Requiem of the Pathways

The ruined chapel loomed ahead, its skeletal remains silhouetted against the night sky—a place that should have been forgotten, a relic of a past long erased. And yet, as the team stepped past the shattered doors, an oppressive presence coiled around them like unseen chains.

The air inside was thick with decay and something worse—an unnatural energy that made Adam's skin crawl. The wooden pews lay in ruins, the altar desecrated, and the faint remnants of holy sigils burned into the walls like old scars.

Leo wrinkled his nose. "Charming place. Exactly the kind of ambiance I'd expect from a demonic squat house."

"There's residual energy," Adam murmured, brushing his fingers over the scorched sigils. "Something was here."

Shinji scoffed, arms crossed as he leaned against the doorway. "So what kid, don't look at me like that. Do you think this place cares about you? You're just another disposable garbage."

"I'm just saying something might still be here." Adam responded, ignoring Shinji's taunt. 

The others exchanged uneasy glances. Samuel shifted on his feet, rubbing his arms as if trying to shake off a chill.

Daniel exhaled. "So... what are we thinking? Ghosts?"

"There's no such thing," Shinji cut in. "The mission is simple—check for lingering energy, cleanse what we can, and report back. You're all acting like this is some grand mystery."

Adam shot him a glance but said nothing. 

Leo placed a hand on his hip, tilting his head. "Fine. If our mighty leader insists there's nothing to worry about, how about we split up and investigate?" His voice was light, teasing, but his eyes flickered toward Adam knowingly.

A tense hush fell over the group, each trainee's gaze fixed on Shinji. Their faces were uniformly etched with worry, as if they stood on the precipice of a long-prophesied doom.

Shinji exhaled, his voice low but firm. "Alright, here's the plan. We'll divide into pairs to cover more ground. Two hours, no more." He pointed at Daniel and Samuel. "You and you, check the perimeter."

His gaze shifted to Adam and Leo. "Adam and you handle the basement. Understood?"

Lastly, he motioned toward himself and Jose. "We'll handle the interior."

They moved out.

***

A deep groan rose from the worn steps beneath Adam's boots, swallowed by the cold, damp air of the passageway. He lifted the lantern higher, sending flickering light dancing over the slick stone walls. The corridor stretched out before them like a gaping maw of shadow.

Leo quickened his pace to match Adam's. "To be clear, we both know Shinji is a horrible leader." His voice was confident, hands clasped behind his back.

Adam offered no reply—his loyalty to the church's hierarchy wouldn't permit him to openly criticize their chosen head.

Undeterred, Leo tried a different angle. "So... any idea what happened here?"

"They told us almost nothing—only that it was... significant."

"Exactly why I'm asking you, Mister Genius." Leo's taunt lingered in the stagnant air, but Adam simply pushed open a creaking wooden door at the end of the hall.

A sickening stench of rotting flesh and congealed blood rolled over them like a toxic wave. Leo recoiled, pinching his nose. "Ugh. I could put on a carnival show with a place like this."

Adam ignored him, stepping inside. His eyes scanned the scattered scrolls, the dark stains on the stone floor. Something amid the parchment caught his attention—a flash of crimson. He beckoned Leo closer.

Despite his disgust, Leo exhaled through his mouth and stepped forward. Together, they pushed aside the scrolls until they stood over a massive, blood-drenched sigil carved into the floor. Its twisted lines scorched the stone, forming a warped circular boundary. Within, serpentine runes coiled ominously, each stroke barbed and cruel. Smears of dried blood formed cryptic shapes along the perimeter—claws, monstrous faces half-hidden in the gloom.

At the very center lay a chilling illustration: the stylized head of a goat, its vacant eyes eerie, as though they stared from beyond. A wave of unease surged through them.

Leo attempted levity. "If this is the sort of 'routine assignment' they expect from us, I might have to apply for a minimum wage job."

Leo changed his expression when he came to a realization "I recognize this symbol—the mark of House Zaralas, infamous Beast Tamers among the devils. They thrive on cruelty and only form contracts with those driven by dark emotions—despair, anger, revenge. The power they grant allows summoning of hell's creatures for a single week before the fiends claim their due."

Why was a Zaralas ritual hidden here, within the church's jurisdiction? Adam thought. 

"We should inform Shinji," Leo said quietly.

Before Adam could agree, a piercing scream shattered the silence. They exchanged a single look of alarm, then sprinted from the room, they chased the echo of the unearthly cry for help.

***

Jose ran his fingers over the altar's scorched wood. "This was intentional."

Shinji exhaled. "It doesn't matter."

Jose narrowed his eyes. "Did you know about this?"

Shinji didn't answer.

Jose noticed something—a rusted dagger, barely visible beneath the debris. Its jagged edges bore demonic sigils, and dried blood darkened the blade.

His stomach tightened. "Shinji, look at this."

Shinji's eyes widened. "Fuck. Did they do this? Why?"

Jose frowned. "What?"

"You didn't hear anything."

Jose's pulse quickened. Who were they? Had they been set up?

He reached for the dagger.

The moment his fingers brushed the blade, a whisper slithered through the church.

Then—the temperature dropped.

A deep chuckle echoed from the darkness.

A devil had been waiting.

Jose's sword was in his hand in an instant.

Shinji, however, didn't move.

The devil lunged, its speed defying its massive size.

Jose barely had time to raise his weapon before—

The claws punched through his chest.

He screamed.

Shinji watched.

And did nothing.

***

The wind howled as Samuel and Daniel neared the rectory.

Daniel kicked a loose cobblestone. "Why do we get the creepy-ass building?"

"Focus," Samuel muttered.

Daniel smirked. "Someone's tense."

Samuel signaled toward the bell tower. As they approached, he noticed deep claw marks in the wooden beams. His fingers ran through the marks. "This was no bear."

Daniel's expression flattened "What the, of course it was not a bear. We don't always have to bring bears into this."

However their thoughts were much different than what they were saying. Both stomachs dropping as they realize.

Something else was here.

Their search led them to a rotting shed. Inside, Samuel noticed disturbed earth. Kneeling, he and Daniel began to dig.

His fingers touched something cold.

A hand.

Or what was left of one.

They had unearthed a mass grave.

Among the remains lay an old Bible, its pages stiff with dried blood. The name inside was barely legible:

It read, Edward Stewart.

Daniel exhaled sharply. "Tell me that's not..."

Samuel swallowed. It was.

Edward Stewart, the church official who had cleared their mission.

He had lied.

Samuel gripped the Bible. "Daniel... you never seem afraid. How do you do it?"

Daniel shrugged. "Fear's not the problem. It's what you do after that really matters."

Then—

Jose's scream shattered the moment.

***

By the time Adam and Leo reached the main hall, it was too late.

Jose's body lay crumpled, his chest caved in, organs spilling onto the floor.

And standing over him, feasting, was the devil.

It turned toward them, blood dripping from his jagged teeth, its mouth stretching into a wide grin.

Shinji stood frozen.

He had seen it first.

And he had done nothing.

The devil swallowed the last of its meal, licking blood from its fingers as it chuckled.