---
Three months earlier, (Marina's POV)
It's been two days since Knov started acting strangely, and his behavior has only gotten worse. I'm beginning to wonder if the church people are right about evil spirits possessing the weak-minded.
He's been doing disturbing things, eating raw fish with his hands, staring at me with an expression I don't recognize, and making comments that don't sound like him at all. When I confronted him about the raw fish, he snapped out of whatever trance he was in and became paranoid, looking around as if someone was watching us.
Our neighbors mentioned a missing goat from their shed. I have terrible suspicions about who might be responsible, but I can't tell them that. We're already struggling to make ends meet, and with Knov's deteriorating condition, we certainly can't afford to compensate them for livestock.
'It's hard being married to someone who's losing their mind.'
I've been considering asking the church for help. If nothing works, we might have to leave this place and start over somewhere else, if we can afford.
"You should go find work, Knov," I tell him over our meager breakfast.
"I don't want us to starve like we did last month."
He looks at me with an expression that seems... wrong. The sadness in his eyes doesn't match the slight smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"I'll go, and I promise it will get better," he says, but his voice sounds strange.
I'm used to his empty promises by now. "I hope it will."
But something deep inside me whispers that it won't.
---
(James's POV)
'Job, work, money—why does any of this matter when hunting is so much more satisfying?'
This human woman doesn't understand what I'm trying to tell her. Her husband started drinking last year and promised to quit, so much for saving money. That habit cost them even the cow they owned.
But playing this role is becoming tedious. I've been inhabiting this form for two days now, and maintaining the charade requires more effort than I anticipated. The raw fish incident was a mistake, I forgot humans cook their food. Her disgusted reaction was amusing, though.
I spot someone yelling about work. "Need a person who can do woodwork and lift heavy logs! Ten dollars per day!"
'Perfect. This will give me more time to plan.'
I approach the man and secure the job, agreeing to start tomorrow. Two other workers will be joining, more potential entertainment if this body becomes boring.
On my way back, I pass children playing with sticks and metal carts. Knov's memories surface unbidden, hopes for a child, dreams of a better future. Pathetic human sentimentality.
'I should make use of these memories while they're fresh.'
As I approach the house, I see Marina speaking with someone from the church. They're discussing something serious, and she's crying. I catch fragments of their conversation:
"Is there no other way...?" she pleads.
"Father Sorento will come first thing tomorrow morning," the priest replies. "Make sure your husband stays home. We'll handle this quietly."
'Interesting. They suspect something.'
I walk forward with Knov's characteristic smile and announce, "I found work."
She seems happy but adds, "That's good news, but promise me you'll stay tomorrow."
"My first day is tomorrow, so I won't be able to stay home."
Her expression darkens. "They can work one day without you. I want you here tomorrow. Someone important is coming, and they want to meet you too."
After a heated argument, I finally agree to stay.
'Perfect. Let's see what this 'important guest' has planned.'
---
The next morning (Father Sorento's POV)
Father Noah instructed me to handle this delicately.
"The wife suspects demonic possession," he'd said.
"Go alone first, assess the situation, and scatter the blessed water around their property. If it's truly a demon, it will be trapped until we arrive."
I carry three vials of holy water and a silver cross blessed by the Archbishop himself. The morning mist clings to the ground as I approach the modest house, but something feels wrong. The air itself seems heavy, oppressive.
I begin sprinkling the blessed water around the perimeter, muttering prayers of protection. The water hisses faintly where it touches the ground, a sign that confirms our suspicions.
'Dear God, there really is something evil here.'
I'm circling toward the back of the house when I see him. A man sits beneath the old oak tree, but his posture is all wrong. Too relaxed, too... predatory.
"Good morning," I call out, approaching cautiously.
"Are you Knov?"
The man turns, and I nearly stumble backward. His eyes burn with an inner fire, and his smile stretches too wide across his face. This is no human expression.
"Father Sorento, I presume?" The voice is wrong, too pleased.
"Marina told me you might visit."
My hand goes to the holy water. "In the name of God, I command you to--"
The creature's laugh cuts through my prayer like a blade.
"Oh, how delightful! You brought toys."
I throw the first vial, and it strikes him squarely in the chest. Purple smoke erupts from the contact point, and the air shimmers with otherworldly energy. The human disguise wavers, revealing glimpses of pale skin and curved horns.
"Interesting," it says conversationally, examining the smoke.
"That actually stings."
Before I can reach for the second vial, the creature moves with inhuman speed. Claws tear through my throat before I can even scream. The last thing I see is that horrible smile widening as darkness claims me.
---
(James's POV)
'Finally, some entertainment.'
The priest's blood is still warm as I drag his body deeper into the shadows beneath the oak tree. His holy water created an amusing light show, but nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
"You taste better than expected," I murmur, tearing into the soft flesh of his neck.
