Talks of a demon spread throughout town. A demon that lived inside a boy with the prettiest teal eyes and the fairest skin. One might think he was handsome. Maybe a bit standoffish, but nonetheless, a sight for sore eyes. But the allegations were pure insanity, making the townspeople speak in hushed whispers, holding their children closer at night.

It was his eyes! I knew it from his eyes! His tongue slithers like a snake’s! There’s nothing behind those eyes. Just black. He’s evil. Maybe even Lucifer’s own child.

It could all be chalked up to pure superstition. The sun had been setting sooner than usual, and the shadows lingered longer. It was enough to drive people into a panic. So when the boy, Rin, was taken away to a private boarding school run by priests and priestesses, it gave everyone a reason to sleep a little easier. As if that could contain whatever darkness they believed lived in him.

You were intrigued the second you heard about him. There was something strange about the way people spoke of him, like he was less a person and more an omen. They said he was kept in the upper floors, away from the rest, watched constantly by long term clergy as a safety precaution.

One of the things that others commonly heard was that he was young, almost too normal, just like the many other students of the boarding school. Maybe it was all a misunderstanding, perhaps? A part of you didn’t truly believe that this could be a possession of some sort, but still, you were intrigued either way.

You didn’t have much time to theorize. Being top of your class and eager to prove yourself, you were handed a task: perform an exorcism alongside another priest.

On him.

In all honesty, it was insane. How could one be so sure that the boy was actually possessed? Was there proof of his tongue being forked? Of his eyes going dark? Was he violent? Nothing about the assignment made sense. Nothing would be answered until you were finally escorted to a room in which he was held. The wooden doors creaked open, and your eyes finally adjusted to the dim lighting.

Sitting calmly on a narrow bed, chained loosely. A kerosene lamp sat nearby, casting odd shadows across his face. The first thing you noticed were his eyes. They weren’t pitch black voids. Just teal. Still, the coldness in the room didn’t come from the air, it came from the way his gaze didn’t move from you.

Maybe something was truly off. But it was subtle, almost impossible to put your finger on. You stood there, words caught in your throat, despite all your training, despite everything you thought you knew about demons and possessions. You went blank.

Then, you heard him clear his throat, and those lifeless eyes caught yours. “For someone sent to do an exorcism, you walked in like you didn’t even believe in it…”

His voice was flat, devoid of any real emotion, but he still saw right through you. His chains echoed as he moved his hands a bit, shifting too comfortably for someone who had been restrained within holy grounds for the past few days.

“You’ll all be sorry.”

And maybe the rumors were true, because for one fleeting second his eyes changed. The teal drained out of them completely. And what was left behind didn’t look human.