Every choice you make is the right one for you," I was told. But I learned much later that you can't believe in anyone. I'd been told lies: it's for your own good, you're the best, we only want you to be happy. I had confidently believed that the choices I had made were for my benefit, for my well-being. But these decisions had become sacrifices on my part, on my part, for people who weren't worth it.

That's why my notion of choice was perhaps distorted in the eyes of others, but I think it was completely realistic. People called me selfish, but I didn't care. I was called a murderer, why not. A busybody, maybe. After all, all they cared about were other people's mistakes, when they couldn't care less about their own. Hypocrite!" I told them. Murderer!" they retorted. MY preferences, MY life had no place in their eyes, I was just a puppet, a brainless fool, but when I pointed out their own choices, they accused me of endangering them... So I lived for myself, with the bullying, the lies that drove me deeper into solitude, but at least I was FREE."

Tale of a broken and free being, Recueil IV

***

It was a dreamless night for everyone. It was so quiet that no one was aware that anything was going on in hell. Sitting in large chairs in a dimly lit, Gothic-looking room, two shadows chatted discreetly by the light of two large candles. The first shadow had a voluptuous figure, a magnificent face with round cheeks, several snake tattoos moving across her skin. Opposite her, a man, his eyes gorged with sleep, hugged an enormous pillow, long curly hair flowing down his eyes where two black bags mingled with the pallid skin of his complexion. He didn't look very handsome to those who approached him, unlike his counterpart, but the pallor of his face gave this man an ethereal air. Their names: Lilith and Hypnos. A shadow immediately appeared beside the siblings:

- Will you be able to accompany them? I've been asked to do something for him," she whispered.

Not waiting for an answer from the enchantress, the figure who already knew her answer left as calmly as she had come.

- Well, this is going to be interesting," Lilith declared aloud in a daze. Hypnos in front of her nodded in agreement with a slight sound of tiredness in his throat.

Lilith sighed at the sight of her sleeping brother and left the room, carrying him in her arms.

***

Caleb and Samaël had been waiting for the arrival of their companion for several minutes, but still no sign of the archangel. Clearly annoyed by Michael's delay, they decided to leave when they spotted a silhouette in the distance. The demon was surprised to recognize Lilith, mistress of snakes and enchantress of renown.

- Hi Maël," said Lilith as she approached them, deliberately ignoring the human.

- Not that nickname," sighed the dejected demon general to his interlocutor. With a glance, Samaël almost begged the enchantress to greet Caleb. She did so in bad faith, rolling her eyes. Indeed, the first impression of both of them was nothing short of very bad. To Lilith, Caleb was nothing more than a pest who'd strayed into their path, and to Caleb, his distrust had erected a wall so thick that it was impossible not to see what the demoness was thinking, an urge to make an insect disappear with a snap of her fingers. It was in this almost heavy and silent atmosphere that the journey began. Arriving by kari in Tnete, the second-largest city after Tyre in the Lada region, they hired a second one to a market town called Kor. The atmosphere still hadn't lightened up, leaving it heavy without Caleb, Lilith or Samaël necessarily changing much. In the blink of an eye, they passed a small store selling a few groceries. The only clothing Caleb had taken was a simple long-sleeved tunic, and he had left behind his scarf for fear of getting too hot on the expedition. They followed the advice of the town's inhabitants and arrived at the entrance to the Rymkal desert.

It was a large sandy expanse with an arid climate, covering an area of over three thousand square meters. During the day, the air could reach forty degrees, while at night the temperature dropped below minus ten degrees. With determined steps, the demon generals and the human entered this stifling, hostile tide. Realizing that their journey was not going to be an easy one, Lilith had stopped at a stall and bought some cloth to cover their faces from the wind and the disastrous heat of this sandy void.

She had also thought to bring along a spirit compass straight from the valley of the torments of fire, in the region of Gehenna, known for its forges and its dark history. This was once a valley where children and infants were sacrificed. It was said that drinking their blood would bring immortality. So it was here that souls who had committed infanticide or other cruelties against them during their lives were tortured.

