The Encounter and the Doubt

The strength of the mind must be something Anton possesses in abundance, considering how he now finds himself in perfect condition, conversing with those around him. The feeling of helping those in need had become a necessity within him, unavoidable.

Being obsessed with eradicating evil often led him to confront situations involving people with far more concerns than just money. It was not so difficult for his past self to imagine that Anton had completely changed his attitude.

To him, people were once mere objects, buying what he sold. Now, they were individuals who often needed help, noble beings who, in most cases, did not deserve the complicated lives they found themselves in.

After taking a shower and getting some rest, it was barely two in the afternoon. Anton decided to take a walk after what he believed was sufficient rest. With his changed body, he didn't need much rest; perhaps that was the explanation he would give to justify the lack of sleep he had experienced all this time. Maybe, when he grew older, this would affect him greatly.

As he walked through the streets at sunset, he didn't know how much time he had spent lost in his thoughts. Catching a glimpse of himself in a car window, he saw that he was dressed in his long coat, covering his simple Exorcist Priest uniform. After realizing he had walked quite a distance, he stopped.

"What time is it?" Looking around, Anton found himself in a park, and realizing he was close to a café, he went to buy something to eat.

Anton, who noticed that the afternoon had slipped away, felt a bit dazed but much more relaxed than this morning. So, spending some hours lost in his thoughts wasn't so bad after all. The important thing was that at such a late hour, except for people returning home from work, there were those who enjoyed the night by strolling with their partners or friends.

Of course, there were also young people who chose to go out alone, and it was perfectly healthy to be independent. As long as solitude wasn't a problem, it was the best company.

Ordering a chicken baguette and a black coffee, he heard footsteps close behind him when he was looking for a place to sit without drawing attention. The overall improvement in his physical condition made his senses extremely sensitive at that moment. "Two people? Adults?"

Through the sound of footsteps in his ears, a three-dimensional image appeared in Anton's mind—two people walking behind him seemingly without reason, getting closer until they were just a few inches away.

Anton shook his head again, dispelling the three-dimensional diagram from his mind, and looked back very naturally. "Priest Anton, what a surprise to find you here." A very lively voice came from a man in a simple suit—Derek, who had given him information about certain murders some time ago.

"A very good coincidence. Taking some time for coffee?" Anton didn't bother to show unnecessary emotions, so he sat directly at a table without looking back once more. For certain people, it was very unnecessary to display many emotions, so being as normal as one could be was always the best.

"Coffee should never be missing for night shifts. But now that I see you here, I'd like to ask you some questions."

Anton looked up and nodded. "Mr. Derek, is there something I can help you with?"

For the comfort of everyone, there weren't many people in the café, and of course, being mostly teenagers, they wouldn't be interested in a conversation between police officers. Derek took a seat across from Anton and asked, "Priest, do you believe that there is really something more than humans and animals in this world? Many call them demons, ghosts, or beings from another dimension."

Another police officer, Derek's companion, sat beside him after ordering coffee and didn't say a word. But from their expressions, Anton realized that there was something.

Anton thought about it seriously. Due to his work, he had indeed realized that there were demons in this parallel world—not just demons, but even vampires. However, he couldn't let people unrelated to incidents that had never encountered them believe in the fact that the supernatural exists.

"If you believe it, then you have an answer... If you don't believe it, you'll also have an answer."

Upon hearing these words, Derek looked away from his colleague. "I, of course, don't believe it, but my colleague has a different answer."

While talking, Officer Derek had a perplexed expression on his face and said, "Priest, you must know, but everywhere there are supernatural stories. Many of our parents, grandparents, and ancient tales tell us otherwise to the fantastical and always tell us to turn to priests when something happens, and we have no explanation."

Anton, who didn't understand where these two police officers were going with these stories and debates about the existence of evil, looked especially at the other police officer, who was muttering something very seriously.

"He has a little story..."

"What little story?"

"Well, let me think about how to say it." Derek carefully recalled the story and said, "He is convinced that there are demons wandering the world and that these can incarnate into a brother. But he mentioned one in particular. This demon likes to punish humans, especially sinners, and to do so, the best way to torture them is to gather them in a confined space and begin its game with cruel methods."

Having said this, Derek spread his hands and wiggled his fingers beside his temples, trying not to sound like an Indian. "Have you heard about this particular demon?"

Anton didn't respond, but he remembered this story in his mind. If there is a demon active in the human world, playing the role of a judge for humans, that means it is a very powerful demon. It must be known that being in the human world equates to a supernatural effort and going against God. Since there is truly good in this world, it means it is under the watchful eye of the Almighty.

"There are stories that are certainly too profound to learn from." Anton murmured as he ate his baguette.

"What do you mean?" Derek asked when he saw that Anton hadn't answered him and instead mentioned something confusing.

"You must think I'm right, don't you?"

However, the moment he finished speaking, a hand patted him on the shoulder.

"Come on, dear officer, if you know too much, you'll live in agony, so it's often better to be ignorant than to face certain truths that will confuse your judgment. You are already a police officer; you have enough problems, so you shouldn't delve into stories that may be too thought-provoking. If something happens that you can't explain, then talk to me directly."

Derek was startled and looked at his colleague, who had walked away a few meters, looking a little embarrassed. Who told him to say things behind his back, only to be sermonized by a young priest in the end?

"I'll listen." Derek nodded, and before leaving, he asked, "Priest Anton, have you stopped driving through very dangerous places?"

Anton nodded. "I've stayed away from very lonely roads."

"Oh, then I feel relieved." Derek smiled and reminded Anton, "In that same community, it's been very unsafe lately. There were several shootings yesterday, so we know that a mysterious man appeared and killed many men in a single night."

While talking, Derek paused, looked at the priest in front of him, and asked, "Priest Anton, do you think that man is playing at being justice?"

Anton remained calm and said, "No one has that right in life. Asking something like that is very exaggerated. It could be that this man is interested in something—a purpose or an objective."

"A very good answer." Derek nodded upon hearing that and bid farewell.

Seeing those two police officers leave, Anton continued eating and murmured, "I hope we don't have to meet again in unwanted circumstances."