After a completed mission, Joshua and friends are back in New York. However something is happening.
Don't own CC
Chrono Crusade: Horns of Time
Chapter Sixteen: Half A Truth
"You want the truth? You can't handle the truth! No truth-handler you! Bah, I deride you of your truth-handling abilities!" –Sideshow Bob
A few days after the destruction of the facility, the group was back in New York City. News stations had caught the recent destruction but police and the local government agencies ruled it an explosion. It died down though. However, once the group arrived at the Order, there was a commotion. The car pulled out to see crowds of officers at the entrance. Among them were some friends that the sisters knew about.
Caitlyn went up to one of them. "What's going on?"
One of the sisters turned to her. "They're here!"
"Who's here?" Joshua questioned.
"High Order Members from Vatican City! I thought you got the message."
"WHAT!" The group was shocked. Wolf was the most surprised.
"Which members are here?" Wolf asked.
"Well," the sister started, "it seemed like only nine members are here. I think their Ebony's, Caitlyn and Abigail's parents as with their great grandmothers."
Ebony was dumbfounded, "Oh…my…G-"
"Do not use the Lord's name in vain," warned Caitlyn.
"But our parents!" Ebony exclaimed, "And our great grandmothers! They're here! What do we do!"
"Oh, their visit here was personal," the sister smiled. "You guys have nothing to do with their business."
"Thank goodness," Abigail said in a deep reliving sigh. "Then why are they here?"
"Oh, that," the sister said. "They're here to see someone named, 'Joshua Christopher.'"
"Me?" Joshua questioned her. "Me?"
"You're him! Then you better get yourself to Sister Azmaria's office right away. She wanted to see you before getting you to the High Order Members immediately." She walked off and the group stared at her.
"We better go," Wolf said as he started walking.
"Yeah…" Joshua said tagging along.
Azmaria was at her desk when there was a knock on the door. "Come in," she said and the group walked in. She stood up.
"Joshua," she started, "you have a meeting with the High Order Members at 1400 hours."
"Understood," Joshua said as he started to leave.
"Hold on," said Azmaria. She then walked to Caitlyn. "Do you have the information about the facility?"
"Yes, I do. It's all in this handheld." She handed it over to Azmaria. She looked at it.
"I would like to speak to Joshua…alone."
"Very well," Wolf said understandingly. "I think I speak for the rest of us here. Do what you have to do." They all walked off, Caitlyn looked back.
"Don't take too long," she said. The doors closed and Azmaria and Joshua were the only ones in the room.
"Have a seat, Joshua. I have a feeling that we'll be here for a while." Joshua took a seat obediently while Azmaria looked at Caitlyn's handheld. She stopped flitching with it.
"Just as I thought," she whispered. She got back to her desk and looked at him.
Joshua stammered, "Wha…what are you looking…"
"I just…well…I don't know how…to…okay," Azmaria started to pace. "Do you know the information that Caitlyn and the others retrieved when you were at the facility?"
"Yeah, I think she mentioned something about it. It has information about everyone in the Order since the 1920's."
Azmaria stood there, silently. Then she gave a deep sigh and started to speak, "Rather than having the High Order Members break it to you, I'll try telling you everything…the truth…and nothing but the truth…"
This was it. The moment that Joshua was waiting for. All this time, all this research it was coming to this moment.
"In the beginning, God had entrusted certain individuals with supernatural talents. You and me only make up the smallest fraction of the population with these talents. We are called apostles. They either heal or harm people. When I found out that I was one of these people, I was exploited because of these powers."
Joshua listened to her inattentively.
She gave another sigh. "Remember how the traveling troupe I was in got killed? Well, that murder was because of me. That was a message that if I didn't go with the person who wanted to use my powers, then everyone and everything I loved will die. So I had no choice but to go with them. However I was rescued from that lifestyle…" She grew silent again.
"By whom?" Joshua questioned her.
"I was rescued…by her…by your sister…"
Joshua's eyes widened. "What…what did you say…"
"I knew that particular information was too great for you. Maybe it is better that I…"
"No!" Joshua slammed his fists on the desk, "Tell me everything…I don't care about how I feel. I want to know everything that happened!"
