Abel Nightroad and all characters associated to Trinity Blood belong to Sunao Yoshida, Thores Shibamoto, Kadokawa Shoten Groups and GONZO. Francesca, Iris, and Victor belong to Advi. All names and characters are not related to any actual persons. Any similarities are regretted.
Father Nightroad
The
Exorcist
A Trinity Blood Fanfiction
By Advi
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Abel was asleep in his modest apartment within the walls of the Vatican. Contently, he dreamt of a great feast bedecked by cakes of towering proportions and endless dishes of tantalizing, juicy, roasted meats. But, that dream came to a rude end by a knock on his bedroom door. His heavy eyelids parted slowly, revealing tired, wintry-blue eyes. Another knock chased away any sleep that threatened to reclaim him. Abel sat up in his bed and looked ruefully at the door of his modest apartment… or cell… he rather call it a cell since modest was being far too polite. "Coming!" he called out, his voice raspy.
Abel threw his warm blanket aside and swung his long legs out of his comfortable bed. The floor was cold, sending a chill up his spine. He stood and walked to his door and opened it wide enough to see the culprit that disturbed his much needed sleep. It was Father Tres Iqus. Abel blinked at him and opened the door wider. "Tres, what's up?" Abel asked, groggily. If it's Tres, it must be something serious.
"Father Nightroad, your services are needed," Tres announced tonelessly. Abel sighed, and asked, "Is it really necessary?" He was exhausted, having just returned that evening from the scene of a terrible massacre by vampire terrorists. Tres stared emotionlessly at Abel and answered, "Your presence is requested by the Duchess of Milan; hence it is necessary that you accompany me to where she awaits you." Abel sighed. "All right, hold on, let me get changed first." He closed the door on Tres, turned around and heaved a great sigh, "Good thing sometimes I'm not human."
After he had changed into his faded-black cassock, Abel followed Tres to the San Angelo castle, where the quarters of his superior, the only lady Cardinal in Vatican's history resides, Cardinal Caterina Sforza, also known as the Duchess of Milan. At the door of her room, Tres knocked twice before letting himself in, "Duchess of Milan, as you requested, Father Abel Nightroad." Abel ambled clumsily into the room and saw that Caterina was seated on a luxurious looking sofa, sipping what he guessed to be tea. "Really, Caterina, should you be up this late? It's bad for your health," said Abel, worry ringing clear in his kind voice. Caterina placed her tea cup down gently and looking at Abel, who had heavy bags under his eyes, said, "Father Abel, I apologize for disturbing your rest, but it could not be helped." The beautiful Cardinal gave a slight cough and continued, "Your 'other' priestly services are needed immediately." Abel blinked at her and asked, "My other services?" Caterina gave him a sharp glare and said, "An exorcism." Abel straightened up, and for a tired man, he suddenly seemed energized. "Who needs me?"
Caterina picked up a piece of paper lying on the table in front of her and read it, "The location is in Rome itself. For more than a month, a child named Francesca, aged six, has been possessed. Her parish priest and Bishop Capello have confirmed that the possession is indeed a true possession. However, Father de Cenzo, who tried to exorcise the demon, was killed when the child threw him out of her bedroom window. The fall from the one-story window would not have normally been deadly. Unfortunately, he fell onto a pitchfork that impaled him through his heart. Death was instantaneous." Abel stared horrified at the Cardinal, who he knew since she was a little girl and crossed himself, saying a small prayer for the unfortunate priest. Caterina, dressed in her night robe, walked to Abel and gave him the piece of paper. "Good luck my dear friend, please save that young soul, and may Our Lord protect you and lend you his strength to fight the Devil."
Abel closed his eyes and uttered, "Amen, Your Excellency." He opened his eyes and took the paper from Caterina and stared at it. Caterina still looking up at him said, "Father Tres will accompany you, go now both of you and be safe." The two young priests nodded their heads to the Cardinal before leaving her quarters.
