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In the unwritten history of the Protestant Reformation, Braxton, the king of the Anglican British Empire, overtakes Vatican City, and hangs the Pope and clergy. During his celebration, mysterious creatures kill those closest to him and in a moment of desperation, he calls out for God's help but is met only with scorn, however, he is also blessed by becoming the first of a new kind of exorcist. 

Exorcism of the Hollow: The Good Traitor: Chapter 3 – Exorcising False Gods

Chapter 3 – Exorcising False Gods

The statue brings me back inside the basilica and to the front of the altar. With a single wave of its hand, a hidden door on the floor moves aside to reveal a staircase that leads into the darkness. It then points down and I follow its instructions. As I descend further and further down the seemingly never-ending staircase, I think that it actually won’t end until I reach the bottom where there’s nothing but dead grass and dirt. There doesn’t seem to be anything here to build a legacy on other than it being a secret place.

A light suddenly appears in the dark and approaches me and I’m surprised to see that the source of the light is the statue of Christ with a lion and unicorn behind him. My legs can’t help but feel weak as I fall to my knees at this glorious sight.

“My Lord,” I say.

“It is, I, Braxton. I am glad that you recognize Me after serving that false version of Myself,” the statue says.

Hearing this makes me unsure of what to say or do. Is this a false Christ in front of me or were my original assumptions about the living broken statue, correct?

The statue continues by saying, “I understand and I will not rub your face into your failures like that false Christ did. Instead, I will only allow you to save your empire and serve me as the king you are meant to be.”

“So…I was never wrong? Going back and forth between thinking I was and was not is too jarring for me.”

“I know it is, but I know that you’ll come through. Remove all traces of falsehood from your mind and come back to Me, King Braxton. The fact that you’re constantly fought over by me and demonic forces is proof of your infinite worth. Bring the world under the grasp of the British Empire and make it holy.”

I’m at the crossroads again and don’t know what to do. Do I go back to the Christ that affirms everything I believe or do I stay with the one that seems to be correcting me for my mistakes? You know what? Today’s events have reminded me that I should rely on God more than myself, so while on my knees, I pray to God to give me the right answer and direct my actions and thoughts according to His will. This action sends a shockwave of light from me that lights up the entire area and reveals the Christ in front of me as an imposter. It now has only half of Christ’s face and its feeble, hollow body is only half covered by a golden cape. The rest of it wears a black crown on its head and its back has only one set of shriveled wings on it.

“You traitor! How dare you distrust your god!” the pathetic-looking thing says, “I’ll give you one more opportunity. Accept my help and your legacy will be great.”

“It’s funny that you mention that I’m a traitor. So far, in the span of a day, I’ve fundamentally betrayed everything I’ve stood for, everyone who’s helped me, and even the ‘god’ I worshipped, but if God says to do so, then I’ll gladly take the title of traitor.”

Enraged by my answer, the false Christ yells while flying at me. Taking out my spear, I pierce its hollow heart and can feel a hole that I didn’t know I had in my chest fill as the false Christ is banished along with its unicorn and lion and the area around me comes to life with green grass. Behind me, the once-broken statue of Christ appears in a restored state to me and takes off its veil to reveal the gentle, merciful, and smiling face of my Lord.

I kneel on both knees and say, “My Lord. What are Your orders?”

“Use the land before you to grow the community of exorcists to cleanse the world of demons. I will change this world according to your needs to have farmlands, rivers, lakes, mountains, and expand its lengths if need be,” the Lord says.

“How will I go about growing the community?”

“Besides you, I have blessed many people with the abilities of an exorcist who will be drawn to coming here, some of whom are almost here. Also, a child of an exorcist will inherit their parent’s blessing, so your ranks will grow in that way as well.”

“I understand. Thank You for everything.”

“As for the final order that I have for you, for now, continue growing closer to Me, My good servant.”

The statue of Christ disappears into the sun of this underground sky leaving me with a feeling of hopefulness in his heart. In the same sky, I see five people walking down the many stairs from the entrance. One is a priest, a farmer with a cow and dog, a soldier, a nun, and a woman all of whom wear the garbs and masks of an exorcist like me. They are all surprised to see that I, of all people, have been chosen as an exorcist and the leader of them and have many questions all of which I am glad to answer. In this new beginning given to me by God, my past is buried and gone, but my future is bright and looking to be a hopeful one because a traitor to his God like me was able to be brought back and called a good servant.

The End

Exorcism of the Hollow: The Good Traitor: Chapter 2 – Exorcising Others

Chapter 2 – Exorcising Others

The morning sun is now in the sky rather unexpectedly. I guess the party and everything else that happened took longer than I expected. People start to come out of their houses and go about their daily business. Despite my appearance and many knowing who I am, none of them acknowledge me and are even able to walk through me as if I’m some kind of spirit. Looking into my reflection in a nearby shop window, I see myself and the grinning gold and white mask that I’m wearing that appears to have a crown of gold and a sharp red crown on it. The mask stays on my head no matter what I try to do and returns to its original position. Behind me, I see the broken statue of Christ float in the window’s reflection and no one takes any note of it either.

“That mask is a penitential mask of shame that exposes the sin that you struggle with the most,” the statue says.

“And that sin would be what? Being royalty?” I ask.

“The sin of pride.”

I look back in the reflection and can kind of see how the mask reflects the sin of pride. Now I can’t help but feel that the mask is mocking me and accusing me of my deeds without saying a word.

“What of our invisibility? Why can’t anyone see or touch us?”

