Deacon of Mercy: Chapter 3 – Unwanted Conflict

Chapter 3 – Unwanted Conflict

Since I’m so excited to get back to work today, I get up before my alarm rings and head downstairs to make breakfast for everyone. I finish my breakfast faster than they do, frantically pace around as I wait for them, and say our family rosary faster than I usually do. Then, I head out to the hero association office for my assignment and go to my assigned location before Idelle and Deborah can catch up to me. While on the job, I accept requests as soon as they appear and finish them just as quickly. Today, I’m assigned to Solis, where people know me and are thankful that I’m back. Nothing major happened while I was gone, but the heroes that took my place weren’t as effective or nice as I was.

“I’m glad to be back as well, more than you know,” I say with a big smile.

That uneasy itch in my arms is finally gone, and I feel satisfied as if my soul hungered to work like a normal hero again. I’m about to answer and go to another request, but I am stopped by a group of heroes and vigilantes who surround me. I recognize the symbols on their outfits as ones from the other hero associations I faced in the competition.

“Hello, friends. Is there something I can help you with?” I say, while still being jittery to fulfill requests.

“How’s the fame and fortune you’ve earned treating you? I’m surprised you’re back on the job after winning so much,” one of the heroes says.

“I don’t care for the fame. As for the fortune, I just give more in my Sunday offerings, more to charity, and plan to buy more for others. Also, my vocation is being a hero, and since I’m not tired at all from the competition, I’m back at work, where I belong.”

“You’re always being a saint, aren’t you? Why don’t you let others have a chance to do your job? Give yourself a well-deserved break for once.”

Seeing what these people are trying to do, I say, “Then go out and do it and stop preventing me from doing my God-given job.”

“We can’t because you keep taking all the glory.”

“Accept work in other places and don’t be so focused on glory. This job is about helping and protecting people. Glory and riches are a secondary component to it.”

“That may be the way it is for you, but the rest of us can’t live like that and don’t see it the way you do. You’ve embarrassed us, and people don’t take us as seriously because of you.”

“Then maybe this is a wake-up call from God to change your mindset. I’ll pray for you that it happens. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

I try to get to the next requests, especially since they’re starting to build up, but I’m stopped again by the same people.

“Don’t you want to let others have a chance to fulfill dreams and goals of their own?” one of them asks.

“Not at the cost of doing what I know to be right, now, get out of my way,” I say.

The group keeps stopping me from moving, and more show up to get in my way. I try to tell them to stop because people need help and lives are in danger, but they don’t listen. They start to get on my nerves so much that I start pushing my way past them to get to where I need to go. Once I reach the location of one of the requests, I find that it’s already been completed. That’s relieving to see, but when I go to another location, I find injured and dead people on the street. Now, more than before, I feel anxious not just to fulfill the requests, but for justice. I’m about to fight the group that’s been growing to stop me, but I instead rush to request to request to fulfill them so that no one else is hurt or killed. Still, even in the midst of fighting villains and criminals, the group tries to stop me so they or other law enforcers can fulfill the request themselves.

“Stop it! People’s lives are at stake!” I say.

“You should stop. We can handle this without you,” one of them says.

“We can protect people better if we work together instead of getting in each other’s way!”

“You’re the one who is a detriment to the people you protect and other people’s livelihoods.”

During our quarreling, damage to people’s homes and businesses is done, and people are hurt and killed. Stopped in my tracks because of the tragedy of it all, I struggle to control my anger until I pray, and only find myself getting angrier. If God won’t satiate my anger and seems to be further inflaming it, then that can only mean one thing. Before the group that’s been stopping me can say anything else, I grab one of them by the face and slam them into the floor. They then start dog piling me and try to restrain me. This was probably part of their plan, but I don’t care.

One of them says, “You’ll lose your status with your association now. I hope it was worth it.”

I punch the one who was talking in the face so hard that I send them flying into the sky.

“You think I care about that?! I only care about fulfilling God’s will for me. This isn’t the first time I’ve fought against selfish heroes like you, and I don’t care if it’s not the last,” I say.

The others start talking about their own beliefs and sense of right and wrong, none of which I care about. They discuss how our country, the Columbian Union, is a place where multiple beliefs coexist, and that the one with the greatest influence and numbers prevails.

Countering this, I say, “I care for real truth, God’s truth. Not your definition of it or what your false gods believe in. The Columbian Union is indeed a place of freedom where all beliefs should be able to live in peace, but that doesn’t mean that falsehoods should be allowed to exist or overtake the real truth. It only means that we shouldn’t violently suppress one another like you are doing, without a just cause.”

“We believe we’re doing so with a just cause, and we’ll make sure it’s written into law,” another of the selfish heroes says.

Idelle and Deborah arrive and help me fight off the selfish heroes, telling me how they expected this to happen. The secretive agency we’re allies with, Seventy-Three, informed them about the plans of multiple allied groups who wanted to ruin my reputation or make me take a break from being a hero, and that Idelle and Deborah have only just arrived because members of these groups have been slowing them down. The fact that they’ve gone after my family makes me even angrier and drives me to defeat our enemies faster and more brutally, smashing them into the ground, embedding them into walls, and sending them flying through the air. By the time everyone who got in my way is either down or out of the area, I see I’m surrounded by law enforcement officers, heroes, and vigilantes. They tell me I’ve broken the law by attacking members of another group.

Approaching them, I say, “They were getting in the way of me saving lives, and people got hurt and died because of them. I fought them because their stupid games cost people their livelihoods and lives.”

“You should’ve just let others handle it instead of starting a fight with your fellow heroes. Now, we’ll have to-”

“Have to what?” I say as I get in their faces, scaring some of them back. “I’m no stranger to being against the law if it stops me from doing what’s right. These people tried to manipulate the law to suit their ends and ensure my downfall, but I won’t stand for it, and if you want to take me on, you’re more than welcome to try. Otherwise, if you have any sense of honor or morality, then you should get out of my way, and if you try to go after my wife and sister for helping me, then you’ll get triple the punishment from me. I have no patience or mercy for cheaters and people who refuse to do the right thing.”

