“Holy shit!” I shouted. “Did you mean for that to happen?”

Brad shut the back door and climbed back into the front.

“Somewhat. I didn’t expect it to be that effective though.”

I laughed a bit at the absurdity. “Effective? It was more than effective! Those demons are down for the count.”

Then I paused as a thought passed through my head. “They were demons? You’re sure?”

I believed him, but if he had just seen something in the heat of the moment, and we had derailed them based on a misunderstanding, then we were in way over our heads.

He nodded, thankfully. “I’m certain. If they weren’t demons, then they at least had some involvement with our one. I couldn’t mistake that smile anywhere.”

I felt relief and with it a strange sense of euphoria., It was inevitable. I had never experienced a rush like that in my entire life, and to win as well. I didn’t even feel bad that we might’ve killed them, as they couldn’t have been humans literally, or morally. If they were to be judged by the same standards of the demon that took Chris’ life.

“Do you know what this means?” I asked.

“That we’ve got more than one enemy to worry about now?” He replied.

I shook my head. “It means that we already have one victory against that demon. The first of many.”

Brad didn’t seem to share my enthusiasm, and stared blankly ahead. “The first of many, huh.”

—-

We began our drive in earnest, keeping to the country lanes to avoid surveillance. Near the beginning, we stopped at a petrol station to clean ourselves up a bit in their toilets. Dirty as they were, they had done the job, and the only thing which couldn’t be washed was our clothes, as we had none to change into.

We turned on the radio to listen out for any news of us, but I don’t think either of us listened, both too drained to care.

Brad had slept for the first three hours, exhaustion having gotten to him. That was all he got however, because I woke him up to switch around so that I could get some rest. By that point, I had been awake for nearly twenty four hours.

When I woke, the sun was shining through the car windows onto me. I opened my eyes blearily, trying to adjust to the bright light.

“What time is it?” I asked.

“According to the radio, it’s about half past eight.” He replied.

“Where are we?”

“We’re a few minutes out from my grandma’s. It’s a good thing you woke up because I was about to do it myself. Well, good for you; not so good for me, I would’ve enjoyed it a lot,”

My lips curved up. It was nice that he felt well enough to make a joke. It wouldn’t do, to stew in anger and fear all the time.

“I know you would’ve, that’s why I knew to wake up when I did.” I retorted.

He laughed, “Is that so?”

“Of course, my third eye sees all.”

We both chuckled a bit.

“How do you think we should approach this?” I asked him. It was his grandma we were visiting after all, unannounced. He would have a better idea than me on what to do.

“I’ll do the talking.” Said Brad.

I nodded, that was what I had expected would happen.

He continued, “I think we should lay it all bare. She’ll think we’re lunatics, or if she does know anything about it then she’ll be able to help us as best as possible. She’s not the type of person to ignore a person in need, especially when that person is me.”

I supposed there was nothing else we could do. Soon we reached her house and stepped out of the car.

She lived in a small detached house. It was covered in tiny pebbles and rocks, which had been painted white. The drive was made up of small tiles in a square pattern. Maybe they had been clean and clear in the past but now they were weathered. Dirt covered them and moss grew out through the cracks.

We walked past an old red ford and Brad knocked on the door. We waited for about a minute, until he spoke. “She should be home if her car’s here.”

He knocked again and just as he did, the door swung open with unexpected force.

A shrill, yet comforting voice sounded out.

“Yes, yes; hold your horses, I’m here now.”

The speaker was a hunched over woman. She held a cane which she leaned on to support her balance. Her hair was a short gray bob, and her skin was wrinkled like a dried fruit. Still she had a sharp glint in her eye, looking straight ahead at us, examining up and down.

She seemed to have a moment of realization as her expression eased.

“Is that you Brad?”

He nodded. “Hi grandma.”

She eyes him up and down again, and, seeing his blood stained clothes, cried out.

“Look at the state of you! Quick, come inside and we’ll get you sorted out.”

