The Vatican was as close to a piece of heaven on earth as one could imagine, and it was open to anyone as long as they followed the Imperatrix’s law. It was easy to comprehend: since most problems were caused by the choice to do evil, those inside her city simply had to give up that freedom of choice for the duration of their stay. Few but the most fanatically religious elected to permanently live under that rule, but the mere presence of such a city reminded people that there was a better world for which they could strive. Of all the worlds that Sozo had seen, he was proud to say that his was one of the most stable.

  The nations of the world rarely had issues with the Imperatrix, since she was content with being a spiritual leader rather than an economic one. Even if she wouldn’t ally with one nation over another, everyone was content to know that she wouldn’t support their enemies either. She was a living force of nature as constant as the sun, not a foreign power to be bribed or courted.

  When Sozo entered the city proper, he had to pause for a moment. The Imperatrix’s influence hadn’t hit him forcefully, but he felt it settle over him like a heavy blanket. He took a step out away from the crowd to get his bearings. The angel’s influence wasn’t hurting him; on the contrary, it was clearing all his worries from his mind. He felt that the effect should bother him, but he couldn’t force himself to be worried about it.

  Eventually, he sorted himself out enough to make his way to the cathedral where he was supposed to meet the Imperatrix. A smiling priest greeted him first in Latin, and then in English. “You’re here to see the Imperatrix? She is occupied at prayer, but she should be with you soon,” the priest told him. “Please, follow me to the confessional.”

  Sozo rubbed his temples, still trying to push against the pervading calm. “I’ll just wait. I wouldn’t want to miss my appointment with her.”

  The priest shook his head. “It is standard procedure for those who see the Imperatrix to first confess. Unclean souls will burn in the presence of her holy power.”

  “Well in that case, lead the way.” He slid into the confession booth and closed his eyes. “Father, I am sorry for my sins. This week, I definitely killed a person, very probably killed three more, and was responsible for seriously injuring another twenty. I also kind of wanted to kill more of them, but I didn’t want to give my boss more paperwork. Oh, and I forgot to go to church last Sunday.”

  The priest blinked twice, beginning to look uncomfortable. “It’s not for me to judge, but have you considered going to counseling?”

  “Yeah, I tried that once. My therapist turned out to be a cultist of the Eye-in-Mind and tried to murder me, so I had to stab her in the neck.”

  “I see,” the priest said awkwardly. He folded his hands, looked to the side, and unfolded them. “Well, um, say a rosary as penance and your sins will be forgiven. Shall you go see the Imperatrix now?”

  “I’ll do that,” Sozo saluted.

  When he exited the confession booth, a Middle Eastern woman was standing outside. “Greetings Sozahauni Sosotho. Please, follow me,” she said kindly.

  The priest stuck his head out of the booth. “Ah, may I introduce our Imperatrix, Corona Sol Invictus?”

  “Yeah, thanks.” Even though the woman looked fairly ordinary, no introduction was needed to tell Sozo that this was the angel in charge of his realm. He had been around enough demons to know a cosmic entity when he saw one, and even though the Imperatrix was suppressing her power into an impossibly thin slice of her true self, it was clear that she was extremely dangerous. She asked again for him to follow her, and knowing that he couldn’t get any braver by standing there, he let her lead the way.

  Once they had settled into one of the back offices, the Imperatrix folded her hands and gave a brilliant smile. “Sozahauni, the angel Carrington has told me much about your work. How are you feeling today?”

  “Just fine,” Sozo was about to say, but the words that came out instead were, “Pretty crummy, actually. People keep dying or getting hurt because of me, no matter how much I try to avoid it. I got into this job to help people, but sometimes I feel like—” He shut his mouth in horror. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure where that came from.”

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  “There is no reason to apologize. Lies are unnecessary here, even when they are meant as pleasantries.”

  “Yeah, but…” He shook his head to clear it. “It’s just, I’m not used to spilling my innermost feelings. And I really feel like I should be more freaked out about this, but something about this place is making that impossible and it’s kind of unnerving. I want to scream but I don’t think I can.”

