Aurora sat impatiently outside the surgery room twiddling her thumbs and bouncing her leg up and down. Her white dress crinkled and greyed from the flight.
An elderly priest emerged with a weary expression and closed his thick leather bound bible. She leapt up to her feet. "How are they father? Are they okay?"
"They will be fine. Their injuries are healed and the impurities purged." He said with a smile. She let out a sigh of relief slumping into her seat. "Thank you father."
"I expect my payment has been made?" "Yes. Of course father. I have also added a bonus." "Most kind of you Aurora. It appears you have visitors."
A shorter woman for a Hunter, Xi Xi Liang stood at 173 centimetres tall. Her obsidian hair flowing down to her shoulders. Her fringe parted down the middle to sit perfectly on her round spectacles.
She wore a conservative business suit coloured a flavourless beige. Aurora felt her blood boil at the sight her and shot her a disgusted look.
"What do you want?" She sneered. "I've been sent to bring you three to the Vatican. The Pope has summoned you three."
Aurora's eyes lit up stunned. "His holiness request our presence?" "Father, would you take a look at her ears? The Vatican will happily reimburse you for your time and Mana spent."
Aurora snatched Xi Xi's collar bringing her in. "Do not test me! Know your fucking place!" "I know that this is a hospital. Perhaps after you three being humiliated by a Demon, your mind is occupied?"
She shoved Xi Xi away. "We did not fight any Demon!" Xi Xi held her face and pouted. "Oh dear. Father, it's worse than I could have ever imagined. She's gone senile in her old age. Here let me educate you in something the younglings are calling. The Internet!"
Aurora crackled with lighting. "Aurora, this is not a place of fighting. If you cannot handle being jabbed at, how can the Order trust you to fight the evil in the world?" She bowed her head. "I'm sorry father."
"The Order is also furiously trying to scrub the internet of the footage." Aurora's phone vibrated. "The Order has just texted me. Your presence is not needed."
"I'm ecstatic that it is. Because I get to do this." In a flash Xi Xi slapped a pair of silver cuffs onto Aurora's wrists. "What is the meaning of this!?" She held her hand out with nothing coming out.
Xi Xi smirked at her. "Surely even you know how sealing runes work." She wrapped her hand around Aurora's throat lifting her into the air.
She gasped and thrashed in her grip. Her vision went blurry then dark, with her eyes rolling back and her body going limp. Xi Xi dropped her onto the ground with a hard thud.
"The other two are sedated Sister Liang." The priest bowed. "The Order thanks you, for your service." As the priest took a step forward Xi Xi pressed her hand into his sternum.
"Sister Liang?" "How many this week?" He became anxious and nervous. "I don't know-" "How many father Jeremiah?" He gulped. "Only two! I swear!" "I believe you, but two is still disgusting."
She drove her leg through the side of his kneecap. His tibia and patella burst from his skin with a wet crunch. He fell down screaming and clutching his gaping wound. She knelt down taking his bible.
"You will heal naturally. If I catch you going to a healer or trying to find this again. I will find those children, and let them seek their vengeance upon you. Am I clear?" He nodded clawing at his leg.
Terra and Gale awoke bound and chained to the ground of solid marble. The room pitch black. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!" Terra snapped yanking on her collar. "SHOW YOURSELVES!" Gale snapped kicking the chain.
"If only you fought with this energy and rage, against all your enemies. You would not be bound here before us." A deep husky voice said. The two froze recognising the voice.
They fell to their knees trembling and bowing their heads. "Forgive us your holiness! We did not-" "Silence." He said sternly. Terra jumped.
With a snap of his fingers the dark room lit up. They stood in the throne room of the Vatican, made of pristine marble and shimmering gold. Before them sat a shrouded cube of darkness with no light entering or exiting.
Aurora knelt beside the void beaten and bruised, bleeding from her mouth. Xi Xi entered in bowing at the void. "Your holiness."
"Look at her." He ordered. "She has set an example for how you should all act." She gave them a smug smirk enraging them. "Loyal to the order, with no failures." "You flatter me your holiness."
"Until I and the Order are satisfied with your performance. You three are under her command. Am I clear?" They hesitated gritting their teeth and clenching their jaw. "He asked you a question."
"Yes. Your holiness." Terra and Gale said through their teeth. Aurora was thrown into them. "You will heal like the rest of the lesser creatures. Leave at once." He snapped. The chains shattered into pieces.
The three quickly left glaring at Xi Xi on their way out. She blew them a kiss and shot them a wink as they left.
"I have a task for you." "I am ready to serve." She bowed. "This child. The Echo Demon. His strength is growing at alarming rate." He said with the void swirling and pulsating.