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"Oh… um... " said Abel, positive his six-foot-three frame would not fit into the tiny sidecar of Father Tres's motorbike. "Can't I sit behind you?" Abel asked, his voice sounding small. Tres, seated on his bike, looked up at Abel and rather dryly, said, "I do not recommend that Father Nightroad. It is against Vatican rules for priests to break traffic laws. Traffic rule #024, states that motorcyclists are not allowed to carry passengers in the city of Rome. They may; however, do so if the motorcycle is equipped with a side-car." Abel sighed. Androids and their perfect ability to recount laws in any given situation.
Abel remembered when there were many snatch thefts in the city. It got so bad that at least fifty people were robbed every day. So, in order to stop all these thefts, the authorities barred motorcyclists from carrying pillion riders. The motorcycles which were permitted to civilians within the city had low-powered engines. Motorcycles in excess of 50cc were banned. Though they couldn't go fast, they did get you to your destination and back. However, thanks to Caterina, Tres's motorbike was more powerful than the rest in Rome. The current City Police even believe his holds more power than theirs, although unproven.
Abel looked down at the sidecar and said, "I don't think I'll fit in that." Tres looked at him and Abel could hear loud whirring noises that Tres's spinal CPU made. Abel wondered what Tres was thinking about when the android priest answered, "It is possible for you to fit into the sidecar. I have calculated your parameters and found that is within allowable limits."
"Oh, okay," said Abel, plainly. However, he soon found that he barely fit into the small sidecar. "Tres," said Abel, uncomfortably, "I think… your calculations are wrong!" His poor back was pressed uncomfortably against the frame of the seat, while he hugged his knees to his chest. "Negative," Tres answered coldly, "My calculations are accurate, Father Nightroad. You are able to fit into the cockpit."
"Just barely!" said Abel, ruefully. If Tres wasn't an android, Abel would think he possessed a rather wicked sense of humor. Tres started the electronic engine of the bike, making it roar loudly in the empty, but colossal Piazza di San Pietro. The sound echoed around the huge elliptical circus, bouncing off its double pair of columns, while Abel's spine pressed painfully against the seat's edge. The powerful electronic motorbike moved forward, as Tres turned the handlebars, pointing the bike at the exit. Then, with a jolt, the two priests rode towards the main entrance. The Swiss Guards stood aside allowing them to leave.
With the coordinates stored in Tres's computerized brain, the state of the art GPS system installed within him began guiding them to their intended location. He navigated the streets of Rome with ease and it only took the priests twenty-minutes to arrive at their destination. With much difficulty, Abel stumbled out of the sidecar and fell like a sack of potatoes to the road. Tres dismounted his bike and stared at Abel, who managed to stand bent over with one hand rubbing his back. "Damage report, Father Nightroad?" Tres inquired.
Abel shot Tres a glare and complained, "If I was human I think my back would be broken by now." Tres, without a hint of emotion, stated, "Understood, however if you were human, your back would be sore and not broken." Tres always was merciless when it came to the blunt truth. Still rubbing his sore back, Abel stood straight and gazed at the windows of a small house. A window on the upper level was dimly lit by a strange and eerie glow. It was strong enough to just tint the windows in a soft-blue light. This is the place all right. Just standing outside this building gives me the creeps.
"Father Nightroad, I suggest we enter the house."
"All right," Abel replied, as he went to ring the bell. They heard the rushing of footsteps down a staircase and then, the sound of locks clicking. The door opened. A man, with dark rings around his eyes, peeked around the door and asked, "Oh, did Bishop Capello send you?" Abel smiled kindly at the man and answered, "Actually, I was sent by Cardinal Sfroza. I am Father Abel Nightroad and this is Father Tres Iqus." The man's eyes widened. He opened the door to the priests and replied, "I did not expect that we would be graced by elite priests like you." Abel blushed at the man's praises. Elite? Me? I doubt he'll be very happy to find that he's being graced by the Vatican's most incompetent rather than the cream of the crop!
