Exorcist of the American Nightmares

"Bishop, are you entrusting this matter to me to resolve?" Eileen's voice rang out from the back seat.

"Of course," Bishop York responded as he smoothly steered the vehicle away from the main road, turning into a side lane leading to Riley's residence.

By the time they confirmed his arrival, the Warren couple had already sent all the necessary information to his phone.

He hadn't looked at it himself but had passed it to Eileen for review.

If he were to intervene personally, such minor matters hardly warranted his attention. Simply arriving at the location and exerting his power would suffice.

However, Eileen's abilities weren't as pronounced, so she needed to familiarize herself with the basics.

Eileen pursed her lips as she scanned the information on the phone.

"According to the Warrens, this is a case of a medium's spiritual awakening, and the comatose child's soul might be lost in the world of the dead," she relayed.

Looking to her bishop, she asked, "Bishop, is this the realm you've guided me through before?"

Recalling the time he had taken her on a spiritual journey to resolve an issue with cultists for the Warrens, Bishop York nodded.

"If it's about the world of the dead, that's correct. It's an innate ability of mediums. The world of the dead surrounds our reality, lacking concepts of space and distance,

which is why we were able to locate her directly through the totem she left behind last time.

Of course, this is also a form of astral projection."

Understanding dawned on Eileen, but one thing puzzled her: why, during such a widespread presence of evil spirits in the world of the dead, had she not encountered even one? The only thing she had felt was emptiness.

She had assumed that during a medium session, she would enter a space closely tied to reality, not knowing this space had a name—the world of the dead, as the Warrens had called it.

She was about to voice her question when Hannah, sitting in the passenger seat, interrupted.

"Ah, that world of the dead?" she said thoughtfully.

"I go there often. It's not fun at all, and if you stay too long, it gives you a headache."

Bishop York glanced at her and cautioned, "Take it easy, Hannah."

"Hehe," Hannah replied confidently. "I have the cross you gave me, so I pretend I'm not there, just watching those sneaky guys hover around my body. You know, Father, when they get within half a meter of me, they trigger the power of the cross and poof—turned to dust. I love watching that happen."

Bishop York's lips twitched, unsure how to respond to her comments, managing only a chuckle.

Hannah seemed somewhat regretful as she continued, "It's a pity, though. After a while, word must have gotten out, and those bad guys now avoid me by a long shot. Sigh."

This deep sigh made it hard for Bishop York to respond, who merely said:

"Don't always bully them. Some of them might still have good in them; they might have turned into what they are due to regret or dissatisfaction, lingering in the human world."

"If they were good, they wouldn't think about possessing someone else's body," Hannah retorted under her breath, not quite intending for him to hear.

"Besides, it's not like I'm the one luring them."

Sheesh! That's headache-inducing!

Though her voice was low, Bishop York could hear it, hard to say whether the girl did it on purpose.

Perhaps too familiar or because he had been overly generous in his care due to their past cohabitation, Hannah was becoming increasingly eccentric.

So, Bishop York decided not to argue with her and shifted the topic to Eileen, who had been listening quietly.

"She's only capable of this because she's familiar with her abilities and knows what the essence of an evil spirit is. Let's not emulate her," he advised.

To be honest, Bishop York was somewhat concerned that Eileen might be led astray by Hannah.

"Yes, Bishop," Eileen responded softly.

Hearing this, Bishop York breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, there was still one obedient person here. Eileen was indeed good, he thought to himself.

"Father, is this the place?" Hannah suddenly spoke up.

Her voice drew the attention of both.

"That house seems problematic. It feels as gloomy as stepping into the world of the dead."

Bishop York and Eileen followed Hannah's pointing to a solitary villa.

"Yes, that must be the place," Bishop York stated calmly, seeing more than the others could.

This house had already become largely integrated into the region of the world of the dead.

This meant that many spirits were peering into this house, eyeing the child's body, seeking rebirth.

