"Forgive me Father, for I have sinned."

"Tell me your sins, my child and I'm sure that you will find forgiveness in the mercy of our Lord."

There was a total silence in the confessional. The girl was sitting, holding the cross tightly while crying. The pressure she felt on her chest felt like a heavy stone.

"I cannot do this anymore Father. Every day I´m waiting and waiting for this to be over. For Death to come for me. I can see them! I see them everywhere. Those figures crawling around like smoke around my bed. Those pale faces looking at me, talking and talking about the near end of everything, about suffering. They come to me at night, asking me to find him, but I don't know who he is. I´ve never heard of him so how am I supposed to help them Father? Father, why is God punishing me? I always attended the ceremonies, and when my parents died, I gave a lot of our wealth to this church. So why does He punish me? I wake up in the morning and I feel like I haven't been sleeping at all. There are writings all over the house but I don´t understand them. I never saw this tongue. Father, what am I supposed to do? Please help me." She looked through the small window onto the other side of the confessor, but she couldn't see anything. This church was always so dark, gloomy and nothing in here, except for the golden cross indicated, that this is the place where you would worship God's glory.

"Child, are you trying to tell me that you got into contact with spirits that have left this world? Demons?" These words made the girl shiver. The tone of the voice sounded nothing like she had expected. She came for advice and help, for salvation in desperation, and instead the priest sounded like he was angry.

"Father, I know it is a sin, but they came to me. I did not call for them!" The last barriers that held the flood were gone. Tears were pouring down on the ground like if they were to never stop, her chest clutched the heart inside like if it was to crush it. She tried to catch a breath and calm down but to no avail.

"Calm down my child. Tell me, who did they tell you to find?" The tone of his voice changed, but again, not into the tone she was looking for. It had a more curious tone.

"I don't know father. I did not understand." She said while trying to stop the panic taking over her mind. "But I managed to copy the writings on the wall!" With the shaking hand she showed him a piece of parchment.

"Come outside." The priest opened the door of the confessional and moved out. The girl tried really hard to get up but her legs just did not listen. The priest saw that she was shaking and helped her on her feet. "Come on, let's get you some water." He said while turning them and slowly moving to the presbytery. This church was usually dark, cold and without spirit and today was no different. They moved up the stairs slowly to the priest´s personal quarters. It was a small room, very modest with a small fireplace, one window, uncomfortable looking bed, one table that has definitely been here for a long time and a chair that would not feel good even after a long walk. The priest sat the girl on the chair and turned around. He moved to the other side of the room and poured her a cup of water. "Show me the parchment." With a shaking hand she again handed him what he asked for. The priest took the piece of parchment and moved to the window to see in clear view what's on there.

The girl sipped a bit of water, she could feel the cold stream running through her body and calming her down.

"Do you know this tongue my child?"

"No father." She raised her head and looked at the priest, she could not see his face well enough through the teary eyes. But he sounded calm, which made her feel slightly better, lightheaded even. She felt like it was about to be over.

"Libera nos a malo!" Said the priest in his head. "This is not possible." With eyes wide open he stared at the piece of parchment in his hand. This tongue, he has seen it once. Only once, during his studies and even then it was by mistake. He got in so much trouble for that, but he remembered. But how is this possible? This tongue has not been written or spoken for hundreds of years. Was she speaking the truth? Did a ghost actually come to visit her? Could she be... "Father?" The girl interrupted his thoughts. "Yes child, it's quite alright. Everything is going to be fine." He said while swiftly rumpling the piece of parchment. "Oh my, my child you are still shaking. Wait a second I should have something for that here." He threw the parchment into the fireplace and moved in two steps towards a small chest in the far corner of the room. He opened it and pulled out a bottle. "This is gonna be much better for you right now!" The girl looked up to him, it felt alright. "There you go, this is gonna calm you down quite nicely." Said the priest while pouring a few drops into her cup. "Come on, drink. You will feel better." She took a proper gulp and drank the cup to the last drop. She smiled, for some reason she felt really calm, her mind flew to a different place, her eyes began to shut, finally a peace....

