“Look, I have my hand full. Can’t it wait until morning?” The Doctor eyed the priest through his thick glasses. His name was James Watson. It was printed on a blue tag pinned above the chest pocket of his white overall.

“I’m afraid not,” Joseph replied. He took notice of Victoria checking up on the family sleeping nearby and giving away blesses crosses to ward off spirits. Despite the charity, he wanted to stop her. They had a limited amount. “The longer the spirit remains in this world, the more problem it will cause for the living. I understand that you are a man dedicated to science, but somewhere along the line, you must have seen the unexplained.”

Doctor Watson sighed wearily. He hadn’t slept once in the last 48 hours, not since the fire broke out in the nearby forest and destroyed many homes, including his. Luckily, his family was in town before the flames spread. Many of his neighbours weren’t so lucky. There was just something supernatural about the blaze. It seemingly crept towards populated area rather than spreading outwards.

He took off his glasses and gave it a clean wipe despite there was no visible stain. “To be honest… I didn’t believe it either, but after seeing it with my own eyes, I couldn’t explain otherwise.” He then took out a key bounded by rings from his pocket. He paused. “I don’t suppose you need me in there with you. Although it’s currently not locked, this key will open any door in the old building.”

Joseph nodded and took the key. “That will be fine. You are more suitable here, amongst those your expertise can be of use. Another question. When did the strange occurrence starts happening?”

Doctor Watson took a moment to think. “I say it started about a month ago. Nothing dangerous at first. Just doors opening on their own. Table and chairs shifted here and there. Some clothes went missing. It’s only recently that people started to see things. Horrible things.”

“What would these horrible things be?” Joseph asked.

“…” Doctor Watson shivered. He swallowed and recalled ghostly faces. They haunted the corridors in the old building and moved with dreadful silence. “Those that I’ve failed. Their faces. It’s like they… they… they…”

“Calm yourself doctor,” Joseph said. He gave a nod. “There is nothing to fear. Spirit plays tricks on the living and makes us see things that are not real. We will take care of it. Thank you for your time and cooperation.”

Doctor Watson nodded and hurriedly headed off to see another patient. He passed a hooded man along the way.

Erik paid the frightened doctor no mind and continued to listen in onto the priest and his nun from the distance. His enhanced hearing was surprisingly good. He could make out what they were saying despite all the noises and snoring. From what he could tell, they were obviously here for the girl in the morgue. He already knew she wasn’t a ghost thanked to Dell. She was someone who’d obtained the power to become invisible – or was it?

Erik gave some thoughts to her ability. If it was invisibility, her shadow shouldn’t be seen at all. While it only happened once, it was enough to tell him that her ability wasn’t what he’d thought. And now, the doctor claimed people were seeing things.

“Does she have multitude of powers? Is it possible to have multiple powers?” Erik asked. Sadly, Dell remained unresponsive. It had disappeared, even from the inner realm. Only William was there, still gathering woods and foods from tall grass surrounded the Headquarter. He earned 3 foods in all that time. Not a bad haul.

“Or maybe, her power has something to do with sight?” Erik stated and returned his attention to the two people further down the hall.

“Victoria,” Joseph said when the girl returned to his side. “You should only give it to those that is in need.”

“These people are in need,” Victoria said flatly. She looked around. There were so many people that needed protection. Sadly, she didn’t have many holy crosses in her possession. “What did the doctor say?”

“Nothing that we didn’t know already,” Joseph said and walked away, towards the morgue. Victoria followed him side by side. Erik trailed behind, far enough not to arouse any suspicion. “If it is a spirit, we will send it to rest. If it is a demon, we will send it back to Hell where it belongs.”

“And if it neither?” Victoria asked.

“We will capture it and bring it back with us,” Joseph said. His eyes darkened. “We must know what they are planning.”

“Is it not obvious?” Victoria stopped. She cocked her head over her shoulder, scanning and focusing on a cloaked man some distance away, too far to hear what they were saying. She returned her eyes back to Joseph. “The town is situated on a convergence. Strange unexplainable things are happening all over town, and that fire. The vile aura it gives off is suffocating. It is supernatural in origin.”

Joseph stopped. He gripped the bible tightly in his hands. “If they are trying to open the gate. This town is already lost.” He placed a hand on the nearby wall. “The wall has weakened considerably, in a couple more days, shadows will able to cross over. If they are actively breaking down the barrier, it not just shadows we have to deal with.”

“It doesn’t matter what,” Victoria said. There was a white glow surrounded her. The people nearby didn’t take any notice. “In front of the Lord, they will all perish.”

“In any case,” Joseph said and opened his bible. There was a faint golden light emanating from the pages. Again, only Erik and Victoria seemed to notice the glow. “We should quarantine the town for the worse. We cannot let any of them escape.”

