Well here I am with the latest chapter of Enrico's life. Sorry that it took so long but I was out of town and busy working on my other fic. This is kind of a boring chapter as I need to stick some plot stuff in and move it along. Hopefully later chapters will be more interesting. I thank you all for reviewing and whatnot, it really does help.

I watch the heavens but I find no calling
Something I can do to change whats coming
Stay close to me while the skys falling
-World on Fire
Sarah McLachlan

He Saves Souls from Hell
Rome was beautiful, everyone said so. Large sweeping buildings cast in time and marble. Statues that reached up to the sky, angels and saints looking as if they came out of a fairy tale. Sidewalk cafes lined the streets and children played near fountains.

Enrico sighed as he walked along, to those who lived there Rome was either a blessing or a curse. And to the blond boy, right now it was a curse. He had been under 'training' for two weeks and had had more than enough. It was physically strenuous, he still didn't think he would ever need to use a sword. It was also mentally draining, have to learn new languages and memorize the weak points on the bodies of vampires and daemons. Stores and Cafes where a blur as he sped passed them, occasionally glancing at a slip of paper that had been folded into a square of four creases. On it was one word, Antioch. It appeared to mean something and he smiled as he stopped in front of a store.

It was a hole in the wall bookstore with a decaying sign above the door. Enrico entered, a bell tingled as the door shut. Dust settled behind Enrico as he walked in. He had been here many times as an orphan. He had found it mainly to try and find answers. There had been a slip of paper on the floor of the kitchen the night his parents died. He didn't know whether it had been there before or after, but it was the only thing he had left. An old woman sat behind the counter, she had silver gray hair and a black shawl draped over her head. In front of her was a large book, an encyclopedia of sorts. She didn't bother to look up when Enrico entered.

"I thought you would be coming soon mio bambino. What are you in search of now?" Her voice was raspy. Enrico shrugged and let his eyes wander over the bottles that sat in on a shelf behind the woman. "Those are not for sale." She said without looking up. Her hand rose to turn a page, it was long and pale with sharp nails on each finger.

"That's fine, I was only looking." Enrico muttered as he turned and walked down a cramped isle. The woman looked up from her book and smiled as she watched the boy. Sharp teeth glinting in the afternoon sun.

"What are you up to now?" She asked as she closed the book in front of her.

"Gonna become a priest." His voice said from the back. She chuckled and shook her head, the bangles that hung from her ears clanging softly.

"Really? And what prompted you to take this idea up my atheist one?" No reply for a bit.

"Uh… I dunno, just felt like… not like I can do anything else." He appeared carrying a book with the binding falling off.

"Why I thought you where going to look after my store when I die." She said laughingly as she took his book and inspected it. He just shrugged and looked out the door. "It will be ? Liras ." Enrico nodded and dug the money out of his pocket. After dropping it on the counter he bid good day and left.

"I don't think you will need anyone to be looking after your store." He said as the door closed behind him.

Back at the orphanage he sat with cross-legged on his bed with the book open in his lap. After he agreed to become a preist he got his own room, new clothes, new books, anything he desired. Well, almost anything, there where some books that Anderson refused to buy him.

He smiled as his eyes ran over the pages. It was an old book, printed in 1666. A spell book he had seen referenced to in his studies. As soon as he located the name of the author he went about in search of it. Anderson tried to stop him; saying that it was heresy but Enrico was prepared with a simple three-word answer that always shut them up.

"Know thy enemy." He muttered as he gazed at a picture of a vampire being tortured. To the untrained eye it looked like a pitiful human but if one looked close enough one could see sharp fangs on the mouth, the body was unnaturally pale, and it's fingers where long. Longer than the average human, and pale too, with sharp nails.

He turned the page a found a list of spells. The book was written in Latin so Enrico could only understand a bit of it, but that was fine. He leaned over to his bedside table and grabbed a pen and a green notebook.

Preparatory Spell before performing black magic. He scrawled at the top of the page.

"Expungo Lumen, Nillus Lux, Vis Levis, Luciens Nux." He paused after he wrote it, mentally translating the text. It was fairly simple for him, though he always had a gift for language.