"Father?! What's going on?!!!" Her self-preservation instinct kicked in. She could not move, her body was not listening to her mind. What is going on? Slowly her mind started to shut down, she took one last look at the priest who grabbed her shoulder, trying to hold her in one place.

She opened her eyes, trying to figure out what happened. "Where am I?" She said in her mind while blinking, trying to see. She was laying somewhere, but why? "Am I home? What happened?" She tried to move her hands to rub her eyes, but she couldn´t. "What the....?!!!" She was tied up to the bed! What is going on?!!

"What's going on?! Where am I?!!! Somebody help me!!!!!!" She shouted. Her scream spread around the place and hit her back in her head. She panicked, tried to pull out from the ropes that she was tied with and then she noticed, she was naked. She tried to pull her right hand out again but again, she failed to set her free. She moved her head to the left side and saw a lit fireplace. So somebody must be around. "Somebody help me!!!" She shouted again even harder than before.

"Calm down for God's sake!" The voice came to her from behind her head, from the dark corner, but she knew the voice!

"Father?! Father is that you? What is going on?! What is the meaning of this?!"

"I´ll give you ghosts. I´ll give you spirits. I´ll give you demons! You dare to come into this holy place polluted by the seed of Satan?! You little whore! Seeking forgiveness?! Confessing your sins and playing victim?! I´ll show you!" He slowly moved to the side of the bed. There was so much anger in his voice that the girl froze for a second.

"Father?! Father, what are you doing?! Somebody help! Help m.." She could not finish, the priest slapped her face so hard that she almost lost consciousness. The pain rushed across her whole face and she could taste the blood in her mouth.

"Silence! You little Devil´s whore!" Shouted the priest. He turned around and moved to the fireplace. The girl slowly turned her head to face him, her eyes were full of tears again but she could see that he grabbed something out of the fireplace.

"Father, what are you doing? Please..." She almost whispered in despair. The priest turned around.

"Like Michael with his flaming sword. Only with fire, the Devil shall be cast out and your body shall be purified. I will return you to the hands of our holy Church." The priest turned around and in his hand he held a branding iron in the shape of a cross. Fully glowing and smoke was rising from it. When she saw that, panic took over her.

"Father, father please. I didn't mean to, I didn't want to. Father please! Aaaaaa!!!" The pain rushed in. Pain, unimaginable to a living soul. The priest slammed the iron right between her breasts. Her skin melted and he could smell the burning flesh. With a devilish smile on his face he added a bit of strength to it.

"Hold it you whore! This will cast the Devil out of you!" He hissed through his teeth. He felt magnificent. This is something he wanted to always do. Be the hand that punishes. Be the one who will punish the ones that did not follow the law of the Holy Church. Yes. This is it. What a magnificent feeling. "Deus vult!" He looked down and the body underneath him. The girl was not moving at all, her body gave up. She could not withstand the pain, her mind shut down, only tears were now pouring from her eyes. There was nothingness in them, a void of despair. The priest turned around and placed the brand back into the fireplace. "But, if the devil could, why not me? Yes. That will purify you from the inside." He remembered the times of his youth, the things he got expelled for. The reason he was here, in the middle of nowhere. He moved to the bed while undressing himself. "Yes. My body is clean and pure, devoted to God and Church. This is just what you need. You little Devil´s whore, you had your way with him, but I will show you divinity!" He undressed himself fully and placed his robe on the side of the bed. He kissed her face and felt the rush of excitement running through his body. He couldn't hold it back any longer. He licked her face and enjoyed the saltiness of the tears. The feeling of being in control, to have power over another soul gave him the rush he didn't feel for a long time. The girl was not moving, her mind started collapsing. Her thoughts shattered, only void was there anymore. The priest started moving on top of her..

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"And with God's name on my lips I behave like the Devil. With the act of God's justice I will cover my devilish sins."

