Two days after Victor's death...

Light streamed through the church's multicolored window panel, bathing La'el in the sun's warmth. He cracked his eyes open and scanned this unfamiliar environment, eventually resting them on the golden handkerchief tucked inside Aayan's pristinely white breast pocket. Aayan jumped in excitement, almost dropping the water bottle in his hand.

"It worked..." Aayan said, attempting to contain his awe. La'el let out a dry cough. He scratched his throat while releasing a hellish groan.

Aayan bustled toward him. "Please drink this. The process took longer than expected, so you're probably dehydrated."

La'el snatched the bottle from him and guzzled its contents, belching so loudly that it echoed throughout the empty church. With his thirst quenched, he sat up and tossed aside the empty bottle.

Everything felt heavy, as if an invisible force was pressing against his very essence. "What is this discomfort I'm feeling? Every movement is a chore."

Aayan picked up the thrown water bottle and stood before La'el with his head bowed. "This is your first time in the physical plane. I'm sure you will adapt."

"So humans always feel like this? How foolish." He scowled at his surroundings. "Where am I?"

"St. James church in Covington, Wyoming. The previous owner was kind enough to let us use this as a base of operations. It took some persuading, but we eventually came to an understanding."

"Speak bluntly. I find your reliance on innuendo grating."

"My apologies." He adjusted his sunglasses. "We told the previous owner to halt construction and hand over the church or we would slaughter his entire family. After removing several appendages, he eventually complied. Don't worry, we killed him shortly after."

"And his family?"

Aayan raised his head. "My lord?"

"You said you would slaughter his family, correct? I thought you were a man of your word. I must have been mistaken."

"I—"

"Silence." La'el rubbed the bullet wound on his forehead. He stood up and bent his knees, loosening the stiffness in his joints. "If I remember correctly, Covington is where Luna chose to live. Interesting that this is where we found a body resilient enough to house my essence."

"Your body's previous owner foiled our attempts at finding a worthy vessel several times. An underling spotted him at a nearby park while trying to capture a candidate. I was told that he possessed abilities beyond that of a normal human."

"Stop being vague. What abilities?"

"Superhuman strength and speed."

This must have been Lucius' doing. So this is the body of a demon slayer. La'el smirked. It humored him knowing that through his brother's desire to rid Earth of demons, he incidentally contributed to its demise.

Aayan pointed to the ceiling. "This camera captured him and his cohorts entering this church. Fortunately, an underling nearby tailed them as they left. They were too distracted by their injured friend to notice."

"You've done well," La'el said.

"Thank you, my lord. Do you still plan on—"

"I never renege on a promise. You will be spared."

Aayan released a sigh of relief. "Of course. I was never in doubt."

"Stop lying. Just come out and say you were afraid. You demons and your duplicity. It's truly sickening."

"My apologies." Aayan pulled out a cigarette and placed it between his lips.

La'el strolled through the church aisle, glancing at the large pillars surrounding the nave. He stopped in front of a statue of a cloaked woman with her arms extended, initiating a welcoming embrace.

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Another one of Lucius' schemes. He understood humans and their obsession with stories. They were oftentimes a creative means of passing down vital information. Using religion as a way of influencing behavior was admittedly an ingenious strategy, but it was ultimately fruitless. Humans are a broken race. Their annihilation is the only solution.

He turned to face Aayan, partially hidden by a cloud of smoke. "I wish to explore this area. I shall return shortly."

Aayan dropped his cigarette and stumbled over himself as he rushed to pick it up. "You can't, not when—"

"You dare give me orders, demon?"

"Nothing of the sort. If you want to explore, I recommend wearing a disguise. Though your new vessel hasn't been missing for long, I'm sure there are people searching for you as we speak. Unless you don't mind the possibility of being spotted."

La'el calmed himself, realizing that he wasn't nearly as in control of his emotions in this form. Another fatal design flaw.

He had to act quickly, or he might succumb to his whims. "You're right. I want zero interruptions."

"One moment." Aayan took a final drag of his cigarette before running in the opposite direction, returning moments later with several articles of clothing. "Put these on."