During their walk, Caleb, who was only human, had agreed not without resistance to let himself be carried by Samaël, to the enchantress's sneer. In the midst of their bickering, the three companions were taken by surprise by a huge red scolopendre. A söt," observed Caleb, then frozen in disgust by the demonic apparition. As someone who hated insects, and in particular centipedes, he had his work cut out for him! A paragraph from Aloÿs' encyclopedia came to mind. These are colossal, devil-like insects that could devour any harmless person. Their hard shells are unbreakable. Where a glittering ruby lies, lies their weakness. As you pluck the precious stone, remember that born of the sands, they will return to the sands of which they are a part. Not waiting for their human companion to recover from his emotions, Lilith and Samaël threw themselves into the battle without any form of trial.

- Snake!" cried Lilith, stretching out her arms, her shifting tattoos transformed into veritable snakes. These then found themselves clutching the monster's lanky body.

With his katana drawn, Samaël leaped masterfully at the insect's head, then planted his weapon in the beast's forehead, snatching the ruby which he ate as if nothing had happened. Speechless, Caleb gave the demon an incredulous look. Is it really good for the digestion? he asked himself, puzzled.

No sooner had he asked his question than the onslaught resumed: two more söts had appeared, leaving him petrified. Without emotion showing on his face, Caleb waited, knife in hand, under the scorching desert heat. Yet in his mind something else was cogitating, an amalgam of complex emotions. Disgust, fear, confusion, reminding him of unpleasant memories he would have preferred to forget.

Overwhelmed by these reminiscences, he paid no attention to the sand that had ripened around him when an unpleasant sensation pulled him from his memory, as if someone had stabbed him in the stomach. He was horrified to see countless tiny white snakes along his legs and belly.

- Cute, Erwë told me! Caleb shouted, trying to remove the smiurts clinging to him.

These guivres were notorious for sneaking under clothing and eating the entrails after devouring the skin of their victims. Alerted by Caleb's explosion, Lilith slaughtered the söt without mercy and, as ruler of reptiles, revealed her beastly strength, which had the effect of alerting the monsters who deserted Caleb. Squeezing the wound that had been inflicted by the smiurts, Caleb fell to the ground trembling. The wound was shallow, but the mark it left was hideous to behold. His tremors ceased, and the two demon generals who had witnessed the disastrous scene assessed Caleb with gloomy eyes.

Samaël suddenly realized that humans were so weak, useless even, and wondered how they had survived all this time. Pouring his contempt back into the back of his mind, Samaël walked over to the pitiful human with the bewitching eyes and handed him the ointment he'd brought in case of incident. Having sensed the demon's disdain, Caleb ungraciously took the remedy, lifted his top and applied it to himself. He was eventually helped by a bored Lilith, who rolled up the bandage cloth. Finally, they set off again.

After a while, the stiflingly hot weather suddenly changed and rapidly cooled, the wind picked up and a strange mist settled in, separating the three companions from their spot. Caleb, who had begun to feel abandoned, cried out:

- Lilith! Samaël!

Neither of them answered him, and his voice gradually dwindled until his breath stopped. The atmosphere around him changed, again, so rapidly that he didn't realize he was entering sinister woods. The whistling of the aquilon in the trees became ominous, as if a banshee were in agony. In the middle of nowhere, Caleb felt trapped, and was caught off guard when a shadow condensed in front of him, causing an icy sweat to run down his spine. She had the silhouette of a damsel with long hair and a blurred face, carrying a gold-set cassette in her arms. Only her visible mouth spoke words that were mostly inaudible. Seeing that Caleb understood nothing, the specter tilted his head to one side, hunched his shoulders in confusion. It seemed strangely cute, and stood out from the dark, nightmarish scene around them. The shape pointed in a direction that Caleb followed with his eyes.