“They see and touch what I allow. Your descendants will be able to shift between being invisible and being visible, but you will stay invisible to them for the rest of your life. You have no use of it anyway.”

“Why’s that? I’m still the king of the British Empire and I have a kingdom to rule.”

“You are a king no longer and are only a new exorcist.”

What the statue says gives me pause as it feels like my entire world has fallen out from under me.

“…what? No, that can’t be. I am a king-”

The sound of yelling and screaming coming from nearby startles me as it reminds me of the events of last night.

“Go save your servants, ‘king’.”

Running towards the sound, I don’t find any demons, but I do find my own people killing each other. My feelings of betrayal force me to strike down the traitors with my own hands, but the fists merely go through them. The traitors get away and there’s nothing I can do about it.

“That’s right,” the statue says as it phases through the wall, “You can’t do anything.”

I fall to my knees and say, “Then please do something! For their sake, not mine.”

“And not My own sake?”

“No, they’ll glorify You even more if you save them.”

“They’ll end up killing each other and following the example you set for them, which is an example that needs to be erased. Watch and observe.” As I am teleported from scene to scene of violence and betrayal, the statue continues saying, “You thought that you led an invincible army and rooted out all traitors and had people in place to get rid of them, but you are wrong. Men who are not entirely loyal to Me are never completely loyal to the lords they serve. Thus, I allowed you and your allies to be blind to the traitors in your mist. Look also at this. The Catholics that you thought you purged from Vatican City are using this opportunity to take back what is theirs.”

I had the entire country of Italy under my control and was eating at Vatican City bit by bit, month after month. This city was going to be my home away from home, the property of the British Empire, and a staging place to reclaim the Holy Land. Now, all those years of preparation are gone in an instant. I’ve stopped moving from place to place in the city and am now on the roof of a church unsure what to do.

“You rise, Braxton,” the statue says.

“What?”

“You rise from your sins. You will no longer be the hollow man you once were and I will make you a new man, the man you were always meant to be.”

The statue holds out its bleeding nail-pierced hand for me.

“How are You going to do that?”

“By giving you this opportunity to make up for it. You will hunt down the demons who are corrupting humanity and have been clouding your judgments as an exorcist. Take out your spear.”

“How do I do that? Why does it even come out of my head and why a spear?”

“It comes out of your head because that’s the center of your virtue and it’s a spear because it’s representative of your personality. Remember who gives you the strength to do what needs to be done. Put your faith in Me and you will accomplish wonders.”

With nothing left to lose, I do as the statue says as I pull my spear out of my head and ready myself.

“What are your orders, Lord?” I say with one knee down.

“I will teleport you to various parts of Italy that require your particular kind of exorcism. Banish the demons and you will help bring peace to this country and save innocents,” the statue says.

“I accept. Send me in.”

I am sent to scenes of violence and conflict in parts of Italy where I find the white hollow demons influencing people’s actions. One after the other, I exorcise each location by banishing the demons by trusting in God as my strength. It’s rather easy as long as I concentrate on my silent prayers to God and not listen to the temptations to give in to the despair of my lifelong plans being no longer relevant. The demons also talk to me and say how I’ve been abandoned by God, that I’m a slave to a false Christ and that they’re actually angels, and that I deserve better. All these temptations I drown out by continuously fighting and holding out the hope that I’m doing what’s right.

There’s no reason that this isn’t, as far as I know. The only doubt in my mind is the suddenness of it all and the fact that God allowed me to do the things I did for as long as I did without any kind of correction. It is possible that I ignored the warning signs or thought they were temptations by the devil. In fact, I think that’s probably the case at this point if demons are tempting me to go back to my original thinking. There’s no way that these hollow spirits are actually angels since they killed those close to me and are inspiring people to gratuitous acts of violence and slaughter. After a while, I am teleported to the roof of the basilica where everything started, and am expecting more demons, but nothing appears except for the broken statue of Christ.

“What? Are there no more demons for me to exorcise?” I ask.

“You’ve done your part. Well done,” the statue says.

Hearing sounds of violence and seeing fires in the distance brings doubt into my mind again.

“Even though the city still burns?”

“Yes. There are demons that I am not allowing you to see and fires that don’t need putting out because I am allowing certain evils to happen for a greater good that I have planned. I know you’re still concerned about your legacy, but do not be. Even though the legacy you wanted to happen will be erased tonight, what you leave behind will be greater than that.”

“I…I figured I couldn’t save my legacy. It doesn’t help that you had to point it out and what You’re saying doesn’t help much.”

“Then let us plant the final seeds of your legacy so that it will begin to grow.”

Exorcism of the Hollow: The Good Traitor: Chapter 1 – Exorcising the Self

Chapter 1 – Exorcising the Self

After hanging the noose around the heretic, I throw him over the balcony to hang him with his cardinals and archbishops. Now, the pope of the false Christianity is dead and the followers of his sham of a gospel will follow as well if they don’t submit to the true faith that is being captained by the good people of the British Empire and I, her king. My subjects and the true servants of Our Lord Jesus Christ cheer for me below and my three wives stand around me with their heads on my shoulders.

“Cheer, not only for me but for yourselves, loyal servants of Christ! Today we celebrate the downfall of the anti-Chrit’s Christianity and the next big achievement in establishing Christ’s true Church on earth and dominating it for His sake, so drink, eat, be merry, and enjoy yourselves to your heart’s desires! You’ve earned it,” I say as the crowd grows louder with fervor and zeal.

