In the early morning, Emil bounced in place, having finally convinced Kathleen that his body had absolutely no lingering after-effects, thus earning the right to go to school alone.
Oh, please, he wasn't a child anymore.
Although Emil had always carefully hidden his superpowers from Kathleen, he was, after all, a 21-year-old man. Constitutionally speaking, he was also an adult, a U.S. citizen with full capacity for civil conduct.
Columbia University, one of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in the World, is located in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, New York City, United States, near the Hudson River, north of Central Park. It is in the same Manhattan district as the infamous Hell's Kitchen, and Emil could commute between school and home by school bus.
Before the school bus even entered the school, the vast campus of Columbia University could be seen from afar.
Its name comes from Columbus, who discovered the American continent, and its English spelling is different from the South American country of Colombia.
In the United States, Uncle Sam is a male personification of the U.S.; while, correspondingly, Columbia is often used as a female personification of the U.S., which is not unrelated to the weak demeanor of Emil's previous body.
It was founded in 1754 under the "King's Charter" issued by King George II of Britain, and was named "King's College," one of the oldest colleges on the American continent, changing its name to Columbia University in 1896.
In the same year, Columbia University moved from Madison Avenue to Morningside Heights near Manhattan, giving the school six blocks of land, approximately 32 acres. Especially under a clear sky, it appeared even more magnificent and splendid, reflecting the light of wisdom in the sunlight.
Stepping off the school bus, Emil turned the corner and was immediately awestruck by the ancient architecture that greeted him—St. John's Cathedral in New York, the largest Gothic cathedral in the World.
Walking a few hundred meters from the majestic St. John's Cathedral, and crossing the road, was the campus of Columbia University.
As one of the five oldest universities in the United States, and recognized as one of the top three in U.S. higher education along with Harvard University and the University of Chicago, "King's College" has no special barriers, no Gatekeepers or security guards, allowing anyone to enter and exit freely.
Unlike the schools Emil attended in his previous life, Columbia University was founded on the principle of freedom. Students were not sitting primly in classrooms listening to teachers lecture, but rather scattered in twos and threes across the campus.
Some sat at small tables and chairs, some simply sat on the stone steps by the wall, reading, using computers, or discussing something in low voices; some students sat in a circle on the grass, possibly for an interest discussion group.
However, none of this concerned Emil; what he needed to do now was find his mentor, Father Terence, and report to him.
Following his body's instinct, Emil walked through a small path on campus and saw Columbia University's iconic library. On the high steps, the Goddess of Wisdom sat in the center, elegantly and calmly watching the students and visitors coming and going.
A Gatekeeper blocked Emil's path. After all, it was a research-intensive institution of higher learning with extremely high scientific research standards, and besides the ordinary teaching areas, many places were not accessible at will.
Emil smiled and did not make things difficult for the diligent Gatekeeper. He pulled out his student ID card from his uniform pants pocket and handed it over.
"Welcome, Mr. Emil! However, Father Terence has gone to St. John's Cathedral to preside over Mass, and it will likely take a long time!" Unlike other students' ID cards, a dark golden cross symbol vaguely appeared on Emil's student ID card.
Surrounded by palm wreaths on both sides, a Dagger and a pair of horizontally spread Angel wings formed the main body of the cross. As the Gatekeeper of the Seminary library, the Gatekeeper's expression immediately became respectful: "Congratulations, Mr. Emil, you have finally become an official member of the Knights of St. John!"
Columbia University Library has 23 branch libraries, each with its own unique characteristics, including the famous Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Butler Library, Social Work Library, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism Library, East Asian Library, and so on.
But beyond these 23 branches, there is also a hidden branch that is not usually publicized: the Library of the Knights of St. John, which, although located within Columbia University, does not belong to Columbia University.
The Gatekeeper had heard that Emil was applying for official membership in the Knights of St. John some time ago, but he hadn't expected him to stand out from the many competitors so quickly.
If he could have previously dismissed this weak-willed young man, Emil, now officially a member of the Knights of St. John, was not someone this small Gatekeeper could afford to slight.
"Father Terence? Knights of St. John?" Emil remained calm, retrieved his student ID card, and returned a smile to the humble Gatekeeper: "Thank you for the reminder."
It seemed he was right; a major secret must be hidden behind the death of Emil's body.
In the World of Superheroes, there are all sorts of powers, and countless organizations are formed by people with these superpowers. For example, Professor X's X-Mansion is one of them, but it is not unique.
As a church that once ruled European history for more than a dozen centuries, it also possesses its own mysterious powers. For example, Vampire Hunters like Eric Brooks (Blade) who fight in the Dark Dimension, or the Exorcists who have been battling evil spirits and devils under Satan, such as Lucifer and Mephisto, in Hell.
And the Library of the Knights of St. John is undoubtedly the brain and wisdom center of the church's fighting forces. It houses the richest and most comprehensive collection of books the church has ever gathered; any book worthy of being collected here might contain a piece of magic that could change the World.
For countless years, untold numbers of Exorcist families or Mutants have sought to delve into the Library of the Knights of St. John to uncover its secrets, even if only to study there for a month or a day.
For those who wield superpowers, power is everything. Once they taste the thrill that power brings, they become addicted and immersed in it, willing to pay any price for its enhancement.
Emil was not wrong; in this World, after inheriting the Longinus surname, his life and the church's influence were destined to be intertwined.
However, limited by the vague memories in his body, Emil still hadn't realized this. To him, this was just a very ordinary branch of the Columbia University Library, even if it was more heavily guarded, he still hadn't connected it to anything supernatural.