In the testing grounds behind the Gate of All Things, the branch Jenkins held plunged into the skull's eye socket and began to grow. But unlike the night before, it didn't obliterate the skeleton. Instead, it wrapped around the bones like chains. Even when Jenkins ceased channeling his power, the green vines remained unharmed by the skull's inherent curse and necrotic energy. Content orıginally comes from novelꜰire.net
“Hmm... that’s not quite what I expected.”
Jenkins stepped back, allowing the researchers to approach for a closer look.
The final conclusion was that while Jenkins couldn't damage A-06-1-4408 in its complete state, his actions seemed to have forged another sturdy seal. The essence of life, a direct counter to curses and necromancy, now enveloped the Cursed Item's physical form, its vitality suppressing the object's power.
Of course, such a seal couldn't be permanent, but it held immense significance for the Church of Knowledge and Books' future efforts to contain these terrifying necromantic Cursed Items. Subsequent simple experiments confirmed that plants enhanced by Jenkins's [Breath of Healing] could form a seal on the surface of most special types of undead.
This result made everyone feel that the entire afternoon had been well spent. Mr. Smith, the Keeper of Secrets, looked particularly pleased. The old man rarely showed such an expression, which meant the afternoon's findings were of extraordinary importance.
“I never expected this ability of mine to be so useful,” Jenkins remarked. “I thought it was just a handy healing power.”
After leaving the Gate of All Things, Jenkins followed Miss Bevanna to review the follow-up investigation report on the last Mysterious Realm incident. He walked a step behind her, and when she heard his comment, her expression stiffened.
“Yes, a very useful ability.”
“As I recall, even for a Soul Trait Ability, you can usually find records of similar powers. I wonder if there’s any data on [Contact Healing] or [Breath of Healing]. Perhaps I could find some more interesting applications that way.”
Even a demigod could be caught off guard sometimes, and this was one of those times. For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond. Fortunately, Jenkins had only been musing aloud, and his attention now shifted to his cat.
After a busy afternoon, Chocolate had grown a little weary of waiting. It was now perched on Jenkins’s shoulder, tail twitching, lost in some feline reverie.
“What important matters could Chocolate possibly be pondering? Ha, probably just looking forward to dinner tonight.”
Even though Jenkins had no intention of continuing the discussion about [Breath of Healing], Miss Bevanna still felt the need to find an excuse to change the subject. Now was not the right time. Neither Robert Williams, Papa Oliver, nor the Church believed Jenkins should be told the truth just yet.
The two of them ascended the stairs back to ground level, turning to close the trapdoor before exiting the room disguised as a study. They exchanged a greeting with the young gatekeeper and stepped outside. The sun was setting, and its faint light struck the church steeple and the metal pipes along the walls, casting back glints of gold, some brilliant, some dazzling.
In the courtyard, a few children in clerical robes were playing near the eastern side. Jenkins didn’t spot Fini among them; she was likely busy with her studies and literacy lessons.
“I just remembered. We’ve made some headway on the matter of [The Player].”
Miss Bevanna had finally found a suitable topic. This was excellent; for whatever reason, Jenkins had now forgotten about [Breath of Healing].
“Did the Church find the believers of the God of Music?”
He wondered how many of Hathaway’s fellow believers there could possibly be in Nolan.
“No, we haven’t found any believers of the God of Music, but we did receive some fragmented data from Bel Diran. We can confirm that [The Player (White - Basic)] has an extraordinary function. It’s an extremely special ability, capable of increasing the wielder’s spirit...”
Jenkins already knew this, and the mention of it brought back the memory of what had happened in the dining room that morning.
“The Holy See’s records also show that [The Player] is a component in a series of chained abilities. It can branch out into dozens of different chains, such as the [Master Hypnotist] chain, which focuses on musical control; the [Song of Ruin] chain, for sonic attacks; and the [Stage] chain, for constructing a maze-lock...”
Even though it was classified as White - Basic, it was clearly a remarkably complex ability. On the walk back to her office, Miss Bevanna revealed many details that even Hathaway was unaware of, giving Jenkins a deeper appreciation for the value of [The Player].
He then asked for Miss Bevanna’s opinion, wanting to know if he should keep the ability. Her answer was quite similar to Papa Oliver’s:
“[The Player] wasn’t something you actively learned; it came to you through a series of accidents. That is fate’s design. Until you understand why fate has arranged things this way, it would be best to hold on to it for a while.”
The conversation reminded Jenkins of the matter of the [Blessing of Books]. While waiting for Miss Bevanna to unlock her office door, he mentioned that he wanted to apply to learn the divine art. Naturally, Miss Bevanna had no objections.
Learning such a potent divine art required the Church to arrange for the right personnel and location, so after a quick calculation, it was scheduled for the latter part of the month, to be conducted alongside his third baptism. Combining them would be simpler.
Behind Miss Bevanna’s desk stood a bookshelf that covered the entire wall. Jenkins had never seen her take anything from it before, but this time, she pulled a file from the third shelf from the bottom.
“A more detailed investigation is still underway, but we have reason to believe all of your judgments were correct. The building’s residents and the apartment owner all met with accidents due to the Mysterious Realm that appeared in Room 202. The only thing we don’t understand is why the serial killer living in that room was unaffected. The man has been transferred to a ‘special’ detention center in the suburbs. I expect we’ll have news soon.”
“No, I still have questions.”
He asked this while sitting on the sofa, head bowed over the file. The black-and-white photographs tucked between the pages perfectly recreated the scene in the apartment, threatening to pull him back to that miserable afternoon.