Father Dominic wasn’t like the other priests in St. Augustine’s Church. He had long since abandoned the righteous path, succumbing instead to greed and apathy. He skimmed from the donation box, snuffed out the confessions of desperate sinners with a wave of his hand, and preached sermons so hollow that even the devout grew suspicious. For years, the church walls soaked in his hypocrisy, the stained glass filtering his lies as though they were light from Heaven itself.
A Greedy Heart Gives Out
But one stormy evening, as Father Dominic sat alone counting crumpled bills in the rectory, his heart gave out. A blinding pain pierced his chest, and he slumped forward, his greed-fueled heart ceasing to beat.
When he opened his eyes, it was not to pearly gates but to a swirling abyss of fire and shadow. He stood on a platform of cracked obsidian, surrounded by pits of writhing souls. Before him loomed a figure clad in darkness and flame, its eyes glowing with malevolent delight. The Devil himself.
Face-to-Face with the Devil
“Welcome, Father Dominic,” the Devil said, his voice as smooth as silk and sharp as razors. “Your work on Earth has been… impressive. Corruption in the house of God? Bold. But your time is up.”
“No,” Dominic gasped, his voice trembling. “This—this is a mistake! I wasn’t done yet! I can’t stay here—I… I’ll do anything to go back.”
The Devil chuckled, a deep, guttural sound that echoed endlessly. “Anything, you say? How amusing. Even here, you cling to the corruption that brought you to me. Fine. I’ll grant you another chance at life, but it will come at a cost.”
“I don’t care!” Dominic cried. “Name your price!”
The Devil’s grin widened unnaturally. “The cost is simple: Your return will not be a return at all. You will walk among the living, yes, but you will no longer be as you were. Still, if your greed and corruption are so important to you, I’ll honor your wish. Do we have a deal?”
Dominic hesitated, but only for a moment. His desire to return to wealth and power was too strong. “Deal.”
The Devil extended a clawed hand, and Dominic shook it. As their hands touched, Dominic felt his body dissolve into ash. He plunged into darkness, his screams lost in the void.
A Ghostly Return
When Dominic awoke, he was standing in St. Augustine’s Church. He felt strange, weightless, but he dismissed it as the shock of his ordeal. A grin crept across his face. “I’m back,” he whispered. “I’m back!”
He rushed to the donation box, eager to see how much money had accumulated in his absence. But as he reached for it, his hand passed through the wooden surface. He recoiled, staring at his hand in disbelief. It was translucent, barely more than a wisp of smoke.
“No,” he muttered, panic rising. He stumbled to a nearby mirror, and his reflection revealed the truth: he was a ghost.
“You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you?” came the Devil’s mocking voice, though the figure was nowhere to be seen.
“You tricked me!” Dominic screamed. “This isn’t what I wanted!”
Eternal Damnation in the Church He Corrupted
“Ah, but it’s what you agreed to,” the Devil replied. “You wanted to return to life, but I said nothing about living. Now, you’ll haunt this church for eternity, watching as others take your place, as others profit from what you built. You’ll see them live the life you so desperately craved, and you’ll never be able to touch it again.”
Dominic sank to his knees, his ghostly form flickering. “Please… there must be something I can do to…”
“Shhhhh!” the Devil snapped. “You had your chance, Father Dominic. Enjoy your eternity.”
And with that, the Devil’s presence faded, leaving Dominic alone in the church he had corrupted.
And now, the Devil had claimed his prize.
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