The Primal Hunter

In the end, they had all been convinced to silently pass and for Jacob to allow them passage to the Holyland. Joanna had faced death with fear, regret, and reluctance, but also faith and belief that it was the best path.

Sometime later, she had awoken once more, finding herself in a new existence. That is when she found herself within the Holyland.

Many had no doubt thought what Heaven would hold. What paradise would look like. Joanna had too, and it was both as expected and in many ways not.

There were no wants or needs that could not be met in the Holyland, but there were no grand gifts either. It was simply an unbothered life without worries. Any goal you had, you could work towards. Any wish you wished to fulfill, you could dedicate your entire spirit to.

And it truly was to dedicate your spirit, for that is all they were.

The Holyland was the home of the faithful of the Holy Church – home to the Holy Spirits. Joanna still vaguely remembered her old status screens, and the new one was so much simpler.

Status

Name: Joanna Elkmann

Race: [Holy Spirit (E) – lvl 39]

Holy Energy: 301/390

Stats

Holy Power: 39

Titles: [Forerunner of the New World], [Holy Spirit]

Blessing: [Baptism of the Holy Mother (Baptism)]

Race Skills: [Holy Spirit (Unique)]

Everything had been boiled down to basics. She and everyone else still looked the same as before, were still physical beings who could interact with the world like before, but they did not wield the same power.

Joanna reckoned she was about as strong physically as a peak human athlete, but it was not in the realm of the supernatural. It was for none of them. Within the Holyland, everyone in the same grade was equal. The realm was split up for each grade to live separately, but with free travel between each area. It was probably for managerial reasons.

“Oh, that is a nice blanket; who is it for?” one of the ladies with her asked.

“My husband,” Joanna said with a huge smile.

“Ah, he died, eh?” the lady said with a light laugh. “You must tell me when he comes so I can prepare some pastries.”

“No, no, he hasn’t passed yet, but I just want to be sure. I heard he is really trying to get levels and do well, and you never know. I heard he even did dungeons,” Joanna explained.

“I get it,” another woman said with a chuckle. “Better be prepared for if he comes; if not, maybe he can participate in a ritual? I heard your planet is quite the warzone. My brother chose to join the war effort, and that went well.”

“No way I am going to hurry him. He still has a life to live and people to take care of… which brings me to the next point,” Joanna said with excitement.

The other women all leaned in with interest as Joanna bragged.

“I have a séance a bit later today! My husband finally found the kids and brought them to the city!”

“Congratulations!”

“I’m so happy for you!”

Joanna just smiled in satisfaction as the third woman asked. “Has he remembered to get them baptized yet?”

“I sure hope so; if not, I sure hope he will get them baptized. For his own sake!” Joanna answered, laughing. “Anything else would be ludicrous.”

Without a baptism, one would not be able to go to the Holyland after death, after all. It was your ticket into Heaven, so not to get one would be ludicrous. Joanna knew she had died without one, but because of Jacob, they had all been saved, and they had all been baptized post-humously to allow them to live in the Holyland. That was a part of the reason they couldn’t simply find themselves killed by the maniac… if they had, their souls would have simply gone to the system and not been brought to the Holyland.

It was a wonderful place constructed by the most prominent of all the Primordials. A true second chance and a paradise for all believers of gods part of the Holy Church.

All by the grace of the Holy Mother.

Mike was nervous. Far more nervous than he probably should be, considering the grace the Holy Church had shown him so far. After many months, he had finally managed to relocate his and Joanna’s children to Sanctdomo, and he couldn’t be happier that they had both survived. Moreover, he was even beginning to make a name for himself as quite the blacksmith, allowing him to give his children a good life.

His nervousness came from how skeptical they both were of the Holy Church. They openly questioned the practices, refused to go to the cathedral with him, and he hadn’t managed to get them to accept the baptism yet. Even after the system, the natural rebelliousness of teenagers remained.