"Father Vincent… it is time…" The young female with a very fair complexion, wearing a habit[1] said to the man kneeling in front of a sculpture that showed a man nailed to a cross and a crown of thorns on his head.
The habit consisted of a black tunic, a black veil with a white coif and a white wimple.
The room had a serene atmosphere and dim lighting, with the only source of light from a small glass window with the mosaic of a woman with a crown behind her head[2].
The priest calmly muttered a few words in prayer and stood up.
He was 5'10 with faded blonde hair and a receding hairline. He held a Bible and a white rosary in his hand. The wrinkles on his face were not that much and could only be noticed well around his blue eyes.
He wore a black cassock that went past his knees and was closer to his ankles, a black Inverness cape and around his neck was a clerical collar.
With a stagnant, calm, warm, smile across his face, he gently nodded.
"Remember not to try to provoke 'him'." Father Vincent said to the young woman walking beside him.
"Yes, Father." She had elegant couture and wore a stern look.
A few steps later, they arrived at the chancel[3].
Knock… Knock… Knock…
The front door of the church shook a little as the knocks reverberated round the whole chapel.
Knock… Knock… Knock…
Mark felt he had announced his presence enough and pushed the large wooden door open.
Creak...
Their eyes were met with mosaic windows, wooden pews, a glorious chandelier, a large cross at the far end with a man nailed on it and various paintings.
Father Vincent and the nun walked forward to meet with their guests and stopped at the middle of the nave[4].
After passing the narthex[5], Mark walked forward but Damian remained where he was, surveying the structures and decorations in the chapel.
It was his first time stepping into a church.
...What's with all these decorations? He thought as he continued looking around.
"Um… Good morning, uh… My name is Mark Jordan and I'm a detective from the NYPD…" Mark took out his police ID card from his left pocket and flashed it before extending his right hand to give Father Vincent a handshake.
Father Vincent wore a calm smile and returned the gesture, "I'm glad we can be of company Detective Jordan… I'm Reverend Father George Vincent of Saint Rose of Lima Church, but please address me by my last name only, Vincent...
"And if you don't mind me asking, what do I pay this visit?"
"Sigh, due to the obvious crisis, I'll be blunt. I came in search of a girl that has long curly hair and light brown skin, looking much like very tanned skin and… about this tall…" He used his hand to try to gesture out his daughter's height.
"...and by chance, I think she would likely be with a woman that looks in her late 20s and of an Asian descent."
Father Vincent glanced at his subordinate and smiled, "I hope we can be of help, but please understand that we have to exercise caution in who we let in."
"Ok, cut the crap and tell us if you have the girl or not. Or else, I can't be sure we won't cause you trouble." Damian said, slightly annoyed.
…This fellow isn't being polite to Father Vincent… The nun was very annoyed but didn't let it show on her face.
…This annoying feeling of uneasiness since these two walked close up makes me want to puke… He was feeling on edge and even forgot his composure.
"Damian, please let me handle this." Mark said.
Damian was feeling very impatient but he tried his best to calm himself down.
Mark turned his head back to Father Vincent and said, "I understand your worries, Mr. Vincent…
"But look, the girl in question is my daughter, and the Asian woman I suspect to be with her is my wife. I don't believe I need to stress how important family is to someone."
The priest fell silent for a moment and glanced at his subordinate, "Please can you give us a moment?"
"Sure. Go ahead." Mark permitted.
The priest and nun turned around and walked forward until they got to the front of the pulpit.
"So which one do you think 'he' is?" Father Vincent said calmly, not too loud and not too low.
"The detective. The end phenomenon just started a few days ago but he has already ascended to the level of the Holy See in such a short amount of time. And the type of energy he emits is of darkness. It's definitely him for sure." The nun said confidently.
"Ok, very good… but what about the other man?"
"He doesn't have any speciality and his energy is very much like that of normal people, but I find it a bit difficult to see through him."
"If that is so, then we can conclude he is not harmful but we can't allow ourselves to make a mistake so we will just keep an eye on him."
