Edited by: tommyjl7

The devil’s screams echoed across the cellar as his existence was being slowly sucked from this realm by the twisted plant. You can’t kill devil, at least not permanently. Just like angels and spirits - they are manifestations of certain traits or aspects, usually being part of their name. Ageroshi – the frenzy unbound - as long as there was a single existence which would keep losing his or her sanity, that would give up to most carnal, brutal animal-like instincts, he would continue to exist. At least in hell, till he would manage to reform his shape.

But it did not mean that we couldn’t harm him. Exorcism, pure metal (or corrupted in case you wanted to damage an angel) spells of opposing elements, protective sigils and glyphs – these are only few of many ways to defend yourself from celestial beings influence. They were meant to disturb their physical manifestations in our realm and ward them off.

But this plant, this unholy plant, was literally draining his existence off this world, reducing his spiritual powers, like a leech drinking the blood off the body till only a shell would remain.

But again, devil is a huge spiritual being, and such a tiny plant would require hours, if not days, to reduce fire of his existence to nothing but embers. You could compare it to trying to burn whole body with nothing but the flame of a single candle. As you can easily say – very slow process. And very agonizing too.

The tentacle-like roots within a minute became bigger, stronger, thicker strengthening their hold over captured prey. At the same time the seed started to grow as it sprouted a stalk. Oh, the irony - the flower that grew thanks to darkness and suffering was stunningly beautiful.

The stalk was sliver, almost white, two leaves that grew on the sides were so thin, that appeared to be transparent. Wonderful rose-like petals only darkened on the ends with blood-like crimson ended the show blooming to attention.

Oh, what a wonderful phenomenon would it be, if not the roots attached to the werewolf whose eyes and mouth were open wide dropping drool with spume as if having a serious seizure attack.

The flower shut its petals changing into a bud. The bud was shaking, moving like an existence made of flesh as it kept growing. I waited a minute before ripping it off the plant. After the top part of the plant was cut down, it completely died. Just like that. Within seconds leaves and stalk crumbled and turn into dust as it was deprived of the part in which whole life-giving darkness was stored.

I took the part of plant which was attached under the werewolf’s heart and started pulling. Root gave up after the flower died, right now I was pulling out a single tongue-like organ hidden within a seed which rooted into the heart.

Devil passed out. Seeing that Jasper picked a bucket standing in the corner and splashed it over the beast.

- “Carefully, Jaspy, we don’t want to damage sigils.” Rupert hissed after checking if water didn’t harm writing on the floor made with chalk

Beast wheezing inhaled loudly.

- “How did you come into our world…” leader of brotherhood started again “… why this particular village. And where. Is. Johann.”

He wasn’t even asking. The words he spoke were deprived of any emotions as he communicates.

- “Fuck. Off.” Devils hissed in exactly same tone.

I moved bit closer to the Devil and brought bud before his face.

- “Do you know what is inside?” I asked calmly. He knew. “… Inside, there are seeds. Not just one. This plant produces from four to eight offsprings. For now, they are dormant, still growing within a shell, but as I violated their growing-up speed they will be ready in minutes. Right now you have a moment to catch your breath… and stop it. All we want is an answer to three simple questions, then you will be allowed to get back where you came from. Face it, you already lost. Whatever you wanted to achieve is…”

- “I cannot leave!” monster growled after a moment “… pact is absolute! Our existence is based on truth, when we promise doing something we literally cannot leave until we succeed, completely fail or the other side of the pact would release us from our biddings! I. Cannot. Leave.”

- “But your pact was done, wasn’t it? You fulfilled your end of a bargain with Marie and Joha… That’s not the deal you are talking about, is it?”

The monster did not respond. He just kept staring at me.

- “And apparently you are forced not to reveal the details either.”

No matter how much we harmed him, he couldn’t answer most of the question. He would literally choke on his words, his fingers would break if he would try writing the message and so on. He cannot disobey.

- “Let’s reverse the order of the questions…” I said putting the bud on the ground, very closely to the werewolf, as the seeds would grow they would find their way to the werewolf by their own “… we tried to understand how he got in here and what he wanted to do here, instead, we should focus on who summoned him here and for what rea… Wait. He had to be summoned. Summoning requires magic… or a very, very bad luck.”

There is a saying, don’t call the devil’s name for he may answer. That’s not just a way to lecture people to not curse, but actually a warning. Emotions are a form of magic too. If someone felt betrayed, for example: backstabbed by companion, while bleeding out he could yell something like

From pain, hatred and blood loss an avenger would be born – a commutation of negative power – a lesser devil whose only purpose would be to hunt down the cursed.

- “Rupert, ask the elder if there wasn’t someone in the village that wished it wrong, casted aside lover, child deprived of family heritage or literally anyone that…”

I stopped and once again looked at the devil. He was sitting silent.

