Perdilius felt his smile stretch from ear to ear, taking delight in watching their bewildered expressions. Behind him stood a small army of around five dozen men, some wearing rusted or dented armor, and others adjusted to simple leather strapped to their chests and forearms. Those wielded crossbows in hand, armed with bolts and pointed toward them, squinting their eyes with a steady aim. Janette reflexively clutched her stomach where she had previously been acquainted with one of those bolts.

  Na'Vi snarled, turning her head from side to side. "Damn, stupid priest. How did he get here without us catching his scent?"

  "The girls," Dimyri expined, licking her lips and inching closer to Syri. "They were a diversion."

  "It's him." KuliKuli whispered, her keen eyes fixated on the man who haunts her memories.

  Felix held her close, feeling her body shiver from his touch. The night was so cold that they could see their breaths, and the sight of those men holding up torches filled them with a haunting sense of dread.

  Janette took immediate notice of that, realizing how close some of those torches were to her trees. The warm orange-red bze nearly tickled some of the lower hanging leaves, a step closer and her field would be lit abze. She swallowed at the thought, licking her dry lips and stepping back. "I-I think heading back inside might help."

  "Wait." Felix urged her to stay, watching closely as Perdilius began to approach them. "Stay here."

  "Felix-" KuliKuli felt his hand slip away, stepping towards him. Emyri held her shoulder, keeping her back. When she gave her mother a pleading look, Emyri shook her head. They stood back, staring as Felix made his way down the dirt path.

  Felix struggled to maintain his composure, breathing in through his nose. The freezing temperature did little to prevent him from trembling, but it soothed the stinging pain from the bite on his shoulder. He adjusted his tunic and rubbed his cheek, the skin on his face feeling tender at the touch. When they were moments away from meeting, he stopped.

  "Why did he s-stop?" Syri's voice quivered, "Is he hurt?"

  "Probably figuring out what we can do." Na'Vi said, looking around. "Or maybe buying us time to figure something out."

  KuliKuli watched Felix carefully, noticing his hands ball up in a fist before letting go. His hands were shaking, more-so then the weather would call for. "No, he's scared."

  Perdilius took notice, standing patiently for the young man to meet with him. His brows raised when they locked eyes, the narrow shape of his pupils and the subtle glow it took in the night. The sight of it made the corner of his lip twitch.

  "Ahh, we meet again dear child." Perdilius exhaled, towering over Felix by a foot in height. "Does thou remember the st time we met?"

  Felix looked away, hanging his head. The way his brown hair hung over his forehead kept Perdilius out of his sight.

  "I admire thy resolve, thy persistence to continue this game of cat and mouse." He chuckled briefly at his words. "But even a hermit like yourself knows when it is best to surrender."

  Still no words from Felix, but he did lift his head to peak at the number of men behind him.

  Perdilius smacked his lips, cocking his head. His fingers gently drummed against the cover of the heavy book he kept pressed to his breast. "Get rid of those thoughts in your head."

  Felix raised his head, gring at him.

  The sight made Perdilius smile. "I know that gre, child. You're angry, bitter at the hand thou ist dealt with. There is no running away this time, this little game has come to its end."

  "You seem content in that." Felix finally responded.

  "I am."

  "Why?"

  "Hm?"

  "Why do you want them so badly?"

  "Not all of them, only those three."

  Felix looked back to them. "Why them, why do you need them?"

  "It's not what they did, it's what they are. I need them, and if you bring them to me then you will hear nor see no more of my presence. That is my promise to you, Felix." He spoke calmly with a softness to his voice, almost in a comforting way.

  "Why do you need them?" He asked again, "What makes hybrids like them so special?"

  That caught his interest. "Ah, so you do know. And here I wondered if this was driven by some twisted sense of self-fulfilling justice based on your ckluster morality and lust."

  "Don't!" Felix lowered his voice, growling and showing his teeth. "You don't talk about them in that way."

  "Easy now, child." Perdilius responded with a sense of ease, raising his hand as a gesture for him to calm down. "Let's not commit to rash actions here. We are more civil than to sh out at each other's throats like monsters."

  Felix sucked in his lips, hiding his own shock. That feral side of him wasn't there before, and only now did he feel with his tongue just how sharp his teeth were.

  Perdilius inched closer, stretching his neck to look over Felix from an angle. "You've been marked for some time now, how long since you coputed with one of them?"

  "Since... what? What business is that to you?" He snarled.

