"...What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean-" the young girl screams, and an unnatural force knocks me to the ground.

"Father David!" Gabriel, my apprentice, ran up to me, "Are you okay?"

The young girl, formerly Lydia, struggled against the chains, bound to the stone column. The candlelight flickers, a sent of rotting fills the room, and an innate sense of fear stabs like a dagger into me. An unnaturally deep and grizzly voice escapes the girl, "Foolish mortals, you cannot contain me! I am the darkness, I am... what is this presence?"

"Father, who art in heaven, hallow be thy name..."

The girl grows still and begins to hyperventilate.

"Father, what is going on?" Gabriel looks up at the stairwell, trying to see where this unknown prayer was coming from.

"...thy kingdom come, thy will be done..."

"No wait-" the girls eyes roll to the back of her head, "Please lord, have mercy on me."

"Not him, anyone but him..." I put my hands on my head and sigh deeply.

"...on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day -"

A dark shroud erupts from the girl, and tears swell I her eye, "Wha- what's going on?" Lydia begins to cry.

A young man, in a black suit and bow tie, with his black hair slicked back, comes into view, "Brother David, and you must be young Gabriel."

I let out another deep sigh, for a moment forgetting about the demon and crying child, "Brother Caine, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I was just in Roma, and I heard you were having issues with a level 13 demon. I'd love to catch up, but we need to get her out of those chains first." He walks over and slides a small knife, with an elaborately carved wooden handle.

"How did you do that? You exercised at tier 13 demon, with a full possession of a host, only using a portion of the lord's prayer!" Gabriel runs up to the Caine, with a look of amazement and admiration.

"It's not the verse that banishes the demon. It is the faith in our lord above." He smiles down at Gabriel.

"Don't feed him such nonsense. Not everyone possesses your natural talents." I grab Gabriel by the shoulder and pull him closer.

"Leave me now, I'll finish up here."

"Gladly. Come, Gabriel. " I could tell Gabriel wished to stay, see him work, and ask more questions, but he knows not to defy my order. Caine's abilities are great, but he is without caution. Entering the extraction chamber, knowing there is a powerful demon within, without proper raiment, would open any normal man to possession or death.

"Come here dear, it's over now."

The girl, seeing his warm smile and the silver cross around his neck, lunged forward, embracing him in a hug. Caine bends down on one knee and takes the girl by the shoulders, "Everything will be alright, you can trust me."

Caine proceeds to stab his hand into her gut, going through her shirt and skin. The girls face freezes as he slowly removes his hand, a bright white light contained within. His jaw unhenges as he consumes a pure, innocent soul.

"That would explain it." Shadows amass, like a puddle of darkness on the floor. From this unnatural darkness, a form emerges. A skinny demon with two large horns, with skin as dark as night. The demon kneels before Father Caine.

Caine snaps his jaw back in place, "I expected you to flee, I am pleasantly surprised."

"I would never abandon the chance to serve you, Lord Beelzebub, prince of he'll, devil of gluttony, Lord of the Flys, master of savages, bringer of-"

"Enough, I cease your groveling."

"Yes, my lord. I must ask, why have you abandoned hell for this lesser form?"

"You will see soon enough, first though, overtake this body. Without the soul, you'll find no struggle." Lydia's body stands almost perfectly still, blabbering about 'the darkness,' as most of those Caine exorcises do.

"Yes, master." The shadows lose their form and flow into the girl.

"Meet me in Vien in a fortnight. Act like a traumatized child before the priests, return to her family, and drown the body in a river. Then, hide in animals during the day and travel in secrecy at night. Once you arrive in Vein, I'll find you." Caine grabs the girl by the shoulder and ascends to stairwell.