Morning hit with a weird knocking sound. Ethan cracked one eye open and stared at the ceiling. The sound wasn't around him—it was inside his freaking skull.
"Awaken, brave warrior! The sun's already high in the sky and yet you slumber in disgrace?"
He sat up instantly, hand on his forehead. "Ugh… I don't have a fever, but why does my head feel like a rock?"
Fayra, busy burning toast to a crisp, glanced back at him. "Well, look who's finally up! Last night you were mumbling like a maniac. We almost sent you to that potion-witch across the mountain."
Ethan didn't answer. The voice inside his head groaned again.
"How rude! A lady dares speak so discourteously beside a resting knight? Is this what honor's come to?!"
Ethan squinted at Fayra. "You… don't have a sword, right?"
She raised an eyebrow. "What?"
He quickly looked away. "…Never mind. Probably still dreaming."
Selena walked in with a mug of tea. "Please don't start acting weird again. We've got planning to do, not babysit you through a midlife brain meltdown."
But before Ethan could respond, the voice in his head piped up again:
"Who is this insolent woman that dares speak to you in such a tone? Name her, and I shall challenge her to a noble duel!"
Ethan smacked his own temple. "Shut up already, damn it!"
Everyone turned to look at him. Fayra blinked. "Aaand now it's official. He's sick in the head."
Luna mumbled, "I'll go whip up a headache potion…"
Ethan tried to smile. "No, no, I'm fine. Just had… a weird dream."
The voice, now dead serious, whispered,
"It was no dream, noble one. I—Sir Galwin of House Pendragon—have taken residence within your mortal form to—"
Ethan groaned. "—To what? Deliver dramatic speeches from my frontal lobe?"
"To revive honor! To shine the light of justice upon this cursed world! To—"
Ethan grabbed his pillow and whacked himself in the face.
Alice walked in with a basket full of mushrooms and laughed. "Oh gods, you're still not better? Or is the pillow attacking you now too?"
Ethan muttered, "Alice… there's a freakin' knight talking inside my head…"
She raised a brow. "Well. That's… a very specific flavor of crazy."
But her smile faded. Something in the way Ethan acted… didn't seem normal.
That night, while everyone else was asleep, Alice snuck down to her little underground storage room. She lit a faint magical lantern and pulled a notebook from under a loose brick. Scribbled on the cover:
"Home Exorcism Workshop – Version 2.3"
She grinned. "Alright, if there really is a cursed spirit stuck in his head, I'm gonna find it. Nobody messes with my best friend. Especially not when our world-domination plans aren't even halfway done yet!"
Alice vs. The Brain Knight
Alice was fully prepared. She wore big lab goggles, an old white coat with a few ink stains on it, and held a strange machine that looked like a teapot with an antenna on top, glowing softly.
While bending over in her small underground lab, she whispered to herself,
"If this is real… if there's really a ghost in his head, then it should leave some kind of magical trace… or maybe just smell like old, dusty history."
Just then, Ethan's voice shouted from upstairs:
"By the power of the knights, take this evil iron monster away from me!"
Selena yelled from the kitchen, "It's a TOASTER, Ethan! Just a toaster! For the tenth time!"
Alice quickly opened her old notebook and typed:
Sign #5: Scared of normal kitchen stuff – Reason: Maybe a ghost from the Middle Ages.
She smiled. "Okay, time to start the mission!"
Later that day, Alice quietly walked behind Ethan while hiding her little device—which looked a bit like a garden water sprayer. She wanted to check if it could sense ghost energy.
Ethan was just about to eat a sandwich when he suddenly shouted,
"Strange lady! What kind of magic tool is that? Are you trying to trap my soul?!"
Fayra looked at him suspiciously. "Wait… did you just say soul?"
Ethan laughed nervously. "No, no—I meant… um… grape soda! Yeah! Soul Grape Soda!"
Alice whispered to herself, "Grape soda? That's the best excuse you could think of?"
Then everything went wrong.
Ethan walked into the bathroom. Everyone thought, Finally, he's taking a normal shower. But a minute later, he screamed:
"Demon! You dare throw fire-water at me?! I challenge you!"
Then he broke the shower pipe with an old broom.
Water flooded the whole first floor.
Selena shouted, "ETHAN! What did you just DO?!"
Fayra closed her eyes and said, "Please, someone tie him to a wall."
Luna tried to calm them down. "Guys, relax… maybe he really is sick…"
But Alice, writing notes like she was working on a secret project, whispered,
"If this ghost doesn't leave by tomorrow night, I'll have to clean him out myself… Just a small exorcism. Like… a relaxing brain massage. With holy salt."
That night, when Ethan finally went to sleep, Alice sneaked into his room. She turned on her device. A soft green light started glowing, and the screen said:
Strange magical energy found – Ghost type: Old Knight – 8th century
Alice stared at the screen. "Wow… there really IS a knight living in your brain, you ridiculous boy."
She smiled. "Alright. Time to make a plan. I'll trick that knight into walking out of your head all by himself…"
Meanwhile, inside Ethan's mind…
The knight—Sir Galwin—was lying on a royal bed made of brain cells, smiling with joy.
"What a perfect life! So much food, kind ladies, and the only enemies are metal toast-makers! Thank you, fate, for sending me to this wonderful body!"
