Chapter 120 - A Long Tempest (part 1)

Bryan was having a nightmare, he was happily playing with his older brother near an ancient temple, his parents had already died so it was just him and his older brother.

The 10-year-old young elf didn't know anything other than that his older brother was his family and that they depended on each other, there were malicious rumors in the town where they lived that his older brother was the son of a high-ranking nobleman. status, but that was thrown in that small town because of his mother's shameful condition.

About Bryan himself, there was more malicious gossip telling that the day he was born the chief priest (something like a powerful archbishop, since there is no pope there, but a council) nature's temple had died and that his birth was cursed.

Bryan never cared much for this gossip, although a lot of people in his small town constantly avoided him, as long as he had his older brother, he was already happy.

The good dream quickly turned into a nightmare when the setting changed to the day the temple in the capital discovered him and took him away from his older brother.

The scene quickly changed again and he had fled the central temple after years of confining that place, praying for a nature god he hated for having separated him from his only family, but foolishly not knowing anything about the outside world turned out to be hunted down and sold to a human realm far from home.

He was considered a rarity and very handsome, which made him better treated by the seller, only to be bought at a high price by Count Bianco and his hell began.

The moment he found himself in that dark room, he was disturbed by something and finally woke up scared sitting on the straw mat.

"Bryan?"

The dark elf blinked his eyes several times and rubbed his face as he cringed, putting his chin on his trembling knees.

"Bryan, it's me, Mattias" the young novice didn't touch again the dark elf just calmly called the scared person until he started to shake less.

Mattias seeing that the dark elf calmed down went to search the mess if there were any warmer fabrics, being left alone Bryan looked at the human's profile who seemed very focused and naturally ignored him, he internally felt much calmer with that lack of attention.

He wiped his tears away and collected himself when Mattias brought in some fabrics made from animal skins that looked quite primitive and rustic that were summarily disdained by the clerics and dumped in the old forbidden hut.

"These cloths are quite warm, this should keep you warmer" seeing the dark elf standing still and not taking the fabrics, he bent down and wrapped the thin and bruised body with the fabrics.

Almost like a hug which made Bryan tense for a moment, but Mattias's movements were quick and soon he was on his feet pointing to the food and explaining about the herbs he'd gotten.

Anyway, Bryan realized that Mattias didn't want to do him any harm and was just helping him already foreseeing the lack of time in the morning when the people of the capital arrived.

"Thanks"

Bryan said in a still-low tone, but this time he looked directly into Mattias' brown eyes who looked much bigger than him but had been the kindest human he'd ever met.

"Just get better soon," Mattias said sincerely. The rain was so heavy at that time, he couldn't go back without getting wet all the way, which could lead to getting sick himself.

Mattias looked at Bryan for a moment seeing him grip the soft fabrics with tense hands, he had looked away and was focusing on the jumble of huddled objects.

"I think there might be something to warm the atmosphere up," Mattias said suddenly going to find something that could warm up the old cabin without attracting the attention of people outside.

"Actually... Over there near that box with flower stones, there is an oven that works with those fire stones that are in that box near those paintings" Bryan had taken a deep breath to be able to speak with a clearer tone to the human despite his fear.

Mattias looked confused at Bryan, he had no idea what the dark elf was talking about.

Brian: (...)

Author: It's Not That He's Dumb... I swear!

Emery: *looking confused at the objects too*

Author: (...)

On the other hand, Rutger was lying in bed looking up at the stone ceiling of his own room, his body was in no pain and the warm blanket along with the low-burning fireplace warmed him.

However, Rutger was still very cold.

Things went through Rutger's mind very slowly for a brief moment he thought if he should kill himself, but then he pushed that thought away, how could he take his own life and let Giovanni be happy while he suffered?

He channeled all fear and self-hatred into the young novice, he needed someone to blame for his life situation.

Rutger Hendrick didn't think that if he hadn't committed that sin against Giovanni and had just spent the week resting traveling shortly thereafter, he wouldn't have rediscovered the man who was his nightmare.

While Father Rutger kept thinking about how he should punish Giovanni when he found him alone, he was sure it would hurt him enough for Bishop Darcy himself to be disgusted and abandon him, he didn't notice the door being silently opened from the inside.

