When Beyonders Appeared

"Bishop?"

Old Harvey and Gais hurriedly helped Little George up. His face was deathly pale, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

"Looks like he passed out from overusing his Spirituality? Does that make me guilty of exploiting child labor...?"

Ivan felt a pang of sympathy. As he wrestled with his guilt, he suddenly remembered the Spirituality Remnant Corpse he had separated out during the day.

"Right, the Spirituality Remnant Corpse! I remember that when I gave Gais the Gift, it didn't come with any extraordinary abilities.

Does that mean the Remnant Corpses created by expending energy normally can only be used to Gift followers who already have supernatural abilities?"

He decided to test it on Little George.

Ivan concentrated, trying to make the ability he was splitting off affect only one tentacle.

His faith energy dipped by a barely noticeable amount. A tentacle imbued with a faint trace of Spirituality split off from him and slowly drifted through the void into Little George's brow.

Little George, who had been pale and unconscious, suddenly opened his eyes.

He felt his depleted Spirituality rapidly recovering, and his complexion grew rosy again. It was as if he had regained his vitality in an instant.

"Great Lord, was that you? Was it your Gift that restored my strength?"

Little George's excited voice reached Gais's ears. He hurriedly turned around and saw that the boy had regained consciousness and was looking as lively as ever.

"Is this also the power of the Lord? It's so miraculous, so mighty. He can even awaken his follower directly from unconsciousness!

Praise the great Lord of All Spirits!"

Gais prayed silently, growing even more certain that the being he followed was an infinitely great one.

Watching Little George's condition improve, Ivan gained a rough understanding of what the Spirituality Remnant Corpse could do.

"As expected, a Spirituality Remnant Corpse produced by expending a little energy can restore a follower's Spirituality.

"But I'm curious. If I used a Remnant Corpse like the one I produced this morning, which cost me more than half my energy and was far richer in Spirituality, would it work better?

"Uh, the extra Spirituality shouldn't make Little George explode, should it?"

A gruesome image flashed through Ivan's mind. He shook his tentacles.

"Probably not. Gais had no supernatural abilities, but nothing happened when he absorbed it.

"Maybe once their Spirituality overflows, they can go even further down the path to becoming Beyonders?

"I'll test it on Little George another day, when I have more faith energy..."

Little George felt as though something unseen had set its sights on him. The hair all over his body stood on end, and he couldn't help praying.

"Great Lord of All Spirits, please protect your follower from the corruption of evil..."

"Hm? What corruption of evil? I'm right here..."

Ivan looked around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. He scratched his head.

"Right, let's keep asking Old Harvey about the Church of Creation. For example, do they have any Beyonders?"

Little George rubbed the goose bumps on his arms, sat up straight, and continued questioning Old Harvey beside him.

"Grandpa Harvey, if everyone's memories were altered, then it must have been a Beyonder from the Church of Divine Grace—uh, someone with special abilities—who changed them.

"Does the Church of Creation have anyone who can resist them?"

Old Harvey absently picked at his fingers and fell silent for a moment.

"I don't know... I've lived for almost sixty years, and before the Church of Divine Grace appeared, I'd never heard of Beyonders."

He paused, and a dazed look passed through his cloudy eyes.

"Of course, except for what I read in the ancient books of the Church of Creation. Things like the Shadow of Judgment, the Pupil of All-Seeing, the Witch of Destiny, and the Sage of Enlightenment...

Old Harvey gave a bitter laugh, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes bunching together.

"Back then, the priests said they were divine messengers who served the all-knowing and all-powerful Lord.

"But nobody took it seriously. We thought they were just myths and legends from the Church.

"Rumors of Beyonders only began spreading among the lower classes in the past two years.

"I swear to the all-knowing and all-powerful Lord, if I hadn't seen Little George's miraculous ability, I still wouldn't believe such people existed."

Old Harvey raised a hand to wipe his face. Cloudy tears ran down his wrinkled cheeks as he slowly fell to his knees.

"Great Lord of All Spirits, you are as great and merciful as the all-knowing and all-powerful Lord.

"I beg you to end the Church of Divine Grace's rule and restore everything that belongs to the people of the lower classes."

Silence settled over the room. Gais and Little George were moved by the atmosphere too, and silently bowed toward the air.

Ivan's mind was now shrouded in an even thicker fog. If what Old Harvey said was true, and Beyonders had appeared at the same time as the Church of Divine Grace, then what major event had taken place four years ago to bring about such a fundamental change in the world?

A change of churches, the appearance of the supernatural...

He grew more and more curious about the truth behind it all, but no one could give him an answer just yet.

"I promise you."

Little George hurriedly helped Old Harvey up and told him the Lord's answer. Nearby, Gais smiled as he watched the two embrace.

Ivan knew that establishing a church in the Rhine Kingdom would inevitably bring them into conflict with the Church of Divine Grace. It was only a matter of time.

"Now, hear my revelation."

"Gais, spread my name to more people."

"Little George, from now on, you and Harvey will be responsible for organizing gatherings for the followers. Be sure to change locations. Hold a gathering at least once a week to strengthen their faith."

"Of course, screen everyone carefully to keep members of the Church of Divine Grace from infiltrating."

After Old Harvey had shared what he knew about the Church of Creation, Ivan had already begun to consider him a core member of the church. After all, no one would turn away an old man who knew about the past.

Gais bowed and placed his right hand over his chest. Seeing him, Little George and Old Harvey quickly followed suit.

"We will follow your instructions, great Lord of All Spirits."

Ivan rubbed his chin, imagining the Holy Spirit Society growing ever larger and his own breakthrough once he was filled with faith energy.

"Hmm... As long as I don't get some useless ability that looks impressive but does nothing, like flying or glowing."

Gais's voice interrupted Ivan. His face wore an unusually troubled expression.

"Great Lord of All Spirits, your faithful servant Gais has something he isn't sure whether he should report to you."

Seeing Gais's expression, Ivan couldn't help but tense up.

"Did I overlook something in my arrangements? Or is the Church of Divine Grace coming after us?"

He suppressed his doubts and replied calmly,

"Go ahead."

"Great Lord of All Spirits, following your wise guidance,

"If the Holy Spirit Society is to recruit more of your compatriots and hold weekly gatherings to strengthen their faith..."

Gais paused, looking a little embarrassed.

"The biggest problem we face right now is a lack of Gold Pounds."