Time seemed to have stopped in this room. Shad wanted to remain silent and wait for the doctor to speak again, but in order to prevent Iluna and Tifa from getting impatient and joining forces to rush into the clinic and kill the doctor, Shad still spoke:
"Because of some accidents at Lakeview Manor, I was speculating that you were possessed by a demon."
This refers to the strange figure that appears behind the Doctor when he is seen using the Words of Ascension.
"Yes."
"Remember the time we met at Anthem Square?"
"The time you went peddling illegal magazines?"
"Well... don't mention it, but it was that time. I met you and Mr. Alan Madison from the Sukses Medical College. He talked to me about some of our group's past events, including the past team leader and the relic loss of control incident many years ago. It was then that I was completely sure of your relationship with the devil... But I knew that you were able to control the devil, so I didn't tell anyone about it."
He actually mentioned things about demons to Luvia and Dorothy, but he really didn't mention things in the past.
"Alan... most of the people who experienced that incident have left Tobesk. You could only have heard about it from him."
The doctor leaned on the windowsill and sighed deeply.
"I believe you can control the demon, and I had planned not to mention it. But for some reason, I was tracking the Human Pus, and its trail ended up here. Doctor, you canceled our group study session yesterday afternoon. Was it because you were heading to the south of the city as well?"
"Yes."
The voice was lost and low.
"So, you saw Miss Felena, too? You also arrived in the central Millwood Forest?"
"I saw Miss Felena last. The news has spread all over the local black market. Even I, a witness, still can't believe it. As for Millwood Forest... where is that?"
"You didn't enter the core of the dark realm?"
Xia De couldn't believe it.
"I'm sorry to say, but I'm lost. I can sense it, but the way inside is too difficult to navigate."
Although the doctor had his back to Shade, Shade still believed that he could believe these words. The doctor acted alone, and without the top insider of the church, he could not know the forgotten core area in advance like Shade did.
"So, the Human Pus was attracted by you?"
"No, I captured it. After Miss Feliana appeared and cleared the entire dark realm, I discovered that the Human Pus was still alive, so I immediately returned here and set up a ritual I learned from demonic knowledge, making it think that there was a possessed person who best met its requirements, and then I took the opportunity to capture it."
This would explain why the Human Pus, who was originally planning to go to the Yodel Palace, suddenly changed direction.
"Can you really control the demon in you? You swallowed the human pus, but it really has no effect on you?"
Xia De asked again. Dr. Schneider at the window turned around, looked at him on the sofa with blue eyes, and nodded slowly:
"At least I think I still control this terrible power."
"That demon, what is its name? Is there a widely known name?"
"I can't say that."
"Have you never thought about solving it in all these years?"
"No, I live with it willingly."
"Why?"
"I want to save Mr. Shelf Tim and Ms. Shana Aya, who were members of the group before me. They saved me."
"They're not dead?"
"Dead, but their souls were taken away by a being that is more powerful and evil than the demon in me, a being whose name I cannot even mention. If I want to save them, I must borrow the power of this demon and keep it under my control."
In the left blue eye, a scarlet light gradually lit up, which was undoubtedly a sign of being possessed by a demon.
But compared to Darkness, Dr. Schneider was not crazy at all. Instead, he felt like he was about to self-destruct in extreme calmness:
"Devouring the souls of evil people and other demons can make me stronger. In the accident many years ago, an evil, twisted, horrible, and even nameless thing was released. I was saved by the noble, and the demon in me was almost destroyed. At the last moment, I agreed to its request and lived with it. It used me to heal its wounds, and I gained its power and guarded it."
This is similar to what Shade knows:
"One of my elders..."
I want to say "elders", but it doesn't seem right:
"A friend of mine once said, cherish life and stay away from demons. These evil spirits from the Third Age will use various means to usurp our souls. We may not even realize the demons' conspiracy until the last moment."
Darkness is the best example, he eventually learned of the conspiracy, but still willingly gave everything he had to the devil.
"And Father Augustus also told me that coexisting with the devil will never end well."
"The priest is the elder after all, and he is always right. I know that sooner or later I will lose control of it."
The doctor's normal right blue eye and his dark left eye with a scarlet spot in the center were both looking at Shade.
"Then why not seek help from the academy?"
"Because I need its power. Only it can help me regain the souls of Mr. Shelf Tim and Ms. Shana Aya. Detective, you can't imagine what my enemy is."
"Evil God?"
"Not a god, but equally scary."
There are some secretive and strange things in this world, extremely terrifying evil things that are circulated in stories and legends, such as the ancient demon whose corpse alone is enough to form a "dark realm".
Xia De understood what the doctor meant. No one could help him and he only believed in himself.