Confounded by this sudden appearance, he quickly regained his composure and simply walked towards the indicated path. The little figure disappeared at once, his task accomplished. He stopped, hesitated for a moment, then decided to go ahead. Caleb stepped through the opening, shivering as water droplets fell on him before sinking into the soft floor. The darkness of the corridor in which he found himself caught him unawares. It was in every way different from what he'd known, a stark, unconcealed darkness. Bleak, dark and dirty were the three words that came to mind. He moved on, walked on, progressed until he lost himself in this unknown nebulosity.

The oppressive atmosphere stopped him in his tracks. Macabre music echoed in the cold silence, cries were heard, and before him lay thousands of shards of glass. Inside them, a narrow dirt path revealed numerous lanes and two white marble pillars on each passageway. A woman with a complexion as black as the night of the most precious obsidian, and beautifully amber eyes, suddenly emerged amidst the shattered glass. She was holding a cassette, the same as the mysterious shadow she'd encountered earlier. In a velvety voice, she guided Caleb towards an imposing staircase encrusted with silver threads. The beautiful woman disappeared and reappeared a few metres further on. As if hypnotized, Caleb moved forward, climbing the steps one by one. It was only at the top that he regained consciousness of what had happened to him. Armed with his usual armor of suspicion, he questioned his interlocutor with difficulty.

- What do you want from me?

Ignoring these questions, the sorceress asked suavely:

- Do you want to be somebody? Do you want power?

Caleb opened his mouth, but she replied:

- No, you don't have to answer, I know what you want! You want the world to tremble beneath you, you ask for it, I know what you want. Let go of your hypocrisy! Be strong! Nothing and nobody can stop you. I'm doing this for your own good," she says in a motherly voice before continuing. They'll admire you, fear you! Become cruel, because that's how people will love you for what you are. I know you want this, my child, my little one. I only want you to be happy...

Hypnotized, Caleb drank in her words as if they were the gold that seemed so true, thirsting for the love that flowed from them. Then, as if another personality took control, scrunching up his magnificent face, he gently asked:

- You, Caleb I can feel it, you're sweating sadness hidden beneath that sarcasm. Do you hope to become strong? But you already are, you want us to love you, but you're a darling," she says in a cuddly voice. So what do you want? I can't give you everything, I'm incapable of it. It's up to you to make the choice you want, to find your own path to freedom. I know you're afraid of being forgotten and abandoned. Afraid that we'll drown you in memories, but more than that, I feel your desire, you wish, you yearn so fervently that it hurts... You want...

- I... I don't know," he replied, full of grief.

With tender compassion, the woman with the cassette in front of him smiled, satisfied when that curve turned into a rictus before she returned to her original form.

- So, you made this choice

What choice?" he asked himself, puzzled.

The woman continued:

- If you only knew how much I've been waiting for you, someone like you to make the choice I didn't make myself back then. Egotist that I am, turning myself into an abomination. So... If you come across me next time, kill me. My name is...

And the woman, without waiting a second and before Caleb heard her name, exploded into a thousand grains of dust. The magnificent doorway metamorphosed before him into a deep abyss, circles sprouting and forming an imbroglio of branches from which it was almost impossible to pass. Caleb stepped through it and was suddenly placed in the middle of a peaceful clearing, far removed from the dreadful cave. Exhausted, his wound throbbing horribly, he settled on a flat stone. Afterwards, he decided not to say anything when he came across the two demon generals.

When the three of them had parted ways, Samaël had found himself on the eastern edge of the woods of Mount Matiz. Having made the journey back and forth several times, Samaël knew the Ma forest well enough. He walked towards the west, where the small hunters' dwellings were located, going from path to path. From time to time, he drew his weapon to ward off intrusive branches or to cut down low-level monsters. His demon nature pushed him as far as he had to go, in truth. Tranquility, had been Mâra's watchword when he left to investigate.

