surprised and hopeful. "How?"
"I've got the details of the Art of Soul Transfer. It's not that difficult -- I believe I can do it. However..."
Douglas immediately tensed at the word "However."
Daniel continued, "It can only be performed thirty years after the transfer."
"Thirty years?" Douglas's face drained of color.
Lara asked anxiously, "Can Katherine's old body even survive that long?"
Daniel replied, "Her current soul is fused deeply with this aged body. If the body dies, Katherine dies too."
Douglas grew even paler.
Sheriff Ford pressed, "Are you sure it really takes thirty years?"
Daniel explained, "Soul transfer causes massive damage; the soul needs a very long time to recover. Even under the best circumstances, it won't be less than ten years. That won't matter though, since her old body can't hold on that long."
Sheriff Ford asked in desperation, "Is there no other way?"
Daniel shook his head. "None right now."
Although the Soul Separation Seal Daniel had used on Tanusha was named as such, it didn't literally pull the spirit completely out of the body. Instead, it loosened the spiritual connection, causing confusion but allowing fragile, spellbound communication.
Once the seal's power is exhausted and Tanusha has some rest, the soul-body connection will likely restore itself.
Douglas's face was pale and drained of energy. "Mr. Cross, it's all my fault. Please save Katherine."
Daniel shook his head firmly. "It's not that I won't save her -- right now, I just can't. There's only one option."
Douglas asked quickly, "What is it?"
"Protect both your daughter's original body and her current one," Daniel replied. "I will do everything I can to find a way to reverse the transfer before her current body can no longer sustain her. You can also seek other exorcists, but both her soul and body are weak; you must be careful."
Douglas fell silent, staring at his daughter's fragile body.
Daniel glanced over and noticed the incense stuck into the seal had burned out. Yet Tanusha showed no sign of waking -- her recent soul transfer and the seal's damage meant she'd remain unconscious a while longer.
Daniel asked Sheriff Ford, "What happened to those two men outside?"
Earlier, six armed killers had broken in, but two had been stationed outside to block Daniel's escape. And when Daniel had cut the lights earlier, he knocked out those two men with a spell.
"Our colleagues took them back to the station," Sheriff Ford answered.
Daniel nodded, glancing at the six bodies sprawled on the ground. "They shot each other. None of it's on me."
Sheriff Ford confirmed gravely, "Yes, I can testify to that."
Lara added quickly, "I can also confirm their deaths have nothing to do with Mr. Cross."
Daniel looked relieved and then pointed toward Morian's skeleton. "And him -- he used an evil technique on himself that led to this."
Sheriff Ford agreed without hesitation.
Neither mentioned the Thrall who'd been blown into mangled flesh.
Lara nodded in agreement but then whispered, "Mr. Cross, did you really raise a ghost?"
Daniel's voice was firm. "Of course not. We Exorcists expel ghosts."
Lara relaxed visibly. "I just didn't think you'd be the type to raise the dead."
Sheriff Ford's phone rang. After hearing the news that Katherine's body had been taken to Cedars-Sinai Hospital, the group quickly packed up and headed there.
The police would handle cleaning up the corpses left behind.
Tanusha, however, was cuffed and placed in Daniel's vehicle.
...
At the hospital, Daniel saw the real Katherine.
Her body was well into her seventies -- white hair crowning a deeply wrinkled face. Her soul was weak and unsteady from the transfer, so she barely spoke, but tears filled her eyes with pain.
When she saw Douglas, tears poured like a dam breaking.
Daniel guessed she wouldn't dare defy him again -- not that this body could manage to.
The father and daughter embraced and wept together, though Douglas looked more like a son in her arms.
Sheriff Ford sighed, "I've handled so many cases, but this is the strangest. I wouldn't have believed this could happen if I hadn't seen it."
Lara looked toward Daniel. "If it weren't for Mr. Cross, Douglas would have been completely ruined, and their plan so close to success."
Katherine was taken away for a full medical examination.
Daniel found Douglas, still grieving, and said bluntly, "You should pay up now."
Douglas didn't get angry. He nodded. "Alright, but you have to agree to one condition."
*****
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