Downstairs in the basilica, I watch and enjoy the fruits of my labor. First, I look at my wives. One is the daughter of a royal family that I’ve known since childhood, another was a nun until she was…convinced to abandon her vow of chastity and marry me, and the last is a slave woman who previously helped clean my castle. Second, I look over to my family and friends who made this possible. Without their influence and resources, we wouldn’t have been able to overthrow the pope and his armies. Third and lastly, I look at my servants who I also appreciate for playing their part.

Everyone is happy and nothing could make me happier than seeing this. While the party is going on, a few of the drunks break the cross that’s at the very back of the basilica. This stops the party for some as they go to see the broken crucifix and statue of Christ that was attached to it and even condemn the drunks for this desecration of a holy object. To avoid the party being spoiled, I clang my wine glass to get everyone’s attention.

“Let us not make this spoil enjoying our just rewards,” I say. “As for these drunks, they have done nothing wrong. In fact, I was going to destroy that cross myself since it depicts the false Christ of the Catholics. Our Christ is risen and not perpetually crucified because all our sins of the past, present, and future are wiped away forever and with our vow of faith in Christ we are saved no matter what mistakes and sins we may make.”

The crowd agrees with me and calms down.

“Now, bring in the statue of the true Christ and put Him where the false Christ fell.”

Ten of my servants bring in the statue I’ve brought over from Britain, place Him at the back of the Church, and carry away the broken trash of the cross and false Christ. This statue of Christ depicts Him with the armor of a king with a lion and unicorn behind Him. In His hands are the flag of the British Empire and a sword.

“This is a proper and true depiction of Christ. Don’t you all agree?”

Again, the crowd agrees with me before clapping and going back to enjoying the party. Many hours pass and guests go home one after the other until around twenty remain, most of whom are my relatives and close associates. They’re staying since we still have to divide the riches of the Vatican and explore its vaults for valuables. Before we can do that, the doors of the basilica close and the candles go out. A deep darkness surrounds us that we can hardly see each other in.

We all take out our weapons and call out whoever is pulling this trick on us and no one answers. I then see bits of a creature that has a white body and a black hole in its chest. It starts cutting down everyone I know one after the other and kills them in various ways such as making them fly in the air before dropping them down or just plain tearing their head off or in two. For some reason, it seems like no one else can see them even when I see them look at the creatures point blank and tell them about it. Taking matters into my own hands, I hunt the creature in the dark and eventually find it, but when I strike it, the blade of my sword shatters into pieces. Both of my wrists are then restrained by invisible chains and I am forced to stay in place as I watch everyone close to me die.

With no other option, I call out to God with all my strength for the opportunity to obtain justice and am only met with the floating destroyed statue of Christ whose face is covered by a black veil. Its chest and last remaining hand that has a nail through it bleeds and tears seem to be on its veil.

“Lord? Is that You?” I ask.

“Do not call Me Lord for I do not know you,” the statue says.

“What are you talking about?”

“You have persecuted Me by persecuting My Church, My people, My both faithful and unfaithful servants.”

“Was I not supposed to bring Your justice to the unfaithful? To the Catholics and the traitors among the British Empire and those who call themselves Christians but are nothing but heretics?”

“You speak of heretics and you are chief among them and chief among today’s sinners for killing so many and indulging in sin and your own desires.”

“I’ve never done anything wrong! You’re right. You don’t know me.”

“You ask Me for help, I bring you the truth, and you decide to argue with Me. Know that My mercy outweighs My justice by your continued breathing despite your countless blasphemies and by giving you penance. This penance is to be the first among a new league of exorcists that operate invisibly and can see demons.”

My royal blue, red, white, and gold clothes change to a dull brown and black priest-like set of clothes that look like a combination of priest and guard. Half a mask covers my face and I can feel and see a long spear coming out of my head.

“You will use this spear as your primary weapon and the first demons you must banish are your own. You must crucify yourself first if you want to serve Me and save yourself,” the statue continues.

“How do I know that you’re not an anti-Christ?” I ask.

“A divided kingdom cannot stand against itself. I want you to take this second chance and be the faithful servant you claim to be.”

I try to take the spear from my head, but the chains on my wrists prevent me from doing so. Turning my head to look at them, I now see a white creature on both sides, one has a chain coming out of its head while the other has a chain coming out of its heart, and both of which appear to have a mockery of my face as theirs.

“I can’t do anything!” I say.

“That’s right. You can’t do anything without My help. Crucify your ego. Give Me your vow of humility by saying, ‘Ego me primum crucifigo’.”

Doing as the statue says, I swallow my pride and say in the accursed Catholic language, “Ego me primum crucifigo.”

My chains break and the two creatures behind me are blown away allowing me to take the spear out of my head and wield it. I’m not too accustomed to using spears, but I should be able to banish the creatures if God truly wants me to succeed. The creatures come at me and attack me with their blade-like claws and no matter how much I stab them with my spear, I can’t manage to do anything. What am I doing wrong?

“You’ve already forgotten so easily. You cannot do anything without My help,” the statue says.

Fine then. Somehow believing God is the source of my strength makes the spear do damage and allows me to fight better. Soon after, I manage to banish the creatures, and the candles in the basilica are all relit at once. With a clearer view of the bodies of everyone I cared about, I’m unsure of who to go to first to see if they’re still alive.

“None of them are,” the statue says.

“What?” I say.

“None of them are alive. They died after they were struck down by their demons and judged soon after.”

“Can You at least tell me if they went to Heaven or Hell?”

