Saint Within the Sinner: Chapter 3 – Knowledge from a fellow sinner

 

Chapter 3 – Knowledge from a fellow sinner

Estella struggles to control herself as she prays to lessen the demons’ power over her. After a while of praying, the demons lose their grip on her and she regains control of herself. Seeing that she’s alone in the woods, she waits and looks around for Astra.

“Astra!” she calls out.

“She isn’t coming for you,” a demon in her mind says.

Instead of talking back to the demon, Estella continues mentally praying while also ignoring their voices.

“Astra! Sister! I’m in control of myself again! I swear!”

“Who would risk their life to save a whore like you?”

The continuous chatter of the demon’s in Estella’s mind starts to worry her so she walks faster back to the town in the hopes of finding Astra. While retracing her steps, Estella hears the sound of moaning in the distance. Not knowing if this is Astra or not she makes her way to it to find a grey tree with four branches on it with eye-like marks on them. The tree’s roots are visible as if they were feet and the leaves on the branches seem to be fingers. What’s also strange about the tree is that the other trees are further away from it as if they all moved away from it. Another strange thing about it is how the bark of the tree feels like human skin. Estella can’t help but be intrigued by the tree and notice all these things about it.

Cracks within the tree then begin to expand and appear to form large faces with eyes, noses, and mouths that mumble to themselves. The branches of the tree then begin to move like arms and the roots begin to move like feet stuck in the ground. It takes a second for this to register to Estella because of how strange it is, but when it does, she screams, trips, and falls on the ground.

“Wait, don’t run away. Please, don’t be afraid of me,” a deep voice says from the largest face on the tree.

“Why should I?”

“I can’t do anything to you and I’m a priest.”

“Huh. I wouldn’t imagine a priest to look like a living tree.”

“I apologize for my appearance, but it’s the penance I must pay for my sins.”

“What did you do?”

“I wanted to be perfect in every way for God. Demons tempted me and I gave in to them by sinning in every way that I could think of to experience sin so I know what every sin feels like so I would know how to counter it. What I blinded myself to was that I was killing my soul to an almost immeasurable degree.”

“How could you not know that you were doing the wrong thing?”

“The demons preyed on my pride as a pious man. I also involved my family and friends with my sins, and they join me in my penance, as a result. You look like the way I did when I first started my evil quest for perfection. Don’t repeat the same mistake I did because this is how you may turn out in the end.”

“I’m trying not to. Is there anyway I can help you?”

“Pray for me.”

“Is that all I can do? What about cutting you down?”

“Please don’t. If you do, I’ll suffer more pain in Purgatory.”

“If you say so.”

“Thank you. I sense a nun in the woods. She is coming for you.”

“I know her! How do you know all that?”

“God has allowed me this ability to help lost people in the woods. If I can help you, then my penance is lessened.”

“Can you tell me anything else about her? She seems to really hate me.”

“What I can tell you is that you are part of the reason she is the way she is right now. You put that red cross on her forehead. You taught her everything she knows and practices.”

“Really?”

“Yes, and if she knew who you really were, then her tone would completely change with you. Unfortunately, that’s all that I’m allowed to know about your relationship with her but telling her what I told you will make it clear to her who you were.”

“Thank you so much! You’ll always be in my prayers! Which way is Astra? The nun?”

The tree points forward and Estella heads in that direction after saying goodbye and giving him a hug. Estella runs in the direction of Astra while calling out to her.

“That’s Estella,” Astra says with her crucifix dagger drawn.

Estella finds Astra and holds up her hands.

“It’s me, Astra! Don’t worry about me! I’m in control of myself!”

“Nice try, demon, but I don’t believe you.”

“No, I’m really in control! I used the prayers you said to suppress the power of the demons over me.”

“Impossible. You have to have high authority in the Church to use them.”

“What if I do? A priest who’s a tree told me that I put the red cross on your forehead and taught you everything that you know and practice.”

Astra is surprised by what Estella says and lowers her guard for a second before putting it back up.

“That’s impossible!”

“I don’t think it is. I was remembering something about a superior and a mother. I’m not your mother, am I?”