"Would you like me to execute him?" "No. As much as I and the order do not wish for another Demon to exist. Killing him at this time will only bring us unwanted attention."
"Investigate him. Learn everything you can about him." "Your holiness, do you intend to recruit him?" "Do not jest. No, with the right...motivation he may prove himself to be a useful tool. Until then, do let him know of your presence."
She bowed. "Of course. I will begin my investigation." "Xi Xi, your loyalty and service has not gone unnoticed. Know that you may ask for anything to aid in your investigation." "You are too kind. I will see if it is needed."
Xi Xi sat in the back of a car, with a laptop across her lap. She read through his Hunter reports. They were written poorly, and riddled with grammar and spelling mistakes. The choice of words were basic and almost childish.
"Miss Liang. We're here." The driver said. "Thank you. I'll call if you if I need you." She said tucking away her laptop. Standing at the entrance of Michael Chen's firm.
She scanned all the Consecrated items, hidden amongst the sealing runes etched into the foundation. Walking through the glass doors she felt the mist of holy water disinfect her.
"9am meeting with Mister Chen." Muriel jumped at the sight of Xi Xi. "Oh! You are-You're early! I'll get dad- I mean Mister Chen right away!"
"Call him down. I have a few questions for you while we wait." Muriel slumped into her chair. "Oh...um...how can I help?" "What do you think of your older brother, Zeke?"
Her face contorted to visible disgust. "He's nothing but a dirty Demon, and needs to be put down." "That's quite harsh for something he had no control over." Xi Xi said leaning over the counter.
"He did nothing but cause problems for my family. He didn't thank dad or mum once for keeping him." "Thank you for your insight." "Why do you even want to know about him anyway."
"Because unlike your pathetic existence, his life has value, and his only job didn't come from nepotism." Muriel's stared at her mortified. Xi Xi gave her a big smile seeing Michael approach them.
"Have a nice day. Also, it's a sin to fuck before marriage, whore." She said glancing over to Muriel's lit up phone, filled with text messages. Muriel snatched her phone away ready to strike her.
"Miss Liang! I did not expect you to be here so soon." Michael said bowing with a bright smile. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I had planned for traffic, but the streets of your country are so nice and empty."
"Please, follow me. We can talk in my office." "Lead the way Mister Chen." She spun back smirking at Muriel. "Remember you can still get fucked in the ass and not lose your virginity." She whispered walking away.
Exiting the elevator Gabriel approached them with a precarious stack of folders with sheets sticking out. "Dad, I have those folders for-" The stack fell over scattering the entire area. "Gabriel." Michael said sternly.
Xi Xi spotted his closed fist, with Gabriel quickly bracing himself. Xi Xi bent down first helping him."Try an alternating pattern to stacking folders. Stops them from sliding out."
"Oh there's no need to trouble yourself-" "Everyone needs help. Could you please charge my laptop, while I help your son." "But-" "I'll be with you shortly." She said shoving her bag into his chest.
Michael shot a Gabriel an irritated glance before walking off with a smile. Gabriel knelt down quickly grabbing every sheet, trembling and quaking. "T-t-thank you..."
"Are you afraid of your father?" "No!" He said firmly, bowing his head. "You can go. You don't need to help me..." He said meekly. She handed him the stack of paper.
"No trouble at all. Before I go. May I get your thoughts on your little brother Zeke?" He gave her a confused and annoyed look. "Why do you want to know of that ungrateful little shit? He's nothing but useless trouble."
"Thank you for that. Tell me, how many times have you been hit for being a fucking failure?" "I'm sorr-" She snatched his bicep making him cringe. "A girl my size under these runes shouldn't be making a grown man wince like a little bitch."
She changed her grip to caressing his arm, and her scowl to a smile the instant Michael returned. "Such a strong boy." She said rubbing his face. "Expected of the oldest sibling to be the strongest right?"
Gabriel balled up his fist. "Have a good day you worthless shit." She whispered strolling away. Xi Xi sat in Michael's private and lavish office space.
His chair was elevated than the average table letting him stare down at anyone shorter than three metres. Her chair purposely lowered to be staring up at him.
"When I heard the Vatican wanted to speak with me. I never thought this day would ever come." He said with an excited smile. "May I know what you'd like to discuss?"
"Of course." She said opening her laptop screen to him. His smile faded instantly. "Your son Zeke Chen, has become a person of interest to the Vatican."
"This must be some kind of joke right? Ezekiel is no one special and-" "Are you questioning the choices of the pope and the Vatican?" "No-I..."
He bit his tongue taking a deep breath. "What do you want to know?" "Let's start from the beginning. Tell me about his birth."