“I can tell you that those who appear faithful will suffer Hellfire because of the decay in their soul and those who appear wretched obtain the highest seat in Heaven because of their repentance and trust in Me.”

“That’s not much of an answer.”

“Their fate is not your concern. You need to worry about your own and those you’ll lead. Now, go! Free your people of their demons.”

I am lifted into the air by an invisible force and thrown out of the basilica. Before I can get up, the basilica’s doors close. Was that really God and was I really banishing demons? I guess I have no choice but to accept it and hope that I’m doing the right thing at this point. If I truly lived an evil life, please God forgive me and help me to do the right thing.

My 250th book is out today!

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Everyone wants to be loved and remembered, but after trying to do so, Josephine dies and is brought back to life by the Servant. As one of the many Dead and Conduits of the Servant's will, she'll do her best to do penance for her past life of sin and banish the not-so-virtuous Lights of the World although she's a nobody with seemingly nothing special about her.

Unremembered and Unimportant: Chapter 5 - Ending and Beginning Again

Chapter 5 – Ending and Beginning Again

Unknown to the inhabitants of the city, Josephine and Memphis are moving from shadow to shadow to avoid detection and the notice of the Light of the World they are tasked with banishing. The two manifest themselves out of the shadows in a dirty alleyway as they plan their next move.

“How are we going to get to the castle from here? I didn't see any more shadows for us to travel to,” Josephine says.

“We can hijack someone’s shadow assuming they’re going there or maybe go into several shadows like we were doing as we move forward,” Memphis suggests.

“We were doing that, but it’s a bit too risky since shadows don’t last long here except for this alleyway, I guess. Isn’t it strange that this is one of the few places that isn’t lit up?”

“Every light casts a shadow. Besides, it makes sense that they wouldn’t want a trashy area of their golden paradise to be lit up. They want it hidden like their sins.”

“You’re right. I think we should go with your plan seeing as how it’s the only thing we can do. We’ll just have to deal with any difficulties from there-”

A sudden loud thud sound scares Josephine. She looks around for the source and can’t seem to find what it was or what happened. Turning to ask if Memphis saw anything, her words are caught in her throat by how still he is. A realization of what happened freezes her in place as Memphis turns around to reveal the gaping hole in his chest.

“Memphis!” Josephine says as she runs to catch him as he falls to the ground. “Memphis! Memphis!”

There are no signs of life in Memphis at all. The only thing that remains is a faint smile as if he were going to say something reassuring to Josephine. An overwhelming light fills the once-dark alleyway while Josephine cries and holds Memphis’ body. Three arms come out of the lights and surround Josephine with their embrace. In the sky, a black light forms, and now the entire sky looks like a singular eye.

“Josephine, don’t fight us. You see the result of our power. The Servant isn’t doing anything to save you. You will finally get what you deserve,” a feminine voice from the sky says.

All three hands point at Josephine and slowly change her back to what she looked like. As this is happening, she doesn’t do anything except continue to cry as any fight in her is gone and is now replaced with surrender and despair. Now back to normal, Josephine feels a faint numbness block out her sadness and bits of anger. The hands then move to make Memphis’ body disappear into nothing, which spikes her feelings before the numbness takes away the pain. She is taken by the hands out of the alley and put on a pedestal in the streets to be seen by everyone.

“Behold, a true selfless servant. You are to do everything she says. Shower her with praise. Make sure she is loved. Protect her from hatred. If she wants you to be her lover, then you are to do so without a second thought,” the feminine voice says.

From the crowd, Josephine’s family and friends emerge. They seem to have a halo around their heads and a white light shining from their eyes.

“What? Am I being put into a dream again?” Josephine asks.

“This is no dream. This is reality. I got them here and influenced your loved ones to always love you as they should. I knew you were coming. I know your every desire and wish to fulfill it.”

“You don’t know anything about me!”

“I knew you were coming. I know about the feelings that you had for the boy and the feelings he had for you. Both of you yearned for love and fell for each other so easily because of it. One wanted to be loved because she thought she would be useless and depressed without someone showing any love to her. The other wanted love because he wanted to think he was worth loving.”

“So, why did you kill him and leave me alive?”

“From what we’ve seen and heard, you seem like the one who would be easier to convince to stop when given everything you wanted and we appear to be correct. Live in peace and harmony with us and convince the other Dead and Conduits who come here to do so as well and you’ll get everything that you want and keep the people here happy. It’s everything that you wanted, isn’t it?”

Knowing that she can’t disagree, Josephine doesn’t say anything. The three arms disappear and the sky goes back to normal. Everyone whom the Light has given to Josephine begins fawning over her and asking her what they want her to do.

“Leave me alone!” Josephine says as she runs back to the alley where Memphis died. She sits on the dirty floor and starts crying again. “I’m back where I started…but in a worse condition…”

Appearing from the shadows, the Servant says, “I am still here for you.”

“Are you?! Where were you when they killed Memphis?!”

“Here.”

“And you had to let him die.”

“I did.”

“For what reason? Tell me!”

“It was his time to go so that you would know the value of feeling alone.”

“I don’t see the value that you’re talking about.”

“I do know that you at least see that there’s no value in getting everything you wanted.”

“I kind of learned that the first time it happened.”

“But you had to be reminded of it so that you would come back to Me.”

“Come back to You? For what reason? I have nothing to give You.”

“You still have your life.”

“My life is worth less than nothing.”

“I can still make that into something.”

“Why put me through this? Do you hate me? Do you like seeing me suffer? Why not give these tasks to someone who can do them better than I can?”

