The Church Ultimate Edition

Verse 6 : Ripples of Change

"Ouch, my head," Daniel said as he sat up in an infirmary, holding his forehead.

"Yes! You're finally awake!!" Holly cheered, immediately hugging him tightly.

"Woah, that's enough, Holly. I'm not dead yet," Daniel responded, gently pushing her off.

She turned to him with a smug expression.

"Flustered much, Daniel?"

Daniel stretched his arms as he sat up straighter.

"I'm not flustered, you loon."

"You are too, I saw it," she whispered in his ear playfully.

"I'm not doing this with you, Holly."

"Doing what??" she replied innocently, wearing a blank expression.

"Ughhh," Daniel groaned, throwing a blanket over her.

Before Holly could retaliate, a man in a lab coat walked into the room.

"Oh, Viktor's here," Holly said, tossing the blanket onto Daniel.

"Who's Viktor?" Daniel asked.

Viktor struck a dramatic pose.

"FOOL... I am the sole savior, death's true nemesis, his antithesis! I AM THE—"

"He's the head of medicine," a woman said, cutting Viktor off as she entered the room.

"Sofia, you really should stop cutting me off mid-introduction," Viktor muttered.

"Well, with a dumb introduction like that, I had to," Sofia replied.

Without warning, Viktor grabbed Daniel's hand and injected him with a purple substance.

"Hey, what's that?!" Daniel yelled, clutching his ribs.

"FOOL... that is the Eternium formula, meant to increase your body's healing capabilities by twelve times!" Viktor declared dramatically.

Sofia handed Daniel a set of fresh clothes.

"Here, wear this. Bishop Michael has been waiting to speak with you once you woke up. He's in the main hall. Get changed and meet him there. Holly will take you."

Daniel accepted the clothes with a grateful sigh.

"Thank you, finally a normal person."

After changing, Daniel and Holly headed into the corridor.

Back in the infirmary, behind the curtains—

"Ouuu," Sofia squealed softly as she sniffed Daniel's old clothes.

"I'm hearing some questionable noises over there, Sofia," Viktor said from his desk.

"Shut up, Viktor! It's science!" she barked back, breathing heavily.

"Okay... just don't make a mess again. I just cleaned yesterday," Viktor muttered.

He leaned back in his chair, thinking to himself:
That poor fool... he really thinks she's normal. If only he knew what she did to him while he was out cold.

---

As Daniel and Holly walked:

Ah-choo!

Daniel sneezed.

"Woah, my body feels light... and my wounds are gone. That serum’s kinda cool," he said, stretching.

"Yeah, it is," Holly replied optimistically.

"You looked like you knew those two pretty well, Holly."

"Yeah, you were out for three days, so I got to know some people," she said.

"Wait... three days?!" Daniel shouted.

"You took a real beating," she said casually.

Daniel scratched his head.

"Wait, my body's clean, like I took a bath... but if I was out for three days, then who—"

He turned to Holly, narrowing his eyes.

"Whoa, don't look at me," Holly said, stepping back. "Sofia's the one who took care of you... real good care, if I say so myself," she added, looking away suspiciously.

Daniel’s heart calmed.

"Oh, she's such a good person. That's cool," he said with relief.

---

They finally arrived at the hall, where Bishop Michael and Holy Knight Arthur were waiting.

"Yaaay! Mr. Arthur, you're back!" Holly cheered, running up to him.

"Haha, Holly! How have you been?" Arthur asked warmly.

"I'm fine! How are the twins?"

"Look for yourself," Arthur said, pulling out the Cartel Twins—two massive guns—and handing one to Holly.

"Woah! It's heavy!" she gasped, struggling to hold it.

"Let's go to Training Room 7, my lady," Arthur said, stretching out a hand toward her.

"Ouu, what a gentleman," Holly said teasingly, "unlike someone I know."

"Good luck, Daniel, my boy!" Arthur said, giving him a thumbs up before leaving with Holly.