The priests entered the small house and noticed how cluttered it was. Strangely, there were mattresses laid in the hall and on them a young woman and two children were fast asleep. The man noticed Abel looking at the sleeping children and uneasily commented, "We decided to separate the others from Francesca. No one can sleep upstairs. Not with… not with those… awful noises."
"I understand," Abel replied in a soft and gentle voice, "could you take us directly to Francesca, please?" The man crossed to the narrow staircase and said, "Right this way, Father." The staircase was unbearably narrow as it went up in a steep climb. Abel did not notice how low the arch was and smacked his forehead against it, while the two men before him avoided it. "Ow!" Abel exclaimed, as grabbed the guardrail to stop from falling backwards. Tres turned around and asked, "Damage report, Father Nightroad?"
"I'm all right!" Abel chimed. His head did hurt, but the pain of embarrassment hurt even more. Francesca's father, however, stared inquiringly at Tres. 'Damage report' was a strange way of asking if a person was all right. When they reached the next level, Abel and Tres found two chairs standing in the middle of the hallway, one of which was occupied by a middle-aged lady. "Thank heaven for coming, Fathers!" she exclaimed, the moment she caught sight of the priests. She rushed to them and said, "I am Iris, Francesca's mother. We are still in horror and sorrow over Father de Cenzo's death." Abel held Iris's hand and gave it a gentle pat, "Please, do not blame yourselves for his death." Iris looked up into Abel's wintry-blue eyes and tearfully, replied, "But… Francesca threw him… out of the window… she killed him."
"It is impossible for a girl of six to hurl a grown man out of a window," Tres stated monotonously. Iris turned to Tres, her eyes wide with the glare of vexation. She couldn't believe how cold and uncaring his demeanor was. Abel, sensing danger, quickly responded, "What Father Tres said is correct… it is impossible for a child to lift an adult… it was the demon within that killed Father de Cenzo. Unfortunately, it used little Francesca's body to carry out that horrendous crime."
Iris's legs gave way.
Luckily, her husband caught her. "Be strong," he whispered into his wife's ear, then, he pulled a key from his pocket and gave it to Abel. "This is the key to Francesca's room. Please, go on ahead, I wish to take my wife downstairs to rest." But, before the couple could leave, Abel placed his hand on Iris's head and in soothing voice, prayed, "O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, strengthen this sorrowful mother in this dark hour. Amen."
"Amen, Father," the couple replied, before descending the narrow steps.
Abel turned around and walked to the door, which had chains securing its front. Together, he and Tres removed them. "I guess if they chained a child's room this heavily it means the demon likes to roam about. I don't think a fly could get through this net of chains." said Abel, making polite conversation. However, Tres answered, "Your statement is illogical, Father Nightroad. The chains on this room cannot keep insects inside or out." Abel chuckled lightly in a disappointed way. "Eight-hundred years alone in the catacombs… not so lonely as right now." Tres stared dully at the young-looking priest with silver hair and asked, "Father Nightroad, please re-input, your statement does not compute."
"Oh lookie, we finally got all the chains off!" said Abel, changing the subject quickly.
Throwing the chains aside, Abel pushed the key into the lock and turned it. Grasping the knob, Abel pushed the door open and felt a shiver run down his spine. There on the bed sat a small girl dressed in a frilly-green dress. She also wore a lacy bonnet on her head. Uncomfortably, she had a grayish complexion and there were black rings around her eyes. Francesca grinned at the priests standing by the doorway. Then, in a scratchy male voice, she said, "Welcome Fathers… I thought I'd dress up to greet such important guests."
