Indenuel didn’t realize he backed into the wall until his shoulders hit against it as he tried to ease his breathing.

Dalius placed a handkerchief against his forehead before noticing Indenuel’s reaction. “Ah. So, you can see them?” He sounded exhausted. Indenuel said nothing, terrified the demons would notice him. Dalius dabbed his forehead again, sighing. “They won’t bother you, believe me. It is a malady that usually comes near the Day of the Devil. I thought I outgrew it, but alas, it came back full force this year.” He talked slow, choosing his words carefully.

Indenuel was terrified to close his eyes, even to blink. He barely heard Dalius’ quiet words over the shrieking and whispers of the demons. “Are you certain we should be training? Shouldn’t you go rest?” Indenuel’s voice was strangled with terror.

“We cannot waste a day. Not with those marked individuals still loose in the city.” Dalius stared at his desk, his hands trembled as he organized the papers on top before pulling out a book.

“Where is Cristoval?” Indenuel asked.

“At home. I cannot keep an eye on him in my state,” Dalius said before giving a pained smile. Indenuel almost missed it, since he was staring at the growing mass of demons.

“High Elder Dalius,” Tolomon said, approaching the desk. Indenuel finally closed his eyes, terrified of what might happen to Tolomon if he approached those demons.

“Yes? What is it?” Dalius asked as Indenuel remained by the wall.

“I was hoping to ask you some questions, if you don’t mind,” Tolomon said.

“Of course. It’ll give Indenuel a moment to prepare for our lessons.”

Indenuel didn’t want to get any nearer than this. He was already fighting the urge to run out of the study.

“I have a dear friend of mine who always has trouble on the Day of the Devil, too,” Tolomon said.

“Ah, yes. Speaker of the dead?” Dalius asked.

“Um, yes. Yes, he has that power,” Tolomon said.

Indenuel forced himself to open his eyes again. He was braced against the wall, trying to regain the courage to move closer.

“We are a bit more sensitive on that day, and a few days leading up to it if you can’t tell,” Dalius said, motioning to the back of his head which Tolomon could not understand.

“Yes, well, this friend of mine always had trouble on the Day of the Devil, and I’m afraid for him at this upcoming one. See, he’s done something really, really stupid,” Tolomon said.

Indenuel didn’t have the energy to be angry, only the energy to force himself to calm down.

“Well, whatever it is he must confess immediately,” Dalius said, again dabbing his forehead.

“That is the problem, sir. He is, forgive my language, a stubborn ass,” Tolomon said.

“I see. He must be in a noble class if there is little you can tell me of him,” Dalius said.

“Indeed, sir. Is there anything I should tell this friend of mine? Maybe try and get the fear of God into him so he can confess?” Tolomon asked.

“Mmm,” Dalius said as the demons began to surge. Dalius moved forward with the momentum, dabbing his forehead again. “Well, it seems to me this friend must have done something serious to have you so concerned.”

“He did, yes,” Tolomon said. “Probably one of the worst things he could have done, to be honest.”

Dalius frowned. “Murder?”

“I can’t say, sir,” Tolomon said.

Indenuel closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down. Tolomon couldn’t keep doing this. Dalius was going to find out. But he was so terrified he forgot how to speak.

“Well, in that case, tell him to prepare for a lot of demons to come down on him in about three days,” Dalius said.

“High Elder Dalius, would it make a difference, say, if he used powers he was not supposed to?” Tolomon asked.

Dalius raised an eyebrow. “Corruption? You believe your friend used corruption?”

“I cannot say, sir.”

The demons swarmed again, and Dalius winced. “That is concerning indeed.”

“Do you think my friend is in danger of possession?” Tolomon asked.

“It depends. Have you talked to your friend about it? Has he come to the Cathedral for Sabbath? Or whatever building for Sabbath Worship if he doesn’t live in the city?” Dalius asked.

“Yes, sir. He’s under the idiotic impression he can cleanse himself,” Tolomon said.

“Well, that’s ridiculous. Dangerous, even,” Dalius said.

“I tried to tell him the same thing, sir.”

“Though this friend of yours seems misguided, the fact that he is trying to make things right on his own is at least admirable instead of continuing in sin. Because of such, I doubt he’s in danger of possession. But it is not going to be a pleasant day for him all the same. Keep trying to get him to confess, but if needed, he’s going to need a lot of reminders about God and the preaching of his mercy,” Dalius said.

Indenuel steeled himself. Talks about God were not going to help him.

“A few more things, sir. What are some of the things my friend can expect on this day? Please use as much detail as possible. Just so I can understand,” Tolomon said.

Dalius nodded, then closed his eyes. The demons swarmed again, fighting to be inside his head. Whatever was going on, Indenuel didn’t want to imagine. “Well, with using corruptive powers, he’s already gained a connection with the demons. They will remind him of what it felt like to use such corruption.”