Seeing my resolve and knowing my history scares away the law enforcers and makes others back off. I go back to the offices of my hero association fully expecting to get fired, but they don’t, despite being required by law to do so.

“Because of the influence you gained for us, we’re able to spin the story in the media that you were set up by people who wanted to manipulate the law to suit themselves and we have enough lawyers and influencers in the government to help you keep your job, and not have to be a freelance hero like you did before,” one of my superiors, a priest, says.

“I see. That’s relieving to hear,” I say.

“Situations such as the one you were in are why we constantly ask you to build our influence. Without it, we can’t defend ourselves against others who want to use the law against us. It’s the duty of us Catholics to fix the laws of the world so that they match the ones in Heaven, the ones that the Church teaches us and holds us accountable to follow.”

“Are you saying that you’re trying to make the beliefs of others illegal?”

“I doubt we can completely do that even within three generations, but we’re doing what we can. It’s what the other hero associations and allies are doing. Ideologies changing the laws and beliefs of others in the places they live is something that’s been happening since the start of civilization. Why shouldn’t we do the same?”

“We’re heroes. Our purpose is to help and protect, not engage in politics and influence other than indirectly by the example we set.”

“Indirect or direct, you influence the lawmakers of the land. Back in the day, I used to be one of the people who made the new weapons and armor that the police are currently using. I helped make our law enforcement into modern knights, thinking that I did my part in God’s plan, but I was accomplishing nothing.”

“You helped our officers have better protection to deal with modern superhuman threats. It wasn’t for nothing!”

“You know what? You’re right. It was for less than nothing since the same officers wearing the weapons and armor I made suppressed fellow Catholics who had the law turned on them, like in your situation, and because of the rise of similar recent events and tensions between us and other hero associations, our sponsors have arranged a formal battle between us all.”

“A formal battle?”

“Think of it like the competition you were just in, but with higher stakes. The winner gets to continue operating like usual, but the losers won’t be able to accept as many requests, not attend events, and have to pay tribute to the winner for half a year.”

“Won’t that mean fewer heroes are operating where they’re needed?”

“We can pick up their slack thanks to you and the new recruits we’ve gotten thanks to you. The results should be good for us, don’t you think? We can outlaw what happened to you to start with and further turn the Columbian Union into a Catholic nation.”

“Are you sure this is necessary to take so many heroes off duty for this scuffle? The nation and world are leaning more towards tradition than godless liberalism.”

“Just because it’s leaning that way doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way. This trend might just be a flash in the pan, a fleeting phenomenon that rises as quickly as it falls. We need to maintain the momentum so that the changes become lasting and more people are brought to God and the Church. A fire needs to be kindled so that it doesn’t go out.”

Despite agreeing with my superior, this still doesn’t feel right. The competition feels like a glorified way to make sure the other associations are suppressed. I wonder if the previous hero association I used to work with will be there. I miss being there. My life was so much simpler. All I did was help and protect people day in and day out, and now, I’m working to influence the country to become more Catholic more directly. If this is why God wanted me to join this association, then I suppose I have no choice but to accept it and hope that I’m still doing the right thing, and continue to do so. If not, I hope that I get put on the correct path soon.

When I talk to Idelle and Deborah about it outside of the office, they ask me what I expected, and that these are how things are with ideologically driven hero associations. They’re right, but it feels like I’ve been taken by surprise despite expecting it. For now, all I can do is go along with it, and again, pray that God is leading me on the right path.

Deacon of Mercy: Chapter 2 – Busywork for a Celebrity Hero

Chapter 2 – Busywork for a Celebrity Hero

A week and a half has passed, and it feels like a month has gone by instead. I’ve gotten in trouble for ignoring orders by not immediately doing requests that they tell me, helping people on a moment’s notice when a request doesn’t get put in, refusing rewards and attention, and letting some heroes take the credit for requests I’m meant to steal from them. Today, I’ve been called into the office for doing so.

“John, you’re a man unquestionably faithful to God and His Church, correct?” my superior says, who is a priest.

“Yes, I am,” I plainly say.

“Then why do you constantly act on your own against our orders? Is there something wrong with them?”

“I merely want to finish helping the people I was already helping before fulfilling your orders. You know I can do it.”

“You know that there are plenty of heroes and vigilantes out there who can finish your requests. We need you to be out there representing us in certain areas to increase our influence, and we don’t just do it to become rich and famous. Everything given to us is used in the service of bringing more people to God and helping others.”

“That’s exactly what I do.”

“You do it in your way. If you want to do it that way, then you shouldn’t have joined us, but you want to be a faithful servant of the Church, so you must follow our orders.”

“I observe everything that you do, but do not do everything that you say.”

“You’re quoting Scripture to me?”

“Yes. Don’t forget the day that I went on a rampage and decimated the enemies of God, going against the law, and having every law enforcement hero, vigilante, and officer after me. I’ll do what you want me to do, but when I feel that God is calling me to do something else, I’ll follow my instincts.”

“Are you saying that you know God’s will better than us?”

“I said what I said.”

I leave the office and head down to where Deborah and Idelle are waiting for me.

“Did they fire you?” Deborah says in a tone suggesting she hopes they did.

“Nope. Not yet, at least,” I say.

Both Deborah and Idelle seem disappointed. Idelle has faced some discrimination from more traditional Catholic hero groups because of her usual outfit, which is golden armor and a crimson bodysuit. Due to experiments done on her, she can't wear anything else in battle except this outfit made for her by the two snakes on her back, one a white snake urging her to virtue, and the other a black snake tempting her to sin. She’s told them this reason, but they still look down on her, forcing me to get involved and defend her, and sometimes get in trouble with our superiors for publicly showing conflict between our group and others, and people within our organization. Deborah just does as she’s told, usually checking on me during the day, especially when we’re separated or have been in fights with criminals and villains.