"Very well," Azmaria sat back down. "You and your sister were born in 1902, and were transferred to the Seventh Bell Orphanage, somewhere in the countryside in Michigan. There you lived a happy lifestyle. One day…something changed all that."
"What happened?" Joshua asked her.
"… … …"
"What the hell happened!"
"… One day, you grew very ill. It was that of a mysterious force however we ruled it as using your powers too much. The Order had an interest in you and had sent a person there to study you. That person was Father Remington."
"Remington…"
"However your sister wouldn't have that. She was over protective of you and therefore took you with her inside the forest until he went away. There you two discovered something…"
"The tomb near the orphanage," Joshua realized.
"So, you know about the tomb. Do you know about the demon guarding that tomb?"
"No…"
"Maybe it is best that you didn't know that demon's name."
"… … …" Joshua didn't say anything…yet. Feeling dejected but all determined to find out just about everything from Azmaria, he sat there silently.
"Anyways, you two frequently met with him in secret in a "special place" beside the forest. This continued for quite some time until…"
"Until…what?"
"… Until you wanted to be strong for your sister's sake. Thus you suddenly decided to join the Magdalene Order in secret."
"Did my sister ever found out?"
"In time, she did. Brokenhearted she went to the demon for comfort however another demon appeared. This demon was not as kind as the demon you met. He had ambitions to conquer the earth and he used you as a weapon."
"By what means?"
"He gave you horns. Devil's horns. They were used by the demons you met however he ripped them off of him."
"What are so special about the horns?"
"A horn of a demon is a link to the Astral Line. Without the Astral Line…the demon would die."
"Hmmm….What happened to me?"
"Being overwhelmed of the powers of a demon, you lost your sanity. You created a 'time freeze' in which you froze everyone and everything into stone…"
"And thus the 'Seventh Bell Incident.'"
"That is the case. You disappeared soon after, probably with the demon who attacked the three of you. Desperately to get you back, she went to the demon for help. However, without his horns, he couldn't do much. So…"
"She made a pact with him…a contract."
"Yes…and he used a watch in order to symbolize that pact. The watch that you are wearing on your neck."
"… … …"
Your sister then joined the with the Order with the help of Remington."
"How long…"
"What?"
"How long…was I lost?"
"… …You were lost for four years. For four years she searched for you. When she found you, you still weren't yourself so you tried to kill her."
"What happened to her? Did I…"
"She did…but not by your hands."
"But how?"
"Life-force depletion."
Joshua then remembered the information about the watch. "The pact comes with a price, however, as it drains the wearer of his very soul and life." He looked down.
He started to mutter, "If she had my watch…then she would have lived with me…with us…in this world…dammit."
"Your sister was strong, cheerful, strong-willed and courageous. So was the demon she was in contract with."
"My sister…what was her name?"
"I can't…"
"What?"
"I cannot…tell you…because…"
"Why can't you tell me everything. The name of the demon…the demon who attacked us…my sister's name…why?"
"… … …"
"Why…"
There was a knock on the door. Wolf walked in.
"Excuse me, Azmaria…Joshua…"
"What is it, Wolf?" Joshua asked.
"The High Order Members request you and Azmaria's presence in the meeting room, right now…"
Joshua rose up, "I'll be right there." He gave a brief look at Azmaria and then walked off. Wolf looked at her in which she was looking down.
"Did you tell him everything?"
"Yes…and no…"
"Yes, in which you told him vial information and no you didn't reveal the names to him."
"That is correct."
"I can't believe you. You're trying to help Joshua find out the truth and at the same time you're trying to save your ass from the High Council. Time is on the essence here, Azmaria. Unnecessary delays will cost lives. Pick a side and go with it." Wolf then ran off in the direction where Joshua was going. Azmaria walked slowly out the door.
"I am in a state of crisis. Is it because of my personal feelings about this matter. No matter what happens, I must tell him about the truth. But why am I stalling…why do I feel so ashamed?"
The three arrived at the entrance to the meeting room. When the doors opened, there stood a court setting, three people at the front and three people on each side. However, Joshua's attention was elsewhere because right in front of him in plain sight was Viscount, waiting for him.
So…what the hell is Viscount doing here? What is going to happen now? Thank you all for good reviews and please keep doing so. In short, please R&R.
