The Church

The two of them stood in front of the large church. Since Haya's church was designed based on the structure of the Eternal Tree, one would see a tall bell tower in front of the building's facade, then the walls would narrow and taper toward the top, the back of the building. The building bulged out like a canopy of trees-what a strange beauty!

As the sun began to set, they entered the sanctuary. The light from the stained-glass windows shined warmly on the marble statues of virgins that stood guard around the room. The hall was of moderate size, corresponding to the cathedral of a small area. Tapestries with legends hung beside the windows, their intricate designs catching the eye.

"Beautiful." Brahms exclaimed. The boy took in his surroundings with curiosity but focused most of his attention on the objects in the center.

"This is normal for them. I'll show you more beautiful places when we get back to the capital."

The boy nodded and began to take a closer look at the architecture of the place.

In the center of the hall stands an altar, its surface polished to a high shine. Behind it is a bas-relief of the goddess, her golden hair cascading down her back. She is crowned with wheat and holds a sickle in one hand. The bas-relief is surrounded by a mural of the Eternal Tree, each branch exuding abundance and prosperity. Below the tree is the harvest field, where the souls of the faithful will go after their earthly death. After they had entered the church for a while, a young priest greeted him and said, "Welcome, brothers! May eternal life be with you all! And what harvest has brought you here?"

Althur listened to the recognizable greeting of the Haya Church. He took off his hat, nodded to the young priest, and said, "Good day. I'm Althur, the new exorcist sent to this town. I wonder if Bishop Henry is here right now."

The priest raised his eyebrows and nodded quickly. "A newcomer, ... I also received word that someone will be coming to take over James' case."

"Father Colby is in the office. If you come later, he will be asleep."

"So early."

The priest sighed. "His favorite tree is drying; something has happened, but we have not found out yet. He's really upset. You should know that trees mean a lot to us. Thank the Goddess if life can grow in this land." He said it devoutly.

"Follow me and I will take you to him."

He quickly led the young man to the back of the church, where a classic spiral staircase led to the second floor. The priest knocked on the door of the only room there and said in a respectful voice, "Father Colby, the new exorcist has arrived. He looked at Althur, waited for a voice to call, and then retreated.

Althur opened the door and stepped inside. It was a professional office, with many files and papers on the table. The icon of the church hangs opposite the desk, and there are a few plants on the balcony behind it. The most remarkable thing was the yew pot. It was beautifully shaped, a testament to the gardener's efforts. However, the leaves began to turn yellow as the ground below dried up like a thirsty desert.

When Althur entered the room, the middle-aged Bishop rose from his desk and extended his hand in greeting, then invited Althur to sit on the reception bench. He began, "I am Bishop Henry, in charge of the diocese of Calico. I also sent the report on James' case."

"Yes, Father." He looked at the priest opposite him. He was a middle-aged man with a pale appearance, unlike the usual vitality of Haya's servants.

"What makes you think James' death is abnormal?" Althur asked directly.

The bishop sighed, "Because he died so naturally, however, having previously performed a successful exorcism, there were clear signs of purification that were reflected by his helper; however, three days later he was found dead in his bedroom. I personally examined him. There is no sign of demonic possession, no sign of corruption or loss of control; it was a natural death from cardiac arrest.

"And all natural deaths are unusual for us," Althur replied.

In fact, people with supernatural abilities often have better physical and health conditions than ordinary people. He knows some news about James; he is an exorcist in this town and a person trained by the organization. According to what he knows, even though he is an alcoholic, he was not ordinary. If it was a case of loss of control, there should have been unusual signs around the corpse, but everything was just a dead body due to cardiac arrest. How could the heart of an extraordinary person stop beating like that? What was the cause of death?

"Have you investigated the case of exorcism before? I have no information on the matter." Althur asked.

Father Colby said, "I learned a lot from the woman's story. She was possessed by a wandering spirit. She accidentally wandered into the town cemetery and tripped over a skull. Because she was so frightened, she ran home, and a few days later, her husband often discovered her in the attic, whimpering and creaking in the middle of the night. After checking, the woman showed signs of going crazy, so the husband ran to find James. Jamse performed the exorcism and returned home. After a few days, his helper came to check on the house and found that James had already died.

What about his core? Is there any sign of his soul?" Althur asked.

The priest's voice sounded annoyed as he repeated, "As stated in the letter, the deceased appeared to have died of natural causes. When I arrived, the body was already in rigor mortis. And the meal in his intestines had begun to consume him.

In other words, nothing supernatural happens after James dies. "Strange," muttered Althur as he thought back to the passing of his esteemed mentor.

Could this be a clue as to whether there is a connection between this death and the death of his mentor? He dared not draw a conclusion for himself. He decided to investigate some more questions, hoping to find a way forward.

"What are you thinking?" the priest asked when he saw Althur's reflection.

"Just making some connections. What is the connection between this and James' death? Or was it something worse?"

"This is what we call an investigation."

"Something worse. You guys are always worse. Am I wrong?"

"I don't know, Father."

"That's why I'm here talking to you. Should the Church help us and bless her goodness for being?"

"We do, brother. Should I call you brother or not? Like a mother's embrace, the Goddess provides spring and warmth. The tree that embraces and gives life to everything is like a guardian of the land. The Goddess will bless all people, even after their death, whether they believe in her or not."

"Yes, Father, I don't care what you call me. Everyone in the church is very generous, I must say."

Although Althur had decided to go to Calico for reasons of convenience, he agreed to take on this mission. Because he accepted the setting of the mirror. And now he has found another clue to his mentor's previously unknown paranormal symptoms. He can't pass up a clue or an opportunity to investigate. Of course, he also had to investigate James' death, a double job.