Forneus watched the human with evil thoughts and was very happy to see a priest of the God of Light behaving like that. He had been wandering around the abbey for a while, but just as Anael saw an angel hunting some little demons, he also felt the angel's presence.

Although the angel was of a weaker status than Forneus himself, he didn't know if there were more angels, besides, he was in the sacred territory that had priests of the God of Light, so he tried to hide his presence.

He was hiding but was attracted by Rutger's malicious thoughts, at the same time, he also wanted to further worsen the human's thoughts so that they would become propitious so that he could be used as a pawn in his desires.

It wasn't hard to find Levi Mulder by the thought, he had just had some strong, hot alcohol, he had just finished his rounds and was cold. He was going to drink a little more sleep, he felt very happy as he had rediscovered his childhood "love".

The evil satisfaction inside him gave him the satisfaction to go to sleep, his conscience didn't even blink at such sins, Forneus himself wondered if that human even had a conscience.

However, Levi wasn't a silly person and didn't want to push Rutger to the limit which would make it less fun than torturing him slowly while satiating his own sadistic cravings.

Forneus began his mental attack very subtly, putting interesting images of Rutger's suffering and pleasure in the human's mind, plus a few excuses as to why he was at that moment breaking into the priest's room at risk of being caught so he could "play" a little more with his victim.

At that moment Levi left the room very determined to go play with Father Rutger, luckily he was on the second floor and even a little drunk he didn't fall down the stairs, much to Forneus' happiness.

The great demon marquis opened Rutger's bedroom door from the inside, as the priest's malicious thoughts were strong, he couldn't feel the presence of a demon-like Forneus around.

If Rutger was more lucid or if he was reading the holy book as he should be for all priests before bedtime, Forneus couldn't do anything against the priest or even dare to mess with things as he could be expelled by the exorcist.

However, Rutger was so immersed in his own nefarious plans and what he would do to Giovanni that his mental energy dropped to a bad level and his sacred powers were suppressed by it.

On the other hand, Azarphy and Arabeth were not far from Rutger's room, they had met Forneus a few minutes ago, but they just watched.

"Then?" Azarphy questioned, he knew that Forneus was using his powers, but he didn't know for what purpose, whereas Arabeth being a demon and being almost on the same level as the other had a better idea of ​​what was going on.

"He seems to want that priest's soul to become even darker so he can control him"

Arabeth was well aware of this technique common among demons, he would use it himself with Giovanni, the more desperate the human, the easier it was for the demons to make advantageous contracts for themselves.

Of course, in the original book, Song of Darkness, Arabeth's plans form in vain as everything was destroyed by the priests who wrongly exorcised and tied the demon's life to Giovanni's life without contract or conditions.

Azarphy was silent, but the disdain they felt for the demons increased a little more, this was a very cheap attack, only lesser beings needed to use other people to do the job.

"It's easy for you to act in the human dimension, since you're practically sealed off here, but we can't be discovered by the human dimension if we don't suffer penalties"

Arabeth grumbled, he could feel Azarphy's disdain trickling down his sides, even though he didn't see the figure of the fallen archangel.

"Alright, alright don't be too upset," Azarphy said hugging Arabeth as he started to struggle just to be kissed becoming a surprising statue.

When he came to, the two of them were tongue-twisted and his human form crystallized and became palpable in the real world, the icy waters touched the pale, sensitive skin of the now humanized Arabeth.

"You!" Arabeth, once again coming to his senses through the cold rainwater, hit Azarphy's still invisible body, but only ended up hurting himself.

"You really don't learn"

Azarphy scoffed a little more and pinched Arabeth's feline ears which got a little weaker, he didn't know he could be even weaker.

"What about that priest?" Arabeth said trying to distract that characterless feathered bird.

"Should we care?" Azarphy said with indifference.

Arabeth: (...)

Author: I think he's right *thinking while holding an umbrella*

Yani: I think that too *appearing out of nowhere*

Author: There is no respect between the scenarios here *regret*

Arabeth: (...) *looking at the author breaking the fourth wall*

Azarphy: ù_ú *disdaining them all*