“While we’re at it... how is she?” Lera finally asked, though her tone didn’t suggest she was expecting a positive answer.

  Uda shifted restlessly. What would Lera do to her now that she was recovering? What kind of torment was waiting for her?

  “She’s half awake. Seems comparably sane again. Was it smart to make me save her? I could’ve just let her wake up. Why do we even have these ridiculous rules? Why do we have to keep the Possessed in the Dream? Among us? After how many thousands they have woken?” Kelwin asked, placing his filthy boots on Uda’s head.

  The weight pressed against her temple. She tried to turn away from him, but she still couldn’t move, and the nausea slowly began to cloud her senses again. The stench of sweat only intensified the disgust.

  “Because it’s an order from above. And we follow it. We’re supposed to learn more about them. Study them. At least, that’s the explanation I was given. Who knows what other plans the High Exorcists have... And I don’t care, as long as they let us reign them in with all we have, until they are given over to the Revealers in Hilt. Or to Exorcist Immesh, in her case,” Lera replied.

  “Have you ever encountered...?” Kelwin started, but then fell silent.

  He shifted uncomfortably, moved his weight, and let his boot slide carelessly down onto Uda’s face. The acrid stench flooded her nose, and she tasted rancid dirt.

  Uda wanted to throw up, or better yet, grab him and... But what would that achieve? What was the point of thoughts like that if they only distracted her from finding a way out? She wanted to give in to the hatred, to the contempt she felt for these people, but it all felt so... pointless. What really mattered was saving Nia, protecting her from the same darkness that was now burrowing deeper into Uda’s thoughts.

  I won’t let you change me, you disgusting people. I won’t allow you wretched spawn of the Circle to push me into a place inside myself where there might be no return from. I don’t want the warmth the darkness gives me to be filled with cold and disgust one day, Uda told herself.

  She tried to ignore the smell and taste, to shut out the pressure on her face and skull.

  Lera hadn’t spoken in a while. She seemed to be thinking. Uda had never seen the Exorcist at a loss for words, but that only unsettled her more. Her voice was now… soft, truly soft for the first time.

  “Kelwin, there’s one thing I wouldn’t wish on anyone: understanding what the Possessed truly are. What they are capable of. You don’t know what it was like back then, when they first appeared. You have no idea how comforting it was to believe that Nightmares only exist beyond the Holy Shields, where the Hunters drive them back, fend them off. You can’t imagine... what it’s like when suddenly the people next to you start to wake... Writhing in agony, vomiting up their own intestines or clawing their eyes out... People that you are...”

  Her voice failed, and Uda noticed that it was trembling. Terror spread in her mind.

  What had happened in this world that caused Lera, Kelwin, and all the others to carry such deep disgust? They were willing to see another being as worthless, as a toy to unleash their bottomless hatred upon... But… what if I had faced a true case of possession, would I have acted the same way? If a creature like the false Locu had been captured and stood before me, before Nia, taunting her... Or worse, if it had woken Nia… Would I have taken my hatred out on it just the same as Lera did?

  Uda wanted to believe she wouldn’t have. That she was a good person. That Nia was a good person, and... but she couldn’t convince herself.

  She didn’t even know who she was. All she knew was that she felt at home in the darkness. Wasn’t that a sign that something evil, something destructive, lived within her too?

  Nia would have acted like Lera, the thought suddenly shot through Uda’s mind. Or maybe even worse...

  The way Nia had looked and behaved after Locu’s death... If the creature had stood helpless before her, then...

  Uda began to tremble.

  “Kelwin. Do you know why I chose you, of all people, to be my Aspirant?” Lera suddenly asked into the silence.

  Kelwin turned to her in surprise. “No?”

  “You thought being an Exorcist would be heroic, like in the strories. That it would bring you glory. Respect. That it would feed your overinflated ego. You believed that just because you were talented during training, you’d make a great Exorcist. You were the naivest idiot on that field on the day I selected you. You had never seen a Nightmare before. You had only read about them, only heard the stories told by braver men and women who told them, shaking... and full of dread.”

