Afternoon
Clave Ancestral Mansion
Selene's Room

"I say I haven't seen this side of you," Khail commented as soon as he saw Selene sitting at the top of a makeshift metal platform painting a garden mural in the dome ceiling. The whole room actually smelt of chemicals from the paint mediums she was using. Her white full-length peasant dress was stained with different colors.

Selene glanced down, jerking a bit, as she was briefly surprised of his unheralded appearance. He always wakes her up in the middle of the night in most of his visits. But this time, she was highly awake.

"Hey..." she stated, casting a smile on his way. She blinked however when he suddenly vanished from his spot.

"Just what you are doing?" Khail appeared right next to her, sitting also, and watching at the half-finished mural.

Selene grinned at this. He sure was not restricting showing her his demon powers.

"Can't you see? I am painting obviously," she answered with a wry smile, and then continued on stroking her brush with the blue paint.

Her reply immediately made him remember their first meeting under the maple tree. He smirked and decided to play along.

"I can see that," he said intentionally, "what I want to know is why?"

Selene paused and shot him an incredulous look. "Are my actions really that interesting to you Khail?" Watching him with the light of the afternoon sun made her realize he truly was fit in the darkness because it complimented his demonic aura. His overall ensemble of black shirt and black pants augmented his demon appearance too.

Khail grinned some more. He dipped a finger in one of her paint mixtures, the color black specifically, and then lightly patted it in a bush painting she was doing. The contact of his finger and the concrete ceiling created an unexpected effect. A drawing of a snake materialized from the black paint, but the snake looked like Selene's dead snake in the past. "Yes, especially when you buried your so-called pet ten years ago," he scoffed.

Her eyes thinned as if she was keenly evaluating him. "Huh... many people thought my actions are weird, and here you are, a demon, fascinated with all I do. Really such irony."

He fingered the outline of her lips and staring at it with depth. Such lovely lips. He couldn't seem to get enough of it.

"Come Selene. Let me paint you with my kisses." He boldly beckoned.

He was about to kiss her when she stopped him with a light touch in his chest. "Why such in a hurry?" she asked. "You never stayed with me longer than thirty-five minutes."

Khail frowned. "You actually timed it huh?"

"Yes." A lopsided smile formed in her lips then.

He produced a long sigh and raked his brown hair towards the back.

"I can't stay in the human realm longer than that Selene." He started, staring at her with fervor. If only she knew, all he ever wanted was to stay with her 24/7. Each day. Every visit. He was beginning to struggle with leaving her alone in the bed. Never had he felt this way before; the feeling of wanting someone this much to the point of his demon heart aching. He actually despised the feeling, but it was hard not to admit it.

"My existence will cease if I stayed longer... the divine balance will strike electricity on me," he added that after he grazed his fingers on her now-shoulder length hair. So she actually cut her long hair huh? He remembered her mentioning that it was her act of revolt against her mother's constant suitor hunting.

Selene looked clueless for a moment, staring at him blankly. "I don't know what you are talking about but I guess that's your weakness huh?" she said with sensitivity.

"Yes... you may call it like that. Hmmm... I hope you don't plan on using it against me?" He teased.

"Huh..." She almost choked. "Of course not. You make it sound that I still harbor resentful feelings towards you."

"And do you still?" he quickly inquired. He knew she once did, a week ago, but now, does she still feel ill of him? Or has her heart really did open up finally?

This made Selene's face blush a hundred fold. With him questioning about her feelings towards him, it really made her feel awkward.

She was silent for a short time and this made Khail a little bit disappointed. He pulled her by the waist and then crashed his lips on her heavily. She was surprised with this but still melted on his arms anyway.

Khail teleported them both in the bed and there he broke his kiss briefly. Her heart started beating fast. It would be the first time that they will make love with the sun still up.

"You don't need to answer me Selene... Your moans are already enough for me," he said seductively and then went on to lick her neck.

In the slightly open door of Selene's room, a pair of eyes was seen peeking. It was the Duchess Chyntelle. She was fuming with rage amidst the fear inside her heart. She never had expected that her daughter would be toyed by a demon. She was disbelieving at first when Mrs. Latrice opened up the idea with the duke and her, but now, she had seen it first hand that it truly was the case.

