Chrono Crusade: Contract

by ChronoBook532

This is a tale about a human nun Rosette Christopher and her demon assistant Chrono as they battle demons across 1920's America in search for Rosette's brother. Rosette has bound herself to a contract with Chrono that will surely suck her young life away. There is also a Holy Woman who has Stigmata carved on her wrists and feet by God. The Holy Woman's name is Maria Liberatori.

Arc 1

Chapter 1

It all began in the height of the Roaring Twenties in the year 1924, where jazz was the king of music, bootleg liquor was the norm and where gangs ruled the streets. It was also a time of economic prosperity, luxury, as well as a time of new inventions. Despite the seemingly prosperous times there were demons that started causing trouble among humans all over America. The demons were violent and hostile towards humans to the point that many people ended up being killed by the large number of demonic attacks. In order to protect citizens from this demonic threat, the Order of Magdalene was established as an organization dedicated to eliminating demons. It was operated by Catholic Bishops but other denominations were also included. They were five branches across the nation. The Magdalene Order headquarters was in Chicago and the other branches were located in Boston, San Francisco, Seattle and last but not least, New York City. The New York branch of the Order was headed by Sister Kate Valentine and assisted by Father Ewan Remington. This is where this story begins. The demons were targeting this city almost daily and the Order was forced to send out one of their best exorcists to confront them. Her name was Sister Rosette Christopher, very daring, temperamental yet good hearted and selfless young lady, who had sworn to put an end to this agony. She had an unusual partner and sidekick named Chrono, who was very committed to her and her cause. So, what is so unusual about him? Well, guess what, he is none other than a DEMON! But not to worry, he is harmless. Mostly, that is.

One night after an exhausting mission at 2:30 A.M., Rosette and Chrono had fallen asleep in a car that was parked by the Brooklyn Bridge. The phone suddenly rang and woke Chrono up. He looked at Rosette who was still asleep as if she didn't hear anything. He suspiciously grabbed the phone but was hesitant to answer it as he assumed that it was Sister Kate calling, so he tried to wake Rosette. "Wake up Rosette! The phone is ringing!" Rosette, still half asleep said "Why am I always the one who has to answer the damn phone? Why don't you answer it yourself?" "It's Sister Kate. You know how suspicious she is of me. I'm not really her favorite person." Rosette grabbed the phone from his hand and answered the phone. "Hello, Rosette speaking!" "Rosette, this is an emergency, head to the East Side immediately!" Sister Kate told her in an urgent, almost panicked voice. "Does that mean now?" Rosette sighed. "Just drive already!" Sister Kate impatiently replied. Having no other choice, Rosette stepped on a gas pedal and they started driving across the bridge. "So, what's the situation on the East Side?" Rosette asked while speed driving. "They have taken the restaurant patrons as hostages. Some reports say it might have been a failed summoning." Sister Kate explained. "What restaurant are you talking about?" Rosette asked. "The East bridge Barrel." Sister Kate said. "What about the other Sisters and the Militia?" Rosette asked. "They are currently assigned to other cases. You are the one closest to this location." Sister Kate explained. "But I just finished a mission. I can't do two missions in one night." Rosette protested. "Our order exists to protect the people from the demonic attacks. Therefore we have no time to fall asleep and neglect our duties as exorcists." Sister Kate sternly reminded Rosette and hung up. "Chrono, why is Sister Kate such a pill?" Rosette asked gruntingly. "Maybe because you always do things that make her angry?" Chrono answered nervously. Rosette ignored his answer and started speeding up even more which caused Chrono's face to get slammed onto the car window. When she realized that they have arrived, she slammed the brakes so aggressively that the car began turning and crashed into the front of the restaurant building. "Great, now Sister Kate is going to kill us for wrecking this car!" Chrono said while shaking from fear. "That's just perfect, why is it that whenever I'm driving, I always manage to wreck the car?" Rosette loudly complained. "What's with this door? It won't open." Rosette said while trying to open the jammed car door. With all of her might, she kicked the door and realized that a group of men by the restaurant were observing them. Rosette looked embarrassed as she realized that people were staring at them. "Oh, hello gentlemen. Is there something I can do for you?" Rosette asked with an excited voice. "Who are you two?" An old man asked as Rosette and Chrono were getting out of the wrecked car. "Sister Rosette, from the Magdalene Order at your service! Along with my assistant Chrono!" Rosette introduced herself and Chrono as she was showing the old man a piece of paper. "This is a warrant from a federal judge. We have no time to waste." Rosette explained as the man was reading the document. "Alright Chrono, are you ready?" "Yes Rosette!" Chrono said and the weapon backpack that he carried opened automatically. "Alright, starting now, we are in charge of this operation. Just leave everything to us!" Rosette declared. "I see, so you two must be exorcists from the Magdalene Order?" The old man asked. "That's right! Come on Chrono, we've got a demon to kill!" Rosette said with fierce determination. Rosette and Chrono entered the restaurant, walking like soldiers on a battle field. The restaurant had broken glass all over the floors and the atmosphere itself had a very creepy, ghost like feel to it. "Are you picking up any strange vibes about this place Chrono?" Rosette asked. "I feel as if there is a great amount of energy that has been consumed. The hostages must be somewhere close by." Chrono answered quietly. They continued walking carefully across the room when Rosette stumbled upon a mummified corpse lying on the floor, and screamed out of fright. "This man's spirit has unfortunately been consumed. All of its life has been sucked out of it. He has been mummified." Chrono explained to a shocked Rosette. Rosette turned around and saw that the stairs were stained with blood. They both had a hunch that a demon was nearby somewhere so they both quietly climbed up the stairs to find out. While Rosette pointed her gun out, they noticed some strange red light behind a door at the very end of the hallway. They walked across the hallway towards a door and once they opened the door, they found that the room contained ritualistic objects that had to do with Satanism. There were Satanic ritual cards all over the ceiling, candles placed around a huge pentacle symbol on the floor which encircled a bed, and a pentacle symbol carved on a small altar. "A Satanist?" Chrono asked himself. "A pathetic hobby for the bored rich. Something tells me that some failed demon summoning has taken place." Rosette commented as she walked closer to the bed. She realized that something was under the bed covers and lifted them out of curiosity. It was then that she saw a mummified Satanist lying on the bed, much to her shock. "Rosette, watch out!" Chrono warned her as some demon abruptly jumped down from the ceiling. The demon had sharp teeth, long black hair and wore a business suit and a hat. Rosette quickly dodged the demon and started shooting at him with the Sacred, a gun which bullets were filled with Holy water. However, the demon was too fast for Rosette to shoot it and he began charging straight at her. Chrono rushed and managed to spray some Holy water at the demon, whose body started to burn. Suddenly, the demon's body quickly recovered and he rushed again towards Rosette. She pulled out her gun and just as the demon was about to attack her, Rosette aimed her gun and successfully shot the demon in its mouth, causing its upper head to be severed. As soon as the demons body hit the floor, it began to transform itself into an ugly, winged monster whose blood was spurting out. "Rosette, get the crucifix barrier ready!" Chrono shouted. "Right!" Rosette agreed, took out her barrier crucifixes and placed them all around the demon. When the crucifixes were placed, a bright light in the shape of a cross appeared on the floor. As the crucifixes were weakening the demon, he screamed in pain and its body began to grow bigger to the point that it was about to blow up any minute. "Rosette, it's time we make a run for it while we still have the chance!" Chrono nervously warned Rosette. They ran down the stairs as if a pack of wolves were after them while the demon's enlarging, decaying body went after them. They managed to narrowly escape the restaurant and just as they got out, the demon's body exploded. Since they didn't close the door, Rosette, Chrono and the other witnesses outside the restaurant were all covered in the soot of the demon's remains. To make things even worse, the restaurant building collapsed to the ground from the explosion. "Oh no, you did it again Rosette! Sister Kate is sure going to be mad at us!" Chrono said in panic. "Ahhhhhh, why does this always happen to me?!" Rosette shouted in frustration.