He stepped aside and pointed at me. “This is my friend David.”

She opened her mouth in surprise, as if she had forgotten that I was there the moment she saw Brad.

“The same David you’ve always talked about?” She said, then she stepped forward and took my hand to shake it. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you.”

She had another look at me, or rather my clothes . “You too! Just what have you boys been up to?” She asked.

Brad scratched the back of his head. “Ah, it’s a… long story”

She shook her head. “Nevermind. Just come in and I’ll get you fixed up. Then you can tell me everything you need to.”

We went inside and were finally able to shower. We both wore the old clothes of her husband that she had kept, and in fifteen minutes we were sitting on the dining table. Cups of tea and biscuits in front of them.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

She was the first to speak.

“So, what happened?” She smiled lovingly.

Brad fiddled with his hands for a bit before he looked her in the eye. “Gran? How much do you know about demons?”

Suddenly, her eyes widened. She stood up sharply.

“Did you get involved with demons?” She shouted.

Brad was taken aback by the sudden transformation of his grandmother into a snapping vulture. I was just a bit surprised, but I had only met her a quarter of an hour ago after all.

“You know about them?” He asked, trepidatiously.

“Know about them? Of course I do, or I wouldn’t be so agitated. Tell me now, did you get involved with demons?”

Brad nodded his head. “We did.”

“You fool! You don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into!”

A grave look appeared on Brad’s face and he spoke solemnly. “I do know, I know all too well.”

She looked like she was about to say something, but she stopped herself and sat back down. The fierce look died down to be replaced by her earlier genial expression.

“I apologize, it was wrong for me to berate you like that. I’m sure the consequences are already being felt by you.”

She hesitated before continuing speaking. “You two. Were you the only ones?”

Brad shook his head. “We had two more. One didn’t want to come with us and the other… is no longer in this world.”

She didn’t reply straight away, and I could tell that she was deep in thought.

“I think it would be best if you told me everything, from the beginning.”

Brad obliged and began recounting the events of the night. Finding the book, summoning the demon, Chris dying, the agreement, the burial, the demon police, and finally our goal.

“Please Gran, if you know anything that can help us, please tell us.”

She took a sip of her tea.

“All this demon stuff was more of your grandfather’s thing. He would’ve been able to help you better than me. Everything I know about them is from him. Now am I correct in assuming that you didn’t do any reading from what you inherited?”

Brad nodded.

“Just like your grandfather in his early days then. With that being the case, I will tell you first of the true reality of our world. Or, I should say, worlds. What you understand as Earth is only one of three, it is the place in which body and soul meet. Not just for humans, but all life.

The second world is the homeland of the demons. It is the demonic plane. Billions of demons live there. A pit of despair and chaos most religions understand as hell.

The third and final world is the spiritual plane. As the name suggests, only spirits can enter. Keep in mind though, that our souls are considered as spirits. It is commonly known as heaven, though it is not the paradise that believers hope for. It is almost similar to this world, however the very quality of its reality is ephemeral and immaterial, so it functions in odd ways.”

I wasn’t too surprised to hear that there were other worlds, I had at least imagined that there would be one for the demons. After all, to summon a demon meant it had to come from somewhere. I was more taken aback by the spiritual plane.

“So which religion is the right one?” I asked.

“They all are, to varying extents. But none of them tell the true story.”

“Where do these worlds come from?” Said Brad.

She shook her head. “I wish I knew, I’ve just accepted them and not thought about the why’s and how’s too much.

Now, let’s not get too sidetracked. Killing that demon is possible, everything can die, but I don't know how difficult it will be. They have different levels of strength, but the gap between a regular human and the weakest demon is massive. So it could be either easy or practically impossible

You are right in thinking that you have to become more powerful to face it. But you must be very careful in how you do so, or you’ll stumble over your own feet and the consequences will be catastrophic. I, myself, don’t know exactly what you have to do. John only ever told me about his adventures, he didn’t want me getting involved. Said it was too dangerous for a woman.

