Exorcist of the American Nightmares

"The next leader of the Church?" Riley was visibly shaken by the title.

Although she wasn't particularly devout, she understood the magnitude of what the Church represented.

The idea that a bishop had taken her plea for help was surprising enough, a testament to her luck, but the notion that this figure could be the Church's next leader was downright terrifying.

"Yes," Ed replied with a smile. "Even though you, Miss Riley, are uninvolved, rumors have been swirling more frequently. You know now, and there's no harm in it. It's possible that Bishop York might indeed become the next leader of the Church. We all think he's qualified."

Riley fell silent, instinctively looking towards Rowan. Compared to Ed, Rowan's demeanor and presence instilled more trust in her; some people just exuded reliability.

"You can rest assured, Miss Riley," Rowan said soothingly. "From what I know of Bishop York, there hasn't been a case he couldn't handle, whether it's more powerful demons or ordinary spirits."

At this, Rowan seemed to reminisce, almost in awe, "I might say, some spirits that are tough for me might just be trivial in front of the bishop."

Hearing this, no matter what those present thought, Ed went over to comfort his wife.

"You are already very strong in my eyes."

A wave of curiosity surged through Riley.

—

Meanwhile, the living room was still uncovering the truth of this paranormal incident.

Iris, unaware of the impending arrival of an important figure, continued to speak to a perplexed Josh and a distracted Morena, who seemed to be recalling past events.

"The spirits were drawn to Dalton's shell; that's why they congregated around him."

"Is that what my wife Riley saw before?" Josh interjected.

Iris nodded slightly, confirming his words, and continued, "They all attempt to take over Dalton's shell because they long for life, a chance for rebirth."

Pausing, Iris looked towards Morena, "Besides these ordinary spirits, I sensed something more sinister, more vicious with even darker intentions."

"Miss Morena, it's that same old spirit, it's become stronger than before. Besides it, there are other lurking spirits that have always been there; it's a cycle. They are now observing Dalton's body."

This revelation made Josh instinctively look at his mother.

Fear appeared in Morena's eyes as she looked at Iris, seeking confirmation. From Iris's expression, she knew it to be true. She had encountered again that spirit that even Iris couldn't handle.

"Mom?" Josh sensed something, frowning.

"Dalton's ability to astral project isn't coincidental; it's inherited from you, Mr. Josh."

Josh was clearly stunned but managed to ask again, "Mom?"

Seeing his mother in this state, how could he not understand that there were things about himself he didn't know?

Hearing her son's question, Morena took a deep breath, suppressing the myriad of emotions inside her, and looked towards Iris.

"Go ahead, tell him, Miss Morena. There's no need to hide it any longer."

Upon hearing this, Morena nodded and pulled out a thick photo album from her handbag, clearly prepared for this moment.

"Do you know why I sought out Iris? Do you know why I know her? Because I sought help for the same reasons before."

Morena looked at her son, exhaling softly, "Many years ago, when you were still a child, to help you."

"Me?" Josh's brows furrowed even more at this statement.

"No, but I don't have the ability to astral project."

However, Josh saw his mother shaking her head: "When you were eight, you suffered from night terrors, tormented by fear and fright, saying that an old woman scared you, saying she often came to find you at night."

Speaking, Morena handed the photo album to a silent Josh.

"I didn't pay attention to your stories because I never saw the old woman you talked about. I told you to grow up, until I saw her myself, then I began to believe you."

Josh silently opened the photo album, filled with old photographs.

The young child holding a puppy was himself as a child; he was very familiar with this period of his memory.

What frightened him was the photo showing a dark shadow in a car behind the young child, looking like overexposure but clearly showing a humanoid figure wearing a veil.

"At first, I thought it was a camera issue, overexposure, or something else," Morena said as she looked at the photograph.

As Josh silently turned to the second photo, Morena continued, "Then I saw her again."

In Josh's view, the second photo showed a child with a baseball bat, with the shadow behind him becoming clearer and more solid, showing an old woman in a veil and something resembling a wedding dress

.

This was definitely not a camera malfunction.

"I knew then that what you said was true," Morena said.

Josh pursed his lips, his face turning ashen, and he silently turned to the third photo.

This was a photograph of a child and a woman, a photo of him as a child with his mother.

The figure behind the door was clearer and more solid, but the facial features were still blurred.

"With every photo, she got closer to you," Morena said, looking at the third photo.

"Initially, her face was very blurry, but as she got closer, her figure became clearer, and her features began to emerge."

Josh saw the fourth photo, with a child sitting on a sofa and the shadow behind turning real; the old woman's face began to emerge, her eyes and lips pitch black, her mouth wide open in a hungry, menacing expression, exuding a chilling evil.

"Getting closer," Morena murmured.

In her words, Josh saw the fifth photo, with a very clear hand in a grabbing pose, reaching towards his neck.

Seeing this, even if Josh had previously been a skeptic of ghosts and had a strong heart, he now showed fear, clutching his chin and lips.

"Getting closer and closer, and finally, I was frightened, and I found Iris." Morena said.

"Then the matter was resolved."

Josh set down the photos, looking at his mother, "But I remember nothing, I have no memories related to this."

Hearing this, Morena looked towards Iris.

