While the mother and daughter duo were having their moment, the Steam church's bishop looked quite pale. Noticing this Amanises turned her head and asked lightly.
"Bishop, is there any problem?" She could sense a bit of unease filling the poor man's heart but couldn't figure out for the life of her why.
With a sigh the man replied.
"I'm afraid our church can hardly deal with possession cases, however, I can run a quick scan on you and maybe we'll identify the problem."
A quick scan? What am I, a QR code?
As strange as his proposition sounded, Amanises couldn't help but be curious, after all, the possession case was nothing but a lie. She nodded.
With that, the loupe from the bishop's headband was lowered to his eye and started to glow a dim green hue. His eye focused and for a second Amanises could see metal gears turning in his pupil, but they vanished instantly.
"Hm, strange." He murmured.
"What happened?" Victoria tilted her head slightly in a questioning manner.
"I don't sense anything."
Well of course. I made that up.
"Mother, maybe it's gone now? We can go back home and enjoy some tea with biscuits." And I could try that incantation and go back as fast as possible.
"Are you sure, dear? You don't feel anything weird or out of place?"
Except for the fact that I'm not from this world, no.
"I'm totally fine mom. Actually, maybe just a bit tired from all of this."
The policeman, who was listening this entire time clapped his hands and said matter-of-factly.
"Maybe there was no possession at all."
The mother turned to him and raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean, sir?"
Mr. Cale wore a smug expression as if he were a detective from a novel who just solved the case with one of the most unthought of method possible.
"Most people claim to wake up in places where they didn't fall asleep in or wake up standing in the middle of the room. They always come to churches or even the police claiming that they were possessed by some unknown spirit. But that's almost never the case."
I know where he's going with this. I won't lie for someone from this era of steam, blind belief in deities and the supernatural, he sure is quite smart.
"We call this, Vapors in the Brain." He said proudly, flashing a smirk.
Never mind.
"Vapors in the brain? Officer, what does that mean?" The poor mother believed every word without a singular doubt.
"They are basically hot vapors rising from the stomach to the brain during digestion, which causes the sleeper to often act out their dreams. I'm no medical expert but I can assure you this isn't that much of a concern. The way to stop this is to not consume anything one or two hours before bed."
"I-is that right?"
Of course it's not. The most logical reason would be sleepwalking, which is a disorder influenced by stress and other stuff, not food.
"Of course, my lady, what do you think, bishop?" Mr. Cale sought reassurance from the poor bishop.
"Ah yes! Of course, sir!" He didn't seem to have paid too much attention to that explanation, instead, opting to stare at the cogwheels decorating the walls.
Mr. Cale clapped his hands once and stated.
"Well that wraps things up. How about I walk you ladies home on this quiet night?"
You want to be done with this just as much as I do. She remarked, but went along, just for the sake of it.
"Thank you so much, sir! Mom, I now feel so much better. I never even thought of such a possibility." Her tone almost turned sarcastic. Almost.
Victoria still looked a bit uneasy. It wasn't that she didn't believe officer Cale or Evelyn, it was simply that unexplainable gut feeling. After a few short seconds however, Victoria calmed down and her frown smoothed out, she bowed a little at the two men and thanked them wholeheartedly.
"I'll make sure that this doesn't happen again, mom. I promise, you don't have to worry." Assured Amanises one more time.
"Yes, yes. Sigh, I'm also tired. Let's go home, Evelyn. Thank you for your offer, Mr. Cale. Goodbye, Mr. Bishop."
"Goodbye to you too, my lady. All things well." The man was happy to return to his work after doing almost nothing.
"All things well." Responded Cale, as the three walked out of the worksho-ahem-cathedral.
***
A few hours later, the women bid farewell to the gentleman and stepped into their big house. Well, big is an understatement.
This has to be a mansion or something, is this family that rich?
They were greeted by an old butler, which was questionably tall, even towering over the above-average height Evelyn.
He looked a bit uneasy and the headmaid, who also appeared on their arrival,was concerned.
Amanises greeted them, answered a few questions about her wellbeing then started retreating to her room upstairs, leaving her mother to soothe the concerns of the servants.
Walking down the left hall of the second floor she glanced at the portraits decorating the walls. The faces were all known to her. They were her brother, father and grandparents, of course.
Diving more into Evelyn's memories, Amanises found more answers to all of this wealth and the current family situation.
Even though it was not very happy.
Evelyn's father died when she was young. She remembered him as an upstanding gentleman, who was always busy with family affairs but even then, he managed his time to spend it with his two children.
He valued honesty and justice above all else, working as a Master of Arms, training soldiers and knights. He was truly an outstanding person, a role model for her and her brother.
Speaking of her brother, after their father's death, he inherited his position for 10 years, working dutifully. He was quite secretive but also protective of his family. This caused small disputes to rise between the siblings.
Evelyn was always concerned for her brother's well-being, always noticing when he lacked sleep by his paleness and prominent eye bags.
This was one of the multiple reasons for their fighting. But still, she cared a lot for her brother, and he did the same. After some given time, one would approach the other to talk it out. And so, the cycle continued.
Until one day, a military officer came to deliver the news of his passing. They all refused to give a clear reason and instead only brought his corpse back.
With his passing, all ties to the Royal Family were cut, their income became unstable and the noble status was revoked.
That was seven years ago...
Remembering all of those details brought Amanises a headache, so she quickened her pace towards her room, where she slammed the door shut and locked it.
Now finally I can try it. My heart has been beating nervously for a while, I'm filled with anticipation.
She took a glance at her bedroom door, but her eyes were actually looking in the direction for the first floor, where her mother should still be discussing with the servants.
There's no use in delaying it. Even if Evelyn doesn't come back, as long as I make it home it'll be fine.
She sat down on the carpeted floor and took a meditative stance. Her body relaxed and her shoulders dropped, silky black hair covering them.
In her mind, the words appeared one after another in English.
The Immortal Lord of Heaven and Earth for Blessings;
The Sky Lord of Heaven and Earth for Blessings; The Exalted Thearch of Heaven and Earth for Blessings; The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.
When she finished reciting it, she opened an eye and scanned the room.
Her heart was filled with disappointment and she shrunk back.
Nothing happened. She noted with a sigh.
Then as quick as lighting, her whole body was enveloped by a falling sensation, countless muted voices filled her ears, assaulting her mind. For a second everything stopped as if frozen in time, time continued on and then stopped again. For a thousand times all within a second.
Gasp!
She opened her eyes again, looking at the floor. Or, what was supposed to be the floor, since it did not feel like solid matter at all.
Instead it was all covered in grayish-white fog. It felt like she was standing on a cloud.
Where am I? What is this place?
Amanises raised her head and looked around. In front of her stood a long bronze table with multiple high-back chairs.
It looked like a majestic palace, one that could only appear in a fantasy game.
What do I do?
She got up and made a step to check out the place but quickly froze in her spot. For she hadn't taken in account the mysterious person sitting at the far end of that long table.