A man in a light blue uniform, black pants, and a chubby belly hurriedly approached Malron and Kieran. His eyes glared angrily, no doubt furious that the two young men had entered an area of the station not open to the public.
Malron's palm was already ready to summon the trident, prepared for any unspoken trouble. Chopping off the man's head seemed like a quick and easy solution.
"This area is off-limits to bums! Didn't you read the warning outside the fence?" The middle-aged man shouted angrily, his hands on his hips.
Malron's reflex was to clean the man's yellow teeth with his trident. He cursed when he noticed cereal stuck to the station officer's teeth.
The demon unintentional cleaned his teeth with his tongue, even though he hadn't eaten or drunk anything since he entered this world.
"Forgive us, kind sir. But we're not homeless," Kieran replied in a gentle tone.
The chubby man blinked his eyes and stopped his anger.
"We had a rough night that forced us to take shelter in this shed," Kieran explained, his face filled with regret. "We will not repeat the reckless act."
"Ah... yes..." The man in the station uniform seemed uncomfortable.
"We sincerely apologize, kind sir," Kieran added.
"Oh, well." The man adjusted his hair quickly. "Yes, yes... of course you mustn't do it again, boys."
Kieran nodded obediently. "We understand that this is not a public area. And forgive us for not reading the warning last night."
"That's all right," the station officer seemed sympathetic. "Actually, a lot of stuff comes in. If anything goes missing and you're here, you wouldn't want to be accused of theft, would you?"
Oh, surprise! Surprise! The station officer's tone changed drastically, and somehow became very friendly.
Malron looked at Kieran curiously, making sure that the inexperienced boy didn't have any hypnotic abilities. Yet it was a natural talent of Kieran's to evoke pity and sympathy. How could Kieran do that? Was the boy even aware of it?
Kieran chuckled softly. "Oh, of course not, sir. Thank you for giving us such valuable warnings."
What the hell? I feel like throwing up, Malron muttered inwardly. He was suddenly even more confused, wondering why he should feel the urge to vomit. After all, Malron hadn't eaten since he'd set foot in this world.
"By the way, where do you live, boy?" the chubby man asked.
"I live in Albuquerque, sir. And I plan on going back there," Kieran replied truthfully.
"Oh, New Mexico? How did you end up in Portland?" The station agent shook his head in disbelief.
Kieran lowered his head sadly. "It's a long story, kind sir."
"Oh, you can tell me about your troubles. After all, I'm the Station Master here."
The Station Master squeezed Kieran's shoulder and then looked suspiciously at Malron. That confused the demon even more because he hadn't felt he had done anything wrong.
"Come to my office. We can talk there," the Station Master concluded. "Have you eaten?"
Kieran shook his head. "Not yet, sir."
"There's bread and, of course, cereal. You should have breakfast."
Malron, who was trailing behind, only snorted. As expected, cereal, he grumbled internally.
*
Kieran ate with relish and recounted the chronological events of the past week. At least Kieran's honesty was unquestionable because of his innocence and openness.
A week ago, people from the church came to Kieran's school and gave him a questionnaire. Then, a day later, they returned and met with Kieran specifically.
According to Kieran's account, the young man was questioned, and there was nothing suspicious about it.
Three days ago, these people deliberately picked Kieran up from school. He was on a scholarship for higher education, fully funded by the High Priest.
Therefore, Kieran had to meet the High Priest in Portland and was brought there directly by these people.
Kieran wasn't even allowed to go home; he was taken in a luxurious limousine, boarded a private plane, and arrived at the High Priest's residence.
There, not only was Kieran given the scholarship, but four other young men were placed in separate rooms.
"What is this High Priest?" the stationmaster asked, seemingly puzzled.
"He's the leader of a church group, sir. And very influential," Kieran said.
"Never heard of them." The Station Master looked at Malron. "Have you?"
Malron shook his head. "Nope."
"But the High Priest exists. Last night, I was in his residence, and it was magnificent. Isn't that right, Sir Malron? Don't lie this time," Kieran turned to the demon. "I know you're not a liar."
"What Kieran said is true," Malron replied.
The Station Master's brow furrowed; this was something new. He had never heard of a High Priest in Portland. Though Portland had its peculiarities and eccentricities, matters of spirituality remained ordinary.
"Oh, dear... could it be that you're about to be sold?" the chubby man said, lowering his voice. "You know, human trafficking?"
"How could that be?" Kieran shook his head firmly. "The High Priest is a holy man. He has no worldly interests, especially criminal ones."
"Son, sometimes adults give confusing information. They twist your mind as if they mean well, but not necessarily. It's called brainwashing," the station master explained at length.
For the first time, Malron, who usually kept silent, agreed with the Station Master. "True."
"If they're good people, why did you decide to run away?" the Station Master continued.
"I don't know," Kieran whispered, almost in tears.
Kieran bowed in sadness, his face looking somber.
A sense of disappointment spread through the young man; he thought he could be considered worthy and part of the Sanctum. But it seemed that Kieran's hope needed to be found.
"Don't worry, boy. You'd better go back to Albuquerque. I'll arrange for your return. So you won't get into trouble," the stationmaster looked suspiciously at Malron. "To make sure you don't get into trouble."
"Thank you, kind sir," Kieran said, obviously relieved.
Malron yawned lazily; his first adventure to Albuquerque was about to begin.
The demon thought he would chop off a few more heads and soak his trident in blood. As it turned out, his journey felt strangely spiritual.
Then Malron's inner self began to waver. Was he still a demon? Or perhaps Malron was being silently displaced by his kind to fall into the abyss of peace? Could this system be a conspiracy among the demons? He wondered.
Malron's emotions suddenly boiled over; if other demons were deliberately setting him up, he would get even with all of them.
Kieran and the Station Master left the room, Malron following lazily. A freight train was about to pass.
The station master hurriedly approached the engineer, and they talked seriously.
Malron and Kieran were allowed to board one of the carriage. Before Kieran boarded, Malron heard the station master's sincere words, "Bless you, child."
Then, they both sat comfortably in the dimly lit carriage. It wasn't long before the train started moving. Kieran sat next to Malron, leaning against the carriage wall and gazing at the pile of goods.
"You must feel quite satisfied that you have won the old man's heart," Malron scoffed.
Kieran turned to him in surprise. "Why such a negative assumption, sir? I certainly don't mean to belittle your heart."
"Yeah, right."
"But we experienced events that didn't go as you expected. That's still good, isn't it?"
Malron shrugged indifferently. "Maybe."
"It's all because of His blessings. Because of the steadfastness of prayer, He granted us what we wanted."
The demon swallowed. "Whatever."
Malron's uneasiness grew, not knowing how long he would have to be in close quarters with Kieran. The demon may ask for a separate carriage on the next train. Malron was reluctant to talk about things that made his feelings soft.
"By the way, how old are you, Sir Malron?" Kieran asked suddenly.
"Ten thousand years, more or less."
Kieran laughed amusedly. "Very funny. Come on, how old are you? I turned seventeen two weeks ago."
"Twenty-five," Malron replied casually.
"By the way, will you come to my house later? I want you to meet my aunt and uncle," Kieran suggested.
"Well, we'll see." Malron yawned softly, then changed the subject. "Why are you introducing me to your relatives? Where are your parents?"
"I've lived with my aunt and uncle since I was born. My parents are no longer with us."
"They leave you?"
"No," Kieran shook his head. "They both are in Heaven."
"They died of what? Illness?"
There was a pause before Kieran replied weakly, "They were murdered."