La'el burst through the front doors, taken aback by the sudden onslaught of sunlight. He adjusted his baseball cap and peered up at the sky through his sunglasses. Cloud formations of various shapes and sizes were scattered across a blue backdrop. A sight so impressive his tinted lenses couldn't diminish it. Cars sped by on crack riddled ash gray roads. A pedestrian wearing tattered rags walked past him with his eyes downcast.

He started walking, breathing in the crisp air. Once he eventually adjusted to this omnipresent weight pushing down on him, he found himself admiring his father's work. What a waste. He gave this meticulously constructed world to such an unworthy race.

A rickety folding table stood on the sidewalk, about three blocks from the church. The sign attached to the table looked as if it was on the brink of tipping over, sprinkled with pieces of duct tape. Behind the table was a man with olive skin and jet-black stringy hair tied in a ponytail. He wore an off-white cloak and tan sandals, covered in dirt. He stood completely still, observing his surroundings with a wide grin on his face.

La'el inspected this strange man and his dilapidated stand. They locked eyes, and the stranger's smile slightly waned, revealing his harsh laugh lines. His gleaming white aura was a cause for halt.

"Hello," the man said. "You look lost."

La'el averted his gaze and walked past him. He had spent several millennia listening to the lies that humans spew. Why ruin his walk with useless drivel?

A loud crash stopped La'el in his tracks. He turned around to see the cloaked stranger writhing on the ground. A man holding a large wooden stick stood near the now destroyed sign that read: It's Never Too Late.

While breathing heavily, the man dropped his stick and gave the fallen stranger a kick to his ribs. Through gritted teeth, he said, "You ruined my brother's life."

La'el shot a glance at the sorry creature holding his sides. He couldn't contain his shock when he noticed the smile still present on his face. The enraged man kicked him again, this time much harder. But this idiot was still smiling, absorbing the abuse.

He sat up with his arms wrapped around his torso. "What happened to your brother? If I can do anything to help, please—"

Another kick silenced him, this one aimed at his head. With his hair now matted with blood, he sat back up and smiled even wider. "Please, share your pain with me. Who is your brother and what happened to him?"

This smiling fool somehow evoked pity in La'el.

The enraged man picked up his stick and gripped it tightly, venom still in his eyes. "He was making six figures, coming home to his dream house every night. Then your cult took that away from him!"

The fallen stranger used his hand to cover his bloodied face. "Ah, I see. Your brother abandoned all of his worldly possessions and decided to devote his life to a greater cause."

"Enough with the cult speak. I'm not as gullible as him."

"I meant no offense. It's just that your story isn't a rare one. Please understand that we offer people an alternative to the materialism that's run rampant in our society. I have just one question to ask: Is your brother happy?"

He tightened his grip. "That idiot doesn't know what's good for him. I don't care what you say. Running around in dirty clothes while smiling like an idiot isn't happiness." He kicked the folding table over. "Mark my words. All of you will pay for what you've done to him."

La'el grabbed the man by his neck, causing him to drop his weapon. He sneered at the fallen man. "Hey, why are you not fighting back? He obviously wants to kill you."

"No, please let him go. I don't want him harmed."

La'el grinned at the man's desperate gasps for air. He could choke the life out of him with ease.

"Please! Put him down!"

For a reason La'el couldn't pinpoint, he complied. The man promptly bolted in the opposite direction, weeping hysterically.

The smiling fool dropped his head in exasperation. "Thank you so much. I can tell you showed a lot of restraint. You're a good person."

His stupidity was truly astounding. "What led you to that conclusion?"

"You saw a man in need and you stepped in. Simple as that."

Fascinating. "Despite receiving all that abuse, you continue to smile. What is so amusing?"

"Well, a lot of things are amusing. If you pay attention, reality is oftentimes funnier than any scripted comedy." He laughed, then settled into that dumb smile. "When you've reached rock bottom like I have, anything outside of that is worthy of joy."

"Human, what is your name?"

"Human?" He laughed again. "My name is Jai. Nice to meet you."