She quickly ran back to the second floor of the mansion and into her husband's study room with Mrs. Latrice trailing behind. In there, they planned on how to save their daughter from the demon and the first thing that they had in their minds was to call on an exorcist priest.

*

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The next day, Father Linus, the pioneering exorcist priest of the Vatican, arrived secretly in the Clave Mansion. He was an old priest, of medium built, and with a bald head covered by a black zucchetto. He was wearing a rich red priestly vestment and holding a wooden cane. Around his neck was a necklace with a gold crucifix as a pendant. He had a sociable, friendly aura just right for an old man his age. He was accompanied by a sacristan about the age of twenty, in his hands was a heavy black leather valice, its contents were exorcism related and a very important bottle of holy water. Mrs. Latrice guided them into a vacant guest room where in there, he and his assistant waited until nightfall.

During dinner, Selene somehow felt weird with the actions of her parents. Surprisingly, her mother didn't open up another argument with her about her suitors. Her father too was pretty much silent the whole time. She actually felt relieved by it. At least for once, it was a peaceful dinner. Little did she know that her parents were feeling nervous of the upcoming events tonight. Little did she know that an exorcist priest was readying himself for an exorcism rite...

Come midnight, Selene was awakened once again by a white mist's touch. It was Khail in his half demon form; his aquamarine hair was swept to the side in a low braid. He joined her in bed, directly focusing his attention on her eager mouth and slender neck.

"You had just visited me this afternoon... already you miss me this much?" she whispered groggily, closing her eyes at the same time to feel the moistness of his tongue. Gods, how she loved for him to do that.

"I can't just get enough of you, Selene. Why are you making this so hard for me?" he countered as he aligned himself properly above her.

"Mmhh... I thought demons aren't swayed by any human?"

"I am unfortunately not immune to you, mon amour. I want to penetrate you again and again. You are mine alone."

Khail proceeded his routine; the deliverance of his desire for her in the most passionate of way. She writhed in pleasure as her nerve endings fired up from his touches in her still-covered breasts.

"Khail..." she whined, adjusting her legs at the same time to give him more access. She didn't care anymore if she was mating with a demon. She didn't care at all about anything. All she could focus was him and his presence on top her.

"Hmm... call me Khronus, my little girl. Shout it. I want you to shout my name..."

Such sexy voice; velvety with a dizzying echo in the end.

Khronus? Her mind cleared out. Yes. This is his true name. Not Khail, but Khronus. But either way, both are the same and she didn't care about this too.

"Ahhh!" She suddenly cried when Khronus' fingers wandered down the center of her columns.

"Yesss... so ready for me Selene," he stated when he felt the wetness of her underwear. She would have curved her back in anticipation of the slick contact but Khronus suddenly stopped, having sensed something quite odd.

"Wha---what is it?" Selene asked, shooting her eyes questioningly at him.

He frowned and then whirled around out of the bed. "Shit," he cursed when he felt the undeniable presence of the exorcist priest.

"In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti!" Father Linus immediately started strongly, shaking the holy water out of the bottle vigorously towards the stunned Ancient.

His surprise was just momentary though for he knew that the power of this frail priest wouldn't even scratch him. However, when he felt the holy water spread around him, it felt caustic instantaneously; more potent than any earthly acid.

"Arggghh!" He shouted, feeling its surprising effect. He sprang himself towards the spiritual servant honing in for the kill, but the holy water brought him down to his knees quickly.

How could he not notice the presence of the exorcist!? The old man was just a mere human. Khronus would have easily noticed him inside the room then! But why didn't he?!

The answer immediately stared at him pointblank. The priest had red glowing eyes just like a demon's and his aura also was like a demon's. Could it be that the priest was possessed!?

SHIT! Khronus cursed in his mind feeling a sense of treachery seeping inside him. Whoever this demon was, how dare it cowardly challenge him using an exorcist priest.

"Selene, get away from that demon now!" Duke Wyndall commanded right near the door when they showed themselves. They were actually just waiting, hiding from their daughter outside her room, until the exorcist priest starts his rite. They, however, just stayed in the opening of the door. Selene's personal maid, Mrs. Latrice, was the only one who entered the room and approached her.

