A new special case discovered by detectives, police officers, or inspection agents could be something more ordinary, or even a mistake on the part of the individuals who had found it. But everything changes when it is an Exorcist Priest who reports it to the headquarters of The Healing Church.
No one but a Priest of Light has such a close relationship with darkness. This is why Exorcist Priests are considered weapons against everything evil around the world. The government may have its own military teams to eliminate material-type dark entities, which are the only ones capable of being killed by humans.
Material anomalies, in simple terms, are creatures composed of tangible matter, such as terrestrial monsters, mythical animals, or supernatural beings with a physical manifestation, like werewolves.
There are others of physical form, but these usually originate from a cursed object—something that maintains a physical link with a human or animal and that normally can only be destroyed if one wishes to keep the human alive.
But the problem with killing a human possessed by a demon or cursed object is that the entity grows stronger in its next victim, and eventually reaches a point where it becomes so complicated to stop that extremely drastic measures must be taken—measures that have been used only rarely.
"Were you seeking help in a church?" Jonathan thought as he remembered the girl's appearance, still surprised by the fact that he hadn't sensed anything from her.
That feeling of wickedness had vanished in an instant, but what was worrying was that she had dared to release her aura inside a church.
How strong must she be to dare do something like that?
Jonathan knew it was possible that she was one of the strongest he had ever faced, but there was no need to worry, since the association would soon notify him of the report.
"May the light watch over you. I hope we can find you before you die…" Jonathan murmured as he stored the drawing of that strange creature.
Knowing there was little he could do, and that no one was likely to arrive so early in the morning, he planned to prepare holy water first.
This was also part of his routine whenever he came here. If nothing happened at work, he liked to prepare enough holy water, plenty of silver bullets, vampire-venom bullets, and to keep silver-powder grenades ready.
Normally, as a priest, he might eliminate physical creatures before help arrived, which is why he had to be prepared—doing so would save many innocent lives.
Today he had used a lot of holy water—most of his reserves. That was why he was going to bless water right here. Jonathan didn't know if he was truly a Priest now; he didn't consider himself one, but his word had power.
Needless to say, the effect of holy water is standard for exorcisms, but it is only a tool for very specific cases.
Silver kills any kind of physical creature such as werewolves, vampires and others. Bullets made of other types of materials can even harm spirits, but their manufacture is much more tiring and costly.
For Jonathan, the art of crafting his own tools was a luxury few could afford without the necessary skills. He liked crafting his own bullets; all that equipment was in the nursery, which was practically his home.
"Water…" Jonathan murmured as he slowly stepped out of a room holding the things necessary for the process.
As his gaze traveled across the front pews of the temple, indeed there was absolutely no one there, since it was still early morning.
After confirming the place was empty, Jonathan hurried to make holy water and placed all his things on the ceremonial table.
The materials and production of holy water were actually very simple. The concept everyone knows is that a Priest blesses the water with a prayer, but for holy water to also be effective against ghosts, salt must be added. And most importantly—the consecration process. Only by fulfilling this step will the holy water be effective against dark creatures.
Following the scale for each creation process, Jonathan calmly poured water into a large silver chalice and then mixed two tablespoons of salt per liter of water.
"All set. The only thing missing is the consecration…" Jonathan moved his hand over the mouth of the silver chalice, then placed his hand on the golden Grimoire and stood upright, looking at the statue of the Christian God. However, just as he was about to proceed with this step, a voice sounded from outside the church.
"Priest Jonathan! Are you around somewhere? I can't believe it, is he at his house again? If he's a priest, he should be in the church…"
Jonathan slightly arched his eyebrows as a vein popped on his forehead; he knew exactly who that voice belonged to—that was the delivery boy assigned by the Light Association to bring him things. Jonathan had helped him get this job after helping the boy return to the right path.
"I should wash his mouth with gasoline…" he muttered. Jonathan left what he was doing and soon saw a boy wearing a cap, dressed in a high school uniform, holding a wooden box in his right hand.
"He's not here?" The young man walked through each aisle, sticking his head from side to side, looking for Jonathan.
Seeing the boy's cautious expression, Jonathan stepped away from where he stood. "Daniel, don't be scared. I made sure to tell Priest Doug that you'll never steal the offerings again… Although he's still upset because the last time you stole the wine—he said you'll be forgiven if you don't do it again."
But Daniel, who saw Jonathan, shook his head and said, "That's not necessary. I have an urgent delivery for you; I'll leave it right here."
Daniel smiled gently, placed the cardboard box outside the room where Jonathan was, and then hurried off before Priest James could see him.
Seeing Daniel's evasive behavior, Jonathan sighed. "Doug must want to beat you up, but he won't do it while wearing his Priest uniform…"
Jonathan remembered when Daniel had stolen the wine used for the offering during ceremonies. Priest Doug had almost choked performing the ceremony because he had nothing to wash the bread down with.
"Something urgent…" Jonathan looked at the wooden box, so he quickly walked over to take what the Light Association had sent him. He sat on the bench and prepared to open it, but the sender's name made him stop.
"The Warren family…" That surname triggered a sharp mental reaction—he knew exactly who this family was.
It wouldn't matter if someone else were sending him this cardboard box, but if Ed Warren himself was contacting him, then there was probably a special situation requiring someone like him.
It should be known that Ed and Lorraine Warren were two investigators of paranormal phenomena. Therefore, their relationship with The Healing Church should be very close.
That is to say, if the Warrens encountered phenomena they couldn't resolve, they sought help from Exorcist Priests. They had been thoroughly supervised by the Light Association and were great investigators who helped significantly in the field.
But they still needed approval from The Healing Church to carry out anything moderately dangerous. Although it was known that Ed Warren was an ordinary man, he was a recognized demonologist by the Light Association. But the one who stood out the most was his wife, Rowling Warren, who had a skill that very few possessed—she was a medium and clairvoyant.
Having these special abilities, she could see things such as spirits, demons, and supernatural entities that others couldn't.
Speaking of which, Jonathan felt like he had heard the Warrens' names in his previous life, but he didn't remember them—he only felt they were familiar.
At that moment, his cell phone's ringtone suddenly sounded, and Jonathan quickly saw it was an unknown number, yet he still answered.
"Please don't hang up. The Healing Church has assigned you to us… By the way, I'm Ed Warren. My daughter often talks about you…"
Jonathan remained silent, surprised he hadn't been notified, but still thinking about what might be happening.
"Priest Jonathan, did you receive what we sent you?"
"It just arrived, but that's all I—" Jonathan looked at the unopened cardboard box and replied with a calm voice, wanting to know what Ed wanted from him.
"That's strange…"
With a deep voice, Jonathan said, "Well, are you in some kind of trouble? For someone from the Warren family to request a Priest, things must be really bad…"
"It's about my daughter…"