Chapter 14

They always say knowledge is power. And some people may joke that power corrupts, and therefore, knowledge corrupts. That being said, all the knowledge he had just gained had done, was make him feel even more uncomfortable with the whole situation. Mainly because, the answer to his first question, had made his…predicament…even more problematic.

His first question of his Evil Eye, had been regarding the Awakened One title. It seemed a strange thing to call him, and he’d notice the Drakeling had called him that as well. So, Henry had been curious if that was just the D.E.D.’s way of referring to Exorcists. That was the answer he’d expected, and that would have quickly satisfied his curiosity. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Awakened One, it seemed, was a title reserved by the D.E.D. for a human with the highest possible resonation with the other dimensions’ frequencies. In other words, it was a title reserved for humans with the greatest potential when it came to harnessing and growing a D.E.D.’s power. In other words, with that simple question, Henry learned he wasn’t just some other Exorcist. He also learned that Loki, and Emelia, had been underplaying his potential power. According to the Evil Eye, he would one day have the power to harness Tiered Demon’s and forces even greater than those…if he survived that long.

That was the other part that left him feeling sick, his beer forgotten on the table. An Awakened one, according to the Evil Eye, shone like a beacon to all the other D.E.D. If a D.E.D. were to feast on an Awakened One, they could instantly evolve themselves into a stronger D.E.D. from their given evolution tree. Additionally, because of the potential threat Awakened One’s posed to Tiered Demons, there was often a bounty on their heads.

Which also meant, contrary to his initial thought, D.E.D. were less likely to work with an Awakened One. Because of the increased danger that surrounded an Awakened One, D.E.D. were cautious about forming pacts with them. Only if the D.E.D. actually believed in the individual’s latent power, and their ability to survive to that point, would they bond with an Awakened One. Otherwise, death would almost seem the better fate. That was because, according to his Evil Eye, any D.E.D. that formed a bond with an Awakened One, would immediately be seen as a threat by all the unbonded D.E.D. and tiered demons. Meaning even if the Awakened One died, and they survived, they would forever be marked, and hunted by their own kind.

In other words, the Evil Eye, and his new Drakeling, had intertwined their fates with his forever. Which caused him to have two additional thoughts. One, his appreciation for the Drakeling aggreging to pact with him, had grown even more, considering what the Drakeling was risking. But he also couldn’t help but wonder, and feel pity for, his Evil Eye. That demon had been transferred to him from Loki. The Evil Eye hadn’t had a choice, and now, the poor thing, the weakest of all types of demons, was entangled with Henry.

Worry not about me, Awakened One. The Evil Eye said calmly. Henry had been quiet ever since it had finished its explanation. And while he wasn’t certain how much the Evil Eye was connected with him through the bond, especially given its ability to speak with him telepathically, the creature obviously could tell something was weighing on him. Henry was an open book right now, there was no doubt about it.

”It’s just, it’s a lot to take in.” Henry said simply. This was definitely not how he’d expected his life to go. Then again, he supposed they never gave you the ‘be a part of a secret organization wielding demonic powers against interdimensional forces’ job as an option during career day.

The knowledge we have is vast. Our lore is long, and we’ve lifetimes that make yours seem fleeting, normally. That being said, it is painfully obvious to me, my own weakness. Still, the chance to serve an Awakened One, I never imagined I would have the opportunity. Much less serve two in such a short span.

That made Henry’s head snap. “Serve two?”

The Evil Eye nodded. That other individual, who called himself Loki to you, is also an Awakened One.

Henry rubbed his forehead. That made sense. Loki was ridiculously strong, that had been obvious from what Henry had observed. He wondered, given Loki’s status as an Awakened One if Loki was purposefully even more cautious about sharing his real identity with the other exorcists. That seemed like a wise thing to do. Henry knew all too well how cruel humans could be, and also the fact that humans, almost always, got jealous of those with greater…whatevers than the others had.

That was common in human history. No matter what the person, no matter what their goal, their mission, their disposition, there were always those who hungered for what they had. And given the power potential Awakened Ones had, Henry had no doubt, even in the D.E.D. Exorcists ranks, there would be those who sought to steal that power somehow.

Which was of course, an even more important reason to keep D.E.D. collections a secret. Because just as Loki had transferred the Evil Eye to Henry, there was apparently the ability to trade and transfer D.E.D. to any other exorcist. Whether or not they could utilize that D.E.D., obviously was dependent on the individual’s D.E.D. points, but Henry had no doubt some unsavory types would try and collect rare and powerful D.E.D., just to say they had them, even if it were impossible for them to summon.

And speaking of summoning D.E.D., Henry took a deep breath, and looked back to his app. There was something he needed to do. Something he’d planned on doing already, but had been…distracted from, following his conversation with his Evil Eye. He took another breath, then grabbed his beer, wincing at the realization he’d let it get warm. Warm beer was disgusting, and he nearly spit it back into the bottle. Forcing the lukewarm liquid down his throat, he held his thumb on the app at the summon location, focusing his energy on it. Essence flowed from his arm into the phone, which started to glow and let out the buzz he now knew was the D.E.D. frequency. A moment later, it was no longer just Henry and his Evil Eye in the room. Instead, a third figure now stood in the room.

We meet again, Awakened One.