Artefacts were demonic tools used for various purposes—the majority of them being demonic possession. However, they could also serve as armaments, or as weapons against crusaders, especially Exorcists. But this was uncommon.
Cases like this were rare…
Father Azrael chortled. "You've got a lot of irregularities in your journey, Joshua. First it was the second-stage and now it's this."
To think I was only starting the said journey…
"It's like you're the main character or something." He covered his mouth as he laughed.
Seconds ran, and faded. Father Azrael dropped his amusement.
"You've reached some sort of limit on your artefact." He guessed. "That's why you reduced your usage till you couldn't use it any further."
"Well that's a wild guess." It replied, smirking mischievously.
But Father Azrael put on a confident smile. "Don't worry," he said, "I was only teaching the students. They've gotta learn the skill of reading between the lines."
"Oh really?" It teased "So you're that sure of yourself?"
"Well…who would care about weaklings?"
"...."
Once again, Father Azrael lifted his cross. Immediately, the blue glow around it seemed to gain several light photons, and it grew to be several times brighter than the last. And when it subsided, there was a spear in his hand.
But that wasn't all…
Behind him, several other spears—looking exactly the same, materialised. They hung mid-air, and they slowly spun around their axises, like several floating drills. A colourful display of numerous blueish dust blazed and escaped the ends of the spears, ascending behind him like countless little fairies. Father Azrael looked captivating as he stood ahead.
His smile expanded.
"For your remaining 31 lives, here are 31 spears."
"...."
"...."
Both I and Daniel stood surprised, unable to further mask our feelings. Daniel looked like he had expected something similar, but not of this magnitude. While I, on the other hand, had a lot more going on with my emotions.
The ranks of Exorcists and the stages of demons have the same number, and each stage/rank were supposed to have roughly equal exorcising ability/threat factor, implying that a Purger was expected to be roughly on the same skill level as a second-stage manifestation.
Then Father Azrael should be just as strong as the demon.
Right?
"Urmm..Father? What do you intend to do?" I asked, failing to put my unease at rest.
He replied with one word. "Watch."
The demon had an expression. Its grin was long gone—obviously, and understandably. And only one familiar countenance was left.
Anger.
The demon hissed loudly. "Do you really think you can-!"
BAM!
"Wha-?"
My jaw dropped.
Maybe in that second—no, fraction of a second, I was the only one that had seen it. There were thirty spears behind him. But one was missing.
This time, the demon didn't even scream. Rather, it didn't have a chance to. With one quick swell, and a sharply followed burst, the demon's form was lost.
It exploded.
Father Azrael watched.
The demon reappeared almost immediately, as if intent on having its revenge. The particles that sped away like jets of ash assembled at an even greater velocity, collecting themselves like pieces to a puzzle. Just like that, a body—with 30 terrified faces materialised.
But it died again.
The moment the head was formed, another spear went through. I had not seen when and how this happened, so all I did was stare.
My eyes were glued to this unexpected turnabout of events. But my heart wasn't ready—not for what would happen after—even though it was obvious.
My staring lasted much longer than I expected.
BAM!
It died.
Two Crusaders watched a demon die 30 times. All while Father Azrael stood, unperturbed, without moving a muscle. During the last exorcism, my teacher briefly looked back at me, flashing a 'I-told-you' grin at me. But it was unnecessary, as I was already way beyond flabbergasted.
At some point, my mind had drifted.
Seeing the demon that both I and Daniel worked so hard to subdue getting one-shotted repeatedly by a sole, relaxed individual was amazing without a doubt. I wish that were all to my feelings though..
I know he's a Warden and I'm just an Initiate. But still…
Was it overfamiliarity that caused me to feel this way? Is it because it's Father Azrael that this emotion exists?
Weakness.
The voice that spoke this one word did a number on my heart. It had more than a subtle influence. It stretched its limbs—or maybe its branches, and poked at it—strongly enough to dig through.
Was I weak?
Logic said that was obvious and justified its claim by reminding me of my rank. My optimistic side. It sounded like him.
But…
It only took ten deaths for the demon to realise that it had no chance against my teacher. Strategically, it switched to begging—perhaps wishing for just a little, perhaps a sliver of hope, to fall in its favour.
No such thing happened.
It tried going on the defensive, even attempting to escape several times. Unfortunately, its fate was sealed, and maybe written in stone. It seemed like the same scene was being replayed over and over, only with slight changes here and there.
I watched the same creature that towered imposingly over me, disintegrate into nothing.
"How..?"
It wasn't me. That was Daniel, half speechless.
