Chapter 39: Visitors

Standing on her balcony, watching the falling snow, the twinkling colors of the traffic lamps, the yellow streetlights and feeling the cold wind pressing against her cheeks made her sigh with satisfaction. Lighting up her own cigarette, leaning against the railing, all these sensations let her enjoy life once again.

 

“Your mouth sometimes opens up really wide!” said Everlong, leaning next to her, making Hiyori chuckle.

 

“Guys love that, no?” answered, blowing out white smoke from her lungs.

 

“Like you would know!”

 

“Ouch…” giggled but did not refute it at all “I lived in a gray world for more than a decade! Now that I can see colors, I feel myself being me again!”

 

“Little troublemaker!” patted her head with a laugh.

 

“My dad used to call me that.” nodded, falling silent for a little bit “What did she mean by Trespasser? And what is an Invader? What is the difference?” asked, changing topics, not really wanting to dwell on the past.

 

“Two types of visitors.” replied, taking a drag before continuing “Without permission, someone from Hell can’t come here. When they lost the war against God they were barred from entry to the human realm. Granting one Asylum, it permits their existence here. Of course there are great restrictions put on them but I won’t go into details.” shook his head, explaining it to her “Let’s call it rules instead of restrictions. Breaking them would send them back to Hell.”

 

“So… a Trespasser or an Invader are demons who came here without a permit for Asylum?” asked Hiyori, drawing a smile onto his face.

 

“Yes. Although it is forbidden for them to come it does not mean they can’t or won’t! An Invader is your typical possession. A demon from the other side inhabits a thing, a being, living here in another’s body! That is an Invader. A Trespasser is a demon who came here in its original form.”

 

“The Invader sounds… worse.” said slowly, thinking about it, imagining scenes from horror movies.

 

“It is more violent and usually results in the death of the host. But then the demon is sent back to hell, usually unable to come back again for a second time. It may sound bad but it is a locally isolated event. Trespassing… is a completely different kind. Do you know how much of a carnage can one demon unleash, just one, who comes in its full form? With its immense power? It is like dropping a nuke on your foot!” 

 

Hiyori could not answer, only gulping loudly, the cigarette trembling between her fingers. Just remembering how it felt when she saw Sheby grow in size, transforming, now knowing she was under “rules” at that time, probably not even showcasing her full strength, started to put things in perspective, very quickly. 

 

“But, wouldn’t that be dangerous? I mean, for the demon too!” asked, after her thoughts recollected themselves. 

 

“Yes, it would be. Angels like Sylial are constantly patrolling amongst us. They are also usually part of the organizations I told you about. Same with other religions, they have their own helpers, gifts, from their own Gods. Not to mention the blessed humans, Saints of their God, so to say. So we are not helpless! But… it is better to secure and contain a demonic infestation, to protect the people, then to fight it out in the open!”

 

“Hah!” laughed Hiyori for a short moment. “That is… ah… never mind!” tried to say something, looking at Everlong, seeing in his eyes that he was oblivious at why she laughed.

 

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“A reference I would not get?” tilted his head, already figuring the cause out.

 

“Yeah! Sorry…” smiled, shaking her head. “So, we have a demon here who crossed the borders without papers and is after us? Does that happen often?”

 

“Luckily for us, no. Below a certain power level they wouldn’t be able to come. Being summoned and called upon is a different story of course! That is the main source of infestation! And from left behind, lingering souls, transforming into demons. Not from them actively coming over from Hell!”

 

“So the ones who come over are rare and powerful? Great!” groaned Hiyori with a tired voice.

 

“Powerful in a way yes. But Powerful with a capital P? No, I don’t think so. There is a very thin line of power levels that are good for crossing the realms! I call it the Goldilock of Power!” smiled, mentioning his own idea “You have to be just at the right amount of power, strong enough to come over but not strong enough to alert beings of a higher level! Truly capable demons won’t even consider coming over, not even when summoned! It simply does not worth it!”

 

“Why?” raised her eyebrows, looking up at him with curiosity.

 

“Are you familiar with the doctrine; MAD?”

 

“Mutually assured destruction?” asked back quickly, receiving a nod from him.

 

“Exactly. Risking their own destruction? The possible loss of their powers? If they go back with their tails between their legs, defeated, wounded, the others would tear them to shreds and take their place in Hell! Why would they risk that? Let’s say, they come in force… Then what? In the worst case scenario our own world would be destroyed and that would also mean their death! They can’t exist without us! Even the Princes would stop each other from fully entering our realm! They need our worship, or their powers dissipate and they weaken down into undying husks, existing in perpetual powerlessness. Imagine yourself being 90 years old, your body weak, aged and frail yet you can’t die. That is their fate if we stop worshiping them.”

 

“Geez, they must hate atheists!” laughed Hiyori, unable to hold it in. 

 

“Not really. When someone comes across death, they quickly return to faith!” smirked Everlong “But there are real examples of what they can become of! Just think about the old religions, products of a bygone era! The viking gods, the pantheon of the Greeks and Romans or the gods of Egypt! All faded creatures that look on this world through a misty veil, confined in their own, little realms. Their afterlife is populated by souls from ancient times but no new ones arrive, not anymore. A sad, eternal existence of obscurity.” 

 

“Damn…!”

 

“They damned, allright!” nodded Everlong, squashing his cigarette, putting it into the ashtray on a small table behind them. “I don’t know where the current Gods originate from, how they came to existence and how many fell, washed away by the sands of time! If they are even real or just a collective creation of the human psyche!” murmured, looking at the city, laying before them.

 

“It felt real.” replied after more than a minute of silence, looking onward, standing next to him.

 

“Yeah. I know what you mean.” nodded, gently rubbing her head “Come! Let’s go in, it is cooooold out here! Plus, I need to learn how to use that cursed pocket computer!”

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