"So, where's the little spawn of evil?" I asked casually, making it clear I wanted to get this over with quickly. Before the client could launch into a lecture about responsibility and seriousness, Aria led me to the boy's room, answering my question with a silent gesture.
The smell hit me first. I couldn't tell if it was a demonic effect or just the classic stench of an average teenager. The room was utter chaos—clothes, trash, and food remnants covered the floor like a modern art piece. In the middle of it all, the kid was playing video games, completely ignoring us.
I sighed and started my usual warm-up routine. I could hear Aria speaking with the father, asking him to pray for his son. Finally, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to summon God's presence.
"Hey, buddy. How are you doing?" I asked calmly.
"Possessed, apparently," the boy replied without looking away from his screen.
"Your father's worried about you. Will you let me help?" My tone was more pleading than I intended. Indifference was never a good sign in this line of work.
The boy finally turned to look at me. His smile twisted into something sinister, and his eyes gleamed with an unnatural light.
"If I'm honest, I doubt someone who killed his own brother can help me," he said.
My breath hitched for a moment. This wasn't going to be easy.
"Great... they never make this simple," I muttered as the boy stood up.
"And you priests are always such a pain in the ass," the demon said through the boy, his tone a mix of mockery and contempt.
I instinctively shifted into a defensive stance, mimicking the boxers I used to bet on. I braced for a blow, but it didn't come. Instead, the demon looked at me with a fake pitying smile.
"You know, I expected more. An honorable priest, someone whose faith I could destroy. But you... you're pathetic. A soul so far from God it's almost funny."
"I'm not the one who expels you," I replied, stepping forward. "That's God's work."
My fist connected with the boy's stomach, but the impact barely fazed him. A chilling laugh filled the room before a slap sent me flying into the wall, cracking it. The force of the blow blurred my vision for a moment.
As I got up, I saw the demon moving toward Aria and the father, who continued praying undisturbed. It reached out with clawed hands for their throats, but its attack never landed. Its hands passed through them as if they were ghosts.
"What... why won't they die?" the demon growled, striking again and again to no effect.
"Well, you see," I said, struggling to my feet, "that girl over there, believe it or not, is a saint. And right now, you and I are in her mind, not the physical plane."
The demon turned to me, confused, just as I rushed forward and landed a punch square on its face. This time, the impact worked: the demon stumbled back with a roar of fury, its grotesque form beginning to manifest.
Its body was a muscular monstrosity, with bones jutting out like bloody spikes. But the worst part was its two faces—one on each side of its head—sharing a massive mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. From that mouth, two serpent-like tongues writhed as if alive.
"How do you like my true form?" the demon roared, both faces grinning wickedly.
"Grotesque, but nothing I can't handle," I replied, forcing a smile as I readied myself for the next round.
The demon charged at me, but this time I was prepared. Drawing strength from my faith—and the fact that we were in a plane controlled by Aria—I fought back with everything I had. My punch sent it crashing into the opposite wall, its deformed body now marked with fear.
The boy collapsed to the floor, free from the demon's influence. But my work wasn't done. I ran to the kid and dragged him to a corner, praying with all my might for God's help to keep the demon out of his body.
"HAHAHA! Who would've thought that after millennia, I'd get the chance to corrupt a saint!" the demon snarled, rising with eyes full of hatred.
"Not today," I said through gritted teeth. The battle was just beginning.