In a room, Jeremiah lay in a bed. His body was bandaged from the neck down, with plaster covering his left cheek and nose. Two healers and a physician stood above him, with Cranel behind them.
"How is he?" Cranel asked, his voice steady though his face was distressed.
"He has stabilized. His body is recovering. We were able to restore the injured internal organs," one of the healers stated.
"How long before he wakes?" Cranel asked.
"That will be determined by how fast his recovery progresses from here. His own body is in charge now," the physician answered.
"I see," Cranel replied.
"Good sir, we will take our leave for now. Call on us if you have any complications," one of the healers said. Moments later, the professionals made their way out of the room, leaving Cranel looming over Jeremiah's bed.
Cranel extended his hand over Jeremiah.
"I could let you lie here until you recover, but our field does not allow us to rest, my boy. I do not care what happened in that forest—I am proud of you, son," Cranel said with a gentle smile as raw magic began transferring from his hand to Jeremiah.
Jeremiah's body shook violently as it reacted to the influx of magic. The young lad twisted in pain, shaking harder, until his eyes shot open and the trembling stopped.
"Get up when you can, boy. You and Raymond must brief me soon," Cranel said as he exited the room.
'Damn, my body feels like hell,' Jeremiah thought as he ran his hands around his abdominal area, searching for the wound that had been there.
'It's gone. Raymond, that idiot, saved my life. I need to get out of here—and I need to hunt down that thing,' Jeremiah thought as he sat up.
The door opened, disturbing Jeremiah from his thoughts. He looked up to see Jane.
"Jane," Jeremiah said softly as the girl ran to him and embraced him. For a moment, time seemed to stop. Jane clung to Jeremiah, tears soaking the bandages on his chest.
"I'm fine, Jane," Jeremiah said, finally breaking the silence. Jane stepped back, then slapped him across the face.
"You irresponsible, reckless, inconsiderate piece of shit!" Jane cried as she weakly beat his chest with her fists.
Jeremiah simply grabbed her arms and pulled her onto him, holding her close.
"Sorry for worrying you," Jeremiah said firmly. Jane froze. The two sat there for a moment, Jane lying in Jeremiah's arms.
"Promise me one thing, Jeremiah," Jane whispered.
"What is that?" Jeremiah asked.
"Promise me you will always come back to me," Jane said, looking into his eyes.
"I promise," Jeremiah said with a gentle smile.
"Promise what?" Jane pressed.
"I promise I will always come back to you, Jane," Jeremiah repeated. Jane smiled and buried her face in his chest. The two sat together in each other's presence.
A hooded figure walked through town, avoiding people. He made his way to the gate of the church.
'Okay, Lenen, you have to do this. The plan is simple: Lilith will go for the Seven, the Seven will go for Lilith. The human exorcists will be there to protect as many lives as possible. I must plan to ensure the least number of lives is lost,' Lenen thought as he entered the gate.
The young demon staggered as sharp pain overcame his body. He grunted, forcing himself forward.
'Power through, Lenen!' he told himself, walking as if unaffected. He entered the confessional and sat in the booth. Soon, the priest's door opened and a man entered.
"Greetings," the priest said.
"Greetings. Can you get a message to the exorcists for me, Father?" Lenen asked.
"You're in luck. My name is Father Cranel. Every exorcist in the area is trained by me," Cranel replied.
"Good. Father, take your best and head to Tarth in roughly three weeks. There will be a convergence of great demons there," Lenen said.
"Do I have a way to verify this information?" Cranel asked.
"You will just have to trust me," Lenen stated.
"You know, to be honest, I can smell your kind a mile away. But I only caught your scent when I entered the confessional. What do you gain from us fighting demons in Tarth, demon?" Cranel said, his voice firm, tinged with hostility.
"I was named Lenen by a human woman, Linda, who I lived with for a time. She taught me the value of all life. I lack the power to minimize the loss of life in Tarth, so I am entrusting that to you. Please—save lives at Tarth," Lenen pleaded.
"You certainly challenge my worldview. We will travel to Tarth, and my boys will help you. I, however, will kill every demon I can get my hands on," Cranel said, his bloodlust so strong Lenen could smell it.
"See you in Tarth," Lenen said as he left the confessional.
"See you," Cranel replied, watching the hooded figure disappear into the crowd.
In the training grounds, Raymond stood with his sword in hand. He wore leather pants, his upper body bare, bandages wrapped around his ribcage. He swung his blade with great power—left, right, up, down. His face twisted in anger, grunts escaping with each strike.
'Dead. Dead. No matter how I swing, how fast I swing—I'm dead!' Raymond thought, swinging faster, trying to close gaps. Finally, he stopped.
"One sword means I dedicate myself to attack. If I had two blades, maybe…" Raymond muttered. He walked to a broom, snapped it in half, and began swinging the pieces. A smile spread across his face.
'I don't see them anymore. No more gaps!' Raymond thought, swinging with renewed vigor.
"Hey. You now owe me a broom," a voice interrupted. Raymond turned to see Cranel.
"Father Cranel," Raymond said, stopping and giving him full attention.
"How would you feel about a little demon-hunting excursion in three weeks?" Cranel asked, a grin on his face.
Raymond froze as flashes of his previous fight filled his mind. His hands curled into fists, his eyes burning with anger.
"Count me in," Raymond said.