Chapter 137: Two Parasites

"Are you certain this man is an actual attorney?" Jon asked, his voice laced with a hint of suspicion.

Caroline's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?" she inquired, her voice a mix of curiosity and concern.

Jon waved off her question with a dismissive hand. "Never mind that. Just bring him here. But first..." His voice trailed off as he summoned a swirling orb of fire in his palm, the flames dancing with a life of their own. With a flick of his wrist, the old lady's body was reduced to nothing but dust and memories, leaving no trace of her existence behind.

This wasn't about the soul chip exchange; Jon had other plans. Cecily's soul was a treasure trove of voodoo secrets, and he was a collector of such arcane knowledge. After all, in his world, knowledge was power, and power was survival.

Caroline's scream pierced the silence, a stark contrast to Nancy's unflinching gaze. It was clear that Nancy had seen more than her fair share of the world's darkness.

***

The trio made their way into the house, the grandeur of the exterior belied by the gloom within. Caroline led them through the maze of corridors, her master key jingling with each step. The convenience of such a key was not lost on them; it was the skeleton key to the manor's many locked secrets.

With a soft click, the door swung open, revealing the room's sole occupant. An old man lay on the bed, his body so still he could have been mistaken for a corpse. But as Caroline stepped closer, a subtle movement caught her eye—the faint twitch of the old man's fingers.

"Hey, Ben!" she whispered tenderly, her voice a soothing balm in the shadowy room. Caroline had been robbed of the chance to care for her own father, a wound that time had done little to heal. Now, she poured all her pent-up love and devotion into caring for Ben, hoping to find some solace in her self-appointed role as his guardian.

"Don't worry, they're here to help you," she reassured the old man, casting a glance back at Jon and Nancy.

Caroline stepped back, her heart pounding with a mix of fear and anticipation. Jon, with his usual calmness, flipped open the ancient tome cradled in his hands—the Darkhold. Its pages, as old as time itself, whispered secrets that few dared to utter.

He thumbed through the brittle pages until he found the incantation he sought. The words, foreign yet familiar, began to spill from his lips, a soft murmur that seemed to resonate with the very walls of the room.

The Darkhold was his crutch in this world of unknown magic, a guide through the Marvel Universe's mystical labyrinth. As Jon's chant grew in intensity, the spell lifted from the pages, its fiery runes hanging in the air like stars in a night sky. Caroline watched, her earlier shock now replaced with a sense of wonder.

The runes, ablaze with otherworldly energy, descended upon Ben's forehead, sinking into his skin as if it were water. The old man's body convulsed, his back arching off the bed as he was pulled from the grip of an unseen terror.

"Save... save me!" The plea tore from Ben's lips, his voice raw with fear.

His eyes snapped open, darting around the room in wild desperation. He was a man clawing his way out of a nightmare.

Caroline rushed to his side, her voice a soothing lullaby amidst the chaos. "Hey, Ben! It's okay, don't be afraid, you're safe now."

His hand latched onto hers, his grip desperate. "Please, save me..."

"Talk to me, Ben, how can we save you?" Caroline urged, her eyes searching his.

"Please... take me away from here!" he gasped, each word a struggle against the weight of his dread.

Jon cut through the tension with the sharpness of his authority. "There's no need for that now! The old lady is dead, she can't hurt you anymore."

He stepped closer, his gaze piercing. "Tell me, what is your name?"

Caroline, misunderstanding, began to interject, "His name is Ben—"

But Jon's interruption was swift, "No, he's not Ben. What's your real name?"

The old man, now known as Luke, met Jon's stare. After a tense silence, he uttered, "I... my name is Luke... Luke Matthew!"

Caroline's mind reeled. "What? That's impossible, Luke is not—"

"Mrs. Devereaux's real estate lawyer, correct?" Jon finished for her, his eyes never leaving Luke's face.

The realization hit Caroline like a wave. Luke, the lawyer, in league with Mrs. Devereaux? It was a possibility she hadn't considered.

Her memory sparked, and she gasped, "Oh no, no! I just called him over!"

Jon's smile was thin, knowing. "That's perfect. He's walked right into our trap."

Caroline's confusion was palpable. "You... you knew all along?!"

"Exactly," Jon confirmed with a nod. "I knew you wouldn't believe it without seeing it for yourself. So I had to make the real Luke proof it."

***

Then, With the assistance of the genuine Luke, Jon disclosed to Caroline the full extent of the horror they were entangled in, which mirrored the plot of the movie.

The truth was that Mrs. Devereaux and the supposed lawyer were actually the voodoo practitioners Cecily and Justify in disguise.

These two had served in the house years ago, dabbling in dark magic that allowed them to exchange souls with others. Driven by their own selfish desires, they preyed on the innocent children of the house's owner, performing a heinous soul swap. Tragically, it was the owner's children who perished in the fire that day.

From then on, under their new identities, they took over the estate and continued their vile cycle, enticing young people with offers of adoption or employment as nannies, only to steal their bodies when they aged. Caroline was the latest body Cecily had earmarked for herself.

Caroline, absorbing Jon's revelations, exhaled a sigh of relief. Had Jon not arrived when he did, she might have been ensnared in Cecily's wicked plot. With Ben corroborating the story, her doubts evaporated.

"So, what's our next move?" Caroline inquired, her voice steady but urgent.

"First, we restore Luke to his rightful body," Jon declared, then strode to the window, pulling the curtains aside with a swift motion.

***

At that moment, a car rolled onto the estate grounds, and a young man in a suit stepped out.

This was the imposter, Papa Justify, masquerading as the estate lawyer Luke Matthew.

"Time to confront him," Jon announced, leading the way downstairs with Nancy and Caroline in tow.

As they reached the door, the faux Lawyer Luke greeted them with a practiced smile.

"Hey, Caroline, what's the trouble?! Need my assistance with something?" Luke inquired, his smile faltering as his gaze landed on Jon and Nancy.

"Who are these people?!" he demanded, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"Bewitched Sleep!" Jon enchanted, brandishing his Elder wand. With a swift incantation, he cast a spell, ensnaring Luke in its soporific embrace.

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