During dinner one day, Idelle tells me, “You’re going to get in serious trouble if you keep getting on the nerves of our superiors and going against orders.”

“That’s fine. They won’t fire me because they know what I can do and the attention I draw to them for merely working with them. I’m more of a benefit to them than a detriment, and they know it.”

“I’m sure they’re planning on doing something to further capitalize on it. There’s a hero competition coming up where hero associations can win prizes. I’m sure they’ll volunteer you for it,” Deborah says.

“Maybe they’ll find a way to rein in their superiority over you,” Idelle suggests.

My mom agrees with Deborah, while my dad agrees with both Idelle and Deborah. I also have to agree with my dad. Our superiors inform us that they’ve nominated me for the hero competition, and refusing to participate means getting fired. I pray quietly for a moment to consider the decision before agreeing to take part. I kiss my family goodbye and head to the competition area. The event takes place in an artificial city with various sections and walls as tall as a two-story building. It's located in the middle of nowhere, just in case the destruction it causes spills outside.

A handful of representatives from many major hero associations are here, including those allied with other religions, political ideologies, and even other countries, making this event almost as, if not more, significant than the Olympics. Many among them have heard of me; some like me, while others are wary. Some offer me deals to join their hero association and leave my own, which I politely decline. Still, they bring other proposals, such as collaborations and team-ups for mutual benefits. Not wanting me to be the center of attention anymore, my superiors and teammates pull me away to the house provided by the event organizers. Each association has its own house, featuring multiple bedrooms, kitchens, and lounges filled with TVs, games, and refrigerators stocked with food and drinks. It’s quite a luxurious place, and reminds me of the luxurious hotel rooms and vacation houses used by the rich and famous.

While I relax, I try to get to know all my teammates, none of whom really carry on a conversation. Some of them don’t want to talk and focus on training, and others just want to rest until tomorrow. It’s then that I recognize that I haven’t made many friends since I became a hero, besides Mark, Luke, and Titus, who I tragically lost. I haven’t had any friends like them, Timeo, or the people in Poca Bellezza I’ve known since I was a child, even though I try to make as many friends as I can. There are people I know in Solis, both citizens and law enforcers, whom I frequently visit and even eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner with, but don’t have that much of a close relationship with. I don’t go out of my way to talk to them or participate in parties with them, nor do the same for me.

I suppose that, in life, you can only really have relatively few close friends, and others who can only be considered work friends or neighborhood acquaintances. It makes sense not to stretch myself thin across too many friends, so I don’t go into debt just by buying gifts for everyone on their birthdays and for Christmas, but I honestly wouldn’t mind. Going out to the houses of the competition, I try to make friends there, but come up short, though some friendly faces who wish me luck or are excited for the honor of facing me in sparring. I receive more offers to switch sides or join them in the numerous gambling bars here, but I decline both. Instead, I call my family to let them know what I’ve been doing, do some training, say my nightly prayers, and get a good night’s rest.

Over the entire week, I participate in event after event, competing against other heroes and vigilantes. We spar, play heroes and villains, where one side has to grab an object or person and the other has to defend it, race against one another, compete in weight-lifting challenges, and so on. Each competition I win, especially since most of the events are straight-up fights, because the public enjoys violence than displays of superhuman power. During the week, I feel an uneasy itch in my arms and a desire to go back to the cities and towns and resume my usual hero work. Every day, I call my family to ask them how things are, and they keep telling me that things are under control and how they usually are. Still, I don’t feel right. Something is wrong.

The next week is filled with much the same competitions, with interviews with the media and talks with other hero groups, where I argue with them about what it means to be a hero. These are more irritating than anything and feel more challenging to do because I’m better at fighting than talking. Nevertheless, the public likes to see these kinds of interactions, and they are second in popularity to physical fighting.

“Why do I have to participate in these?” I ask one of my superiors back at the house. “I’m not good at them, and most of my opponents are better with words and reasoning than I am.”

The nun says, “It’s for appearances, not winning arguments. People like hearing the truth spoken simply rather than elaborate arguments that are hard to follow.”

“I get it,” I say with a degree of irritation.

“You’re our golden child, John. You bring people to God and the Church through your actions and words, no matter how simple they are.”

I tell the nun that I’m thankful for the opportunity, but still feel used against my will. Thankfully, the competition ends on Friday, and I’m back home by Saturday. My family and friends in Poca Bellezza throw me a celebration for all my victories and participation in the competition. They tell me how proud they are of me for doing so well, but the only thing that I care about is that I’m back home with them. From what I hear on social media, my hero association has gotten particular attention and a special blessing from the Church and more funding from the government because of our winning more than the other associations.

I receive a pay raise and a cash reward for everything I’ve done from the hero association, along with a big cash prize, medals, and trophies from the competition organizers. People call me and send emails asking me to join their organization or to build friendships, while others send threats and insults for embarrassing their association or beliefs by beating their related group in the competition; I don’t really care about or respond to any of it. The only things I care about are spending time with friends and family, getting some good rest, and returning to being a hero on Monday. I’ve never felt so exhausted after doing so little, and more excited about the mundane, than I ever have before. So, if anything, the best part of the competition was that it gave me a renewed appreciation for everything I have.

Deacon of Mercy: Chapter 1 – A New Vocation

Chapter 1 – A New Vocation

After a year of consideration, I’ve become a deacon for the Church. The ceremony and celebration happen in my hometown, Poca Bellezza, where all my friends and family gather, including those from the agency, Seventy-Three, and my friend from Meridian, Timeo Severe. Timeo is paying for the party we’re having, since he’s a rich and generous man. I helped protect his city while he took care of his new family, and it’s happening in a hall where my high school dances and graduation took place. He offered to have it happen at a more expensive and nicer place, but I wanted it here because of the nostalgia associated with this place.

