Dream Awakener

Ivan's revelation entered their minds. They all froze for a moment, then began praying excitedly.

"Praise the great Lord of All Spirits."

Now that Little George and Gais had seen Diana's strength, they no longer doubted whether she deserved the title of knight.

Having received the Lord's revelation, they felt even more reassured.

"Great Lord, so you were testing us all along!" Diana had won the battle and been called a knight by the Lord. While the adrenaline still coursed through her, she cried out even more excitedly.

Ivan quickly straightened Little George's body and floated into the air.

That was right. Little George hadn't fallen because Ivan had used some miraculous means to hold him up.

Rather, Ivan had used his jellyfish body as a cushion.

After Diana had quietly slipped out of her room that night, he had taken the opportunity to absorb the extraordinary power contained in the eyeball.

He had just split off an extraordinary ability from the Heart-Dream Aspect when he hurried after her, intending to bestow this Gift upon Gais that very day.

Who could have guessed that his other two followers would start fighting in front of the Holy Spirit Society's Small Chapel?

By the time he flew into the alley, the fight was almost over. As soon as he arrived, he saw Little George about to fall headfirst to the ground.

So, without thinking, he instinctively rushed forward and used his body as a cushion for his bishop.

"What can I say? As you'd expect from a Punishment Knight, whose strength lies in combat. Her close-quarters fighting is indeed a little better than Little George's, a Natural Aspect Shaman..."

But little Diana's outfit today did look rather mysterious. In Little George's eyes, it certainly didn't seem to suit a knight.

Come to think of it, this was Ivan's fault. To maintain the mystery, he had only mentioned that there was a knight without giving any details. He had done the same with Diana.

He looked at the excited Diana and spoke slowly:

"Miss Diana, as a knight of the Holy Spirit Society, you still have a long road ahead of you. Don't be satisfied with a single victory.

"Our Bishop George just happens to be a Natural Aspect Shaman who isn't good at close-quarters combat."

Diana nodded. She was a little curious about the Natural Aspect and Shamans, but held back her questions.

She dipped into a slight curtsy toward Little George. Her tone was both lively and girlish, yet tinged with a lady's courteous deference:

"Bishop George, I'm sorry for giving you the wrong impression of me. As the Lord's knight, I'll do my best to protect the Church's growth from now on!"

Little George quickly withdrew his hand from Diana's lace glove. After all, it was impolite to touch a young woman's hand.

He straightened up and sheepishly scratched his head. "Not at all. My own abilities are just too weak..."

But he soon rallied and resolved to work harder at combat training.

He welcomed Diana, saying, "Miss Diana, it's an honor to have you join the Holy Spirit Society!"

Ivan's voice rang out again. "This gentleman in the tailcoat is Mr. Gais. He's a true gentleman, and also the Holy Spirit Society's current Missionary."

Gais reached out toward Diana's fingertips, stopping just short of touching them. He made a slight kissing motion toward the back of her hand through the air and smiled.

"Beautiful Miss Diana, with you joining us, I believe the Church's future will shine as brightly as your beauty."

Diana curtsied slightly as well. She rested her right hand lightly on her left knee, the cutout pattern of her gray lace glove against her skirt, her fingertips gently curled into an elegant arc.

Her movements were graceful and fluid, giving no hint that she was a Beyonder who had just fought a fierce battle.

"I wonder what Mr. Gais's Aspect and extraordinary ability are..."

The Lord hadn't introduced Gais's abilities, and she couldn't help feeling curious.

But out of politeness, she still didn't ask.

Ivan saw what she was thinking and shook his head.

"What a curious young lady."

His majestic voice rang out again:

"Gais's ability will be either the Heart-Dream Aspect's Whisperer or Dream Awakener.

"It depends on which ability he's more compatible with."

Silence fell over the air. Little George's expression grew excited and animated, as if he were happy that Gais was about to become a Beyonder too.

Gais, on the other hand, remained calm on the surface, maintaining his smile, though inwardly his emotions had already surged.

He had always believed that the Lord would find the right path for him.

But seeing these two young people, neither of whom was older than him, gain extraordinary abilities had made him feel somewhat dejected.

He had even felt a little regret for rejecting the Order Aspect at the time. But he hadn't expected that, just one week later, the great Lord would bring him good news.

"Praise the great Lord of All Spirits!" he thought gratefully.

Ivan saw a thick, unmistakable stream of faith energy flow into him.

The more skeptical someone like Gais had once been, the stronger their faith tended to be when it finally arose.

Diana's mouth, meanwhile, had fallen open in a shocked "O."

"The Lord said that he would... Could it be that the Lord had me take that strange eyeball so that Mr. Gais could become a Beyonder?"

Her thoughts churned as scenes of the Lord's revelations over the past few days flashed through her mind.

"Great Lord of All Spirits, from time immemorial, you have always kept your followers in your heart, whether new or old, ordinary or otherwise!"

She remained shaken for a long time. What had happened to her and Gais made her all the more certain that the Lord of All Spirits had answered their call. It was no coincidence, much less some evil god's scheme.

"The Church of Divine Grace is so hypocritical. They claim to put people through trials, and say you have to concoct some Magic Potion to obtain extraordinary power—with great difficulty, no less.

"But with the great Lord of All Spirits, all you have to do is believe faithfully to ascend beyond the ordinary. There's no need for all that twisting and turning.

"It's obvious the Church of Divine Grace is taking advantage of our ignorance!"

The more Diana thought about it, the angrier she became. Her cheeks puffed up, and all traces of her mysterious, dangerous air vanished, leaving her utterly adorable.

Ivan silently watched the thoughts of the people below and the faith energy reaching him.

"Hmm... Some things really are better left unexplained. Let them fill in the blanks themselves."

Ivan reckoned that enough time had passed. He didn't want to keep the followers inside waiting any longer, and he also wanted to replenish the faith energy he had recently spent as soon as possible. So he spoke to the three of them:

"Little George, first lead Diana and the new followers through baptism and Holy Communion.

"Gais, stay outside. I will bestow upon you the extraordinary power of the Heart-Dream Aspect."

Little George and Diana entered the Small Chapel, leaving Gais alone, still bowing as he paid his respects to the air.

Ivan's voice unfolded slowly as he explained in detail what he had read in the Book of Rituals, including the Secret Rite and the Code of Conduct. Then he summarized:

"The Whisperer can hypnotize others and alter their perceptions. You should have experienced this already.

"The Dream Awakener's abilities mainly concern their own dreams. They can frequently receive revelations through them.

"Your talent is better suited to the Whisperer, but the granting of abilities is somewhat random.

"Are you certain you wish to become a Beyonder of the Heart-Dream Aspect?"

"I will follow your revelation, great Lord of All Spirits." Gais kept his head lowered, continuing to bow respectfully.

Ivan nodded. He took the pink glow that had formed from the Heart-Dream Aspect out of his spiritual body and guided it as it slowly sank into Gais.

Gais shuddered a few times. After a moment, his voice rang out once more:

"Great Lord, my consciousness—or rather, my Spirituality—tells me that I have become a Dream Awakener."