The king of everything

Chapter Twenty eight- The search begins

The following days passed in a blur. My father's burial had left a hollow feeling inside me, and the conversation with my doppelgänger lingered like a dark cloud overhead. I couldn't shake his words, the gravity of what was happening. The demon was still out there, lurking, waiting for its next move. It had already claimed Marcus and Sam, and if I didn't act, it wouldn't stop until it had taken its third victim.

I couldn't let that happen.

But where did I even begin? A sacred flame—what was that, exactly? It sounded more like a piece of folklore than something that could actually save lives. Yet, something in my gut told me it was real. My doppelgänger wasn't someone I could trust entirely, but there was a strange clarity in his words that cut through the fog of doubt. He had always appeared when I needed guidance, no matter how unnerving his presence was.

Still, finding this flame felt like an impossible task. I had no leads, no idea where to start, and the clock was ticking.

Sitting in my room that night, I stared at the Bible on my nightstand. Romans 12:21—*Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good*. It had been days since I'd opened that book, since I'd even thought about faith in any real sense. But now, staring at it, I felt a pull. I didn't have all the answers, but maybe this was where I could start.

I flipped through the pages, skimming over verses, hoping something would jump out at me. But after a few minutes, I closed the book, frustrated. This wasn't going to be easy.

With a sigh, I picked up my phone and dialed Hope's number. She answered quickly, her voice soft, like she had been waiting for my call.

"Aaron, hey. How are you holding up?"

"I'm alright," I said, leaning back in my chair. "I've been thinking a lot about everything... about what happened with Sam and Marcus."

Her tone shifted, becoming more cautious. "Aaron, I know it's been tough, but... you can't let that guilt consume you. What happened wasn't your fault."

"It's not just guilt," I said, my voice lowering. "The demon, Hope."

She was quiet for a moment, waiting for me to explain.

"There's a demon. I don't know how else to put it, but it's real. It's already killed Sam and Marcus, and it's not done yet. There's one more kill left."

"Aaron..." Her voice was laced with concern. "It's not going to take you..."

"I know how it sounds," I cut her off. "Trust me, I've been trying to convince myself it isn't real. But it is. And now I need to find a way to stop it before it kills someone else."

"Okay," she said, her voice firm, though I could hear the hesitation in it. "What do you need me to do?"

"I need help finding something," I replied. "Something called the sacred flame. My doppelgänger—"

"Your *what*?"

"It's a long story," I said quickly, not wanting to get bogged down in the weirdness of my double's appearances. "But he told me the sacred flame is the only way to stop this thing."

Hope took a deep breath, clearly processing everything I'd told her. "Alright. I don't know where to start, but I can help you research. Sacred flame sounds like something from ancient mythology, maybe? I could check out some stuff at the library or online."

"That would be great," I said, grateful for her willingness to help. "Thank you."

"Aaron, you're my friend. I'm not going to let you go through this alone."

I smiled, though it felt heavy. "I'll be back at school soon to make up my exams. But we need to figure this out, Hope. This thing isn't just going to stop. And I don't know how much time we have."