“I do this to make you into the person you were meant to be because I love you more than you love yourself. This process is painful, but I bear the pain with you and give you the strength to make it through it.”

“Then why allow me to fail so many times when I’m trying to do what You want?”

“Your failures and losses bring you closer to Me. In victory or defeat, I can make you into something greater. Only trust Me a little and you will be able to move mountains and overthrow false gods.”

“Okay then. I did trust You a little before. Maybe it’s time that I trust You more.”

The Servant reaches out His hand to Josephine who takes it. A deep and yet somehow bright darkness enters her that dispels the light around her. Seeing her newfound power, she walks out into the streets towards the castle where her target is. As she is walking toward it, those who are under this Light of the World’s influence are freed from it once her darkness touches them. Most are confused and unsure what to do or where they are while others remember that they are Conduits and use the abilities given to them by the Servant to dispel more of the light and destroy the angel apparitions of light that this Light of the World has conjured.

Again, the eye in the sky reveals itself and attempts to strike down Josephine with lightning from above, but none of the strikes can manage to pierce her darkness. Every servant that the Light sends against her is blinded by the dark or runs away in fear because of it. Now at the castle, the other Conduits make their way inside while Josephine sits on the steps of the entrance.

From above, the same feminine voice from before says, “I can give you whatever you want. Just get rid of that accursed darkness you radiate!”

“It’s not my darkness and I don’t need anything,” Josephine says.

“You know that’s not true. I know how you truly feel! You want what I just gave you and more! I can bring Memphis back to life if you help me. Watch and see.”

An apparition of Memphis appears in front of Josephine who appears more handsome and well-dressed than he was before. Knowing that this isn’t him, Josephine turns her head and the apparition is consumed by the dark.

“Stop denying your emotions and desires!” the Light says.

“It’s better that I do because following my feelings and getting what I want has only left me miserable. It is the right thing to do after all,” Josephine says.

No further words are said by the Light and the rest of its false light is dispelled from the city. Presuming it to be banished, Josephine leaves the city. People in the streets are either celebrating their freedom, hurling insults at Josephine, or running away from her. Looking into her reflection in one of the store windows, she sees that she’s changed.

Her clothes, hair, and eyes are all different though the scars and stitching on her body remain the same. She smiles at her new appearance and because of the satisfaction she has from learning something new but old. For the rest of her life, she’ll continue to learn this lesson, fall and rise, and grow in wisdom. Though she may be hated, forgotten by the world, and mostly alone for the rest of her life, she’ll be remembered in the heart of the Servant, the only place worth being remembered in.

The End

Unremembered and Unimportant: Chapter 4 – A Tease of Hope

Chapter 4 – A Tease of Hope

It’s been a few days since Memphis and Josephine started working together and they’ve managed to banish many Lights of the World and grow in strength, especially Josephine who can bear with the hatred she faces and the enemies that the Servant sends them towards. Today, they enter a settlement that the Servant has cleansed from the influence of the Lights of the World. It is inhabited by Conduits whose purpose is to keep this area pure and make a simple living here. The weather and daylight cycle is natural here with days and nights passing along with days of rain, snow, low and high winds, and the occasional spike or drop in temperature. All seems normal until the light grows brighter and a being manifests from it.

This being is comprised of three heads. One of which is an old man with a crown, another is a head with a crown of thorns, and the last is that of a bird. A spiky cross is on the being’s body and the entirety of it gives off a comforting feeling.

“The Servant has appeared to us again!” a Conduit says as everyone in the settlement drops what they’re doing and races over to give the being praise and homage.

“What do you think? He doesn’t look like He usually does when I see Him, but He seems like the Servant. His presence and radiance sure feel like it,” Josephine says.

“You’re right, but there are subtle things to watch out for,” Memphis explains, “I don’t think the Servant would tell us to go here just to see Him again in a different form.”

“Maybe it could be that and to take a break. I need one after all the traveling and banishing we’ve been doing.”

“We’ll get our rest when we get it. I don’t think now’s the time yet.”

“I guess there really is no rest for the Dead.”

“Just take my hand. I have a feeling that we’re going to have to use our abilities soon.”

“We might as well always be holding hands at this rate,” Josephine says before the two hold hands without a second thought.

“Are you seriously suggesting that we do? I mean I don’t have a problem with that!”

“I…um. We should pay attention to what’s going on.”

“Right, right.”

Memphis and Josephine can’t help but blush and smile at each other before turning their attention to this supposed manifestation of the Servant.

“Blessed are you, my child,” the entity says, “For all your hard work, you shall be given rest for a time as I will be protecting this area with my own hands as a reward. Your crops will grow larger and cattle will multiply without your input and your illnesses will be cured.”

As the entity is speaking, what it promises happens in front of the eyes of the faithful as people are cured, fields of crops grow larger, and cattle multiply. Josephine contorts her free hand while the entity continues to speak. Eventually, Memphis notices her doing this.

“Remember, you’re a Conduit, not the light itself. We can’t just use our banishing abilities when we want to,” Memphis says.

“Yeah, I guess I should know that by now. Still, I want to get this over with if something is up. Whoever this is seems to be the real deal,” Josephine says.

The entity notices the two and floats over to them.

“Josephine, Memphis, my faithful servants. You made it just in time for me to give you your due reward,” the entity says.

“As much I want to be rewarded, I’d like to ask you some questions before enjoying them,” Memphis says.

“Of course. Ask me anything.”

“What do you mean by resting for a time? Should we stop working?”

