Author's note: I wrote this after the former chapter 10, Laundry, but decided to move that one to 11 because this chapter takes place before it chronologically.

CHAPTER 10 — GRACE

YEAR 192

Once Sho got the hang of using his ignition ability to jump and climb and run, and he could even combine it with some of his sword work, he started going to train at the church twice a week.

Sho had to learn to link with Adolla at will.

One of the priests, Father Blas, specialized in forging Adolla Links, and led Sho in prayer and meditation so that he could learn the same skill.

Arrow had witnessed Sho have random Adolla Links before; it happened quite frequently due to the Nether's spiritual proximity to Adolla.

It didn't take long for Arrow to be able to recognize when Sho was having an Adolla Link on sight. Sho would shiver and get a faraway—and sometimes terrified—look on his face. When Sho was little, having a Link really scared him, and he would suddenly grab onto her waist or arm. Some of the nightmares that woke Sho up were actually Adolla Links. Though they lasted for only a second or two of real time, the amount of time that passed while Sho was in Adolla was longer. He could talk for twenty minutes about what he'd seen in one second.

Sho was young and didn't have all the vocabulary he needed, but he did his best to describe what he saw to Arrow.

Adolla wasn't like a fake world, while the one they lived in was real; they were both real worlds. There was a huge open ground with almost nothing on it, except a lot of black fires. The fires didn't make smoke, and they weren't burning anything up; they were just burning. They didn't hurt him. When he got near them, they felt like the same fire that he had in his chest. There were demons and bones and bugs around. A lot of bugs. Sometimes he saw a city and a castle that looked like bugs, and big eyeballs just floating in the sky. The moon was there, and it had a person-like face, and it was smiling. The Evangelist was there too. She looked just like the statue at church. She was really big and really really bright, and had a glowing ring thing behind her. It was kind of shaped like the sun. He saw her eye one time, and it looked like the night sky with a million little stars in it. Adolla was pretty scary, but the Evangelist was really... strong? She was so much stronger than humans. She must be God. When he saw her, he felt like he should pray. The Evangelist told Sho that Adolla needed to come to earth, but the world would have to burn up first. If the Evangelist said to do something, then people should do it because she was way... better? than all the people in the world.

Arrow had grown up hearing about Adolla and the Evangelist, but hearing them described by someone who had actually seen them was something else entirely. And the person describing these wonders was the little boy she lived with. It was unreal.

Through an Adolla Link, Sho could sense not only the Evangelist, but also strong emotions from other people who had experienced Links. It was rare, however. Once, Sho thought he had heard Haumea weakly calling for help. He didn't know where she was, though, and soon forgot about it.

Arrow sometimes wished she could have an Adolla Link. Of course, the Evangelist demanded a price for looking at her, so most people who had experienced one were scarred or disfigured. A White-Clad soldier with an eyepatch was usually one who had seen Adolla. If Arrow lost her eyesight, or a hand, she'd be useless, so it was probably better not to wish for that. She would be content to feel Sol's presence in her heart.

Sho's true power came from his Adolla Burst. His ignition ability was special, because instead of regular fire, it was made of the unsullied flame that burned in Adolla. It was a gift from the Evangelist that allowed Sho closer communion with her, and through it, she could bestow her Grace on him.

There wasn't a concrete explanation of how Grace worked, but it seemed to amplify an Adolla Burst holder's ability exponentially.

For example, Haumea could normally control radio waves and electricity. When she received Grace, she could communicate directly with Adolla and read mankind's collective unconscious. With enough Grace and concentration, Haumea could even summon demons, forcing them to cross over the boundary between worlds and come to earth. She was still training that part of her ability though.

Arrow had witnessed Haumea using Grace a few times: Haumea mumbled incomprehensibly while her face contorted with pain, then her agony changed into a vacant look as she fell into a trance, speaking words that came from another dimension. The mere sight of the Evangelist drove most people mad or blinded them, but Haumea was powerful enough to be a conduit between their worlds. She could actually make the Evangelist's will known.

