CHAPTER 13

It Hurts to Say Goodbye

Levi was beginning to develop a reputation among both arcs and demons. He had begun openly hunting down contractors and killing them in order to break the contracts. There were humans who got wind of this and would attempt to summon him to break contracts for them. Many humans would rashly make a contract in the heat of anger or despair without really thinking it out or of what it really meant. Once having thought about it, they would regret having made the contract and would summon Levi to break it before the contractors end of the bargain had been fulfilled.

It began with a woman that had know Brian Wentworth when he entered a home for the elderly where she worked as a nurse. Her name was Renee. Brian had told her one day about his experience with Modral and with Levi. Though fascinated, she didn't put much stock in the old man's story. A few years after the man died, the woman found herself in a contract with a demon.

When she had found out her brother-in-law was beating her sister, she was livid. She tried to get her sister to leave the man, but to no avail. The next thing she knew, a demon was offering her a contract to get rid of the husband and she took it. After having made the contract, she realized what she had done and remembered what Brian had told her. She spent the entire night sitting in her bed with her knees drawn up to her chest repeating the words, "I need the Contract Breaker" over and over again.

Levi couldn't tell anyone why it worked, but it did. Somehow sensing he was needed, he retrieved Volpl from its display rack and created a portal to the source of the summoning. He found himself in the darkened bedroom of Renee. She looked at him in wide eyed hope. "Are you the one? Are you the demon that broke Brian Wentworth's contract for him?"

"I am. How did you summon me? Usually a summoning just calls whichever demon is nearest, and I know I'm not the nearest. This city is clear across the continent from where I was."

"I need the Contract Breaker. So that is who I called for. Please. Can you help me? I should never have made a contract in the heat of anger." Tears began to roll down her face. "My sister's husband beats her. I've tried to get her to leave him, but she's so afraid. I saw her yesterday right after he'd beat her again, so when Norrin offered me a contract to get rid of the asshole I signed it. But I shouldn't have. It's not my place to condemn the man. There has to be a better way!"

"Tell me your name."

"Renee Loring"

"Well, Renee. There is another way," Levi told her. "I will break your contract. I will also do something about your sister's husband."

"You won't kill him?!"

"No. I will not kill him or try to get someone else to kill him. He will not be harmed. Norrin, on the other hand, will die."

"What do I have to do in return?" Renee asked nervously.

"Nothing."

After Norrin was dead, Levi forced the sister's husband to feel the fear, pain and sadness he caused his wife. He then returned home; what happened after that was not his concern.

Time went by, and Kenny was getting old. Levi watched with a sinking heart as the man became sicker and sicker. It was made worse by the fact that since the economy had turned for the worse, the community was no longer prosperous, so, since the church no longer made money, the Vatican never sent anyone to take over for Father Ackerman. The priest still managed to keep the community together and they all went out of their way to help him in every way they could.

Eventually, Kenny was no longer able to hold mass, and the congregation sought out other churches to worship at. Still, no one showed to take over as priest. Kenny still heard confessions, even if he couldn't hold mass. Levi took it upon himself to keep the church clean and repaired so worshipers could come and pray. An old housekeeper was now keeping up the living quarters and seeing to the elderly priests needs.

It wasn't long before Kenny was no longer even able to hold confessions at his bedside. Levi rarely left the old man's bedside. He listened to the priest tell all of his life's stories over again, sad to know that it would be the last time he ever heard them.

"We've had a lot of good times together, old man," Levi told him. "Even though you can't see or hear me, it was fun. I loved listening to your stories as you worked around the church or in the garden. I even enjoyed your whistling and off-key singing."

Suddenly, the old man opened his dark eyes and looked directly at the demon. "We have had good times, haven't we?"

Levi's eyes widened as he took Kenny's hand up in both of his own. "You can see me?"

The priest smiled. "I must be near the end. I can finally see and hear you, my friend."

A sad smile played across the demon's face. "You've had a good run, Kenny. You really made the most of this life."

"I couldn't have done it without you, Levi," Kenny responded. "After I caused you such despair, you stuck by my side and helped me every step of the way. Your strength of character has been an inspiration to me, and your compassion has warmed my heart. Don't ever change."

"What you did to me was in another lifetime. I don't hold it against you. What you've done in this life has more than made up for anything done before, and I was glad to be a part of it."

"Thank you, Levi. For everything." The old man was fading.

A single tear slid down the demon's cheek. "I love you, old man," he said quietly.

Kenny gave Levi's hand a light squeeze before he took his final breath. "Rest in peace, Father Kenneth Ackerman." Then, in spite of himself, Levi broke down and cried, the stormy blue, grey and purple gems of grief bouncing along the floor.

It was a large funeral. It seemed as though half the city came to say farewell to the priest. Levi watched from a nearby tree as the man's coffin was lowered into its grave near the church he had spent most of his life at. A few tears ran down the demon's face.

"You really cared about him, didn't you?"

Levi never even turned to look at Erwin as the arc landed on a nearby branch. "I did, Erwin. It's funny really. He was the cause of so much pain when I was alive, but I still couldn't bring myself to hate him. I don't even know why I decided to hang around him and watch over him. But I'm glad I did. I actually grew to love the old man and considered him a dear friend. It's laughable; a demon caring so much for a human that caused his pain – but there you have it."

Erwin watched as the funeral goers began to dissipate. "I wouldn't call it laughable. It takes a great deal of courage to forgive someone that has hurt you."

The demon grunted. "Whatever. Tell me, why hasn't the diocese sent another priest to take over for Father Ackerman?"

"It may be due to the recession," Erwin replied. "The church wasn't making as much money, so the diocese put everything into the central cathedral downtown and let the churches on the edge of town fade away."

"You know, it's really sad when even a church becomes all about making money," Levi observed.

"Too true," Erwin agreed. "What will you do now?"

"I don't know. I'll probably just stay here in the church. I can keep it clean and repaired so that worshipers can still feel comfortable coming in to pray."

Erwin chuckled. "It's kinda funny having a demon looking after a church. I'll see what I can do about keeping the church supplied with holy water for those who come. I know you can't handle the stuff."

"I think the people would appreciate that. And you're right. I can't handle the stuff. I've been burned a few times already because of it."

"A few?"

"Yeah. First time was because a demon had come in to the church with some poor woman that he was tormenting. Long story short, I kicked the basin of holy water at the demon to get it away from her. Some of it got onto my leg. Stung like a mother fucker too! Broke out into this red, itchy rash for about an hour afterwards. And you know what happened at the Vatican a few years ago!"

Erwin laughed heartily. "So you can handle Volpl without getting burned, but you break out in hives from a few drops of holy water . . . how ironic!"

"Tch!" There was silence as the crowd had disappeared and the cemetery workers began to fill in the grave. Another tear made its way silently down the demon's face. "I'm really gonna miss that old man."