Back at the Order of Magdalene, the next morning, Sister Kate was furious at Rosette for her carelessness of her latest mission. "I can't believe you. You did it again? We have hoped that the destruction would have been kept to a minimum. I don't know how you do it but you always surpass our expectations!" Sister Kate said with utter frustration. "Well, I'm honored to accept your praise ma'am!" Rosette responded clueless. "I wasn't praising you! Thanks to you, the head of the New York police department are filing complaints about us. Seriously Sister Rosette, can't you do better?" Sister Kate snapped as her writing pen tip broke. "I'm sorry Sister Kate. It's not my fault that the demon had a mind of its own. But I promise I'll do better in the future. I will write a written apology of six pages long to the police department." Rosette said apologetically. "That sounds like a great idea Sister Rosette!" Sister Kate said. "By the way, since you are covering all the expenses, is it possible for you to add a new car on the list? You see, our car was broken, so I think it's a perfect time to buy a new one!" Rosette explained enthusiastically. Sister Kate slowly became agitated with Rosette's recklessness. "For God sakes already, how can you be so reckless?" Sister Kate snapped at Rosette again. "Okay, I'll just go and do the written apology then." Rosette said nervously and made her way to the door. When Rosette was about to leave, Father Ewan Remington came in. "Good morning Sister Rosette!" The minister greeted her while smiling at her. "Father Remington!" Rosette acknowledged him in a surprised tone. "When did you get back from Mexico?" She asked while blushing. "I came back just a few minutes ago. Is it another written apology you are doing?" The minister asked. "Yeah, unfortunately." Rosette said while still blushing. "Minister, don't you think you are being a little too soft towards Rosette? She just wrecked down a building again last night and yet you are coddling her with soft words!" Sister Kate stated while raising her voice. "It's no big deal Sister Kate. As clumsy as I may be I do deserve some praise, right?" Rosette asked. "Yes, I suppose so." Sister Kate sighed. "Besides, from the report I've read her work results are getting better, so give her some credit!" The minister said while defending Rosette. "Alright, now if you will excuse me I have a written apology to write." Rosette said and left the office. "You are the only one who she is really honest with." Sister Kate sighed. "So I see! She really does look up to me, doesn't she?" Father Remington agreed. Sister Kate then stood up from her chair and looked outside the window. "However, I am still worried about something." She said while looking at Chrono who was sitting by the fountain. "Worried about what?" Father Remington asked. "About Chrono. He might look innocent but he is still a demon." Sister Kate explained in a worried tone. "Your concern is understandable. After all, Chrono is an irregular among us. However, Rosette seems to have total faith in him, so I wouldn't worry too much about it if I were you!" Father Remington assured Sister Kate. "Yes, I hope you're right!" Sister Kate agreed. In the meantime, Chrono was waiting outside for Rosette. He wondered when Rosette will show up for she did not tell him about her six page written apology she assigned herself to. Just then, three exorcist nuns of approximately Rosette's age showed up abruptly. "Hi Chrono." They all said to him. Chrono was startled by their sudden greeting approach. "So Chrono, is Rosette writing more apologies? I guess that's what happens when a servant of God like her destroys an entire building!" Sister Anna commented deviously. "A building you say? I heard it was a whole block that got destroyed." Sister Mary said while Sister Anna coiled in surprise. "Actually I heard it was an entire island that got destroyed." Sister Claire said while Sister Anna coiled in even greater shock. "It must be so hard having to deal with such a hotheaded nun like her, isn't it Chrono?" Sister Claire asked. "Well, she can be quite a handful." Chrono remarked sheepishly. "A handful, am I?" Rosette shouted, deeply startling Chrono and the three nuns. "Oh, Rosette." The three nuns said nervously. "A whole block, you say? An island? Blowing people's mistakes out of proportion is so much fun, isn't it? But were you three actually there to witness it?" Rosette shouted extremely aggravated. Rosette turned her head only to see the three girls running away. "Hey, get your asses back here you bitches!" Rosette yelled angrily at them but they still decided to make a run for it. "I can't believe those girls, making fun of me like that!" Rosette fumed. "But it's true. Whatever mission we go on you always end up causing some kind of damage." Chrono carefully stated. "If you insist on saying the same things then I shall smack you in the head, got it Chrono?" Rosette crossly warned Chrono while showing him her fist. "Well then, shall we pay the Elder a little visit?" Rosette asked cheerfully as if nothing had happened. "What for?" Chrono asked. "Just to see what are his latest inventions!" Rosette explained excitedly. They made their way inside the building and headed towards the weapon construction lab. This was where Elder Edward Hamilton makes the Order's weapons along with many other of his inventions. Rosette opened the door and as they walked in they found the room to be dark and empty. "That's strange. It doesn't look like he is here." Chrono said. "I doubt that's the case, it must be another one of his dirty tricks!" Rosette said in a mischievous tone while loading her gun. An old man suddenly lifts Rosettes nun gown up much to her embarrassment. "Oh my, you're not wearing anything sexy, but then again that's because you're a sister." The old scientist said in a mischievous tone. Rosette looked down, only to find an old man smiling at her while he was lying on a flat, wheeled board. "Ahhhh, Elder you goddamn pervert!" Rosette shouted angrily at the Elder. "Aren't you here for something like this?" The Elder asked Rosette, changing the tone, while showing her a new bullet he had just made. "What's that?" Rosette asked out of curiosity. "That's what I call The Gospel." Elder explained. "The Gospel?" Rosette asked. "Yes, The Gospel is a magic bullet which is a blend of alchemized silver and a Holy transcription that has been carved into it. It is much stronger than a Sacred which contains holy water inside of it. As a result, there's a greater risk to it and it is hard to control because of its powerful reactions, which in turn makes it hard to use with only one hand." The Elder explained. "Wow! That sounds so fascinating! Is there any way for me to try it?" Rosette asked excitedly. "Well, this bullet hasn't been tested yet and I am required to test it so that the Magdalene Order can approve it. I however was thinking of letting you test it out but since you are constantly reckless with my inventions and accusing me of being a pervert I guess that's out of the question!" The Elder stated, looking at the ceiling while teasing her. "Oh come on Elder, you know how much it would mean for me to be the first to test something like this!" Rosette begged The Elder. "Well if you let me fondle your luscious breasts, then I might reconsider it!" The Elder said taunting Rosette. "You pervert, why the hell would I let you or anyone fondle my breasts? It's already bad enough that you frequently lift our gowns up and trying to touch everything that moves!" Rosette yelled angrily and began hitting him hardly. Just then something had caught Rosette's attention. It appeared to be some new bullets that the Elder had also made. "What's this?" Rosette asked. "Hey don't touch that. That's still an experiment." The Elder warned Rosette and picked one of the bullets from the bullet pack. "I was thinking of making something even more powerful than The Gospel which would be called The Spirit. However, it is not stable enough to be used as of yet. Just like The Sacred, I have replaced the explosive with something else." The Elder explained while holding the mysterious new bullet. "So, what's in the bullet?" Rosette asked curiously. "A demon!" Elder said and handed the bullet to Rosette. "Once this bullet hits an object, it will unleash the demon inside of it which will release an enormous explosion. However, since it is so powerful and non containable, it is still too dangerous to let someone use it. Especially to someone that is as careless as you." The Elder pointed out. "I'll have it tested after more observation of it is done! Understood?" The Elder turned around to confirm that she heard him, but there was no sight of Rosette or Chrono. "My, you are either really childish or just very simple minded and reckless. But I guess testing it now will no longer be necessary!" The Elder said grinning, both relieved and worried when he realized that she took the new bullet. Rosette and Chrono went to the bullet testing room to test if the new bullet was really stronger than what The Gospel was claimed to be. "Rosette, don't do it! What if we get in trouble for this?" Chrono begged her in a worried tone. "Calm down Chrono, let's try one and see if it works or not. If it does work, I guess there's no harm done, right?" Rosette said while trying to calm Chrono down. "Besides, it would be a shame to not try it when it looks so fun!" Rosette said mischievously. "I knew it! You were thinking of something reckless again, weren't you?" Chrono asked in a shocked manner. "Stronger than a Gospel or a Sacred? Let's see how much of that is true!" Rosette said to herself seemingly not paying attention to what Chrono was saying. Rosette fired the bullet. A moment later, a huge explosion filled the room with smoke. "What's going on?" Sister Kate asked as soon as she and the minister heard the explosion. They looked through the window and suddenly saw an unusual demon coming through the smoke. The demon had a monotone drama mask like face with a caterpillar like body along with multiple amphibian type arms and hands that looked like severely wrinkled fingers. To make things weirder, the demon's tree sized body had numerous drama mask faces all over its body, showing varying kinds of emotions. "My goodness, what on earth is that?" Sister Kate asked herself in shock. It was then when they both realized that the demon was running after Rosette and Chrono. "Oh that Rosette, how can she be so reckless?!" Sister Kate yelled out of anger for seeing the disastrous mess Rosette had caused. "Shall we go after them?" Father Remington asked with an unusually calm tone while Sister Kate was fuming. In the meantime Rosette and Chrono were still running away from the demon. "What the hell is that thing?" Rosette asked. "It's the demon that was inside the bullet. However, it is a low class demon with no intelligence!" Chrono explained. "This is not helping! What do we have Chrono?" She asked alarmed. "All we have are seven bullets of The Sacred and your gun! But it should be enough to destroy it!" Chrono stated. "Alright, let's get to it then!" Rosette loaded the gun and began shooting The Sacred bullets at the demon several times. The demon started to stumble as if it was losing its power. "Great, it's working!" Rosette said excitedly. Just as she was sure that she would be able to finish the demon off, she discovered something unfortunate, the last bullet was jammed. One of the demon's hands knocked Rosette out unconscious and she fell to the ground. Chrono looked back and saw Rosette's body lying on the grass, much to his horror. He was extremely saddened at what he thought had happened to Rosette. "Rosette!" Chrono yelled her name out of devastation. Since he was emotionally crushed at the thought of Rosette being dead he unconsciously started unleashing a tremendously harsh wind. Meanwhile, the Militia armed themselves and began to take action under the orders of Sister Kate. "Shoot your Sacred all at once!" Sister Kate ordered. "Chrono is nearby. There is a huge possibility that we might hit him." One of the Militia exorcists stated. Sister Kate then saw the strong wind vortex around Chrono and couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Now you've really pissed me off! You pathetic low rank nameless scum! How dare you harm my contractor! Because of you, she isn't able to move, and for that your life is worthless to me!" Chrono said with an angry, hate filled voice. The wind around him grew even stronger to the point that everything around him was being sucked in. "Oh my, he's trying to unleash the seal watch forcefully. At this rate, he will become uncontrollably dangerous!" Sister Kate said nervously as she feared for the worst to happen. "There is no time! I am going to have to allow you to use the Gospel!" Sister Kate ordered the Militia exorcist. "But those two will be hit as well." The exorcist protested. "That's better than him unleashing his powers!" Sister Kate explained. "Wait! Let's wait until Chrono gets away!" Father Remington advised. "That's impossible, look at him. He has lost his consciousness! He isn't listening to anyone anymore. He is too dangerous! Although he has contracted with Rosette and his powers are sealed, that doesn't erase the fact that he still is a dangerous demon!" Sister Kate said while raising her voice. "In that case, should the situation turn for the worst, we will have to target Chrono as well! However, if they can't pass through this, then it means that they are only capable of that much." Father Remington explained. Chrono's violent anger was becoming more and more unstable and the seal watch was almost on the verge of being forcefully sealed. "No, stop this at once! I'm alright so please come back to your senses!" Rosette yelled at Chrono as she abruptly got herself back up and pushed herself towards him. Suddenly, Chrono's power started dying down and she managed to push him out of the way. Now that they were both out of the way, the Militia fired the Gospel towards the demon all at once which caused the demon's flesh to disintegrate. "Geez, check next time to see if I'm okay or not. God, you can be so reckless sometimes." Rosette told Chrono sternly. "Thank goodness that you are alright Rosette!" Chrono cried happily. "I am sorry that I made you worry so much." Rosette said while Chrono was still crying out of joy. "I can't believe it." Sister Kate said to herself confused about what she was witnessing. "Don't worry about it. Their friendship is much deeper than what we can ever imagine!" The Elder confidently assured Sister Kate. "Maybe you are right Elder. As long as she is alive, and could influence as well as control Chrono, he will not be a threat to us!" Sister Kate concluded. "For now, we shall wait and see. I wonder how strong the relations between humans and demons can be." Father Remington asked himself curiously.

