"...I suspect that, whatever else, you are not the first person who thought God was speaking to them directly since 1926."

"Yes, that's certainly true. Gosh, this is sure going to be difficult, convincing anybody I'm not making things up. Look, what would you expect me to be able to do to prove it in the case that I am actually the second coming of Christ, help me out."

"...Raise my mother from the dead," he says thoughtfully. "Although if you can't I suppose that's not proof that you aren't, given that Jesus had the bodies of Lazarus and the Pharisee's daughter when he brought them back."

"I'm also twelve. I don't have that much oomph yet. Or a good way to ask her if she'd rather be here than in Heaven."

"There is that. If you could get me a message from her that contained information such that I would have reason to believe it was, in fact, a message from her, that would also suffice. But since such a thing is apparently not currently in your repertoire..." he closes his eyes and tilts is head back. Wryly: "Can you make me immune to demons' influences? That would have come in handy a few months ago, but better late than never."

"Maybe. I've never tried it before. It helps if I do my own detail work so hopefully you could tell me more about what kind of demon influence you want to hedge out or at least how you're planning to test it. And I'd also want to know that it would actually suffice for proof and that you'd be helpful with my projects if you believed me. I don't object in principle to giving presents, especially ones like that, but I have limited resources."

"No one thus far has figured out how to negate the influence of a Demon of the Seven Deadly Sins, or I would have done it, and the embarrassing incident would never have occurred. If I go home, summon a demon and instruct it to make me angry or lustful or hungry or what have you and the relevant emotions do not noticeably intensify--and I repeat the test enough times to be satisfied it is not merely recalcitrant demons--then I shall be satisfied that this has happened. Demons influence you by taking ahold of the relevant urge and multiplying it."

"And then if you are satisfied that it has happened?"

"Then," he says thoughtfully, "I suppose I assist you. To whatever extent I deem unlikely to recklessly endanger myself or my sister."

Not very much!

"Not off the top of my head. The incident a few months ago was a half demon who has since then been appraised of their heritage and learned to control their powers."

"Okay. Please don't be terrible to the demons you summon. There are nice ones, and even the nasty ones would have had a very hard time trying to be better and it's not all their fault. You're probably a good enough mage that I don't have to warn you to be careful."

"I've survived seven hundred years. I know to be careful. And, for the record--part of being careful is not being terrible. People who are terrible to summoned demons tend to die as soon as one manages to get out of the circle." He says it as an instructor would, not as a correction or chide.

"That makes sense. I haven't summoned any demons yet."

"But you've met some?"

"A couple, yes. My mother found some who've been living on Earth for a while and are nice."

"Noted. Many are, of the lower orders."

"One is a pride demon and the other is a wrath demon."

"That's statistically anomalous. Most demons who have managed to slip the leash are succubi or incubi."

"Yeah, that makes sense. I'm not sure I would have as much to talk about with one of those at this point in my life."

"Did you discuss pride and wrath, then?"

"A little bit, yeah."

"I see. Well, I shall need some method of contacting you should my experiments proceed as you claim."