Chapter 189: Chapter 50 – Abule
Abule was a small town with less than 50.000 people living there. Most of them were from Nigerian descent since the first settlers there were Nigerian Christians.
Traveling around the country felt like traveling around the world. While Southport, the city Matthew lived in and the biggest city in the country, was originally a British colony, and most of its colonizers were European and American, making English the most spoken language, Abule was a place where Yoruba was everywhere. They all still spoke English, since it was the country’s official language, but the people of Abule preferred their ancestral language when dealing with each other.
Matthew found Paula waiting for him sitting on the stairwell that led to a church. She was wearing the same black dress and witch hat that she wore when adventuring with Matthew all that time ago.
"You found her?" Matthew asked as soon as he got out of his car.
"Michael did. He’s with her inside." Paula pointed at the church.
"How is she?" Matthew asked, stopping at Paula’s side while Ffyr looked around the church surroundings that looked alien to her.
"Shaken." Paula took a deep breath. "Vine is the demon king she’s fleeing from?" She asked.
"Yes. He is intense." Matthew said.
"Must be. To force a demon into church to pray." Paula looked over her shoulder towards the church.
"What scared her?"
"I don’t know. Everything was fine until she freaked out. She ran before I could see anything. So we ran after her." Paula shrugged.
"I should talk to her." Matthew smiled at Paula. "I’m sure she just got scared."
"Matt." Paula stopped him when he moved towards the church. "How strong is this Vine?" Her voice was clearly shaken.
"Well above level 100." Matthew said. "It took me, Ffyr and two angels just to keep him at bay. But because he is that powerful, he can’t come to Earth easily." He tried to ease her mind.
Paula didn’t say a word. She just shrugged and stayed in silence.
Inside the church, Michael was sitting on one of the benches, while Tylith was on her knees in front of the altar. A priest was tending the place, preparing for the sermon he would give later.
Ffyr was immediately distracted by the church’s architecture and wandered around looking at all the art in the walls and the glass work on the windows.
As Matthew walked in he had a similar feeling he had in Ira when he visited Mitzarael’s temple. There was holy mana inside there.
The priest looked at Matthew and soon exclaimed.
"Matthew!" The priest said, rushing towards him.
Matthew was confused. He didn’t remember meeting that man. But when the priest approached Matthew and held his hand, Matthew realized. He was the priest that survived Saint Hellen’s Inferno with him. Matthew never got his name, but his face was the same.
"It’s so good to see you, my child." The priest said. He had the same soothing tone that Professor Claude had. Was that just how priests talked?
"It’s good to see you too." Matthew replied.
"I’m father Oluwafemi." He smiled, realizing Matthew didn’t know his name. "We never introduced ourselves, did we?"
"We did not, father." Matthew smiled back.
"How are you, child?" Oluwafemi asked as if looking deep into Matthew’s soul.
"I’m well." Matthew said and glanced at Tylith.
"Oh. Sorry." The priest looked at the woman kneeling in front of the cross. "A friend of yours?"
"Yes." Matthew nodded.
"Then go to her. We can talk another time." Oluwafemi said and moved to fill a basin of holy water that rested near the entrance.
Michael nodded at Matthew when he passed by him, but didn’t start a conversation. He just stayed where he was with a worried look on his face.
Matthew crouched near Tylith and gently touched her shoulder.
"Tylith?" He called her.
The demoness opened her eyes and looked at Matthew with wet eyes.
"What happened?" He asked.
Tylith didn’t answer, she just averted her eyes embarrassed by her own behavior.
Matthew didn’t pry further, he just stayed still looking at her.
"I’m sorry, Matty." She tried to sound flirty as always, but her voice wavered. "I freaked out." He gave a self deprecating laugh.
"Come." He helped her up and sat with her in one of the church benches.
"I felt a bit of demonic mana that was not my own." She said, hugging herself.
"Dagda’s Loch is a dungeon." Michael added, moving close to them. "She might have felt just a simulacrum of it."
"We can look into it later." Matthew replied and turned to Tylith. "It’s alright getting scared."