  The Imperatrix tilted her head to the side. “So you would like to lie and freak out?”

  Sozo blinked. “Er, yes please?”

  “If it would make you more comfortable, then I shall not force you to be calm. I cannot let you lie, however, for your sake as well as mine.” She waved her hand and Sozo’s heart started racing. He doubled over, breathing hard and cringing away from the brightness of the angel. Fear was good, he reminded himself. A healthy dose of fear kept him alive when faced with powerful cosmic entities, and it reminded him that he was still thinking straight. There was no logical reason to fear for his safety while with the Imperatrix, of course, but it was paradoxically comforting to know that he was afraid in her presence. “How are you feeling?” she asked with concern.

  “Not fine, but I will be in a minute.” He took some more deep breaths and then looked up with an uneasy smile. “Okay, now it’s better. How are you?”

  “Today I am also feeling crummy.” She gave a sad smile, tilting her head to the other side. “I cannot understand why so many creatures are attached to their worldly worries and desires.” She stood up and put her hand on the stained glass window, looking out. Colors spilled onto the ground outside, brought out by the light emanating from her palm. “Like you, I want to help bring peace to this world. Leading by example has always been a balanced solution, but every time I see a tragedy in the news I wonder if I should be acting more, even if it means subverting the free will of my realm’s people. I do not wish for this one city to be drenched in bliss while others are suffering.”

  She turned back to Sozo. “I will do what I have always done and not force my power upon them. Perhaps it is wrong of me to have the ability to help them but not use it, but in truth I do not know.”

  Sozo looked away, chuckling nervously. “I’m afraid I’m no philosopher. I guess you just have to do what you think is right, the same as any of us.”

  “Indeed. The Creator will judge me just as It will judge all of us in the end.” Her eyes brightened. “But enough with the chitter chatter. I am delighted that you have arrived, but I regret to inform you that I no longer require your assistance with my experiment.”

  With an eyebrow raised, Sozo asked, “What experiment were you going to do?”

  “Since you have been exposed to more demons than the average citizen, I had merely wished to test how much a human brain can be conditioned to accept higher cosmic forms. I had hoped that if I encouraged the nations of my realm to expose themselves to such things in a controlled environment, the effects would be lessened in the event of a demonic incursion. However, in light of the recent knowledge relayed to me by the angel Carrington, I have realized that it puts too much of a strain on your fragile minds. You cannot handle such things without wishing to forget them, and with too much exposure, the damage can be irreparable.”

  Sozo scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “Yeah, I guess the world has enough problems without the whole population regularly seeing demons.” Even with prior training and preparation, the employees of the Department of Occult Affairs had never been the most stable bunch. Apart from Sozo, Cassilda had lasted the longest, and neither of them had been particularly welcome in polite society to begin with.

  The Imperatrix sighed wistfully. “You humans are like little insects to me,” she said. “I mean this in a kind way, since the Creator considers the weak to be the most blessed. But it saddens me as well. Just as an ant cannot comprehend all the horrible things known by a human, it also cannot understand the beauty of a watercolor painting or the glory of a sunrise. There are cosmic wonders that are far above your ability to perceive, but you will not see them until the Creator has made the realms anew.”

  She looked at him in the same way that a person might look at a captive butterfly. “But that is not for you to worry about, little one. Today is your vacation. I must return to my duties, but I hope you find peace and delight in the wonders of this city. May I take away your worries for the duration of your stay, or would you still prefer to keep them?”

  His mouth felt dry, although there was really no logical reason for him to refuse. While he’d wanted to have his wits about him while meeting with such a powerful entity, he also knew that he was perfectly safe in the angel’s city. There was no use in ruining his vacation and letting his nerves continue to fray in the one place where he should be able to rest.

  He gave a small nod in thanks, and by the time he left the Imperatrix’s office, he was feeling calm and content. When he reached his hotel outside the city and felt the effect wearing off, he almost missed it.