“You should. There’s nothing wrong with resting since you need to refresh so that you can later go back to work with renewed strength.”

“Right. What about these miracles you’ve been performing? What’s with the sudden and gracious reward?”

“My faithful deserve this after all the suffering that they’ve done, don’t you think? Are you saying that you want more? I can make that happen if you want.”

“I want nothing more than what I deserve.”

“And what do you deserve?”

“Whatever the Servant says as I deserve.”

“Are you saying that you don’t think I am who I appear to be? What other signs should I make to make you believe me?”

The crowd of faithful believers begin to crowd closer to Memphis and Josephine all of whom are either beginning to feel hostile towards them or begin to question if who they are seeing is really the Servant.

“Of course, it’s the Servant. This place has been purified from evil and look at everything we’ve been given,” one argues.

“But do we deserve such gifts so suddenly? It seems like something a Light of the World would do,” another asks.

“My faithful people, do not let your doubts shake your trust in me. If what I haven’t given you is enough, tell me, I will listen, and I will give.”

“The only thing we want is what we rightfully deserve and we pray that we get it,” Memphis says before bowing his head down in prayer.

The other faithful do the same and Josephine follows them. Even though some don’t pray and just watch to see what happens, the entity begins to contort and break apart until the true Servant emerges from it. The light in the area seems to have been adjusted as if the sun’s radiance had dimmed. Everything that the fake Servant had given the people disappears as well in a flash of light as if they were never there.

“You did well, Memphis,” the Servant says.

“Thank you, Lord,” Memphis says.

“What about our reward-” one of the people says before the Servant disappears.

“Your reward is the life you are living now. Treasure it.”

Besides the people here who are sour about not getting anything, the faithful among them thank Memphis for helping them see the deception of the false Servant. They tell him and Josephine to stick around and relax while they prepare lunch for them as a reward for helping them.

“No, we shouldn’t. There’s still a lot that needs to be done,” Memphis says.

“Like what? The Servant hasn’t given us any new task yet, so I’m sure we can stick around for a bit to catch our breaths,” Josephine says.

“I guess you’re right. Okay, we accept your gracious gift, but also, pray for us so that we’ll know what the Servant wants us to do next.”

The faithful thank the two and bring them to a small restaurant that they’ve established that is surrounded by a garden of flowers. They tell the two to sit and relax while their meal is being made and speak to them as if they were a couple, which makes them realize that they’re still holding each other’s hands. In a moment of embarrassment, they let go and apologize to one another before sitting down in awkward silence.

“So, why do you want to keep rushing to the next destination?” Josephine asks to break this silence.

“Because the world is still largely under the influence of the Lights of the World. Not even a place like this is safe from them as you saw,” Memphis says.

“There’s plenty of other Conduits out there who are taking care of them. Didn’t you say that everyone has their role to play in the Servant’s plan?”

“Yeah. Now that you mention it, I wouldn’t be able to stand being like these people who are tasked with settling down, but on the other hand, I wouldn’t complain too much if it really was what I was supposed to be doing.”

“I’d prefer it over constantly being on the move.”

“Believe me when I say that we don’t have it as bad as other Conduits like us. Some can manifest their abilities at will, speak words of unfathomable wisdom that can convert the hearts of hundreds at a time, and are known for great deeds and because of it, they are constantly asked to help out and can hardly catch their breath since most people know them.”

“All blessings seem to come with a curse.”

“Or rather they come with crosses and responsibilities all of which I gladly accept.”

“Because it’s the right thing to do?”

“You know it.”

“But why does doing the right thing bother you so much besides the matter of fact of it?”

The owners of the small restaurant bring Memphis and Josephine their lunch and then leave them alone. While they eat, Josephine watches Memphis and waits for an answer.

“Come on, you can tell me,” Josephine says.

“What’s there to tell? You already know the primary reason,” Memphis says.

“What’s the secondary one then?”

“Something that belongs in the past and one that I’m still trying to make up for.”

“Tell me about it. We’re working together so we might as well tell each other what bothers us.”

“Alright, fine. Before I followed the Servant or even cared about what was right and wrong, I was a human trafficker. I sold and bought prostitutes for my boss and had my way with them to test their ‘quality’. There were even times when I had to kill them for running away.”

“Before, I was a prostitute myself who did heinous things and was told to convince others to do the same. I hated every second of it.”

“But if you were a prostitute then that means we could’ve met before and never knew it. Josephine, I’m sorry for everything that I did even if you don’t remember seeing me or knew that I was behind you being sold or given away to another slave master.”

“Don’t worry about it. Like you said, it’s in the past and you’re making up for it now.”

“Still, it doesn’t feel like I’m doing enough.”

“How about we walk around this place and enjoy the sights? It’s one way to repay me if you still feel guilty.”

“Alright. We haven’t gotten a sign as to what to do next so we might as well.”

Josephine does her best to hide her excitement and only barely manages to stop from giggling. After lunch, the two take a tour of the area and are shown around the nearby garden, the farms, and the church. They are told the history of every place they visit and talk to the faithful here and get to know them. Before they know it, it’s dinner time and they are invited to supper and a celebration afterwards. Memphis has his doubts about staying, but Josephine and the other people here convince him to stay. The two sit around the center of the settlement and are served meals while the musicians start to play their music.

At first, they play songs of suffering and strife and then move on to playing more uplifting songs and finally end with songs of love and happiness as if they are telling a story with each song. When the last set of songs begins to play, the people begin to sing and dance and get Josephine and Memphis to join them. Even though Memphis is shy to do so at first, Josephine takes him by the hand and makes him dance. Eventually, he enjoys it and even sings along with Josephine and the others. The final song that the musicians play is a slow love song. A song that is only danced to by couples and one that Josephine makes Memphis dance to as well.

