A DREAM OF SUMMER
A Highschool DxD crossover
III
-Her Mission-
She was born without ever knowing of her father, her mother dying shortly after bringing her into the world. Fortunately for newborn, a member of the Church had come and made the necessary arrangements to take her under its protection, like it had done before with many fortunate newborn orphans.
Sister Agatha became the person responsible for taking care of the girl during the early years of her life. The red haired woman taught her how to walk, how properly eat and of the proper behavior on the dining table, how to read and write. She encouraged the little girl to make friends amongst the other orphans and cherish them, but also to accept their departure when a family decided to adopt them.
Sister Agatha was there for the little girl when she felt sad and scared, read her bedtime stories, and scolded her when she was involved in some manner of mischief. Strict but understanding, knowledgeable yet down to earth, her door always open to those seeking her advice and assistance as best as she could deliver, Sister Agatha became both a symbol of admiration and the closest thing the little girl had to a mother figure.
Sister Agatha was also the one responsible for introducing the little girl to the Faith. From bedtime stories to official lessons in their reading and writing time alongside the other orphans, the older woman taught the little girl of important virtues like love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, humility, honesty, and above all, devotion to God.
She accepted those teachings as truth, and embraced them as she began to follow after the steps of her mother figure. They would become her guidelines for the rest of her life as a devoted Servant of God.
"Do you have everything ready?" –asked the person on the other side of the phone.
"Yes Sister Agatha, I doubled checked this exact morning, just like the others did." –replied the young woman politely.
"Your personal belongings all in order"? –a nod and a hum in confirmation –"Your passports and other important documents for your arrival at Japan?" –another nod and hum in reply –"…your favorite plushy?"
In the middle of a normal call for a checkup, the older woman had to go there. She just had to go there.
"MOM!" –she exclaimed loudly, the milky skin on her face turning red in embarrassment. An embarrassment further increased when she realized the used the m-word and did so in the presence of her coworkers, who were doing their best to hold their laughing. Desperate to recover a proper image she returned to her call –"Sister, I don't think this is the time and place for that."
Giggling answered her on the other side, her effort to return to the previous seriousness proved so far to be a failure.
"Now, now, don't get so uptight with me child. There is nothing wrong with such slips before work, I did raise you from your days as a toddler to the moment you graduated with honors and became an active member of your institution" –the nostalgia spread from side to side, bringing back memories of simpler times to both women –"I just wanted to tease you a little bit, I know how you become when you are committed to your duties, especially this part of them" –finished the motherly voice.
Seconds of silence passed between them, before the eldest continued.
"You do know there is no need for you to do this right? Cardinal Deacon Cristaldi has gathered more than enough people for a scouting and skirmishing party, and he never requested your help in particular" –her voice now carried concern for her former charge, who remained steadfast in her decision.
"…You can never say no to a mission related to him, can you?"
"The Cardinal Deacon needs help to track down the Cult and discover what they have been up to. Since the usual teams are occupied in other locations, I want to help alleviate his burden and protect those in need from whatever machination is taking place in our destination."
"Just do not do something foolish, child. There are no powerful Holy Sword Wielders amongst you and you do not know what awaits you in that corner of the world. Remember, if the challenge is too much there is no shame in asking for help. In fact, order you as your mother to do so if the situation proves too dire" –the piece of advice ended with another bit of humor, but the message was clear to the young exorcist.
"My beloved child, do come back to me" –this time there was a sense of vulnerability to which the younger woman could only reply properly.
"I will… mother"
When the girl was 11, a middle-aged man with black hair and dressed in the vestments of the church was introduced by Sister Agatha. His name was Ewald Cristaldi, a high ranking member of the Church holding the position of Cardinal Deacon, and apparently an old friend of her mother figure.
He was amicable despite his serious face, and the way he spoke about his belief in God was awe-inspiring to the little girl, especially when he explained he had come specifically to meet her.
