Jack quickly made a rough plan. He looked at the cursed stone statue one more time, before leaving. Silently.
He phased through the thick stone walls of the Lonestone City Museum. His form was even less then a mere ripple in the air. Being a specter had its perks. And almost perfect invisibility was at the top of the list.
Jack kept floating to a certain direction. He could feel the stagnant night air. Heavy with the scent of coal smoke and the underlying metallic tang of steam-engine grease. Things that had long permeated the capital city's urban centers.
He could still sense the cursed statue of Nalam Gandare. Remaining behind in the museum. A ticking time bomb of demonic threat masquerading as art.
Jack wasn't about to let that monstrosity wake up in the middle of a civilian sector. But he also had no intention of doing the heavy lifting himself if he could outsource the risk.
He reconsidered his choices while moving. And he still reached the same conclusion. The Royal Faction was too greedy. The Academy Faction was too curious. That left the orthodox churches. They were stubborn conservatives. But they were efficient and 'safe' cleaners when it came to heresy and demons.
He drifted toward the Cathedral of Prosperity. It was the largest religious structure in the city. Located in the Church District. A sprawling set of beautiful, connected buildings that showed its main doctrine... Prosperity through honesty, integrity, and generosity.
Jack reached the perimeter and didn't stop. He didn't feel any dangerous aura of the illuminated being. It was safe. He glided through the reinforced oak doors as if they were just a mirage.
Inside, the cathedral was quiet. But the air hummed with the residual power of thousands of prayers. And the subtle divine enchantments woven into the architecture.
The building should suppress demon, devil, and spiritual being like him. But Jack ignored the minuscule suppression targeting him easily. His [Essence] was in mythical stage after all.
He headed for the dormitory wing. He needed the subconscious minds of the clergy for his plan. He needed to activate [Mysterious Anomaly] to start the plan.
However, before diving in, Jack performed a systematic sweep with his [Eyes of Judgement]. He didn't want to alert a mole. His information panel flickered. Stream of data entered his vision. Highlighting the spiritual signatures of the sleepers.
'Let's see who's actually praying and who's just playing in this church.' Jack muttered to himself. Though no sound escaped his ghostly lips.
He found the first mole quickly. A priest in training. Father Tonhill, lay in his simple bed. His aura signature was tainted with the dark residue. Sloppily hidden by a weak talisman.
He remembered this tainted aura. The same aura he felt from the members of the 'Circles of Wealth'. The cult that twisted the Church of Prosperity's principle.
This priest in training was either a spy, or a converted person. He wasn't as bad as the previous turncoat, High Priest Valleyer. But, he was still a danger. Jack bypassed him.
In the female dormitory, Jack found another mole. A nun. Sister Acacia. Jack's [Eyes of Judgement] identified her affiliation to the Night Salvation Association.
Two were bad enough. But there was actually another spy. Jack found a monk in the meditation chambers. Brother Banyan. Hidden behind similar disguising talisman, the man's aura was bleached white. Not pure white. But corrupted white. An undercover agent from the 'Cult of Purity'.
'Three moles? So troublesome.' Jack thought. 'What a lack of vigilance.'
He avoided these three entirely. If he mistakenly told them, the statue would definitely be moved. Or, worse yet, triggered early.
Jack chose three genuine, trustworthy church officials. At least from the information shown by his [Eyes of Judgement]... High Priest Mountaine, Deacon Creek, and the Senior Nun, Sister Cinnamon. He entered their dreams simultaneously. Weaving a shared vision.
The dreamscape he constructed was a desolate ruin of Lonestone's Central District. In the center stood Jack Mystery. A specter with translucent top hat, mask, and cloak. Holding the Spirit Torch in one hand. And a spectral grimoire was floating next to him.
The three chosen individuals appeared in the dream. Powerless. They were enhanced transcendent beings. Powerful in reality. But here, in the dream realm Jack controlled, they couldn't access their power.
"Listen, you little Shepherds of Prosperity!" Jack's voice echoed like grinding tectonic plates. He didn't waste time with pleasantries.
He waved a hand. And the surrounding turned into the indoor image of the Lonestone Museum. He waved another hand. And the statue of Nalam Gandare came into view. The stone cracked in the vision, revealing the pulsing, demonic flesh beneath.
"A demonized human, Nalam Gandare, rests in the museum of your city. He is not an artwork. He is a damned, cursed being." Jack stated bluntly. "He is a weapon sent by the cults to burn this city while your King plays with his [Forbidden Chalice]."
He made another gesture, and three static figures appeared. He then pointed toward the motionless forms of the three spies he had identified.
"Your house is infested. Tonhill serves the Circles of Wealth. Acacia belongs to the Night Salvation. The monk called Banyan is a fanatic from the Cult of Purity. They are the rot in your foundation."
High Priest Mountaine immediately recognized Jack. "You are the one that fought the Emissary of Wealth. Who are you?"
"I am the Spirit of Vengeance." Jack replied. His dreamscape image swelled until he blotted out the dream-sun. "You have three days. Remove the demon. Purge the spies. Do your duty. Cooperate with the other churches if you want. But neutralize the demon in whatever way you can. And, I won't interfere with the world of the living."
Jack continued. "But know this... If within three days, it isn't solved, I will act. And, if I am forced to act, it will not be discreet. I will not be polite. My intervention will not be 'fun' for your church. Three days."
