They say that oblivion is a gift that God has given to mankind—shielding them from truths that are too heavy to bear—so they might find hope, joy, and faith in the fleetiy of their existence. However, they seem to persistently reject such gift.

  It was a humid Thursday m, at 10:47. I was at my office, sitting on my leather chair, with my hands together as my elbows pressed against the cushion of the arm rest. Before me atient, her name was Lisa. She has been seeing me for therapy for two years. Our sessions have always revolved around her post-traumatic stress disorder and the ay, depression, and psychotic behavior, that came along with it. At least, usually. Today was different.

  "I don't know what is going on with him..." she sobbed, brushing a sheet of tissue against her nose.

  A good therapist would stir away the versation a the focus of it towards her. However, in my opinion, a good enviro would definitely have helped her situation. That was the reason why, I eaihe topic.

  "When did he start ag like this?" I asked.

  "Just st night..." she was doing her best to not let her voice crack but it did. "He was his usual self yesterday afternoon but he went out saying that he would meet up a friend from college. Whe home, it was like he's a pletely different person."

  "Did he exhibit some violent as?"

  "No...he was just agitated and his face was angry. Like he was raging."

  I remained silent for a few moments. I raised my left hand and slid my thumb and index finger along my jaw before exhaling softly through my mouth.

  "It's highly unlikely for someoo ge like that in a very short period of time. So, when you two have the ce to talk, please reend for him to e here." I said as I reay business card from the pocket inside my suit coat. I theended my arms out and after a few moments, she took the card from my hand.

  I leaned bay chair, showing her a warm smile. "Now, why don't we fet about him for the meantime and talk about something else."

  The rest of the sessio smoothly. She had made a breakthrough with her ay. Apparently, she mao speak up in front of other people while presenting a proposal for a proje the paing that they held the day before. About her depression, she made just a very little progress, but a progress heless.

  "Thank you so much, Doc." she said, her voice was livelier than whearted. "I feel better each time we talk."

  "I'm gd." I replied joyfully, walkiowards the door. "That's my job."

  She scoffed a out a chuckle. "Still oblivious as ever, huh, Doc?"

  I chose not to reply. I was aware that it wasn't what she meant, I simply didn't feel fortable receiving pliments that weren't regarding my profession.

  She then slowly walked away. As she was a couple of steps away, she stopped iracks. I could hear her clothes rustling, along with the wind blowing past her. She was waving her hand.

  I kept my hands at my sides before turning around and closing the door behind me. I leaned back against the door, letting out a sigh. Her description of the behavior of her boyfrie pying on my head.

  It was like he's a pletely different person.

  Like he was raging.

  I went through the rest of the day with it buggi was very familiar and I was certain that I have heard that before. There was ohing that could certainly ge a person as a whole in just a few hours of being out, in fact, it could've happened in an instant. However, I deemed it highly unlikely, and as a psychiatrist, I believed that there must have been a reason. Perhaps unresolved issues, like he could have been having undisclosed feelings and he finally snapped, and he was letting it all out at once. Perhaps he could have had some form of head trauma as severe cussions could cause ges in one's personality. With ck of evideherwise, I decided that it could've been physiental illness.

  I couldn't have been more wrong.

  The m came. I just finished dressing up when I heard a kno the door. I swiftly walked towards the door and reached to turn the knob before pulling it open.

  There was a faint smell of sweat, along with smoke from vehicles' exhausts, under a heady pheromone perfume with not-srant st. Though, I noticed another set of sts from way further behind him. It was sweet, fruity, almost dy-like. It was most likely a woman. I figured that perhaps it was his partner.

  "Good m, Doctor. I'm Detective Barnes. Sorry to interrupt your m." he said, though in a monotonie. I could hear his heart beat and it was retively faster than usual. Then, I heard some rustling of paper. He seemed to be digging for a specific piece of paper from a folder before asking. "Last night, we received a report of domestic violence. Do you know this woman?"

