By the time Kraft came out of the room with several books tucked under his arm, Lucius had taken the box. Liston leaned against the wall, looking exhausted, but still kept his eyes fixed on them.
"Exactly." Kraft put the books into the box, agreeing with his reasoning. "I read what you told me about. The professor was doing some strange things, and conducting some rather unusual research."
Kraft explained it to Liston, though in truth he was explaining it to Lucius too. After a moment's thought, he continued with a relatively neutral assessment:
"You know, people have moments when they aren't thinking straight. It's like when someone with a terminal illness suddenly sees a glimmer of hope for survival. They'll try anything, no matter how absurd."
"And for many intelligent people, there are things more important than life or pleasure. They care too much about those goals, and will use any means and pay any price, whether it's themselves or someone else who pays."
A long silence followed. Perhaps they had all expected this, but when the moment really came, it still took time to accept that the person before them had been the source of it all.
Liston took the initiative to change the subject, getting down to the matter at hand. "So what exactly are these? Some kind of Evil Spirit?"
"The good news is, it isn't an Evil Spirit."
According to the Church, all supernatural powers—apart from those explicitly described in the Holy Scripture as gifts from God—were the work of Evil Spirits and demons, tempting people into sin. The professor's actions, strangely enough, seemed to fit that idea.
"The bad news is, this may be far more serious than an Evil Spirit, and I can't make sense of the logic behind it either. All I