"Talkative aren't you?" Abel asked; the kindness in his voice now extinguished. He strode into the room while placing a purple stole over his neck, Tres closed the door. Francesca giggled at the priests in the voice of a child, but spoke in a croaky male voice, "I will enjoy your pathetic and trivial attempts to make me leave this child. So, before I make you leave the way of your predecessor, I thought I might as well make polite conversation. Oh, give my regards to him, that priest had such a lovely blood curdling scream." Abel placed a purple stole over his neck and replied coolly, "I beg your pardon Mr. Demon, that's not going to happen."
The demon laughed. Abel moved to the other side of the bed, leaving Tres by the other. However, Francesca followed his every step with a smile that made his blood run cold. Then, something happened that almost made the six-foot-three priest jump and flee. As he turned at the side of the bed, Francesca's neck made loud bone-popping noises. It was as if her joints were being dislocated. Abel took a quick glance at the girl and saw that her head was turned in an angle that was humanly impossible. Even the veins on her neck were popped out of their usual positions. It was a sight that would make anyone weak in the knees. When he stood behind the little girl, her head turned to face him, though the front of her body faced Tres. "A monster masquerading as a holy man and an artificial man made of metal. How interesting… what can you, with bloodstained hands do, that a pure-hearted man could not? Do you think you can make me leave my little toy?"
"Behold the Cross of the Lord!" said Abel, sternly. Francesca bared her teeth at him, a low growl rumbling from her throat. He held his golden crucifix up, "In the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Immediately, the little girl hissed loudly at him. Then, her head snapped back to the front before she fell to the bed in a cold sweat. "Hold her down Tres," Abel ordered calmly, as he pulled out a small container of chrism oil from his pocket. Francesca squirmed, trying to wiggle her way out of Tres's iron grip. The bed began to tremble, as the little girl's face turned green and her eyes, white. Abel bent to the small girl and held her head in his hands. He bent close to Francesca's face and with his thumbs, held up her eyelids, exposing the whites. But, it was difficult to tell if her eyes had rolled up or down. Suddenly, with great strength, the little girl threw the priests off her. However, as Abel was thrown off, he noticed that her eyes had rolled down into her head. It's a serpent!
Abel and Tres found themselves flung to the wall on the other side of the room. Their backs hit the wall loudly. But, while Abel slumped to the floor, Tres landed nimbly on his feet, like a cat. "Damage report, Father Nightroad," Tres inquired. Abel pushed himself up and placed his glasses back on his nose, "No damage, Tres. However, I've ascertained that the demon is a serpent. This isn't going to be easy," the silver-haired priest replied, standing up.
"A serpent." Tres stated, his spinal CPU making whirring noises. "Possible names… Satan the devil, Lucifer, Beezlebub, Azazel, Samael—" Tres was cut short when the girl began to levitate. Quickly, both priests rushed to the sides of the bed. Abel placed a foot on the mattress and boosted himself up. He managed to wrap his arms around Francesca's small torso; however, he could not pull her down. Tres did the same and held on to Francesca's legs. He too, with his mechanical strength that could break down a thick metal door was not able to pull the girl down to her bed. Abel, a Crusnik, the king of vampires, stronger than even normal vampires, the Methuselah, couldn't believe how much he had to struggle against a girl of six. He even felt sweat roll down his face, an unusual phenomenon for him.
The room became very dark… its darkness extinguishing nearly all trace of light. Abel saw faint mist of his breath rise before his eyes. The room was suddenly as cold as the frostiest day of winter. Wrestling with all their might, Tres and Abel managed to pull the child down. As the pair struggled to hold the girl to her bed, Abel began to pray.
"Most glorious Prince of the Heavenly Armies, Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in our battle against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places. Come to the assistance of men whom God has created to His likeness and whom He has redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of the devil. Holy Church venerates thee as her guardian and protector; to thee, the Lord has entrusted the souls of the redeemed to be led into heaven. Pray therefore the God of Peace to crush Satan beneath our feet, that he may no longer retain men captive and do injury to the Church. Offer our prayers to the Most High, that without delay they may draw His mercy down upon us; take hold of the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, bind him and cast him into the bottomless pit... that he may no longer seduce the nations."