  "Because you are changing, your body is corrupted with their dark essence. Don't you see? You're being molded into a more suitable partner for them. Your eyes, your physique, your carnivorous teeth. Surely you can't be this dense. All the more reason to hand them over."

  "What?"

  "I may not have the means to do so, but I know of someone who can help with your sins. If you come with us, I can assure you in due time they can reverse this transformation and return you to your normal self." He offered his hand.

  Felix backed away. "No! This is not about- I don't care about that! I want you to leave us all alone, I want to know why you're so driven to catch them. What did they do to you? What did you do to them?"

  "A plethora of questions," Perdilius muttered, running his hand over his scalp. "You asked about them being hybrids, that is precisely why I am in need of them. Monsters are corrupt beings fueled by dark essence. They roam these nds only to take and copute with nothing to bring into this world. They are creations made from demons and devils. Light essence is the very opposite of that. Purity, solidarity, nurturing, derived from the Gods above and their angelic guardians that come to love us and gift us with what we have. A hybrid like them insinuates that an offspring is born from pure beings from opposite energies."

  "I've never heard of light essence beings, where are they? What are they?"

  Perdilius scoffed and flicked his hand. "Pfft! They are no longer among us, ascended to the heavens once more. A being of light essence isn't natural anymore, only if they undergo certain rituals can they accept that essence into their core. Many do not survive, but a select few have. They are born anew, transcended so to speak."

  "And you're not one of them, I take it?"

  Hearing this, his ecstatic expression dropped. He chuckled, but it came out forced as he shook his head. "No, dear child. I am not one of these gifted ones. I am no guardian, just their divine messenger. And I have a message to deliver to the gods, that is why I need those three. "

  "You need them to talk to Gods?"

  Perdilius shook his head. "Not to talk, to make a request. To purify."

  "Purify?"

  "Indeed. As I said before, dark essence and those born from it are a burden, a pgue to our nds. Do not make the mistake of falling for their appearance. They make look and py innocent, but every one of those vial beasts will be the death of us! I have seen things, witnessed atrocities committed by these things. And I recognize that tattoo you hide behind your neck."

  Felix slipped his hand under his hair, covering the mark.

  "Yes, the very same mark. You are no fool, how can you be when you've endured the hardships and torture that I speak of. Think of the lives they take, the families they break, the wives-" Perdilius choked, clearing his throat and adjusting himself. "You need to know what they are capable of. I knew beforehand, my family suffered the consequences for being blinded by naivety. We chose to see the good in others, unaware of how easily they can disguise themselves. We would open our arms to aid them; little did we know we had brought a wolf amongst our sheep. They didn't see what I saw, they refused. Denied it, called me mad and foolish. I tried, the Gods know I tried. I searched for other ways to cope, to adjust, or to compromise."

  He waved his hand around, engrossed in his thoughts as he carried on.

  "For decades I have walked this path against them. I have tried to reason with them. I have tried to contain them. They are filth, pure evil. The others, they did not listen. Now I alone bare this guilt, this feat that only I can fulfill. No matter how many Monsters we kill, it's not enough. This world is still rotten, its foul stench clogs my nostrils with every breath."

  "So what, you think you can fix it?"

  "I am the only one who has the means to fix it. Anyone else is just... fodder."

  Felix stepped back, mouth wide open. Perdilius adjusted his white robes, fastening the colr around to conceal something metallic underneath. He dragged his tongue across his lips and composed himself once again, his shoulders rexing after a deep breath.

  "Do this for me and you will be saving all of us. It will be the best decision you'll ever make in your life, I promise you that." He said, reaching out with an outstretched hand.

  Felix took one look at his palm and stepped back, repulsed. "You're insane."

  "What did you say?" His eyes peered open and stared in sharp contrast to his seemingly warm smile.

  Felix shook his head. "You expect me to hear this and just deliver them to you? They are my friends, my family! And you come here to disguise these threats, these weapons under your facade of being a humble old man? All for what, driven by this-this madness. Just what exactly do you intend to get from this? To help Monster Girls turn their ways? I thought something simir before, but these women are different. They opened my eyes to see that everyone is different. Doesn't matter what we are or what essence we carry, there are fair and corrupt minds from every group."

  He shook his head. "No, no no no. No. I was worried about this, but it seems I've pyed too kindly to you. You speak like you're of a kind heart when you're just as ignorant and selfish. You think you can help them, that is nonsense. You can't even help yourself, or your wolf friend."