Oh, what a surprise. Another idiot. I can't walk five minutes without meeting one here, Daniel thought to himself.

---

Daniel turned to Bishop Michael.

"Uhm... Mr... Bishop Michael, sir. I was told to come see you?"

"Yes. Let's get straight to the point. Walk with me," Michael said.

They entered an elevator.

"While you were unconscious, I brought you here," Michael explained.

The elevator opened to reveal a breathtaking ocean-side view.

"This is the Church—or at least, a branch of it—the Eastern Branch," Michael said.

Daniel stepped out, taking in the view.

"As you should already know, this world of ours, Vesperia, has been overrun with otherworldly creatures for as long as we can remember. Each branch deals with specific threats."

"So... you're like the military?" Daniel asked.

"Not quite. We work to serve God. This branch, specifically, deals with the undead—like that," Michael said, throwing a knife at a red creature flying toward them.

"What the—?" Daniel exclaimed.

"Come with me," Michael said, leading him back into the elevator.

They descended to the first floor, passing Viktor and Draven wheeling a cage. Inside, a red devil-like creature thrashed violently.

"Is that the thing you hit?" Daniel asked.

"Is that the newbie, sir Bishop?" Draven asked as he strained to pull the cage.

"FOOL, that is none of your concern. Move along," Viktor barked.

Daniel rubbed his forehead.

"Okay, can I be dropped off in town? This is fun and all, but it's not for me."

"I can't let you go," Michael said flatly.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I want to leave. You can't make me stay," Daniel said firmly.

"Look, boy," Michael responded, drawing his blade slightly. "I could kill you right now and save us the trouble of protecting you."

"I didn’t ask you to save me, did I?" Daniel snapped. "It's not my fault any of this happened. I just want a normal life."

"Normal life?" Michael scoffed. "You're already past that. You're a target. Wherever you go, disaster will follow."

"So what, I stay cooped up in here my whole life?" Daniel shot back.

"No," Michael said. "I'll train you. And if I see you're capable, I'll grant you freedom to move around outside."

Daniel paused, then sighed.

"Okay, fine. I can take that."

---

Training — Week 1 (Training Room 4)

"You lack mental focus and discipline," Michael said with his hands calmly behind his back, effortlessly evading all of Daniel's attacks.

"You need balance and coordination," he added.

Daniel missed another swing with his wooden sword and collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air.

"I’ll never be able to hit you," Daniel whined.

"You don't need to hit me. Just break through my scoop barrier," Michael said.

Daniel gritted his teeth, got up, and tried again.

"Endurance and stamina are key. You won't survive out there otherwise," Michael said, dodging again. "Swing!"

---

Week 2 (Training Room 4)

"Strength and conditioning," Michael announced. "Pick up the wooden sword and strike this dummy one hundred times every hour—for five hours."

Daniel muttered under his breath, "Blah blah blah, hit the dummy."

Michael popped his head back into the room.

"Make that six hours."

"Ughhh," Daniel groaned.

---

Week 3 (Training Room 4)

"Weapon proficiency," Michael declared. "Since you want to wield a blade, you'll learn proper technique. Here's The Cutlery Book. Master the basics—stab, scoop, slice."

---

Week 4 — Day Off

"Finally, a rest day. That maniac's gonna kill me," Daniel thought as he lay in bed.

Knock knock!

"Come in," Daniel said weakly.

"Hey, Daniel! How’s training going?" Holly asked, stepping inside.

"The psychotic Bishop is going to be the death of me! Look at this," Daniel said, showing her his swollen, sore hands. "I can't even move my fingers."

"You gotta toughen up!" Holly teased.

"How's your training going?" he asked.

"I've mastered basic cutlery already! Sir Arthur is teaching me how to coat my guns in it. These are my babies—Alpha and Omega—the beginning and end of anything that steps to me!" she said proudly, brandishing her handguns.

"Anyway, I'm out. Training calls!" she waved as she skipped out.

"She's becoming more of a weirdo because of that guy," Daniel muttered with a tired sigh.