"What are we going to do if he does come after me?" The demoness asked.
"I don’t know." Matthew said, resting against the bench. "But we fight."
"We won’t let him harm you." Michael said.
Tylith smiled at him and then looked at the cross hanging above the altar.
"It’s odd finding you here." Matthew chuckled.
"A demon in the house of Yahweh." She laughed at her own choice. "I didn’t know where else to go."
She got up to her feet and walked towards the altar again.
"I don’t even know what I’m doing here. I doubt he would help me. I don’t even know how to pray." Tylith had a sad smile on her face.
Matthew and Michael weren’t religious themselves. Therefore they didn’t say anything.
"Do you think the Safekeeper can hear us if we pray to him?" She asked Matthew.
"Mitzrael? I don’t know. I don’t understand how this works." Matthew answered.
Tylith looked at the cross again. She held her hands together and closed her eyes.
"Doesn’t it hurt?" Matthew asked her. "Being in here."
"It smarts." The demoness said without opening her eyes. "Let’s go." She added after a while, turning on her heels and walking out of the church.
"You’re already leaving." Oluwafemi asked them while replacing some candles.
"Yes." Matthew smiled at him. "I’ll come by another time to talk."
"The house of God is always open." The priest smiled back.
Tylith then undid the illusion hiding her wings, horns and skin color. She approached the priest with a malicious smile, trying to intimidate him.
"Even if I look like this?"
Oluwafemi just smiled and placed his hand on her hair gently.
"Especially if you look like this. You’re also His child. We’ll always give sanctuary to those who need it." He said with a smile, not being intimidated at all.
Tylith scoffed and turned around redoing the illusion hiding her demonic features. She looked angry and frustrated.
Michael was stunned and a bit dumbfounded. It was the first time he saw her in her demonic form. But he soon regained his composure, and rushed after her.
"I’m sorry about her." Matthew said and looked around at Ffyr, who was flying and studying the glass work in the tall windows. "And her too."
Father Oluwafemi just laughed.
"It’s alright, child. That’s why I’m here." He smiled looking at Ffyr’s childlike fascination with the windows. "She’s a curious one."
"She’s an overgrown child." Matthew joked. "But she’s there for me when I need it."
"I’m glad that you’re well." Oluwafemi said. "After what we’ve been through."
"I wasn’t for a long time. But I’m at peace now." Matthew took a deep breath taking in the calming atmosphere of the church.
"I’m glad." The priest said. "Can I ask you a favor?" He added.
"Of course."
"Can you talk to Marcus, when you can? He’s the young man who was with us back there."
"Marcus?" Matthew asked.
"Yes. He still lives in Southport. I was ordained here after what happened, but I kept in touch with the boy. He’s not well and I think talking to you might help." Oluwafemi explained.
"I can. Once I finish things here." Matthew agreed.
"Thank you." The priest said, shaking his hand. "God bless, Matthew."
"God bless." Matthew answered empty minded after exchanging contact information.
Outside, Tylith was leaning against Paula’s car with her arms crossed. Her expression was a mix of embarrassment and annoyance and wet eyes.
"It’s a bit late for us to return to Southport." Paula said looking at her watch.
"I want to take a look at that dungeon." Matthew said.
"Not today." Michael said, looking up at the setting sun.
"Let’s find an inn, then." Paula said and looked to Tylith. "You don’t need to go back in there." She was gentle to the demoness for the first time.
"I know." Tylith said with an annoyed voice and entered the car, slamming the door.
"Hey!" Paula admonished her. "Don’t take it on my car!"
Tylith clicked her tongue and crossed her arms.
"Is it always like this?" Matthew asked Michael.
"It is. They don’t get along." He answered, getting in the passenger seat.
Matthew chuckled and turned to Paula as she was entering the car.
"You know a good place to stay?"
"I do. Follow us." She said before closing the door.
Matthew got in the car beside Ffyr, who was already waiting in it.
"Yahweh must be a nice god." She commented looking at the church.
"I wouldn’t know." Matthew answered, turning on the car and following Paula around town.
