Even Aimi was uncharacteristically quiet and not full of her usual energy and good humour as she, Hikari and Sam cleared the dishes. Aimi insisted on doing the drying up. Sam could see she was worried. Suffering from his usual awkwardness, he didn’t know what to say her.
With a gesture, Hikari led the three males into the lounge. When they were settled on the couch, Father Rainey finally looked Sam in the eye.
“Take off your cap.”
Sam looked at Hikari who nodded. He did what he was told and watched as the priest’s eyes widened at the sight of his horns.
“So, it’s true then.”
Father Rainey stood and moved closer to Sam so he could examine the small black horns protruding from Sam’s unruly dark hair. He reached out a hand to touch them, had second thoughts and instead reached under his collar. He brought out a string of rosary beads. Attached to the end of them was a cross.
“Touch it.”
Sam dared not. He knew what would happen. When he was five, he’d made the mistake of touching the cross around Hikari’s neck. It was not an experience he wished to repeat. For the second time, he looked across at Hikari. Once again, with a resigned nod and obvious pain, Hikari gave his consent.
Sam reached out hesitantly. He noticed with some embarrassment that his hand was shaking. Regardless, he touched the cross. Instantly, pain shot through his body. It was as if some one had stuck a thousand burning hot needles into his body. The searing pain made him want to cry out. He did not. Would not. Instead, he held on.
“Let go, my son.” Hikari was sitting forward on the couch, Sam’s pain mirrored in his eyes.
He did, sagging with relief. The pain subsided quickly. He looked up and glared at the priest. The man nodded as if satisfied. There was a satchel on the floor next to the couch; Father Rainey reached into it and pulled out a leather bound bible, similar to the one possessed by Hikari.
“I am sorry, Sam,” said the priest, sounding anything but sorry, “but there is one last test.” He held the bible out to him.
Sam touched it. He was ready for the pain but this time, it was more intense than the cross. It took all his will power not to make a sound, and he gritted his teeth as the pain lashed him. He could feel blisters forming on the tips of his fingers, smoke rising from the contact points.
Aimi rushed into the lounge. “Leave him alone!”
She lunged for the book and suddenly, the pain was gone. The bible thudded onto the carpet, the last wisps of smoke wafting into the air, smelling vaguely of sulphur. The priest nodded again, picked up his bible and put it back in his satchel. He sat back down on the couch and considered the boy in front of him.
Aimi quivered by Sam, eyes wide in anguish. She bent down to examine the blisters on his fingertips.
“I’ll go get something for this,” she said. With a last backwards glare at the priest, she left the room.
“Both tests were necessary, I’m afraid,” said Father Rainey. “I had to be sure, you understand.”
Sam stared at the priest but said nothing. Hatred burned in his chest. It was only the presence of Hikari that stopped him tearing out the man’s throat.
“Years ago, when Hikari told me about you, I did not want to believe. In fact, I have gone to some lengths to keep my distance so that I would not be confronted with something I was not prepared for. Now that I can see it with my own eyes, I cannot deny the truth of it. You are what Hikari told me you were. A demon. A half-breed perhaps, but a demon nonetheless.”
Sam knew what he was. Even though, to be called such by a stranger — a priest, no less — hurt him more than he cared to admit.
Father Rainey sighed and ran his hand through his thick black hair as Aimi returned to apply salve to Sam’s injured hand. The priest waited patiently until she had finished. Sam could tell the priest wanted her to leave but Aimi stubbornly refused to move. She sat next to Sam on the couch, holding his injured hand.
Father Rainey looked to Hikari. Sam’s master shrugged and spread his arms wide. “Aimi already knows the truth, Tobias. She can stay.”
When it was obvious that Aimi had no intention of leaving, Father Rainey sighed again and continued.
“I have been putting this moment off. It is time for you to know the truth of your existence. Hikari asked me to come here today and speak to you. Your master and I have been friends for years — since Japan in fact, where I spent two years. After your mother was … seduced … by a demon and your subsequent birth, Hikari and I have been conducting extensive research. Your birth heralds a time that has long been prophesized by the Bible. I refer, of course, to the Rapture.”
Despite his anger, Sam nodded. He knew of the Rapture. Hikari had spoken of it before but Sam was keen to hear about it from a different perspective.
“The Rapture is, as you probably know, a time when the Lord Jesus will return to Earth. All worthy believers, dead and alive, will rise up in the sky to meet him. The innocent, such as young children, will also ascend to heaven to be with our saviour.
“The timing of this event has been subject to much debate. Most Christians, regardless of denomination, believe that Christ will return at some point and lead the devout to salvation. Of course, no-one knows when this will occur. Until now.
“Some years ago, I had a vision. In this vision, the Archangel Gabriel appeared before me and told me that the Rapture was almost upon us. She told me that it will occur well within my own life time and that we must prepare ourselves for what follows. My faith is strong, but I am not proud enough to assume that I was the only one chosen to see this vision. In fact, I would have doubted it had not Hikari had the same vision on exactly the same night.
“What follows the Rapture has also been debated. Some believe that there will be seven years of hell on earth. This is known as the Tribulation and is a time where the Antichrist will rise up. Some believe that the Tribulation will occur before the Rapture, some after and some at various times in between. Even my own Catholic church has different beliefs to my own. Many believe that the Tribulation will never even occur. I confess that until my vision, I did not know what to believe.
“Now, once again, although I am wary of appearing too proud, I believe that I, Hikari, Aimi and all other believers will be taken by the Rapture. Many will be left behind to endure the Tribulation — non-believers and those who have evil in their hearts.”
“What about me?” asked Sam in a voice so quiet that Father Rainey was forced to lean forward in his seat. It was the first time he had spoken since the priest began his sermon.
The priest shook his head and sat back. “No, Sam. You will not be taken by the Rapture. The higher order of demons were once angels. They were cast out of Heaven along with their leader, the Father of Lies. The same blood that runs in their veins also runs in yours. Like them, you are forever denied entry into Heaven. That is not your destiny. Your destiny is to provide succour for the good souls left behind. And there will be many.”
Sam felt his anger bubbling again. Why would the Rapture not take him? He was a good person. He believed. Would God really be so unfair?
“Why me?” he managed to ask.
Father Rainey nodded as if acknowledging a good question. “Because of your half blood. Because you will be one of the few true believers that remains behind. Because of your strength and your training. You are the only one who can possibly confront the evil that will emerge after the Rapture.”
“What about after the Tribulation? Will I be allowed into heaven after that?”
The priest sighed heavily. “You must remember, Sam, that God sees all. He has a plan for all of us and is aware of Satan’s machinations. You are part of that plan. The son of perdition seeks to pervert the path laid down by the Bible. That was why you were born. To be the Antichrist. Satan’s plan failed, however. He under-estimated the goodness of your human side. That is not to say he has given up on you. He will watch you, always hoping that your demonic side will triumph.”