  There were a solid few seds of silen between us before I realized that he must be showing me a piece of paper with a picture.

  "I'm sorry, Detective. Would you mind tellihe name of the woman?" I said as I took of my sungsses, revealing a bandage c my eyes.

  "O-oh, apologies, Doctor. I wasn't informed." he said, stuttering and fumbling in his words. "Uhh. Her name is Lisa Gallego, I was told she is one of your patients."

  My eyebrows twitched as he mentioned her name. I exhaled softly in an attempt to keep myself posed. It wasn't that I was too worried about my patient. I mean, I was also ed about her, but I was more ed about the possibility of what I have been dreading.

  It was like he's a pletely different person.

  Like he was raging.

  Those words came back, turning the sileo a deafening cacophony resonating inside my head.

  "Doctor?" he spoke, snapping me bay senses.

  "I apologize." I exhaled softly, dropping my head down. I took a deep breath before raising my head once again. "Yes. She's one of my patients. In fact, she was here yesterday until 12:37 iernoon."

  "Did she perhaps mention something about abuse that was happening within her home?" he asked.

  "Five me, Detective. But I am not allowed to discuss the details of my versations with my patients. I'm sure you're aware of Doctor-Patient fidentiality. Is that right?"

  "Yes. But we have reasons to believe that she might be in an immediate danger. So, you speak to us freely if you have informatiarding the case." he answered.

  Immediate danger?

  "I see. Well then, she did mention her boyfriend being agitated from our sessioerday. She said that he was unusually angry. In fact, I suggested for her to tell her boyfriend to see me for therapy as well." I paused for a moment, my eyebrows slightly verged. I hated to eaihought, but it seemed that there was something sinister happening. "I'm sorry to be forward, Detective, but what did you mean by immediate danger? If you respoo a report of domestic violence, shouldn't you have her boyfriend in custody by now?"

  "I'm not supposed to give you informatiarding the details of this case," he sighed heavily. "but I uand how it feels. I see that you care about your patients, Doctor."

  I ched my jaw along with my fists. My eyebrows are getting clether.

  "The thing is, whe to the address, both parties were missing. The door en, and there were signs of struggle but there were no evidence of a break-in. When we asked the person who made the call which was their -door neighbor, she said that the opped suddenly a few minutes after we were dispatched." he expined. "Anyway, do you have more information that possibly help this iigation?"

  "None, Detective." I answered timidly.

  He let out a heavy sigh, as if he regretted telling me. "Don't worry, Doc. We'll make sure to inform you if there's a development in the case. Thanks for your time." He then turned around and walked back to his car.

  I appreciated him trying to lift up the mood by being casual, but it didn't help at all. I took two steps back as I reached to my side and grabbed the door thely closed it. I waited until I heard him driving away. However, I heard footsteps moving away, ing from the dire where that sweet fragrance was ing from.

  It's not his partner after all, huh. Perhaps a passerby?

  I didn't think too much about it and disregarded it as I reoccupied with a much more pressing matter. It has been a while since I have been this indecisive. As a psychiatrist, I wao believe that there could be a reason that is within this realm. But my instincts kept telliherwise. There was this itch at the bay head, screaming at me to know more.

  If it was what I thought it was, then how could I let it happen right under my nose? Should I just leave it to my siblings? But what if they too aren't aware of what is happening?

  In any case, I wouldn't necessarily lose anything if I just firm whiy thoughts is correct, right? As long as no one sees me.

  I let out a groan as I took off my sungsses. I raised my hand and used my thumb to lift the bandage up to expose one of my eyes. I slowly opened my left eye and used my divinity to instantly travel to Lisa's apartment. I exhaled heavily as I closed and covered my eye again. I was relieved when I noticed that the whole building was silent. Though, I found it strange. I walked closer towards the door, reached for the knob before turning it and pushing the door open slowly. I stepped on a broken gss as I ventured further into the room. The pce reeked of burnt wood with traces of faint smell of blood and sulfur. With that, the puzzle is plete.

