Earlier the same day...
Sister Cassandra saw the world differently from everyone else. To be more accurate, she didn't 'see' the world at all, not anymore. But giving up her eyes had led her beyond the confines of the mortal world. As far as she was concerned, she had been more blind with her eyes than she was now without them.
The divine blessing she had received had vastly enhanced her perception allowing her to 'sense' her surroundings. In fairness, inanimate objects could still present a problem. They had little energy inside them she could sense and she had frequently found herself bumping into chairs and tables or tripping over items on the floor when she had first made the transition.
But it wasn't as though objects had no essence in them, it was just harder to spot. A lightest touch could leave a trace behind, she just needed to work harder to sense them. Slowly she had pieced together the image of her surroundings, like drawing a street map only by tracing the footprints of the pedestrians walking it. It had been slow going and cumbersome, but she'd gotten the hang of it, at least in places she frequented often.
People, by comparison, were much easier. It was an unfortunate truth that all humans contained within them both good and evil. And the demonic and the divine touched everyone, in the same way that mankind subsequently left the faintest of traces on the furniture they touched, the doors they opened and such. The 'fingerprints' of the greater beings were easy for Sister Cassandra to sense and she had learnt to filter out such influences to glean the true essence of the being below.
For example, her current partner, Detective Malcolm, had a distinctive aura about him that was distinctively not divine or demonic.
It was powerful, but also terrestrial. Sister Cassandra knew well that there were powerful beings natural to their world. She hadn't received the honour of meeting the Guardian of the City but she was sure that such a being would be brimming with selfless desire to safeguard the weak and the defenceless. Why else would she take on such a role? And she knew that there were a number of guardians before this one. Their city was truly blessed to have so many protectors, she needed to work as hard as she could to play her part.
Unfortunately, she was having difficulty connecting with the good detective. She didn't think he was uncaring or cold, perhaps he just didn't like being distracted from doing His work? So far she had been unable to engage him in proper conversation. Nothing that wasn't about their job, at least. He truly was dedicated, she admired him for that, though she wished he would be a bit more friendly.
'Good work,' Officer Troy congratulated them over the report he was reading, 'it seems as though the school investigation is going well.'
Sister Cassandra couldn't help but make one last attempt:
'Sir,' she implored, 'with respect, why haven't we visited the boy's house yet? We were able to recognise the demon responsible for the corruption, yes? We have to check on the family as soon as possible!'
'I understand your passion, Sister,' the older man replied, 'unfortunately it isn't that easy. Aria is a nasty piece of work and the last thing we want to do is provoke her without the adequate preparations. Besides, this time feels strange. Considering the other ongoing investigations there may well be an unknown third party involved. Knowing what we do it would be extremely dangerous to make any hasty moves.'
Sister Cassandra resisted the urge to protest further. She wanted to say that she'd take that risk, that she'd gladly lay down her life if it meant protecting others. But she wasn't allowed to be selfish. Senior Sister had told her time and again that so long as Cassandra lived she could continue to do good for the people of the city. Dead she was of no use at all. She couldn't allow herself to expire before she'd helped as many people as she could. That was why she was given the blessing, after all. She understood the reasoning, but still…
'There is actually a more pressing matter we need your assistance with, Sister,' Detective Troy continued, 'a report of some sort of unnatural beast in an abandoned warehouse complex. Possibly demonic in nature, possibly something else. I'd like the two of you to check it out and neutralise the threat if possible.' Sister Cassandra clutched at her rosary.
So far, she hadn't yet been able to kill or intentionally harm another. Even the demonic beasts were victims in their own right. She'd like to be able to save them if she could. It was a pity, but she wasn't powerful enough for that yet. She'd need to dedicate herself more to her prayers and her studies. It was why Malcolm was with her, he was much better at fighting than she was. She could protect herself and others but it was difficult to win a confrontation with only defence. If only she was stronger...
A short while later she was sitting in the passenger side of Malcolm's vehicle proceeding towards the site of the report. She didn't like travelling by car, or any fast mode of transport, in fact. Everything moved past her faster than she could get a good feel for it, making her feel as though only she, her companion and the car were left in the world. As always when in this situation she attempted to speak to Detective Malcolm. Without much else to discuss she asked him what he thought about Aria and the school investigation. He didn't seem to hear her though. He started talking, but not to her.
'It's me,' he said, 'we've got a location. I'll need a team and a techie as soon as possible. Sure. See you in a bit.' It took her a moment to realise he was on the phone. Well not exactly a phone, he had a handless system involving a headset. He'd told her that once before so she wouldn't be nervous about any accidents on the road. He was a sensitive person to notice she was uncomfortable travelling, she just wished he'd talk to her more.
They sat in uncomfortable silence for the rest of the journey. Fortunately, it wasn't too long. Then they were getting out at their destination. Sister Cassandra began to stretch out her senses, feeling her surroundings. Immediately she picked up on the distorted energies around them. There was definitely something nearby, a strange mixture of demonic and terrestrial energies. It was most certainly unnatural. Sister Cassandra could tell that it was also dangerous, the two types of energies weren't properly in sync with each other. This clash would most likely have driven the creature crazy.
'You know where it is?' Malcolm asked. She nodded. Tracking it would be simple enough. She could follow its aura just as a dog would follow a scent. She began to lead the way through the gate and towards the warehouse. The structure had long been abandoned; Sister Cassandra was struggling to make out any signs of human activity here. It was making navigation somewhat more difficult.
She could see all the areas the creature had moved through but was struggling with the rest of her surroundings. Ill used and abandoned areas were like this, the less interaction with humans or higher beings the less she would be able to see. Fortunately, she simply needed to find the creature. Someone else would do the rest.