Victoria nodded and cocked her head back. She eyed Erik suspiciously.

[Retreat, Erik. You don’t have the strength to fight her. If she realizes what you are, she will kill you]

Erik raised his head slightly. He couldn’t help but smiled at the familiar presence. Without question, he headed to a rest room and away from their view. “Welcome back. Where did you go?”

[That was very dangerous]

“Is that so? Care to explain?”

[…]

“No?” Erik questioned. “Okay. How are about this? You’re a demon, and you can’t stand to be in the presence of God?”

[…]

“Cat got your tongue?” Erik asked. “That just a figure of speech.”

[I am a Demon Spawn. You can take it literally. I am a spawn of a demon]

Erik frowned. He did make a deal with the devil! No. He was forced to against his will. His only other option was death. Knowing that he had a Demon Spawn inside him, death didn’t seem so bad. “Does that mean I’m going to hell?”

[Is that what you are worrying about?]

“Well, yeah, I don’t want to be tortured for all eternity,” Erik joked. He heard chuckling in his mind. It was the first time he heard Dell laughed. It sounded strangely human. “Did you just laugh?”

[You are a strange one, Erik Summers. Very well, let me let you in on a secret. The place called Hell is not what you think. It is not filled with fire and brimstone]

“How would you know? Have you been there yourself? Weren’t you just born like 2 days ago?”

[I have the memory of my predecessor. While he is a failure of a demon, allowing himself to be killed by your kinds and have his blood drained, he was still a demon and used to live in Hell]

“Oh? How do you know if your memory is real? They could be implanted by the one that killed your daddy,” Erik said.

[…]

“What? That could be the case, you know. And we are playing into someone’s hand,” Erik voiced his concern. He didn’t believe Luke or whoever Luke was working for would just let everyone wandered off without a way to recapture them all again. And they certainly would not give powers to people without a grand plan unless total anarchy was their goal. Anarchy didn’t seem likely. From what he’d overheard, he didn’t like the grand plan.

[You are a cruel one, Erik Summers]

“Said the demon,” Erik responded. He then exhaled. “Since you’re honest with me. I will be honest with you. I don’t care if you are a demon or not. You can be fucking Lucifer for all the good that will do for you. I just needed to know, are you with me 100%? And don’t give me a fucking yes!”

[I am you, and you are me. The moment you were reborn, our fate is entwined. I will do whatever I must for my survival]

“Great to hear,” Erik said with a smile. “I liked brutal honesty, Dell. I know you’re going to backstab me one day, but until that day, we are comrades. And we need allies. Let’s rescue the little girl. Her power is a great use, and frankly, I don’t feel like letting these people exorcizing her or worse.”

[It is ill-advised to –

“If I don’t do anything, I’m not going to get anywhere,” Erik interrupted. He took a breather. “I don’t think any of us is normal anymore, not after what happened. Plus, I don’t need to fight them head on. I only need to mount a rescue. Just out of curiosity, how powerful are they? Are they like me? Do they have power?”

[They are very powerful, especially the one called Victoria. Her aura is very dense. From the amount of power she’s radiating, she must have an ability. What it is, I cannot tell you]

“Damn. Is this even Earth anymore? Does everyone have powers now?” Erik muttered. He thought he only had to worry about his classmates, but it seemed he was dragged into something bigger than he imagined. “By the way, what are Shadows?”

[…]

“Should I be worried?”

[Shadows are creatures that dwelled in the space between spaces. The boundless and endless void between dimensions. They seek out any kind of light and warm to devours. If not stopped, they will consume everything]

“So I should be worried,” Erik uttered. “Great, more and more things to fear.”

[Why do you wish to know?]

Erik raised his brow. This was also the first. Dell was asking him a question. “I overheard something about the wall being weakened. I assume that is a barrier stopping them Shadows from crossing and killing everyone?”

[…]

“How do I fight against these Shadows?”

[Bleed their darkness. If they cannot keep their form intact, they will die]

Erik nodded. He thought he had to have a holy weapon to fight them. He rubbed his palm. The pain still lingered, and the burnt skin hadn’t begun to heal yet. If a blessed cross did this much damage to him, what would a real holy weapon do? It wouldn’t be a pretty sight.

“I need to get stronger,” Erik said and peeked around the corner. Joseph and Victoria were gone. He hurried down the hallway and towards the morgue.

[This is unwise, Erik Summers]

“Yes, but the reward is too good to pass,” Erik said. If he could get the invisible girl to his side, maybe he could get the golds he needed for an Armoury. “Now, how do I get a little girl to like me without making me look like a paedophile?”