I did not take the Devil's hand. That was beyond stupid however you looked at it.
But I followed him.
In a flash of crimson light, everything around me faded, leaving only me and the Tempter. The church, Father Azrael, and Daniel—they were all nowhere to be found. Satan and I were in a different place.
Abnormally large shrubs stood erect, accompanied by two walls of tall grass that lined our sides. Underneath my feet was a relatively clear path, with damp soil sticking to the sole of my shoes.
There was a strong petrichoric scent that wafted around as the wind blew over the grass. The sun was tucked in behind the clouds, and there was a strong melancholic feel to the atmosphere that I simply couldn't shake off.
He walked before me, making sure I followed, as we moved through the clearing. For a while, the Devil remained silent, whilst my eyes continuously scanned my surroundings, adding layers to my inquietude.
The further we coursed, the greater my unease. My ability to see what lay ahead dimmed each second, as a strange fog slowly began to settle beyond, and then around us.
We strolled for nearly an hour without saying a word to each other. I had expected the Devil to make reference to or highlight something—perhaps an abnormality during our journey, being fully ready to counteract as I had no intention of believing one word of his. But he remained silent, leaving me to my perplexity.
And when I couldn't take it any more, I stopped.
I had walked so long, relentlessly, yet, I wasn't out of breath or even slightly tired. There was no trace of fatigue in me, and I felt like I could walk for eternity without rest.
This was one of the many strange occurrences to come.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked.
Satan paused in his tracks, seeing that I didn't follow him any further.
"You should be patient," he replied. "The future is a long way ahead, you know."
"Nonsense! All that walking and no destination?"
I see now…
"I know what you're doing."
Satan shifted his head a little. "Out of curiosity, what on earth are you talking about?"
"You were testing the extent of my curiosity."
I can't believe I fell for that.
The Devil turned to look at me, his eyes peering at my forehead. "And why do you think so?"
"I walked for an hour!"
"I see." remarked the Devil. "And that's quite a long time."
An eerily calm smile was plastered on his face as he set his eyes on me. "By your thinking, you must be really curious. After all, you followed me without saying a word, even for that long."
"Take me back. I shall follow you no further!"
But his response was rather odd.
Satan turned back and continued on his tracks, completely ignoring my demand. And just as I was about to repeat myself, he spoke.
"Beware of the wolves."
"What?"
However, he didn't reply, and only kept walking.
"...."
I watched him go, quickly vanishing into the foggy horizon. Not once did he turn, and not for a second did his pace drop.
"Guess I'll have to make it back myself," I concluded, internally bashing myself for playing into his hands—and for so long as well. The moment I got to my feet, a strange sound came to my hearing.
I glanced backwards, looking towards the direction it came from—and was momentarily confounded.
"Father James?"
He stood there, wearing his usual black cassock. His appearance was the same as always—sullen, sleepless eyes, a bald head that seemed to absorb all the sunlight rather than reflect it, and a looming figure that towered over me despite the distance between us.
"Why are you here?" he asked.
"I..umm..are you real?"
"Answer me!" he commanded. His voice boomed but his countenance remained as drowsy as ever.
"I followed him here," I replied, pointing towards the fog like a helpless child. No one could be seen there—I knew that. But even now, I had no understanding of what was happening.
"You went with the Devil?"
"...."
I had questions. Many questions. But under his gaze, I felt inclined to shut up and obey. Father James's stare felt heavier than usual, and though he did not move, I felt extremely restless.
..and guilty.
"Follow me." He ordered.
And so I obeyed.
We walked for over an hour this time. I had assumed we would return to the starting point and he would manifest a portal to get us both away from this place. But we didn't stop even once.
Strangely, I grew weary this time. And it felt like my previous infinite stamina was nowhere to be found. At some point I had started huffing and gasping, my fears and paranoia growing with each moment.
Is this really Father James?
There's only one path and we've definitely walked past it a long time ago.
How long are we going to keep walking?
I was becoming more tired by the second, half-convinced that I would die walking if I kept up with this. My paranoia slowly began to consume me and wobbly movements could be observed from my shaky legs.
This was abnormal.
I shouldn't be this tired.
Each moment felt so long yet so short. My body ached, muscles cried out, and my bones creaked. It no longer seemed like I was running out of energy, but that the energy was running out of me. The sky, the soil, the grass and even each breath I exhaled—they all seemed to usurp me of my strength.