Chapter 2

The next morning, Rosette and Chrono made their way to Sister Kate's office. They were told by Father Remington to go to her office after breakfast and morning duties. "Are you sure it's a good idea to bring me into Sister Kate's office, Rosette?" Chrono asked nervously. "Don't be ridiculous. Besides, if the minister said it was okay, there's no need to worry about it!" Rosette reassured him. Chrono however wasn't really convinced by her reassurance. When they stepped foot in Sister Kate's office they saw a stern look on her face while Father Remington was also standing by. "It's the first time a demon has entered my office! However, the situation requires it." Sister Kate said seriously. "I see, can you tell us what the situation is all about?" Rosette asked. "Alright, you and Chrono have been assigned on a mission in Atlantic City, New Jersey to retrieve a 12 year old soprano singer from Fatima, Portugal by the name Azmaria Hendric." Sister Kate began explaining. "So what is the reason to bring this girl to the Magdalene Order, Sister Kate?" Rosette asked. "To save her from her adopted father Ricardo Hendric. He is the owner of Melda Hotel and is also known to be an occult collector as well as a Satan worshipper and demon tamer. He is also listed on our blacklist and is known to have a serious lung disease called tuberculosis. As for the girl, the circumstances in which she was adopted are pretty suspicious. Also, all the choirs she used to sing with are missing. Minister Remington is doing further investigation on this case." Sister Kate continued explaining the mission. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but does Melda Hotel have a casino in it since Atlantic City is after all known as a gambling hotspot?" Rosette asked enthusiastically. "Yes, I believe there is!" Sister Kate sighed. "Wow! That is so Jake!" Rosette exclaimed excitedly while Sister Kate ignored her and continued explaining. "That powerful demon tamer is making some kind of a move. The girl is very important to him and we suspect that she is in some kind of danger." Sister Kate concluded. "So when do we leave?" Chrono asked seriously. "You two shall be leaving for Atlantic City by train this evening, and since Atlantic City is known to be a huge gambling site I suggest you wear something more fitting for this location as a way to blend in!" Father Remington advised. "Yes Minister, I promise we will not let the Order down this time!" Rosette assured them. "Well, I do hope so!" Sister Kate said with slight doubt. "Come on Chrono, it's time to pack our bags and I am thinking of wearing something sexy while undercover!" Rosette said mischievously to Chrono. "Not that daring pink dress! Shouldn't nuns be more on the modest side of clothing?" Chrono asked intensely surprised. "Yeah but this is Sin City we're going to so I may as well look convincing in that regard, right Chrono?" Rosette asked in a sly manner. "Alright, I suppose your right!" Chrono sighed. The two then left the office and began packing for the mission ahead of them.

Rosette and Chrono left for Atlantic City at sunset by train. It took them 3 hours to get there and by the time they arrived the city was already in full lights. They took a taxi to Melda Hotel and once they got there, Rosette went into a change room and put on a sexy pink dress that bared one shoulder as well as slits that exposed her legs. After she was done changing, Rosette spotted the casino area and begged Chrono to spend some time gambling. Chrono reluctantly agreed and he got some coins for the slot machines where Rosette played ten times but failed at every turn, much to her frustration. "Chrono, can you give me another coin?" Rosette asked as she realized that they had ran out of coins. Chrono then slapped Rosette's hand. "Hey, what's in your bonnet?" Rosette asked. "You've had your fun. This isn't the time to be gambling in a casino Rosette." Chrono reminded her in frustration. "But Chrono, since we are already in sin city, why not sin a little. Besides, it's not every day I get to wear such a lovely dress." Rosette said and started wiggling her rear at him so he would give her a coin to continue playing. "Loooook Chrono!" Rosette said seductively while Chrono was totally horrified by her move. "Come on big spender, just one more coin!" Rosette pleaded and stretched her hand out. "Sorry Rosette, but the mission comes first." Chrono said firmly as he took Rosette's hand and tried to pull her away from the slot machine. "Whaaa, I don't want to go, the slots are calling for me!" Rosette whined and accidentally broke the lever she was holding on to, much to their horror. They both rushed their way out of the casino area and went to the theater room. They seated themselves at the top balcony, which gave them a view of the whole theater. "That's strange! There's no one here?" Chrono stated confused as he saw that there was no audience present. "No Chrono, there she is, singing!" Rosette said while spotting the girl at the center of the stage singing the Star of Bethlehem. "So, this is the girl that we were sent to retrieve?" Chrono asked. "Yes, she is the one." Rosette confirmed. "My, she has a beautiful singing voice! Who would have thought that a 12 year old girl would already be a professional soprano singer?" Chrono stated in amazement. "Well, she was a member of an orchestra when she came over from Portugal so it's not too surprising that she is already experienced in this." Rosette explained to Chrono. "I still don't understand, out of all the exorcists, why did they choose us to protect this girl?" Chrono asked. "It doesn't matter. Look over there, that man in the first row who is bound to a wheelchair. That's Ricardo Hendric, the owner of Melda Hotel and a demon tamer that Sister Kate was telling us about." Rosette explained while spotting the man. "No, it can't be!" Chrono said in shock. "You know Mr. Hendric?" Rosette asked. "No, it's that man beside him. He is a demon I used to bump heads with in the past." Chrono explained as he recognized him. "Are you sure Chrono?" Rosette asked. "Yes I am, and that proves one thing. Ricardo Hendric's success must have come from a contract with a demon." Chrono concluded. "Oh my, he must be planning on using this girl for some kind of ritual." Rosette said as Chrono absent mindedly stared at Rosette's bare legs. "You pervert!" She called out on him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to look at you like that." Chrono said ashamed. "It's alright Chrono, let's just keep on listening to her singing. Then when she leaves, we'll follow them!" Rosette said while calming Chrono down. "So Lerajie, how is she progressing?" Ricardo Hendric asked the demon beside him. "It's no use, it's not nearly as half as we expect from her." Lerajie said disappointedly while looking at the sound measuring machine. Ricardo clapped his hands and Azmaria stopped singing as soon as she heard him. "Alright, that's enough for tonight. Go back to your room and get some sleep." Ricardo ordered his adopted daughter. "What?" Azmaria protested. "I said go!" Ricardo demanded harshly. "Yes sir, good night." Azmaria disappointedly said and Ricardo's servants escorted her out of the theater. "Now's our chance, let's get a move on!" Rosette said and they both made their way out of the theater. "It's been two months since we have obtained that girl. Are you sure that she is the one?" Ricardo asked Lerajie. "I am sure. Although there are still some inconsistencies, we however have been achieving more results. Don't you worry, she will awaken soon enough!" Lerajie assured Ricardo. "I have only one solution and that is everything to me right now. Besides, I don't have much time left." Ricardo concluded while they were exiting the theater. In the meantime, one of Ricardo's men went to make sure that the girl was in bed as requested by Ricardo. "Dress her up for bed and as always, don't let her out. That's the order." One of Ricardo's men said to the maid. "Well, there's a bit of a problem with that." The maid said to the man. "Nonsense, she must be in bed. Let me check that room." The man demanded as he opened the door and walked into Azmaria's bedroom. In her room they saw a curtain tied to the leg of her drawer and the window was opened. "It can't be. Are you saying that she has escaped from here?" The man asked in disbelief as he looked down from the window. "Unbelievable, find her at once! She's outside, go around the veranda." The man commanded while rushing out of the room. Azmaria was hiding under her bed and once they had left she ran out of her bedroom and went into a staff room that was close by. In the meantime, Rosette and Chrono who followed them, split up. Rosette went to Ricardo's private floor which was located at the top floor and where Azmaria's room was located. Chrono on the other hand climbed out of the window and walked on the ledge of the wall to observe whether something was happening outside. They both had communication ear buds as a way of communicating to each other. "Rosette can you hear me, where are you?" Chrono asked. "I'm at Ricardo's private floor. From the looks of things, it seems as if something has happened. I'm having trouble hiding myself here." Rosette said as she was hiding in a hallway, behind Ricardo's bust. "At least you're inside. Remind me again why I have to be outside?" Chrono asked. "Because walking around with a child brings too much attention, so follow my lead, Okay?" Rosette explained. "Why am I always the one who gets these jobs?" Chrono asked himself dissatisfied. Just then, a statue like gargoyle on the balcony of the hotel suddenly came to life and charged at Chrono. "Chrono, what's wrong!" Rosette asked as she heard the communication ear bud fizzing out. One of Ricardo's men heard Rosette's voice and walked over to the bust. "This is not good!" Rosette panicked and quickly ran to the other side of the hallway looking for somewhere else to hide. As she promptly looked around she spotted a room that was for staff only and went inside. Once she entered the room, Rosette saw a frightened Azmaria hiding and came closer to her. Azmaria was so frightened that Rosette had to shush her so they would not be spotted. "Well, did you find Azmaria?" Ricardo's main henchman asked one of the other men. "I'm afraid there's no sign of her." The man said. "Damn it! Keep looking for her, she must be around here somewhere!" The man demanded and they both made their way through the hallway. Both of the girls sighed in relief for as they didn't get caught. "That was close. Sorry that I had scared you, I am not the kind of person who would be targeting anyone, let alone a girl like you!" Rosette assured Azmaria. "Miss, please don't tell anyone that you saw me hiding in here. I was trying to escape!" Azmaria begged Rosette. "Calm down, everything will be alright. In fact I am extremely grateful to have found you, Azmaria Hendric!" Rosette assured Azmaria in a motherly tone. "Who are you?" Azmaria asked curiously. "I am Sister Rosette Christopher and I was sent by the Order of Magdalene to rescue you!" Rosette introduced herself. "You're a sister?" Azmaria asked in disbelief looking at Rosette's dress. "Well, appearances can be deceiving. Now let's get going while the getting is good!" Rosette explained, took Azmaria's hand and headed towards the door. Just when she opened the door they bumped into Lerajie who was standing in front of them. "Lady Azmaria, I have been looking for you!" The demon said to a shocked Azmaria and then turned his attention to Rosette. "Young lady, this is a private floor and I assume you know that you are not allowed to be here. I am waiting for an answer." The demon addressed Rosette suspiciously. Azmaria jumped in and answered "Sir, this guest had lost her way and I was trying to help her." Azmaria tried to convince Lerajie while letting go of Rosette's hand. "If that is so then I suggest we escort her back to where the guests are. As for you Lady Azmaria, perhaps it is time for you to return to your room." Lerajie demanded and began to escort Azmaria back to her room. Rosette wondered as to how Azmaria was more worried about her safety rather than her own. Just then, the gargoyle along with Chrono burst into the hallway through the window and slammed onto the wall. "Oh my God, Chrono!" Rosette shouted out. "Chrono?" Lerajie said in disbelief as he recognized his name. Rosette punched one of Ricardo's men beside her, took out her gun and shot at the gargoyle. "Come on Chrono, let's get out of here!" Rosette said. She turned towards Azmaria and shouted "Alright, we're going to jump so hold on!" She grabbed Azmaria who screamed as they jumped out of the window. Rosette used her gun to shoot out a thin black bungee rope onto a tiny balcony by one of the windows as a way to prevent them from falling while Chrono zoomed his way down through the tiny balconies. Lerajie looked down through the broken window and signaled the gargoyle to attack the three. "So Chrono, we meet again!" Lerajie said to himself and started laughing in a sinister tone. While the three were running on top of the glass roof of the casino area of Melda Hotel, the gargoyle along with three other ones was flying after them. "Rosette, they're gaining on us!" Chrono warned her. "Damn, these creatures are so stubborn!" Rosette frustratingly said and began shooting at them. Once she shot all four of the gargoyles, they fell onto the glass roof which promptly shattered and they all fell into the casino. Luckily, Rosette, Azmaria and Chrono's fall was cushioned by a huge palm tree as they then landed on the ground. "Are you alright Azmaria, did you injure yourself?" Chrono asked Azmaria. Rosette coughed and turned her head up only to see all of the damage that was caused by the fall. The gambling kiosk and other gambling tables were completely ruined. There were also lots of civilian casualties that were caused by some of the gargoyles falling on some of the individuals while others were knocked out unconscious. The people began crying out for their loved ones out of despair for the disaster that had happened. "Oh my God, What have we done?" Rosette asked herself while looking around the wrecked casino area, and injured or even dead civilian bystanders. "These creatures were stone gargoyles that were infused with mystical powers." Chrono stated. "It doesn't matter what these creatures were, it doesn't erase the fact that it's our fault." Rosette said in a bitter tone. "I am aware of that Rosette." Chrono responded agitated. "No, that's not true. This is my fault! It's all because of me. This is what happens to everyone that gets close to me. This is what happened to my mother, my father, everyone that was ever close to me!" Azmaria said as her voice was filled with guilt, while tears were coming down her face. Azmaria then began singing the Star of Bethlehem and while she was singing, white wings sprouted on her back. An incredible amount of glowing energy engulfed the damaged casino. The powerful golden glow disintegrated the gargoyles bodies and healed everyone in the casino as well as it revived the dead ones. The people rejoiced as they considered it a miracle that they were all healed. Rosette and Chrono were just standing there astounded as to what was happening right before their eyes. "What is this power that we are witnessing Chrono?" Rosette asked him in wonder. "I don't know." Chrono responded in a puzzled tone. As soon as Azmaria was done singing she passed out onto the ground due to extreme exhaustion. Rosette and Chrono ran towards her to see if she was alright. "Azmaria, are you alright?" Rosette asked as they tried to wake her up. Meanwhile, Lerajie was observing what was happening. "This is far better than what we have expected! Now this is the kind of power that we can use! However, for now I will have to report this to master Ricardo. The real fun shall begin soon Chrono!" Lerajie said to himself and laughed sinisterly as he left.

