Leon only had to listen to the Priest for a few seconds to realize that something was wrong.

As the Priest presided over the prayer, barely visible white and gold light pulsed around him, scattering to his surroundings and across the entire cathedral, drenching the believers in it.

Leon recognized that pulse. 'Gold and white… that's the ADE color of Quantum Shapers!'

The presiding Priest of Saint Serena Cathedral was an Ascended!

Leon was alarmed.

The only reason why he didn't flare up immediately was because what the Priest was doing posed no harm to him.

He already realized that this was an application of the Quantum Touch ability that Lucian was fond of using.

But instead of forcing enemies into slumber or altering and slowing bullets, this Priest used it to directly interact with the subconscious of the hundreds of believers in this cathedral, subtly pacifying them.

Leon recognized that this was to help them take their mind off the ongoing invasion in the city.

But still, to him, this was the first anomaly of the cathedral. 'If this is truly a cathedral of worship, why on earth is the Priest an Ascended?'

'And why on earth would the Gene Army allow this?'

As for the reason why all these believers were praying, Leon didn't need to have any knowledge on quantum physics to know.

First, this cathedral seemed like a shelter on its own which was a reason. And second, in times of disaster, people tend to look up towards a greater existence and put faith in him for protection and comfort.

This was an innate psychological reaction of sentient lifeforms.

To appease the people, the Priest preached while using his Ascended ability, soothing them by channeling their focus towards God's promised kingdom, promising them that the suffering of this world like the ongoing invasion is just a temporary problem.

According to him, in God's kingdom, there was no suffering.

In God's kingdom, there was no pain. All the people needed to do was wholeheartedly repent and return to the divine blueprint in heart, body, and mind.

Hearing that 'divine blueprint' term again, Leon's gaze darkened but he kept his cool through the mass.

At the very least, the priest didn't call lack of obedience heresy like the terrorists did and that helped him keep his calm.

During the sermon, the Priest quoted several verses from their scriptures that spoke on the topics of war and survival.

After the Priest's sermon, they had a repentance ritual where they shared a nutrient pack for every single one of the believers.

Leon noticed a few more Ascendants among the servers giving out the nutrient packs; he noticed them due to how different their physiques was from the regular servers in the cathedral.

He narrowed his eyes. 'Why do a cathedral need so many Ascendants for?'

His face was solemn.

He didn't eat his nutrient pack but paying keen attention to the believers around him, he noticed that the signs of fear on their faces visibly reduced, almost as if they were intoxicated, becoming relaxed and even a bit drowsy.

'Drowsy?' Leon squinted his eyes.

He recognized that the effects of the nutrient pack though clearly effective in calming down the crowd also bore similarities to the reality-altering powers of a Quantum Shaper.

And with the Class of the Priest that he already deciphered, his gaze darkened. 'They have so many signs of Quantum Shapers in their mass, is the Reclaimer Church closely affiliated to the Omnicore Federation?'

'If so, why on earth would the Geneforge Clans allow them to build a cathedral inside their city?'

Maybe it was because of how paranoid he was feeling due to the ongoing invasion in the city, but Leon felt like he was overanalyzing everything.

In the end, he forced himself to calm down.

After the repentance ritual as the Priest prayed for all the believers again, Leon watched the choir perform a soothing song that further calmed the crowd down.

After that, the Priest once again encouraged the crowd to stay strong and keep faith in God, then the mass finally came to an end.

The people didn't leave though, they all stayed inside the cathedral.

Leon observed some more, watching a few believers stand up to enter a certain booth for confessions.

The Priest was also inside there!

In Leon's plan, the Priest was the main element.

He stayed calm and observed, noting that of the believers who stood up to go to the booth for confessions, the ones who donated money on the offering box got priority in meeting the Priest.

Calmly, he stood up and walked towards the offering box, dropping a bunch of 10 pound notes on the offering box then he joined the few believers that went inside the booth for confessions.

Just like he expected, his offering made him a priority believer to confess and also, the servers already recognized him.

This was Thomas Riley!

This confirmed that even people in the Reclaimer Church in Leviathan Quay knew of his infamous persona.

He waited a few minutes and finally it was his turn.

Leon entered inside a room that was separated from the Priest's chamber by a gray stone wall and a single window with a black net.