"Father!? Mother!" She shouted in surprise. Her heart leaped in realization then. They knew? They knew about Khronus?! When?! How?! Her mind was swirling with questions.

"Satanae qui procreavit! Haec mando vobis solvere niisera attingerent!" Father Linus continued to chant, hoisting up his golden cross above his head. His eyes were cast up towards the ceiling, invoking the power of the Almighty. This was just a show however -- that certain fact, Khronus knows. Whoever demon was inside the priest, it was trying to appear as if everything was entirely intervened by a servant of God.

What little furniture in her room, it all shook wildly. The ceiling even produced a large crack in the edge due to whatever unseen force was in the room now.

His head felt like it was splitting. The fibers of his demon body felt like it was severed brutally. The spiritual words engulfed him one by one. He was an ancient demon though, so he confidently believed that words from the bible couldn't nail him. However, there was a more sinister force wrapping around with the priest's words; a force that was enough to bring him down.

Selene couldn't believe what she was seeing now. Her eyes began to water. Goodness! Was this actually happening?! She swatted Mrs. Latrice hands when she tried to hold her shoulders to comfort her. Selene was definitely not in the mood to be touched or even comforted.

"Invocabo omnipotentem Patrem!" Father Linus spread his hands widely in the air, his eyes tightly closed. "Quacumque die invocavero te sancte trinitatis!" He invoked, but the words didn't seem to be as strong of faith as it should have been. "Me tuo numine, hoc tuam praesentiam expugnas inferni demone!" He shook his head, bobbing it back and forth like he was in a seizure.

Khronus tried to summon his power to stop time and pause this particular moment so that he could free himself, but even that he couldn't do because the unseen force thwarted it.

"Quacumque die invocavero te Beatae Mariae Virginis commodare ostentare mihi indissolubili vinculo copulatae cohaerentiae, conforta me et voluntatem, et fidem."

Although he was an old man, he amazingly could raise up his voice. The words lingered inside Khronus' head; each syllable a dictate... each pause an impenetrable prison bar.

This time, the priest took out a rosary from under his chasuble. Selene's parents noticed that his hands were giving off a black smoke upon contact with the beads and they could see that the small crystal balls were actually melting.

Is this the effect of the exorcism rite? They didn't know, but it sure was weird.

"Vos flagello hominum! Tenebris et mortis! Faciem terris evanescere! Hanc déserat femina!" Father Linus' attention then returned to the crouching demon; a flurry of electricity surrounded him, working all together to make a barrier. This time, Khronus knew that his time in the human realm was up, and the electricity that he was feeling now was the divine electricity.

"Ego praecipio vobis!"

Father Linus sprayed the last of the holy water into him, after which he made the sign of the cross.

"In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen!"

And after a litany of words, the incantation was done. It would have had any zero effect on Khronus. The exorcist priest's rite was just insignificant for him. He was an ancient demon; a more powerful human incantation was needed to exorcise him -- IF it even exists -- however, with the demonic force and the divine electricity altogether, he had no immunity against it.

His body began to disintegrate into patches. First was his skin, peeling off little by little. He did writhe in pain. Unbearable pain. But he was helpless with it.

"No! Khronus!!!" Selene cried out, stretching her hand in an attempt to show that she empathized on his situation.

Ahh such sweet voice. He definitely wanted for her to shout his name, but of course not like this... He watched her wriggle out of her maid's hold. He watched her face contort into panic. He watched her eyes stream down with tears for him... only for him.

Such a naive little human she is. He was a creature of the dark. Just like her pet snake, he doesn't deserve any care... any affection... any sympathy. He doesn't deserve to be cried over. He doesn't even deserve to live. He, of course, contemplated on dying a lot of times, almost thinking of doing what Kamikaze fighters do best -- go on su*cide -- but why was it that the only thing he wanted now was to live? To live mainly for her?

"Milady! Please! Stay! That demon is dangerous!" Mrs. Latrine requested vehemently as Selene continued on thrashing about. She remembered him telling her that the divine power was the only thing that can cease his existence. Judging from the swirling electricity around him, this was definitely it.

No! He is not! He is NOT GOING TO DIE!!! She shouted in her mind. Tears continued rolling down her now-puffy eyes. Oh my God! I love him! Please God save him!!! I LOVE HIM!!! I know this isn't right but I love him!