Arrow would have considered Haumea the most blessed among God's servants if she hadn't seen Charon's face as he watched. Charon hated seeing her in pain, even if it was for the Evangelist.

Arrow had no love for Haumea, but even she would admit that the sight of her in agony was disturbing. Almost any other time Arrow saw her, Haumea was smiling, even though it was at another's expense.

If Arrow had to see Sho in so much pain, she wasn't sure what she'd do.

Sho experienced Grace for the first time at age eight. Arrow would never forget the look in his eyes as he tried to explain it.

Sho had been at the church all evening.

After dinner, he went to the church where he—under the guidance of Yona, the priests, and Sister Sumire—would try to use his Adolla Burst to obtain the Evangelist's Grace.

It was almost lights out and Arrow was anxious. How was Sho doing? Was he okay?

Another hour passed, then another. Arrow was beside herself now. She needed to know that he was safe, and she wanted him there with her.

Arrow wished she could go to the church and at least confirm his safety, but she couldn't.

Did Sho get the Evangelist's Grace? If so... did it hurt him like it hurt Haumea?

Shortly before 1am, there was a knock on the door. Arrow ran to open it, and Sister Sumire stood there with Sho.

"Miss Arrow, the session was successful. Sho experienced the Evangelist's Grace tonight. Now I must go and offer prayers of thanksgiving. Both of you have a restful night." Sister Sumire tented her hands. "Látom."

Arrow tented her hands and inclined her head. "Látom."

Sister Sumire took her leave.

Sho was in a daze, but excited. He grabbed her arm. "Arrow, I want to tell you what happened. I want to tell you what I saw."

"You can, but first, let's get ready for bed."

Arrow was still in her uniform; she'd never changed into her pajamas in case she was called to the church. Sho's uniform was damp, and she didn't want him to catch a cold, so she made him take a quick, warm shower, and after he was in his pajamas, Arrow dried his hair really well with a towel.

Now they were both in their pajamas, and she put Sho right in his bed. He grabbed her sleeves and wouldn't let go.

"Arrow! I need to tell you what happened. It was... scary."

"I didn't forget. I'll sleep in your bed tonight, so you can tell me everything." Arrow ran to her room and came back with her pillow.

She'd barely sat down when Sho started talking.

"Everybody had been praying for hours. I was lying on my back on the ground of the holiest part of the church like usual, when it was like I fell asleep.

"Then I was in Adolla. The Evangelist said something to me, but I don't remember what it was.

"I sat up and was going over to Yona to tell him the Evangelist spoke to me, but Yona wasn't moving. I realized I was so cold that I almost couldn't move. There was ice on me!

"Yona started moving again and yelled 'Sho, use your ability so you don't freeze!' so I used my fire to melt the ice on my back.

"It was really scary: I don't know why there was ice on me.

"Then I was so, so tired that I thought I might fall asleep, but I was too excited and scared. Sister Sumire said that I did good today, and brought me home.

"I was so cold, Arrow," said Sho, tears forming in his eyes. "I was so cold and I don't know why."

Arrow knew just what to do.

She took both of their pillows and used them to prop her head and back up a little bit. Then she pulled Sho a little closer and patted her collarbone and said, "Alright, Formation Delta."

Sho crawled over and hugged her neck, then turned his head sideways so that his ear was right over her heart. Arrow had one arm around his waist and used it to pull him closer till he was just about lying on top of her.

"Nice and warm now?"

Sho nodded. While he listened to her heartbeat, Arrow stroked his hair and rubbed his back, and he fell asleep very quickly. She had done that so often when she was trying to get him to sleep that it was a conditioned response.

Arrow had invented Formation Delta a few years ago when Sho had had a string of nightmares so bad that she slept in his bed rather than sitting beside of it and watching over him. Sho would try snuggling with her, but he usually ended up using her arm as a pillow, which—while cute—hurt like crazy.

Formation Delta was more comfortable when Sho was smaller, but right now, Arrow deemed Sho's peace of mind more important than her ability to breathe properly.