"We extinguish the light, we render its death, violent light, light is dead." He murmured it out loud as he wrote down the translation. Once he was done he glanced back at the book for further instructions. There where two lines under it. He didn't bother writing the Latin inscription and just put it down in Italian.

Said three times while a bell is dipped in fresh human blood and rung three times over the Gate or Summoning Sigil. Once finished with the Spell, close the Gate or Sigil with the seal.

Once he was done writing the instruction he flipped through the book. More drawings showed up, some appeared to have been added in by later owners. A slight smile curved up on his lips as he picked up his pen. He turned to the back of the book; there was nothing on the back cover. He quickly doodled a cross with a man hanging on it, the crucifix. Underneath he wrote, "He saves souls from hell… or so they say." Once satisfied that he had made his mark he returned to the contents of the book. A grin flashed on his face as he saw one of the spells that he had been looking for. Picking up his pen he quickly turned to a new page in his notebook and wrote;

Spell to get what you want

Underneath it he wrote;

Take a …… put it around a red …. Put the … in a darkened room in the … of the table. Write what you want with a … … dipped in dark … Chant the following as you write.

What I want I write here Please take my … and bring it near. What I want is what I should get. Let all my … now be met.

Now take the paper and fold in a … of four creases. Hold it over the … with a … of … and let it … … your… with your wish … as you … the paper.

On the bottom of the page was scrawled, in Italian, Only one catch, watch what you wish for!

Enrico scowled in frustration at the half-translated spell. Though he knew it was only time before he could fully translate it. But the clock was ticking, in a few months he would be sent seminary and one couldn't exactly practice dark arts there. He jumped as he heard a nock on the door. Slamming the book and notebook shut he slid it under his bed as he stood to answer the door.

"Hello Father Anderson." He said as he glared at the intrusive Scottish man.

"Hello Enrico, I was just checking up on you. I didn't hear you come back from your walk." He smiled at the boy who just glared. He could tell that he was anxious to get away, intrigued Anderson asked on. "Where did you go?"

"Around."

"Where around?"

"Just around."

He sighed. The boy was always like this, cryptic in all his answers. "What where you doing up here?"

"Reading." Enrico's voice slipped to a level of obvious impatience.

"Reading what?"

"Just reading… a book that I bought." Anderson's eyes darkened, knowing that Enrico was stingy with his money, preferring to let the order buy what he needed. The only time Anderson ever saw him spend something was when the Order wouldn't buy it for him. In fact he still had the first book Enrico bought, it was full of the dark arts and all things blasphemous.

"Can I see the book?"

"No." With that the door was closed in his face.

"Enrico Maxwell open this door." He said quietly. One thing he never understood was why people raised their voices with children. It would only incite them to misbehave even more. "Come now Enrico, being rude won't get you anywhere. And God said that children are to respect their elders." He smiled as the door opened.

"No, God said to respect your parents and you are not my father." The blond boy spat and the door was closed again. Anderson sighed and shook his head.

"That is true, I hope you did respect your father, but it is also said to respect elders. Now please open this door and show me what new spell book you bought this time." There was silence. After a few minutes of waiting Anderson heard something on the floor, he glanced down; being slid out from under the door was a sheet of paper. He bent down and picked it up.

It was folded into a square with four creases, the edges where burned slightly. Upon opening it up he found three words in black ink.

"Power and Answers." He stared at it slightly shaken, not quiet sure on how to take the message.

"I want that back." A muffled voice said. Anderson nodded and folded it back up and put it back under the door and walked away.

Later that evening Father Anderson let himself into Renaldo's office. The old man was sitting at his desk pouring over Enrico's latest assignment.

"When is he going to seminary?" Anderson asked as Renaldo looked up. The old preist looked startled but quickly gained his composure.

"When he turns fifteen. Seven months from now I believe." Renaldo answered while peering at the scruffy man before him.

"Wow… he's only been here five months?" He whispered as he sat down. It had seemed a lot longer than that.

"Yes, I believe he just turned 14 when he arrived… Late August." Anderson nodded. "But what's bothering you?"

Anderson looked up, trying to figure how much in trouble he wanted to get Enrico. "I think he is dallying in the dark arts." He said. Renaldo said nothing so he went on. "I have found a book of his that isn't exactly white magic. In fact it was advanced dark arts, summoning daemons and such. And just now I think he was practicing some more." He figured it would be better for Enrico if he spilled the whole story.