“…no.”

“Well, what else could I be? Maybe…maybe you should stab me with the dagger again and say the prayer to further release the demons’ power over me. I’ll do whatever I’m supposed to so that-”

“Stop saying that!”

“Saying what?”

“That you’ll do whatever you’re supposed to!”

“Why? What’s wrong with that?”

“Because that’s what my Mother Superior always used to say!”

“Is that who I was?”

“You can’t be! It’s impossible! You may share her name and her saying, but your looks and mannerisms are nothing like hers.”

“I’ll bring you to the priest who’s a tree.”

“Fine.”

Estella brings Astra to the priest who comes to life when they approach him.

“So, you’re the priest that Estella was talking about. I’ve heard stories about you but didn’t believe them.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sister. Please, keep me in your prayers.”

“Sure. Hold on a second.” Astra takes out her crucifix dagger and tries to stab the tree, but her dagger can’t pierce its skin. “You are holy, aren’t you? I’m sorry for having doubts. I just can’t believe what I was being told.”

“Why is that?”

“First of all, she said it came from a talking tree who was a priest. Second, my Mother Superior was a pious woman who mysteriously disappeared one day without a trace and Estella here looks and acts nothing like I remember, especially when the tattooed man we faced not too long ago mentioned that she took him in. She rejected me when I first was brought to the convent because I was a thrown away prostitute that was saved by a sister in the convent.”

“I did?” Estella asks.

“She is your long lost Mother Superior. You know now that the source of this information is holy, so release yourself from your doubts and accept it.”

“I still feel like I can’t.”

“Your stubbornness and pride are going to be your undoing just as it was Estella’s undoing.”

“What are you talking about? She would never fall to any sin.”

“Everyone falls to sin especially the uptight and overly pious. Estella was kidnapped by the people she would rule over and tricked into becoming the person she is today. She was told in order to do what God wanted her to do in life, she had to submit herself to her kidnappers, or else she would fail God and die. Unable to let her pride go, she fell to sin and turned into what you see before you.”

“This is so unbelievable to me.”

“Is it really? She became what you were while you became what she was. Even though I don’t know what God intends with the both of you, it seems as if He put you in the other’s place to make you learn how the other feels. One was once a self-righteous nun now made a common whore and the other was a common whore made into a self-righteous nun.”

“Tch. I guess it makes sense.”

Astra looks at Estella who looks back at her with concern and guilt in her eyes.

“I’m sorry for making you stand out so much and for treating you so badly,” Estella confesses.

“I’m sorry for-for not completely believing this is you. We still need to perform an exorcism for you so you can have all your memories, and this perverted appearance and personality can be erased. You can apologize when you remember everything that you’re sorry for.”

“Come on. Can’t you just show a little affection?”

Estella offers a hug with her arms out, but Astra turns away from her.

“Don’t make me doubt you more. The Mother Superior I knew hardly showed any kind of affection.”

“You two should be on the move. Estella’s followers are still after her and they just entered the woods after finding the body of the man you killed. I would fight them off for you, but my current form doesn't allow it,” the priest says.

Estella thanks the priest as they leave while Astra stays silent as she leads them away. They aren’t fast enough to make it to any kind of safety as Estella’s followers catch up to her.

“We’re here to bring you back to your castle, my mistress,” they say.

“My queen.”

“My loving mother.”

“You can drop the act of pretending to be on her side. Ask and we’ll do anything you want to her.”

“I want you to leave us alone!” Estella commands.

“We can’t do that for you.”

“The nun still has her control over her.”

“We’ll bring you back to your senses.”

“If you’re not going to listen to me…”

“Don’t use the power of the demons inside you,” Astra says to Estella.

“I won’t though I don’t like our odds of escaping.”

“We’ll have to make it somehow.”

Astra and Estella fight to escape Estella’s followers, but aren’t able to do much since Estella’s followers use the power of their demons to overwhelm them. The demons feed on the fear of Astra and Estella who gave into their fear rather than trust in God. As a result, they are knocked out and brought back to Estella’s castle.