It was an ancient prayer, which traced its roots back to the nineteenth century. Abel's prayer managed to settle the girl and she stopped struggling against the priests. He stood straight and removed the purple stole from his shoulders and wrapped it around the small girl. She began to shiver, as her eyes rolled to show the whites again. "Tres, please hold her down, as I anoint her." Tres obediently obeyed Abel and watched him perform his duties.
That was also when Francesca's father returned to the room. "Can I help you?" he asked. "Yes," Abel answered, "please hold on to your daughter's legs and keep her from moving… if it's possible." Her father came to the bed and gently held his daughter's legs to the mattress. Abel placed a bit of oil on his thumb and then traced a cross on Francesca's forehead. "Accipe signum Crucis tam in fronte, (Receive the sign of the Cross on your forehead)"
Immediately, Francesca tried to get up, but Tres held her down. Her father, who only held her legs gently, was kicked in the face and fell to the floor. Abel knew he did not have time to inquire if the man was unhurt and traced another cross on Francesca's chest, "Quam in corde, sume fidem caelestium praeceptorum: et talis esto moribus, et templum Dei iam esse posis. (And on your heart, know that you are bound now by a heavenly rule of life, and let your conduct henceforth prove you fit to be a living temple of God.)" Abel stood away and looked at Francesca's father, "Are you all right?"
"Yes," the man answered, rubbing his chin. "I'm sorry," said Abel, "but, I never did get your name." The man stood up and replied, "My name is Victor."
"All right Victor, this time hold your daughter's feet down with all your might, I've just started and that was nothing more than a prelude of what is to come." Victor nodded his head and held his daughter's legs down again.
"You filthy monster!" the demon within Francesca shouted, "How dare you try to take what is mine!"
"Foul serpent, this child does not belong to you!" said Abel, putting away the small container of balsam and pulling out a small decanter of holy water. Rubbing his thumb on his faded-black cassock, Abel wet his hand with holy water and traced a sign of the cross on Francesca's forehead. "Signum sanctae Crucis, quod nos fronti eius damus, tu, maledicte diabole, numquam audeas violare. Per eumdem Christum Dominium nostrum." (The sign of the holy Cross, which we put on her forehead, do thou, foul spirit, never dare to violate. Through the same Christ our Lord.)
However, as he did that, the holy water burned Francesca's forehead. It surprised all those in the room, even Tres. Though Francesca's little body was being held down, she arched up, in an attempt to levitate once again. Francesca opened her mouth and cried in a voice that was neither human nor animal. It made all the hairs on the back of Abel's neck stand. Still screaming in pain, Francesca shook her head rigorously from one side to the other. Worried, Abel held her head from moving.
Her body went limp. She opened her eyes and glared angrily at Abel. "FLITHY THIEF, get your blood-soaked hands off me!" The demon's words did not faze the young-looking priest. Certain that Francesca was too tired to move, Abel held his hands away and put a bit of holy water on her ears. The demon did not like what Abel was doing and growled. Suddenly, the bed trembled violently against the wooden floor, making Abel's and Victor's ears ring painfully. "Hold on to her!" Abel shouted through the drumming. However, without warning, the noise ended. The sudden silence seemed loud. Then, Abel noticed something odd about the bed. Am I imagining things? I could have sworn the thing was lower just now.
"The bed is levitating," said Tres, looking down.
The bed unexpectedly swung to the right. Victor lost his balance and fell. With a loud metal thunk, Tres caught the grill-like headboard, stopping the bed from moving any further. Victor noticed that he was under the bed, a dangerous place to be and quickly rolled away and got to his feet. Now that her legs were free, Francesca thrashed her feet violently on the mattress. The demon within the child bared its teeth at Abel and screamed. He was the only person now who held the child to her bed; not an easy task. Francesca managed to sit up in bed, but Abel forced her down again. "Victor, please help me hold your daughter down!" Abel shouted, as he fought to hold the girl to the bed. Victor came next to the priest and fought to keep his daughter from moving.