  Felix felt his heart leap to his throat upon hearing her name.

  "Ah yes, Norowa Reta. You abandoned her at that prison, or was it intentional? Do not worry, she's with us now." He smiled, reveling in Felix's anger. "Yes, I see it now. Naive as you may be, even you understand that in her monstrous state she was too far gone. It was useless to help her, that is why you left her, is it not? She told me a great many things when we first met, confessing how she was enthralled by your bravery when you stood up to her. She respected you, cared for you, and yet she felt neglected when the other cat creatures arrived. Now your pursuit to help her curse was tossed aside, just like you ter did to her."

  "Shut up!" He growled, raising his hands. His fingers twitched, his mind filled with thoughts of strangling his throat. "Shut! Up! You don't know anything about her, that's not what we did!"

  "Is it? Could have fooled a schor. Tell me child, how did you pn to help her? Did you know what ingredients she would need, or where to get them? Do you know the limited time she has before the change turns permanent? Or did you push those thoughts away while you were rutting about with your monstrous slut?"

  "I'm gunna fucking kill you!!" He shed out, stopped by a bolt that scraped his arm. He looked up and locked eyes with one of his soldiers readying another bolt for him.

  Perdilius chuckled, wiping his chin. "You're no different. Final warning and let me drop this charade and be absolutely clear. Hand over those three, I care little for the rest. In fact, I propose a trade. Your wolf in return for the three siblings I require for my mission. And we will never meet again."

  Felix hesitated, his mind wondering about his friend Reta. He cursed his own name, regretting his actions to have left her behind.

  "No. We'll get her back, free her from her curse, and get rid of you and your nonsensical crusade."

  Perdilius' eyes grew narrow. "You'll die for them?"

  "If I have to."

  He clicked his tongue and sighed. "Shame then, I arrived with hopes of negotiating. Seems I have been too generous all this time. Go to them, pray to your gods. But you should know, they won't be listening."

  Felix watched him turn around, pacing back toward his men. He held his hand, taking notice that his fingernails had grown sharp at the end. They adjusted back to normal, but the appearance gave him brief concern. He gasped then ran off, retreating to the others.

  "What happened?" Janette asked, "What did he say?"

  "He wanted the three of them." Felix answered, pushing the double doors wide open.

  "And what did you say?" Na'Vi followed.

  "I said no, get inside!" He ordered, ushering them in one by one. His eyes remained fixated on Perdilius, his voice echoing with his chants.

  "We've tried to reason with them; we've tried to bargain with them. But there are no words that can move a demon, are there?" He shouted out.

  "No words to move corruption, set upon destruction!" They chanted in unison.

  "Divinity! Forgiveness! Strength! These are the very core of our believes, let them guide us through the bckest night!"

  "On the weight of our sins, through the blood of our kin."

  Hearing their words filled Perdilous with glee. "We tread the path most holy and profound!"

  "As the arms of our prophet, as the instruments of our gods."

  "Even to our dying breath!" Perdilius hollered, retrieving a torch from one of his men. "Our enemies our shrouded in darkness, let us light the path for them to see!"

  Leone intercepted, grabbing his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

  "Guiding them to the light."

  "That wasn't the deal, you're risking their lives!"

  "And you're concerned for them?" Perdilius gred.

  Leone was taken aback. "I-I am only insisting that we select our options carefully. We don't want them harmed."

  "They won't." He turned his stare back toward the mansion. "Let this be a message to them and to those who stand in my way."

  "You can't be serious?" Leone's voice shook.

  "When have I not been?"

  "Father!" Some of his men made way for Raz to push through with a look of shock. "You do realize we risk losing them if you do this?"

  "No, they're nimble, agile creatures. They'll come to us, and besides," He turned his gaze onto Leone. "That is where our Hunter comes through. Once they come out, you'll bring them to me."

  Leone had opened his mouth but hesitated. He scoffed and crossed his arms, looking away.

  "Then it is so." Perdilius breathed in deep, spreading his arms wide open. He shuddered at the feeling surrounding him, his ears filled with the singing of his people, and the ringing of the church bells.

  For a moment, he was home again, preaching to the people as he stood behind the lectern.

  DONG!

  DONG!

  DONG!

  "Can you hear it?" He whispered, "Can you hear the bells? They ring for me."

  And with that, he pced the torch under the nearest tree setting it abze.