"Less gristle than the usual prey."
*Crunch. Crunch.*
Priests apparently live better than I thought, this one has decent muscle tone and surprisingly tender organs. I savor each bite, taking my time to appreciate the flavor. There's something almost... blessed about the taste.
Ironic.
'I should save some for later, but fresh meat is always better.'
I consume most of the body, leaving only bones and scraps scattered beneath the tree. The holy water he scattered around the property has stopped hissing, its power apparently spent. Whatever trap they planned has failed spectacularly.
Satisfied with my meal, I return to the house. Marina should be waking soon, and I have a performance to complete.
'Time to finish what I started.'
---
(Marina's POV)
I wake to the sound of Knov moving around the kitchen. Strange, he's usually still asleep at this hour. The morning light filters through our small window, casting long shadows across the room.
"Knov?" I call out.
"Is everything alright?"
"Everything's perfect," comes his reply, but something about his tone makes me uneasy.
I get up and find him standing by the window, looking out at the oak tree. His posture is wrong again, too rigid, too alert.
"Did Father Sorento come by yet?" I ask.
"Oh yes," he says without turning around. "We had a most... enlightening conversation."
The way he says it makes my blood run cold. I take a step back, but he moves with impossible speed, spinning around to face me.
His smile is too wide, too pleased, and his eyes burn with an inner fire I've never seen before.
"Knov? What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing's wrong, my dear Marina," he says, approaching slowly.
"Everything is exactly as it should be."
His hand no, his claw strikes faster than I can react. The pain is brief but intense, and as darkness takes me, I hear him whisper:
"Thank you for the wonderful hospitality."
---
(Knov's POV)
The construction foreman sends me home today due to rain. I'm grateful for this, Marina should be fuming about my absence for a while now, maybe I can surprise her with a gift.
I push open the door to our small home, calling out, "Marina! I'm back early!"
Silence greets me. Strange. She's usually here at this time, doing chores or preparing our evening meal.
"Marina?" I call again, moving deeper into the house.
I find her in the kitchen, lying in a pool of blood. Her eyes stare sightlessly at the ceiling, and her throat has been torn open as if by claws. The metallic scent of blood fills the air, making me gag.
"Marina! Oh god, Marina!" I drop to my knees beside her, my hands hovering over her body, not knowing what to do.
That's when I hear the slow clapping behind me.
I spin around to find... myself. Another version of me stands in the doorway, identical in every way except for the smile. That smile is wrong—too wide, too full of teeth, too pleased with itself.
"Excellent timing," the other me says in my voice, but with an undertone that makes my skin crawl. "I was just finishing up."
---
(Father Noah's POV)
We arrived as quickly as possible after the neighbors' frantic message, but we were too late. Marina lies dead, and Knov has been arrested for her murder. But something doesn't add up.
Where is Father Sorento? He should have been here hours ago.
I search the property and find his remains beneath the oak tree—scattered bones and torn vestments, along with his broken vials of holy water. The blessed water has left scorch marks on the ground, evidence of demonic presence.
"Father Noah!" one of my disciples calls out. "We found something!"
He shows me scraps of flesh still clinging to the tree bark, and claw marks gouged deep into the wood. No human could have made these wounds.
"The demon consumed him," I whisper, understanding the full horror of what transpired here.
While we searched for clues, the real killer escaped back to whatever hellish realm spawned it. Knov was just another victim, a convenient scapegoat left behind to take the blame.
But I know the truth. And when that demon returns not if, but when, we'll be ready.
"Order everyone who witnessed this to report to the church immediately," I command my disciples. "We need to prepare for when that creature returns."
"Yes, Father."
The hunt has only just begun.
---
(James's POV)
The transition back to my world is violent and disorienting. One moment I'm surrounded by terrified humans and stinging holy water, the next I'm standing on familiar volcanic rock under the red moon's glow.
"That was so much fun," I mutter, examining my true form.
"I wonder when I'll be visiting that place again."
The experience taught me valuable lessons about that world's defenses. The holy water was particularly interesting—some kind of dimensional anchor that can force entities like me back to our native realm. And those priests... they knew more than they let on.
*Just when I was having fun.*
I look around and spot my cave in the distance. Home sweet home.
But this isn't the end. It's merely the beginning. I now understand how their world works, how to blend in better, and most importantly—how to avoid their countermeasures.
The human Knov will be blamed for his wife's death, of course. The perfect crime, with the perfect scapegoat.
'Let's see how long it takes them to realize their mistake.'
I begin walking toward my cave, already planning my next visit to the human world. Next time, It'll be more fun.
Next time, I'll make sure there are no witnesses left to tell the tale.
"Welcome back indeed," I whisper to the crimson landscape.
The hunt has only just begun.
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