A Lesson [Work Thread]

A Dream:

Her eyelids broke open in a jolt. Her heart was thumping as a cold sweat was tracing down her neck. At first she felt alert, yet with a strange mix of grogginess. But it didn’t take her long to realize she was in a library, the dusty archives of the Church. She slowly lifted her face away from the open-faced tomes that she was reading about exorcisms. Julius said she was free to add to the current records in the Bibliotheca regarding exorcisms and that's why she was here in such a dim dusty room. Gone was that ocean of scarlet and so were the demons. She was alone with a bunch of mostly forgotten records of times past.


Maria blinked and then squinted in the direction of the voice. An old man in probably his late forties or early fifties stood near her with a steaming mug in one hand and a water bottle in the other. Father Jorge stood before her. He had the same amicable smile as always, but the barely hidden look of concern betrayed him. The postulant's lips curled in return, ”I was just resting my eyes..."

The priest set a mug near her. It smelled of sweet lemongrass and pleasantly bitter green tea. Maria murmured her thanks and took it into her hands before sipping it carefully. There was a hint of sweetness that meshed well with the bitterness of the beverage. In addition with the piping hotness, it made her feel better. After all, there was a reason why Daddy always said a mug of coffee or tea was a great medicine in itself.

The priest began, ”Do you want to talk--"

”No."

Jorge scowled at her prompt response. Maria continued to sip from her mug, ignoring his displeasure. It was always the same time. Every time when a hand was extended towards her, the postulant didn't bother to take that help. It was more like she just couldn't and wouldn't no matter what. A single finger touched the surface of a page before turning to another, she was perusing the content of the Progenii Diaboli. It was one of the tomes authored by a respected exorcist during the Renaissance period.

”Alright, that's enough reading. I need your attention."

And he got it. Jorge bent down to pick up a tight and secured suitcase, the kind used for storing laboratory equipment. But instead, this one was re-purposed to contain something special inside. The priest inputted the necessary code before the mechanism inside whirred in response and then clicked. The cover popped open as frosty steam leaked out of its seams. He opened it to pull out a small foggy petri dish wrapped in what appeared to be silver chains of sealing. Inside it looked like a bit of flesh after Jorged polished the frost off, and it was slowly pulsating. There was a faint kind of essence emanating from it and Maria was beginning to feel like something was familiar as Jorge pulled out a bottle of water as he undid the fetters on the dish.

”Demonic flesh from a failed experiment. Poor sap was supposed to be another Forgotten like you back then before you. Cadets were able to put him down when we needed their help," Jorge explained despite Maria's confused expression, ”This thing can show up to normal people due to its special properties regarding its adaptation to our world and... the other. But don't worry, it's harmless. We made sure of that."

”Why is this here?" she asked looking at the grotesque mass with distaste after he placed the bottle in front of her near the tome with the petri dish.

”Sylvania wants me to teach you how the Rites of Benediction, at least the basic in and outs. Tonight's a good time as any, you can use your connection with Andraste to muster some power if you have to. Just remember to moderate it so that its "curse" doesn't leak out. This shouldn't be a problem if you can summon a Black Key. Try blessing this water here. If it works, then it should dissolve the flesh."

”Will I need to use a prayer? Won't I need salt for this?"

"Not necessary, but it helps. For now, just try doing it without it. Any prayer works, even bible verses, what matters most is you have the will at this point. Just remember, you are putting yourself on the pivot of power. You guide it and you don't let it overwhelm you."

Maria solemnly nodded and thought about which prayer or verse to use. She remembered one that might be suitable for this. Her eyelids were shut and her hand outstretched at the bottle. There was a dim light covering the palm, but it was faint nevertheless. Jorge continued to watch as Maria prayed.


The water didn't look like it changed at all. Maria looked disappointed, but Jorge gestured her to try pouring it on the specimen. She uncapped the bottle and began to pour a drop onto it.


It sizzled. At the same time, the piece squirmed even more lively, as if from pain. Maria observed the phenomenon with wonder and poured it again to illicit even more crackling and movement. It wasn't enough to cause the entire thing to dissolve, but she knew it was to some degree effective.

"Not bad on your first try. Keep practicing, since you need to forward the service to your Cadet peers. Remember, you're doing this at night when you're at the height of your power. Try it during the day, it'll help. It won't take long because I know it's you," Jorge reminded her, "Any questions?"

She shook her head. Jorge smiled back. His concern was still apparent, but he didn't bother to voice them knowing better than to waste his words. "I'll be at my study if you need me. Take it easy, Maria. You've had a long day. Remember to store the flesh the way how I did it when you're done."

He turned to leave with his back facing Maria. She quietly watched him leave. In many ways Jorge was like a father figure to her after all these years. He was the one who first taught her how to fight. He was the only one who tried to nurture her to be a normal person, making her to take up volunteer jobs around the city and at school to have a sense of normality. In many ways, she needed it. But even he wasn't able to steer her from her path.

Maria listlessly looked back at the bottle and the petri dish. She stared at the latter with an expression of loathing. And so she continued the practice on her own until it was time to call it a night...

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