From day one, his intuition had told him that the mortal was dangerous. But how could he see it, because on every occasion he'd observed, Caleb had systematically found himself falling into any situation. And how could such a weak human even defend himself? He was so vulnerable, so fragile, it sometimes made him want to break him even more than he already was. But that will wait, he promised himself with a smile. He was soon taken aback by his surroundings. The path had disappeared, and branches and leaves were blocking it, making walking more difficult. Well, I'll just go somewhere else," he thought, and turned back. Unfortunately, every time he moved on, that jumble of flora reappeared. Patience, peace, serenity - these were the words that usually calmed him down, but none of them worked at the moment. Think, what's wrong... He stopped and took a deep breath. His eyes were darting back and forth, trying to find the anomaly when there! Right in front of him, on the trunk of an old tree, a serpentine trace vaguely reminded him of one of Lilith's servants. But much bigger. So not Simon or July. Strange...

- Something must have passed through here," he finished aloud.

– I think that's what we're looking for Maël.

- Lilith, you come at the right time, declared the demon not surprised by the appearance of his colleague.

She stood with her back straight, smiling face, teasing one of her snakes: July of golden color. The second familiar, a wurm with shiny green scales: Simon slid down her leg to snuggle against his mistress's neck. In truth from the beginning, Lilith had had fun following Samael, trying not to get caught. It was rather funny to see him get angry with the branches that blocked his way. But unsurprisingly from his friend, he had recognized her in barely five minutes. But a Samael without concentration by his surroundings, five minutes was a long time. The last time in full possession of his faculties, it had taken him no more than five seconds.

– Have you found the human?

– Parmie shouldn't be long, replied Lilith, speaking of the wolf...

This time a small wurm appeared quietly on Samaël's leg. Maël took it in his hands and brought it to his companion, Parmie the serpentine intertwined its tail on the body of its mother Simon and like a rattle swung its tiny head from right to left.

- Will you guide us baby, Parmie? Lilith asked softly.

Parmie then descended from his demonic trunk, meandering towards the larger road by which he had returned. Lilith and Samaël had not met very far from the clearing where Caleb had settled.

– How we meet again Caleb, declared the enchantress in a singing voice.

Caleb turned around, his eyes staring at the new arrivals:

– You are here, great I was waiting for you...

Samael nodded:

– We found what we were looking for. This way, he indicated.

Lilith gently picked up Parmie and placed him on her hair, then the three of them set off towards the duo's find. They then entered the narrow passage of branches and leaves. The path they were walking on was soaked from the heavy rain that had fallen a few hours before. The trees with their knotted trunks were intertwined in a mixture of bric-a-brac. Large serpentine tracks overlapped each other for four meters amid the thick vegetation and soil. The further Samaël, Lilith and Caleb advanced, the denser the flora became until they could no longer pass through at all. So much so that they had to break the branches and plants that blocked their way with the sword of Samael. Following the footprints, they soon found themselves at the edge of a cliff, where they stopped as if the creature had fallen. Lilith leaned down and traced the trace on the ground with her fingers. Then, taking a bit of earth, she sniffed it.

- SO ? Samael questioned, looking at his colleague.

- Not much. I can't figure out what beast it is.

– A reptile?

- No, it must be something else. Something so old that I can't recognize the smell. Well, I'm still going to send two, three snakes into the cliff, she finished, getting up.

Not taking part in the conversation between the two demons, Caleb settled on a rock rehashed the scenes he had witnessed. These had absolutely not seemed insignificant to him. As if he had already seen that mysterious shadow or at least the sparkling ruby ​​resting on the figure's forehead. But impossible to remember just as if his memory had been altered. Broken glass, a cacophony of voices came back to him, but hard to recognize where he had seen them before. Everything had become blurred like the reason for his presence in this world, which seemed to him as hostile as a closed door. He was interrupted by Lilith who called him to order then they turned back. Returning to the tiny village of Kor from which they had left, they passed by each household and knocked on the doors several times. Caleb had followed them all the way, letting them speak during the interviews that had all ended in failure. Only the last house, run by an elderly couple, was opened to them with open arms.

"You are welcome sirs," replied the old man.

– We don't have much, but we will be happy to welcome you, replied the old woman.

The two demons and Caleb did not need to be asked and entered the modest dwelling. They sat down at the table which they presented to them. While the two elders brought food and water, Samaël asked his questions:

– Have you heard anything strange in the past two weeks? As...

