Anomalous (Yanderes x reader)

[48] Exorcism

"Writing again?"

A woman murmured sleepily as she entered a dimly lit living room, putting on a night robe to combat the night's cold air. She approached the couch where she saw her son sitting with his knees close to his chest, a notepad resting on it and a pencil in hand. A little boy with a fluffy head of white hair––which had signs of obvious bedhead that would evoke a chuckle out of anyone––and silver eyes glanced over to the woman. With a short nod of his head, he replied,

"Yes."

"That's fine and all..." A yawn left the woman, her words slowing down a little towards the end. "Except for the fact that it's three in the morning, not a time for kids to be awake. Especially a growing boy, Shen."

Shen frowned. "But I was curious."

"Too curious to sleep?"

The child's attention slowly melted away from his mother as he went back to writing. "Mhm."

"And he's back to his little research." The woman chuckled, taking a seat on the sofa next to him. "What are you writing about?"

"I was curious about how animals and insects become apparitions."

"Oh? Let's hear it."

There was a little sparkle in the child's eye. His gaze didn't leave the paper, but he sat a little straighter. "We know that apparitions come from someone's strong will to survive, so much so that it goes past the typical norms of life and death."

When it came to Shen's research topics, the child could speak more eloquently than any adult.

"That means animals, especially wild ones, should show this the most. Based on that, I was thinking how the world would..." He paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. "Operate if it wasn't a city––like a jungle or something."

The mother's features softened adoringly and she ruffled her son's hair. "Look at you working your brain."

"I feel like you're teasing me..."

"I can assure you that I'm not." She laughed at Shen's doubtful pout. "Do you want to be a researcher when you grow up?"

This scene took place half a century ago. It was a time when the AEI didn't exist, but a research facility that ran tests on apparitions did. Exorcism responsibilities fell onto law enforcement, such as police officers and firefighters.

"I do." The child's eager actions betrayed his calm expression as he flipped a page before showing his mother his notepad. "Look, I drew diagrams and pictures."

"Oh!" The woman struggled to find the right words. "Those are... nice."

The child huffed quietly. "I'll improve."

Little spoiler here, but he never did.

"There are so many things I want to know, like if it's possible to work with apparitions or even survive several possessions," Shen rambled. "I don't like how people hate investigating questions around apparitions. There has to be a reason behind their existence and I want to understand it."

Shen's mother nodded, smiling supportively. However, her fingers did begin tapping against her thigh in worry. "Shen, I don't want to discourage you, but—"

"I know. I shouldn't say this to others, Dad makes it very clear." The child fiddled with his pencil, a frown on his lips. "But there has to be someone who thinks like me, or someone who can work with apparitions."

The woman smiled. "I'm sure you'll meet that someone."

"They should also like books," he added, a serious expression on his face. "Because I like books."