"How..?" He repeated, his gaze screaming of his concerns. "How can you defeat it so easily if you're a Warden?"
One of the several questions weighing on my mind.
Thanks for asking, Daniel.
Father Azrael yawned loudly and began stretching his limbs. "Good question," he replied. "Wrong time."
Then he walked into the faint cloud of the fading particles. He squatted and searched the ground with his eyes.
What was he doing now?
Father Azrael returned almost instantly, obviously successful in finding whatever it was that he had been looking for. As the light reclined in its brightness, the star-like radiance dropping back to a faint, but noticeable glow, a substance became visible in his grasp.
He had his rosary and cross squeezed tightly in one palm. In the other was a strange, foreign thing.
Daniel caught on quickly. "The artefact?"
He nodded calmly. "You should have a look at it."
There was a small, metallic object, with little to no glint as it was covered in rust. It was hollow on the inside, and I could tell because it wasn't necessarily closed up. It looked like a small pipe, with sharply cut edges that made it appear like a fragment of something larger. Father Azrael's thumb kissed the object as he rolled it in his palm, keenly scrutinising it with stern eyes, and a tilted neck.
"This.." he mumbled. "..is a weird artefact."
This was the first time I saw Father Azrael looking so perplexed over an artefact. Even Contract of Blood and Soul that ignited demonic possession with only a few pages, did not seem to drive as much emotion as this weird-looking metal did. Not even closely.
"I'll have Vivian look this up."
It appeared like he was only saying that to himself. But I had listened in on him, unconsciously, or subconsciously.
Father Azrael lifted his head and his eyes locked with four. Daniel and I peered intensely at him, with the several questions in our minds as clear as day.
Regardless of what he said, we knew he knew something at least. Maybe insignificant, but still something. Curiosity compelled us to know what that was, including the reason he was convinced that it was an artefact in the first place, rather than just…junk.
Then again, who is Vivian?
Some old friend? Girlfriend..?
Nah Father Azrael isn't like that.
I shook my head, knowing that wasn't possible. While he was good-looking, and most definitely charming to a lady, he never really appeared like someone that could be in a relationship.
How do I put it? He didn't seem like someone capable of managing one.
Wait, that's besides the point!
There were more pressing causes of concern at hand—literally (see what I did there?), but there was one major issue that overpowered them all.
Father Azrael's nature.
From the familiar smile on his face, and the painfully nostalgic glint in his eyes whilst he returned our gaze, I knew one thing.
He wasn't going to answer any of our questions. I just knew.
As always, he would brush it aside as being 'too long', or 'too complex', completely forgetting his role as a teacher. So he wasn't about to tell us a single thing. Unfortunately.
He grinned.
"Let's return."
Hey, come on!
"Why so sudden?" Daniel inquired. He was in an utter loss as to this behaviour that my teacher portrayed. It was probably his first experience with an unenthusiastic teacher, so only the experienced (me) was learned and accustomed to the schemes of things.
I glanced at him. "Don't bother questioning him. He can be secretive at times."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Don't worry." I patted his shoulder. "You won't have to get used to it since he isn't your teacher."
Lucky you.
"So how can I make him my teacher?" He suddenly asked.
Eh..
"W..hy?"
I was expecting anything but that response.
"I don't have a teacher at the moment," he explained. "Yours seem like a capable person."
"Hehe. Capable person." Father Azrael crept past us into the distance, giggling to himself.
"...."
"Urmm…are you sure?"
"Well, switching teachers is possible right? Since we're from the same division."
I scratched my head. Switching was truly allowed among official crusaders in the Academy, but they were restricted to the confines of a shared division, and no further. So as long as a student was in the same division as another student, he/she could definitely choose to be under the tutorship of the other student's teacher.
As for the teachers, their divisions didn't really matter so they could tutor any student of any division. However there were restrictions. First of all, every teacher was at least a Warden. Secondly, a Crusader can only remain a student for the first three ranks (Initiate, Purger, Warden) after which they would no longer be recognised as students even if they wanted to be one.
But that wasn't the point.
Father Azrael was the type of teacher that taught you good stuff once a month, then dips throughout the rest of the time. He was very lackadaisical, but that was what made him a perfect match with me as I wasn't very bright myself.
Can the irritable, bright-minded Daniel cope?
I can almost see the frustration coming..
"What happened to your teacher?" I asked weakly, seeing no way to talk him out of it without directly slandering Father Azrael.
"Urmm…" Daniel looked away. "He died…"
"....."
"…By Execution."