I can't continue like this or I would really collapse.
And so, I heeded my body and stopped.
Father James noticed this and turned. He appeared to be in much better shape than I was, as he was perfectly fine.
"You are tired?" He asked, his gaze softening even though only by a little.
I tried to respond but I was too exhausted.
Right now, nothing else is on my mind aside from leaving this place.
Everything felt…off.
"I'll wait for 5 minutes." He said. "We are very close to the pack."
The pack?
What's he on about?
Aren't we returning to the Sanctuary?
Five minutes passed, but my energy had not returned even slightly. In fact, I felt worse-off than before, and I was pretty sure that it would be impossible to use my legs.
Father James didn't seem to bother. "I'll be off now." He said. "It's a ten minute walk from here so meet me as soon as you can."
And so he went. However, not long after, he turned back at me with a rather stern face.
"Beware of the wolves." He warned, before departing.
....
Wolves again?
...
A significant amount of time passed.
I have to move.
Unable to stand, I crawled. I couldn't just remain here in the middle of nowhere. My fingers dug into the soil as I clawed forward. My movements were slothful but earnest, and although it took a lot of effort to push myself, I was constantly moving.
The wolves. I was still at a loss as to what that could imply. Strangely, it didn't occur to me even once that he could have meant it literally.
...
I can see something…
It's quite tall, more so because I am crawling…
The further I crawled, the better I saw. It jutted up amidst the bushes which seemed to converge further ahead. Therefore, the more of it I saw, the greater my assurance of having reached the end of this path.
It burgeoned as I approached, as it stood there, firmly, without budging an inch. A large wood that reached from the roots beneath to the sky above, only to cascade at its very peak, bending to form an inverted L-shape.
It was a tree. But a rather odd tree as it had no leaves.
Yet it wasn't a barren tree—only a mildly disturbing one.
Instead of branches were these thin, blood-red strands that extended from its apex. But these strands, in their large numbers, appeared to melt. Crimson drops fell from those 'branches' onto the ground every second, painting the picture of a bloody rainfall. These rather peculiar branches seemed unsteady, yet solid, and every 3 strands held onto one thing.
Doves.
Dead doves.
They were connected at the ends of strands, hung upside down, many as they were. And not a single one bore a semblance of life. Not one fluttered wildly, not one chirped—if doves could chirp, and no dove attempted escape.
There were several of them, such that they almost buried the bloody branches that suspended them. Each dove was impaled by the strands, but they did not bleed. In contrast, the branches and its droplets seemed to emanate the richness, radiance and glory of life. I could almost hallucinate them pulsing with vitality.
I drew even closer, half doubtful of the sight before me. It didn't take long till I reached the site. It was then that I saw Father James, standing beneath the paranormal structure.
He looked like he had been expecting me for a long time which made sense as I had tarried in my coming.
This time I posed the question. "What is this tree?"
Father James did not respond immediately. Calmly, he lifted his right hand, reaching for the tree as if it would lower itself in his favour.
…..
It did.
To my shock, the apex of the tree curved even further downwards, bending till it reached his stature. Whilst it descended, it felt like a mountain was bearing down on him and I was quite surprised at his composure.
Then Father James grabbed onto one dove and forcefully ripped it off the branch. Immediately, the dove began to bleed. And it even wriggled with life.
But Father James gripped its head with his other hand and tore off its head, cutting short its chances at living. I remained there, on the ground, mouth agape as I watched his beastly display.
Now, I am scared. But I don't know what I am scared of.
Was it the tree? Or Father James? Or perhaps, everything?
Father James flung the lifeless bird at me, and it fell on my back. Instantly, the blood oozing from the bird drenched my cassock and I felt a warm sensation on my back.
Even more strangely was what followed immediately after.
All my energy was restored in a second, and my fatigue cleared into the wind like it was only an illusion.
"…."
What is actually happening here?
Unease was an understatement at this point. I was terrified, more so because I couldn't point out the roots of my fears.
Father James watched me as I slowly came to my feet, allowing the dove to drop dead to the ground.
"What is this tree?" I repeated. "What's going on here?"
He responded with a verse.
"Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever."
"Wha-?"
Father James stared at me. "It's obvious…."
"What is?"
...
"This is the Tree of Life."