I removed the sack from Reverend Francis' head. He stared at me with his milky-white eyes, showing the evolved vana was in control of the body. Tilting his head to the side, the demon smiled. "Binti Nasra."
"The one and only." I clenched my hands. His calm demeanor unnerved me. The Supreme Leaders and The Clergy had failed to exorcize him, and the smug look on his face said he thought no one else could.
"It was only a matter of time before these idiots realized they were weak and asked for your help."
I gulped. I didn't like this. It felt like a trap. It was a trap. Fragile egos destroyed worlds, and those in power had them in abundance. Calling them idiots and weak while noting me as stronger than them put a target on my back—a target Pastor Hans had warned me to avoid.
In my defense, I wasn't at fault this time.
The evolved vana leaned back. "Go on. Do it. Use your moon magic. Show them how pathetic their power is."
The raw magic energy emitted by the Supreme Leaders increased, trying to pierce the one protecting my body like a second skin. Shit. I wouldn't have had trouble blocking one or two, but all thirteen of them would be a challenge. They were trying to make a point to the demon. He had gotten under their skin. Fuck.
Clenching my jaw, I increased my magic output and blocked their attack as hard as I could. I was a lot of things in life—wild, reckless, con woman, stubborn, sexy, superhero—but stupid wasn't one of them. Not every sorcerer could be an occult detective. You had to have the skills and senses for it. Otherwise, things would go over your head all the time.
Demons smelled like rotten eggs and were quick to aggression, especially vanas—unless ordered to deliver a message and not fight, like the one back at Mama Joni's house. Their time on earth depended on their target. Thus, the longer they possessed someone, the easier it was to spot signs of decay on the victim's body.
Since I arrived, there was no such foul smell, nor was the demon hostile. It acted like a friend who had invited me over to dinner. That switched on a few bulbs in my head.
The evolved vana's calmness and smugness meant I was dealing with a conduit—a sorcerer capable of possessing demons. There weren't many with such an ability. But those who had it scared the hell out of me.
Vanas were usually out of a conduit's reach. Did their evolution change that? Instead of being messengers—like the Esther used at Mama Joni's house—they were now puppets for conduits?
I curled my lip. "Who are you?"
He smiled. "Finally, you saw through me. It took you a while, but you did it." Standing, the ropes that bound his body fell to the ground before he clapped thrice. "I'm the other side of the coin."
The other side... I gasped. "The Antichrist." The current user of sun magic.
The raw magic energy released by the Supreme Leaders disappeared. They must've realized the level of threat in front of them and knew it was best to not do anything stupid. Good. I breathed a sigh of relief. Antagonizing The Antichrist might lead to their deaths. I was the only one who could handle him.
The Antichrist sat back on the chair. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Binti Nasra. Excuse me for not seeing you in person, but I have horsemen to call upon. The journey here would've taken much of my time."
Why was he telling me that? I didn't care. I crossed my arms. "What do you want?"
"I wanted to show you my new toy?"
"Toy?" Did he mean the reverend?
"The new vana. I've turned it into a fine weapon that can possess even those protected by divine magic. As you know, there's a war coming, and I have to make sure no one stands in my way while I destroy this planet."
If an evolved vana could possess members of the clergy, and a conduit could possess the evolved vana, then... Oh no. "Why do you want to destroy the world? Isn't that cliche? Why not just rule it?"
"Because it's my fate, Binti Nasra." He glanced to the side before looking at me with a frown. "When you're fated to do something, there's nothing you can do to stop it. It's concrete."
I had met a lot of people who were tortured by life after knowing their fate. I never had to worry about such a thing. Even after visiting the past and seeing what Baba and Lucifer had planned for me, that was more in line with destiny than fate. What was the difference? Fate was concrete and determined by the cosmos, while destiny depended on your life choices.
Wait a minute. Didn't the cosmos decide who got moon magic?
Deciding not to dwell on the matter, I said, "You're allowed to fight your fate and make your own path in life."
"It's easy for you to say. You're a nobody. A loser. A bum–"
"Hey!"
"I'm the spawn of the King of Hell and Queen of Eden. This was meant to be. It was decided the moment those two fornicated." He sighed. "Everyone has a role to play now. Mine is to reboot this planet, and I'm happy to press the button."
"You don't need to press a button to reboot something."
"What?"
"You can click an icon."
"Huh?"
"Technology." I shrugged.
