Vatican City.
A little girl who was probably 9 or 10 years old stood nervously in front of the huge man wearing the church's robes.
Her emerald green eyes stared with curiosity and nervousness as the man with a gentle smile bent down to speak with her, while the nun who ran the church where the girl grew up looked very proud of the girl, even though the older woman felt worried for the girl as well.
As someone who had left behind Vatican City a long time ago due to the monsters that called it home in the past, the old nun had never wanted the children under her care to ever be involved with those people.
However, now that this little girl had awakened her sacred gear, she simply did not have a choice but to inform the headquarters about.
The only silver lining that the old woman could find in this mess was that the Church was no longer what it used to be.
The huge man, Vasco Strada, the current leader of the Church, who had authority just below the Heavenly Council, made up of angels and the Archangel Michael, smiled as he looked at the little girl in front of him.
"Hello, little one. I am Vasco Strada. Can I have your name?"
"U-Um, I-I am Asia Argento."
"Ho? Argento huh?"
Strada gave a subtle look towards the old nun, who huffed at his look. It was no surprise that Strada felt intrigued since Argento was the last name of this old nun, so the fact that the little girl was given this last name by the older woman meant that she considered Asia as her own daughter, just like another Exorcist under his command who took in a girl of her own as her daughter.
Vasco Strada smiled at the nervous girl as he stood up, doing his best to reel in his overwhelming presence that had been steadily growing for a few months now, ever since he had resumed his own training alongside his subordinates.
Just like the Angels themselves, who had also started to grow in power after their limitations were removed by their oldest kin.
Vasco Strada extended his hand to Asia.
"Come, little Asia. Let me show you around-"
"C-Can I ask you something?"
"Of Course."
Strada stopped and waited with a smile as the nervous girl gathered all her courage and spoke up with determination while clutching the old nun Argento's dress with her tiny hand.
"I-I heard from Father Mathews t-that I will be staying here from now. C-Can Sister Argento come with me? And t-the puppy as well?"
Before Strada could say anything, the old nun crouched down in front of Asia and wiped away the tears that were threatening to fall from the little girl's eyes.
"Asia. You know that I can't abandon my duties. I still have a lot of your siblings to take care of, remember?"
"B-But-"
Old nun Argento hugged Asia to comfort her.
"Don't worry, Asia. I will drop in every other week to see how you are doing. Not to mention that you will also have the freedom to visit me whenever you want, right?"
Those last words were directed at Strada, who just nodded with a smile.
"As Sister Argento said, she has her own duties. But I promise you that you will see her whenever you want to see her, little Asia. Also, about the puppy, I assume you are talking about the same one that you healed?"
Asia nodded shakily at those words, wiping away her tears before looking up at Strada.
"Very well. Sister Argento, I will send someone to your branch tomorrow. Can you help them get that puppy?"
"Of course, Cardinal Strada."
Still crouching in front of Asia, Sister Argento patted the girl's head as her eyes shone with worry and warmth, as if she really were Asia's mother who was sending her off to school or some faraway location.
"Now, remember to eat well. Also, try to learn and be assertive. If you continue being as timid as you are now, who knows how many people will take advantage of you? Also, you remember the Tier-2 magic Message that I taught you a few days ago, right?"
Asia nodded her head at those words.
For the little girl, this was the only magic that she knew, and she was quite proud of it because she was the only one in her age group who knew magic while also having a Sacred Gear.
Because the Church had prohibited the children from learning magic and other fighting methods until they were at least 12 years old.
Asia had heard from the adults that these changes had been brought forth by the Archangels, who wished for the children to have a good childhood. By the age of 12, the children would be well educated enough that they could choose what direction they want to go in.
Whether they want to stay with the church, become a part of it in whatever capacity they want, or venture out and make a life for themselves.
That is why they were forbidden from learning these arts.
However, Asia's circumstances were completely different, so Sister Argento had no choice but to teach her the Message spell from the Tier-System because of her own fears.
As Asia nodded at Sister Argento's words, the old nun spoke seriously.
"Asia, listen closely. If you are ever in danger or think that you are being bullied, reach out to me with the Message spell. I will take you away-"
Vasco Strada gave a fake cough, which made the old nun glare at the man fearlessly, even though the man could probably kill her without even lifting a finger.
So, glaring into Vasco Strada's eyes, Sister Argento repeated her sentence, much to the strongest human's amusement.
"-I will take you away. Do not be afraid of anyone bringing any kind of retribution to us. I still have good reach in the church. So, do not be afraid to call me if you're in trouble."
Asia finally could not control herself and burst out crying as she clutched the woman who had raised her from infancy, while even the old woman's eyes grew misty.
Once the farewells were done, one of Strada's men guided Asia towards her new accommodations, a place where many of the children from the Church lived.
Watching her go, Strada turned towards Argento.
"You do know that this is not the church that you remember, right? Things have been very different for the past year."
"I know. I was there when you and that kid Dulio spoke about the changes made by the Heavens, remember?"
"Then, why are you so afraid? Do you not have faith in the Heavens?'
Argento remained neutral at those words and spoke in a cold tone.
"The Heavens? Cardinal Strada? The same Heavens that abandoned our people for so long? The same Heavens that stood by and watched as corruption consumed everything that was supposed to be sacred."
A slightly broken look appeared on her face.
"The same Heavens that stayed silent as I prayed every day to bring back the children taken from my church, only to find out that they had all been turned into experiments. All for what? To make artificial wielders of holy swords?"
With a sigh, the old woman turned and walked away as she spoke.
"I am sorry, Cardinal Strada. But the church that I once believed in is long gone. Even now, with all these changes, I still do not see that radiance in it anymore. In fact, it feels even more oppressive and authoritarian than before. As if whoever is in charge now feels like they alone can guide us on the so-called right path and that they do not trust anyone else to do so."
Watching the old woman leave, Strada simply smiled as his eyes shone with a golden light while his whispers remained unheard.
"You are spot on, Sister Argento. Lord Aetherion is indeed someone who believes only he can guide us on the right path. Perhaps, it is because of trauma, or maybe it has to do with something else that nobody knows."
"However, what he fails to realize is that his brothers and sisters have already noticed how he feels and have taken steps to silently help him and find a way to heal his broken mind."
Under his gaze, the old woman got into a car belonging to the church, getting ready to depart back west.
But what nobody could see, aside from Strada, was the powerful and invisible Guardian Angel that followed the old woman around silently, as its gentle and warm eyes only winked at Strada conspiratorily before following the old woman back home.
With a chuckle, Strada turned around and started to walk away while he whispered to himself again.
"It is because you believe in the teachings of the Lord so genuinely that the Heavens care for you so much, Sister Argento. Even if you hate the organization and the Heavens themselves."
"I hope you never lose your beliefs, your morality, and your convictions that have won you the recognition of the lord's children."
With those words, Vasco Strada left the area and returned to the main building, getting ready for that day's class with the many teenagers that he needed to train.
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Author Notes:
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