Quickly, Abel took hold of his golden crucifix and pressed it to Francesca's chest. Chanting loudly, he recited the Lord's Prayer. Immediately, she stopped moving. BANG! The bed dropped halfway through the prayer. Then, Francesca sank into her mattress; the springs straining loudly under the child's body. When Abel concluded the prayer, the air stilled in the room as the child was half-swallowed by her mattress. Abel lifted the rosary off his neck from which the crucifix hung, and placed it on Francesca's little body.
It was an odd sight to see the child, lying sunken in her bed.
"I'm going to begin the exorcism now, both of you please be on your guard," Abel warned. He then sat on the side of the bed and lifted his golden rosary off Francesca. Slowly, as the springs squeaked, they watched Francesca's body rise out of the mattress. Abel placed his rosary around his neck and then held its golden crucifix in front of the little girl. "You… can… not… make… me… leave," the demon spoke weakly. "She is mine… gifted… to me."
"Gifted to you?" Abel questioned. But suddenly, his eyes widened in shock as something clicked in his mind. "Who gave this child to you?" Abel asked fiercely, still holding the crucifix in front of the child. "A family friend whom desired this man's wife." Victor looked like he had been stung by a bee. "The wife spurned him and now he takes his revenge though the daughter. THIS CHID IS MINE!"
"I'll kill him!" Victor shouted, "I'll kill him for making us suffer like—" he stopped upon noticing the priests staring at him. "I'm sorry Fathers, I cannot forgive!" said Victor, crying, as he moved backward, away from the bed. "I cannot! Why did God allow this to happen!" The demon laughed.
Abel gazed at Victor with wintry-blues shining with sympathy. "That's quite all right, Victor. But, healing comes from forgiveness… without it… there cannot be—"
"I can't!" shouted Victor, "Not for all the horror he put my wife and I through! Not for all the sleepless nights, the pain I have in my heart!" Victor shut his eyes tightly, pain etched over his features. But, once again, the demon spoke, "Hate, hate, hate with all your might. It is not wrong to hate. The priest is lying! Hate is good, it heals, it brings strength, who doesn't love to hate? Don't we all just love to gossip about that gold-digger and her rich and powerful suitors. Oh, what about that Bishop and his lover, huh? Hahaha, can't trust the Church anymore, can you?" Victor fell to his knees, his eyes shut tight.
"Victor!" Abel called out, "Don't listen to the devil! He's wrong! It's wrong to hate, don't be tempted to hate!"
The demon laughed, "It is futile, Priest! Humans are so easily tempted; they desire what we offer rather than God! You'll see, Priest, he'll listen to me, not you. I offer him what he wants… HATE! Go on Victor, it is not wrong to hate. Hate the person who brought such infernal suffering. Hate will help you overcome all the suffering that you have been through. Forgive the man who brought all this trouble onto you? Why? Because the Priest said so? What does he know? He doesn't have a family like you, Victor. Do what is human and hate. Get revenge, it will heal you."
"YOU'RE WRONG!" Abel shouted at the demon. "Humans wish for hope more than hate! It's very easy to hate, but in the end…" the scenes of a crumbling building and people buried its rubble flashed before Abel's eyes. He blinked; the memory of the war he caused, faded away, "…You're left empty. Hate brings nothingness!" Abel strode to Victor and knelt before him, "Victor… don't listen to the devil, hear my voice and do not hate… there is nothing but deep emptiness there. It's all right to be angry right now, Victor. No parent can bear to see their child suffer… but please, consider forgiveness… if not, then you are the same as the man who brought this suffering upon you. He did this because he could not forgive your wife for spurning his advances." Abel saw Victor's eyelids part, although his gaze was still paid to the floor.