  Demonic possession.

  Why now of all times? Why here of all pces? Has this been happening in other pces? If they're here oh then, what happeo the ahat are guarding the Gates of the Infernal Pne?

  I then heard faint footsteps followed by a metallic clig sound ing from behind me. I turned my head to side. It was that same dy-like st from my house. It suddenly clicked.

  "Who are you?" she asked in a restricted, yet authoritative tone. I could hear her teeth g as she realized who I was. "You're that doctor from earlier. The oalking to that Detective. How did you get here before me?"

  So much for not being seen by anyone.

  I turned around and slowly reached for the bahat was c my eyes, about to lift it up. It was most likely that she ointing a gun at me. Though, I couldn't tell if the gun had a suppressor. I let out a heavy sigh as I stopped myself from unc my eyes.

  "You're not with the Police." I pointed out as I set my hands to my sides. "That begs the question...why are you here at a crime se?"

  "I could ask you the same question, Dr. Carmine." she replied in a monotonihere was a faint clig sound from the gun she was holding, she must've been holding the gun too tight.

  I smiled a out a chuckle before tilting my head to the right. "I'm just a very curious person. Now, you put the gun down?"

  "How did you know I am holding a gun?" she asked, her voice crag and shaking.

  I could hear her heartbeat's increasing pace. I let out a heavy sigh, shaking my head slightly. I wondered whether she was just being rude or she was traio avoid questions. She didn't really give me a proper ahough, it seemed to me that she was o whatever she was doing. That made me wonder what was it.

  "I hate this game of answering questions with another one." I remarked before letting out a heavy sigh. "I answered your question of why am I here, it's only fair you answer mioo."

  A few moments have passed. There was no sign of her responding to me, so I decided to spread my coat open, showing its insides. "There's o be on guard, miss. I'm unarmed." I said, showing a gentle and warm smile.

  She exhaled, almost like a heavy sigh. Her gun produced a metallic clig sound once more before it slid against a leather surface. I then heard a clig sound, it was a little muffled. She must have holstered the gun. "I'm here to iigate the abdu of your patient, doctor. You're correct, I'm not with the police, but I am w for the United Nations." she paused for a moment. "That's all I tell you."

  I lowered my head slightly. I pressed my thumb against my before exhaling softly.

  United Nations, huh...Could it be...? But I heard they were disbanded a few years after the Sed World War...

  I raised my head before pointing my thumb over my shoulder. "Well then, you tell me what is written on that wall behind me?"

  She gasped, though barely audible. She ched her teeth once more, her heart skipped a beat. "It's a little hard to expin. The way it was drawn is fusing."

  "You need not to worry about what's ihere should be disable letters written around that peculiar symbol."

  "Oh...Let's see." She took a few steps forward until she was beside me. "A...s....mo...de...us? Asmodeus...what's that?" She uttered.

  "I see. Thanks for your help." I turned my head to her dire befiving her a gentle smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

  "I'm Agent Silvestre"

  I gave her a friendly smile. "o meet you." I responded and out of courtesy, I added: "I'm Dr. Raviel Carmine."

  I started to walk out of my patient's apartment. As I was a few steps behind her she gasped and immediately shouted.

  "Dr. Carmine!"

  I stopped on my tracks and turned my head to the side, as if I was looking back at her.

  "I have some questions for you. Would you mind answering them for me?" she requested. "How did you know there was something drawn on that wall you just poi?"

  I let out a silent chuckle before my lips subsciously curled. I have been asked those questions before.

  "Hmm. If you've been blind for as long as I have been, you would learn how to see with your ears." I replied.

  I let a few moments of silence go by before speaking once more. "Well then, I've got to go. I'll see you around, agent."

  I tio slowly walk out of the apartment and turo the right. I took a few more steps to make sure that I was out of her sight, before lifting the bah my thumb and opened my right eye. I ed myself bay office, inside my home.

  I hoped that she didn't try to chase after me.