"Yes, Father."
Father Vincent slightly nodded his head then ordered, "Go back and bring 'them', while I entertain our guests."
The nun gently nodded and turned to face Mark before bowing and taking her leave.
"Yes, we have such people with the description you gave. She will bring them to you." Father Vincent said with a smile.
"I appreciate you for keeping them safe. I believe it's them." Mark was relieved he didn't need to force them to release his ex-wife and daughter.
"Wait…" Damian said, pointing to the nun that had already gone past the pulpit and was heading for the door at the left side of the chancel.
She heard him and halted, then slightly turned her head to the left to look at Damian.
"By any chance, were you also given a 'prophecy'?" Damian said as he alternated gazes between Father Vincent and the nun.
Before Father Vincent could speak the nun spoke, "By using the word 'also', that means either you or someone you know had been given a prophecy?"
"Just answer my question." Damian retorted.
The nun cleared her throat, "Yes we were, and we have no obligation to tell you anything about it…"
"Sister Deloris, please call down…" Father Vincent chuckled nervously as he tilted his head slightly to glance at Deloris, before turning his head back to face Mark.
"I'm sorry, but we aren't permitted to share that information due to the significance it holds. Please understand…" He added.
"Ok. No problem…
"But did I mention my full name is Damian Cross?" Damian looked closely at the facial expression of both Father Vincent and Sister Deloris but only got looks of confusion.
They were thinking, "How does that relate to the current topic?" And "Is he a well-known person?"
He raised his hand and pointed at Mark, "He is part of the 'demon side' and is now a mid-ranked half-demon."
"Damian!" Mark blurted out in horror. Damian was just about to ruin his peaceful way of getting his family back.
Damian observed Sister Deloris a bit more than Father Vincent. He believed that the middle-aged man could keep up a facade like counting 1 to 3.
Unfortunately, he didn't find any reactions from them regarding what he said about Mark.
…And that confirms it. They knew that about Mark already, and the 'prophecy' that the crazy old man has is different from the one these people have. At least I can start from here…
"Uh… please don't mind what my colleague here is saying, heh-heh, he likes telling not-so-funny jokes sometimes, heh-heh." Mark chuckled frantically.
Damian smiled slightly, "You can go now… Sister Deloris."
Deloris continued on her journey but her head was gradually getting stuffed with thoughts as she realized what Damian did.
…That man is very cunning for someone so weak, but he also looks very smart. I might need to watch how I act around him…
"One more question…"
Deloris halted after she passed the door but part of the back of her habit could still be seen.
"Why aren't you guys afraid?" Damian asked, hoping to confirm his thoughts that their prophecy was actually about Mark.
But having realized what Damian was trying to do already, Deloris gave a very blunt answer, "Because we aren't."
Deloris didn't wait for another second and quickly went her way.
…Detestable. Well, I'll stand by what I think for now… but that girl looks awfully familiar. Hmm… maybe it's this annoying feeling I have or it might just be my eyes again… Damian sat down on the middle pew on the left side of the nave.
…This dude wants to put me in trouble. Is this revenge for what I did to him at my former house? Although he looks selfish, I don't think he holds a grudge… or does he? Mark was sweating buckets on what stunt Damian might pull next just to get back at him.
"So gentlemen, would you like to hear about the word of God?" Father Vincent calmly said.
"Hey, we're not f*ckin' children." Damian said disdainfully.
* * *
[1] "A religious habit is a distinctive set of religious clothing worn by members of a religious order. In Christian monastic orders of the Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican Churches, the habit consists of a tunic covered by a scapular and cowl, with a hood for monks or friars and a veil for nuns." Gotten fresh from Wikipedia.
[2] Well, it's apparently Holy Mary.
[3] "In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical East end of a traditional Christian church building." Also fresh from Wikipedia.
[4] The nave is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel.
[5] The narthex is the long, narrow, enclosed porch, usually collonaded or arcaded, crossing the entire width of a church at its entrance.