He spoke about a hidden side of The World created by God, a side where all creatures of legend and bedtime stories had existed and continued to exist until today. God and his Angels belonged to this side usually invisible to the common folk, but so did all manner of monsters like those in her stories, or even worse.
He told her of the times when he had been a Brother in Arms, an Exorcist. Cristaldi had been an agent serving the Church and God to protect the disparaged and bring justice to those wicked monsters that preyed upon them. Sister Agatha spoke of his great achievements, of the great deeds he had done for the sake of God's children, which the Cardinal Deacon confirmed with the humility of someone who merely performed his duty.
By then, he had become not just a Cardinal Deacon, but a teacher. Passing on his knowledge and experience through words and physical training, so the new generation could take the blade of justice in place of their elders and fallen comrades.
A teacher who had heard of her devotion, and had seen proof of it.
And in that moment, he offered her the chance to proof herself and live up to his expectations, to the expectations of those who knew of her potential for good.
The path would be hard and filled with perils, the training harsh to the point she would spill her own blood and cry her eyes dry. But no matter how far she managed to reach, if she accepted and never strayed, it would be all worth it.
The girl would stand in a position where she could truly live up to their Faith.
The 11 year old girl believed him, and Sister Agatha also believed in her.
She took his hand.
Preparing to leave ship, she listened to the officer in charge of them as she made them all review their mission.
Suspicious activity connected to an unknown had been traced to the island they were disembarking on. This group had unknown affiliations but it appeared to be a mix of magicians and exiled or rogue exorcists, responsible for a series of murders of both civilians and low to mid ranking members of the Church.
Their superiors had believed at first that the murders were connected to fanatics seeking the attention of one of the Devil Pillars, since the use of magic and magical weapons as well as their knowledge of members of the Church made them different from the occasional murder cult that unfortunately appeared every few decades.
However, the common factor uniting these dangerous misfits was a symbol no one had ever heard before when looking at the active or extinct Devil Pillars, the known names of the Fallen, or any divinity or legend connected to the other pantheons.
So far the activities of this cult had been small and focused on murder of minor or low-mid members of the Church, but the fact they seemed to be gathering in a particular location outside of the immediate control of any faction was enough of a sign to deem a more solid response.
She had become part of the team of Sisters in Arms sent for reconnaissance and extermination of the problem.
To protect the weak and the innocent.
To spread His message and will across the World.
To obey the commands of His agents from Heaven itself.
To punish the wicked and slay the monsters praying on God's children.
To give one's life for the cause if needed.
Such were amongst the most important duties for those swearing to join the ranks of the Brothers and Sisters in Arms, more commonly known as the Church's Exorcists.
This new creed did clash with her previous guidelines, but Cardinal Deacon Cristaldi had once again explained that some beings had willingly stepped from His Light and actively sought to corrupt and bring misery to those under His protection or deserving of it.
After her first mission under the supervision of a more experienced Exorcist, she believed them.
Devils and Fallen, Vampires and monstrosities no longer resembling whatever they used to be.
Excommunicated priests and nuns, rogue exorcists, and wicked magicians.
During her first missions, she was confronted with the darkness that preyed upon Creation, with the wickedness of the Supernatural and Humanity.
So many good and kind people being played like puppets, being thrown to the wolves or devoured on a mere whim. Sometimes for some great agenda serving the desires of these monsters inhabiting The World.
And for every brother and sister that did not make it, her conviction grew stronger.
The young exorcist in training knew her mission.
Despite being part of a team, and having worked as part of different teams in past missions, she was better performing alone.
Particularly when it came to scouting and gathering intelligence.
She was not the most charismatic and silver-tongued of characters, but the young Exorcist was good at paying attention to details and improvising when needed according to the situation.
Therefore, she chose her own route for exploration while her Sisters in Arms focused on the resort and the locations outside of the town. They were interested in particular in the Cathedral located on the mountains, since abandoned buildings of the Church were spots favored by the Fallen to establish their bases of operation.
