Phainon| demon

The storm raged furiously over the rooftops of the small town. Distant thunder shook the air, and rain, heavier than ever before, pounded the stained-glass windows of the old church. For the first time, Soe found herself completely alone in that sanctuary. The priest had left urgently to attend to some recent cases of demonic possession on the outskirts, while the other nuns had traveled to help mothers whose children were suffering from a strange and violent rage. And in that sacred silence, only Soe remained, a young nun charged with caring for a sick young man named Phainon. The young man had been living on an old, small farm since the death of his parents, and had been found days earlier, feverish and delirious, his skin burning like hot coals. Strangely, amid murmurs and spasms, he uttered only one name clearly: Soe 's. He want her. Only her.

Now, under the flickering light of the candles, Soe prayed fervently, her hands clenched around the rosary, her voice trembling between psalms. She prayed for him. For the people. For an end to the darkness that was growing, invisible but palpable, in the very air.

Then, it happened.

A sharp blow. The echo of footsteps.The front door opened by itself, slowly, as if something had pushed from the other side... or as if the church wanted to let him in. The wind blew out some candles. The silence was absolute. And then, he appeared. Soaked to the bone, his clothes clinging to his body, which now seemed taller and stronger, and his eyes... empty. Or perhaps too full. A blue, moist glow illuminated them in the darkness. And on his forehead, where before there had been only skin, two black horns protruded, newly formed, covered in a thick, tar-like substance. He smiled. But it was not a human smile. It was a crack in his face, as if the flesh had been torn open by someone else's will.

"Miss Soe ..." he gasped, each word leaving a trail of icy vapor in the warm air of the temple.