"Demons… from London?"
Raymond's mind flashed through many stories from this world—especially those tied to Europe—and began connecting the Exorcist sub-personality's words with what he knew.
And surprisingly, some things started to click.
He hadn't considered this angle before, mostly because Mia didn't seem suspicious at all.
It wasn't until the Exorcist suddenly spoke up that Raymond realized this girl might not be so ordinary.
With his understanding of this world's background, two highly likely possibilities came to mind:
Werewolves and Vampires.
In this world, both werewolves and vampires were real. They weren't just myths or bedtime stories.
Like mutants, Inhumans, sorcerers, and other powered groups, werewolves and vampires were part of the supernatural fabric of the world.
Raymond had already interacted with plenty of mutants—even the two girls traveling with him were mutants.
He had developed a decent ability to sense the difference between a mutant and a regular person.
If Mia were a mutant, he would've noticed.
But if she was a werewolf or a vampire, it made sense that he hadn't detected anything—because he hadn't encountered those types before.
The reason Raymond could so quickly link Mia and her two "bodyguards" to werewolves or vampires was that, in Europe, those were the two main superpowered groups that matched the Exorcist's "demon" description.
From an Eastern perspective, calling vampires or werewolves demons wasn't wrong.
There was also the distinction between individual superpowered beings and superpowered species or factions.
For example, characters like the Hulk or Spider-Man were individuals whose powers came from unique accidents. Their conditions weren't repeatable or shared by others.
But mutants and sorcerers followed a shared system—entire groups with similar powers and traits.
Werewolves and vampires were the same: not unique accidents, but entire communities.
And since the Exorcist described all three—Mia and her two protectors—with the same label, that meant they probably weren't just random superpowered individuals.
That narrowed the options even further. When it came to Europe, werewolves and vampires were the most likely candidates.
But which one were they?
Raymond looked at Mia with growing curiosity, though he still wasn't sure.
Among all his sub-personalities, only John Constantine likely had any direct experience with vampires and werewolves—since the DC universe also had them.
But John was far away in Nepal at the moment, and Raymond wasn't about to recall him just for something this minor.
"I'll ask him later when we're alone," Raymond decided, pushing the thought aside for now.
Over an hour later, Raymond and the girls were already on the plane, waiting for takeoff.
Clarice and Lorna were visibly excited.
It was their first time flying first class on an international flight, and also the first time leaving North America. All the emotions piled together, making it hard for them to sit still.
Mia, on the other hand, sat calmly not far away—clearly used to flying around often.
Though she was the same age as the other two girls, her life was clearly very different.
Raymond also noticed that even Mia's two "invisible bodyguards" had first-class tickets. That alone confirmed that her family was really wealthy.
"Looks like she's probably a vampire…" Raymond muttered in his mind with curiosity.
In most stories and legends, vampires were depicted as noble and refined, while werewolves were more often seen as brutish, wild, and rugged.
Considering how Mia's family didn't mind paying for first-class tickets for her guards, it lined up well with the refined, high-status image of a vampire.
At this point, Raymond was 70% sure—Mia and her two protectors were likely vampires.
Just then, a familiar ding echoed in his mind as a system notification popped up:
[You have encountered A-rank 'Villain' Kaecilius. Exploration Points +50]
[Exploration Points can be converted into Universal Points to unlock different system functions.]
"Kaecilius?" Raymond blinked in surprise, then quickly remembered who that was.
Kaecilius—the former disciple of the Ancient One, senior to Doctor Strange, and ultimately his first major enemy.
He was swayed by the dark lord Dormammu and eventually betrayed the Ancient One, becoming one of Dormammu's puppets—before being devoured by the Dark Dimension.
Of course, that was just one possible outcome in one of many parallel universes.
In this world, even if Raymond hadn't shown up, Kaecilius's fate might have turned out differently.
Still, the possibility existed.
Raymond was sure Kaecilius wasn't on the plane with him—he didn't see anyone fitting the description.
But the system wouldn't issue such a prompt without reason.
"Must be something on John's side…"
Raymond quickly guessed what had happened.
Just like when he personally ran into major characters and earned rewards, his sub-personality's clones could also trigger system rewards when interacting with key figures or progressing the plot.
After all, they were all part of the same person.
Understanding the situation, Raymond closed his eyes again and shifted his consciousness.
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared in the body currently controlled by John's sub-personality.
From John's viewpoint, Raymond now saw a figure cloaked in gray robes standing nearby.
"Looks like you've found something," Raymond said with a smile.
"You know this guy?" John's sub-personality caught something in Raymond's tone.
"Not exactly, but I'm pretty sure he's from Kamar-Taj. It's up to you now…"
With Raymond's confirmation, John's sub-personality switched gears and went on full alert.
He narrowed his eyes at the gray-robed figure and asked cautiously, "Who are you?"
"You've been asking about Kamar-Taj?" the man said in a low, gravelly voice.
"What's that to you?" John didn't confirm or deny, instead throwing the question back.
"If your answer satisfies me, I might take you there," the man said with a calm, chilling chuckle. "Of course, if you don't want to talk, I won't force you…"
"You're from Kamar-Taj?" John asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
"I said what I said. Believe it or not, that's up to you."
John hesitated, then answered half-truthfully: "I heard Kamar-Taj is a sacred place for sorcerers, so I wanted to visit… just didn't know where to find it."
This time, it was the gray-robed man's turn to look surprised.
Join .com/AHumanMadeMOFO to read ahead!