Father White's prayer wasn't finished yet, and Jimmy stood there with his hands crossed over his abdon.
A few minutes later, Father White finally stopped after repeating the prayer once more. He smiled at Jimmy, nodded, then looked at the others: "The ceremony is completed, thank you all for your assistance."
The six priests around them bowed and turned to leave the church hall, heading towards the lounge.
Father White's smile remained as he softly asked, "Jimmy, how do you feel?"
Jimmy slightly bowed, "Thank you, Father White, I didn't feel any discomfort, except for initially being restrained, that feeling quickly went away."
Father White: "That is the power of the Lord; He has accepted you, blessed you, and protected you. Please put away your weapon."
Jimmy retrieved the gun and knife from the altar into their holsters. Father White gestured for him to sit nearby: "Father Rodney, did you discover anything?"
Father Rodney was right behind Jimmy. Although he participated in the prayer reading, it seed he was purposefully arranged. "No, everything is normal."
Jimmy directly interrupted their conversation: "Can I ask what this is all about? I'm still confused."
Father Rodney answered, "Sorry, Jimmy, for not informing you beforehand. Here's the situation: a few days ago, during an exorcism, both you and Father Bennett were simultaneously immobilized, while our intention was only to restrain the evil, so it should have only immobilized Father Bennett."
You know, previously the four of us with Bennett could just evenly match him without causing fatal injuries, while you, upon taking over, could withstand Bennett on your own."
Jimmy: "So you suspect that I've been possessed by an Evil Spirit too?"
Father Rodney nodded, "Even though we all know you appear normal, since we'll be interacting frequently in the future, we must avoid any unforeseen circumstances."
Jimmy: "Then you could have told , I would definitely cooperate with you."
Father Rodney shook his head, "Doing so might alert the entity possessing you to escape. Here, in this church, if you truly were possessed, it would never be able to escape. We could exorcise it while ensuring your safety. Think of your career, your family, it's all worthwhile."
Jimmy was speechless, "You can't just decide my matters like this, at least inform beforehand. Even if you didn't say before, you should have when I arrived here. Since I'm already here, it's not like I could leave anyway.
I've experienced Father Horton's exorcism ceremony before; I understand the importance of these things..."
Before Jimmy finished speaking, Father White suddenly interrupted: "Sorry, Jimmy, this is all my decision."
Seeing Jimmy wanting to speak, he gestured for calm: "Don't get agitated, listen to . Jimmy, you are a good person, I understand what you've done over the years, out of a sincere sense of justice. I admire you for taking down those criminals, even if it leaves you in questionable and investigative situations.
In such circumstances, you still cooperate with us in investigating paranormal events and have saved Rodney and others multiple tis. These are the reasons we recognize and trust you.
The reason we didn't inform you this ti was purely out of caution for unforeseen events. If, I'm saying if, you were truly possessed, to ensure the complete eradication of the Evil Spirit possessing you, we must be fully prepared, as nobody knows what capabilities the possessing Evil Spirit might have."
Jimmy was left speechless again, worried about unforeseen events was just an excuse; they hadn't considered notifying him early enough. They're used to arranging everything forcefully, never considering what if Jimmy disagreed. So, they first invited Jimmy to the church in gratitude, and the rest was for them to handle, having nothing to do with Jimmy himself.
Jimmy didn't want to comnt further. He nodded, "Is it over now? If there's nothing else, I should be heading back."
Father White: "Wait, please stay a while, Rodney, co with ."
Father White got up, signaled for Rodney to leave with him, leaving Jimmy sitting on the bench watching them enter the back lounge.
Soon, the two returned, and Father White asked Jimmy to co back to the altar, taking a round badge from the box Rodney held and handing it to Jimmy: "Jimmy, in gratitude for your contribution to the Vatican's exorcism efforts, I, on behalf of the New York Archdiocese, award you the Exorcism Badge."
Jimmy reached out to take the round badge; it was a very thick badge, over a centiter thick and quite heavy, seemingly made of copper, with a cross and four circles in the middle, with so English letters that Jimmy didn't yet understand.
Seeing that Jimmy seed unfamiliar, Father White explained, "This is a Saint Benedict Exorcism Badge, it's not just a tourist souvenir, but sothing with the power to expel demons and protect the mind and soul. I hope it will guard you in future days and protect you from Evil Spirit disturbances."
Jimmy: "Thank you, Father White."
Father White: "I heard you are getting married in over two months? Have you chosen a church yet?"
Jimmy: "Oh, not yet, because my fiancée is not a believer, so we chose a hotel as the wedding venue..."
Father White: "That's not necessary, if you can, co here instead."
Jimmy looked at Father White in surprise, as this was St. Andrew's Church, "Is it possible?"
Father White smiled and nodded, Jimmy: "Thank you, but I need to go back and discuss with my fiancée and family."
Jimmy bid farewell to Father White. Father Rodney went with him back to Manhattan, explaining the aning of the letters on the Saint Benedict Exorcism Badge on the way, also showing his identical badge, which is sothing only a senior exorcist priest possesses.
After dropping Father Rodney off at the church, Jimmy returned to his apartnt. Watching Jimmy's departing figure, Father Rodney nodded and entered the church.
When Father White called him into the lounge earlier, they discussed matters concerning Jimmy. Originally, it was unlikely for Jimmy to be given the badge, but during the exorcism ceremony, Jimmy exhibited a very strong affinity with the Holy Light.
The power of the Holy Light freely traversed through his body, leaving no anomalies, making them feel that Jimmy was indeed the perfect vessel for the Holy Light. In any sense, Jimmy was suited to beco a ssenger of the Holy Light, even more so than so seasoned church mbers.
As a believer, Jimmy t their criteria, and along with everything he did for the church during this period, Father White decided to grant him the precious Exorcism Badge.
Though Jimmy wasn't sure what they discussed specifically, he understood that he passed the ordeal smoothly, with no negative impact on his abilities. In fact, he seed to have improved; his Heart Eye Vision perceives things more clearly now, without the blurred edges like frosted glass that he used to see. The outlines are now sharper.
His equipnt also seed to benefit from the exorcism ceremony. At least at that mont, it was clear that the Cross Pendant and ring bore Holy Power, although they reverted to their usual non-energetic state outside that environnt.
As for the energies absorbed by 1875, it's still uncertain if there have been any changes. It will only be clear the next ti he encounters these paranormal events.
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