He sat on the chair in front of the window.

The Priest was very professional as he didn't broach on the topic of his identity.

"What do you want to confess?" The Priest asked in a soft-spoken voice.

Leon took a few seconds to organize his thoughts, then he said. "I've only been a believer recently, I want to learn about the church".

The Priest didn't reply for a few seconds, then he finally inquired. "What do you want to learn about?"

"Everything". Leon said. "I feel lost, there are lots of things that I no longer understand," he looked straight at the window. "Things like how did the church manage to create a radicalist like Lucian?"

"…"

Silence reigned for over a dozen seconds then with his composure still completely intact, the Priest responded.

"It's fine to be lost child," the Priest said. "It shows our innate humanity, and it's something that we should be proud of".

"When you're lost, look towards God. Seek the light. Do you want to hear a few scriptures to brighten your thoughts?"

Leon didn't point him out for dodging his most important question.

Instead, he took a deep breath and calmly said. "Can we start with the 5 Aspects of Divine Restoration?"

He still remembered this recommendation from Lucian.

The Priest readily agreed, then he gave a few instructions to his altar servers, including telling others to take care of the confession of the other believers.

A few seconds later, a young Geneform entered the room where Leon sat as he brought a leather tome and handed it over to him.

Leon took the tome and looked at its cover; on the cover of the tome was the name.

[SCRIPTURE FRAGMENT 3:7-11 – "THE FIVE ASPECTS OF DIVINE RESTORATION"]

Beneath it was written…

["Recovered from the Cathedral of Rustlight, Neo-Tokara East Sector."]

["Translated from High Binary by Sister Amaris."]

Leon opened it to the first page and on it was written…

[PRELUDE – The Broken Covenant]

[…]

Though Leon couldn't see through the net inside the Priest's chamber due to its design, the Priest could see him clearly.

And when he saw him get stuck in the large texts filling the prelude, he smiled and assisted him. "When the first Makers rose from dust, they shaped steel and soul as one. But pride divided them- machine against flesh, data against spirit".

"The Collapse was their punishment… a world without memory, a sky of static". His voice took on an ethereal story-telling quality.

"Then from the ruins of the old world came the five reflections of Creation, shards of the lost divine design. We call them the Five Aspects of Restoration," he smiled wider. "Other people call them the Paths of Ascension".

"Open to the next page". He urged gently.

Leon obeyed and opened the tome to the next page.

[I. The Mechanist – The Hand of Rebuild]

["Through the forge, memory is renewed."]

[…]

The Priest explained. "The 5 Aspects of the Divine Restoration shows us the path to the supernatural left as an inheritance to us by God".

"As you can see, the first is the Mechanist". He smiled. "You should be familiar with this one".

"Scripture 3:7 says Blessed is the one who wields with remembrance for each bolt re-threads the covenant".

"Thomas Riley, do you wield your powers with remembrance?"

Leon didn't respond, quietly staring back at the net.

The Priest smiled. "The Mechanist bears the spark once held by the Ancestors, he takes the ruins of the old and breathes order into them".

"When a Mechanist builds, the past remembers its purpose. His gears turn not by metal alone, but by faith in continuity".

'You make it sound so religious'. Leon mocked but on his face, he maintained an attentive expression.

Seeing how attentive he was, the Priest was emboldened.

"Open to the next page". He encouraged and Leon obeyed.

[II. The NetRunner – The Voice in the Wires]

["The Word travels faster than light."]

[…]

The Priest's smile turned gentle. "The second aspect of the Divine is the NetRunner".

"Scripture Verse 3:8 says, do not fear the ghost in the circuit for in its code sleeps revelation".

"This is referring to the NetRunners".

"They speak to the unseen currents of the past where thought becomes pattern. In every datastream lies a whisper of the Creator's first command".

"The NetRunner is that echo made flesh, a prophet inside the machine".

Leon blinked.

By now, he could already tell that the 5 Aspects of Divine Restoration that Lucian spoke about was the Reclaimer Church's own version of the 5 Ascended Classes of Neo-Tokara.

'Are they trying to say that their God created the power system of this world?' His lips twitched.

"Open to the next page". The Priest encouraged.

Leon obeyed.