"Doctor, do you know what you are doing? You are devouring the darkness, but one day, you will be swallowed by this darkness."
"I understand, but I inherited their wishes and have the responsibility to free their souls. I am willing to do this, even though I know that I may not end up well."
The two looked at each other, and Shad was not afraid of the light in the doctor's eyes, after all, he had seen him like this many times recently.
The light was dim, and the doctor, with his back to the window, had only half of his face illuminated by the gas lamp on the desk. His expression was very calm, as if he had long expected that one day he would have this conversation with someone:
"The souls of the wicked allow me to draw strength from my sins, and the bodies of the evil spirits and demons allow me to possess more magical powers. Swallowing the human pus allowed me to directly obtain two spiritual runes. With just the power that was digested, I can even implant thoughts in dreams and use negative emotions to change the dreamer's thoughts. I can even feel that by digesting the other party, I can gain more power."
Dark pus oozed from the doctor's strange eyes, but it only covered half of his face. Compared to the madness and violence of the Darkness's pus form, the doctor was really calm:
"But this is not enough. I have devoured six evil spirits and demons over the past decade, including the oldest of the Human Pus. But this is far from enough. I will continue on this dark path until the end."
The power of these words made Xia De a little breathless. He never thought that Dr. Schneider, who had always been kind to others, was carrying such a heavy secret:
"You also want to walk alone in the darkness until you are swallowed by it?"
This is what Darkness did.
"No, what I want to do is to devour the darkness."
The doctor lowered his head slightly:
"As a psychiatrist, I sense people's secrets, discover evil people, and secretly complete tasks related to demons. This is what I have been doing for more than ten years. Shade, you are the first person to know this secret. Before this, I have never talked about it with anyone. I hope you can inherit my wish..."
"What wish?"
Xia De was a little confused.
"Once you find that I am out of control, please kill me immediately." (Demon language)
"Why me? I'm not the only one in our group."
He didn't care about being discovered by the doctor. He understood this language, and the doctor didn't ask any questions. The scarlet light in his eyes became even stronger:
"You are the only ones I can trust. Father Augustus is too old. Although it may sound harsh to say this, I don't think he can live longer than me."
Shad did not object.
"Although Annette is young and healthy enough, she is always mysterious. Sometimes, I even feel that she carries a heavier burden than me and heavier wishes than mine."
Xia De still couldn't object.
"As for Louisa, she seems to be the only normal person among us. Both her parents are alive, she has a successful career, and her original life has never involved any earth-shattering secrets. I don't want the only normal person around me to be involved in something related to the devil."
Still, Shad couldn't object.
"As for you, detective, I have knowledge about demons in my head. I know that since you have the Demon Hunting Seal, it means that you are the successor chosen by the demon hunters of the Third Age."
From this point of view, Xia De is indeed the most suitable person.
"You always think that I have bad luck, but I think I have good luck. More than ten years ago, I didn't die, but gained power that ordinary ring sorcerers could hardly imagine. In the past ten years, I didn't lose control, but met you, and you got this seal to look after me.
I never complain about my experiences, because I always believe that fate has been blessing me. "
Xia De's lips moved, but he didn't say what he was thinking.
He also stood up and walked to the window. He stretched out his hand and pushed open the window in front of the two of them, letting the damp wind outside rush into the room. The doctor, whose eyes had returned to normal, turned around and looked outside with Xia De:
"I will keep your secret, but your wish... I hope you can realize it yourself."
The stranger whispered.
The doctor laughed and said nothing.
"Then this matter ends here. I will tell my companions who tracked down the Human Pus that the Human Pus has been eliminated."
Then I thought of the box I was carrying:
"That's good. I can get more apples, pipe wrenches, women's clothing and other miscellaneous things every week. Everything about this summer is over."
"No, the human pus has not been eliminated."
The doctor reminded.
"What? It wasn't taken by you..."
Xia De was a little surprised.
"You need to understand a very scary common sense. Most of the evil spirits and demons in the Third Age can be killed, but they can never be eliminated. Human pus is the vicious pus that flows out of the poisonous sores generated by the negative nature of human nature. As long as there are intelligent creatures and human nature in this world, it will never perish. This time I swallowed it, which only means that the human pus of this generation has disappeared. It will appear again one day, but that will be many years later, and it needs to develop again."
This was knowledge that Shad had never known, and even Priest Augustus had never mentioned it. Perhaps only a doctor who had mastered the power of the devil could know such a secret.
The doctor learned his secret, but Shade did not intend to tell the academy about the doctor's understanding and concerns. The doctor could lose control at any time, and Shade would keep the doctor's secret, but at the same time he agreed with the academy's view that the doctor did need to be closely monitored.
