From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 19: Exorcism Ritual

Ken Burke was in a very good mood today. There was no reason for him not to be!

Because yesterday he had accompanied the Cardinal from Los Angeles to Vespuchi, a town under San Diego County.

They went to see Father Angus and the “feather” that required these church “professionals” to handle.

When he first received the so-called “miracle” report, Ken Burke didn't believe it.

After so many years in the Church, he had seen all sorts of strange things—and very few of them were real.

Most of them were concocted by ambitious people for their own benefit—people like himself.

But before they reached Vespuchi, these clergy were contacted by the local FBI and taken to a secure room in San Diego.

Ken Burke had wondered if his own misdeeds had been discovered and whether he should confess. He could bargain—just don’t call the tax office, and everything was negotiable.

What happened next was that another group of people, who in their eyes were “high-ranking” officials, arrived and showed them a file stamped “Top Secret.”

There, they were like puppets under someone else's control, staring with open mouths as they read the data.The glowing priest, the powerful bird-man monster, Father Angus and the townspeople saying the name Raum—one of the Seventy-Two Demon Gods—or even Raziel, the King of the Cherubim…

All of it drove Ken Burke nearly insane!

He was a bishop; after studying scripture for so many years he knew what this meant!

He and the other clergy present exchanged looks, each feeling that the values they'd held for decades were being shattered.

Now they wondered what the American Church headquarters had been hiding from them, or what the Roman Church had concealed.

How could people of their rank and privilege not know about something like this?

So during a break he met privately with that Cardinal from Los Angeles.

The two exchanged a glance in the restroom—good, neither of them knew anything, so they at least had common ground.

They operated under the assumption, “Even if we don't know, we should take credit,” and had a very smooth conversation.

Later, the two of them instinctively completed a perfect performance that convinced the officials present that the matter could not be separated from these two “superiors.”

Because of that illusion, the top-level bureaucrats in California treated him with much more respect afterward.

Previously government officials had seen the Church as a formality; now they displayed absolute deference to anything “supernatural.”

This pleased Ken Burke for a long time and increased his covetousness for the “mystical” and “extraordinary.”

Under Father Angus’s guidance, having seen that “feather,” Ken naturally had more ideas.

If even a small-town priest like Angus could receive the Lord’s blessing and become a true monk, why couldn’t he?

He was, after all, the regional bishop with real power in the Church.

Just as Ken Burke was thinking about approaching Father Angus to discuss his “promotion,” he discovered that the Western U.S. Cardinal Jared Brian had already moved in and extended an invitation!

“Damn it!” Ken Burke seethed. How dare someone steal his opportunity?

Of course, facing his superior he couldn't show impatience, so he forced a smile as they both climbed into separate cars.

They were now traveling under the protection of police and agents toward the Garden Church in San Diego.

According to Angus, he needed to give an account there.

He was a very traditional priest; everything followed proper procedure.

Out of respect for him, neither the police nor the Cardinal objected.

In fact, after the news spread, higher-ups on both sides showed great restraint and agreed to give Father Angus significant freedom.

However, when these people neared San Diego, the city mayor and police chief, after a phone call, left by a different route.

Ken Burke’s orders changed to settling Father Angus and waiting for their return.

With forces superior to his, Ken Burke had no reason to object.

But having been suppressed for so long, he felt uneasy, and in front of the Garden Church the bishop decided to vent a little.

“Respectful Cardinal Brian, Father Bennett”—that was the formal way to address him, though the townsfolk called him Father Angus and it was fine—“I still need to help a poor child with an exorcism, so…”

Hearing that, Angus nodded. “Of course. The life of a believer is more important. You should go.”

Cardinal Jared, of course, didn't believe Ken Burke’s excuse, but since Father Angus asked, he had no reason to play the villain.

“Bishop Burke, then go quickly and come back quickly!” He stared at him and signaled with his eyes: go and come back, don’t cause trouble!

Ken Burke hurried into his car and drove to his destination.

As the bishop of San Diego—the second-largest city in California and the eighth-largest in the U.S.—he had many places to go.

One not far from here was a villa—his home.

Ken Burke hurried inside. The security guards and patrolling police at the gate greeted him with smiles.

He returned each greeting. His face was genial, energetic, and friendly, but inside a terrible impulse of cruelty was building up.

“Damn you, Jared Brian! I credited you with this entire parish's contribution, yet you still leapfrog me and directly invite Angus!” He pounded the wall, his face full of resentment.

When he first met Angus he had planned to make him his subordinate and slowly gain access to the supernatural.

Now someone had cut him off—how could he not be angry?

“You still expect me to keep doing things for you? To get you into the College of Cardinals? Delusions, you old fool—no wonder you live off potatoes your whole life!” Thinking of Jared’s Irish background, Ken Burke spat out curses.

But after cursing there was nothing else to do.

He couldn't offend a powerful Cardinal, so he needed a different outlet!

Bang! Ken Burke violently kicked open the basement door of the villa and, amid a small figure’s fearful, hesitant expression, seized the child in his hands.

“Little Peter, stop fooling around! We should start today’s exorcism!”

His words sounded perfectly normal; his tone was sanctimonious and holy, like a kindly uncle.

But in the eyes of this boy called Peter—dressed in a nun’s habit—he was more monstrous than a demon.

The boy looked at this important figure, whom his parents called “the Bishop,” with bleak, hopeless eyes. He was only a child—why… why did he have to go through all this?

Just as Ken Burke was about to touch the boy, the basement door that had originally been open suddenly slammed shut behind him!

“What’s going on? Is there a draft?” Ken Burke turned back in surprise and switched on a nearby light. “Convenient—it saves me the trouble of closing the door.”

When the room lit up, he turned back to face Little Peter with a wanton smile. “It’s all right, Peter… we can take our time with today’s exorcism…”

He walked toward the boy under the light, but under the lamp, the shadow walking toward the boy was twofold!