She would make a line for the school grounds, no matter how small of a possibility it was for their targets to be there.
At the suggestion of one of her more open-minded Sisters, she had changed her traditional nun outfit for one more… revealing.
Said sister assured her it was a great means to pass as a cosplayer and fool both the locals and the cultists, but she believed said Sister was most likely getting a kick out of it. Still, it worked very well, to the point that a male teenager in particular, most likely a student on a Summer Break taking his date on a walk, stared at her in amazement.
She was not as ignorant to her appearance as some of her peers thought.
She was able to appreciate beauty, and considered herself beautiful even while that feeling was buried beneath her teachings of humility and commitment to what was truly relevant.
She took care of her body and made her best to look approachable to all. She also reminded those who looked longer than needed that she was called for duty and not to play the part of a doll to undress with their eyes.
It did not stop some of her companions or other folk, men and women, from commenting on her looks in praise and sometimes envy.
So long as they were not so obvious and did not interfere with her duties, she did not mind. She took the compliments with a smile, and ignored the scorn directed to her.
Perhaps the sole problem with her growth was the stiff shoulder her breast left her as a result of their increased size and weight, and the need to go for new dresses and skirts and her rear followed the example.
But all of that was secondary.
She was a Sister in Arms first, and a girl only in private.
She had a mission to fulfill
And so she would.
Most Brothers and Sisters in Arms wielded weapons using the Light Element, usually one handed guns and swords or spears for those preferring close quarters. Light was the natural weakness of beings born from darkness; a poison to their bodies stronger than any conventional weapon.
It was not that beings like Devils and Fallen were immune to cold steel or enough bullets in the right places, and they would certainly crumble if exposed to severe damage from an explosion when left without magical protections. But given the variety of magical arts and abilities tied to specific clans, Light was considered a more reliable way to deal permanent damage and ensure the threats to God's children were put down for good.
In her case, she ended up following the classics.
A sword of steel blessed under sacraments and holy water.
A bow and arrows of Metal and Light in place of a gun and bullets.
And despite the always present doubt from her peers and some superior officers, she proved her ability to master these tools in the fulfillment of her mission.
Unfortunately, she was considered a failure as a Holy Sword wielder. Even after she went under the program to create Artificial Wielders, she still failed at synchronizing effectively with Holy Swords. She would never achieve the accomplishments of great names of old like the Paladin Roland or more modern ones like former Cardinal Priest Vasco Strada or Sister Griselda Quarta. She also knew of recent talents like Sister Griselda's former ward, who was found a natural wielder for the Holy Sword Durandal, most likely a future replacement for the position left by Vasco Strada as the best wielder of the blade since Roland himself.
That was ok with her. She would contribute to their mission to the best of her abilities.
Her lack of a Sacred Gear also made her less valuable than great names like Dulio Gesualdo, Diethelm Waldseemüller, or even the very young Asia Argento, the last one considered a Holy Maiden under the protection of the Church.
That was ok with her. She would contribute to their mission to the best of her abilities.
And so she did.
She became adept at mission as part of a team or alone, and followed orders at the best of her abilities or even beyond.
Sometimes she got looks expressing thanks.
Sometimes she got looks of concern.
Sometimes looks of disgust at what some considered zeal.
Some would even give her looks of pity, but those were very few and usually when they thought she was not looking.
That was ok with her. She would contribute to their mission to the best of her abilities.
A/N: This is a shorter chapter than the previous two, but I prefer to reveal only this much about the new character and add more of her development for later. She has experienced more changes than the final part implies, something I hope was shown when she talked with Agatha on the phone. But it remains that this Sister in Arms in particular gives priority to fighting the forces of darkness above the life of a normal girl, without being all edgy about it all the time... at least I hope I left that impression -_-'
I have to focus on pending responsibilities this weekend, so you will have to wait for about five days or a bit more for the final of the introductory arc. Hope you are enjying it, and please do leave some reviews. HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!