The next morning, Rosette and Chrono took Azmaria with them back to The Order of Magdalene. When they arrived, they took her to Sister Kate's office. "Who is it?" Sister Kate asked as she heard a knock on the door. "It's me Rosette. We are back from our mission." Rosette said. "Of course! Come in!" Sister Kate responded. They walked into Sister Kate's office while Azmaria curiously looked around as if this was the first time she was in a church setting. "Sister Kate, this is the girl who you sent us to retrieve, Azmaria Hendric!" Rosette introduced her. "It is a pleasure to meet you ma'am!" Azmaria said politely. "The pleasure is all mine Azmaria! Now that you are with us, feel free to make yourself at home!" Sister Kate gleefully responded. Azmaria felt overwhelmed with all the attention for she never had experienced anyone paying attention to her. "I have one question Sister Kate. Why am I here, and how do you know anything about my adoptive father?" Azmaria asked. "Because we the Magdalene Order know about your powers and realized that Ricardo was planning to use you for that very purpose." Sister Kate explained to the girl. "Are you sure I will be safe here from him?" Azmaria asked in a worried tone. "As long as you are within the confines of this Order, you should not be in harm's way!" Sister Kate assured her. "So where is Father Remington right now?" Rosette asked Sister Kate. "He is still investigating the missing choir as well as Ricardo's plans in regards to Azmaria." Sister Kate explained. "I see, so what should we do now?" Rosette asked. "For starters, I am assigning you and Chrono the task of cleaning up the remains of the bullet testing room that you have recently wrecked down!" Sister Kate said sternly. "What, you can't be serious. That will take all day for us to do!" Rosette protested. "Then you may as well get started. Besides, if you wouldn't have been so reckless then you wouldn't have to clean up such a horrendous mess." Sister Kate said to Rosette in a critical tone. "Alright, I guess we better get started then!" Rosette said with a dismayed tone and the three walked out of Sister Kate's office. Once they reached the area of what now remained of the bullet testing room, Rosette and Chrono were appalled at how much they had to clean up. "Oh my God, Sister Kate really has gone hard on us this time. I would much rather write a report than to clean up this pile of crap!" Rosette said dissatisfied with her cleaning responsibility. "Well, it could be worse. Sister Kate could have come up with a much harsher punishment, you know." Chrono stated. "Yeah, thanks for the reminder, mister know it all!" Rosette said sarcastically. "May I help you with cleaning up this mess?" Azmaria asked. "You don't have to burden yourself by helping us clean up Azmaria!" Rosette gently said to her. "It's not a burden at all! I would much rather do something productive than to just stand here and do nothing. Besides you two would be able to get the cleaning done much sooner!" Azmaria insisted. "Alright Azmaria, I really appreciate you helping us!" Rosette sighed while Azmaria grinned excitedly. "So Azmaria, how come you don't mind helping us clean up this mess?" Chrono asked curiously. "Because being a part of a choir involves taking on many responsibilities, so I am pretty used to all kinds of tasks and duties. After the war, business became scarce back home so we, the choir, moved to America. We lived in a small place and although it was quite hard at times it was very lively and I enjoyed every moment of it!" Azmaria said nostalgically. "I hope the choir will be found soon Azmaria." Chrono said to Azmaria sympathetically. "Thank you Chrono!" Azmaria said. "I can see you're blushing Chrono. Care to explain me why that is?" Rosette teased Chrono. "Don't take it the wrong way. I wasn't blushing. I was just making her feel better, that's all!" Chrono assured Rosette nervously. "Alright Chrono, I believe you! I just wanted to see your reaction." Rosette said mischievously. "Now then, let's start cleaning up this crap load of a mess!" Rosette demanded optimistically and the three began cleaning the rubble. A few hours later, Father Remington returned to the order from his investigation of the missing choir and handed the report to Sister Kate. "I see, so they are preparing for some kind of ritual?" Sister Kate asked while reading the report. "That's correct." The minister affirmed. "If that's the case, then why haven't they made some kind of move to retrieve Azmaria?" Sister Kate asked worriedly. "They are confident that they are able to do so, and to think that they hold us in contempt. It seems that they are waiting for the right moment." Father Remington stated. "With that being said, have you been able to find the rest of the choir?" Sister Kate asked. "It was horrible. It is quite obvious by how they were killed. It is like the devil's doing." The minister said while revealing the tragic fate of the choir. "Oh dear, this is going to be really tough for her." Sister Kate said with great empathy. "However, shouldn't we tell her about this?" The minister asked. Just then, the minister heard something by the door and went to check who was there. To his surprise, he saw a tea trolley cart by the door that Azmaria herself brought to Sister Kate's office. Azmaria ran outside in tears and began crying next to a tree. "It's all my fault once again. It's all my fault!" Azmaria sobbed. "Azmaria!" Rosette shouted as she was walking towards her along with Chrono. Azmaria looked at the two of them with tears in her eyes. "What's wrong Azmaria?" Rosette asked curiously. "It's nothing, I am fine." Azmaria said unconvincingly while wiping her tears off. "Then why were you crying?" Chrono asked. "No really, I'm alright! Everything is fine right now!" Azmaria said while forcing a smile on her face. "You shouldn't keep your feelings to yourself Azmaria!" Chrono said as he was aware that Azmaria was pretending. After some time of trying to calm Azmaria down, Rosette became impatient, to the point that she grabbed Azmaria's arm. "Come on sister, you're coming with us!" Rosette demanded while dragging her to the car. "Wait Rosette, are you sure this is such a good idea?" Chrono asked nervously as he knew what Sister Kate's reaction would be. Before they left, the three nuns also tried to reason with Rosette but to no avail. Afterwards, Rosette began driving away to a forest not too far from the Magdalene Order while Rosette had blindfolded Azmaria. Meanwhile, the three nuns went to Sister Kate's office to tell her about their abrupt excursion. "She did what?" Sister Kate asked furiously. "Yes Sister Kate, she and Chrono took off with Azmaria. We tried to stop her but she wouldn't listen to us." Sister Anna explained. "That Rosette! I swear to God that girl is so irresponsible it's going to drive me insane!" Sister Kate yelled angrily while crunching a piece of paper. "I can see where she's going. Shall I go retrieve her?" Father Remington who was also there, asked calmly. When they arrived at the forest, Azmaria took off her blindfold and was surprised to see where they had taken her. By the forest, there was a huge grass field with a large lake. It was a very relaxing view, as the water of the lake was so clear that the whole forest could be seen in it. "Azmaria, stop staring around and get down here!" Rosette shouted out. "Alright Azmaria, let's go!" Chrono said and the two began running their way to catch up to Rosette. "This place looks very much like the spot Rosette and I first met each other. She was around your age at the time. She was an obstinate girl who was unable to let other people see her tears. Now that I think of it, she probably sees herself in you, Azmaria." Chrono explained. "Really?" Azmaria asked surprised. Just then, Rosette splashed a wave of water at Chrono and Azmaria, much to their unpleasant surprise. "What's with you two? Aren't you having fun?" Rosette asked while laughing at the two drenched souls. "That was overdoing it Rosette." Chrono said as he was not amused. "Should this even be called fun!?" Azmaria frowned. "If I am really so awful, why don't you just stop complaining and do something about it?!" Rosette taunted Azmaria and began splashing her some more. Azmaria finally had enough of Rosette's splashing game and started splashing her back. "Why you! Take that and that!" Azmaria said while Rosette avoided Azmaria's splashes. "You missed, you're too slow." Rosette mockingly said and all of a sudden fell into the water. "I can see that you're too slow as well Rosette!" Azmaria said cheerfully and splashed some water on her again. The two girls then began to splash some more water onto each other. "Take this and this." Rosette said. "Take that, and that." Azmaria said as they both kept splashing each other. Chrono was looking at them with a slight grin on his face. Rosette and Azmaria then turned to splashing Chrono, much to his dislike. "So what's with you being the only one left out?" Rosette asked. "Yes, it's so much more fun when you join in the game!" Azmaria said enthusiastically. "A game is it? Alright then!" Chrono said and jumped into the water. Now all three of them were playing in the water and splashing each other. It seemed like all of their worries had disappeared. Later that evening, they were sitting on logs by a fire while Rosette and Chrono were preparing coffee. Azmaria couldn't have thought of a more fun day. "Here you go Azmaria!" Rosette said while handing the coffee to her. "Thank you." Azmaria said. "So, I can see that you have cheered up a bit now." Rosette said to Azmaria. "Yes Rosette, today has been a really fun day! I don't remember when was the last time I had so much fun!" Azmaria stated. "I am glad you enjoyed yourself Azmaria as we both enjoyed your company as well! There is a saying of mine that I always love to say. When you're having fun, have fun, and when you're angry, act angry... and when you want to cry your eyes out do it! Because after you've cried, you feel better. Eventually you will be able to smile again, but when you keep your problems to yourself, and force yourself to smile, the person who that is hardest on is you." Rosette said. Azmaria was very moved by what Rosette said. "That is really one true saying. I could really use it as a piece of advice." Azmaria said who was inspired by those words. Rosette sneezed abruptly right towards Chrono, much to his disgust. "Rosette, that's gross. You have to stop acting like an impulsive idiot or else you'll catch a cold." Chrono said as he reached for a pink cloth and handed it to Rosette. Azmaria started laughing at them and they started laughing along with her. Just then out of the blue, Lerajie appeared and pinned Chrono's face down to the ground which startled the two girls. "I have come to return you home my young mistress." Lerajie said as his eyes were glowing red. "Lerajie?! What's happening?" Azmaria panicked. "All of the preparations are now in order! So tell me, did you enjoy your brief taste of freedom my dear?" Lerajie asked while provoking Azmaria. Rosette tried to pull out her gun. "Oh no, my gun!" Rosette said to herself when she realized that she didn't bring it with her. "Well, Sinner Chrono, it has been such a long time." Lerajie stated. "I was locked out." Chrono revealed angrily to Lerajie. "Locked in a form like that? Have you fallen so low that you could not break free?" Lerajie asked Chrono while mocking him. "In that case, that shall end right now!" Lerajie said and a black energy ball formed from his hand. "Death shall await you, Sinner Chrono." Lerajie sinisterly smiled. "No, wait!" Azmaria shouted out. "I'll go with you, if you promise not to hurt them." Azmaria begged Lerajie. "What are you saying? You can't do that Azmaria!" Rosette said in a surprised tone. Azmaria nonetheless started walking towards Lerajie. "Azmaria, no!" Rosette shouted and tried to stop her. "It can't be helped. I told you I always bring misery to the people around me. However, thank you for today! I will never forget it!" Azmaria said as she continued walking towards the demon. "Azmaria!" Rosette called out in vain as she was holding the thin brown blanket Azmaria was wrapped in. Once Azmaria came towards Lerajie, he lifted Chrono up and threw him onto Rosette. "What a noble lady you are. So young and yet so willing to sacrifice yourself. Nonetheless, the fates of these two are preordained." Lerajie said and took Azmaria with him high into the air to the Zeppelin where Ricardo and his servants were waiting. "No, you promised!" Azmaria yelled at Lerajie. "Time for you two to die!" Lerajie said as he threw the dark energy ball at Rosette and Chrono. Azmaria was deeply shocked when she saw the energy ball hit them with a huge light explosion. "Noooooo!" Azmaria yelled out of desperation as she believed that the two were now dead.