Timeo and I talk in private together in a corner of the hall; no one will hear us since his hero identity is a secret to all except his closest friends. We engage in small talk about our families, friends, and daily responsibilities, while watching our loved ones enjoy themselves, much like retired men savoring the fruits of their long lives, despite both of us being in our mid-thirties. He’s drinking a red wine, while I’m drinking a simple light beer, which seems representative of our style. I’m dressed like a heroic deacon, with a red cassock, gold cape, dark blue pants, and black boots, and he’s wearing one of his many expensive suits, making me look like I’m dress extremely casual.

“How are you dealing with your first child?” Timeo asks.

“He’s fun to be around, a ray of sunshine, that a lot of people in town say is like me. Deborah is having a harder time dealing with him, but my parents are helping her a lot in helping to raise him,” I say with my beer raised to her.

Deborah is my wife and is currently being forced to dance with everyone else on the dance floor. She’s dressed in a handmade dark gold and black dress that was made by her and my mom, and has her usual ragged, acid-affected look, representative of her powers. Her skin is a pale white, her hair is black and a dull gold, and her eyes are black and white with black eyeliner on the bottom of them, an appearance scary to some, but both cute and beautiful to me.

“She’s told me you plan to have another, and want a daughter, in particular,” Timeo continues.

“That’s true. My adoptive parents wanted many children, but couldn’t have any, so I want them to have many grandchildren to make up for it,” I say.

“Darcy wants us to have many children as well, and seven is her minimum right now, since my parents had seven children.”

“How do you take care of it all while also being a hero and boss of your family’s businesses?”

“God’s graces. What else can I say? Any other reason would only be telling a half-truth. I’ve been living a life some would consider impossible to manage or deal with because of how much needs to be done.”

“Like turning around your entire city and getting rid of its status as one of the most crime-infested places in the country? I can’t imagine doing anything like that.”

“I did have help from a lot of friends. It wasn’t just me acting alone. Your accomplishments are nothing to disregard, but what I’m most impressed by is your simplicity and loving every day and taking things one step at a time. Speaking of which, I’d like to enlist your help.”

“Is there trouble in Meridian again?”

“Not exactly. With the city now a mostly safe place to live, I want to account for threats outside of it by starting a hero association of my own, and having you in it would be a boon to me. We’ll start our offices in Meridian, Poca Bellezza, and Solis, and then go from there to expand into the rest of the country. I’m still in the beginning stages of getting everything together, but it’s something I’m set on. What do you say?”

Timeo has his hand out to me with a confident smile on his face.

I bow my head and say, “I can’t.”

“Huh. Why’s that?” Timeo says, lowering his hand and losing his smile, yet not appearing or sounding upset or disappointed.

“My sister wants me to gain more allies, and I felt a calling to join a hero association that’s tied to the Church.”

“You already have plenty of allies. Your sister and you are allies with that secretive government agency, you’ve made dozens of friends while on the run, and there’s me and the people I know, who I can get to help you.”

“Idelle doesn’t count the agency as a true ally since we only help each other when our interests align, and the friends I’ve made around the country can’t come to my aid at a moment’s notice. I think she wants us to have something like you have, sidekicks and close allies who are never too far from you and people you can trust without a doubt.”

“Are you sure you want to join one of the Church’s hero associations, though? There are many good ones, but there are also many who fake their faithfulness so they can get the honor and riches of being a group associated with the Church. The fake ones will stop respecting and allying themselves with the faith once the age stops seeing it as trendy and the thing most people are drawn to.”

“I get it. I’ve prayed on this decision for a while in adoration, and it seems like it’s my time to fix that problem.”

“In that case, there’s no convincing you otherwise. I pray that it goes well for you.”

“It should. Deborah and Idelle are joining with me, both to protect and watch over me. Our parents are watching over our son while we’re at work. I’ll also pray for you, your upcoming hero association, and your new child.”

“Heh. I’ll need it. Our third child was born this year, and Darcy is also trying to get a fourth. That woman is wringing me dry.”

I laugh with Timeo, sit back, and enjoy the rest of my party with my friends and family. On the very next day, Idelle, Darcy, and I head out to the hero association allied with the Church that we signed up for, which is located in Solis, the Sunny City of Tomorrow, where I usually operate as a hero. Other heroes are joining their association today, and we take part in a ceremony similar to that of the one that I did when joining my local Knights council, something similar to receiving a sacrament, but not as grand as to put the ceremony on the same level. A bishop of the local diocese is in attendance, along with other priests.

After the ceremony, the attending clergy give us their blessing, and the leaders of the association allow us to get familiar with the particular office and area of Solis we are assigned to. The building sits in the center of the city and is decorated like a tall cathedral. Because of my status as a well-known hero, Idelle, Deborah, and I are allowed to get work from this office meant for the best heroes. When we report to our superiors, they give us an assignment outside of Solis.

Confused by this, I ask, “Why are we working outside of the city when we’re in Solis?”

“We’re an ever-expanding hero association, and we need to help other cities as well. You’ll be doing mostly the same things you’re used to, so it should be easy and enjoyable for you,” one of our superiors says, who is a nun dressed in white, gold, and black.

Knowing that this is what I signed up for, I accept the assignment and head out with my sister and wife to complete it. Just like the nun said, it’s much the same work that I’m used to doing in Solis. I participate in charity work by carrying supplies and donations from one place to another, bringing the sick to hospitals, and helping the homeless get to places that can feed and care for them. Some criminals and villains appear here and there, some letting themselves be known and picking a fight just because they heard I was in the area and want the fame of taking me down, none of which succeed or get close to giving me a challenge. Everything about working with this hero association seems to be the same as the other, except for letting people know I’m working with them and my requests having my name associated with them.

