Father Ashbourne placed his cold hands onto Rei's exposed chest. The contact made Rei flinch, goosebumps rising on his skin despite the warm, candlelit air of the underground sanctuary. The priest's eyes were distant, focused on something beyond the physical realm as he began to intone the ancient words.

  "In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti," he began, his voice reverberating against the stone walls. "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I begin this holy rite."

  His fingers pressed harder against Rei's skin as he continued, "Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in proelio; contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium." Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.

  As the ritual progressed, Father Ashbourne's hands began to heat up with supernatural intensity. What started as a warmth quickly became uncomfortable, then painful, then excruciating. Rei strained against the chains, the metal links rattling against stone as he pulled with all his might.

  "Fuck, I really messed up!" Rei thought to himself, his mind racing back to the battle with Varkas. The pride that had consumed him, the savage joy he'd taken in combat, the underestimation of his opponent—all of it had led to this moment of torture and helplessness.

  He had never indulged in self-pleasure or pride before developing these new emotions. For most of his remembered life, he had been empty, devoid of feeling, merely observing the world rather than experiencing it. Now, with emotions surging through him like wildfire, he had chosen the worst possible time to give in to pride, to believe himself invincible.

  The heat from Father Ashbourne's hands intensified, becoming unbearable. Rei could smell his own flesh beginning to cook beneath the priest's palms, could hear the sickening sizzle as his skin burned.

  "I am not the devil! Let me go!" Rei screamed, his voice cracking with desperation. "Please, stop! I'm just a student! I'm a hero!"

  Father Ashbourne ignored his pleas, continuing the exorcism with methodical precision. Steam rose from where his hands were literally melting into Rei's chest, the smell of burning flesh filling the chamber. The pain was beyond anything Rei had experienced—even worse than Varkas's beating, worse than Kage's tests, worse than Ryuu's brutal training.

  Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Father Ashbourne removed his hands from Rei's chest, leaving behind blackened handprints burned into the flesh. Rei gasped and panted, sweat pouring from his body. Adrenaline surged through his system, his heart hammering against his ribs as the realization settled over him—he could not survive another round of such torture.

  Father Ashbourne showed no emotion as he turned away, retrieving a crucifix and a vessel of holy water from the nearby altar. The priest's expressions remained serene, as if he were performing routine clerical duties rather than torturing a teenage boy.

  As Father Ashbourne approached again, Rei's terror mounted. The priest held the crucifix high, its silver surface catching the candlelight.

  "Foul vessel, carrier of Lucifer," Father Ashbourne declared, his voice taking on a new authority. "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus!"

  He began reciting the formal words of the Rituale Romanum, the ancient Catholic rite of exorcism. "Exorcizo te, immundissime spiritus, omnis incursio adversarii, omne phantasma, omnis legio." I exorcise you, most unclean spirit, every incursion of the adversary, every phantom, every legion.

  As the Latin incantations filled the chamber, Father Ashbourne doused Rei with the holy water. The liquid, which should have been cool and refreshing, reacted violently upon contact with Rei's skin. It burned like acid, sizzling and smoking wherever it touched him. Rei screamed anew, the pain igniting every nerve ending in his body.

  His eyes began to flicker frantically between colors as the entities within him responded to the assault. Red for Leonis, blue for Hikito, black for his normal self—and occasionally, just briefly, a flicker of golden yellow would appear before vanishing again.

  The chamber itself seemed to respond to the power surging through Rei. Objects began to rattle, papers flew from Father Ashbourne's table, the air pressure fluctuated wildly as if the room were breathing.

  Inside Rei's mind, chaos reigned. The exorcism's effects rippled through the mindscape, causing tremors that shook the very foundations of the mental construct. Each of the entities experienced the same agony as Rei, the holy rites attacking not just his physical form but the spiritual presences within him.

