Have you ever seen a demon cry? | Lisa x Female Reader

Chapter 9

In shock, I reread the title of chapter three, "Of Non Mortuus." The files. Those were the words describing Cassandra Millet's status in her file.

Through the walls, I hear the clock chime a muffled twelve thirty. I gaze around the room, clutching the book to my chest.

I have to find a way out. It seems I have two options: go back through the pantry, or go up. Out of curiosity, I climb up to the second floor.

It opens into my grandfather's dressing closet. I push through his suits until I hear the hangers jangle together. Clasping them still, I freeze, waiting for him to burst into the closet, take the book, and punish me. But nothing happens.

Carefully stepping over his shoes, horns, and polish, I slip out the door and into his room. His bed is empty.

He must still be downstairs, I think, in the Smoking Parlor or the study, where he often has a nightcap. I let out a sigh of relief and escape into the hallway, running down the corridor to the east wing.

When I get back to my room, I shut the door behind me, turn on the bedside lamp, and sink to the ground.

Seventh Meditation is a small leather-bound book with unevenly cut pages that have been faded yellow by the sun.

It leaves a dusty residue on my fingers. I open it, excitement stirring within me. The pages are so stiff I worry they will fall out if I turn them too quickly. Carefully, I flip to the first section and begin to read.

I. OF DEATH AND THE SOUL

In these meditations, I will attempt to consider the idea of the Dead as Undead. Matters of the Body and Soul are ones that our faithful institutions of government and justice would like to keep hidden. Therefore, in accordance with the idea that knowledge should be accessible to all men, I will divulge in these writings the little-known facts about Life and Death.

I skimmed until I reached the following text:

Humans are made of two things—a Body and a Soul. Upon death, a person's body dies, after which point his soul is "cleansed" and reborn into a new person. This is why some moments feel as though we've lived them twice; why a person can often have the same essence as someone who died decades before.

The text is peppered with diagrams and sketches—one of the human body; another of the cross-section of a human head, inside of which is a drawing of a homunculus. 

This, presumably, is the soul. I skip forward to the next section.

II. OF THE DEATH OF CHILDREN

The matter of Children is one that particularly troubles adults. All adults follow the rules stipulated in Part I of this Meditation. However, there is one exception. 

When a child dies, his Soul leaves his body. Yet, in opposition to our customary education of the biological processes of Life and Death, the child does not die. Instead of "dying," as adult bodies do, the child's body lies dormant for nine days. 

On the tenth day it rises again without a soul. The child then wanders the world, searching for it. It is my supposition that this is nature's way of giving youth a second chance at life. They are what we call Non Mortuus, or the Undead.

Non Mortuus. That is the word on Cassandra's file. Does that mean she is Undead? I scan the page. Beside the text are more sketches, this time of children lying in a field. It looks like they are sleeping, though after reading the text, I know that they are dead. I flip forward.

III. OF NON MORTUUS

The Undead have no Souls. They cannot be killed by normal means, for they are already dead. Although they are still children, and appear harmless, this is a falsehood. The Undead have no human instincts. They do not eat, they do not sleep, they do not feel.