Chapter 3

At the Zeppelin, Ricardo and his servants were busy preparing for their ritual. Lerajie arrived with Azmaria and brought her to his master Ricardo. "Master Ricardo, look what I've retrieved!" Lerajie said to Ricardo and pushed Azmaria towards him. Ricardo then activated some kind of ring with a ruby gemstone on his finger and used it to restrain Lerajie. Lerajie screamed out of pain as the chains restrained him. "Lerajie, you play around too much. I didn't order you to set those two ablaze. I don't have much time, don't you ever forget that! As long as you have those chains around you, you cannot disobey your master. Is that understood?" Ricardo explained in a harsh, stern tone. "Yes master, as you wish." Lerajie responded weakly. One of the female servants led Azmaria to a throne like chair and chained her by the wrists, ankles and neck. Azmaria became frightened with what might happen to her. She lifted her head and saw a beautiful brown haired, naked young woman kept in some kind of huge glass container. "We're almost there Melda. I assure you. We will bring you back to life!" Ricardo said looking at the unconscious woman who was actually his wife. Meanwhile, back at the lake, Rosette woke up and saw Father Remington in front of her. "Rosette, are you alright?" The minister asked. "Father Remington, where am I? Where's Chrono?" Rosette asked and saw Chrono lying by a tree. "Chrono!" Rosette shouted his name and lifted herself up. However, she realized that her arm was injured as she saw a bandage wrapped around it. "Your arm got a little wounded, so I wrapped it up for you." The minister explained. "What about Chrono? Is he alright?" Rosette asked concerned. "I am afraid he is badly injured. His wound is quite deep and he still remains unconscious." Father Remington stated. Rosette then saw a big fire around the forest that was caused by the explosion which made her extremely concerned and worried. "Don't worry, the fire won't reach this far." The Minister assured her. She saw that there were male Militia members who were trying to put the fire out to the best of their ability. They were also trying to get more help by calling the owner of the National Park to bring more personnel which made her somewhat more at ease. "How are we going to rescue Azmaria? Just what are those bastards going to do with her?" Rosette asked frustratingly as she realized that there wasn't much time for them to waste. "There is a theory that we have thought of while investigating Azmaria's identity. As you know, she was born in a small village in Portugal called Fatima. There is a possibility that she might be the 'Angel' that the third prophecy predicted." Father Remington started explaining. "Prophecy? What is that?" Rosette asked curiously. "It occurred during the Great War in 1917. Fatima is a poor village with a population of 2500 people. In front of the three shepherd children, the Virgin Mary appeared and she told them the three prophecies. The first prophecy was that the Great War would end in two years and in two years time, the war did end. The second prophecy is a Second World War which would be greater than the first one." Father Remington continued explaining. "A Second World War?" Rosette asked surprised. "Yes and the last one was sealed by the Pope in the Vatican and kept it secret to any church. Though if we believe the rumors that were floating around at that time, she might be an angel! The appearance of the messenger from God." Father Remington finished explaining the three Fatima Prophecies. "So you think Azmaria might be the one?" Rosette asked with an amazed look on her face. "Well, it's only a possibility. However, considering her spirit power, her birth location, the rumors do fit. But one thing for sure is that her powers won't benefit her. Her fate can bring her misfortune. As you should know, she doesn't have a fortunate background. She lost both of her parents after the war and was sent to several families." Father Remington finished explaining as he was revealing more about Azmaria's background story. Rosette then remembered what Azmaria had told her just before Lerajie took her. "In that case, there is no time to lose. We have got to rescue Azmaria as soon as possible and there is only one way!" Rosette said determinedly. Rosette still felt the wound around her arm hurting, but she decided to push herself towards Chrono. "Chrono." Rosette said as she kneeled in front of him. Chrono slowly opened his eyes to see that Rosette was holding onto her pocket seal watch. "No, you shouldn't!" Chrono said with a terrified tone. "Please Chrono, if we don't do something about this, who knows what will happen to Azmaria. You are the only one who can rescue her. If you called upon your powers, you can heal your injuries instantly. You can do this Chrono, you are her only hope!" Rosette said emotionally. She knew that while Chrono wanted to save Azmaria, he couldn't bear the thought of unlocking the seal as he knew what would happen to her if he did. "If I use my powers, your lifespan will be decreased." Chrono said in worry. "I don't care! We have got to save Azmaria no matter what the risks are. There's something I have to tell her. Please Chrono, I am begging you!" Rosette said in despair.

