When the two of them arrived at the scene, they saw it had already been cordoned off by the police, with a barrier tape erected.
Due to it being working hours, there weren't many onlookers, and the area was quiet.
"Jack!" The female police officer guarding the body nodded a greeting to Jack.
Jack nodded in response, then turned slightly to introduce Silas. "You've probably heard of him. This is the detective dispatched by the Church, Silas Sotos."
The female officer, upon hearing this, sized Silas up with curiosity, then extended her hand with a smile. "Roland Bowman."
Silas took her offered hand, clearly feeling the dry, hard calluses on her somewhat cold palm. He smiled and said, "A pleasure to work with you."
Roland had short black hair and a mature, beautiful face. Her tall, straight figure was well-proportioned. She moved with a brisk, decisive air, her athletic body exuding strength.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Roland turned and led the two of them to a hedge on the west side of the park.
In front of the hedge was a bench, and at the edge of the bench lay a grievously mangled corpse.
The corpse was clad in a tattered cotton overcoat and was covered in blood. As Silas drew slightly closer, he saw that the person's head had been half chewed off, with wide, massive teeth marks left on the wound.
The emaciated body was covered in hideous wounds, and even the chest had been completely pierced through.
However, these wounds weren't particularly large; instead, they looked like claw marks left by paws roughly the size of human hands.
Seeing such a scene for the first time, Silas felt his stomach churn. He quickly turned his head away and asked, "Are there any other clues?"
"The time of death should be around one in the morning. There were no eyewitnesses. The victim's heart and liver are missing. No excess bloodstains were found in the vicinity, nor were there any footprints, as if the culprit descended from the sky," Roland succinctly summarized the situation.
Silas nodded after listening and took a deep breath. "Can you clear the immediate area temporarily? I need a quiet environment."
Roland and Jack exchanged a glance, then said, "Alright."
Both knew Silas was from the Church and could more or less guess that he was involved with the mystical.
Subsequently, the two of them, along with the remaining officers, left the area, disappearing around a bend in the path.
After confirming no one else was around, Silas, fighting back the urge to vomit, approached the corpse. He reached out and gently placed his hand on the corpse's mangled arm, closed his eyes, and slowly released his Spiritual Energy.
As the Spiritual Energy emanated, Silas's vision gradually shifted from black to purple. Then, faint wails began to echo around him.
"Still here, as expected." Silas, his eyes still closed, followed the sound of the wails eastward from the corpse. After about five meters, he arrived beneath a withered willow tree.
At this point, the wails were quite distinct: "No, don't kill me! I didn't see anything! Don't kill me!"
Silas focused his Spiritual Energy into his eyes and activated his Spirit Vision.
Opening his eyes, Silas's blue eyes now flickered with an eerie purple light, and the entire world became incredibly clear.
He saw copious bloodstains on the otherwise clean ground, as well as blood-stained footprints. Beside the footprints, he saw drops of blood leading away into the distance.
Turning his head, he saw a grey, cowering soul huddled beneath the tree.
The soul had no discernible form, just a mass of mist, trembling continuously in fear.
A flicker of compassion and serenity passed through Silas's eyes. He channeled his Spiritual Energy, and a warm, gentle aura emanated from his entire being.
This was a basic ability of a Priest: Soul Affinity.
Sensing this warm aura, the soul gradually stopped trembling and slowly drifted closer. "Father, I'm so scared of that monster! He wants to kill me! He wants to kill me!"
The soul was deeply confused. It didn't know it was dead, nor could it even recognize who Silas was; everything was driven by instinct.
Silas reached out and gently stroked the soul, his voice kind and soft. "My child, don't be afraid. The monster has been driven away. You are safe now."
Instantly, the soul's trembling ceased. Its fear gradually dissipated, replaced by a sense of peace.
"What did the monster look like? Father will find him and avenge you," Silas said gently, choosing his words carefully.
The soul began to tremble again, but now it snuggled against Silas. "He was terrifying. He had festering skin, a huge mouth, a body like a human's, but with hideous claws and feet. He was very fast and had blood-red eyes. He said… he said because I saw him, I had to die."
Silas quickly memorized the description. Confirming it was the work of a mystical monster, he released his Spiritual Energy to soothe the soul. "My child, do not fear. You have returned to the embrace of the Tri-Moon Goddesses. Release your body and mind, and welcome a new life!"
The soul seemed to understand something. The grey mist gradually coalesced into a vague human form.
Silas knelt on the ground, his hands clasped to his chest, holding the soul, but he didn't know what to say.
At this moment, as a Priest, he should have uttered words of prayer, to comfort the soul and allow it to find release.
However, he currently knew no prayers whatsoever.
"What do I do!?" Silas held the soul, his posture stiff.
And the grey soul, seemingly agitated by the lack of prayer, began to struggle.
In a flash of inspiration, Silas instantly cobbled together whatever came to his mind and chanted in a low voice:
"The distant bells toll from within the mists, guiding lost souls. My Lord's brilliance blooms in the abyss, shattering despair, sowing hope. The storm-like warship wanders through the mists, banishing fearsome monsters. Entrusted to my Lord's brilliance, we execute justice, eliminate prejudice, shelter the people, and illuminate the world."
"We are the followers of the Lord of Storms and Death, the One True God of the Shadowed Vale and the Abyss, Ruler of Dreams, Master of Death, Sovereign of the Mists. My Lord will guide thy soul to the farther shore, to enjoy eternal peace and tranquility amidst the evening bells."
Hearing these prayers, the soul seemed to undergo a sublimation. Its grey form gradually dissipated, revealing a pure, golden soul.
A moment later, the grey soul in Silas's arms was gone. Above his head, a golden soul looked at him with profound gratitude.
"Thank you, kind Priest. May the brilliance of my Lord protect you, keep you from disaster, and grant you joy. May you fear not even in the abyss, nor give up even in despair. May you forever walk in brilliance, and may you always be healthy."
With that, the soul bowed deeply to Silas and then dissolved into countless golden particles of light, disappearing.
Silas looked up, watching the soul dissipate. Unknowingly, two tears trickled down his cheeks.
When he came back to his senses, he found that his spiritual power had been subtly strengthened, and his mental resilience and understanding of souls had risen to a new level.
"Is this the most primal joy of helping others?" Silas touched his tears and murmured.
At this moment, he felt no sadness, only a heartfelt sense of elation and clarity, as if it were not that soul, but he himself, who had just been sublimated.