Devil in Shepherd's Robes

Ch 15: Vision of The Future

It hadn't taken Restavel long to wake, but as she did her disoriented state of mind caused her a brief moment of panic before realizing where she now found herself. She was in one of the guest quarters with Ephram, who had seemingly fallen asleep at the edge of the bed she laid within. For a moment, she thought it best to wake him, but as the memories of events prior flooded her brain, she decided to let him get a bit of rest. This was the first time she noticed him sleeping since waking in the Garden, she knew it must've been stressful on him ever since coming to Hell.

Quietly slipping out of the bed and standing up, she headed for the door in an attempt to leave the room, yet something stopped her. It was just a feeling, but for some reason she found it incredibly hard to leave all of sudden after what Ephram had done for her. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt gratitude for anyone, the emotions welling up inside of her were quite a nuisance in her opinion.

Sitting back down on the opposite side of the bed, she carefully watched his chest rise and fall between every breath. He seemed to be dreaming of something, but she hadn't the faintest clue as to what. Whatever it was seemed peaceful, and it brought her some comfort to know he was having a moment of bliss within his own mind. With everything he and the others had been through so far, peace seemed like an unattainable notion.

"Sleep well... when you wake, I have a favor to ask." She said, the monotonous tone of her voice replaced by a seemingly kind and gentle woman.

The facade of her unsympathetic mind had fallen, revealing a truly grateful demon who was overjoyed at being saved. For as long as she could remember, she had always been the one saving others of her kind. It was nice to be on the receiving end for once, it made her feel as if she was truly cared for.

"And... what might that be?" Ephram's voice caught her off guard as he groggily sat upright, leaning against the footboard of the bed.

His hat had fallen from his head, landing someplace on the ground below. As soon as he began looking for it, Restavel took it upon herself to search for the missing hat. Getting up to her feet and looking under the bed, she found it lying there in wait for her.

"I believe this is yours." She said, trying but failing to put back her robotic facade while hesitantly placing the hat back upon his head.

"Thank you... how are you feeling?" Ephram asked, worried that the maid might still be a little banged up from their encounter with Pestarrem.

"I'm... I am alright, thank you. Did you happen to... see? What I became, I mean?"

"Only for a moment, it looked to me like Pestarrem had hurt you somehow, but your face looked... different?"

"I see..." She said, unsure whether or not she should reveal the truth to him. He was strong, there was no doubt about that in her mind, but was he strong enough? There was only one way to find out.

"Listen... Ephram. What you saw was not me. It was Aberlain. I'm sure you've had your suspicions, but... I'd like to help you. If you'll help me, that is."

Ephram slowly clasped his hands together, not entirely sure how to make sense of what he'd been told. How could Aberlain possibly have taken control of Restavel? He had previously believed his ability only allowed him to share demon sight with others, but perhaps there was more to it.

"Restavel, I'll help you in whatever way I can. Just tell me what I need to do."

"Okay then... I need you to take out my eyes." She said, silence quickly following her. The two demons stared at each other for a few awkward seconds until Ephram voiced his immediate concerns.

"Excuse me?" He asked, caught completely off guard by the strange and disturbing request from the maid.

"You have to trust me. I can't say much more than what I already have or he'll hear and come back. You need to take my eyes out, and it will be excruciatingly painful. But whatever you do, whatever you hear from me, do not stop."