Back at the Zeppelin, Azmaria was staring shockingly at the young unconscious woman's body. She had a bad feeling that the woman in the container had something to do with Ricardo's plans for the ritual. "Tell me Mr. Ricardo, who is this woman?" Azmaria asked Ricardo as she was still petrified by what she was seeing. "She is my wife, Melda. If she gets brought back to life, she would be your stepmother." Ricardo began explaining. "Actually, she technically is still alive. Her body had exploded during the Great War and we were able to regenerate her body back through this machine. But her soul unfortunately wasn't brought back. Although I am capable of controlling demons, I cannot use negative soul power to bring someone back. At least demons aren't able to do such a thing. But maybe God can!" Ricardo finished explaining his motives behind using Azmaria for the ritual as a way to revive his wife. "Now, I want you to open the gates to heaven. It is time to begin the ritual!" Ricardo said in a stern, impatient tone. Just then, when the ritual began, some form of green, shiny light arose from the sky that at first resembled that of the Northern Lights but then began moving like that of a flowing river. "Minister, look at that." Rosette said as she was amazed to see such beautiful, colorful lights in the night sky. "The Astral Lines? Could it be that the Apostles powers come from the Astral Lines?" Father Remington asked himself. "Minister Remington, what are the Astral Lines?" Rosette asked curiously. "It is the stream of the life cycle of all living beings. The stream gives life, and when the life passes away, it will go back to that stream. It is a creation from God himself." Father Remington explained. "So what you're saying is that the Astral Lines are a creation from God that was designed to create all life on earth?" Rosette asked. "Yes, that is precisely the purpose of the Astral Lines." The minister affirmed. "I see, so that means that Azmaria's powers come partially from God. But what is God trying to make Azmaria do?" Rosette asked herself, confused with the whole concept of the Astral Lines and their purpose. Rosette turned around, walked towards Chrono and kneeled in front of him again. "Please Chrono. I don't want Azmaria to suffer like this. I know you feel the exact same way deep inside as well." Rosette said as she was desperately begging for Chrono's help again. "You shouldn't throw your life away so carelessly." Chrono said in a weak tone. "Applesauce Chrono! The longer you delay, the harder it is going to be to save Azmaria. Is that what you want to happen?" Rosette asked impatiently as she was raising her voice due to Chrono's hesitation. "Alright, I shall unlock the seal, but only briefly!" Chrono said as he finally accepted and realized that unlocking Rosette's seal watch was the only way to rescue Azmaria from Ricardo's clutches. "Thanks Chrono!" Rosette said relieved that Chrono finally agreed. Rosette then allowed the seal to be unlocked, which allowed Chrono to transform into his original demon form. His demon form resembled an adult version of his child form and it also had wings. As Father Remington watched Chrono transform into his demon form, memories from the past began to surface into his mind as he recognized the appearance of Chrono's demon form. Once Chrono was done with the transformation process, he took Rosette's hand and began to fly high up into the sky as he was carrying Rosette onto his arms. Meanwhile, Ricardo was using some sort of electrical crystal ball as he was carrying an open book in his hand. He was using the ball as a way to transfer Azmaria's powers into Melda's body which will then allow her soul to be brought back. As Azmaria's powers began to be forcefully extracted from her body, she began to scream in agony. She was being shocked with a huge amount of electricity in order to execute the ritual. "Yes, that's it, scream! It's the scream from a messenger of God! It has to work! With your scream to bring the energy from the Astral stream and using the receptors to transfer the memory, the Astral Lines will bring back the memory inside the body! Melda's soul will finally be brought back!" Ricardo talked, maniacally thrilled as he was now close in succeeding his goal to restore Melda's soul into her body. Rosette and Chrono were getting closer to Ricardo's Zeppelin as Chrono was flying as fast he could in order to reach the Zeppelin before it was too late. "Are you alright Rosette?" Chrono asked as he wasn't sure whether she was feeling uncomfortable high up in the sky. "Yes, everything is Jake!" Rosette assured Chrono. "Okay, here we go!" Chrono said and flew faster towards the left side of the Zeppelin. Rosette and Chrono suddenly smashed through one of the windows and began running their way across the hallway that will lead them towards the ritual room. Just as they were running, they saw all of Ricardo's servants walking towards them across the hallway. They looked like possessed zombies whose facial expressions made them look like starving animals, ready to eat them. "Where did they come from? Are they even humans?" Rosette asked, realizing that they were acting more like mindless zombies than actual people. "Shoot them! There are probably only two living humans on this aircraft." Chrono said as he ordered Rosette to shoot the servants. As Rosette shot one of them, its body began to break apart into little, slithery insects. "Ewww, what are those disgusting things?" Rosette asked as she was grossed out at what she was seeing. "They're legions, a low class demon that mimic's a body. Ricardo's tamer must be behind this." Chrono explained. "I thought Ricardo would have a tamer that would look more like an actual demon!" Rosette said as she kept on shooting the legions. "It appears that Lerajie is the only one that's different." Chrono stated as he transformed his arm into a sword and began attacking the legions. "Speaking of which, who is Lerajie anyways?" Rosette asked out of wonder. "He's a Pursuer. I've fought him before I met you. I had no choice at the time, although I thought he was dead." Chrono explained while continuing to exterminate the legions. In the meantime at the ritual room, Azmaria was still screaming in agony as the machine was still extracting her powers from the Astral Lines. "Yes, keep screaming! We're almost there!" Ricardo maniacally rejoiced as he was ecstatic that the ritual was nearing completion. Just then, the machine began to malfunction, much to Ricardo's surprise. "What's happening?" Ricardo asked, seeing that the container his wife was in was on the verge of cracking. At that moment, Melda finally became conscious and began to breathe heavily. Unfortunately for Ricardo, the glass container was cracking even more and it was becoming clear that Melda wouldn't be able to last for much longer. Finally, the container cracked and all the fluids that were in there gushed out. "Why? Melda, Melda! Why? What happened?" Ricardo shouted as he was deeply distraught and saddened while he looked at his wife's dead body. All of his efforts and planning that took him so long to fulfill were now destroyed. "Hahahahahaha!" Lerajie laughed at his master's loss. Ricardo looked at Lerajie, confused and horrified at what was going on. "Thank you very much, Master! Ever since I've lost to that bastard Sinner Chrono, my body became corrupted. However, thanks to you making a contract with me, I have regenerated my body once again!" Lerajie explained with satisfaction. "Lerajie, what are you talking about?" Ricardo asked him in a shocked tone. "Normally, a low class demon tamer like you cannot control me. But since those chains were in my way, I couldn't do what I wanted. It was very tiring for me to wait like this, so I used that girl. Now I can take these gears off of me!" Lerajie sinisterly smiled and he removed the chains from his body. The powers from the Astral energy were gathering around him into a receptor which was located on his chest. "A receptor?" Ricardo asked in disbelief. "Farewell, master!" Lerajie slyly said as he used some of the powers from his receptor with the intention of killing his master. Both Azmaria and Ricardo screamed as the electricity bolt came closer to Ricardo. Rosette and Chrono witnessed a bright explosion that lit out in the ritual room. They had a feeling that the ritual room was where the explosion was coming from. The very back of the Zeppelin where the ritual room was located exploded due to the powers that Lerajie had used against Ricardo. Chrono quickly shielded Rosette from the explosion nearby as he didn't want to see her get hurt. Once the explosion cleared, they saw that Lerajie was now transformed into his demon form. His demon form was more muscular, larger and he also had spread out wings and two horns at each side of his head. He also looked much more ferocious and frightening.

