Chapter XVI: Everything has changed, including me  

Why are all these things happening? What's wrong with Cesare? Actually... What happened to the old Cesare... Where did he go?

"Antonio, you can leave now," said Cardinal Borgia.

"Before I leave... I have a question... Have you been making fun of me all this time, or..."

"Yes, I mean no... I mean, ahh... Just leave!"

What's happening to him? He seems distressed. Even though he's a scoundrel, I still can't leave him in his pain. I wanted to touch his forehead to see if he had a fever, but he stopped me, his voice becoming extremely strange.

"Do you dare to touch me? You should be tortured just for that...N-No...It wouldn't...No..."

"Your Eminence... May I ask another question?"

"Spit it out and leave. I don't want to see you in front of me ever again..."

"Sure... I'll leave, but before... In the name of the Lord, tell me who you are?"

A scream of pain followed by some extremely violent movements came from Cardinal Cesare. So, it seems my fears have come true... He is indeed possessed by a demon, like his secretary. But why?

"Leave this instant or I will kill you!" began to shout the cardinal, no, the demon within him.

"Holy Father," I addressed the Pope, "I believe it would be best for you to perform an exorcism on the cardinal. I know it sounds strange, but I don't know what to make of the events that just unfolded..."

"Antonio, are you sure?" the Pope asked me, visibly surprised.

"Absolutely... The voice, the violent movements, the tears of blood he had this morning..."

"Wait, what? Tears of blood? Why didn't you tell me this before?"

The Pope called some soldiers from his personal guard who struggled to restrain the cardinal, and they took him to a chapel where the exorcism was to take place.

Arriving there, I was horrified. The cardinal no longer looked like a human being at all, but more like a grotesque deformity that was very repulsive.

"Antonio, I think it would be best for you to perform the exorcism... He is my son, and I wouldn't want to hurt him..." the Pope told me, visibly fearful.

"Holy Father, you have lied to me all this time... I could have resolved everything and returned."

"No, you couldn't have... To have an audience with any cardinal, you need documents, it doesn't matter if you're a priest or anything else. So, if it hadn't been for Cesare and his theatrics, you wouldn't have solved anything anyway..."

"Good to know... So, this is our Church, isn't it? It doesn't matter... Anyway, after I'm sure Cesare is no longer possessed by a demon, I'll leave..."

"Wait, how? Don't you think it's too hasty to leave?"

"Don't you think it's a bit diabolical to toy with a person's soul? Because of Cesare, I've violated the oaths I made for my entire life, being abruptly cast aside by him the next day... It's not normal!"

During our conversation, the demon inside Cesare's body was trying to break free, but the chains were not easy to break even for him. Instead, all he did was hurl various insults at me, the Pope, and the Church.

"Antonio, do you remember last night? Do you remember the sounds you made?" the demon said, trying to get my attention.

"Antonio, it felt so good to be inside you... Did you know you have the perfect body for such activities? I think you've chosen the wrong vocation..." the demon continued.

These things are starting to bother me... I think it would be better not to care about the cardinal's person and to leave without getting involved... But when I remember that he saved my life, that I said he was my guardian angel, or that I had feelings for him, I can't just let him suffer until the end. I have to help him...

"Holy Father, I think it would be best if Your Holiness officiated the exorcism."

"No, I can't... He is my son. I can't risk losing him because of me... I can participate at most, but I cannot lead the exorcism."

"Then... I guess I'm his last hope, right?"

"I believe so... I'll help you if you need it!"

Well, I think I owe him one last proof of my love for him... From tomorrow everything will change, and I'll be gone to my homeland where I'll forget everything that happened in these two weeks.

"Demon, tell me your name!" I addressed the demon.

"Hello, my name is Benjamin. What's your name?"

Wait... How can this demon know... No, he's definitely mocking me...

"Hm, so your name is Benjamin, huh?"

"Yes, nice to meet you..." the demon replied, trying to trap me.

"But you know... This name is a holy name, not a demon's name, don't you think?"

"Antonio, what are you trying to do?" the Pope interrupted. "Do what the ritual says, don't come up with lines on the spot!"

"Pope will die in terrible agony in a few years. Rats will gnaw at his bloated body due to the disease and the heat in which he will be forgotten... And you, Antonio, will end up begging for mercy from people who will do much more hateful things to you than what Cesare did..." the demon tried to scare me.

"If that's so, then you're warning us... You're an angel!"

"No... I'm a demon! I'm the greatest demon of all!"

"Seriously, then could you tell me your name? You know, just to be sure..."

"No... If you remove me from Cesare, I will enter the Pope or anyone else... I hate you Antonio... You are the reason I entered the cardinal's secretary, and then the cardinal himself."

"Seriously? Why exactly?"

"Because you are too pure for me to possess... Even if you did those things last night, I still can't possess you... You have a seal on your soul that I can't break, but others don't have..."

"Sure... Then, should you leave Cesare and enter me, don't you think?"

"I can't... Don't you understand?"

"Then... Tell me your name or I won't stop praying until you disappear completely!"

"I won't tell you... You can't do anything to me... Hahaha!"

"Fine then... Let's pray!"

After we began to pray, I started to feel unbearable pain in the place where I had the stigmata. To my surprise, they were now open, blood flowing from them forcefully. Then I decided to do something I had learned from that old monk...

I went to Cesare and placed my hands over his, the demon already beginning to scream. As I continued to touch his head, face, and chest, the demon showed signs of weakness.

"I'm coming out... Stop it!"

"Tell me your name!"

"Azazel is my name... Stop it..."

"Azazel, in the name of the Lord, I command you to come out of this creature and never enter him or anyone else again, and go to hell where you belong."

After making horrifying sounds, he came out of Cesare, who remained motionless...

"Cesare... Are you okay?"

It seems he was already asleep. No wonder, after such an exorcism.

"Holy Father, now that I have performed this exorcism, it is time for me to leave... I can no longer trust anyone here. Instead, if you can, I would ask for your help with some money to leave for my homeland."

"Antonio, please don't do it! At least talk to Cesare before you go..."

"No, I will not stay anymore. If you cannot help me, I will try to find help from other people... Anyway, I have to leave..."

I can't stay anymore. It's impossible to stay after all the terrible things that have happened to me... To be in love with someone, and that person to have lied to me all this time? Besides that... The cassock I received from him is torned, just like my soul... My only gift from this world is nonexistent now, just like my feelings for him... Anyway, it doesn't matter.

In the end, the Pope took pity on me and gave me the money I needed for the journey. I went back to get my clothes and whatever else I had in the apartment... It was quiet. Sister Catherine was in town to do some shopping, so I managed to avoid giving her any explanations...

She knew everything and yet did nothing to tell me the truth... I found a fairly cheap transportation and left for my homeland. After two weeks, everything changed... Including my trust in people, or in God.