Chapter 34.5: Memory of Fortuna Pt2.
Five days after his arrival, the young man in blue outfit finally about to leave the remote island castle town, Fortuna.
In the cover of the night, as he leaves for the ship docks, he turned his face halfway to see the cathedral/opera house that he witnessed before.
"To look at Sparda as their God… well, I can't exactly call them misguided."
He then walks down the ruined streets and muttered.
"That power will be awaken. It will be something greater than they'll ever imagine… But it will not serve them, for it still has a task to finish… a task that hasn't been fulfilled for 2000 years"
As he was about to walk out to the docks. A particular scene caught his sight.
A group of men whose black clothing suggested that they aren't residence of this island. Behind them… were kids and young teenage girls, dressed in ragged sheets of clothing and filled with bruises and cuts. They are all in chains.
'Slave traders huh…', the young man thought.
Yes, illegal slave traders, who kidnapped kids and young girls for human trafficking.
"LOOK AT THESE GOODS! And we even had a little nun as well!", said one of them.
The teen witnessed a blonde-haired little nun among the kids, her clothes, like them, are all torn.
'That nun… she was with that crew the other day…', he thought
"Hey! get moving!", said another men as he hit one of the kids.
"Uwaaaa!", the kids cried.
"Getting any slower and it won't be just a red butt you're gonna have!", yelled one of the men.
"Hey who's that?", said one of the men as they noticed the teen.
"Oi! What are you looking at? Get lost"
The young man in cloak was silent and firm.
"Oi! Are you deaf…"
"Hey, hold on boss, look at that"
"Is that… a Japanese sword?"
"Hmmm… you all come here a bit"
The group of illegal slave traders then gathered in a circle and talked for a while.
Then, they turned to the young man with smiley faces.
"Hey, Japanese sword brother~, sorry for our mean words before", said one of them, approaching him.
"We'd appreciate it if you walk away and keep your mouth shut. Also, it'll be great if you could leave the sword behind as w…"
As the goon tried to take the sword….
"Eh?"
All his fingers got cut of clean.
Not just that, his body slowly revealing horizontal cuts that went through the other side, blood flowed from those cuts. In the second after, his body fell apart, organs fell out from the bloody pieces.
But that goon wasn't the only victim, the rest of his companions also suffered the same fate, with only two were left standing: the leader, and the goon that hit the kid earlier.
"Ekkkkkkkkkkk!"
"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"
The two survivors shrieked in fear. The young man then slowly approaches them.
Out of instinct, the violent goon grabbed the little nun as he pulls out a gun and pointed at her head.
"Move another step and I'll blow this nun's brains out! Boss, get…", the goon yelled to his boss, tried to buy time, but…
The slave trader boss was already in bloody pieces by the time the goon looks to him.
The thug then moved his gaze back at the young man in cloak. As he shivered in fear, he also realized that the nun he held hostage was now on the young man's side.
"Gaa…. gaa…"
The goon fell on his butt, his teeth clapping continuously.
In a split second, the young man already in front of the former.
"Did you really think using a meat shield will give you victory? Pathetic fool"
Having said that, the teen sliced the thug to pieces.
A whole section of the dock is now covered in blood.
The young man exhaled a breath, and the moves his sight towards the kidnapped kids and young girls.
They all have a frightened look, even more than before.
"Please… d-don't hurt us…", said one of the terrified teenage girls.
…
'I knew it', he thought.
Suddenly he visibly draws his sword.
"Hiiiiiiii!"
The children and girls panicked.
SWING.
In contrast of their thoughts, they weren't cut by him.
CLANG CLANG CLANG.
All the chains that bind them fell off. There were visible clean cuts on the chains.
"Go home. I won't tell you a second time.", the young man said, surprised all of the kidnapped.
They then hurried to get up and run back to the town.
"T-thank you!"
Said some of those kids and girls.
'Don't thank me… I didn't even think of saving any of you'
The young man then once again about to move to the docks. But he caught another sight that halted his progress.
The little nun who was held hostage earlier. She is just sitting in one spot, crying.
"Why… t-they were humans, like us… why… did they do… such thing…."
She continuously muttering with tears and hiccups.
…
'She can handle herself, right? I already took care of those goons…'
Suddenly an image of a familiar little girl overlaps the little nun's figure.
'…'
'…'
'Oh, screw it'
The young man then walks towards the little nun. He then kneeled down as she looked up.
"You, what's your name?"
"*Sob*… Asia… Argento... *Sob*", said the little nun after having looked up to the young man.
"Where's your crew?"
"I… was kidnapped… 3 days ago… They tried to… look for me… but they had to go back…", said the little nun as she wipes her tears.
'Had to go back? Did they received orders from their HQ and had to abandon the search?'
"The Church you came from. Where is it?"
"Eh?"
The little girl was surprised for a good while, but then she told him the address of the Church anyway.
"So it's in Italy huh…"
The young man then stood up. He draws his sword…
SWING SWING
two wide perpendicular swings, and the sound of space being distorted echoed loudly along with the blade swing.
In the next second, a portal was generated.
The nun was surprised. As the young man sheathed his sword, she said.
"Son of Sparda…"
Those words revealed the identity of the teen cladded in dark blue.
Yes, the young man who went to this remote island for information about his father, as well as the man who slaughtered the illegal slave traders just then. He is the Son of Sparda, the misfit that the Gods labelled.