This changes a bit over the next few days when I get calls from my superiors to accept certain requests to appear in public events promoting the association or drop certain requests to accept others. Because of my speed, I’m able to complete everything that is given to me, despite being told to ignore or stop doing what I was originally doing. When I see heroes from other hero associations answering the same request that I recognize that I’m taking their jobs for the sake of my own. I’m no stranger to being hated for taking and fulfilling requests ahead of others who want to do it, but this is different. It's one thing to fulfill requests for the sake of helping others as quickly as possible, and another thing to help others so the association can get the credit for it. Part of me wants to think it’s just part of the job, while another feels like I’m being spiteful to the other associations and not helping others like I used to anymore.

When I bring up this concern to my family, Deborah says, “It’s how the associations work. It makes hero work into a for-profit and fame business rather than a service to the community, like it’s supposed to be.”

“If it bothers you, we can quit and take Timeo’s offer,” Idelle says.

Thinking about it for a second, I want to join Timeo, but I don’t feel the drive to, so I tell them, “We’re still helping people who need it, so it’s fine.”

I smile at my family, but they don’t seem to buy it, not even my baby boy, who looks to be concerned as he reaches out and holds onto my arm. To be honest, I don’t buy it myself, even though I’m not lying. Still, I feel this to be God’s will for me, so I’ll bear with it, and hopefully get used to it. The drama I’ve heard so much about these associations getting into is surface-level rivalries about taking requests that others take care of, so far. I pray that these simple rivalries are the only drama I get involved in and nothing else.

My 320th book is done and out today!

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Today seems to be another wonderful day for John Elio until he is attacked but an unknown assailant. However, his heart knows this woman to be the one God wants him to fall in love with, so he kisses and immediately proposes to her. Unable to convince her of his love for her as they are being attacked, they'll have to team up with the secret government agency that experimented on them both against a mutual threat, and perhaps, John can prove his love for the woman and save her soul.

Love and Salvation: Chapter 4 – To Be Together Forever Since the Beginning

Chapter 4 – To Be Together Forever Since the Beginning

Over the next week, Deborah and I spend entire days getting to know one another and growing closer, during which I’m certain that I see Idelle watching us from a distance to make sure she isn’t dangerous or upsetting me in any way. Despite what our parents say, she can’t help but be her usual self. Deborah and I see all the local attractions of my hometown of Poca Bellezza, and wonderful places to eat, and just sit around and admire God’s beauty. We also spend time in church sitting around and talking about the faith. As a future husband, my duty is to ensure that my wife becomes a faithful servant of God so that she can become a better person through it, and that we can both make it to Heaven.

Despite her original misgivings about God because of the misfortunes of her past, the blessings of the present and promises of future ones soften her beliefs, and she concedes on several points I make, such as His Divine Providence and His giving comfort and peace to those who suffer much like she has. On a somewhat side note, the people of Poca Bellezza are quick to become friends with Deborah, especially my parents, who are excited to see me finally bring a girl home whom I am interested in marrying. She is given a homemade dress, just like Idelle, and a gift from almost everyone in town. Seeing these faithful, simple, and honest people is enough to put a permanent smile on Deborah’s face and further embrace God’s love for her. At night, we watch the stars alone, and since she’s been in town for so long, I ask her opinion on it.

“What’s your favorite part of the town?” I ask.

“I don’t know, and guessing at it makes it feel like I’m doing the other parts a disservice. I love the people, the environment, fresh air, food, plays, historical sites, parks, amusement parks, and the simplicity of it, despite there being so much to enjoy,” Deborah answers. She hugs me and puts her head on my chest. “If I had to say one thing, I’d have to say my favorite part is you. You’ve done so much for me that I don’t think I could ever repay you.”

“You don’t ever need to. All I want is for you to be happy, and seeing your smile is more than enough to repay me.”

Deborah giggles and blushes. She smiles and stares at me in silence for a few seconds before saying, “I accept being your wife.”

“Huh? You do?”

“What? That’s what you want, and what I want, isn’t it?”

“Yes, of course! I just didn’t think to bring the ring because I was going to propose to you next week.”

I scramble to bring Deborah back home and search through the house. After finding the ring, I properly propose to her on one knee in front of my family, and she says yes. The wedding happens a week after at the local church I constantly visit for adoration. Deborah’s wedding dress is partially grey and handmade by my mom and her friends, while my gold suit and red shirt, and pants were tailor-made by friends of the family in town. Idelle, everyone we know in town, and some friends from the Seventy-Three, even show up, including a best friend of mine, Timeo Severe, who was also recently married and had kids of his own. I daydream about the future children I have, especially since my mom has been pressuring Deborah to have five kids since she couldn’t have children of her own, but for now, I concentrate on the ceremony.

After taking our vows, the priest says, “By the grace of God, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

Before the priest says I can kiss Deborah, I do, and embarrass myself a bit, but no one seems to mind, Deborah least of all, since we are both living the happiest moment of our lives. I’ll do everything in my power to protect her and her happiness. Thank you, God, for allowing me to bring her soul back from the depths and into your safe embrace. Please strengthen us both to be worthy of one another’s love, especially yours, and be with us in all our present and future struggles and challenges.

 

The End

Love and Salvation: Chapter 3 – Growing Bond

Chapter 3 – Growing Bond

I wake up to see Idelle and Deborah sitting in a hospital room around me. Syringes are pumping some kind of material into my semi-closed and slowly closing wounds.

“John!” both Idelle and Deborah say together.

They both look at each other, embarrassed that they said my name at the same time.

“How are you feeling?” Idelle asks.

Struggling to get myself comfortable, I say, “Fine. A little weak and hungry, but fine.”

“You’re lucky to just be fine. The doctors that your agency hired said you were nearing the verge of death,” Deborah says.

A doctor wearing a face mask walks in and examines my wounds. He says, “You’re healing properly enough and should be good to go in an hour. Idelle, the agency needs you to retrieve some materials. You should be receiving their location and pictures of what you’re looking for now.”