“I’m…I’m not good at this. Dancing that is. Heh, I must look like a fool to everyone here,” Memphis says.

“I don’t think that. I think you danced great even if you were a bit silly,” Josephine says with a giggle.

“Josephine…I don’t know if we should-”

“Shh. Let’s enjoy this moment together.”

As the two look into each other’s eyes and the song ends, Josephine and Memphis kiss each other at the same time as if they were thinking the same thing. While everyone goes to sit down to eat dessert or go home, the two continue to look into each other’s eyes.

“I can’t believe you’d kiss and fall in love with someone like me,” Memphis says.

“I can’t believe the same thing. I’m just a nobody after all who would be useless without you,” Josephine repeats.

“That’s not true. I’m sure you’d be fine alone.”

“I’d rather not think about that. Just promise me that you’ll never leave me and will always be at my side.”

“I will. I promise you that and that…I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Josephine and Memphis kiss again before resting for the night in a room in the inn prepared for them. They rest together in the same bed while holding each other’s hand with smiles on their faces and a peace and warmth in their joyful hearts that they’ve never felt before.

Unremembered and Unimportant: Chapter 3 – Bringing Back the Lost

Chapter 3 – Bringing Back the Lost

“Josephine! Breakfast is ready!” her mom says from downstairs.

At the sound of her mom’s voice, Josephine jumps out of bed with a smile, stretches, and runs downstairs. She eats breakfast with her parents and gives them a big hug and kiss.

“What’s gotten into you? You act like you haven’t seen us in years?” her dad says.

“I just love you is all. Is something wrong with that?” Josephine asks.

“No, not at all. I love you too, baby.”

After eating, Josephine and her mom cook meals and clean up the house for the get-together today while her dad tends the garden, lawn, and outside decorations. Once that is done, the family eats lunch together and Josephine’s parents tell her that they can handle the rest and she is free to see her friends. She does so and visits them at a park near a lake that they like to frequent and speak of old times. A bit of time passes before they go to Josephine’s house, have their daily get-together, enjoy the sight of the stars, and then say their goodbyes. While she looks up at the stars, Josephine feels both happy and empty as usual, but at the same time, she wishes for this day to happen again and again for the rest of her life.

For the many days she’s been here, Josephine has hardly changed the formula of the day. She may include more work, have her loved ones praise her deeds more, and get kisses from a crush she had, however, she’s happy in the cycle that she’s trying to perfect no matter the changes. During the next day, the neighbor comes down to her from the sun.

“Josephine! I’m glad to see that you’re enjoying yourself and happy as always,” he says.

“I am and thank you again for allowing me to have it,” Josephine says, “Will you be joining my family and friends for our get-together today?”

“Thank you for the offer, but not today. I came here to inform you that one of the Conduits of the Servant may be passing by here and to stay on your guard. Don’t let this news disturb your happiness though. More Lights of the World should be here soon so that you’ll be granted the same powers as I so that you can make people happy in a similar way to the way I do.”

“Okay, thank you for letting me know. You should stop by more often to spend time with us. It’s great having you around.”

“I love spending time with you as well. Your reality is wonderful and you are one of the few people I’ve met who are as selfless as I am and that only wants to see people happy for the rest of their lives. I’ll see you again after the Conduit is taken care of.”

The neighbor dissipates into light and leaves Josephine slightly worried.

“Nothing should happen,” she tells herself, “The Servant let me get overtaken by the neighbor. Surely, this other Conduit will as well, but then again, I was never anything special.”

Josephine’s friends and family appear, surround her, and give her support to take away her worries and make her smile again. Another happy day passes before another one comes. As the day goes along and Josephine is spending time with her friends, she sees an unfamiliar face in the park that she didn’t put there. In the distance, she sees a young man standing on a rock looking around until he sees her.

“Hey!” he says to her while waving with a friendly smile on his face.

This young man wears black rags, has gray skin with only one patch of light beige skin around his mouth, and green eyes with a faint gold glow in the center. A gold light seems to emanate from the man which makes the surrounding light seem dim in comparison. Josephine knows that this must be the Conduit that the neighbor was talking about, however, she doesn’t know why nothing is being done about him and why he’s here in her reality. In an attempt to get rid of him, she shifts reality in a way to exclude him from it and even resorts to imagining people shooting him all of which have no effect on him besides amazing him with what’s happening as if she’s performing simple magic tricks for him.

“Woah! How are you doing that?” the young man asks.

“Because this is my reality and I want you out of it,” Josephine says.

“Your reality? This place is a dream and not reality because reality is reality, and in reality, you’re sitting on a park bench with two older people. Are they your parents?”

“Yes.”

“I kind of figured since you look like them. I’m sure you want to get them back to reality, so you should help me so we can get everyone out of here. We don’t have much time since my light can only keep the neighbor confused for so long.”

“I don’t want to.”

“What? Why not? I thought that was why the Servant sent you here.”

“It was but look at me now. The Servant didn’t help me one bit and I’m glad that He didn’t because I finally get to be happy in the way that I want.”

“And what way is that?”

“By making my friends and family happy.”

“What friends and family? This is your dream and everyone in it besides you and me is fake.”

“They’re real to me! They’re real here.”

“But that doesn’t make them actually real. Is making fake people happy what you want to do?”