What I do know is that it involves the soul. He always liked to repeat a mantra, ‘where the soul goes, the body will follow.’ What that means is a mystery, but he always said as though it were a certain fact. Often before he went exploring.”

The body follows the soul? I wondered, could it have meant that the soul controls the movement of the body, or was there a deeper meaning to it?

She continued speaking.

“I never had any desire to get involved with that part of his life, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t know how to. There are certain organizations and entities which deal with demons. However they are very secretive and closely guarded. It will be very difficult if you want access to their help. I can point you in the direction but I can’t promise that you’ll ever get into contact.”

Brad spoke, “I’m sensing an or.”

She nodded. “You can also follow in your grandfather’s footsteps and figure it out by yourself. Although, he had the help of your ancestor’s book to help him along.”

Brad interrupted her in shock. “Hold on, my ancestor?”

“Of course dear, how do you think you could even inherit it in the first place?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Well, I thought grandpa had just come across it at some point”

“No Brad, your grandfather inherited it from his father and he inherited it also. That book has been passed down for generations.”

She seemed to be enjoying the stupefied look on his face.

“Then why have I never known about this before?”

“It’s because you never asked. It was always there, just waiting.”

Brad took a moment to breath evenly and calm down.

“How old is it then?”

She grinned, “About eight hundred years.”

He jumped out of his chair, shouting. “What!”

“Brad. You come from a family of demon killers.”

He was silent, the sudden information about his heritage having blindsided him. All the while, I had a looming feeling of regret, as I became aware of how truly valuable the book was, and how stupid I was to suggest we use it as an offering. Not only was it the guide to fix our situation exactly, it was also a family heirloom. I considered that the ‘scourge’ which the demon spoke of was likely to have been Brad’s ancestor who had written the book, considering it was his ‘legacy’.

Brad spoke. “If it was eight hundred years old, then how could it have been in such good condition?”

She rolled her eyes at him. “So you can accept demons and spirits, but not a book being preserved by supernatural means?”

He sat back down, a bit embarrassed.

“Ah, I didn’t think of that. Anyway, we don’t have the book and I don’t see us getting a hold of it anytime soon.”

“I know you don’t have it. But you don’t necessarily need it, although it would help you massively. As I was saying, your grandfather didn’t just rely on the book. Much of his knowledge was self taught, through exploration.

The world is filled with relics and ruins of the past, for example, stonehenge. There are many theories about its purpose. Only one is true. It is a spell circle made by ancient humans. Although it is long defunct, it was once very powerful.

Or you could look at the pyramids. They appear across the world and have perfect construction. But they were more than just tombs, they were gateways to the other worlds, and that was just one of their functions.

The difficulty with using these to learn is that they are too well known, their value has already been looted long ago. This is the case for a vast majority of significant structures readily available for the public.

Fortunately, there are still remnants which have stayed hidden all these years. All you have to do is find them. Thanks to your grandfather, I can tell you directly where some are. But it will be up to you to benefit from them.”

I spoke up. I had my doubts and I needed to voice them.

“Excuse me, but that all sounds a bit precarious and up to chance. Is there nothing more definite?”

She nodded. “It is precarious, but it’s the best I can give you. Your only other option is to rely on the charity of others to take you in and teach you. Something which you should avoid if you want even a sliver of success.”

Brad replied, “But you think we can become stronger by exploring these places?”

“Most assuredly. As I said, it is up to you to get what you need from them.”

She got up and slapped her knees. “Right, that’s all you need to know for now. Anymore, and you’ll lose your way. You both need to get some sleep now, you look exhausted. I’ll make some preparations, take care of any police problems you might soon have. My voice still holds sway in many circles.”

I wanted to sit for longer and learn more, but she was right. I was shattered, and only too happy to get some proper rest. She guided us to a spare bedroom for me and her’s for Brad. I didn’t undress at all and collapsed into sleep.