His eyes shifted towards the door when it opened and there, Tomoya stood. “You called, nii-san?” He asked, stepping inside completely to hand Takumi his bathrobe which he took and wore.

“Yes,” he nodded. “It’s about Kathleen.”

Takumi’s tone of voice sent chills to Tomoya’s spine. He had expected things to have fallen downhill when Kathleen called; however, not to the extent that it would visibly bother his cousin that would create creases on his forehead.

Takumi sighed, stepped out of shower room, and leaned his back on the nearest lavatory.

He’s in deep thoughts and clearly in trouble connecting the holy dots. Crossing his arms, he muttered, “Kathleen had made a deal with a demon.”

“What?!” Tomoya gasped. “W-Why?! How could she do such a thing?”

“Probably to save her boyfriend,” Takumi tapped a finger on his chin. “Trouble is, the demon she had a pact with uses the same binding mark as Rener.”

“Holy crap! Did you know what she sold?”

“That ain’t really my concern. I don’t care much about her.The real question is whose soul she sold,” Takumi’s tongue explored his frontal teeth. “You know Rener’s kind, they could take souls from anyone the dealer knows.”

“Oh,” regrets suddenly crossed Tomoya’s face. “I think I’m screwed.”

“Hmm…” Takumi scoffed. “And one more.”

“There’s more?!”

“Sure. Still remember Zach?”

“Y-You mean, Zachary? Zachary Salvador?”

Takumi nodded.

“What about him?”

“He’s the one investigating the whole goddamn thing.”

“Motherfucker!”

~~~~~

In the peaceful municipality of Majayjay in Laguna where the San Gregorio Magno Parish is located, a woman in black vale, covering her entire face, can be seen kneeling in front of the graven image of Jesus Christ and His Mother Mary; both palms clasped together, earnestly praying.

“In t-the h-heavenly name of t-thy Lord J-Jesus Christ…” she stammered almost every word. “A-Amen,” her eyes opened and stared at the idling face of Jesus’s statue.

Will this do? Is this enough?

The woman nodded at her own question. Yes, it should be enough. Whatever. Groaning, she tossed her hair back off her face and by accident, her vale flew together with it, revealing Theresa’s face.

Mary Theresa, despite being named after a polish nun and missionary: founder of the Missionary Sister of St. Peter Claver—never believes in religion, leave be, God.

After going through a lot of horrors in her childhood when she started to see things, she’s convinced that there’s no such thing as Divine Mercy. If there is, how can God be so unfair?

‘Twas sixteen years ago when Theresa began dreaming about a woman, trapped in a place which she calls the other dimension.

Although she couldn’t see her face clearly, she could tell she’s weeping out of desolation as she couldn’t escape. It looks to her that the woman has been chained.

It was dark and fuzzy, but the chain pierced through her chest is clearer than calm waters. She’s been having the same dream every night; eventually, the woman started reaching out to her… asking for her help.

As innocent as she is, Theresa listened to the woman’s pleas one night and when she woke up, hell started to break lose—she sees the future of the people she knows; forthcoming of the people she’s never seen before.

As her father discerns her ability as a blessing, her mother believes otherwise after she saw her infidelity which caused their family to fall apart.

Subsequently, Theresa’s father went back to the Philippines, leaving her behind in attempt to escape the adroitness that he thought would benefit him, making Theresa detest herself instead of the woman who passed her the adversity.

Even the maids who work in their house feared her and having no one to talk to made her run back to her dreams—to the woman—who became her only friend and that friend no longer shows up in her dreams since Scott’s incident, taking her visions with her which she is currently trying to repossess.

“God, please. Just help me with this,” she mouthed. The desperation of getting her visions back brought her down to her knees—in order to stay with one of His creatures. “I badly need it back."