He then turns around and extended his hand.
A magic formation appeared on his open palm. It was an array of elaborate magic circles that shrinks in size the deeper they go in. Multiple ancient letters and symbols. However, the most distinctive feature of the whole formation, is the key symbol in the very center:
Two letters, both from the Ionic Greek alphabet. One is Alpha, the other is Omega, both interwoven each other to form the symbol. But the letter A, which represents Alpha, was inverted, with the two slanting sides of a triangle feature the shape of an Angel's wings, they alone formed the letter V instead.
As the magic took effect, to Asia Argento's surprise, her clothes were recreated to perfection, as if they were made yesterday.
She was also given a smaller version of the cloak that the Son of Sparda is wearing.
As the magic formation disappeared, he extended his hand.
"Come on", he said.
"Eh?", the little nun was surprised.
"You're going home".
Upon his reply, Asia hesitated for a short moment, before taking his hand with her own little hand, and they walked through the portal.
*Outskirt of Rome, Italy*
The skies were bright and clear. In a grassy land just outside of Vatican, Italy, a "+" shaped blue glowing rift opened in the empty space. Emerged from the rift was a young man and a little girl in nun's clothing. Both were wearing black cloaks.
The Son of Sparda, and Asia Argento, the little nun, have arrived at the Headquarter of Christianity.
"Why did you take us to the outskirts of Rome?", asked the little nun.
"Vatican itself is a massive formation of Holy magic. If I enter there, they'll notice my presence too quickly, and I'm in no mood to fight right now. Come on"
Said the Son of Sparda as he walked.
"W-Wait, can I please ask of your name?", asked the nun, Asia.
"…"
The young man was silent for a moment, then…
"Vergil", he replied.
"Vergil-san…". Said Asia.
"Stick with me close. You don't want to get lost", he said.
Asia Argento nodded as she sticks close to him.
*Night*
After nearly a day of traveling, as well as multiple small fights in various places. The two finally arrived at the Roman Catholic Church.
The skies once again became dark, heavy rain started pouring down alongside black clouds and thunderbolts.
In front of the massive Roman Catholic Church, a group of nuns and priests were arguing against each other.
"I can't believe that you forced us to leave Asia behind! She got kidnapped for cry out loud!"
"The orders came from the headquarters, what was I supposed to do!?"
The argue continued for a while, until one of the nuns saw Asia Argento running towards them.
"Asia!", the nun embraced Asia, who was crying a little.
"How!?", exclaimed another nun.
Asia sobbed for a short while, before turning around to point at the young man.
"He… saved me….", she said with a few hiccups.
The nuns and priests then looked towards the young man, it only took them a second to realize who he is.
"I-It can't be…", said one of the terrified nuns.
"S-Son… of Sparda", stuttered one of the priests.
The Son of Sparda, Vergil, looks at the group with eyes of disinterest.
"Calm your horses, if I wanted to kill you, then you'll all be dead already", he plainly said.
"Y-yes…"
They all ease out.
"Take care of that girl", Vergil said as he leaves.
"W-wait!", said Asia as she ran towards him.
As he turned around, his eyes met hers as she spoke.
"Y-You can stay with us, Vergil-san! There are places you can sleep and eat without worrying!", she said.
Vergil became surprised with his eyes opened wide a bit.
"…"
…
A silence occurred in the rainy night.
"I can't", said Vergil, broke the silence.
"Eh?"
"There are things I need to do"
"But…!"
!
This time, Asia became surprised as Vergil patted her head.
"You are gentle Asia, and that's something too rare in this world now."
In many senses… she's just like Mia… and mother…
Those were his thoughts.
He then continued.
"You have to be strong, never let yourself cry for this, ever again."
Asia was hesitant for a bit, before tears covered her eyes again, alongside the rain drops.
"*hiccups*… Yes", she confirmed.
Vergil then let go of her head.
"Live well, kid."
As he turns around…
"Please wait!"
Asia chases after, but Vergil makes a huge leap into the sky.
DOOOON!
With a sound of intense thunder and a lightning bolt flashes, overlapped his figure…
He disappeared into the rainy night sky…
*A few years later*
The Vatican City, Rome, Italy.
DOOON!
DOOON!
DOOON!
Violent shockwaves occurred repeatedly in the clash of three powerful beings.
Their battle set various cities ablaze, various structures, modern and historical alike, were ruined. Vatican, was no exception.
"Get to the shelters! NOW!"
The warriors of Vatican are trying to evacuate the civilians in the city to the underground shelters.
"Anyone who is injured, please come this way!"
Asia, alongside many priests and nuns, are healing injured civilians and warriors.
As she looks up to the skies, seeing the 3 powerful individuals clashes…
!
One of those figures caught her sight.
"Vergil-san?"
Yes, the smallest figure of the three, clashing against the other two, who seemingly teaming up, is the Son of Sparda, the Dark Angel.
DOOON!
DOOON!
DOOON!
Their clashes went on for a while, before the Son of Sparda pushes the other two, smashing into the walls of reality, and created a rift that sucks them in.
All of those who witnessed their battle had their eyes mesmerized by the splendor of pure power as they continued to gaze upon the colorful rift in the middle of the blue sky…
Author's note: And that's it for the Fortuna prologue! A rougher past event for Asia. Up next: The Great Battle.