  Behind the red door, Leonis slumped against the wall, his spectral form flickering like a candle in a strong wind. The chants from Father Ashbourne's ritual passed through his consciousness like bolts of lightning, each word threatening to erase his existence.

  "So, this is it?" Leonis murmured, feeling his presence fading within Rei's mind. Memories flashed before him—serving the Tachibana clan, his oath to protect Rei, his failures and triumphs. There was a sense of acceptance in his demeanor, the warrior preparing for his final battle.

  Behind the blue door, Hikito raged against his chains, refusing to be erased so easily. "Brother, fight!" he shouted toward the black door, his voice barely carrying above the cacophony of the exorcism. "Don't let this zealot destroy us!"

  The chains strained as he pushed against them, desperate to break free, to take control and save them both from this threat. But the binding remained firm, keeping him trapped as their shared existence unraveled.

  The green door trembled, something behind it stirring in response to the disturbance but remaining largely dormant. And the golden-yellow door, typically the most silent and still, now vibrated with increasing intensity, as if something powerful behind it was awakening after a long slumber.

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  Back in the physical world, Father Ashbourne's ritual reached its climax. The room had descended into supernatural chaos—papers swirling through the air like leaves in a hurricane, candles flaring to impossible heights, scrolls unrolling of their own accord. Father Ashbourne's mana surged visibly around him, creating a nimbus of power that distorted the air itself.

  "Ergo, draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica," he chanted, his voice rising above the tumult. Therefore, accursed dragon and all diabolical legions, I adjure you.

  His expression contorted with zealous fervor as he reached the culmination of the ritual. "Foul vessel, DIE!" he commanded, his hands reaching for Rei's face, fingers digging into his temples.

  At that exact moment of contact, something extraordinary happened. The bone fragment in Rei's pocket—the one Takao had given him, saying it came from Haikito—began to shine with a golden-yellow light. The radiance intensified rapidly as Father Ashbourne's hands made contact with Rei's face, filling the chamber with an otherworldly glow.

  A strange resonance filled the air, like distant trumpets or harps playing just beyond the range of clear hearing. Reality seemed to shift and warp around the priest and his captive, then crack open entirely as the bone fragment's power pulled Father Ashbourne's consciousness into Rei's mind.

  Father Ashbourne found himself standing in a vast darkness, neither ceiling nor floor visible in the void. The transition had been so sudden that it took him a moment to orient himself. Before him stood five doors arranged in a semicircle: a red door, a blue door, a green door, a golden-yellow door, and a black door, somewhat shadowed and indistinct compared to the others.

  "This must be the inside of this foul vessel's mind," Father Ashbourne muttered, studying the doors with clinical disgust. He quickly made the connection between the doors and the colors Rei's eyes had been flickering during the exorcism.

  "I must lock these doors and finish the exorcism," he decided, "release these souls from earth."

  He approached the black door first, sensing it represented Rei's core consciousness. If he could destroy this, he reasoned, the entire mindscape would collapse, and Lucifer's vessel would be no more. As he drew nearer, he perceived what he interpreted as corruption emanating from it—not evil exactly, but something fundamentally wrong that offended his spiritual sensibilities.

  Before he could reach the black door, however, the sound of a beautiful harp playing a holy tune arose behind him. Father Ashbourne slowly turned his head, eyes widening as he saw the golden-yellow door opening by itself. Radiant light spilled from within, so bright it should have been blinding, yet somehow it was possible to look directly into it.

  A silhouette with wings emerged from the doorway. As the figure stepped forward, details became visible—brass-like armor that gleamed with inner light, a halo floating above its head. Each movement commanded grace, but the figure's aura was imposing, absolute in its authority.

  "This must be one of Lucifer's tricks!" Father Ashbourne exclaimed, taking a defensive stance. He held his cross before him, the gesture automatic after decades of faith. "Get away from me, Lucifer! I rebuke you in the name of Jesus!"