"Hahahahaha! What incredible powers! Not only the gears, but all of my wounds that were caused by you are finally all gone! Even my face has been healed! All thanks to 'my lady' here!" Lerajie said triumphantly as he was holding the unconscious Azmaria. "Now Sinner Chrono! It's time for us to have a return match!" Lerajie said as he was challenging Chrono to a fight. Lerajie started the duel by summoning some kind of strong wind in order to weaken his opponent. "Hahahahaha! What an amazing power this is!" The Pursuer said with joy. "What's wrong Chrono? Aren't you going to attack me?" Lerajie asked while taunting Chrono. Just then, Chrono suddenly flew towards the Pursuer and cut one of his arms off so he could retrieve Azmaria. "Damn it!" Lerajie yelled out as the blood from his severed arm spurted profoundly. Chrono had managed to catch Azmaria who woke up and saw him carrying her, much to her surprise. Azmaria wasn't sure on how to react to the situation she was now in. She realized that the demon looked an awful lot like Chrono but she wasn't entirely sure whether it was really him. Chrono flew back towards the damaged part of the Zeppelin and put her on the ground close by Rosette. "Azmaria, thank goodness!" Rosette exclaimed out of relief and then turned her head towards Chrono. "Chrono, I'm counting on you to defeat that Pursuer!" Rosette told him. "I'll try to Rosette, just watch over Azmaria!" Chrono ordered Rosette, turned himself towards Lerajie and gave him a serious look. "Well, it's about time. I have been waiting for this moment!" Lerajie said enthusiastically. The two demons then began to fight each other. Chrono first charged towards the Pursuer with brute strength but Lerajie used some kind of energy barrier that repelled him. Chrono then used his long, tail like blade that was attached to his back and swooshed it towards the Pursuer which smacked him into the Zeppelin. Chrono was waiting to see if his attack had any effect on him. "I'm afraid your attacks don't affect me one bit!" Lerajie said as he got himself up from the ground and then turned his arm into a sword. Chrono quickly realized that he would have to attack Lerajie more aggressively by using stronger tactics. Chrono summoned some type of pointy blades on the top of his arms and continued his fight with Lerajie. Meanwhile, Rosette and Azmaria were watching from the Zeppelin, the two demons fighting. "Are you alright Azmaria?" Rosette asked her. "Yes I am. Thank you for not giving up on me Rosette!" Azmaria thanked Rosette. "So, is that really Chrono?" Azmaria asked Rosette curiously as they continued watching the fight. "That's right, he has several names. 'Chrono the Sinner,' 'The broken horn.' No matter what name you call him by, he is a demon." Rosette explained. "A demon?" Azmaria asked surprised. "Yes, it's the help from this pocket watch. This watch is capable of sealing Chrono's powers." Rosette started explaining as she showed Azmaria the pocket seal watch. "Chrono drains the contractor's soul. The more he uses his powers, the more the contractor's life will be shortened." Rosette finished explaining. "Are you saying that your life is being shortened each time Chrono uses his powers?" Azmaria asked Rosette, looking at her in worry. "That's right. Judging by my fate, I most likely won't be able to live up to the age of 30." Rosette revealed to Azmaria. "How can you sacrifice yourself like that? How can you do this, knowing that you'll eventually die?" Azmaria asked out of deep wonder and empathy. "Let me ask you the reverse. How is it that you can give up so easily?" Rosette asked Azmaria, bewildered by the fact that a person could choose to give up so easily. "I cannot predict the future, but just because I can't predict it, that doesn't mean I should just give up on everything. I have to do what I can right now, and I won't give up until I have finally reached my goals!" Rosette said and started getting out four crucifix barriers from a brown bag on her hips. As the battle between the two demons continued, Lerajie took Chrono by surprise when he used one of his most powerful energy attacks, which caused Chrono to smash into the Zeppelin. "Hahahahahaha, this is truly fun! What an amazing amount of power I have! It appears that humans can be quite useful tools!" Lerajie gloated as he laughed sinisterly. "With this power and your head as a gift, I can once again return to where I belong!" Lerajie said triumphantly and with a great deal of confidence. "I've made a promise with my contractor, and it is my duty to fulfill it." Chrono said as he was looking sternly at Lerajie. "Until I can keep my promise, I cannot allow you Pursuers to kill me!" Chrono said angrily and charged towards him. He also directed one of his most powerful attacks at Lerajie. "He's tough, I have to hurry!" Chrono said as Lerajie blocked his attack with an energy barrier. "What's wrong, Sinner Chrono? She looks pretty pale. It must be difficult for her to move. Are you really that much worried about an insignificant human? How pitiful, and it's all because of you." Lerajie taunted Chrono as he saw that Rosette was becoming weaker and paler due to the contract taking a toll on her life span. "In that case, I shall help put your worries at ease!" Lerajie said and transformed his hand into a long gun. The upper tip of the gun had a design that resembled a skeleton head. The Pursuer shot towards the Zeppelin at the direction where Rosette and Azmaria were which caused an explosion, much to Chrono's horror. He couldn't bear to think of the possibility of Rosette and Azmaria getting killed. "Hahahahaha, this airship shall finally become your grave!" Lerajie said triumphantly as he believed that Rosette was now dead. Just then, a gun shot from a distance hit Lerajie's glass receptor which then began to crack, much to his surprise. "What?" Lerajie said shocked as he could not believe what he was seeing. His glass receptor began to crack even more until it finally cracked opened. All of Lerajie's powers came out of the receptor. "Aaaahhhh, my powers are leaking! The receptor has been broken! This is impossible, who did this?" Lerajie screamed out of pain as all of his powers kept on leaking. Just then, he saw Rosette and Azmaria standing on the ground of the Zeppelin which glowed in the shape of a cross. They were surrounded by the crucifix barrier that Rosette placed around them. "Considering he was thinking of attacking us, he would definitely try to show it off to Chrono. Since I quickly figured that out, we still had a chance. It's a good thing I made the barrier in time!" Rosette stated as she was pointing her gun forwards while she was explaining how she somehow predicted Lerajie's attack. "That's impossible! She was predicting my attack?!" Lerajie asked himself out of disbelief that Rosette had outfoxed him. Chrono then charged towards Lerajie and stabbed him through his chest. "Do you know why you've lost Lerajie? It's because you've messed with the humans too much." Chrono said to Lerajie while he was pulling the Pursuers receptor out. Once Lerajie's receptor was pulled out, he screamed in pain and agony as a huge amount of blood came out of his dying body. After Lerajie's body had disintegrated back into legions, the whole Zeppelin had exploded, causing Rosette and Azmaria to fall off it. "Rosette, my time is up!" Chrono shouted to Rosette. Rosette locked the pocket watch seal and Chrono transformed back into his child form. "My wings bring along misfortune. But if I try my very hardest, maybe something will change!" Azmaria thought to herself as her wings sprung out from her back. She was able to successfully catch Rosette along with Chrono before they could reach the ground. They were both smiling at her out of relief that they were all still in one piece!

The next morning, back at the Magdalene Order, Rosette and Chrono went to Azmaria's bedroom to see how she was feeling. Azmaria told the two that her powers no longer worked. "What?" Rosette and Chrono said at the same time in a shocked tone. "Your powers do not work anymore?" Rosette asked Azmaria who could not believe what she just heard. "That's right. It appears that I have used my powers too much and too quickly." Azmaria explained. "It will take a while until I recover completely. A month or two, one year, or maybe even longer." Azmaria continued explaining while looking out of her window. "So, now that my powers won't be able to work for quite a while, I guess I have no reason to stay here then." Azmaria concluded disappointedly. "Considering that I am pretty much useless here, I wonder where shall I go now?" Azmaria asked herself curiously as she wasn't sure where she would possibly end up while moving forward. "I've got an idea! There is a position opened in the choir. The only requirement is that you have to be at least 10 years of age or older. With your beautiful singing voice, we would be happy to have you, if it's your choice. So, what do you say?" Rosette suggested to Azmaria. She knew very well that Azmaria was known for her soprano singing. "Sure, I would be delighted to participate in the choir Rosette!" Azmaria accepted joyfully as she was certain that she will be able to put some of her talents to use.

Chapter 4

A few days later, Father Remington was waiting at Grand Central Station for an agent who was away for a few months doing some investigation in San Francisco. He expected the agent to bring back an envelope that contained some documents from the investigation. While waiting for quite some time, the minister began wondering what was taking the agent so long to return to New York City. "Where in the world could he be? Surely he knows that being on time is part of the mission." Father Remington sighed while reading a newspaper on the bench. "Mommy, can I please have a snack?" a little dark-brown haired boy asked his mother from a distance. "Please be patient, Grandma is making us all a delicious chocolate cake for us to eat!" The boy's mother said trying to calm him down. "But I am already hungry." The boy said in a whining tone. The minister couldn't help but smile at the whole situation as he had a soft spot for smaller children. Just then, a mysterious young black haired man took a seat on the bench from behind the minister. "He won't be coming back. You were supposed to receive this, right?" The mysterious man said to the minister while showing him an envelope. "Who are you?" Father Remington asked suspiciously. "A servant for the ones that you are investigating." The young man remarked. "What happened to my agent?" The minister asked. "You should be very pleased with him. He was out investigating, just as what you ordered him to do." The man explained. "Where is he now?" Father Remington asked the man. "I killed him and then I ate him!" The young man answered sinisterly. Disturbed by the man's claim, Father Remington got up from the bench, pulled out his gun and placed it in the man's mouth. The man looked terribly scared as he was afraid that the minister might shoot him. At that moment, Father Remington saw a whole group of people that surrounded the bench area looking at him with sinister looks on their faces, as if they were possessed. Just then, the man whom the minister held at gunpoint got off from the bench, pulled out a screwdriver and placed it at his neck with a deranged look on his face. Father Remington pointed his gun towards him again. "This is because you're so dangerous." The man said in a sly tone of voice. "Are all these people hostages?" The minister asked curiously while looking at the people around him. "Yes, now hand over that gun of yours and let's get to business, shall we?" The man ordered the minister.

