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The Cross (or "crux" in Latin) is John Ward's primary weapon throughout the FAITH series, being a principal symbol in Christianity.

Holding the action button will cause John to lift the cross in the direction he is facing, causing various objects to be cleansed, as well as demonic enemies to be warded off or damaged.

When equipped, using the cross will be the only action John is capable of performing outside of walking. John will not be able to move while holding up the cross.

History[]

September 21st, 1986[]

On this day, Father Allred brings John with him as assistance for a special mission; exorcise Amy by the request from her parents. When John escorts her parents upstairs, he returns back to the basement to find Allred dead and the words "Take it, Save her" on the floor, presumably written in blood. He picks up Allred's golden cross and presses on.

Despite John's attempts, he is unable to exorcise Amy alone. He prays to an mysterious entity, pleading to escape from the house because he knows she will kill him. The prayer is successful and John escapes, with Father Allred's cross still in his possession, even after he goes to the Yale Psychiatric Institute.

October 31st, 1986[]

On this day, John is released from Dr. Spinel's care. While John was in the psych ward, the Catholic Church denounces him as a priest. It's not really known as to why, but however, the reasoning could be that it would paint the church in a bad light of a priest losing their mind over a failed exorcism and don't want to link themselves to the deaths of three people. John returns back to his house with his significant other, Molly, and keeps his priest outfit and crucifix, likely believing that he will reuse them again.

Sometime in September of 1987[]

Sometime in September, John experiences a vivid dream, telling him to finish what he started at the Martin House. Preparing himself by using the cross on a demon, he wakes up and retrieves his priest outfit and crucifix, readying himself for his return.

At the same time, Father Garcia is dealing with his own issues. He's been attempting to exorcise a boy named Michael since June with no success. Michael's condition is worsening and Garcia is getting pressured by his parents and Cardinal Gifford to release him from custody. One day in September, during a routine exorcism, Michael breaks off his chains and escapes into the wilderness of Connecticut.

September 21st, 1987[]

On the anniversary of the failed exorcism, John drives off to Snake Meadow Hill Road, equipped with nothing other than his crucifix. As he explores the forest, he frequently gets ambushed by Michael, who can be warded off by the crucifix.

Once inside the Martin home, John explores to look for Amy. He comes across an inverted cross drawn with blood and decorated with lit candles in the basement. Seeing satanic symbols closing in on him, he senses that Amy is in her bedroom and goes upstairs.

Amy fades in and tries to attack John but gets repelled. She escapes to the attic and John goes after her. In the attic, Amy hides her face with a cloth while gray demons, who came from previous sacrifices, try to kill John. However, he prevails, and stuns Amy long enough for her demonic hand to go back into her face. With few options left, Amy's demon has no choice but to jump out of the attic window to avoid getting exorcised.

Walking downstairs, a rifle had been placed on the floor. John picks it up and won't be able to use his cross until its lone bullet has been expended. Red markings on the floor try to entice John to kill Amy, but, thinking that he's done his best, returns back to his car. Michael tries to attack John one more time but gets shot. Stumbling onto the road, he gets ran over by an oncoming truck. John leaves the area, reciting a prayer to calm his nerves since he felt compelled to kill Amy. Driving away, he is unsure what truly happened at the house but hopes he did the right thing by leaving Amy alone.

September 22nd to 27th, 1987[]

In FAITH: Chapter II, John experiences a vivid dream full of demons, mostly due to the guilt he feels for what happened with Amy. He faces many demons in it, all of which must be defeated with his crucifix, which has now degraded to a silver color. In the dream, Father Garcia makes an appearance to assist John in defeating Miriam, wielding a wooden cross.

At some point, John also locked one of the rooms in his house and attached seven crosses to its door, which can be seen when he wakes up from his nightmare.

October 28th, 1987[]

In FAITH: Chapter III, John yet again makes use of his cross to fight off demons, now much more numerous and much more real than before. His cross now has a brown wood color to match Father Garcia's.

October 29, 1987[]

In order to progress through the New Haven Apartment Complex, John must give up "that which he clings to most", being his crucifix. He sends it down the dumbwaiter, now completely defenseless. Eventually, he will find a camera, with a flash that will temporarily serve as his one action. He will finally regain the cross once he has reached the building's basement.

October 31, 1987 (Ending II: A New Journey)[]

In Ending II: A New Journey, John uses his cross to finally defeat Gary. It will revert to gold after finally putting Amy's spirit to rest.

October 31, 1987 (Ending III: A New Vessel)[]

If the player obtains Ending III: A New Vessel, the cross hanging above John's bed will be upside-down when he wakes up on the morning of the Profane Sabbath, illustrating how the Order has infiltrated his neighborhood. He will also no longer have a cross in his inventory, leaving him defenseless.

Trivia[]

  • It is called the "cross" and not the "crucifix", because a crucifix is a cross featuring a depiction of Jesus Christ's crucifixion, whereas a cross is simply the shape of two bars crossing over each other.
    • Despite this, the terms are often used interchangeably, even during the game.
  • The changing color of John's cross throughout the chapters (from gold, to silver, to wood) symbolizes John's deteriorating faith as his journey progresses. It becoming gold again in Ending II of Chapter III shows that his faith is now restored after finally finishing what he started.[1]
    • In turn, the fact that Garcia's cross is already wood by the time of his introduction may imply that he is struggling with staying faithful due to the arduous exorcism of Michael. On the other hand, it may simply be a wooden crucifix.
  • The golden cross was originally owned by Father Allred before he was slain by Amy, as revealed in FAITH: Chapter III.
  • Several crosses can be found hanging on a wall in the back of the Snake Meadow Hill Church. As John approaches them, one falls ominously off the wall, soon followed by the rest of them.
  • There is an oversight that, in the event that John is killed by the Centipede Demon during Ending III of Chapter III, his death sprite will still show his cross despite it not being in his inventory at the time.

Gallery[]

In Gameplay[]

In Cutscenes[]

Unused Content[]

References[]