Idelle looks at me, I nod at her, and she reluctantly walks out of the room. The doctor injects me with something from a needle into my arm and tries to inject Deborah as well, but she’s resistant to it.

“No! I’m not taking anything you give me!” she says with her hands defensively up.

“This is to strengthen your skin and healing ability against the weapons that have been used against you. Please, cooperate with us, for John’s sake, if anything,” the doctor says.

“No, I don’t trust you! I’ve been getting by fine without it.”

“That’s because John’s been putting his life on the line for you, and look where that’s put him.”

“Tch…you…”

Deborah looks like she’s about the rip the doctor apart, so I say, “Can I inject it for you? Will you accept it then?”

Looking at me with suspicious eyes, she says, “Do you really trust these people to just inject you with something you don’t know the contents of?”

“It contains a mixture of what was used to experiment on you and what we use to increase the regeneration of superhuman cells,” the doctor explains. “I can tell you the technical terms for them, how we make it, and how we retrieved them, but I’m sure you know most of it, given your background as a doctor.”

“…alright. Fine. I’ll let John give it to me. If anything happens to me, I’m killing you all first, then beating him.”

The doctor hands me the needle, and I inject it into Deborah’s arm as he instructs me. Deborah seems stiff and hesitant, as if waiting for some horrible mutation to happen, but nothing does. She breathes a sigh of relief.

“See? We’re more open and willing to accommodate than before. If we did things the way we did in the past, I would’ve had guards come in here to restrain you before injecting you against your will,” the doctor says.

Deborah makes a growling sound at the doctor and then says, “That was exactly what was done to me. Are you one of the doctors who made me into what I am?”

“Yes, I am.”

Deborah grabs the doctor by the throat and slams him up against a wall.

“Deborah!” I say.

“It’s fine,” the doctor says in a pained voice. “I deserve it if she kills me. I admit I was only experimenting on people like you for a paycheck and to give myself immortality. Caring about the lives and well-being of others was secondary to me.”

“Was?” Deborah asks.

“I’m trying to turn over a new leaf, make up for what I did, just like the rest of the agency, but if that costs me my life, then so be it.”

Deborah looks into the doctor’s eyes, trying to confirm if he’s telling the truth, and then drops him.

“There’s no reason to take my anger out on you. It’d be better to go after the bastards who have no regrets.”

“I agree. Once John’s sister is back with the materials, you’ll be ready to face them without restraint. Get some rest until then.”

The doctor leaves the room, leaving us alone for the time being.

“You must have some kind of otherworldly presence about you if you got them to change,” Deborah says to me.

“I was born in an adoration chapel and spent a lot of time there, so I guess you could say that I do. You seemed to have changed in the short span of time we’ve been together.”

“Yeah, it seems like it.”

I put my hand on Deborah’s. She doesn’t pull away, so I hold it and smile at her.

“See? You do have the potential to be a good person. You’re more than just a superhuman with acidic powers. I mean, look at me. My main tools as a hero involve violence just as much as yours,” I say.

“But you’re kind and use your powers to help more than anything. In fact, your greatest power seems to be your personality, given how much more it does for you than your actual powers,” Deborah says.

“You can do the same.”

“I’m not sure that’ll ever happen.”

“I’ll help you! We are supposed to spend the rest of our lives together, after all.”

“Oh, I somehow almost forgot about that. You’re still set on marrying me, huh?”

“I am, and I don’t see a reason I shouldn’t.”

“Even though I may be a danger to you, my being difficult to you, or my temper?”

“None of that bothers me. Everyone has their flaws.”

“Yeah? What’s yours? Do you forget to say bless you to people who sneeze? Have you not hugged enough people who need it?”

“That’s right.”

“Haha! I was kidding. You’re not the kind of person to have any major faults like me.”

“Minor faults and mistakes lead to bigger ones.”

“Whatever.”

For the next hour, Deborah and I engage in small talk about our lives, including both happy and sad moments, as well as things we regret. We often forget the points and stories we meant to bring up, but that’s fine. I enjoy having these kinds of conversations with people, where we keep talking about things and chatting without a particular direction or point, other than to enjoy talking to one another. It’s then that I notice Deborah has a permanent smile on her face, and pointing it out makes her blush and try to hide it. The doctor comes back in, tells us Idelle is back with the materials they need, that what they need to further strengthen us is almost ready, and walks away. Idelle barges in, sees I’m fine, and breathes a sigh of relief.

Knowing what she’s thinking, I say, “I’m fine, Idelle. I was just having a fun conversation with Deborah.”

Deborah blushes again and asks, “Was it fun for you?”

“Yeah. You seemed to enjoy our conversation, didn’t you?”

“I did…”

Idelle asks us about everything we talked about as if interrogating us and making sure we weren’t talking about anything bad, not about her, but about something she might disapprove of, like some overprotective parent. Soon after, the doctor comes in and injects a new formula into us.

“Do you want John to give you this as well?” the doctor asks Deborah.

“…yes.”

Idelle looks at us with suspicious eyes and asks, “You want him to inject you? Is that supposed to be an innuendo?”

Deborah stops herself from laughing and turns red. “No! It isn’t! I just trust him more!” she says.

“Hmm.”

With our injections complete, the doctor leaves the room, and an agent enters to provide us with our new debrief.

“After interrogating our mutual foes, we’ve discovered the location where they’re creating their new weapon. It’s an acidic weapon meant to be used against superhumans with durability and regeneration powers like John’s. It’s why they dared to go after him, despite his reputation as an undefeatable hero,” the agent explains. “They were going to assassinate you and other heroes allied to our cause and record it to sell their acidic weapons, but we’ve managed to stop their plans. Now, they plan to go back into the shadows and be forced to sell their weapons on the black market, but we won’t allow it.”

“I assume you already know where they are?” I ask.

“Yes. They’re using old safehouses and tunnels we’ve used to hide in or escape through, thinking that the changes they’ve made to them, and their new weapons, will save them or give us the slip, but it won’t. Not with you on our side.”