The priest jumped out of the bed. "Who is that? Where are you?!" ”How can this be? There is no one else here!”

"On the outside I'm a man of faith, holy father. But on the inside, I´m just a pig who rapes and murders those who cannot protect themselves." The unknown voice came from the dark corner of the room. Priest hastily put his clothes back on and rushed to the fireplace. He grabbed the brand iron again and pointed it at the corner. "Who are you and what do you want from me?! Come out so I can see you!"

Out of the corner came a huge figure, a mighty man in armor, spikes on his shoulders and hood over his head. The priest could not see into his face but for some reason he felt more terrified than ever. Something about this man drove him insane with fear, but he could see what it was. "I came because of you, father."

"Show yourself!" The priest pulled down the hood of his head and dropped on the floor. Now he knew! These dark eyes penetrated his soul, the weight of guilt slammed him to the deepest pits of despair. Slowly and with the brand pointed at the men he crawled back. "Vade Satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis...."

"This won't help you, father. I´m not a demon, nor the Devil." Said the man with an almost growling voice as anger rushed out of him. The tense in the room could be even felt. The priest started shaking. So much anger and hatred stood against him, he froze in one place. Could not move. The fear completely took over him. "I don't bless you father, for you have sinned!"

The priest's eyes opened wide. For a moment he felt the feeling of a warm liquid on his neck after the flash of the blade in front of his eyes. It was just a moment, not even a space for reaction. His head slowly fell off his neck to the ground. The men slid his sword back into the sheath on his waist. “Lustitia est constans et perpetua voluntas ius suum cuique tribuendi” He whispered calmly and took a deep breath. The sword was completely clean, just a single drop of blood on it. He saw that. "Ugh." He growled in disgust. Then he heard movement, looked to the right and the girl's head was turned to him. She looked at him with those empty eyes as he slowly turned facing the bed.

"What? I can't take her with me!" He said while looking into her eyes. Then he turned back facing the dark corner from when he arose before. "Hey don't say that, I don't want to leave her here, we will take her to her home. But I just simply can't take her with me. It's not how it's supposed to be!" Loud snorting came from the corner. "All right, fine, but once she gets better she will go, understand? Help me find her clothes, they have to be here somewhere." For some reason he turned back to her, quickly like if the girl was supposed to attack him. "We don't have time! We have to go now!" Sudden rush and fear in his voice shook the room. "You will be alright, I promise. Hold on!" He released the girl from the ropes and grabbed her into his arms as she fainted.

The girl woke up. She felt weird, like if she had slept for eternity. She opened her eyes and saw that she was in bed, full of colorful pillows. They were so soft, like the smoothest silk and the sound of birds outside sounded heavenly...She flinched. She remembered! "Where am I?! What is this place?!?" She thought in her head, panic started flowing through her body again and then another flash of memory came to her head. She quickly looked down, threw the blanket aside and saw that she was dressed in a long, white shirt. She quickly pulled that down from her chest and looked between her breasts. It was there. The scar, in the shape of a cross. But healed. She touched her skin, it did not hurt at all. It was not just a bad dream, it was reality. For how long she slept?! Then she froze. In the right corner of her eye she saw something she could not believe. "This can't be!" She thought and with slow, flinching motion, she turned her head to the right. What she saw, she could not believe. Huge, white, tiger! Looking straight at her. Maybe it's just some sort of a hunting trophy she thought, or a statue. The tiger blinked his eyes and snorted while tossing his head at her. The girl quickly crawled to the headboard of the bead and scream came out of her mouth as the tiger got on all four. She shoved her head into her palms and pushed her knees to her chest. The tiger moved his head in the direction of the footsteps outside of the curtains. In rushed a woman and straight to the girl.

"Hey, hey calm down, it's ok. You don't have to be afraid, everything is fine. You can calm down, nothing is going to happen to you, you are safe." Said the woman, trying to calm the girl. She looked up, in front of her was a woman, dressed all in black dress with light, ginger hair and big green eyes.

