Ivan

They said that demons come for souls. Ivan came for her, to the one he had been watching for so long, and it seems he knew that Till had noticed him a long time ago.

Till had indeed noticed him a few weeks ago. At first, it was just a silhouette among the columns. Then a glance from the shadows. Then a quiet laugh behind him, when there wasn't a single living soul in the temple.

He appeared again and again.

He waited.

Ivan stood at the very altar, breaking every conceivable law of this place with his very existence. He entered the sacred place.

“You come here too often,” Till said.

- And you think about me too often.

The demon smiled, seeing how Till turned away, and Till didn’t like that Ivan was right. *

• He didn’t like remembering the black-scarlet eyes before falling asleep. He didn’t like noticing his presence before seeing him. He didn’t like that strange feeling that arose every time the demon came closer. *

• “You don’t belong here, evil spirit *

• “And yet I am here.” Ivan took a step forward, and Till took a step back. Until his back was pressed against a stone column, clutching the cross on his chest, while the demon placed his hand near the guy’s head, blocking the path at the indentation *

• The demon was so close that it became difficult to pray, until his hands trembled *

• “Tell me, Till,” Ivan said almost in a whisper. "Why do you look at me like you want to drive me away... but you never leave yourself?" *

• Till couldn't find an answer; there wasn't one, and the demon didn't seem to be expecting one. That's because his gaze had long ago revealed one simple desire: