Pope Pius IX had been travelling for 3 months in his carriage, he had been watching the news ever since this 'saint' as others would dub him appeared. As soon as he was birthed he was causing waves throughout America. He doesn't believe in God, and has only been using religion as an agenda for developing his absolute political power. But. . .
"We will see if he is truly who he says he is, the 'strip' we saw in the news of his exploits with that Buffalo is good evidence, but I need more." He comments while nobody is hearing him.
"His Holiness, I have come to tell you that we are arriving in 2 days." A breviloquent soldier comments. It was a long journey after all, and he required protection in case of attack throughout non-civilised areas. They are respectful and loyal to 'God', as such, they are loyal to him personally. He requires such in case actions done by rebellious groups appear, there was one that wished to create a Monarchy which went against his Papal States, after all.
He believes they won't be successful as from his spies, their size is too small to cause any big waves. But being arrogant is something that he has learnt to seize. And as such, he will still watch them cautiously. After the 'mysterious assassination' of his Prime Minister Pellegrino Rossi, he has been watching everywhere in case of surprise attacks or making sure no blame is directly placed on him. That's why he fled, after all, to allow the situation to de-escalate without his personal intervention.
Though the development of the Roman Republic would've been good for the people due to their Liberal setups for rules and regulations and their development for freedom of religion would've helped reduce total underlying religions in hiding that could've gone through capital punishment, it would've caused his political power to be questioned. So they had to be silenced, his 'slight' instigation for the disestablishment would work once he returned.
"Thank you all, while it is expected of you to protect me, I still see you as the people that you are." He comments respectfully, that others must be treated as how you wish to be treated after all, even if you want to be above them. He has a luxurious feast within the carriage-group by the chef he brought, during the way. He gave small dinners to some people that they passed by to keep up his image of a kind, generous man. "So undeveloped, I would've assumed this entire state as a backwater if not for a visit to Rome and Atlanta, Georgia.
Driver, could we stop again, please? I wish to have a bath." It was a routine after all for himself to get washed every evening before sleeping. They set up a large metal basin that then gets filled with water, a bar of soap and a rough towel for scrubbing are placed on a small table and a young female washer comes around to help clean him. After 30 minutes, he was then cleaned with a smooth towel and redressed into a new pair of night robes.
For the image of a pious man, he goes down to the small shrine in the front carriage, prays to it as necessary and goes to bed, though he does not have dreams. Repeating this process for the next two days he has noticed signs of civilisation developing. "This is good to see, with so many new foundations and direct scaffolding for structured buildings, I would've assumed this was a being-built capital, not a side city for development." One of the guards says in the background, not expecting to see this.
"Your Holiness, do you believe this may be due to that 'Saint' Boy we've been seeing in the news?" One of his advisors, Candidate Leo XIII asks Pope Pius, while still deferring the required respect. "We shall see." Pope Pius says vaguely. People who pass by show themselves in kneeling or prostrating positions and give their admiration to the highest clergy they see before them. A few times they stop for the children and women they pass.
As customary by belief for Thursdays, they wash the shoes of these people and then sometimes kiss their feet after to show their perceived humility and 'earnest' entreaty. Or if they were uncomfortable and didn't wish to be kissed in such a vulnerable position, they would instead ask for their hands to be brought out for them to be kissed by the knuckles instead. The Pope himself had done it to 15 different people as they passed, veneration was heard from the crowds after every time they did this. Furthering their austerity to the light.
Now, they are passing by the town square, and they hear a news crier nearby, due to the Pope's interest, they ask Candidate Leo to directly listen to this news. After a few minutes of listening and reading the format, he comes back. "It seems that there will be a show done by this 'Saint' Boy, let's see how good this will be." Candidate Leo comments impassively. Not expecting a person who is meant to be holy to use himself for 'parlour tricks.'
"Maybe he will do a direct show of strength now that you are here, His Holiness?" The same guard asks ahead. "Let's head to this location they're starring in then, which direction is it, Apprentice?" Pope Pius asks. "It is southeast from us, His Holiness." One of the trusted squire guards responds as he went with Candidate Leo to protect him. "Then let us head there now, Those photos they took last time usually took 40 to 50 minutes of setup, we don't want to tire him before arriving." Pope Pius jokes unwittingly, making the people smirk.
Pope Pius checked over his robes again, making sure they appeared immaculate, his guards' weapons and armour were shined as necessary and the items he brought as a customary gift were seen once over. They walk to this location instead as a show of respect and reach this location in the outskirts. Soon, they see a large stage made of an unknown hardwood, lacquered over and oiled, giving it a nice sheen against the sun.
The background of the stage looks drawn by hand, coloured with simple, yet pleasant colours. A backdrop of an ocean with a sun setting. Appearing in quality as the church murals they would usually check over. "This background is well painted, who drew this?" One of the guards asks, a nearby passerby hears and responds emphatically "Aluuin himself drew this in under 4 hours! He is quite talented for a 4-month-old boy, and it's not the strangest thing he will do today." The passerby responds before running off, probably sorting out resources.
"I keep on forgetting that he is only meant to be 4 months old, have we got actual verified information on his birth?" Candidate Leo asks, disbelieving of such a 'miracle' borne. "We do, and we shall provide it to you." A woman in the background comments, soon walking forward to show herself, it was Mother Ambrosina with her gaggle of Nuns beside her. Prioress Catalina is not seen, however, probably sorting out the situation with Aluuin.
"Ah, you must be the Mother of the church from this developing sprawl, what may be your name?" Candidate Leo asks in a respectful tone, in an inflected manner that denotes her level of authority within the clergy. "My name is Mother Ambrosina from Antioch Christ Church, you must be Candidate Leo XIII? I have heard much about you and Aluuin expected you." Then, she turned her head. "It is very nice to meet you, His Holiness, you are more radiant than I imagined." Mother Ambrosina smiled and gave a complimentary encounter.
"Not many knew I existed before this as candidates are kept private, how did he expect me or even know my name?" Candidate Leo asked, almost threatening. As this is a breach of Church law and stipulation. "Because he also knows potential candidates after you, next in line is Pope Pius X, then Pope Benedict XV, and it continues until the end of Humanity." Mother Ambrosina gave two examples and then made a final vague remark knowingly.
'. . . She scares me, those eyes tell me great sincerity and fanaticism. Is this the doing of Aluuin? It can't be though, he is only a young boy, not a seer.' Pope Pius internally chides himself, though is not entirely committed to what he says to believe. "How does he know this, and who is this Aluuin?" Pope Pius asks, though without referral of etiquette. "Before he was Aluuin, his name was David. A simple shepherd, then was enlightened and made an Angel by God. Or that's what he says." Mother Ambrosina states, sounding responsive.
"You don't fully sound genuine, do you not personally believe what he told you himself?" Candidate Leo asks, hearing the tone. "I believe he's not telling the full truth. I believe he is hiding his full powers and instead was not just an Angel, but was cast as an Arch-Angel, though that's my and my sisterhood's opinion." She responds more livelier and in a more genuine tone, surprising both Pope Pius and Candidate Leo.
"Is he truly so great? *Grabs Candidate Leo's Shoulder* I have heard their comments on how they saw him and how he performed his miracles, let us watch this show." Pope Pius pulled Candidate Leo and then told him privately. They move to the seating areas where there are private chairs for them to sit on, looking more luxurious than other chairs around them. There were enough seats for the guards too, they soon all sat down and waited for 20 minutes. This build of suspense causes great waves within their hearts, having high expectations.
Once the thousands of people sat down where necessary, there was a final waitup. Pope Pius looks around himself, seeing this crowd. 'How can he show this performance to all of them, there are people in the back that would have no way of seeing the spectacle?' Pope Pius internally murmurs. Then, there was a bang, drawing all their attention. Because Pope Pius and his guards sat in the front, they got affected by Aluuin's skin cells, internalising to. . .
A screen, that appears through their vision. They begin to feel an out-of-body experience that feels almost like astral projection, except more real. The similar sensation to when the soul was released from the body before Aluuin died was unintentionally done in this way, though they feel very warm within the sun's rays instead. They can only see themselves and the stage in front of them. And Pope Pius feels strangely calm about it.
"Aren't I meant to be reacting strongly due to this?" He asks to no one. Though somebody does respond. "That would be correct, His Holiness." He shoots around, not expecting a response, though he is still under that strange calmness. "You must be Aluuin, it is very nice to meet you, you look 15 rather than 4 months old though." Pope Pius jokes. "Thank you, this body of mine I made sure to alter as necessary to be as great as possible in the smallest amount of time." Aluuin comments with fake bravado, but real warmth.
"What about the others? Would they currently be hearing our conversation?" Pope Pius asks, with a genuine flicker of worry. "No, they each have their own private experience that shows them my current prowess." Aluuin states 'And it's good that you are actually caring now, your mental edits are making you a more empathic man.' He internally adds to himself. Throughout this process, the Nuns that were left behind fed them with high-nutrition gruel to
sustain the development of new memories and reinforce their personality 'system' changes. "I have much to talk about, and much to show you." Aluuin comments, sounding almost like an unknowable entity. 'To play into the fact I am holy, how about in his mind I change my image to what I picture Angels to be like?' He internally questions himself, then accepts this idea. "But first, let me change to a form I am more comfortable with." Soon, his body morphs in undulating, hypnotic patterns with glowing ethereal strands moving towards Aluuin.
His arms separate from his body through these strands slowly, they elongate and twist into a form that no longer resembles such parts of biology, now resembling closer to a cylindrical object, they turn over and soon change colouration to that of Marble and Steel, they encircle him in a pattern reminiscent of an Ouroboros, these first two rings begin to form eyes of the same colour as Aluuin, the rings are rotating faster, yet the eyes still blink slowly.
Then, something unimaginable happens, the second outer ring replicates itself through the strands. A third ring forms and it repeats, a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, a seventh. . . Until it finally forms the 21st ring, matching the number of Chromosome Pairs a human body has. They all turn to the 'soul' of Pope Pius IX, who appears incredibly tiny in comparison. Aluuin soon says "Be not afraid, for I am part of God's faction." He speaks within the 'mind' of Pope Pius.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BDGaFxkGX4
Pope Pius stares at the majesty of this 'form.' With the main body being a giant disembodied eye that stares at him calmly, rather than frightened he is excited to know that all he was taught which he thought was fake, is real. He remembers passages of the Bible he once had not believed, describing a creature who had rings made of eyes and were part of the seat of God. "You are an Ophanim?" He asks, almost giddy like he turned into a child again as the belief he once had had been reignited. "Why have you been sent down from Heaven, are you
not meant to be by God's side, helping him repel the Devil's forces?" He then questions worryingly, knowing that if an Ophanim was not by God's side, it usually means a catastrophe would occur from what he read from the Bible. "Your thoughts are correct, a great cataclysm will occur, that will instigate the death of Millions of Lives." The cacophony of voices, sounding almost melodic rings in Pope Pius' 'Mind'.
"I wish to atone, for not truly believing that God existed, I wish to help guide humanity away from this great peril you say will occur. Is that what I was called for? And why did you not choose to personally visit me instead?" Pope Pius asks, though at the end he feels guilty for asking such a being to visit him. "I needed to meet with you instead to see whether you had the chance for this pilgrimage to change, and from what I can see from your soul. You have already atoned, and you can change the mistakes you have made easily. While some damage
was done by you, only 3 deaths was truly done by your hands, and the thousands later were not finished yet, this can mean that your original ticket to the lowest circles of Hell could be removed if you follow my instructions." Aluuin asks, like a bargain for his soul, Pope Pius IX soon recognizes this sage advice and prostrates, he feels truly guilty for all he's done. All because he wanted political power, he caused so much death in the future. . .
"How can a monster like me truly atone? I simply hope that this peril that will be bought could be avoided, for it is the least I could do for what I have done." He says with genuine humility, the eyes of Aluuin soon squint in a gesture that shows he is pleased with this response. "That is what we wish for Humanity to do, to believe that is basic decency from Human Will to do, for any crime can be recorded truthfully and all can change if necessary, even if your mentality needed to be changed directly." Aluuin cracks a joke.
This causes Pope Pius to laugh to 'tears.' "Thank you, His Holiness, for showing me the light." Pope Pius comments with full faith, transferring his title to the one he sees in front of him. "I am only biologically 4 months old, nor do you truly know what I am, say this title once you know me better and feel I am capable of it, especially since the youngest Pope ever elected was 20 Years old. *Laughs melodically*" Aluuin chides positively.
"But you are David the Shepherd, Ruler of Israel, you are thousands of years old. Are you not already truly ready?" Pope Pius, during the process of talking also accepted the retrieval of information about Aluuin's past, and the information required to save Humanity from destruction. "I am not ready to return to such a high mantle yet, I will be ready at minimum when I am 1 year old." Aluuin believes and says so. Pope Pius trusts this judgement, though he feels disgruntled because of his personal belief that Aluuin is beyond all requirements.
"We still have time, do not worry." Aluuin comforts him, this makes Pope Pius feel like he is talking to a father he never had, for he was an Orphan before becoming Pope. They talk about all the topics required for this situation. And Aluuin gives his 'blessing' to him, making him overall smarter, making his genetics better, and even making him look younger, (unintentionally more handsome due to this process.) Then, he drifts back to his body.
They and the crowd soon wake up from this dreamlike state, yet they all remember it. The information dump and the spectacles Aluuin has caused have provided no room for doubt about his capabilities and has shown 'genuine honesty' in what he was and actual sincerity on what he plans to do. They have a world to alter, and they have many necessities to what must be done. "Atlantis is real, who would have thought such a mythical city is true, and they are so advanced and magical too. . ." Pope Pius ponders with Candidate Leo.
"We are all so beautiful now!" One in the crowd comments, soon causing fervent discussions between all people. Others who are not commenting stare towards Aluuin with such worship beyond all in the past that they see him as the true Saviour of Humanity, to the level of Jesus Christ himself, or with some who had other religions, Muhammad, Āchārya, Sadhu, Budai and even Adonis. . . Now, through the next decades, they shall be ready. Unlike the original story.