Thinking this, Bishop

 York pursed his lips. He cared not whether these spirits had good or evil intentions; human and ghost paths should not cross, and any that dared cross the line would be dealt with.

Bishop York slowed the pickup truck and glanced in the rearview mirror at Eileen, who was still observing.

"Can you feel anything?"

Eileen shook her head, "Like Miss Hannah, I only feel that this house is somehow special, not normal, but I can't see anything specific."

"No." Bishop York habitually narrowed his eyes. "Try again, sense more deeply. Construct everything you see in your mind and use your psychic ability to perceive."

Hannah looked at Eileen curiously.

Eileen took a deep breath, nodded, and stared fixedly at the villa on the street corner. Her eyes then began to change.

"Bishop's voice still echoed in her mind as her golden pupils suddenly expanded. In her mind, she constructed a person, as if conjuring someone out of thin air, standing in front of that villa's gate.

As if there in person, she turned her head to the right.

The distant pickup truck was slowly approaching.

"This feeling, like having two different perspectives." Eileen was somewhat bewildered but took another deep breath, looking at the villa shrouded in black mist, opened the gate, and walked in.

Navigating the well-maintained yard and lawn, Eileen reached the front door of the villa.

She thought she heard something and tentatively knocked, but no one inside responded to her action,

Eileen then reached out to turn the doorknob, surprised to find that the front door opened so easily.

Once inside, she could see a group of people sitting in the living room.

She also saw the Warrens standing there.

And she saw an old woman.

At that moment, Miss Rowan and the old woman seemed to sense her presence and instinctively looked in her direction.

Eileen was startled and quickly shifted her gaze back to the inside of the car.

"This is..." Eileen felt uncomfortable, as if she had spent some time there, but in the real world, it was just a moment.

"It seems you were successful," Bishop York said with a slight smile, withdrawing his gaze.

"Good job, your talent is commendable."

Hannah looked at her own priest and then at Eileen, completely unaware of what the two were up to.

"What are you two doing that I don't know about?" she asked.

"Hannah, the phrase 'sneaky' I taught you is not to be used here," Bishop York remarked.

Continuing, he turned to Eileen, still absorbing the experience, "Eileen, it seems like you just entered the villa. Besides the Warrens, there was an unfamiliar old woman there,

and like Miss Rowan, she seemed to sense your presence."

"That must be the one asking for help, Iris." Bishop York wasn't surprised, having been briefed by the Warrens already.

"Like Rowan, she's a medium, much more sensitive than ordinary people, naturally able to sense your prying gaze."

Eileen nodded.

"So, Bishop, that was..."

As they approached the villa, Bishop York could sense Eileen's confusion and answered calmly, "It was your mental world, not the so-called world of the dead. Everything was constructed in your mind, which is why I always believed your talent was not merely about being psychic."

Meanwhile.

Inside the villa, as everyone waited silently for the legendary bishop.

Iris broke the silence, looking at Rowan, "Did you feel something just now?"

Rowan nodded, "It seemed like someone was watching us."

This statement startled everyone.

But Rowan shook her head, "It's a faint feeling, maybe just a misconception."

Iris looked around, nodding in agreement, "Maybe."

But while she said that, the old woman was still somewhat skeptical.

Because if one person felt it, it could be a misconception.

But if two people felt watched at the same time, it was very likely that someone had just been spying on them.

"Evil spirits?" the old woman murmured to herself, unaware of how tense the atmosphere had become for a moment.

"No, not the feeling of evil spirits," she recalled the sensation, her mind tumultuous.

"It was like someone's consciousness had descended in person!"

With this thought, Iris looked up at Rowan.

Rowan, also frowning in thought at that moment, looked back at Iris.

Both being mediums, they understood each other's thoughts in a glance.

"It seems Bishop York has arrived," Rowan stated.

This comment stunned everyone again, and they looked towards the window.