“No, because I’m happy here as well! The neighbor makes so many people happy by giving them their own reality to live in.”

“You don’t make people happy by making them live in a dream. Besides, there’s more to living life than trying to be happy all the time.”

“And what would that more be?”

“As far as I know, it all boils down to doing the right thing with your life and making the most of it even if you don’t get to be happy for most of it.”

Josephine immediately remembers what the Servant told her about making her life right and the responsibility she felt in doing so. It’s almost as if she can hear the Servant’s voice in the man’s own.

“Tch.”

“You know it’s true.”

“So what if I do? I can’t help you banish the neighbor.”

“Yes, you can. With my help that is. That’s why I’m here. Take my hand.”

As Josephine reaches out to the man, she sees that part of her is transforming back to normal along with her dark aura, however, her darkness is complementary to the man’s light both of which begin to dispel the light of the neighbor.

The reality created by Josephine’s mind and the neighbor’s power begins to dissipate along with everything and everyone in it. In the distance, she can see her friends and family disappear and cry out for her to help them.

“Look at me,” the young man says to get her attention, “They aren’t real, but they are real in reality. You can make them happy there.”

“My friends abandoned and hate me now and I don’t know what my parents would say,” Josephine says.

“There’s a chance that they’ll accept you for doing the right thing. You’re their daughter after all. Why would they hate you?”

After a moment of hesitation and consideration, Josephine takes the young man’s hand causing the false reality around her to shatter. Her parents alongside her also wake up and are confused as to what happened.

“Mom? Dad?” Josephine tepidly says as she approaches them.

Her parents are a bit confused and startled at first by their daughter’s appearance.

“Josephine?” her dad says.

“Is that really you?” her mom adds.

“Yes, it’s me.”

“What happened to you, and who’s that boy?” her mom asks.

“I was brought back to life by the Servant and this boy helped me free you from the neighbor’s light.”

“Why did you do that for? I was living such a good life.”

“Why are you helping that devil, the Servant? It causes so much suffering for people who just want to be happy. I thought you wanted others to be happy,” her dad says.

“I do, but I’d rather do it in the right way.”

“Right way, wrong way. What does it matter when it’s all a matter of opinion? What does it matter when people are happy?”

“It-”

“We were perfectly fine in our reality. We weren’t hurt and no one could be hurt in those wonderful dreams of ours,” her mom says.

“But-”

“I don’t want to hear your excuses. You’re obviously not the same daughter I raised who did whatever she could to make people happy even at the cost of her own happiness.”

“But dad, I-”

Josephine’s parents don’t listen to her as they walk away. The sky turns dark and it begins to rain making everyone run away from it or into shelter except for Josephine and the young man. Again falling to her knees like last time, she covers her face and tries not to cry while also keeping back a burst of hysterical laughter.

“Josephine, don’t worry about them,” the young man says.

“I hope you’re happy!” Josephine yells not only at the man in front of her but also at the Servant. “You got what you wanted! Now leave me alone!”

“Josephine…”

“I gave up what made me happy and now I’m hated by my friends and family and there’s no chance that I can get any of it back! Is this what doing the right thing is like because I hate it!”

“Doing the right thing can be painful and it involves suffering sometimes without getting any relief, thanks, or payment for it.”

Something about what the man says resonates with Josephine as she knows it to be true from experience from before even helping the Servant. The man then hugs her.

“But you don’t need to do it alone because I’ll be helping you and together, we’ll fulfill our purpose in life for the Servant,” he continues to say while giving Josephine a reassuring smile.

A tidal wave of emotions fills Josephine as she feels reinvigorated by the man’s words. It feels to her as if she’s been swept off her feet by him and feelings of love begin to grow inside her. The moment is interrupted as the man notices the Lights of the World who are with the neighbor approaching them all of which are covered by their light that shields them from the rain.

“What did you do?! Why did you ruin our happiness?!” the neighbor says.

“It was the right thing to do,” Josephine says as she stands with the man by her side.

“Well, the next right thing for you will be to suffer and die for what you’ve done to me and the friends I’ve made.”

“Take my hand!” the man says while holding out his hand.

When Josephine does as the man says, a bright light bursts from the man’s other hand that he’s holding up. The skin on his body turns completely beige while Josephine’s skin doesn’t turn all grey like last time. Darkness brighter than the Lights of the World come from her and from her darkness rats with the limbs of cats and the claws of monsters come out. While the light from the man burns the lights and keeps them disorientated, Josephine’s rats tear them apart and eat them from the inside out. By the end of it, there is nothing left of the neighbor and the other Lights of the World besides muck and decomposing flesh. The young man’s body turns back to what it once was and the light from his free hand disappears.

“Glad that’s over. It was cathartic,” Josephine says.

“Doing this can be from time to time. Thank the Servant that it ended in our favor,” the young man says.

“I’m surprised that your body didn’t turn completely grey.”

“That’s because my body and mind are mostly in tune with the Servant. You’ll reach that point soon enough and I’ll teach you how.”

“Yeah. Thank you…for everything. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”

“Don’t mention it. I also couldn’t have banished all those lights without your help as well. My name is Memphis, by the way. It’s nice to meet you.”

“My name is Josephine. It’s nice to meet you too.”

Memphis and Josephine smile at each other and blush a bit before Memphis clears his throat and looks away.

“We should get out of the rain,” he suggests.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

The two make their way out of the area together as they begin their journey. For the first time in a while, Josephine feels as if her life will get better and that it is worth living as long as she is with Memphis.