Her heart felt like it was exploding out of her chest. She could see him wasting away. She could see him in pain. Yes. Pain. He was truly in pain! She was damned sure now that he was greatly in peril. Although she knew she couldn't help him about it, but she still wanted to embrace him. Embrace him tightly just so to soothe the pain a little.

"Let me go please! Let me GO!!!" she commanded out aloud and with another forceful tug, she was able to free herself from the old woman's hands, jumping out of the bed and springing herself up to stand.

"Milady!" Mrs. Latrine bellowed, so did her parents with her given name as they saw her running towards the demon.

"Khronus!" Selene shrilled. Her eyes wide. Her face hardened with determination. She reached out her right hand in an attempt to touch him.

Drama wasn't in Khronus vocabulary. Leaving wasn't always that difficult for him. Heck, he was good at it actually. But now, this kind of goodbye was unbearable for him. He clenched his jaw and willed himself to do what was unorthodox for him --- to reach out for a human's hand. Although it was difficult due to the surrounding electricity, he raised his own hand, stretching it as far as he could.

One could see immediately that both were in desperate need to feel each other's warmth. Her parents could see it, the maid assistant and the sacristan too, but there was only one thing that registered in their minds then and it was danger.

When Selene and Khronus' fingers touched, right then and there he realized, if only he could use his power to stop time... just for this moment... just for this exact second... he would do so... but the divine electricity hindered him from doing that too.

Selene would have thrown herself into him during that time, but then the contact of their fingers gave off a sudden electrical spike. A mysterious energy traveled from Khronus to her, shutting down any known human electrical wiring in her body. Her eyes blurred at first and then it was flooded with white and black colors. Before she went completely numb, she felt being yanked away from him with woman hands.

"Milady! Are you alright?!" Mrs. Latrine frantically asked, placing her in the floor, but she didn't answer.

"Selene! Talk to me!" her father shouted by the time he arrived to where she was now lying. "Say something child!"

Say something! Duke Wyndall's voice was the last sound that reverberated in Selene's mind. Her droopy eyes were focused on Khronus who was slowly withering away. He was enveloped with an enormous tornado of electricity. His face showed a painful expression that lanced her heart.

Khronus... No... No... Her thoughts drifted into these last words until unconsciousness took her away.

The last of Khronus' memory embedded on the sight of Selene lying unconscious on the floor. The pain was continuous still, but now it was augmented with the pain in his heart. True that he didn't know any emotions, most especially what humans call 'love', but at this very moment, he believed that this feeling he felt now was truly that undeterred emotion. He was in love with her -- that -- he couldn't deny anymore.

He could see himself steadily dissolving into more than ashes. He could see now his end. But he was not afraid of it. He had admitted his demise already. Whole-heartedly even. That was because he was content... content that even just for a little while he had finally felt alive for the first time and it was all because of her...

~ S ~

After the exorcism rite... after the physical body of Khronus disappeared, the old exorcist priest became stiff as a rock and his eyes quickly turned all black. Selene's parents were still in a panic, but it heightened more when the old priest started to talk.

"Qui fallacibus fallacique morietur... Veniet mors omnibus!" he stated in a dark, husky voice definitely not his own natural one. It had an eerie echo in the end that shot more goosebumps into the spectators.

"My God! What have we done!?" Duke Wyndall shouted, horrified. He extracted himself out of his daughter to a nearby table and vomited spectacularly the food he had recently eaten at dinner.

The duchess closed her mouth to stop herself from screaming. Just the mention of death, it immediately sent her body into a frozen state.

Mrs. Latrice disregarded their welfare and continued on to focus on Selene. She lifted her up slowly and placed her in the mattress. At least, the young woman was still breathing. Surely, she wouldn't forgive herself if her Mistress was dead.

Father Linus fell on the floor after being released in the trance. His assistant sacristan immediately raced to support him. The priest was back to his normal self again. Red eyes were not seen anymore and his aura returned to a holier one.

"Boy... take---take Father Linus to his chamber," the duke ordered after he cleaned his mouth with any residual bile.

"Si, si," the sacristan replied.

All was well. At last the demon was gone, but Duke Wyndall was beginning to feel a lot more anxious... a lot more unsafe. Whatever the exorcist priest was mouthing during his trance, it definitely was an ominous sign for their family.