"And where is the book now? The first one." Renaldo asked.

"In my room."

"Good." He went silent, wondering what to do with the boy. He knew that it wasn't that odd for kids Enrico's age to be experimenting with different beliefs and to dally in the magical arts but still… He was going to seminary soon and would be best if he not be experimenting with raising daemons and such.

"I will talk with the boy." He finally said. Knowing it wouldn't do much help, if they boy wanted to be silent then by the will of the Holy Father he would be.

Renaldo made his way up the darkened hallway, heading towards the room at the end. He could see a flicker of light coming out from under the door. He raised his hand and knocked gently.

"Yes?" Came a clearly annoyed voice from inside.

"It's Father Renaldo." He heard a shuffling of papers before the door opened.

"Oh… So Anderson sent you." The boy stated. Renaldo blinked then nodded slowly; figuring it was pretty much the truth.

"I heard you where fiddling around with magic." Enrico nodded and stepped back, letting the Father in. His eyes swept the room and he found no sign of magic. That's when he noticed a small box under Enrico's bed, the edge of it poking out.

"You here to tell me it's sinful and that God will smite me?" Enrico asked as he sat down on the bed and pulled an old book against his chest protectively.

"No, I am just here to ask you why you are doing it." Renaldo stated as he leaned against the wall. Enrico's clothes and the orphanage cat currently inhabited the only chair in the room.

There was no immediate answer from the boy in front of him. Silence filled the room as Enrico pondered his answer, or he could have zoned out ignoring Renaldo in general, the priest couldn't tell. A soft whirring noise come from the wall, apparently someone was taking a shower. Finally Renaldo saw Enrico shift his weight and appeared to be ready to say something.

"I… I don't know why I do it." He finally answered, speaking slowly, clearly still thinking about his answer. "I guess it's to do something different. But it could also be so I know that I can do it." His eyes lit up as he said that. "Yes, that's it. I do it because I can, and also so I know I can… its like why do people climb Everest? It's sure as hell not to live, it's so they know they can do it."

"A sort of self accomplishment then?" Renaldo said. Enrico look startled, as if he just noticed the man standing there. But he quickly covered it up.

"Yes, yes indeed." He went silent again staring off. "How long till I am sent to seminary?" He asked after a minute.

"Seven months, you will be sent in August." Renaldo replied, watching the boy's face. No reaction, but that in its self was a reaction. Though not one Renaldo could figure anything out with.

"Oh…" Enrico said after a pause. Renaldo suddenly stood and gave Enrico a curt bow.

"I will be retiring, good night chief." Enrico blinked, rather startled at the title. Renaldo chuckled. "You best be getting used to it. Sibachi will be retiring as soon as you complete your schooling." Enrico quickly composed himself and nodded gravely.

"I see… Well good night to you too Father."

Back inside his room Renaldo sighed. He wasn't to worried about the boy starting school, he would be fine. It was his classmates that Renaldo worried about. As long as he doesn't try and resurrect a dead man or summon a daemon I think we will be fine. Renaldo mused as he readied himself for bed. A scowl formed on his lips as he saw a book sitting on his bed, a note was on top of it.

Renaldo

This is the book that I found in Enrico's bedroom, I think you should have a look at the inside of the back cover. I'm not sure he's ready for seminary.

Alexander Anderson

Renaldo tossed the to the side and picked up the book. It was old and had a brownish tint to it, nothing about it was foreboding. Inside where various spells to contact the dead, summon daemons, resurrect the dead, and it went on. He crossed himself then moved onto the back cover. On it in contemporary pen was a picture of the crucifix, and underneath it was " He saves souls from hell… or so they say."

Renaldo sighed and set the book down while crossing himself again, the trinity on his lips out of habit. He was to tired to be dealing with this, and tomorrow was another day.

TBC
Ok that's it for now. I had writers block for the first half of this but I still hope you enjoyed.

I forgot to do my disclaimer at the beginning, I don't own Hellsing or the spells that where in the chapter. I took them from a book of magic that I own. No I don't know if they really work, I have never tried them.

Other than that please review!