A few days later!
Queens, Saint Paul's Community Church.
A black Audi A8 slowly drove onto the street and then parked on the side of the road opposite the church.
Hawk, having pulled the handbrake, glanced at the church across the street through the passenger window and did not choose to get out.
Because today is Saturday.
Some believers from the nearby community come to Saint Paul's Church on this day to pray together under the guidance of Father John.
Deep down, Hawk does not believe in God.
Especially when God's skin color is different from what he imagined, he is even less likely to believe.
But...
He respects others' faith; even if he doesn't respect Father John's priesthood, he still respects the faith of the community's ordinary people.
After all, ordinary people are not guilty.
However, Hawk arrived just in time.
After waiting in the car for a while, the church's group prayer was about to end, and the community residents gradually left the church.
Hawk also chose this moment to get out of the car.
Some of the older residents living nearby greeted Hawk warmly when they saw him.
Hawk responded with a smile.
After all, until he turned twelve, he had been a member of Saint Paul's Church choir, and he'd appeared in the baptisms and weddings of nearby residents.
The old residents were not surprised by Hawk's visit.
Because even after turning twelve, Hawk would still come here once a month, and sometimes he would participate in the service with the residents.
Asked why, Hawk knew how to be grateful.
Ask again, and it's because Hawk is campaigning in advance for himself.
After Hawk smiled and greeted the residents gradually coming out of the church, and as he stepped into the church, the unrelated people had already left.
From afar.
Father John, with gray hair and dressed in priestly attire, lifted his head to gaze at the statue of Jesus in the church, holding a wooden cross quietly sitting in the first row.
Hawk walked over and naturally sat down beside Father John, then also directed his gaze at the statue of Jesus.
After a while.
Father John held the wooden cross, his gaze lost in thought as he looked at the statue of Jesus, his voice carrying a hint of seeking verification.
"So... it was our past that shaped your past."
"Yes."
Sitting beside and leaning against the chair, Hawk also smiled, looking at the statue of Jesus before him.
"Father John, there's something I'm quite curious about, can you help me resolve it?"
"...Of course."
"You saw the current me twenty years ago, so when you saw me grown up, did you ever think of killing me?"
It's known that Father John came to this church after he and his sister Anya were four years old, even though by then he and his sister Anya had left the church.
But...
The choir side gig was found by Father John, and maybe it wasn't obvious at five or six years old, but at seven or eight, at eleven or twelve.
Hawk doesn't believe Father John at eleven years old didn't realize he was the culprit who plucked his feathers, making him unable to return to Heaven or even communicate with it.
The reason he didn't kill Father John at the time, but merely threw Father John into the trash can, was simple.
That was his past.
Even killing him would only create another timeline branch without really changing anything.
But Father John...
He was truly someone living in the past; to Father John, he had the opportunity and the ability to kill Hawk.
Because at that time Hawk, also because of Father John's recommendation, trusted Father John greatly by joining the choir.
Listening to Hawk's question, Father John withdrew his gaze from the Jesus statue and shot a glance at Hawk beside him.
His expression was still the loving and peaceful one that resided in Hawk's memory.
"Does it have meaning?"
"Before you grew up, I thought I could bring you into the Lord's grace."
"In fact, that was indeed the case."
"Your faith was devout, more devout than anyone in the choir."
"You excelled in every exam."
"You could recite every scripture fluently."
"My task was to change your destiny, letting you grow in the Lord's radiance from a young age."
"The Lord wanted you to convert, and you did convert, I had no reason to kill you."
Father John recounted kindly and ethereally, then with a nod and smile, his tone shifted, and he looked back at the statue of Jesus.
"Do you know how old you were when I realized I hadn't changed your destiny?"
"I don't know."
"When you were twelve."
"Specifically, on your and Anya's birthday when Anya was sent to the hospital for a heart disease, while you prayed devoutly outside the emergency room."
"You said this at the time."
"Almighty Lord, merciful Buddha, Jade Emperor, Odin above, God King Zeus... please show your miracles and save my sister."
"It was at that moment I realized your destiny had not been altered by us."
"You prompted the Lord to seek change in the future through the past, but we merely created your past."
"..."