"Why?" Sister Cinnamon asked curiously. "Why do you care so much? You are a dead spirit."
Jack looked straight at her. "Why do you think?"
The surrounding suddenly turned back to the previous dreamscape. A desolate ruin of Lonestone's Central District.
"I don't want Lonestone to turn into another ruined place of despair." Jack growled. "This is also my... HOME!"
The dream collapsed with a loud broken porcelain sound. Ejecting the consciousnesses of the three targets back into their bodies. They would definitely wake up with cold sweats and memories burned into their retinas.
Jack didn't wait to see their reaction. He left the Cathedral of Prosperity. And glided across the city skyline toward the Church of Justice.
...
The Church of Justice was smaller than the cathedral. But it was built like a fortress. Stone towers. Iron bars on windows and doors. And the armored statues of the saints.
The wards and protective arrays in this church were definitely more dangerous than the one in the Cathedral of Prosperity. But once he was sure that there was no illuminated being in the church, Jack moved through their wards with the ease of a non-existent being.
He repeated his sweep. Trying to find moles within the place. Fully utilizing his [Eyes of Judgement]. The Church of Justice was slightly cleaner than the Church of Prosperity. But not by much.
He found two monks in the back barracks. Their auras were protected by some strange rituals. However, Jack's [Eyes of Judgement] quickly determined that their loyalties lay in the Cult of Purity.
Jack marked them. And then, he sought for the ones he could consider trustworthy. The High Priest Sheath and the Senior Inquisitor Lantern.
The dream he gave them was pretty much similar to the previous ones. The desolate ruin dreamscape of Lonestone's Central District. He floated there as Jack Mystery. The specter.
Like the ones with the Church of Prosperity, the two chosen individuals appeared in the dream. Powerless. Unable to access their transcendent power of faith.
"Listen, you two! The little followers of Justice." Jack's voice boomed.
He waved the [Spirit Torch] in his hand. The surrounding turned into the indoor image of the Lonestone Museum. Gradually, the statue of Nalam Gandare came into view. The stone cracked in the vision, revealing the pulsing, demonic flesh beneath.
"A demonized man sits at your doorstep. The cursed Nalam Gandare. Disguised as a statue in the museum. He is the planned retaliation from the cults the Kingdom recently oppressed. This monster... If he breaks out of his curse, his bloodlust will stain not just this city, but also your church's records as the defender of justice... forever."
"Who are you?" High Priest Sheath asked coldly.
Jack looked at him with equal cold stare. "The Spirit of Vengeance. The one who will act if you church people do not act. You have three days. Remove the demon. And, I won't interfere with the world of the living."
Jack continued with the same threat he had given to the Church of Prosperity. "But know this... If within three days, it isn't solved, I will act. And, if I am forced to act, it will not be 'fun' for your church."
"You are an evil specter." Inquisitor Lantern barked an accusation. "Why should we trust you? You are the same with that demon."
"I don't care whether you trust me or not." Jack replied coldly. "But you need to brush your faith and mystic knowledge, Kid! I'm no demon. I'm a specter. And I can drag you here from your 'House of God'. Didn't that tell you something?"
Jack waved his hand. Two static figures appeared. He pointed toward the motionless forms of the two moles he had identified.
"Clean your church before you judge others." Jack said. "These two were spies from the Cult of Purity. They, and the demon, should be the problem of the livings. You. Don't make me act and deliver my justice from the realm of the dead. Three days."
The dreamscape broke into pieces. Jack vanished from the two's minds. As did the whole realm of dream.
...
Finally, Jack reached the Church of Redemption. This was the smallest and the most somber of the three. Its architecture was gothic. Filled with weeping statues of the saints. It was located in the Low End District. Mostly dealing with the poor, the sick, and the dying.
Jack repeated his investigation. He phased through the walls. His [Eyes of Judgement] scanned the sleeping members of the church. As well as the waking ones.
His scan quickly revealed a priest tagged by his system as a member of the Purity Cult. Not far, a monk was also marked as another Night Salvation Association's plant.
Jack entered the dreams of the High Priest Elmroot and Mother Superior Inkrose. He showed similar vision to them.
"Listen, son and daughter of Redemption!" Jack told them. "Lonestone is in danger. The museum holds a demonized man. A Mutated Beast Brawlers sealed within a stone statue. Nalam Gandare. And the seal is weakening. If he is not neutralized soon, there will be no one left for you to redeem."
The Mother Superior asked with a frown. "Strange Spirit, why tell us this?"
"Because the city was and is my home. And I don't want it turn into ruins." Jack replied. "Three days. Cooperate with others if you need to. Solve the demon problem. If the sun sets on the fourth day and that demon still breathes there, I will act. And when I do, it will not be a beautiful view."
He showed the two static figures of the spies he had marked.
"They were not children of Redemption. One serves the Cult of Purity. The other one belongs to the Night Salvation. Do what you must to them. And... I hope I don't need to act to clean your mess. Farewell!"
The dreamscape disappeared. Jack withdrew from the dream and floated out of the Church of Redemption. He was finished with his rounds.
He drifted back toward his house in Lonestone City. His mind was calculating the probabilities. By tomorrow morning, the three churches in the city should go and verify his claims. What would happen next, he would just need to observe. Hopefully.