Chapter 3: An Unholy Alliance

Chapter 3: An Unholy Alliance

The glowing blue text of the new sub-mission, [The Serpent’s Trail], burned itself into Elias’s retinas. Havenwood. The name of David Cain’s previous church. The System’s logic was cold and impeccable: a wolf doesn’t learn to hunt in a day, and it certainly doesn’t stop just because it moves to a new forest. Whatever Cain had done at Grace Chapel, he had a history. He had a pattern.

A flicker of his old self, the methodical student, rose through the icy rage. An investigation. He needed to go there, to talk to people, to dig into the past. But the thought died as quickly as it came. Who was he now? He was Elias Vance, the disgraced thief, the supposed creep who made teenage girls uncomfortable. The moment he set foot in another church, asking questions about their former minister, the walls would go up. Worse, a single phone call from Havenwood back to Grace Chapel would alert Cain, and the serpent would know he was being hunted.

He was a pariah. A ghost. He couldn’t do this alone.

The realization was a fresh wave of despair, but this time, it was practical, not paralyzing. He needed an ally. Not someone from the church—they were all compromised, either as believers in the lie or as cowards who stood by and watched it happen. He needed someone outside that world. Someone sharp, someone who trusted him without question, and someone who wouldn't be afraid to get her hands dirty.

There was only one name.

His hands trembled as he picked up his phone and dialed. It rang three times before a voice, bright and full of caffeine-fueled energy, answered.

“Elias Vance! To what do I owe the honor? Did you finally decide to abandon dusty old books for the thrilling world of investigative journalism?”

Chloe Reed. His childhood friend from the next town over. They had grown up together, partners in everything from building tree forts to cramming for final exams. While he had dedicated his life to the church, she had thrown herself into a journalism degree, developing a healthy skepticism for all institutions and a nose for hypocrisy.

“Chloe, it’s me,” he said, his voice raspy. “I’m in trouble.”

The teasing tone vanished from her voice, replaced by razor-sharp concern. “What kind of trouble? Eli, you sound awful.”

“The kind I can’t explain over the phone. Can you meet me? The diner off Highway 4. Half an hour.”

“I’m already getting my keys,” she said, and the line went dead.

The diner was a haven of anonymity, all cracked vinyl booths and the smell of stale coffee. Elias slid into a booth in the far corner, nursing a cup of black coffee he had no intention of drinking. He felt like a fugitive, jumping at the jingle of the bell every time the door opened.

When Chloe walked in, it was like a burst of color in his gray world. She was vibrant, her dark hair pulled back in a messy but stylish ponytail, her intelligent eyes sweeping the room until they landed on him. The confident smirk she usually wore was gone, replaced by a deep frown of concern.

“My God, Eli,” she said, sliding into the booth opposite him. She didn't hug him or offer platitudes. She just studied his face, her journalistic gaze taking in the dark circles under his eyes, the hollowed-out look of a man who had been pushed past his breaking point. “You look like you’ve spent the last three days wrestling a demon. And I’m not talking about your theology finals.”

He gave a weak, humorless smile. “It was a demon, alright. One that wears a tailored suit and a Rolex.”

For the next twenty minutes, Elias laid it all out. He spoke in a low, methodical monotone, detailing Cain’s arrival, the systematic way he was pushed aside, and the final, brutal betrayal in Pastor Thompson’s office. He told her about the stolen money, and his voice finally cracked when he recounted the vile slander he’d heard from Leo—the whispers of moral failings, of making girls uncomfortable.

Chloe listened without interrupting, her expression hardening from concern to a cold, simmering fury. Her hands were clenched into fists on the tabletop.

“That absolute son of a bitch,” she breathed when he finished, her voice dangerously quiet. “He didn’t just frame you. He built a narrative. He assassinated your entire character with a smile on his face.”

“That’s not all,” Elias said, the hardest part yet to come. He took a deep breath. “Chloe… you know I’ve always been a rational person. But something happened. After they threw me out, when I was at my lowest.”

He hesitated, then slowly lifted his gaze. He focused on the empty space beside her head, picturing the blue screen in his mind’s eye, willing it to appear.

[Display active for non-host viewing? Y/N]

He thought Yes with all his might.

The air beside Chloe shimmered. The translucent blue rectangle materialized, its glowing text casting a faint, ethereal light on her stunned face.

[System Companion: Chloe Reed] [Status: Ally (Confirmed)] [Loyalty: Unwavering]

Chloe stared at the screen, her mouth slightly agape. Her journalist’s brain, trained to find the logical explanation for everything, was firing on all cylinders and coming up empty. She reached out a hesitant hand, her fingers passing right through the glowing text.

“What… in God’s name… is that?” she whispered.

“I don’t know,” Elias admitted. “It calls itself the Divine Retribution System. It appeared when I hit rock bottom. It… it gave me a mission.”

He explained the first objective, [Whispers of the Serpent], and how it led him to uncover the full extent of Cain’s lies. Then, he told her about the new mission, [The Serpent’s Trail], and the name of the town: Havenwood.

Chloe leaned back in the booth, her analytical mind processing the impossible. She looked from the hovering screen to Elias’s haunted but resolute face. A slow, dangerous smile spread across her lips, the familiar smirk finally returning, but this time with a sharp edge.

“So, let me get this straight,” she said, her voice a low conspiratorial hum. “This… celestial cheat code showed up right after that snake ruined your life? And its first piece of advice is to investigate his past?” She tapped a finger on the table, her eyes gleaming with an idea. “Elias, this isn’t a breakdown. This is a lead. A damn good one.”

The relief that washed over Elias was so profound it almost brought him to his knees. She didn't think he was crazy. She didn't run. She saw the impossible and immediately weaponized it.

“I can’t go to Havenwood alone,” he said. “They’ll recognize me for what I am. A disgraced ministerial student.”

“Exactly,” Chloe said, already shifting into strategy mode. “You’re a walking red flag. But me?” She leaned forward, her eyes bright with purpose. “I’m just a curious journalism student doing a paper on community engagement in modern church programs. I’m completely harmless.”

The plan began to take shape right there in the greasy spoon diner. She would be the face of the operation, the charming, inquisitive student asking innocent questions. He would be her backup, using his knowledge of church politics and the System’s abilities to guide her, to see what she couldn’t.

An unholy alliance, forged in betrayal and powered by a supernatural thirst for vengeance.

“Are we sure about this, Eli?” Chloe asked, her voice serious for a moment as she held his gaze. “This isn’t just about clearing your name anymore, is it? This feels… different.”

Elias looked down at his hands, which were no longer shaking. The pain and grief were still there, but they had been forged into something else, something cold and hard and purposeful.

“He didn't just take my job, Chloe,” he said, his voice flat and devoid of its former warmth. “He tried to erase me. Justice isn't enough. People like him, people like Pastor Thompson who let it happen… they don’t understand justice. They only understand consequences.” He looked up at her, and the look in his eyes made her shiver. The gentle, pious boy she grew up with was gone. “This is a reckoning.”

Chloe held his gaze for a long moment, seeing the new, dangerous man sitting across from her. She didn't flinch. She simply nodded.

“Okay then,” she said, pulling a notebook and pen from her bag. “Let’s go hunt a serpent.”