“So, if my friend had murdered someone with corruption, the demons would make him feel what it was like to use it?”

“Oh, much more than that. They would show him what it felt like to be murdered. They love making other people feel the pain they caused. But… wait, didn’t you say your friend was a speaker of the dead? He couldn’t have used corrupted pain. Not unless he sold his soul.”

Tolomon did nothing. He simply waited for Dalius to connect the dots. Indenuel’s eyes were wide, staring at Dalius, waiting, too terrified to bring attention to himself as he sank to the floor before his knees gave out.

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The demons surged again, and Dalius gasped, his body stiffening. His face contorted in what could almost be described as pain, before he brought out his handkerchief again and dabbed his forehead, carrying on his sermon as though nothing happened. “See, that’s why Hell is such a terrifying place. We don’t just relive our sins but relive what it was like for others to experience what happened by our hand. What we, in a way, did to them. And demons thrive on pain and hurt. They have no concept of it since they have no means to experience it themselves. As it is such a negative emotion, they are drawn to it, they revel in it.” Dalius paused again, dabbing his forehead. Indenuel steadied his breathing, forcing himself to look at Dalius and the swarm. “That’s how much they hate us and our experiences here. They want it so badly they willingly feel the negative to get a taste of life. They followed the wrong master and were denied this life in the-” the demons writhed and screamed at such a rate that Dalius stopped, leaning over his chair and giving a moan. Tolomon went to his side.

“High Elder Dalius?” Tolomon asked, touching his elbow.

Dalius tried to smile as he straightened. “Never mind. That is enough talk.” He was giving tiny gasps, trying to smile. “Indenuel? Are you ready?” Indenuel was a shade paler as he tried not to shiver while he sat on the floor. “Ah, I remember. You might need the same advice, wouldn’t you?”

Indenuel met Dalius’ gaze, trying not to be terrified, trying not to feel his heart quickened as Tolomon waited once again for the demon infested High Elder to connect the dots. Indenuel needed to end this lesson now. His mind quickly threw together a plan. More like a gamble. “You lied.”

Dalius looked confused. “Pardon?”

“You said-” Indenuel let out a shaky breath. “You said any speaker of the dead wouldn’t have troubles on the Day of the Devil. Demons only tease. A hard push of peace from someone living the righteous way of God would keep them away.”

The confusion persisted. “I don’t understand.”

“You are Acting High Elder Dalius, Speaker of the Dead. Demons should not be swarming you like this.” The confusion disappeared from Dalius’ face, and the gamble paid off. Dalius did not look guilty, but he had the same look on his face as Indenuel felt. Dalius had done something bad, and he refused to tell anyone about it. Indenuel shakily got to his feet, approaching the demon infested High Elder with every ounce of courage he had left. “So, what is it? What secret sin are you keeping from everyone? Here, a few days away from the Day of the Devil, what is keeping you from pushing those demons away from your head and giving you peace of mind?”

Dalius said nothing. He stared at Indenuel, the emotions flickering past his eyes. He dabbed his forehead again before getting to his feet. “I am feeling exhausted. We will resume our lessons next week.”

“Sir, the marked individuals,” Tolomon said, watching him leave.

“Next week,” was all Dalius said.

Indenuel waited for Dalius and his demons to leave. Once the door closed, he leaned against the back of the chair, realizing how cold he felt. He shivered, curling up into himself, gripping the fabric of the chair.

Tolomon sighed, rubbing his face. “I could have been holding a sign with an arrow pointed right at you and High Elder Dalius still wouldn’t have noticed.”

“The man is sick,” Indenuel said.

“What do you mean by that?” Tolomon asked, a warning in his voice.

Indenuel tried to keep his breathing steady. “What it sounds like. I can’t confess to the High Elders, because they are hiding their own mountains of sin. Confession is never going to work. I don’t feel remorse, and they are hypocrites. I’m better off on my own.”

“You expect a person to be perfect before you confess to them?”

“I expect a High Elder to not have a swarm of demons around his head,” Indenuel said, his body still recovering from feeling so much fear.

“And what he said about the Day of the Devil? That doesn’t terrify you?” Tolomon asked.

Indenuel closed his eyes, his arms still trembling. Yes, the Day of the Devil was going to be hell. He already expected that. But he wasn’t going to get possessed. He was doing everything in his power to make it right on his own. Obviously, he didn’t want to stay in this corrupted state, but the demons would have little control on that day.

Except to terrify you. Make you feel what it felt like to be murdered.

“Do not make me sit there and watch you suffer in three days,” Tolomon said. “Please. Confess.”

