Gaqut

Lucca Genoa, Age 9

The origin of the demon and the torment it played on its prior host were recounted to me by Brother Angelo Marcos, Exorcist Principia for Turin and its surrounding regions.

Roughly five months ago, Brother Marcos was called upon by the headmistress of the West Turin Orphanage for Girls when one of the orphan girls in her care began showing signs of demonic possession. The girl was one Lucca Genoa, age 9.

Immediately upon Brother Marcos's arrival to the orphanage, Lucca was found to be in a tantric state. She was observed wrapping herself up in bedcloths until she was as tightly bound as a cocoon, writhing on the dormitory floor. Brother Marcos applied holy water to the child while performing the Litany of Exorcism. This had no effect, so he then chanted
the Holy Command.

This chant calmed Lucca, and her tantrum came to an end. The girl seemed to be suffocating in the tangled bedcloths and had to be cut from them using sewing shears. Brother Marcos found that the cloth had been coated in a slimy film, which reeked of death. Lucca had no recollection of the events, and a diagnosis of demonic possession was made.

Brother Marcos's interview with the headmistress revealed that Lucca was normally a meek girl of gentle temperament.  Her mother had died years ago of disease, and her father had died shortly after the war, due to injuries. When news of her father's passing had reached her, she was said to have then darkened in spirits until she barely spoke at all. When she did speak it was with vitriol.

The other girls had been complaining about Lucca's foul odor. One claimed to have witnessed her dropping worms into the porridge, which she had produced from her nose and mouth. Recently she had broken out with fits of such frenzied violence and incredible strength that even the groundskeeper, a middle-aged man of strong build, could not overpower her. After these disturbing incidents, the headmistress was forced to lock Lucca in a small room with a single bed.

Brother Marcos, being an expert in demonology, knew that such a severe case of possession was likely to kill the girl, yet he resolved to do whatever he could to save her. He called for the town's deacons, who arrived within the hour. They strapped Lucca to her bed and began the Rite of Demonic Disturbance. This rite would do nothing to expel the demon, but instead would bring forth the possessor, for the purposes of extracting information.

Lucca screamed with such fervor that the deacons could not stand to remain in her presence. They fled the room in fear, leaving Brother Marcos to perform the rite alone. Within minutes, the demon began to speak in Latin, using the girl's voice. What follows is Brother Marcos's roughly translated transcript of the confrontation.

Brother Marcos: "I command you, demon, to leave this girl!"

Lucca: "You command nothing!"

Brother Marcos: "I command you, demon, to speak your True Name!"

Lucca: (Laughter)

Brother Marcos: "The power of Christ compels you to speak your True Name!"

Lucca: "Christ is my food and so are you, Angelo. You look delicious."

Brother Marcos: "Why do you torment this child?"

Lucca: "This vessel is my portal. This child's parents rot. She feels hate for the rot, fear for the grave."

Brother Marcos: "What brings you to the world of men?"

Lucca: (Laughter) "Your war feeds me, gives me strength! Never have I enjoyed such a feast!"

Brother Marcos: "Tell me of your first feast."

Lucca: "Ah, yes. Such fear, such sweet death. My first feast was upon the bodies at Al Mansurah, laid out fresh for me by your Holy Crusade. This memory rouses my appetite, Angelo. Perhaps I will consume this child now."

Brother Marcos then observed a mass of worms spilling from Lucca's mouth. He doused the child in holy water, chanting the Holy Command repeatedly. The child's skin exuded foul mucous, turning the pallid color of a corpse. He called for the deacons, who finally returned and contributed their voices to the chant. This was observed to have the effect of driving the demon back into torpor.

Brother Marcos feared that he had caused the child's death. He pressed his ear to her chest and heard the slow beating of her heart. He begged the Lord's forgiveness for risking the girl's life, only for the sake of learning of the demon's nature. He prayed for her to be spared from a painful death.

The deacons were commanded to watch over the child, taking shifts, and to send for him immediately upon any sign of disturbance. Brother Marcus returned to his library. He had not learned the demon's True Name, thus lacked the power to command it. He knew this to be the key to exorcising such a powerful demon.