She began chanting, granting Malcolm a blessing of protection. She'd been working hard on them and was confident it would keep him safe, so long as she still had enough energy to maintain it. With that done she applied a second blessing, of agility this time. Not as potent as her first blessing she prayed that it would still be useful. With both her blessings in place the only thing left to do was find the target. It wasn't difficult. It rushed out to meet them almost immediately.
Sister Cassandra called out a warning and pointed. She'd never miss the beast, it was the only thing around she could see clearly, after all.
Malcolm responded quickly to her call, his gun up and already aiming. He wasn't using ordinary bullets, of course, but silver bullets blessed by one of the branch heads themselves. Sister Cassandra believed the leader of the Traditionalist branch had blessed these particular bullets. She hadn't met Archbishop Maria Romano yet, but she understood her to be a very kind hearted and humble person who did not assume lofty titles or righteous arrogance. Maria Romano was a real beacon of virtue to the people and Sister Cassandra admired her greatly.
Her duty essentially over for this part of the mission, all she needed to do right now was stay out of the way. With her blessings and his sacred bullets Officer Malcolm was more than a match for this poor tortured creature and this was soon proven as the human nimbly out manoeuvred the beast and crippled it with some well placed shots. Sister Cassandra could not help but wince at every shot, praying for whatever was left of the creature's soul that it would find peace beyond this.
Her prayers managed to drown out the sounds of combat behind her, though that might simply be because she was trying so hard not to listen to it. Eventually, however, she felt the wild spirit grow still and silent, the chaotic energies dispersing dangerously into the environment. Now she would need to purify the surroundings to make sure these dangerous energies didn't affect anyone or anything else.
'I'll be preparing the ceremony now,' she informed Malcolm, 'I pray it shall not take too long.' Again, Malcolm didn't respond. At least, not to her.
'The threat has been neutralised,' he was saying, 'I want a full sweep of the area.' Sister Cassandra turned round to face her partner; her duty momentarily forgotten.
'Detective?' she inquired. He gave her a wave, but she wasn't sure what that was supposed to indicate. She could sense more people now, at least a dozen of them, moving around outside and entering the warehouse. They were systematic and purposeful, clearly here for a reason. Not that she knew what that reason was.
'Detective,' she protested, 'what is going on? I need to purify this place to prevent these dangerous energies from escaping!' None of them seemed to have heard her. She knew her voice wasn't the loudest but she thought someone should be able to hear her! Were they all that focused on their task? She could admire their dedication, even if she was confused at their intent. She decided to move closer.
Detective Malcolm was speaking to another individual. A woman, Sister Cassandra sensed. But there was something odd about this one. Her aura was different, off somehow, harder to sense. She wasn't sure how to describe it.
'How confident are you that one of them is here?' she was asking Malcolm. Malcolm shrugged.
'Not especially,' he replied, 'I thought that this creature was the cat, but it turns out it was just a grunt left behind. Unless she's relying more on deception than I previously suspected I doubt she'd leave such a weak spirit behind to guard something so important. We'll do a full sweep regardless, there might still be something here.'
'Here's hoping,' the woman replied, 'I'd hate to have been called down here for no reason. Heads up!' She gestured with her head and the detective began to turn.
'Officer Malcolm,' Sister Cassandra tried again, 'I'm sorry but I have to protest! I need to purify this area otherwise…'
'I know, I know,' he cut her off, 'don't worry, we won't be long. Just sit tight for a moment.' Sister Cassandra was confused. She didn't know what could be more important than the purification ceremony.
'Is what you are doing now part of God's will?' she asked. The woman snorted and clutched at her mouth. Sister Cassandra was immediately concerned. Was she unwell? It looked like she was trembling as well! Not good, Sister Cassandra had some basic first aid training but she wasn't nearly as well equipped to deal with physical maladies as she was spiritual ones.
'Ah, of course it is, Sister,' Malcolm replied, directing her attention back to him, 'isn't everything we do part of His great design.' The woman snorted into her hand; whatever episode she was having seemed to be getting worse. Sister Cassandra tried to hide her concern, she needed to be reassuring. But Malcolm's answer had thrown her off a little bit. There had been a clear hesitation before he spoke, and an obvious tremor in his voice as he had answered. Almost as if…
She shook her head. No, that wasn't fair. Officer Malcolm wasn't a devoted servant of the Church like she was. It wasn't as easy for everyone to announce their faith to the world. A bit of hesitation in front of others was natural. She was foolish to doubt him, even for a moment.
'Please let me know when you are finished,' she said, 'I would like to complete the purification ceremony as soon as possible.' He nodded in affirmation and returned to his conversation. Sister Cassandra allowed her mind to drift for a moment. With this task finished perhaps she could return her attention to the school investigation. Officer Troy had said that visiting the house was dangerous and that they should wait for more information before proceeding. And her own training told her that she couldn't afford to risk her own life in such a way.
But she couldn't help but think about the boy. She'd felt such a strong corruption in him, certainly unusual in a small child. She could almost believe that the boy was actually a demon himself! It was so cruel whatever had been done to his soul. And she couldn't help but remember the scared noises he'd made when they had led him to be purified. And his scared cries when it had taken place. She understood that he'd immediately left school that day. It must have been so scary for him. She'd tried to help him feel better, but she clearly still had a lot to learn. She couldn't get it out of her head.
In the end, she made up her mind. She couldn't just leave the issue alone. He could still be suffering even now. Maybe the rest of his family as well? Her sensory perception was very high so she should be able to pick up if a strong demon is in the house. If she just took a look from outside that would be fine, right? Just a quick look to make sure they are all still ok. There shouldn't be any problems with that, right?