- A cry or a bark? asked the old man named Philemon as his wife Baucis looked on. Samaël, the leader of the conversation, agreed and Philémon in his voice continued:

– I think it was... four days ago, is that right my dear? asked, turning towards Baucis who agreed with a nod. Then she said:

– There was a storm that night, but it was a very beautiful day. Then a cry, like a complaint, was heard.

– Since that day, the people of our village have started to behave strangely, Philemon finished, frowning displeasedly.

– Do you know where the sound came from? asked Caleb, speaking.

– From Mount Mitz, I think. You know, being close to this forest like we are, we sometimes hear strange buzzing sounds, but this one was more piercing than usual.

Samaël, having received the answers he expected, directed the conversation towards something completely different. This was quickly forgotten by the two old men who began to tell their memories. The snakes that Lilith had commanded had returned and melted into the sorceress's arms and hair after reporting back. Caleb, bewitched by the chatter of the old couple, did not notice the look the two demons gave each other. As soon as the meal was over, the three companions set off again, leaving their hosts to resume their lifestyle. Before leaving, Lilith was quick to thank the couple warmly for their kindness, promising them that if they needed help, she would not hesitate to give it to them.

– Good research and good trip noble Samaël and noble Lilith. To you also ab'luéis.

The house of Philemon and Baucis happened to be the penultimate in the village. When they left the hamlet, the peaceful atmosphere suddenly transformed into a more consistent one, as if... something unknown had awakened.

The wind slowly started to pick up and then became more and more violent, and this in just a few minutes. Low, languorous whistles sounded in the distance. The first reaction of Lilith and Samaël was to remain stupefied as subjugated by the ardent music of the wind. Caleb on the contrary and by some coincidence, had managed not to be bewitched. His wound throbbing, he grappled with difficulty by the hand of his companions and dragged them towards an uninhabited cottage. Before he closed the door, Caleb glimpsed the dark sky and the appearance of a huge purple moon. Inside, sheltered and warm, the two demons immediately came to their senses. Samael and Lilith looked at each other with frowning eyebrows and chatted through thought-transmission:

"Do you think it's... He came back?

"With that and the traces found outside, I'm one hundred percent sure. My snakes have not been serene from all the searching.

– Oh! Erwë's message also referred to this. I didn't believe a word the kid said, but now that I've witnessed it myself... But I wonder why...

–...Caleb's arrival actually coincides with his awakening, the queen of snakes finished. I'm sending a note to Mâra."

A few seconds had passed during the quick exchange and in that time, Caleb wasted no time and discovered blankets in the cabin closet. Reluctantly, he had exchanged his shirt for an old quilt with holes in it and distributed the other two to the demons deep in thought. He also had to remove his rain-soaked makeshift scarf at one point. Samaël quickly glanced in his direction, distinguishing the blistered scar on Caleb's collarbone. Before he glares at him and covers the wound with a quick movement. Samael's thought at that moment was to wonder about the reason for the injury, but given the massacring mood of his human companion, he slowly diverted his thoughts towards other questions. He moved the chair that was in the corner of the room and sat astride it then began to rock. There was no movement in the room except for the ticking of the clock, the scraping of the seat, and the storm that wouldn't stop. The door, although solid, shook despite everything. After a long time the turmoil seemed to calm down, as a precaution the three companions did not move a muscle, undoubtedly waiting for the calm to end. It was a wise decision, because a few seconds later she started again.

For a moment Caleb felt like telling everything to Lilith and Samael. Of his different visions, of the adventure that had happened before they found each other, of the nightmarish semi-encounter with this creature the Nemëkè. But he quickly changed his mind, having felt that his arrival had inadvertently awakened a phenomenon that was strange and terrifying to say the least. And especially because he didn't yet trust these devils who changed personalities faster than light and whom he hadn't seen many times.