Indenuel opened his eyes. “I don’t know how to explain it to you any clearer. Confession won’t work. I don’t feel remorse, and they aren’t the pure vessels from God who could grant me forgiveness if I did.”

“You don’t know that. You haven’t tried,” Tolomon said.

Indenuel straightened, his legs stronger, as he walked out of Dalius’ office. “I refuse to confess to hypocrites.”

“Are you certain you can face High Elder Martin? Face him right before the Day of the Devil? You honestly think you’ve cleansed yourself enough?” Tolomon asked.

“It’s already working just fine,” Indenuel said.

***

Indenuel took time from meditation to write a nice letter to Matteo. He should have spent the entire morning in meditation, but he couldn’t. He received updates on the twins, learning more than he ever hoped about everything they studied and the friends they made and the guardian over them. It was a stark contrast from the silence from Matteo, and it was starting to scare him. He thought he would be scared of Matteo being bullied by the other children, but now he realized not knowing anything was worse. He didn’t know if Matteo was happy or scared. Was Matteo thriving in school? Was he failing? Indenuel wanted Matteo to know he was there, supporting him, no matter what. That if he was somehow scared or bullied that he could go to him, but this silence was terrifying him.

Indenuel of course understood the irony, being concerned Matteo wasn’t talking to him when he in return was hiding a huge secret from those closest to him.

After breakfast he left with Tolomon, trying to guess if this was a day he would try and get him to confess or if he would mess with his mind to do nothing. Indenuel should always be prepared for an attack, but it was exhausting. Honestly, he didn’t know how Tolomon did it.

He trained with Captain Luiz, who still went easy on him. The biggest indicator being how Captain Luiz was able to have a full-on conversation while Indenuel could barely get his answer in because he was breathing so hard.

“Are you doing anything fun for the holiday?” Captain Luiz asked.

“Fun?” Indenuel asked. “For a holiday… dedicated to the devil?” There was an uproar somewhere, probably something to do with Tolomon fighting the soldiers on the other side of the armory. They had arrived to no one in the training grounds at all, and Tolomon looked absolutely pleased.

“They’re all getting ready to ambush me! These are my favorite training sessions,” he had said in absolute joy.

At least Tolomon was having fun with his training.

Captain Luiz dodged another jab before laughing. “Some villages have tons of fun during the Day of the Devil. Any traditions from up north I could pass on to my brother? He’s a scholar, specializing in collecting folk stories. I heard of one town where the children all sing hymns in the town square to ward off the demons.”

Indenuel blocked a particularly fancy jab, holding Captain Luiz’s sword back with his own. “Um, not really. Though I guess my fellow villagers would grab sticks and rocks. Sometimes they’d etch depictions from sermons on them before they’d throw them at my home because they thought my mother was a witch.”

Captain Luiz was so distracted by the absurdity he almost didn’t block the jab aimed at his shoulder. He did at the last moment before giving a low whistle. “Your village sounds like a joy to grow up in.”

Indenuel gave a dry laugh before blocking and parrying. “Are you doing anything for the holiday?”

Captain Luiz shrugged. “I always take my wife and children to my brother’s home here in the city. He likes to tell the children spooky stories that may or may not be from his actual studies as a scholar. Gives the children a good fright. Which usually means they sleep in our bed until the Day of the Devil is done.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you were married,” Indenuel said. “And had children.”

“A boy and a girl. Three and six,” Captain Luiz said.

Captain Luiz made another tricky move Indenuel avoided because Captain Luiz pulled back just enough for him to block it. Indenuel winced. “I could have stopped it.”

“You want me to try it again?” Captain Luiz asked.

“Yes.”

Captain Luiz did, but faster, and Indenuel barely managed to block it this time. There was a hearty cheer, and Captain Luiz finally broke his concentration to look toward the sound. “Did someone finally knock Tolomon out?”

“Impossible,” Indenuel said.

Captain Luiz was curious enough to sheath his sword and head over to the armory. Indenuel did the same as they walked closer. There was a large group, all the men talking excitedly. Indenuel tried to stand as tall as he could, but still couldn’t see what was happening. Whatever was going on, the clangs of the metal were fast and there was hardly a break between them. Tolomon clearly hadn’t been knocked out yet. Indenuel heard the now familiar sound of a hilt against a head, and the men clapped and cheered. Indenuel was tempted to look under the legs of the soldiers to double check it wasn’t Tolomon on the ground, but there was no need. The crowd dispersed enough for Tolomon to come through, positively beaming as men patted his shoulders.

“Hello, Indenuel.” Tolomon’s greeting was far too happy. Tolomon looked horrible, as usual, but he started to laugh. It was almost terrifying to see a man covered in blood, with a swollen face and jaw laughing like he was in on some sort of joke. Indenuel almost asked another question, but his entire body froze as he looked down to see Nathaniel out cold in the grass.