Facing the last sunshine of late summer, both of them sighed deeply. The matter of the second chosen one was over, but new things appeared again. It was hard for Xia De to tell what his mood was now.
"In fact, you don't have to be afraid of demons. Any power itself is just power. Demons, darkness, and even sin can all be helpful when we face stronger and more difficult to defeat opponents."
The doctor said.
Shade agreed with this view, his "chain of sin" was not a normal power. He even thought that this power, which came from the flesh and blood of desire, was even stranger than the devil.
"Master the darkness, and let both light and shadow become part of myself. I will walk alone in the darkness until I reach the end of this road and fall into the bottomless abyss. Because I inherited the wish, I am willing to swallow the darkness."
The doctor's voice was weak but firm. Xia De could feel the other person's strong heart and his willingness to take responsibility.
The victory over darkness does not rely on light, and the doctor fully demonstrated this point. He became a part of the darkness, devouring the huge and boundless power in the interweaving of light and shadow.
However, the demon in the doctor could even devour human pus. Xia De couldn't figure out how powerful the other party was:
"Devouring the souls of the wicked, devouring the power of the devil, and then strengthening oneself... The doctor's story seems to have only just begun."
The breeze caressed my face, and the sound of the rain gradually became weaker. It seemed that in just a few minutes, the sudden drizzle stopped. The dark clouds dispersed, and the late summer sun shone on Tobysk.
As Shade gradually relaxed, a smile appeared on his face. Perhaps it was because the matter with Darkness was over, or perhaps it was because of the doctor's honesty.
Putting both hands on the windowsill, I took a deep breath, breathing in the city air with the smell of Tobesk. The streets below were busy with traffic, and civilization was moving forward at this moment as it had in the past hundred years. There was light and shadow here.
"Then the matter is officially over. I've been very busy lately. But doctor, please don't ask me about my relationship with the devil or why I'm tracking down the human pus. Just consider this as my reward for keeping your secret."
He suddenly said, the blue-eyed doctor was stunned for a moment, and a smile appeared on his face:
"No problem, but stay safe, Detective."
Shade nodded and looked out into the distance, taking in the city's skyline.
The metal pipes on the outside of the building, which had just been washed by rain, reflected the sunlight. The little figures in the windows performed the urban life in the steam age. The mist lingered over the city, and the black smoke in the distance rose slowly and finally merged into the world, or was swallowed up by the world.
Xia De and the doctor faced the sun and turned their backs to the darkness. The light and shadow met at the window, swallowing up the people in the darkness, who were watching this civilization at the moment.
The stranger was fascinated by the scene, and along with the breeze and the smile, "her" voice appeared in his ears:
The sixth era, the year 1853 of the Universal Calendar, autumn, the harvest month. The person possessed by the devil leans against the window. When you see the world, the world also sees you. Devour the darkness in the darkness, and call for the power of involvement in the years. Wipe off the robe of darkness with your own hands, but allow darkness to be by your side. Stranger, the wind of time accompanies your breathing, and the blood of chastity witnesses your growth. The curtain opens and the story unfolds slowly. However, you who have seen the darkness, do you really understand the true meaning of darkness? You who have swallowed the darkness, do you know what is waiting for you next
"You don't have to mention the blood of chastity."
Xia De complained slightly in his heart, shook his head and said with a smile:
"doctor."
"What's wrong?"
Dr. Schneider turned to look at him. Shade in front of the window looked relaxed and contented:
"Compared to Ivan Darkness, who would do anything for power, you are the one who truly devours darkness. I am very happy to witness your stories, these dark stories."
"No, I hope it's you who devours the darkness. Remember, when I lose control, put on the ring and kill me with your own hands. Anyone wearing the ring will never be possessed by the devil... And who is Ivan Darkness?"
Xia De smiled and said nothing. Instead, he reached out to unbutton the collar of his shirt, wanting to breathe some air. Now no one could disturb his good mood.
He didn't care about swallowing darkness, he would swallow anyone who stood in his way of the sublimation of the thirteen divine natures. He didn't care about light and shadow, because he himself was in the place where light and shadow intersected.
After realizing this, and thinking about Luvia, Mia the cat, and everyone around him, he really felt that he should have a vacation.
The Genesis Darkness in his pocket emitted a faint light at this moment. In a trance, the doctor who was standing at the window with Shad actually saw an old dark golden robe flash by behind the young detective.
But upon closer inspection, there was clearly nothing there.
"Is it a hallucination?"
The middle-aged doctor shook his head.
A gentle voice came to Xia De's ears, and he felt as if someone was hugging him from behind:
You have gained new powers, stranger.
(End of this volume)