Finally, the always silent Iris continued, "It was I who suppressed your memories and your ability to astral project with my own spiritual power,

I apologize, I was weak back then and couldn't handle another more powerful spirit, so this was the only way I could think of to stop her from getting close to you."

Saying this, Iris swept the room; there was only one family photo and a wedding photo related to Josh, no others, the rest were all of Riley or her with her children.

"Deep down, you're still afraid of taking photos, aren't you?"

"I'm sorry, Josh," Morena said. "I hid these photos."

Iris shook her head, looking at the silent Josh, "It was my suggestion to your mother to hide them, to stop taking your photos, to make you forget these things."

"Who is she?" Josh asked, not caring about the details.

"A parasitic spirit, she lured your soul, drawing you to the world of the dead where she resides, just like Dalton," Iris answered.

"So, she's come back now? Because of my son?" Josh asked.

"Yes," Iris sighed. "They have no concept of time, it's a cycle, so we must resolve them so that you won't encounter such things in the future."

Josh took a long breath, "How do we solve it? Like with me, continue to suppress Dalton's abilities?"

"If that's the case, it's a good idea," Iris spoke, then shook her head again, "But before that, we need to bring back Dalton's soul."

Having heard everything, Josh now understood the situation and the reason behind it.

"We have to go to the world of the dead?"

"Yes, so I need your help, Mr. Josh," Iris stated.

"I apologize again," Iris expressed her regret. "You now know the truth, and in a few days, you'll remember everything from your childhood, although I didn't want you to remember these things."

Iris's voice was gentle, radiating a very kind feeling.

Josh looked at her, seriously contemplating, then pursed his lips.

"I'm doing this for your son, your son is still in the world of the dead, and no one knows exactly where he is, even though we are mediums," Iris looked at Josh earnestly.

"Given the circumstances, I must say we don't have much time to search slowly. If Dalton's shell is taken over by some spirit, he won't be able to come back,

You're his father, there's a deep blood connection between souls, you're the only one who can bring him back."

Josh closed his eyes, his heart filled with various emotions, all consumed by a father's bravery. If there's anything that gives a father the greatest courage, it's his family, and only family could make a normally timid man act boldly.

"Okay," Josh opened his eyes, calmly saying, "What do you need me to do?"

He understood from the previous conversation what he was expected to do.

"Tonight, I'll release your abilities, you need to enter the world of the dead, use the blood connection to bring back Dalton," Iris said seriously.

"And I, along with Miss Rowan, will accompany you, protecting you until you find Dalton."

Josh nodded silently.

As they were discussing this, footsteps drew their attention.

It was Rowan and Ed, along with Riley.

Their apparently relaxed demeanor made Iris and Josh feel somewhat

 out of place.

They were discussing such serious matters, preparing for a significant action, and yet there they were, smiling—what was going on?

Josh saw his wife looking so relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief.

Compared to him, his wife Riley had been through more, so he felt a lot of apologies and sympathy for her.

Iris, observing the Warren couple, felt a twinge of dissatisfaction internally, the legendary industry model. If the Warren couple were like this, she might not need to maintain a close relationship in the future.

She inherently disliked such arrogant people. In her view, being a medium was a profession meant to serve others but was also very dangerous. No amount of caution and earnestness was excessive.

However, once the Warren couple and others arrived in the living room, Iris quickly learned the reason.

"I think we should wait for someone before we do anything," Rowan said to everyone, softly.

"Who?" Iris frowned.

"Bishop York John," Rowan said calmly.

Her calmness, but the name itself, stirred a tsunami in Iris's heart, shocking her to stand up from the sofa.

"You mean that Bishop York John?" Iris asked again, uncertainly.

"Yes," Rowan smiled, "I just spoke with the bishop on the phone, he's on his way here, should be here soon."

Iris took a deep breath, "How could someone of his stature, how could he get involved in this?"

This made Iris look at the Warren couple differently; she hadn't expected them to have such clout, to be able to summon him.

The incredible live broadcast wasn't even that long ago.

Iris's reaction also left Josh and Morena confused, not quite absorbing everything.

Rowan, seeing Iris's gaze, smiled, "It wasn't me, it was the bishop who accepted Miss Riley's request for help. Although I don't know why, it's quite a coincidence, you could say Miss Riley is quite lucky."

With that, everyone's gaze turned to Riley.

Riley, somewhat embarrassed, said, "I had been seeking help online, and today someone accepted my request. Miss Rowan said it was Bishop York John."

"Huh!"

Hearing this, Iris finally understood why the Warren couple and others were so relaxed. Indeed, if such a significant figure was involved, what were evil spirits in comparison?

Thinking this, a smile finally appeared on Iris's face, she looked at the puzzled faces of Josh and Morena and said:

"It seems we won't need my methods. In front of this bishop, the issue with you might not be much of a problem."

Seeing the previously serious Iris suddenly relax and even smile at the mention of the name, Josh instinctively looked towards Riley and the Warren couple, and while relaxed, said helplessly,

"Can someone tell me who this bishop really is?"

Riley and the Warren couple looked at each other.

Just then, a regular pickup truck arrived in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, nearing their neighborhood.

___________________

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