Iris stood up, "Let's go out and greet the bishop."

With those words, those without psychic abilities could only nod in agreement.

Thus, everyone sitting in the living room proceeded towards the gate.

Evidently, as they exited, they saw a pickup truck approaching from a distance.

"Is there really a car

 coming? Is it Bishop York?" Drew exclaimed in surprise.

Not only was he amazed, but everyone else was as well, turning to look at Rowan and Iris, experiencing for the first time what it meant to be a medium and amazed by it.

"Father, they are coming out!" Hannah, ignoring York's current status and still calling him by his old title, exclaimed.

"They knew we were coming in advance?"

Bishop York, not minding the informal address in front of acquaintances, merely stated calmly.

"Probably because they sensed Eileen's prying and thus anticipated this step."

Hannah didn't understand, but piecing together the conversation in the car earlier, she realized the nun in the back had just done something. She glanced unintentionally at the rearview mirror, catching a glimpse of the nun reflected there.

Bishop York glanced at the people waiting ahead, his expression calm, but he glanced at the Warren couple.

After solving paranormal incidents for others without any expectation of reward, the couple's aura had become even more pronounced.

But there was another person whose presence was even more significant, the old woman named Iris.

"Good strength," Bishop York praised rarely.

"She might be stronger than Rowan."

He remembered the Bathsheba incident; if this old woman had been there, it might have been easily resolved.

Using the panoramic view feature, Bishop York could see that the old woman's body was enveloped in her own spiritual energy. Despite her age, her strength could likely match that of younger individuals.

"Indeed, with age comes wisdom, the ancients didn't deceive me," Bishop York thought.

As this thought crossed his mind, the pickup truck stopped in front of these people.

The Warren couple already had bright smiles, Drew was flushed with excitement and enthusiasm as if seeing his idol, and Josh's family was somewhat nervous and uneasy. To them, a church bishop was a significant figure, so his sudden appearance naturally made them tense.

But it wasn't just Josh's family who were nervous; Krys and Tucker, who walked the frontline, also felt apprehensive.

Unlike the Warren couple, who were officially recorded as auxiliary personnel, they had not registered their identities with the church, merely part of a civilian organization.

Their nervousness made them look towards their leader, Iris, whose calmness gave them some courage.

However, what Krys and Tucker didn't know was that even though Iris had been through many things, facing such a legendary figure still genuinely made her nervous.

It was unavoidable. Iris took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and glanced unintentionally at the people in the car.

Her eyes first met a very beautiful, doll-like girl, emitting a similar aura to her own, which made Iris pause.

"A medium?"

The old woman blinked, unsure if it was an illusion, but from this beautiful girl, she sensed an experienced vibe.

"This"

Iris was somewhat confused, as even Rowan had never given her this feeling.

But the next moment, a gaze from the man sitting next to the girl made her tense up.

It was just a look from a man dressed in young people's clothes, but that single glance made her instinctively bow her head, stepping aside.

"Bishop York," Rowan's voice rang out.

Iris pursed her lips, her heart already stirring with enormous waves.

Without seeing with her eyes, she had been unable to sense the presence of this bishop, invisible and traceless.

"Mm," a gentle voice responded, "Rowan, long time no see, you still look splendid, Ed you lucky man."

Ed's voice followed, a bit embarrassedly clearing his throat: "Ahem, Bishop York, you..."

Perhaps these conversations were heartwarming, Iris raised her head to look.

The bishop had already alighted from the car with his companions, including the battle-hardened beautiful girl and a demure-looking young woman.

"Nun Eileen, long time no see."

From Rowan's mouth, Iris finally knew who this young woman was, but was also taken aback by her presence, which was outstandingly quiet yet very palpable, radiating a tranquility that involuntarily calmed the heart.

Just by these discoveries, Iris could roughly gauge the bishop's character. With a big heart, he was bringing along the nervous Josh's family and even Krys and Tucker to approach.

___________________

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