[III. The Gene Augur – The Flesh Rewritten]

["Life remembers the blueprint of Eden."]

[…]

'Eden?' Leon felt that this name was familiar.

The Priest continued. "Scripture Verse 3:9 says that as the flesh divides, so too does mercy multiply".

He explained. "The Augur reads the language of the body, syllables of muscle and marrow. They grow what was forgotten, they embody the innate adaptability of the living and the will of earth".

His voice turned reverent. "Their mutations are prayers written in DNA, proof that salvation can evolve".

"Open to the next page".

Leon did.

[IV. The Cyber Gladiator – The Shield of Resolve]

["Steel is only strong when guided by purpose."]

[…]

"Cyber Gladiators are the embodiment of God's wrath and at the same time his protection".

"He is our father". He said in a reverent voice. "It's just like a father will beat and discipline his child with one hand, then use the other hand to draw him to safety when there's danger".

"Like Scripture Verse 3:10 says, strike not in rage but remembrance for each victory defends the promise".

"Cyber Gladiators are the guardians of the covenant, God's armor clad in conviction. Their blows are sermon, their endurance a vow".

Leon's lips twitched again. 'Wow!' He was impressed.

The Priest continued. "When the weak tremble, the Gladiator stands so others may build and dream".

"Open to the last page". He encouraged and Leon obeyed.

[V. The Quantum Shaper – The Breath of the Divine]

["Creation bends for the pure of intent."]

The Priest smiled. "This is the closest Aspect to God".

"Few walk this path, even fewer survive its revelation. The Shaper gazes upon the code of existence and rewrites it in faith".

"They are proof that the boundary between God and man was never sealed, only forgotten".

"Like Scripture Verse 3:11 says, to command reality is not blasphemy if the command is love".

"We command reality because God allows it".

"I breathe the breath of the Divine". The Priest's smile widened. "Our great leader, Arch-Deacon Varrin Holt also breaths the breath of the Divine".

Leon struggled to keep a straight face. 'The leader of the Reclaimer Church is also a Quantum Shaper?'

So far, everything that he learned from this Priest painted the Reclaimer Church as a faction that preaches similar ideologies to the Extremist Movement, but the difference was that they were not radical about it.

Just like this Priest was soft-spoken, so were their ways soft unlike the extreme 'repent or die' ideology of the Extremist Movement.

So far, Leon already developed a neutral positive impression of the Reclaimer Church despite the clear inconsistencies and a few elements that left him suspicious like why Priests had to be Ascended, right until now.

'How was the leader of the Reclaimer Church a Quantum Shaper?'

If this Priest was already an F Rank Quantum Shaper, Leon doubted that the Arch-Deacon would also be F Rank.

Since awakening in this world, the reality kept on being hammered into him that the Omnicore Federation were the ones in control of the Quantum Shaper Class. They literally monopolized it.

Without their permission, you literally can't become a Quantum Shaper. So how did the leader of the Church become a high-ranking Quantum Shaper?

His eyes narrowed. 'Am I missing something?'

Leon felt even more puzzled. 'There's no way that the Geneforge Clans don't know all these things, and yet they let the Church proliferate in their territories and build churches here?'

Leon felt like he was missing something but due to his lacking knowledge, he didn't know exactly what he was missing.

Once again, he felt a deep yearning to know the history of this world.

But in the end, despite the fact that Leon still wanted to delve deeper in the scriptures and ideology of the Reclaimer Church to learn their ways and maybe understand Lucian better that way, he knew that he didn't have the time.

He leaned back on his chair and looked straight at the net. "Father, you avoided my question earlier…"

Instantly, the atmosphere changed but Leon was unfazed.

"Tell me, how did the church manage to create a radicalist like Lucian?'

Seated on the other side of the net, the Priest pursed his lips in silence as he let the silence stretched for more than 30 seconds.

Leon patiently waited for him to answer.

And just as the Priest finally opened his mouth to answer, they were interrupted as Leon's smartphone buzzed.

BZZZT!

Leon looked at the screen of his smartphone and his eyes dilated.

The Demon of Ozempic just started a new live video!

...

[Special Appreciation to D4rkV1II14n, Katcan20, and Yametekudastop for the Golden Tickets. Thanks a hundred, the support is really appreciated.]

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