Chapter 3: Church Of Combat

Elijah ran down the dark streets. He saw an abandoned gothic-style building, it looked like it came out of a horror movie." Maybe it's not a very good idea to go into that building," Elijah said to himself. Across the street, there was a church.

People could be seen going in and out, Elijah waited for the traffic on the streets to hold up in a matter of seconds the carriages and cars stopped he ran across the street.

A father and his daughter held hands while the two walked out of the church "Daddy, when can I get the new Charlie doll?" she asked she had pure blonde hair, her eyes were an ember color, the father had brown hair with a pair of ember eyes, he looked to be in his late forties.

"i can get you the doll once i have enough money, okay sweetie" the girl grinned, she left her father's hands then ran around. "Okay, daddy," the father chased after her, once he caught her he gives her a piggyback (cute) Elijah thought, he marched into the church.

He realized that he was in a messy white shirt and black shorts; he ran out of the church to go find a change of clothes somewhere; he searched as hard as he could, then a thought came into his head," That abandoned building," Elijah sighed heavily"I doubt that place has clothes of my size" .

The door to the building was blocked off he didn't have enough strength to pull the wooden boards from it, he went around back there was a broken window" Someone has already been in here….it's another reason I should leave…but I need the clothes," Elijah said painfully.

He climbed through the window the inside was dark and dusty there was a musk in the air, it smelled of burnt human flesh. Elijah walked deeper into the building he checked some of the rooms they had clothes but were not of his size; the other rooms had girl clothes.

The building had 5 floors. Elijah had already checked the four floors he couldn't find anything, but there was a sudden crash in one of the rooms "Like all horror movies, go near the sound, and you die" Elijah walked away from the sound he went into a room at the end of the hallway. the room had clothes of his size; he found a white shirt he paired it, with a black vest.

He searched the room for pants he found one, but it was a little short; the clothes themself were somehow clean "Did someone pack this place with clothes?..it looks like it's just been bought"Elijah asked out loud,, but there was no answer, he managed to put on the pants he was ready to get out but-

BOOM!

The building shook, and the force of the explosion made Him fall to his knees "The hell is going on!" Elijah yelled; he rose to his feet and then dashed down the hallway. The floor beneath him crumbled; he managed to hold onto a piece of wood, then dangled in the air; the blazing heat below didn't make it easy for him to pull himself up, this body has the strength he just doesn't know how to use it.

Tap

He heard footsteps below him. He saw figures running around. They seemed to be fighting something, the wood that he hung on burst; and Elijah plummeted to the lower floor. The battle below raged on "I'll ask again, which organization are you from? " a female voice asked.

She seemed to be very young "I will die before i-" a male voice was cut by Elijah's screaming, "Jackson!" the young woman yelled "Why Did I Come Here!!" tears could be felt coming down his face as he yelled.

The flames overflowed the building; it was like it had turned into a sea of flames. Elijah saw a hand reaching out toward him. He reached out to catch the hand and managed to catch the arm of the figure; it managed to pull him out of the burning building.

Elijah ran to the church; people across the street looked on in fear. Some cops showed up. They wore black uniforms. Some had swords on their rights while some had revolvers at their left waist "Get in the church now!" The police yelled.

Elijah looked back to the burning building he saw a black figure fly out at breakneck speed; he barely saw its face. The only thing he managed to make out was that it had a white horn wrapped around its head; the police ran into the building.

They were fearless, but he didn't care to watch; all he cared about was his safety. He dashed inside the church some of the people that looked to be a priest went out to go help the police, a pope dressed in a black and red uniform walked up to Elijah "come this way child" the pope Announced, Elijah followed they walked from the lobby to a large bronze door two bishops stood guard of the door.

The bronze door had small intricate details, the two bishops wore a black and white uniform a white veil covering their faces, the two bishops opened the large door, and through the door Elijah saw a podium behind that there was a large statute of an angle it had weapons for wings, the pope led Elijah to the podium "why did you led me here?" Elijah exclaimed but the pope did not give answer Elijah's leg felt tried so he sat down on a nearby seat, the pope kneeled to the floor then he spoke in an unknown language .

"THE GREAT SYMBOL OF POWER,

THE ALMIGHTY THAT MASTERS ALL WEAPONS

KING OF ALL KNIGHTS "

The pope announced, Elijah's head pulsed with a small amount of pain his vision slowly went blank he looked on unto a blank void, his gaze was drawn to a disturbing sight: a throne made from a grim assembly of weapons and bones. Ominously, blood oozed from this throne, flowing into a large, eerie puddle.

It went up to create a human like form, it had tall crimson red hair it had blood red pairs of eyes its body was covered by a sliver armor the man started to speak an unknown language "guess like you don't speak Novarian, it is an old language most people speak the Solarium language" the man said his gaze met Elijah's, he was scared by this, he took a few steps back then asked"where am i?" the figure looked on then smiled "looks like you met an old friend of mine".

(Friend of mine? What does he mean by that?) Elijah pondered, his thoughts racing back to the moment of his death. His body quivered, and he managed to stammer, "So... I died back then?"

The enigmatic figure drew nearer, speaking in a gentle tone, "The guy you met is an old friend of mine. Did he give you anything?" Elijah's panic persisted, his mind stuck in a loop of disbelief, (I died, I died, I died...) He felt as though he was unraveling, his skin seeming to liquefy, and his body ignited into flames. The man observed with a twisted amusement.

Elijah's head began to crack open slowly, and he let out a harrowing scream of agony. Tentacle-like appendages sprouted from his fractured skull, and his body creaked and twisted. "That's enough of that," the man with tall, crimson hair remarked, his voice tinged with a sinister satisfaction.

His hands emitted a faint white glow, and Elijah's tumultuous thoughts momentarily subsided. The tentacles vanished, and his shattered head miraculously reassembled. "The pain should be gone," the man remarked calmly, his tone oddly reassuring. "Here's some advice: avoid being killed again. Each time you die, you slowly go insane. I saved you this time, but the next time won't go so well."

Elijah's mind raced as he tried to process the gravity of his situation. "Did he leave something for you?" the man inquired again. Elijah recalled his tormentor, the man in the high-backed chair. His description was vivid – a black windbreaker over a black suit, a black cane adorned with gold and adorned with enigmatic symbols. "He didn't give me anything," Elijah answered honestly.

The man paced thoughtfully, rubbing his chin, before halting abruptly. "You are quite weak for now," he mused, "but an opportunity for strength will come your way. When it does, seize it and never let go." Elijah was perplexed, yearning for clarity, but all he truly wanted was a sanctuary from this surreal ordeal.

"If you ever need assistance," the man continued, "call upon me using my honorific name. You'll be staying at the church for the time being, so you needn't worry about your apartment." Elijah's curiosity piqued, he couldn't help but ask, "How did you know about my apartment? It seems obvious, but how do you know?" The man stroked his chin in thought before answering cryptically, "I knew because someone in your apartment had prayed to me."