*

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The next day, Selene was still in bed, showing not a single sign of waking. Mrs. Latrice continued to take care of her, while her parents were at the chamber of the exorcist priest. Apparently, they have called for a Vatican officer, Mr. Sloane, to assist Father Linus as the latter was beginning to feel ill. What scared the duke and duchess of the old priest's failing health was his constant, delirious blabbering. They noticed that it was in a different voice this time. It sounded totally different from the one that emerged in his mouth the very minute he exorcised Selene's demon last night.

"Vis est mea! Legitime meum est!" Father Linus trashed in his bed amidst being in a high fever. His assistant sacristan restrained him in the arm. "Luna... et stellae... dam... exspectamus..." he added, this time with a raspy, weak voice.

A nurse who was present administered a mild sedative on the priest to calm him down.

Just what is he talking about? Everyone in the room couldn't piece it together but the Duke was able to connect it with the exorcism last night. He then exited the room with Mr. Sloane trailing behind after giving him an eye signal.

"I will have to report this to the Holy Pope, Duke Wyndall. Your account about last night would certainly help," Mr. Sloane stated the moment he closed the chamber door.

"Yes. Don't worry. I will coordinate with you gladly, but please, I request you, that everything that happened here should be kept a secret on the public. I do not want the Clave family name tarnished. You know how bad a demon topic is received by the population." He answered, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief at the same time.

"Of course, Duke Wyndall. I assure you, this issue is something that Pope Sixtus would want to be kept silent about."

*

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It was twenty-five minutes before twelve noon when Selene woke up. She immediately felt a heaviness in her body, as if she was lifting weights yesterday. She also felt a burning sensation in her eyes and her palms and when she exhaled deeply, she felt her breath hot although she didn't have a fever.

Alone was she in her room, something that she was thankful about. At least with this short time of solace, she could rain herself with a lot of tears. Good God, she couldn't believe that Khronus was dead... She couldn't believe that he was actually gone... She felt her heart bursting with sadness when she stared at the very spot where he had crouched helplessly, surrounded by the electricity he had said to be divine.

She knew from the start that loving a demon would only end up in tears. He has immortality. He doesn't age, while she would as time passes by. He has an unlimited life and she only had a meager one. She would end up in heartbreak when he leaves her then. She knew that he would continue on to live his life when she's dead, but never had she realized that he would die before her.

Gods, this kind of pain was unbearable for her. What was even worse was that he had taken her heart with him and she knew that she could never dare love another man again...

~ S ~

Translations:

"In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti!" -- "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

"Satanae qui procreavit!" -- "You, who is the offspring of Satan!"

"Haec mando vobis solvere niisera attingerent!" -- "I command you to release your hold on this poor woman!"

"Invocabo omnipotentem Patrem!" -- "I call upon the Almighty Father!"

"Quacumque die invocavero te Sancte Trinitatis." -- "I call upon thee, the Holy Trinity."

"Me tuo numine." -- "Send me Your divine power." "Hoc tuam praesentiam expugnas inferni demone!" -- "So I may vanquish this demon of hell!"

"Quacumque die invocavero te Beatae Mariae Virginis!" -- "I call upon thee the Blessed Virgin Mary!"

"Commodare ostentare mihi indissolubili vinculo copulatae cohaerentiae." -- "To lend me Her unbreakable bond."

"Conforta me et voluntatem." -- "To give me strength and will," "Et fidem" -- "and faith."

"Vos flagello hominum!" -- "You the scourge of mankind!"

"Tenebris et mortis!" -- "Darkness and death!"

"Faciem terris evanescere!" -- "Vanish in the face of the earth now!"

"Hanc déserat femina!" -- "Leave this woman be!"

"Ego praecipio vobis!" -- "I command you!"

"In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen!" -- "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!"

"Qui fallacibus fallacique morietur... Veniet mors omnibus!" -- "Death will come to those who are treacherous and deceptive... Death will come to all!

"Vis est mea!" -- "The power is mine!"

"Legitime meum est!" -- "It is rightfully mine!"

"Luna et stellae dam exspectamus." -- "The alignment... the moon... the star... wait for it."