Alice opened her special notebook, drew a few funny doodles with colored pencils, and whispered to herself:
"Operation Knight-Slayer has officially begun! Step one: Fool him with honor!"
The next morning, Alice walked into Ethan's room with a serious look on her face. Fayra, Luna, and Selena were all sitting around him. Ethan, still wrapped in a blanket like a polite little ghost, was staring at the walls.
Alice gave a mysterious smile and said,
"I've heard… I've heard that the Great Knight of the Land of Light is hiding inside this body."
Ethan answered in full knight-mode,
"And who are you, my lady? A witch with fire in her eyes, or a messenger of the Light?"
Fayra buried her face in her hands and groaned.
"He's getting worse. Help."
Alice didn't drop her act for a second and continued,
"Oh noble knight… we need your help. Princess Isolda, daughter of King Barin, has been taken by a wicked dragon! Only a true knight can save her!"
Ethan jumped up immediately.
"By the heavens! The dragons have returned?! It is my honor to charge into danger!"
Selena whispered,
"Does he really think he's about to fight a dragon?"
Alice muttered back,
"No, sweetie… we're sending him to the backyard. Where our fake dragon is waiting."
Alice and Luna had built a "dragon" using a few springs, a big green balloon, some green smoke spray, a broken broomstick, and an old party hat. Every time it moved, it made a weird rattling sound.
Fayra stood by the door, trying not to laugh.
"If this creepy ghost runs away from our plan, I swear I'll build a golden statue of Alice."
Ethan (or should we say, the brain-knight) ran outside with a wooden sword, shouting:
"Draaaagon! I, Sir Orlando the Seventh, have come to punish you for your crimes!"
The fake dragon shook and let out a "Grrrrrr!" noise (which was actually Luna behind a bush, making the sound with her throat).
Ethan screamed and heroically jumped at the dragon… but his foot got caught in the garden hose, and he slipped straight into the muddy pond.
Silence.
Then everyone burst out laughing. Fayra had tears in her eyes.
"Oh nooo, he just lost to a balloon!"
Alice ran up with her scanner, quickly turned it on and said,
"This is it… either the ghost leaves now, or he starts to suspect me and everything falls apart!"
Right as the green light from the scanner hit Ethan's head, he twitched, blinked, and finally spoke in his own voice:
"Ugh… why does it smell like burnt balloon? And… why am I soaking wet?"
Everyone froze.
Alice, eyes wide, whispered:
"No way… did the knight actually leave?"
Selena smiled.
"Maybe he did. Or maybe he just… went to take a shower inside Ethan's brain."
Ethan, looking completely confused, asked:
"Okay, serious question—why am I lying in mud, and why is one of you making dragon noises from a bush?!"
Fayra laughed so hard she almost fell over.
"Come on, babe. Let me explain everything… from the very beginning!"
She took his hand and led him back inside.
Alice, still staring at her scanner, mumbled to herself:
"Step one: complete. But I've got a feeling… this isn't over yet. That knight might still be hiding somewhere… deep in his brain."
And just then, a soft voice echoed in Ethan's head:
"Lady Fayra… is this the ancient supper hall? What a lovely scent of baked bread…"
Ethan whispered, horrified:
"No… no… he's still here… he's still here!"
It was early morning. Ethan was standing on the rooftop, wearing a cooking pot as a helmet and holding a giant spoon like a sword. The wind blew dramatically in his face, and his towel-cape flapped behind him as he gave a heroic speech:
"People of the Land of Light! I, Sir Ethan, heir to the Sacred Pot-Sword, shall stand against the armies of darkness!"
Meanwhile, Alice was under the stairs, setting up a weird ritual with candles, some rocks, and an old book. She'd taped a sign on the wall that read:
"Semi-Secret Workshop: Home Exorcisms (Friends Only)"
Fayra, Selena, and Luna were watching from the window. Luna whispered,
"If this actually works, I swear I'll never laugh at Alice again."
Fayra mumbled,
"You literally called her a second-rate magician last night."
Luna smirked.
"Well, she kinda was…"
Alice finally managed to calm Ethan down with a cup of weird green herbal tea. Once he stopped yelling about dragons, she stood up and shouted:
"Let the exorcism begin!"
Everyone gathered around. A puff of green smoke filled the air, and suddenly a yawning voice came from Ethan's mouth:
"Ohh finally… free from this squishy body… I can return to the 8th century… wait a minute—where's my golden armor?!"
Fayra's eyes went wide.
"Wait… it's really a ghost?!"
The spirit floated up toward the sky, still talking.
"It was a fun little trip! Just… maybe next time, ask before you loan someone's brain out! My back still hurts!"
And then—poof! He disappeared like steam into the morning air.
Everyone stood there in silence for a few seconds. Then Ethan, now back to his normal self, blinked and asked:
"Why am I in pajamas? Why do I have a pot on my head? And why does my mouth taste like incense?!"
Selena crossed her arms.
"Okay, long story short—some knight ghost took over your brain, we had to exorcise it, and now you're fine!"
Ethan looked around, sighed, and said,
"Well… at least nobody saw, right?"
Alice held up her phone, showing a picture of him with the pot helmet.
"Depends what you mean by 'nobody'…"