"I Never Knew Raine Fell" part 12

The Conversation
part 1

It began like the stare down of two epic titans of myth.  One sizing the other up and each waiting for the other to make the first move. It was a stare down between good and evil. Raine waiting for Father Grey to speak first and Father Grey waiting for Raine to speak first. There was a tension in the air and I sitting on the edge of my seat clutching the arm rests, knuckles turning white. My fear was rising. "What if the priest said something to throw the demon into a rage? What if she said nothing at all?"

It was Father Grey who decided to cut the tension and make the first move. "Raine where have you come from?  I realize this may be an irrational question that one would not generally ask a demon the answer being obvious, but I ask this question to hear you answer from your own lips, your demon lips."

She stayed silent for a few moment as she seemed surprised by the question then cast her eyes down in contemplation.  He small frame fidgeted slightly in her chair the discomfort from the main foyer finally beginning to wear off.  A moment later her confidence seemed to return and she looked deep into the priests eyes as if searching for God himself.  "The world you see is a cloak pulled over your eyes, a false sense of reality presented by those who master the game."  Her voice was more stable now, less animalistic and more human.  She formed her words coherently and intelligently as she continued to speak.  "The entirety of the human race, nay all races in the universe fall under the one law, the law of the eternal struggle between that which is good and that which is evil.  We all take our turn on each plane. Heaven. Hell. Earth.  All these are just places of existence inhabited by a single species. Life.  From the smallest insect to the biggest animal, all are subject to this law and this choice.  The influence of God and Satan are as real as the gravity that keeps your feet upon the ground.  During each life, and you live so many, you are granted the ability to make choices.  The ability of free will.  A gift given life by the agreement between God and Satan.  What you do in life echoes through death.  There is punishment and reward for your sins or your selflessness.  There are no Angels or Demons, we are all one and the same.  We all choose our ultimate fate, we are punished or rewarded and then ultimately are returned to Earth to begin anew.  To learn, to grow, to escape the endless cycle, to win the game and truly ascend."

The silence was bitter after these revelations.  Father Grey sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.  He closed his eyes for a moment.  When he opened them his blazing green eyes seemed renewed with intensity.  I would swear he looked ten years younger.  His grey hair seemed less grey his eyes more vibrant.The revelation of the interconnectedness of the universe seemed to bring new life to the old man.

"Why evil Raine? You can choose can you not?  Why take such hostile actions to the people around you upon your awakening?  Why kill your family?"

Raine seemed taken aback by this, for the first time I could see a hint of regret and sadness flash across the child's face.  Her confidant shoulders slumped a bit and she lost her eye contact with the priest.  When she spoke her voice was weaker, there was a definite sadness in her tone now.

"Why does a lion chase a gazelle or a dog chase a rabbit?  It is instinct, what we as animals revert to.  A deep seeded drive that cannot be controlled easily.  Sometimes you act before you can think about the consequences of those actions.  It is the condition of all life that we sometimes act without thought driven by the desire for survival.  A demon has a hunger for these instincts.  A drive that blocks rational thought. Not acting on these impulses can bring a great burden to us.  I tried to control my hunger, I tried to direct it.  But I failed."

A tear formed and rolled down the child's cheek.  I wanted to go to her.  To hold her in my arms and to help ease the pain but as if sensing my intentions Father Grey motioned for me to stay put.  She looked weak, a child again for the moment indulging in guilt.  It was now obvious Father Grey wanted to keep her in this state, a more pliable state, a less guarded state where his questions would be answered.

"Raine, I understand now.  You cannot ask a lion to not be a lion.  You cannot ask a dog to be a cow.  But is there anything that can be done to save you?  Is there anything that can be done that would protect you from the world and the world from you?  You have to know that the world cannot handle one such as yourself to walk among us unchecked.  What can we do?  He sat forward a bit in a non threatening move trying to ease the demon inside the child.

"Kill me."  Was the only answer.

"I cant believe that is the only recourse here Raine.  I have to believe you can be saved. I have to believe there is hope."

"My soul is gone Father, Yes it still exists within my body and will be till the day I die.  I am Raine but I am not, without my soul tethered to my consciousness the hunger will only grow until it can be satiated.  This is not a disease. It cannot be cured.  It is the way of the universe, the will of God above and the Devil below.  There are many in this world who have awakened. Angels and Demons alike walk this reality across the expanse of the universe."

"If you die.  What will happen to your soul?"

"It will be released and returned to Hell, Because of this awakening what once was one is now two, Raine is innocent but she will be condemned with me because she still is me, but not.  There is no understanding this, it is what it is."

"Is there a way to reunite the soul and the body?  To bring you back together?"

"Yes...."