Neither had a restful night. Arrow was trying to sleep with a substantial weight on her chest, and Sho woke up about five times in six hours. He kept having dreams about freezing, but he woke up on Arrow's chest where he was safe and warm. Arrow would wrap her arms around him and hold him close, until he fell asleep again.

Since neither of them had gotten much sleep, Arrow was excused from work and Sho from his morning lessons. They went to the mess hall and had breakfast, then went back to their room. Arrow decided she would nap on her bed for a while, and Sho went and took a proper bath. Sometime after he was all dry and dressed, he climbed on Arrow's bed and slept next to her. She was so tired that she didn't even wake up.

About fifteen minutes before lunch, Arrow's alarm went off and the groggy-but-rested pair shuffled to the mess hall. They still had training at 1:30.

Right after training, Yona and Sister Sumire came to take Sho back to the church. Neither he nor Arrow had been told about this.

Sister Sumire stepped forward and extended a hand. "Master Sho, now that the Evangelist has bestowed her Grace on you, you have to strengthen the connection. She is waiting to see you again."

"No! I don't want to! I'm scared! Arrow, I don't want to go!" Sho grabbed onto her arm with a death grip. "Don't let them take me!"

Arrow felt like her heart was being ripped out. Everything within her screamed "protect him". Unlike the other times Sho was scared, Arrow did not know if he would be fine.

Picking him up and running away was not an option, nor was fighting. Resistance would be tantamount to defying God.

She looked from his pleading eyes to Yona and Sister Sumire, then back to the little boy hugging her arm. Yona and Sister Sumire were waiting for her to say something to Sho. Arrow chose her words very carefully.

Arrow knelt down so she could be eye-level with Sho. He immediately threw his arms around her neck and hung on for dear life. "Sho, listen to me: you have to do this. You are the Evangelist's son, and this is why you were born. She's giving you a special power, one just for you. I promise I'll see you as soon as you get back."

Sho was crying now. "Arrow, don't let them take me! Please!"

Sister Sumire stepped forward and took Sho's hands in her own and unwrapped them from Arrow's neck, then led him away while he struggled and cried.

Arrow was blinking back her own tears. As soon as she could no longer hear their footsteps or Sho's voice, Arrow completely broke down. She sunk to the ground with her back against the tunnel wall, pulled her knees up to her chest and bawled harder than she ever had in her whole life.

They just took her scared, crying child from her arms.

Sister Sumire brought Sho back that night at 8. As soon as Sho saw Arrow, he ran over and threw his arms around her waist. Sister Sumire informed her that Sho had successfully obtained the Evangelist's Grace again, and that they would come to get him again tomorrow after training.

She left Sho with some food from the mess hall, since he'd missed dinner again. He ate ravenously. Sho wouldn't talk about what had happened today, which bothered Arrow more than a little.

Each of them took a quick shower, and after brushing their teeth, they both lay down on Sho's bed. Sho immediately crawled into Arrow's arms, and after ten restless minutes, fell asleep.

Arrow set him down on the bed beside her. She had decided to retire Formation Delta and take her chances with Sho using her arm as a pillow.

Arrow lay awake for a while longer, angry. What were they doing to Sho? Why was he terrified and cold? She knew her anger was sinful; she shouldn't question the Evangelist's will.

On the third day, Sho did not want to leave Arrow's side for a moment. He was quite unmanageable. Arrow ended up going to his school lessons with him, sitting in the room reading quietly while he and his teachers worked. Arrow knew that she shouldn't have given in to Sho's tantrum that morning, but this time she decided it wasn't worth the fight. Soon, Sho's connection to the Evangelist and her Grace would be strong enough that he wouldn't need to visit church every single day. This was a special situation.

That day, Sho fought harder to stay with Arrow, but he got back earlier.

Arrow felt like she was betraying Sho by handing him over, but she had no choice. If she didn't, then they might take Sho from her and just never give him back. Thankfully, Sho didn't hold it against her. It didn't make it any easier to see the fear in his eyes as he was forcibly removed from her arms.

