The nuns of Fiore were gathered in the chapel built under short notice. They were shivering in fear as they wondered about their fate at the hands of this new religion. They waited quietly until a young man wearing a cloak. His hair was shaved into a tonsure, which looked odd to the nuns who were at him.
"Good morning sisters, I am glad that you have gathered here to join me in the orientation to the Catholic Church. As I can observe, you are very unfamiliar with our customs and acts as Christian. So any questions?"
One of the nuns raised her hand meekly.
"Anything you require, sister?"
"W-What will happen to us? What are you going to do with us?"
"Well, that's actually up to you." The priest smiled, while bringing out his Bible. "Your worship of the goddess has brought you nothing, no blessing or cure, but a horde of filthy monsters knocking on your gate."
"But worshipping the goddess has been the way for centuries!"
"Well it changes now. You will now taste the true power of the Lord." The priest said before reciting. "Fiat Lux."
The nuns looked in awe at the young priest, who was literally juggling a ball of light in his hands. They were amazed to see him work magic so easily.
"Antepope Gregory has required further research into this strange sorcery that the Lord has gifted us. We found that ordained priests and nuns can wield a plethora of abilities that are powered by piety."
"Your magic is powered by… piety?"
"Only true Christians can wield this power of God, and the strength of your faith will determine the strength of your magic. As I have only been a member for three years, the power of my incantations are meager."
"Plaga glaciei."
Small pieces of ice fell from the ceiling and impaled the ground, startling the nuns.
"Calm down, worst case scenario is that you get a bruise from these ice." The young priest said while catching the ice. "Nothing compared to what the senior priests are capable of."
"So you are magicians then?"
"Nonsense, I am still a man of science, but the Lord has control over all that exists. It is no surprise that he can manipulate the very fabric of reality."
"But how far does that magic go? You already are powerful as it is."
"We found that the magic does not harm the righteous. Like a flame of judgement, it will only harm the wicked and the sinful." The priest said before reciting. "Stagnum ignis."
A great fire engulfed the group of nuns, causing them to panic and huddle together in fear from the flames. They were surrounded by a burning flame as the priest then approached.
"What are you doing!?" the nuns screamed.
"Prove your purity to me. Do you reject Satan and all his works and all his empty promises?"
"W-What?"
"Answer me, lest you wish to be burned!" The priest shouted, causing the fire to grow.
"I-I do." the nuns recited in unison.
"Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth?"
"B-But the goddess—"
"RECITE!" The priest chastised harshly, causing the fire to flare up.
"I-I do!"
"Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary. Was crucified, died and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?"
"H-He was born from a virgin?" one nun questioned.
"He rose from the dead? How is that possible?"
"With the Lord, anything is possible." The priest said firmly. "Do not question His power and His authority. Now respond!"
"I do!"
"Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?"
"I do!"
The priest then closed his eyes and raised his arms. A great wind blew into the Church, causing the fire to flicker. The nuns struggled to stand still as so much was happening. It suddenly darkened, causing the nuns to quiver in fear, only seeing the young priest in view.
"God, the all-powerful Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has given us a new birth by fire and the Holy Spirit, and forgiven all our sins. May he also keep us faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ for ever and ever."
The nuns didn't know how to respond, "I do" didn't seem like an appropriate response. But the nuns could somehow have a gut feeling of what to say. They all opened their lips and recited.
"Amen."
The fire suddenly died, the wind subsided and the normal sunlight returned. The nuns collapsed, feeling exhausted from such a taxing experience. They all lied on the floor and panted, too tired to even move. The priest smiled as he walked up to the group of women and crouched down.
"It seems that the Flame of Judgement sees you worthy."
"What?" one of the nuns breathed out.
"Welcome sisters, to the Catholic Church."
Jaune took a deep sigh as he sat by the fire, bandaged up and deep in thought, wrapped in his large cloak. Across him was Marin, who was deeply embarrassed as she failed to meet Jaune's gaze. Jaune makes the motion to speak but somehow fails to find the words to express his thoughts.
"So let me get this straight, you followed me, on my horse, because you thought that I was going to the same destination you were going?"
"I-I thought you were going to one of the liberated villages. So I decided to follow you to wherever you were going!"
"And now, we lost the gift horse because you fell in the raging river and I had to jump to your rescue."
"T-Thank you for saving me…" Marin said shyly
"Don't mention it." Jaune said before groaning. "But it still frustrates me that we lost the gift horse."
"S-Sorry…" Marin replied meekly.
"Don't be. Come on, it's beginning to snow." Jaune said as the cold draft got stronger.
Jaune looked around, before seeing a small shelter made by a fallen tree. He then points to the shelter and tells Marin.
"Go sleep under that fallen tree branch." Jaune said while handing her his cloak. "Use this for a makeshift bed."
"H-How about you?" Marin asked, hesitating to take the cloak. "You might freeze to death!"
"Don't fret, this armor has more layers than you probably have right now." Jaune reassured while handing her the cloak once again. "It's for your sake."
"Well… If you say so…" Marin said while hesitantly taking the cloak and moving to the fallen tree to lie down.
Marin wrapped herself in the cloak and stayed snug, but she couldn't help but notice that Jaune wasn't lying down. He simply had his back against a tree. Marin discerned that he was in a rather uncomfortable position. She asks,
"Why are you wearing your armor when you sleep? Isn't that uncomfortable?"
"It's the trade-off. I'm quite sure if I remove this armor, I'll freeze to death."
"Do you want your cloak back?" Marin asked.
"No, I don't want your discomfort on my conscience." Jaune said while audibly yawning. "I'll be asleep if you need me."
Jaune closed his eyes, but he still had his inner thoughts. While the gift horse was lost, he was actually a bit happy that the river dragged him further down, but according to the map he received, he was getting nearer to Gridastadur. That little ride in the river saved him a day's worth of traveling, but he and Marin had to go it alone with no supplies, so he would have to make the journey quick and use whatever they'll find.
Marin then decided to sleep as well; she curls up and gets in a comfortable position. She tosses and turns, but somehow, her body wouldn't let her rest. She sits up again as she decided to watch the snow fall beautifully. It was so graceful, so delicate. As a waitress, she rarely got to see what was beyond the walls of Thore. Ironically, this incident with Jaune gave her the chance to do so.
Marin then scooched over to Jaune, who was already deep asleep. Marin gave him a look of pity, as he had a long day. From jumping into the river, to setting up camp for both of them. She felt guilty for putting him through such an exhausting bout. She noticed that Jaune was shivering a bit from the cold. Marin decides to take off the cloak and put it on Jaune, who suddenly stopped shivering. Marin smiled at that and decided to put the cloak over her as she sat beside Jaune. She becomes drowsy and she leaned her head on Jaune, falling asleep despite the cold draft blowing against them.