A Single Prayer... (Midas)

That’s right. As expected, the Devil had taken control of my body and woken me up from my slumber. It hadn’t even been more than a few hours since I had my conversation with Soren.

I suppose my promise with Adella would be broken after all. I’d already known as much. I only said it to her in the first place to grant her some peace of mind. A broken promise would mean nothing after my death.

None of my actions were voluntary, but I slowly arose from my bed and tiptoed to the door. It was hard to imagine the Devil doing this. All I could do was laugh—internally, of course.

I carefully opened the door and made my way out, making as little noise as possible. I then went to the front door and opened it in the same manner, allowing myself to step outside and leave the house.

All of the planning and deliberation from my friends had been squandered in a matter of minutes. If only they’d known.

My body suddenly came to a stop. I caught the scent of cigarettes in the air. Then, out of the blue, I felt someone place their hand on my shoulder. I turned my head to look at them.

I’ll admit, it gave me a flicker of hope.

Siel was behind me, smoking a cigarette and grinning.

“What are you doing out here at this hour?” he asked.

He got a closer look at my face.

“Ah, it’s not really you, is it?”

I couldn’t believe it. Did he actually know I was being possessed? Could he help?

I didn’t respond. Siel reached in his pocket and pulled something out—a smartphone. He then handed it to me.

“You might want to keep this with you.”

He turned around and raised his hand as a gesture of farewell.

“Wherever you’re going, take care of yourself. See ya.”

…That was it?

He knew that something was off, and yet he simply gave me my phone and tried to send me off like a cool father figure would. I didn’t know what I was thinking. I really shouldn’t have expected any more from a guy like him.

Damn you for giving me hope, Siel. Damn you.

My body continued on. It walked all the way out of the neighborhood and then through the town. It must have gone on for at least half an hour.

Soon enough, however, I finally stopped somewhere.

The train station.

***

I didn’t like where this was going. I had boarded the train and sat down, when finally, it came to a stop at a more rural area with a lot of trees and grass.

It was a very, very familiar area.

As I got off the train, I walked towards the woods in the distance. Slowly, I made my way into them, traversing through the thick roots and foliage on the ground.

I hated this. A few more yards, and I’d probably be at the place where it had all started.

That’s exactly what happened. The woods ended at some point, and an open area with many weathered shacks and dwellings was revealed.

It was the abandoned village where the cultists had once settled.

So this was where I’d die, was it? It would be a full-circle ending. I was born here, and I’d die here.

The sun had started to rise, and my body began to drag me down into the village. I knew I didn’t have a choice in the matter, but I would have preferred not to go back to it. Any resistance I offered to my movements was futile, though, so I just reluctantly went along like a marionette.

I began to explore the village and all of the structures within it. I went from dwelling to dwelling, walking through as if I was sightseeing. It brought back a lot of memories. Not very good ones, but it was still nostalgic.

I remembered walking through these same stone paths, always accompanied by an adult gently holding my hand. There was a clear difference from then as compared to now: the only person here was me. The village had become empty once again. The cult had definitely disbanded.

That was something good, I suppose.

As my body walked, I could immediately tell where I was headed next. It was the sanctum—the place where the ritual to conjure the Devil within me was performed.

Once I entered, I could tell it wasn’t being maintained anymore. There was a lot more dust and dirt sitting around everywhere. I walked up to the altar and took a long look at it. It was as if the Devil was trying to give me a reminder or something.

It was already vivid enough in my head. There was no need for him to do that.

I could clearly remember laying on that cold stone altar, the so-called prophet drawing sigils onto my skin and then readily taking up his dagger as if making me bleed was holy.

As my mind looked back on old times, there was something that seemingly caught my eye.

There, sitting innocently on a desk in the corner—a dagger.

It looked like the same type they’d used on me. What an eerie coincidence. It’s almost like it was waiting for my arrival.

In steady motions, I walked towards the corner. Then, I picked up the dagger and tightly clenched it in my hand.

I left the sanctum. I was heading towards the outskirts of the village.

No, past that. I was heading for the woods again.

I entered them and walked through until I came to a sudden halt.

I looked around. It seemed that the Devil was trying to confirm something, and I was as well.

I wondered…was this the place of Romka’s death?

I didn’t know if it was the exact spot, but based on what I remembered, it was at least very close. I could feel a certain heaviness in the air, almost as if it was trying to reinforce my speculation.

I had no idea why I’d been brought here. I began to recall more and more terrible memories, many of those being of Romka’s sad ending and my own failure to help her.

And for some reason, my heart had started to race. It was like the Devil was anxious.

I suddenly lifted the hand that was holding the dagger and eyed it.

That’s when I realized something.

In the vision of my death, it was daytime. There were trees and grass all around me. That perfectly aligned with the current setting.

My hand trembled as I gripped the dagger. I knew what would happen. I’d stab myself, and end up dying. I, or more accurately, the Devil, was the one who would kill me.

What a tragic fate. Perhaps it suited me.

I grasped the dagger with both of my hands, tightening my grip on it. Then, I extended it outward, preparing to deliver one blow to my abdomen.

There it was. I was going to die.

I’d die…

In one quick motion, I forcefully drove the dagger inwards, plunging it into my own flesh.

I felt an immediate sharp pain, and reflexively shrieked. Slowly, blood began to ooze out. Then it came out quicker. And quicker.

This was the end.

I eventually fell to my knees, and then, with little resistance, dropped to the ground. Blood had started to pool beneath me. It was exactly like the vision I’d seen.

I was going to die at the same place that Romka did. In a way, perhaps it was deserved. It was the Devil’s idea of irony—just another moment he’d be able to laugh at.

As I continued to lose more blood, I thought back on things, and a question suddenly flashed through my mind:

Is it really okay to accept such a death?

And to that, I answered…of course not!

It wasn’t right to accept such a death! I knew that! I knew it from the start! I knew I’d have regrets, too! It was only human nature!

Even so, there was no other choice but to accept it. If that was what fate decreed, then that was what was going to happen. There were no exceptions.

And still…even while knowing that as an absolute truth…

As I lay here, I found myself wanting a miracle to happen. I found myself wanting to be the one exception in a world ruled by destiny.

The real irony was that I believed, after meeting such a cruel ending, that I could die with resignation. But no, I knew now that I would still be like anyone else in this situation, having a heart full of pure regret and longing.

Indeed, no matter how much I tried to mask it, I truly wanted to live!

But alas…

It was too late for that.

I felt my body getting colder and colder. Blood continuously seeped out from my wound. I could feel that the end was near.

And within a few seconds, my vision blurred, and my eyes slowly closed shut.

“I’m sorry, Romka…Adella…”

Those were the last pitiful words I was able to mutter.

That was it.

That was the end.

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“You have to live. You can’t die.”

“Tell me that you’ll live.”

“Please, Midas. Live.”

My hand suddenly twitched.

Was I not even going to try? Was I really going to accept this death that easily, even after the conclusion I’d come to?

I had to do something. I couldn’t just wallow in self-pity because a miracle wouldn’t come to me. I had to fight.

I needed to use every ounce of my willpower to try and control my body once more. It felt aimless, but I had no other choice. I grasped for threads, knowing I wouldn’t catch any.

But somehow, I did.

All of a sudden, I was able to force my eyes open.

Slowly, I began to move my hands and fingers.

I mustered the strength to crawl, and did what I could to lessen the severity of my wound. I didn't know how it was happening, and yet I was still doing it.

But unfortunately…

It was far too late.

I collapsed, and lost all my strength once again.

Everything faded to black.