  “What are you trying to say...?”

  “You have far fewer weak spots when we eventually run into a Deepest. And we will, if we stay out here. One day. There might even be one nearby. And you would stand at least some chance as you do not carry scars in your mind or on your body. I am not kidding myself. That fear we felt... that emptiness... that was probably one of them, I think. The lower Nightmares can be defeated by anyone who’s trained enough to wield the light of the Holy Circle. But the Deepest... You have no fucking clue what they really are, do you? Just some fucking information you learned to recite in training, regurgitating when asked to pass a fucking test…”

  Kelwin swallowed. His face had turned white as chalk. “I… Exorcist Lera…”

  “So you know what the Deepest are?” She ignored his protest, now hate in her voice.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “Yes… The Deepest are different from normal Nightmares. They appear far away from the Shields and make their way towards us. In contrast to the lesser Nightmares, they possess forms of high intelligence. They wield great Lucitidy, poisoned, and both crush spines and thoughts. That is why we train both bodily and mental fortification. They can use the weaknesses of your mind against you…” Kelwin recited, but Lera interrupted him.

  “Yes. I just didn’t think you’d forget that.”

  Kelwin jumped to his feet. Uda inhaled the fresh air with relief when his boot moved away from her and tried to steady herself. The Aspirant seemed to have forgotten about her.

  “No, I would never forget…!” he began to protest.

  “Then explain to me why you’re being so careless with her,” Lera hissed, and Uda knew she was probably pointing at her.

  “But… what?” Kelwin stammered, staring down at Uda with his mouth open.

  “What do you think she is? Some kind of special case? No. I think… I think she is not possessed by a simple erratic Nightmare, but a Deepest is dwelling inside her. The worst-case scenario! I suspected it early, saw through her wretchedness. Only a Deepest could withstand what we threw at her. That stamina... That young woman at your feet is...”

  Kelwin stepped away from Uda, his face full of sweat and fear.

  “I thought that was obvious since her outburst in my tent! I would’ve never let you near her if I’d known you didn’t understand that much! You’ve been staring at her for a while now, as if… Kelwin, you stupid shit, she’s wrapping you around her finger. Soon you’ll start thinking about her, wondering if she can be saved, if she…” Lera snapped at him.

  Uda was confused. She was supposed to be… what? Kelwin kept staring at her, his face now green with horror.

  “I didn’t know she was a…” he tried to justify himself.

  “Neither did I. But the longer I’m near her, the more I feel the danger. She resisted me! No one in her condition should’ve been able to do that, it’s simply impossible! And I’ve been thinking… A Deepest has never been studied by Revealers during Posession. Heck, they have not been studied at all! None have ever been captured, either! Too dangerous! And now that I see her… now that I’ve interacted with her… I know why. She… it? She is not as intelligent as we are, but she has more awareness than any other Possessed I’ve ever seen. If there’s a Deepest in this young woman, a Lust, it would explain so much. Her curves, her beauty. Yes, you know how much strong Lucidity can shape appearance. And… the horror we experienced! The emptiness that struck us when she resisted me… I think that was her. She just made it feel far away, but it was near us... She let her mask drop and somehow managed to use the darkness, just for a moment… She is strong enough to overpower the stones around her neck, even if just for an instant! We need to get rid of her soon, yes. Exorcist Immesh will be more suitable to study her! And to contain her. To break her…” Lera explained, her voice shrill with excitement.

  Uda didn’t know what to think. Had Lera gone insane? She was connecting puzzle pieces that didn’t exist and getting lost in her own thoughts… or maybe not?

  Did I… cause that event? Uda asked herself, but it just couldn’t be!

  She had felt the fear when the sensation of the abyss poured into her… Why would she scare herself? On the other hand… there had been something familiar, just before it happened. Something in the empty darkness, as if her subconscious had tried to help her…

  “Exorcist, if that’s the case, shouldn’t you…?” Kelwin stammered.

  “No. We still have her under control. She did not manage to overpower the stones and her little stunt cost her dearly, almost woke her. We are still in control. Isn’t that right?” she suddenly called out.