- “It’s not the case, is it? It wasn’t a wild summoning, wasn’t it?...” silence was my answer “…You are a frenzy unbound. Not hatred, not sorrow. Your existence serves only one purpose – wrecking havoc, not collecting debts. Also, if you were here to avenge someone, it would be your duty to make the cursed know what he is dying for… yet you are not uttering a single word. There is someone studying demonology here…”

- “Wait a moment.” Jasper stepped closer “… Devils can have only one pact at the time - he had one with that witch, so…”

- “Unless forming the second pact is required to fulfill the previous one…” that was only a speculation, yet a growl of approval from the chair ensured me I was on the right lead. “… the question is, who could benefit on summoning a devil and making him terrorize the village? He has been causing only harm, so… No. Another question needs to be asked. Who COULD summon him? When you are intentionally summoning the devil you need to have a mana source… wasn’t Marie the only magic caster in this village?”

- “Foolish shortsighted mortals…” Ageroshi hissed “… have you already forgot your whole chain of thoughts? Many things may be used as a substitute for mana. Offerings. Sacrifices. Dedications. Vows. Blood…. And many more.”

By many more, he meant the one that he couldn’t mention. The one that would lead us to the culprit. And everything became obvious. Pieces of puzzles just started fitting. The way he was summoned, the reason why he was summoned, the person that would actually gain on devilish influence despite the casualties. The person that would rise in ranks of the village. Just like a firefighter setting a house in fire just to later put it down, so he would be worshiped as a savior. A bloody hero-syndrome.

- “Rupert, I think I know who did that. Mind following me? Also, leave some boys here, just in case. We don’t want someone to release the devil, do we?”

I took a bud and put it into the box, same sigil-covered box in which the claw was previously stored, before putting it away. I looked at the remaining hunters.

- “Watch over these seeds. Guard them better than your own life… and even the devil. These motherfuckers are not supposed to leave the box ever again, you hear me? Do not use them by yourself, otherwise, the harm could never be undone.”

- “What are you going to do with these after we would be done?” Rupert asked. I understood his concern. These bastards were dangerous.

- “Destroy them. Permanently.”I admitted with no hesitation.

- “That’s sad. They could help greatly with fighting against evil creatures. Werewolves, vampires… applied quickly they could save hundreds of existence on the edge of possession…”

- “As well as kill thousands which were just born with a dark element, Rupert. There are people that were cursed, that are carrying a seed of evil within them not because of their own fault. These seeds cannot be trained like a hounds to chase only the creatures we want them to. They will go after every source of darkness. For every 10 people saved there will be thousand that would suffer. Look at them. In an hour from one four to eight more would grew. If a single seed would end in a pond corrupted with a miasma, how many of them would be made in the very next day?”

- “That can’t be that ma…” Rupert tried defending his opinion

- “After an hour - 4, after two – 16, after three -64, after four -256, but hey, we speed up now, the following numbers are – 1024, 4096 and 16384. And we have reached only seven hours Rupert. Seven. Taking in consideration that they would give only four seeds each. After a night a whole corrupted forest would grow Rupert! After a month it could take over a whole continent! It is THAT bad!”

- “You are forgetting that they are requiring darkness to grow, with no food they would just stop eating…”

- “They won’t.”

- “Ha?”

- “There are two main ways of surviving, when the predator is lacking prey in his area – one, change the area, two – change the prey. In the moment there would be no more darkness to feast upon, they would start widening their range and attacking other life forms. Normally, such things requires centuries… but I have enchanted its life-span. For this… abomination, centuries take few days. It would keep growing more resistant toward harmful sources… and… why am I even explaining this to you? Rupert. These seeds are my property. And I decided to destroy it…”

We have already left Johann’s house and started moving toward the village center.

- “… I have lost my temper. I made a mistake…” I kept talking, more to myself than Rupert, though the older man did turn his face toward me “…These few sleepless nights corrupted my way of thinking. I wanted to end this matter as fast as possible so I went for a shortest possible route – tortures. I should have stopped and started thinking. DAMN! We had all clues right in front of our faces…. These things… I should have not created them. I should have not…”

If I would just focus for a moment I could have reached the same conclusion faster. These plants… they were my children. I raised them with my own mana and shaped them with my own imagination. I felt them. Literally. If I would close my eyes and started meditating I could find it with no hesitation. They were like a single grain of rice in the desert of life, yet I could always tell them apart. I felt them, their life was pulsating under my skin… and it kept making me feel sick.

They needed to be put down. Cleansed in fire. I had to destroy it in the way that wouldn’t leave even ashes behind, and such thing requires time. As soon as I would deal with my businesses in the village – I mean punishing culprit – I would take my sweet time destroying the bud…. And maybe, just to be sure, I would burn the ground around the altar for the fourth time. Just in case.