As Father John narrated, Hawk's thoughts returned to his twelfth birthday year.
His sister was gravely ill.
Outside the emergency room, he prayed with clenched hands to the gods and Buddhas above.
It's well known.
Believing in God was just a means to make money; he knew from a young age that once they turned eighteen, both he and his sister would be kicked out of the welfare system, and he had to save money early to avoid becoming homeless and destitute.
Here, once you become homeless, the countdown to your lifespan begins.
In short.
His faith in God was to make Father John believe he was truly devout, but when his sister was gravely ill, his true belief surfaced.
That is, faith in pragmatism.
The result...
Hawk's thoughts shifted, recalling the time he prayed at the ER door with Father John beside him, he smiled and met Father John's gaze.
"Since you know, why haven't you tried to kill me?"
"You had the chance back then."
"You knew I trusted you the most at that time. A single spiked juice, and you could have killed me without anyone knowing."
Yet Father John chose not to kill him.
Father John listened to Hawk's words, nodding with a smile.
"Yes, at that time, I indeed could have killed you."
"But you didn't."
"That's right."
"Why?"
"Perhaps..."
Father John met Hawk's gaze, his smile still kindly, as he opened his hands, revealing the wooden cross he was holding.
Hawk's gaze lowered.
Into view.
As Father John spread his palm, a thread of dark aura emerged, followed by a cross entirely condensed of darkness appearing in his palm.
But...
This is not a cross.
Rather, it's an inverted cross.
Hawk raised an eyebrow.
Father John's words came softly.
"My faith is not as unbreakable as I imagined."
"Once an angel loses their wings, they can no longer return to Heaven."
"And after living in the human world for all these years, I am no longer Angel Apollon, but rather human John."
"My divinity has gradually been replaced by humanity. My thoughts are no different from humans."
"Every human fears death."
"But I fear it more."
"So..."
Father John stroked the inverted cross providing him energy in his left palm with his right hand, then looked at Hawk: "Samael helped me."
Samael?
Hawk's mind flashed.
"Lucifer?"
"Yes."
Father John nodded, looking at Hawk: "The Lord lost an Archangel because of Samael's departure, and you are the second Samael the Lord hopes for."
Hawk furrowed his brows.
"Is Lucifer in this cosmos too?"
"No."
Father John shook his head: "But Samael's power is sourced from Heaven, which is why I could borrow his strength to survive until now. But, I must go."
Hawk smiled, looked at Father John: "I haven't decided whether or not to kill you, Father John."
Father John shook his head.
"Even if you don't kill me, I must go."
"Where?"
"To Samael."
Father John's face showed a somewhat speechless smile: "Samael said he wanted a break for a while and let me manage Hell for him. I agreed, but I knew you would come to find me, so I made a pact with Samael, once you've come to find me, I will go to him."
Hawk's mind turned upon hearing this.
Lucifer.
Vacation?
Going to Los Angeles? And then ditching being the Netherworld King to investigate with a female detective?
Speaking of——
This is definitely a DC Cosmos matter.
Hawk thought to himself, then returned to the moment, watching Father John rise from his seat.
With a bang.
Four wings unfolded behind Father John.
But black.
Pure black ones.
Father John's expression remained kindly and smiling as he met Hawk's gaze.
"You may choose to kill me now, or let me go."
"Heh."
Hawk looked at Father John before him, thought for a moment, then smiled and shook his head: "When I was twelve, you didn't kill me, and now, I won't kill you."
Saying that.
Hawk also rose from his seat, hands in pockets, looking at the kindly expression that made Father John seem more like God than the dark God, his face showing a slight smile.
"Safe travels, Father."
"Thank you."
Father John listened to Hawk's farewell, seemingly relieved of something, thanked him, and slowly closed his eyes.
In the next moment.
Black flames swept across his body, in the blink of an eye, engulfing Father John in flames turned him into a twisted black point, then with a whoosh, disappeared from Hawk's view.
Once the black point vanished.
Father John was already gone.
Hawk stood with hands in pockets, looking at the Jesus statue before him.
Just then.
The phone rang.
Sharon's.
"Hawk, there's news on Amy Crowe."
"..."