As for her, Lilith sat in a wurm chair dozing without missing a beat of Caleb's micro-expressions and the quivering of his lips. Simon, one of his snakes, had reported to him that the human's wound had reopened somewhat. Despite this, and being the demonic enchantress that she was, Lilith made no comment, thinking that if the mortal perished sooner and faster, then this whole disaster would quickly end. So in this comfortable calm, nothing was happening. An hour, then two passed, Caleb's wound which had reopened was bleeding in small quantities without him being able to do anything, apart from reapplying the ointment which he had almost exhausted. Another hour passed without anything changing, still in the silence punctuated by the ticking of the clock, the ticking of Samaël's chair and the strong wind of the storm.

Suddenly at the end of the fourth hour, a squeak pierced the false omerta of the room. Vigilant, the three looked at each other, a second squawking was heard until July, another of Lilith's snakes snaked towards the noise. And before it could get around the pots on the ground, a red shadow grabbed the snake. Amongst her, she didn't move from her throne which Lilith's head had become. The culprit advanced happily towards Caleb, his loot in his mouth. July squirmed to escape the fox's loose fangs and when he was released, he rushed towards his mistress. Caleb took the animal in his arms then stroked its soft fur, happy to see his friend again.

– What are you doing here? Oh, okay, very well, understood... Eheil had a little intuition so he let Eun go looking for us, we will be able to get out of this quagmire, Caleb transcribes to Lilith and Samaël, turning towards them.

Nodding, they approached Caleb, amazed that he could understand a fox so easily, despite his humanity. As for him, Caleb hadn't really noticed how easily he understood yelps. Holding Eun in his arms, Caleb stood up with difficulty, staggering for a moment before being easily caught by the silver-haired demon. Far from the embarrassing moment of the last time, he thanked this one, still surprised by the kindness that the demon sometimes showed. Even if it always meant catching up with him, regardless of the fact that he seemed to see him as an insect to be crushed.

Lilith, who had never seen Samael show kindness other than coldness, implacability and contempt, seemed surprised.

Eun, with his little paw, activated the rune drawn on his chest. In no time, they found themselves in front of a very strange house. Made of a thatched roof and earth, it stood on chicken legs in the middle of nowhere, its entrance facing the forest and its back towards the road. Stunned Caleb moved closer, amazed by the strangeness in front of him. Suddenly the house swiveled towards the path, where the two demon generals and Caleb were. The door then opened to reveal Eheil all smiles:

– Come in, Miss Yaya has kindly lent me her home

Caleb did not need to be asked and climbed the steps followed by Lilith and Samaël, the wooden interior was very simple, a table, three chairs and a small bookcase filled the entire house. At the table was an old woman with black eyes, her white hair tied in a low bun, looking wearily at the new arrivals. She stood up and shuffled to the back of the room and exited through a narrow hidden door near the small cabinet. Settling down, the three of them waited for the ash blonde haired angel to speak. But before he could say a word, a ditty sounded outside:

"–Little house, little house, turn to me. Turn your back to the woods, facing the road, as your mother placed you there. »

Miss Yaya reappeared in the room and opened the door. In front of her was a young man in traveling clothes. The discussion they had, no one knows. But that's all a story for later...

Finishing, she returned, closed the entrance and sat down on the last remaining chair. She continued:

– Well what do you want to know?

– Why HE came back, the Queen of Serpents spoke first.

Old Yaya's eyes fell on Lilith, narrowed, and asked:

– What will you do with my answer?

– We will bring it back.

– Even if it puts you in danger? She smiles, good. You !

Caleb jumped, he knew, this lady was not simple. She knew...

– Listen carefully... then the old woman froze, and went into a trance. With a glazed look in her eyes, she hummed in her cracked voice:

" A dark creature, made of darkness and light, once pretty (once pretty). Child of flesh and tears, so magnificent (so magnificent). Blind and sad, she searches for herself, fights. Selfish, selfish! »

This rhyme echoed in the memory of a dazed Caleb. Eheil peered out of the corner of his eye, an enigmatic smile on his lips. Even when they all left, it remained in his head like an incessant mantra. Then Miss Yaya's last sentence sounded like a death knell "Lost souls, will you help? ".

What will you do, Caleb, my protege, Eheil thought secretly, I can't wait. So excited...