the room is shrouded in silence, a silence that feels unnatural, as though the house itself is holding its breath. father karras sits across from father merrin, the elder priests face illuminated by the soft glow of a flickering candle. merrins hands tremble slightly, a result of both age and the weight of the task ahead. karras, younger, but no less burdened, gazes at him, searching for answers in the older priests weary eyes. > "why her?"  karras asks, his voice barely above a whisper. the question has gnawed at him from the start. regan is just a childinnocent, undeserving of this torment. why would the demon choose her? what cruel logic drives this evil? merrin exhales slowly, his breath visible in the freezing air. his eyes, shadowed by the dim light, seem to stare past karras, as if seeing something far beyond the present.  > "i think the point is to make us despair," he says quietly. his voice is calm, but there is a deep sadness in it, as though he has seen this kind of evil before and knows its methods all too well. karras frowns, confused. merrins gaze meets his, and the weight of the older mans words sinks in like a heavy stone.  > "to see ourselves as... animal and ugly. to make us reject the possibility that god could love us." the air grows colder still. merrins words linger, filling the room with a creeping hopelessness. karras realizes that the demons goal isnt just the possession of reganits something much more sinister. it seeks to destroy their faith, to make them see themselves as base, unworthy creatures. to lose faith in themselves and, ultimately, in god. karras feels the despair creeping in, like a shadow at the edge of his consciousness.
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