  Uda flinched. Now Lera’s words were directed at her.

  “I know you’re eavesdropping on our conversation. I’m not stupid! I just wanted to let you know that I know. I know you’re trying to win Kelwin over with your dreadful eyes and your seductive curves. You must be deeply connected to some tainted Lucidity if you were able to take on such a form. But it won’t help you. I’ve seen through you. You’re a Deepest! Not just a lesser shit like your Seductress friend, but a Lust. You’re planning to turn my people to your side and then massacre them. And I even unknowingly played right into your hands, didn’t I? Kelwin is the perfect breeding ground, the only mental weakness he does have: He wants to sleep around, even though his duties should come first. A weakness I clearly overlooked when I chose him! Perhaps it was just bad luck. But Exorcist Immesh will deal with you! He is a battle-forged companion of the Light and a Revealer of Truth. Oh, by Sisona, I’ll be relieved when we’re rid of you! But I wanted to make it clear that you didn’t fool me, no matter how clever you thought you were! We’ve captured a Deepest; we’ll go down in the annals of the realm for it! And… We’ll make you suffer all the more…” Lera spat at her.

  Uda wanted to protest, but she felt too miserable to speak.

  “No… I…” Uda managed to say, but suddenly Lera jumped over the edge of the cart and landed right beside her.

  Uda saw the fury in her wide, wild eyes, saw the glowing red threads shoot from her fingers, heading straight for Uda’s mouth. Her lips began to melt, and she desperately tried to keep them closed, but the threads sliced through her teeth and skin like butter. There was a hiss and a stench, and Uda tried to retreat deep inside herself.

  But she couldn’t.

  The necklace blocked her attempts effortlessly, almost gleefully. Eventually, the threads pierced her tongue, and Uda began to convulse, screaming in muffled agony.

  Please, stop… Stop… she begged in her thoughts, choking on the remnants of her own tongue.

  Then it was over. Lera pressed her hand against Uda’s face. A horribly sweet warmth spread through her, and she could feel the skin and bone around her lips slowly regenerating and healing. Though… her tongue remained a charred stump.

  “There we go, my dear. Now you won’t be able to speak to us anymore, no matter who asks you anything. You should’ve listened to us. The rules were clear. But I’ll make sure you learn never to use that lying tongue of yours again,” Lera laughed, eyes sparkling, wearing a grin twisted with madness.

  Uda tried to beg for mercy, to tell her she wasn’t possessed, that she had done it all for Nia…

  But only pitiful sounds escaped her throat.

  Lera spat in her face and kicked her in the stomach.

  Uda barely felt it. Instead, she desperately tried to call on the darkness within herself, to heal the damage. That used to happen automatically, once, didn’t it? Before the necklace?

  She failed.

  Then she tried to summon the abyss, to escape somehow… but it was useless. Nothing happened. She remained there, twitching at Lera’s feet.

  “You want your tongue back? Fine. Kelwin will restore it. You know he needs the practice. If you say even one word, you’ll lose it again. Every evening, you’ll lose it again. If I’m in a bad mood, you’ll lose it again. Understood?” Lera spat again, staring directly into her eyes.

  She trembled with rage, and with her red hair and purplish face, she looked almost as if she were on fire herself.

  When Kelwin slowly leaned down toward her again, wearing that slight grin once more, Uda finally managed to escape into her mind. She lost herself in the disgust that her thoughts of the radiant circle brought with them.

  When she came to again, it was nearly morning, and she could feel her tongue once more. She nearly cried out in relief, but held back when she saw Kelwin sitting beside her in cultivation.

  How much longer until Immesh’s camp? It can’t get any worse than this, can it? I have to get away from this madwoman… I have to save Nia from her… At least she seems focused on me for now… Uda thought, praying they would arrive before nightfall so she wouldn’t have to endure another round of Lera’s torture.

  But it took another ten days before they reached the moss-covered ruins of a small town where Exorcist Immesh had made camp.

  Thank you so much for giving this a chance, hope you are not regretting it! =)