Abel gently laid his hand on Victor's head. "My child... God did not allow this to happen to you." Victor flinched. But, before anger could take hold, Abel added, "Because he sent me to save you… and your family." Finally, the grieving father raised his gaze to Abel, his eyes filled with tears. "I'm here because God saves… always." Tears streamed down Victor's face, as he trembled. Gently, the silver-haired priest said, "But, you hold the weapon that can defeat the demon."
"PRIEST!" the demon yelled.
Victor stared stunned at Abel, "Me?"
Abel, ignoring the demon, answered, "Forgiveness. Hate gives the demon its strength. But, if you can prove the demon wrong and forgive… you break its power on Francesca." The demon began to scream and thrash on the bed. Victor stared astonished; then he turned back to Abel. The wintry-blue eyed priest with silver hair, smiled, "Do you have the strength to save Francesca?"
"I DO!" The demon screamed even louder, Tres fought to hold the girl down. "I forgive him! I… I forgive him, I forgive him for doing this to my family!" Victor shouted over the demon's screams, while tears streamed down his face.
"NOOooooooooooo!" the demon yelled.
At that moment, Abel knew he won. He and Victor stood up and sped back to the bed. Holding his daughter's legs down, Victor stared at the demon and demanded, "MY Daughter Does Not Belong To You! GET OUT OF HER!"
The demon shrieked amidst the throes of agony inflicted by Victor's words.
Abel holding his crucifix aloft, said, "Behold the Cross of the Lord! Flee bands of the enemy!" Francesca trashed violently on the bed, but Tres and Victor kept her from moving. They valiantly held her to the bed while Abel continued his prayers. The demon wailed in misery each time Abel made the sign of the cross or blessed the little girl with holy water. Through the night, and without showing fatigue, Abel continually recited his prayers for exorcism. The demon, on the other hand, weakened severely. Victor, inspired by Abel's words stayed with the priests through the night.
Finally, as the first rays of dawn lit the darkened sky, Abel said, "Tremble and flee when we invoke the Holy and terrible Name of Jesus, this Name which causes hell to tremble, this Name to which the Virtues, Powers and Dominations of heaven are humbly submissive, this Name which the Cherubim and Seraphim praise unceasingly repeating: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, the God of Hosts!"
The only window in the room burst open, giving Abel and Victor a fright. Then, the loud cracking of glass made all three men exchange looks of horror. They glanced around and saw all the glass in the room was cracking, from the picture frames, to the window and a large mirror.
"This isn't good," Abel commented, nervously. "Affirmative," Tres agreed.
Without warning, the glass shattered. Shards of razor sharp slivers filled the air. It was a sparkling storm of death. Abel sheltered the little girl with his body, while Tres, who had already anticipated the glass shattering, covered Victor with his bullet-proof body. The glass rained on them and fell to the floor, making a sound that was akin to the ringing of small bells. Once it was over, Abel stood up and winced. He had a number of glass shards pierced into his back. He also noticed that his sleeves had small rips in them. Oh no, Caterina will really punish me if she finds out that I ruin yet another cassock!
As Abel feared Caterina's punishment, the glass that pierced his back began to fall out, his wounds healing nearly instantly. When he looked down at Francesca, Abel noticed that her skin had returned to its normal healthy hue. Her eyes, though looking quite tired, were the prettiest shade of green that Abel had ever seen. "It is done. Thank you… O Lord." Abel prayed in a whisper, his eyes closed. Opening his eyes, he gave the girl a warm and caring smile, "Hello there!" he said chirpily. "Good morning Francesca and how are you on this fine and lovely day?"
"Tired," the little girl replied in a small voice that brought warmth to the room. Abel chuckled at the girl.