“Tell us where to go then so that we can end this.”

“We’ll upload them to your devices, but you’ll have to do some searching while you’re there, particularly around the symbols of spiders you’ve seen around our hideouts.”

“Spider symbols?”

“Yes,” the agent says while showing one on his device to us. “This symbol and its variants are a pseudo-calling card for our secret agency. We are also given a pseudo-name by it, that being Seventy-Three, since the spider’s legs appear to form that number.”

“Why Seventy-Three?”

“If you asked your parents or our more idealistic and older members, they’d say it’s a reference to Seventeen Seventy-Three, the year when this agency was said to have been started by citizens at all levels of society who rose against their government to start their own and force it to change, all the while throwing tea and naysayers into a harbor. This is the essence of Seventy-Three’s ideology. We exist in and outside of our country’s society, working in secret for what we consider to be the greater good, while having enough influence on the public to erase our names from the history books and public knowledge and make people think our actions were done by anonymous groups and people, who aren’t connected other than by coincidence.”

“You sound like glorified conspirators and puppet masters, who want to legalize and justify your own actions,” Deborah says.

“The majority of us don’t deny that. It’s an all too common saying that power corrupts those who wield it, but everyone wants to control their lives, and those who want to do that will inevitably have to change the environment around them, such as their friend and family group, their local community, and even their country or world, if they’re so bold. Like it or not, you’re not so different from us and will have to do the same as us for your own part if you want to sustain the normal life you crave.”

Deborah grunts, conceding that what’s being said is true. With the big speeches done and our plan clear, Deborah, Idelle, and I head out to the locations we’re given and search them. Now taking note of these places because of what the agent said, the places that we’ve been searching and fighting our foes in are not just places like hospitals, government facilities, and law enforcement offices, but also historical sites or museums that have important objects from our country’s past. Seventy-Three ties itself not only to the government and places of power, but also to places of history and significance. Their symbols are engraved behind chairs, shelves, under desks, and even on historical objects and pictures of current and famous individuals, hidden in plain sight.

We search further around these symbols, touching them to activate hidden passageways or break the area around them to reveal rooms and storage areas. Going deeper into them, we find our targets and quickly dispatch them. Some of them kill themselves with their own weapons, suicide pills, or blow themselves up to avoid capture, none of which Deborah minds since she wants them all dead anyway. Their weapons aren’t as effective as they used to be against us, and only give me minor burns or cuts, which are quickly healed soon after. By the end, no one talked or tried to talk to make us turn against the agency or join their side. I guess in this line of work, our actions speak for themselves, and when you’re this deep in the manipulation of society behind the scenes, there’s no digging you’re way out because you’re supposed to be non-existent to begin with. In that way, I have some respect for Seventy-Three, being humble enough to be satisfied with getting the results they want and not getting any public credit for their deeds.

After our job is done, the agents of Seventy-Three thank us, gather or erase the evidence of their enemies, or take them into custody, and give us our paycheck under the table. They tell us without holding anything back that they’ll use the weapons and research gathered here for their purposes, and give what they want to the government and public institutions as if they came up with it.

They say that, “In this line of work, if you’re the first one to present it, it doesn’t matter how you got it, as long as no one will face future or present consequences for it.”

Deborah and Idelle are disgusted by their blatant honesty, but don’t argue or say anything to them. As for me, I trust them with it and can only hope that I can further influence Seventy-Three to become a better agency and protector of our country.

With the threat dealt with, I grab Deborah’s hands and ask, “So, will you give me a chance now?”

She blushes, tries and fails to keep eye contact, and says, “…I…I guess so. I owe you that much since you’ve helped me get a second chance at a normal life.”

I hug her and say, “Thank you so much, but where will you stay? You can stay at my house if you don’t have anywhere to go.”

“I don’t have anywhere to stay. Still, don’t you think sleeping together is taking things too fast?”

“I didn’t say anything about sleeping together. I’ll stay on the couch, while you get my bed.”

Deborah is blushing even more and can’t maintain eye contact with me at all.

“…yeah…that’s fine…I thought that too…”

Idelle rolls her eyes. Together, we head back home with Deborah. I’m hoping that I can convince her to accept my marriage proposal during our time together.

Love and Salvation: Chapter 2 – Protecting Potential

Chapter 2 – On the Hunt for the Past

As expected from the agency, they already have a set of tasks for Idelle, Deborah, and me, including the people to target, the general area they can be found in, and the strengths and weaknesses of our foes. They provide us with a brief overview of their plan, their role in it, and what they would like us to do. Currently, we are waiting for the tests the agency has done on me because I’m not healing as fast as I usually do.

“What if we don’t do everything they tell us to? What if the situation changes and we have to change the plans to save our lives?” Deborah asks.

“They have a plan for that and other contingencies. It’s hard to outplay them when they have more resources and manpower than you do. I’ve tried,” Idelle says.

Deborah grunts in frustration. I’m getting a good look at her for the first time and find her stunning, in my eyes. Her hair is mostly black, with some parts dyed a dull gold. Her eyes are black and white. She wears a tattered black and gold dress and tights, and she has long black claws.

Noticing me looking at her, she says, “What?”

“Nothing. Just admiring your beauty,” I say.

Deborah blushes and hides her face with her hand. Idelle intensely stares at her as if trying to get a read on her.

“Wait, do you find her attractive because she’s like me?” Idelle asks.

“Huh? What do you mean?” I ask, confused.

“She has that whole bad girl appearance, which I admittedly have. I knew I should’ve changed my appearance and personality more, so you wouldn’t fall for someone like this.”

Comparing Idelle to Deborah, I see how she thinks they’re similar. Idelle has white and black eyes, grey hair, dull gold armor, a crimson bodysuit, and two snakes on her back, one white and the other black. If I didn’t already know her to be caring and selfless, I’d assume she was a dangerous person, like most do.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Deborah asks, as if genuinely offended.