While he was away, Arrow tried to reassure herself with the knowledge that Sho was the Evangelist's child, and that Sister Sumire and Yona wouldn't allow harm to come to him. Even if they didn't care about him, they needed him.

But... that didn't mean they wouldn't hurt him. Haumea's face, twisted in agony as she mumbled gibberish, came to mind.

Arrow questioned Sho when he came home that night and—to her immense relief—Sho said that it didn't hurt to use the Evangelist's Grace, unless he started freezing. He was learning to melt the ice so he wouldn't. Arrow could live with that. Sho still wanted her to sleep in his bed with him in case he felt cold, and she obliged.

In total, Sho spent eight days in a row going to the church for this special training before Yona and Sister Sumire deemed Sho's connection strong enough for him to receive the Evangelist's Grace at will.

On the fourth day, Sho went to the church without too much fuss. He was kind of weary by now, and not as scared.

On day five, Sho went to his lessons without Arrow, though he had permission to call her at work.

The last few days, Sho was sleeping well enough that Arrow only had to take up her guardian position next to his bed while he first fell asleep. She told him to come and get her if he had a bad dream about being cold again. Sho only had to do so one more time before he slept peacefully through the night on his own.

On day nine, the church elders called a small assembly and Sho demonstrated his new power.

Arrow and all the others in the room watched carefully as Sho closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Suddenly, he was on the other side of the room with steam pouring off of him. It happened faster than anyone could blink. Sho never disappeared; he was just instantly in a different place, as though he'd teleported. But why the steam? Arrow had an idea, but waited for Dr. Giovanni to explain it properly.

Dr. Giovanni reiterated that Sho's regular ignition ability controlled the temperature of his body and the air around him, enabling him to move extremely fast.

When Sho received Grace, he was actually able to steal heat from the expanding universe, channeling it into himself so that he could move faster while the entire universe slowed so much it almost stopped.

In essence, Sho could stop time for everyone but himself. When he used Grace, it was like he existed in his own private universe, so that's what he called it: "Severed Universe".

The side effect was that he started to freeze almost immediately because the air around him was devoid of heat. Sho had to use his regular ability to continuously melt the ice forming on him. This meant he reached his limit very quickly, and he was at risk for both frostbite and tephrosis. He would have to train using Severed Universe very carefully until he got a grip on it.

Arrow could hardly believe it. Sho could do the impossible. He was... absolutely incredible.

It took Arrow a long time to get used to Severed Universe, and it was still nerve-racking if Sho used it when she wasn't expecting it. After all, Arrow's job was to know where he was at all times.

Sho had to be able to do several things at once: link to Adolla in order to obtain Grace, use his flames to melt the ice constantly forming on himself, and then occasionally use his ignition ability to move even faster while time was stopped.

Sho hadn't even tried incorporating his sword yet.

After Sho's eight days of training in the church was complete, Yona summoned Dr. Ochibana to his office. She hadn't spoken with Arrow for two weeks, but Yona wanted to brief her on the situation nonetheless.

Yona was going over what Sho's new ability was and how long it had taken to awaken it when he laughed gleefully. "You should have seen Arrow's face the first time we took Sho away from her. A witness said that she sat on the ground and cried for twenty minutes straight!"

Ochibana managed to keep a straight face, but was seething inside. She understood that Sho had to go and strengthen his connection with the Evangelist, but laughing at Arrow for being upset that Sho was scared and crying? That was just cruel.

Moments like this reminded her that Yona was not human at all.

Ochibana wished she could have talked to Arrow, and reassured her somehow, but even if Arrow came to her, Yona would find out what they said. Though Ochibana had to keep up the facade, there was no patient confidentiality in her office. Ochibana didn't report everything, but she couldn't keep anything major a secret.

Yona continued. "You weren't exaggerating when you said the 3rd pillar and his guardian are very attached to each other. For a split second, I thought Arrow would defy us."

Ochibana could believe it: she knew that the only way they could permanently get Sho away from Arrow was to kill her.