He and Tres stayed with little Francesca, praying with her for another half an hour before they finally left. To Abel's displeasure, he had to endure the small side car of Tres's motorcycle once again. He didn't complain too much this time; it was after all the only way he could return to the Vatican, fast. They passed half-filled morning buses as they went about their hourly routes. By the time they returned to the Vatican, Abel was fast asleep, as uncomfortable as it was. However, he woke with a jolt when Tres's motorbike came to a stop. His glasses slipped off his nose and hung around his neck by its chain. "Huh… are we there yet?" Abel asked groggily, his eyes mere slits.
"Honestly, Abel." He heard Caterina's voice. Abel put on his glasses and looked about. He found Caterina looking beautiful in her crimson cardinal vestments on the steps of the Vatican. Abel lurched out of the sidecar and fell on his face. Caterina closed her eyes and sighed.
"Damage report, Father Nightroad?" Tres inquired. Abel tried to stand, but, his numbed legs tangled and he tripped again. "Very sleepy," answered Abel. Tres got off his motorbike and went to Abel and helped the tall priest up. "Father Nightroad, I shall assist you to your quarters. I have deduced that it is too dangerous to allow you to continue alone."
"Aww… Tres, that so cute!" said Abel, kindly. "Father Nightroad, please re-input, your statement does not compute." Caterina bit on her lower lip to keep herself from laughing at her two rather silly priests. Abel was rather fortunate that Tres wasn't human and only understood Canon Law and priestly ethics perfectly. Any other man would have beaten him to a bloody pulp for being referred to as 'cute'. Caterina walked up to her two favorite priests and said, "That's a wise decision Father Tres. Knowing this man, he'll walk into all the marble pillars of the Vatican before he gets to his room."
"Ah, Caterina that's mean," said Abel weakly.
"I concur with the Duchess of Milan. The worst probability that I have calculated is that Father Nightroad may also walk into his Excellency, Cardinal Medici," said Tres, in a matter of fact way. Abel stared at the android. If I didn't know better this fellow does have a sense of humor!
"Lord forbid that," Caterina replied. If Abel did clumsily walk into her elder half-brother, Cardinal Francesco deMedici, he would find that as a good excuse to close the AX and excommunicate Abel and all her other priests out of the church. "Go on, both of you, you deserve a good rest… especially you, Abel." The priests bowed and then passed by their superior. When Abel finally returned to his room, safely thanks to Tres, he closed the door and threw off his clothes, chucking them in a basket. He then got back into his pajamas and climbed into his disheveled bed. He pulled his blanket over and the moment his head hit his pillow, Abel Nightroad was lost to this world as sleep claimed him to the land of dreams.
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Hello everybody out there, I'm back after a long hiatus from .
Okay I know what most of you out there must be asking, 'Hey, Advi, where's Sister Esther?" Well, this is my first Trinity Blood story without the red-haired nun. I wanted to do TB fics without Esther as a tribute to the awesome Rage Against the Moons series.
Okay, now for a few notes about the story with Father Abel Nightroad himself!
Abel: Oooh, thank you very much!
Advi: Now, the prayer to St. Michael the Arch-Angel is actually much longer than the one in my prayer book. Father Abel, can you please explain why?
Abel: Well, that's a good question Miss Advi. Actually it depends on the prayer book and its publishers or when it was published. In the prayer to St. Michael that I used, the parts in italics are actually excerpts taken from the Bible!
Advi: Wow, that's interesting! And, Father, what about the prayers you used in Latin, what were those?
Abel: Ahh… it seems you have forgotten the prayers for Baptism! But these were taken from books post Vatican II, so they are longer than what is used nowadays.
Advi: OH, I see, how very interesting! Well, this wraps up the end of our conversation, Father Abel, do you have any parting words for our readers?
Abel: Yes, I do! I hope all you out there will pay me a visit when you watch your Trinity Blood DVDs, and please, do buy original. Now if you buy bootlegs or if you prefer pirated anime DVDs, you're just giving money to criminals… which means I don't get paid and that means I won't get to eat… so… please… don't let me starve! Even Crusniks need to eat food like roast chicken! *Cries*
Story rewritten and edited on 19-04-2017.