"What's going on?! Where am I?!" The girl shouted while looking partially at the women in front of her and at the tiger who was now sitting in front on the other bed that he laid on before. His blue eyes were looking straight at the girl.

"You are safe, there is no need to be worried. I promise you. He will explain everything to you, once he gets back. He had to go to get you some clothes, we don't have much here that would fit you and those that you had before were torn apart." Said the woman and moved her head towards the tiger. "Lailah I told you that she would freak out and you did not trust me!" The tiger snorted and again tossed the head at her. "Sorry about that, she just could not stay away from you and when he is gone, she is the main guardian here. She has watched you for all the time you were asleep, but don´t worry, she won't hurt you. She is actually an angel. Her name is Lailah and mine is Catherine. What is yours?"

The girl flicked her head at Catherine and for some reason calmed down, she didn't know why but the sudden feeling of calmness took over. "Eliana, my name is Eliana."

"Well, see, that is a good start." Lailah stood up and moved to the entry and down the stairs. Eliana could not take her eyes off the big tiger. Catherine looked back at her and smiled. "Well, guess he is back, that means that your clothes are probably here. Hope he did not get you something horrible, men have no taste in these kinds of things. I will be right back ok? Just wait here, please."

Catherine moved out right after Lailah and Eliana slowly let her guard down, she finally could see the whole room. It was a nice, big room with 2 beds, table and chairs and pillows were almost everywhere. This reminded her of the room in her manor, where her parents would take the quests, just much smaller. She turned around and climbed to the window. She looked outside and what she saw she could not believe. A huge garden full of green and a big lake in the center, surrounded by massive sand walls. Trees full of fruits were everywhere and she could even see birds flying around. This looked like a paradise, the air was sweet and the wind was slowly playing with her hair. The calmness of this place affected her, she felt safe all of a sudden, for what bad could happen in a place like this? She looked to the right and could see a man´s figure coming to the house for a second. Slight shiver rushed up her back, but she barely noticed.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Eliana turned around and in the entry stood Catherine with a basket in her hands. She nodded with her head and slid back onto the bed. "I will never get over the sight of this place, believe me. I always feel the same as when I saw it for the first time." She smiled and moved to the bed. "Come on, let's see what he brought to you." She said as she opened the basket and out she pulled a blue dress. "Ok, not a bad choice. He got better at this, he had to get a dress for me one time and believe me, it was horrible. Your shoulders will probably be visible in these, but I hope that you don't mind. Ok, let's get you dressed." Eliana slowly stood up, while Catherine looked like she was examining her movement, probably if she had to jump in to save her from fall. But Eliana felt good, even strong. She stood up and got undressed while Catherine pulled the curtains back. She felt like a princess all of a sudden.

"Catherine, can you tell me, what is this place exactly?" Eliana asked while she tried not to struggle with the dress. "Is this paradise?"

Catherine smiled. "I would not call it a paradise. It's beautiful and for some of us certainly paradise, but it's more like a haven."

"Some of us? There are more people?"

"Yes, actually there are 11 of us. No worries you will meet them in a moment, once, we get, this, in, ugh, come on!" Catherine struggled a bit with the binding of the dress on Eliana´s back.

"I still don't understand what is going on. What happened to me? Did that "man" bring me here?"

"Don´t worry, once you will eat something he will tell you everything you need to know. I know it's not the answer you were hoping for, but he did not tell us. All we know is that he saved you and brought you here, he would never tell us what happened, that is up to you and if you will want to. Now come on you, God dammit this is so....Uf finally. Now it's done."

Eliana turned around at Catherine like she wanted to know how she looked. Catherine gave her a huge smile. "Now this is pretty. You look gorgeous. Ok, now let's go down. You must be hungry and they are probably waiting for us."

"Catherine? That man who brought me here, who is he?"

Catherine stopped in the entry and looked back at Eliana with a wide smile. "His name is Sariel."