"He was born like any other child-" Xi Xi placed a large revolver onto the desk pointing its barrel towards him. He inched back in his seat.
"Unfortunately for you, these sealing runs you have scattered all about this place, are quite a hassle on me. Normally I spotted you lying, I would have simply started breaking small bones, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate human ingenuity."
She cocked the hammer back, showing the next bullet load into the chamber. "Shall we start again, with less of the lying and worthless pride getting in the way?" He nodded clearing his throat.
"Good. Now, tell me about his birth and spare no detail." "He was to be delivered under the Blue Star." "Yet, somehow against all odds, he became a Demon."
"His first cries in this world came, when the Blue Star collapsed into the black void." "How did you feel seeing your second son? As happy as the first?" "No. I was the proudest father in the world. For five seconds."
She cocked an eyebrow at him. "He was born in the Saint Michael's hospital under the blessing of the church."
Michael held Ezekiel in his arms, cherishing his loud cries fresh from the womb. Sabriel laid weakly on her bed barely conscious and relived at the delivery.
"Do you have a name for him?" The midwife asked. "Yes. Ezekiel. You will be the next shepherd that leads us to a brighter future." He said with a proud smile.
Ezekiel suddenly went quiet his eyes opening vacantly. "Nurse? What's happening to my son?" "He's getting Marked. Look." She said at Ezekiel's hand.
Michael and Sabriel smiled at each other ecstatic. "I knew it. I knew it! You were a miracle! This was a sign from God! You're going to be an Ang-"
Ezekiel let out a cry of anguish and pure agony. His scream became silent. Michael froze seeing Ezekiel's skin burn and peel with steam rising from him. "WHAT'S HAPPENING!?"
The Doctor snatched Ezekiel from his arms rushing him out of the room. The steam stopped with Ezekiel continuing to scream. "Take down those religious artifacts at once! Nurse get him a cool bath and put him into the infirmary."
"Doctor. What's happening. Why did he-" "What else? He's a Demon." "No. No. No. NO! That's not possible! The Blue Star! He can't be a Demon!"
"If you can't accept that fact, then I will call Child Services to take him away from you. He is what he is now. There's no changing that. If you want to hold your son, you will do it without Consecrated items in sight."
Xi Xi nodded writing with her left hand with her right firmly on the trigger. "It's illegal to bring any kind of item that may affect the child's birth, or put them at risk." "That legislation came into affect 17 years ago."
"You have a Demon child now. Did you remove anything that may hurt him?" "Yes-" Xi Xi pulled the trigger stopping the hammer with her thumb. Michael let out a scream jumping under his desk.
"First and last warning. Don't lie to me again. Otherwise I might not be so quick to stopping this hammer. Am I clear?" He nodded climbing back into his chair.
"Now, what did you do with him when you returned?" "We kept him places where he wouldn't be affected." "Ah, what was the reason you didn't take down things that hurt your son? Was it out of spite? Laziness?"
"I am a loyal child of God! I will not take down his items of worship for a Demon!" "Ah, the answer was C, stupidity being called loyalty." Michael stood up from his chair.
"Sit back down." Xi Xi said waving her gun. "No. I refuse to speak to you about that spawn." She pursed her lips. Nodding and standing up.
"Very well. You should know, that I have quite a bit information already. I simply came here to confirm, in his testimony at the age of 13. What a terrible father you are, and how abhorrent you all are."
She placed a folder onto his table with one singular sheet inside. "Do you know what this is?" "No, and I'm done speaking to you. Get out of my office." He snarled.
"These are his medical records. Any child in Australia should have at least four pieces of paper. One for each mandatory vaccination. Then another five vaccinations for entering into school. Yet his record has one sheet in here, and it's his birth certificate."
"And?" Michael scoffed. "See as much as you all call him ungrateful, for your 'charity' to keeping him alive. You wanted him die. Avoiding vaccinations; doctor check ups, dentist appointments, forcing him to choose between the pain of hunger or being purified."
She walked over ramming the barrel of the revolver into his crotch. He shuddered feeling the cold steel pressed against his flesh.
"You even went out of your way to push for a third child. Who you had go under an induced pregnancy to make sure she was born in proximity to a blue Rift that day. Turns out she was a failure like her father, coming out as a human."
Xi Xi snatched the nape of his neck digging her nails into his flesh. "Remember one thing for the rest of your life Michael Chen. You will never be welcomed into the Vatican, and in any life you live, you will never see the gates of Heaven."
She threw him aside taking the revolver out. "It's a miracle he hasn't killed you all yet. I would find a different religion Michael. God knows you aren't going to be rewarded following this one."