He curled his lip and raised his brow, looking at me like I was an idiot. I understood how The Supreme Leaders felt earlier. I thought about what I had said and realized how stupid it was.
"I won't let you destroy the world," I told him.
"Let me?" He laughed. "Me? Don't mistake yourself for something you're not. Yes, you have moon magic. Yes, it can give me a challenge. But that's all. You're an ant in a world of giants, trying to worm your way to relevance. But truthfully, you're nothing." He pointed at me. "Behave yourself."
"Even ants can bring down giants to their knees, allowing for decapitation." My shadow loomed over his body as I moved closer to him, and I whispered. "I'm sick and tired of people thinking they can tell me what I can and can't do. Nobody can stop me from doing whatever I want. Don't confuse tolerance with weakness. I'm patient, not a pushover. You're not a giant. I know giants. I've killed giants. You're just a spoiled brat with daddy and mommy issues. If it's your fate to destroy the world, then I'm the sword that'll put you down like the dog that you are."
He stared at me with clenched hands and jaw, his chest heaving back and forth with rage. I had hit a nerve. Good.
Before he said or did anything, I balled my hand into a fist—activating moon magic—and grabbed his face. "See you soon, Junior." I sent a wave of magic energy throughout his body. Bright lights shot out of his eyes, nose, and mouth, burning away The Anti-Christ's presence.
When I pulled my hand away from his face, the reverend started shaking vigorously before tar-black liquid slithered out of his mouth and covered his body like a cocoon. It shaped itself into a humanoid form with two red slits as the eyes and one as the mouth.
"That's new." The evolution had changed a vana's smoke-like body into a viscous liquid. Yuck!
The evolved vana's body transformed again, taking the form of a bear before lunging at me with its sharp claws. I conjured a barrier spell around me. It hit face-first against the barrier and got electrocuted before collapsing to the ground.
I crouched beside the demon and drew a star symbol on the ground. Then I grabbed a pocket knife from my back pocket and cut my palm before spilling blood on the symbol.
The symbol collapsed into a portal, billions of voices crying for help from inside. Summoning a bit of moon magic to my other hand, I placed my palm on the evolved vana's chest and shocked it. Its liquid-like body flowed off the reverend, getting sucked into the portal.
When the portal closed, Reverend Kobelo woke up with a gasp and sweat covering his face. "What-What..." He frowned when he saw me. "What are you doing here?"
I frowned too. Bitch, it wasn't like I wanted to be here. Though I was glad I came. I spoke with The Antichrist and showed him my strength. Yay!
I flicked the reverend's forehead, and he fainted. He would've been a nuisance.
"Good job," Pastor Hans said beside me, startling me.
For how long had he stood there? I hadn't sensed him. Turning towards the stands, The Supreme Leaders were gone. I hadn't noticed it either, too busy saving the reverend. But I would hear from them soon after what transpired here. I always hid how powerful I was from most people. But now that they knew the truth, I didn't know what they'd do. Honestly, I couldn't worry about that now. I still had Esther to deal with. It surprised me she wasn't involved in this nonsense. Since she arrived in the city, she had her fingers in every shitty thing that happened to me.
Pastor Hans reached inside his coat's inner pocket and took out a scroll, handing it to me.
"What is this?" I asked, taking it from his grasp.
"You wanted to know the truth about The Supreme Leaders and The Fellowship. It's all there."
I raised my brow. "I thought you said it would take time for you to get me this information?"
"I lied."
I scoffed. Typical of the clergy. They always preached about honesty but practiced deceit. "Are you sure this is everything?" The scroll looked small to contain the quantity of information I wanted.
"It's a magic scroll. Summon magic energy to your eyes and you'll see what's hidden."
"Right." In a world where information had built and destroyed kingdoms, there was no better way of hiding it than in plain sight. "Alright. I'll leave now."
"Thank you for today."
"You thanked me." I narrowed my eyes. "Why?"
He smiled. Wow! I never knew he could do that. He always looked serious. I thought he was born that way. "Actually..."
Oh no. I hated the word actually. It always came with someone asking for a favor. I sighed. "What is it?"
"There are more reverends possessed by evolved vanas. We could use your help."
"What's in it for me?"
"Money."
I smiled. "Now you're speaking my language, Pastor. Why didn't you say so from the start? Me and money go way back." I put my arm around his shoulders and led him towards the exit, leaving the reverend snoring on the ground. "Hans, I feel like this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
He brushed my arm off him. "I don't think so."
I patted his back and laughed. "We shall see."