  Trumpets began to sound from within the golden doorway, a celestial chorus rising to join the harp music. The winged figure continued its approach, untroubled by Father Ashbourne's defiance.

  When it finally spoke, its voice was angelic yet commanding, carrying the weight of eons: "Quis ut Deus?"

  Father Ashbourne froze, the color draining from his face as he recognized the phrase. "Who is like God?" he whispered, the Latin words translated in his mind with perfect clarity.

  Understanding dawned, bringing with it a wave of awe and terror. "This can only be one being who's like this," he said, falling to his knees before the radiant figure. "Archangel Michael, the hand of God."

  The archangel's presence filled the mindscape, overwhelming in its holy power. Father Ashbourne bowed his head, unable to look directly at the being any longer.

  "Rise, servant of faith," Michael commanded, his voice resonating with authority. "Your mission here is misguided."

  Father Ashbourne rose uncertainly to his feet, confusion evident in his expression. "But, my lord... this vessel carries Lucifer's taint. I have felt it, seen the transformation, witnessed the destruction he causes."

  "You see with mortal eyes," Michael replied. "You interpret with a mortal mind. The battle between light and darkness is more complex than you comprehend."

  "But the vessel... Lucifer... the prophecies..." Father Ashbourne stammered, his worldview crumbling beneath the weight of divine contradiction.

  Michael's radiance dimmed slightly, becoming more bearable to Father Ashbourne's mortal perception. "Those closest to damnation are also closest to divinity," the archangel said. "Guide him across the right path. For he is not just a vessel for Lucifer, he is a vessel for divinity."

  The words struck Father Ashbourne like physical blows, each one shattering another pillar of his certainty. He fell to his knees again, this time in genuine remorse rather than reverence.

  "Forgive me... I have been blind," he whispered, reflection dawning in his eyes. "Working with Akuma, the demon king of the Underworld... I believed our goals aligned, that we both sought to rid the world of Lucifer's influence. But he has led me astray, used my faith as a weapon for his own purposes."

  "Nobody is perfect," Michael responded, compassion tempering his authority. "But we must trust the process of God. Guide this boy spiritually. Holiness will protect him from the darkness that seeks to claim him."

  The archangel began to fade, his purpose fulfilled. Father Ashbourne reached out desperately. "Wait! I have more questions!"

  But light already enveloped him, pulling his consciousness back to the physical world as Michael's form dissolved into particles of golden radiance.

  Father Ashbourne gasped as awareness returned to his physical body. His hands were still pressed against Rei's temples, the bone fragment in the boy's pocket still glowing, though the light was gradually subsiding. He stared down at Rei with new understanding, the hatred that had driven him now replaced by awe and remorse.

  Slowly, he withdrew his hands from Rei's face. They trembled visibly, not from exhaustion but from the weight of revelation. He stepped back from the altar, his mind racing to process everything Michael had shown him.

  "Righteous Vessel," he said softly, the words sounding strange on his lips after so many repetitions of "Foul Vessel" during the ritual. "I have been misguided."

  He moved to the chains that bound Rei, beginning to remove the mana-draining scrolls embedded within the links. Each scroll he peeled away restored a portion of Rei's power, the task requiring care and precision.

  "I have been misguided by human temptation just as you have too," Father Ashbourne continued, his voice heavy with regret. "No more."

  Rei panted heavily, his body still recovering from the torture of the exorcism. Confusion was evident in his expression as he watched Father Ashbourne free him. He didn't understand the priest's sudden change of heart and remained tense, uncertain if this was another trick or test.

  As the last chain fell away, Rei sat up cautiously, wincing at the pain from the burns across his chest and the acid-like marks from the holy water. Father Ashbourne knelt before him in a gesture of penitence, head bowed.

  The bone fragment's glow had dimmed but not completely faded, casting a soft golden light that illuminated both figures—the injured vessel and the repentant priest, former enemies now bound by a shared divine revelation.

  A new path had opened before them both, though where it led, neither could yet say.