“No, you’re overthinking it. I didn’t fall for her because she has a bad girl appearance. I fell for her because my heart knows she’s the one God wants me to be with.”

“What a silly reason for you to fall head over heels for me. I’m the furthest thing from a gift from God. He hasn’t helped and cared for me in years.”

“I’m here to help you. Doesn’t that count as helping and caring?”

“Have you ever heard of coincidence?”

“I don’t believe in it. Everything is ordained by Divine Providence and for our betterment to make it to Heaven.”

“Really? All the suffering and pain I’ve been going through for over thirty years of my life has been for me to make it to Heaven? How so?”

“It reveals your character, builds strength, and helps you treasure the lighter moments in life.”

“That’s it? It doesn’t sound like much.”

“Truth can be simple and feel disappointing at times.”

“We can agree on that. I worked hard to become a doctor and was disillusioned when I realized I couldn’t keep up with the patients, who kept coming in because of the fights between heroes and villains. So, I decided to volunteer for experiments, thinking I could address the root of the problem. Look where that got me. I can’t touch anyone without hurting them.”

“Were you supposed to be a healing kind of hero?”

“Yes, but the experiments didn’t work, and instead of being a healer, I became walking death. That’s why I want revenge and nothing but it.”

The agent’s doctor comes to us and says that my healing is slowed because of an acidic weapon, one used by the enemy we’re after, and that’s similar to the acid that Deborah has. They remind me to be careful, inject a common formula into me that helps with superhuman regeneration, and tell me that we need to leave soon after I heal to stay on schedule with their plans.

Deborah clenches her fists and says, “See? Everywhere I go, I find disappointment. It’s not even safe for me to be around someone I’m allegedly supposed to be with.”

“They only said it was an acid similar to yours. Your acid didn’t even burn my clothes, much less my skin when you sprayed it on me,” I say.

“Whatever. I don’t know why I bother arguing with you, if you’re always going to contradict me. Let’s just head out when you’re ready. I’ll be outside.”

Idelle waits for Deborah to exit the hideout before saying, “Are you really sure she’s the one God wants you to be with? She’s going to be a lot to deal with.”

“She’s just gone through a lot. It’ll take time, but I’m confident I’ll get through to her.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I trust in God. I don’t need any other reason.”

“Oh, that’s right. I keep forgetting that your reasoning always starts and ends there.”

“It’s a simple, but effective mindset.”

My wounds mostly heal after a few minutes, so I get up and walk out of the hideout that’s underneath a courthouse; however, I don’t see any sign of Deborah anywhere. Asking the agents, they say that she headed off on her own, probably going to get revenge like she wanted.

“It’ll be better for you to let her do her own thing, so she’s out of your hair. She’s more trouble than she’s worth,” one of the agents says.

“No, it won’t be! What direction did she head in?!” I frantically ask.

They point me in the direction, and after checking the destinations of the targets we were given, I speed off to search those locations for Deborah. At each site, we find people torn apart, melted bodies, and acid burns around the rooms and area. I pick up my pace and eventually find Deborah fighting a group of superhumans and regular men with guns. Just as a barrage of attacks and rockets is about to hit her, I take the brunt of it and get sent flying several blocks down the street. Deborah and Idelle come running to me, but our enemy doesn’t let up, forcing Idelle to defend me while Deborah helps me get up.

“Why did you run away?” I ask.

“For this reason. I didn’t want my chance at a normal life to be taken away, so I went ahead of you so you wouldn’t be in as much danger. Why did you have to throw yourself into danger to negate what I tried to avoid?” Deborah asks.

“You aren’t going to get a normal life if you get killed. It’s my responsibility to keep you safe, even if it costs me my life.”

“If you die, you won’t marry me like you said.”

“To love someone is to give your life for them. Maybe that’s what I’m supposed to do, so you can finally get the life you wanted.”

“No. I refuse to let you die, so I can live happily. You’re too good a person to die for someone like me.”

Deborah pushes me back onto the ground and heads back into the fight. My wounds are worse than before, and my clothes have tears in them. Despite those injuries and what Deborah said, I must keep fighting. If whatever our enemies are using can do this to me, they can do worse to Deborah and Idelle. I refuse to let that happen! My body and clothes turn white as the peak of my powers finally kicks in, and I reenter the fight. The attacks that hit me no longer pierce, bruise, leave marks, or burn my skin. My strength more than doubles, allowing me to take down my foes with a single strike. Those destined to die are slain by my hands, while others are simply knocked out.

When this fight is over, Deborah says, “I’ve heard of this super form of yours before, but it doesn’t look like it’s helping your wounds.”

“That’s true, but it prevents me from getting any more. Unfortunately, I don’t have control over when this form activates, so we’d better hurry up,” I say.

“What if you are seriously hurt or die after the form wears off?”

“He should be fine after it, or at least I hope he is, for your sake. He’s risking his life for you, and if you hadn’t run off, he might not have gotten as hurt,” Idelle says.

“I ran away so he wouldn’t die for me!”

“Stop it! Both of you! There’s no time to argue. You two should pick your own targets, while I head off on my own and am still in this form. We’ll get done faster that way.”

Before Idelle or Deborah can argue with me, I speed off and head to the next locations on my list. I start clearing out area after area with such speed that all my targets are dead or downed by the time the doors I go through hit the ground. By the time I regroup with Idelle and Deborah, they have just reached the last location, but aren't fast enough to take out anyone before I do.

“Alright. That’s all of them,” I say to them.

Deborah looks at me with astonishment in her eyes and then says, “Woah…I heard that form made you strong and fast, but I didn’t think it made you this terrifyingly fast.”

“That’s how I took out an entire city’s worth of villains and criminals by myself in a single day…”

My body returns to its normal color, except for my clothes, and the pain I’ve been bearing starts to take its toll. I fall to my knees as I lose consciousness, and Idelle and Deborah rush to my aid.