Meanwhile, Rosette and the others were driving back to The Magdalene Order after food shopping. The weather was very rainy and gloomy which made driving very unpleasant. "Depressing, isn't it?" Chrono remarked. "No. Considering that they told us to go food shopping in this rainy condition, I'd say it's more than depressing! It's the absolute worst!" Rosette fumed in frustration. Just then, the phone rang. "Chrono!" "Yes Rosette." "Would you mind answering the phone for me?" "What?" "You heard me. Somebody's got to drive." Chrono picked up the phone and asked who it was. "Hello, oh Father Remington." Chrono said out of surprise while Father Remington asked if Rosette was available. "I'm afraid Rosette can't answer the phone right now." Chrono answered. Hearing that Father Remington was calling, she grabbed the phone from Chrono. "Hi Father Remington, Sister Rosette speaking, is there anything that you want to tell me?" Rosette asked with an enthusiastically sweet tone while driving erratically. "Is she supposed to be doing that while driving, Chrono?" Azmaria asked concerned. "No, not really!" He answered while cringing at Rosette's sudden over enthusiastic behavior. "Alright, I shall be there soon!" Rosette said to the minister as she put down the phone with a huge smile on her face. "Today I feel like the happiest girl in the whole world!" Rosette said with great enthusiasm. "You do?" Chrono wondered. "Yes, Father Remington had called me to pick him up from Grand Central Station. I wonder if he will finally notice the irresistible appeal of my beauty?" Rosette was revealing her thoughts aloud. "What did you say?" Chrono asked as he couldn't believe what he just heard. "Oh nothing, I was just thinking aloud." Rosette answered and started speeding. "Since we are going to the train station to pick up Father Remington, where do you think we'll put these bags?" Chrono asked. "Simple, we'll just go back to The Order and drop them off there. As a matter of fact, I'll be dropping you two off there as well." "What?!" Chrono said in disbelief. "Yeah Rosette, it would be nice for all of us to see Grand Central Station. We are friends aren't we?" Azmaria asked trying to convince Rosette. Seeing that she wouldn't be able to get out alone, Rosette said "But of course you can all come, I was just kidding!" "Yeah, right." Chrono remarked sarcastically. Back at Grand Central Station, after the minister put down the telephone, he looked towards the seemingly possessed civilians in front of him. "Alright, are you satisfied?" Father Remington asked the crowd in front of him. "This doesn't look very good." The minister thought to himself as he could tell that something strange was going on. "The girl shall arrive soon!" The young black haired man stated. "Before that happens, there is something I would like to ask you about." Father Remington said. "What would that be?" The man asked. "Are you working for Aion?" The minister asked out of curiosity as the civilian hostages looked at him while holding knives by their necks and laughing sinisterly. "What are you planning on doing with Rosette?" The Minister asked worriedly. "Not a thing, I am just a taxi driver. There is a certain person who would like to see her!" The man answered. "A certain person?" Father Remington asked himself as he had a feeling who the person might be. Meanwhile, Rosette and the other two had reached the Order and started unloading the car. "Come on, let's hurry up and unload this stuff." Rosette demanded while bossing them around. While Azmaria was holding one of the bags, she fell down as it was too heavy for her to carry it. "Azmaria, are you okay?" Chrono asked. "I'm fine. I can hold this by myself!" Azmaria said trying to assure him. "Are you sure?" Chrono asked doubtfully. "Yes I am." Azmaria insisted. "I don't care how heavy the damn bag is, just hurry up and get these groceries unloaded!" Rosette demanded crossly. "Yes Rosette, I'll try my best!" Azmaria said as she was trying to pick it up. Seeing that Azmaria was having trouble picking the bag up, Rosette then walked towards her. "That bag looks pretty heavy for you to carry, let me help you with it." Rosette offered in a gentle tone of voice. Azmaria allowed Rosette to take the bag for her. "Phew, it looks like we're finally done!" Rosette commented out of relief when unloading was done. "Now Azmaria, are you able to handle it from here?" Rosette asked Azmaria. "Yes, leave it to me!" Azmaria said excitedly. Just then, the three nuns approached the trio who were surprised by their quick arrival. "You three came back pretty quickly." Claire said as she was greeting them. Just then, Anna noticed a wet bottom on one of the bags, much to her shock. "What is it now?" Rosette asked in an irritated tone. "Why in the world is the bag full of wheat soaked with water? We can't use this now!" Anna panicked. "Shut up, at least the other half is usable. Do you have to notice everything?" Rosette said to Anna. "I am afraid it's my fault, I was the one who accidentally dropped the bag. I just got a little dizzy." Azmaria admitted. "That's because Rosette was probably driving too fast." Chrono said. "What? Are you saying this is my fault Chrono?" Rosette asked Chrono angrily. "Well, in a way it kind of is." Chrono answered. "Great, more reckless driving? Can't you learn to be more responsible Rosette? Just the other day I heard you got distracted by a fruit cart while driving and almost collided with another car." Anna mocked Rosette. "I've heard she actually ran into the fruit cart." Mary stated as Anna began to coil. "No, she tried to avoid hitting the cart and crashed into the bakery across the street and both the cart and the shop caught on fire." Claire completed her interpretation of the event. "Is that all you can say for someone who spent half of the day food shopping in a weather like this?" Rosette was getting fired up with the girl's comments on her reckless driving. Just when she was about to attack the girls, Chrono began to pull Rosette away. "Alright, before this gets out of hand, don't we have to be somewhere?" Chrono reminded her. "That's right. We have to pick up Father Remington from the station." Rosette zoomed outside and ran towards the car with Chrono and Azmaria following her. They drove away with Rosette driving in full speed. "Wow, I guess Rosette really is in such a big hurry." Sister Claire commented. "I just do hope she doesn't do anything idiotic again." Anna commented doubtfully. "Besides, it's bad enough that Rosette is such a crazy driver. I am just wondering how come the minister asked her of all people to pick him up, especially in a dreary weather like this." Anna asked herself suspiciously as she knew what a reckless driver Rosette was. Despite the weather condition, they all had finally reached Grand Central Station. "We're here at last!" Rosette said excitedly as she got herself out of the car. "Hey, what about us?" Chrono asked. "You two will stay right here and guard the car. I don't want someone stealing it! Anyways, you can see Grand Central Station some other time, so no harm done!" Rosette said as she tried to justify her reason for them staying in the car. "So that's why you wanted us to come along? How typical of you!" Chrono said exasperatedly, but wasn't in the mood to argue with her. He just stayed along with Azmaria while Rosette rushed towards the station building. "Well, judging by the weather conditions, I wouldn't be surprised if Rosette had given up and went home!" The minister said with relief. "Are you still hoping for a miracle?" The man asked. "Consider it a form of parental concern. For four years ever since I have brought her into the Order, I have considered myself the girl's guardian. As such, it is my duty to protect her." Father Remington explained and abruptly ran towards the possessed man. He grabbed something from his shoulder and knocked him out. "Therefore I cannot hand her over without a fight." The minister finished explaining while the man fell down unconscious. The minister looked at his hand and saw a small black spider which he grabbed from the man's shoulder. He looked up towards a huge window and spotted some kind of demon standing there. Just then, Rosette opened the doors and ran inside the station. "Hi Father Remington, I am finally here. I hope you are glad that I have finally come to get you?" Rosette asked Father Remington cheerfully without realizing the people around him. Father Remington had a horrified look on his face as he saw Rosette coming in. At that moment, the doors closed loudly behind her. When she turned towards the minister again, she finally acknowledged the people around him. "Nice to meet you Sister Rosette!" one of the train station guards said while greeting her. "Now that you are here, it is time for you to get on board. Lord Joshua is waiting for you Sister Rosette!" Another guard said to her. "Joshua?" Rosette gasped in disbelief as she heard the name.

The guards restrained Rosette by her wrists and forcibly lead her down the stairs from the balcony towards the main floor of the station. "What's going on here? What do you mean Joshua is waiting for me? Answer me!" Rosette asked the guards, feeling that something fishy was going on. "Tell me!" Rosette demanded as she yelled and freed herself from the guards. Father Remington grabbed his cross shaped holster and took out a blue laser sword filled with holy water. He cut off the spider webs from a few of the hostages necks which caused them to pass out. Rosette was very confused with what was going on when she saw all those possessed people. "Look up, second skylight from the east side!" The minister warned Rosette. She looked up and saw the spider demon above her. Rosette jumped down from the balcony as she managed to evade the two guards that were about to restrain her again. She then pulled out her gun and shot several times at the spider demon. Unfortunately, the demon somehow evaded her attacks, leaving the window from behind her partially broken. "Are you alright Rosette?" Father Remington asked her. "What in the world is going on in this place? And what did those people say about Joshua?" Rosette asked curiously as she was still puzzled about the whole situation. "My, what an appalling older sister! What will Lord Joshua say when he sees you now?" A mysterious female voice echoed across the building. "Who are you?" Rosette shouted out. "I am a puppet master, capable of manipulating the minds of human beings." The voice said. "A puppet master? Does that mean these people are hostages?" Rosette asked. "Yes, fortunately it's only temporarily. These people are merely under a spell." The minister explained. "Which makes them helpless marionettes. What pitiful fools humans are! Just look around yourself Sister Rosette!" The voice said sinisterly as Rosette looked at the possessed people around the station. "Sister, save me." One possessed woman called out to Rosette. "I am scared mommy." One possessed boy said with a sad voice. Rosette was more than convinced that the people were obviously possessed as they didn't appear to be themselves. "Tell me now, will you just stand back and watch as these unfortunate civilians be lead to the slaughter?" The voice tauntingly asked Rosette while laughing sinisterly. "What do you want?" Rosette shouted out demandingly. "It is not what I want. It is what Lord Joshua wants! Obey me without question and those marionettes lives shall be spared!" The voice said as it was trying to convince Rosette to do what she says. "Don't listen Rosette, it's a trap." The minister tried to warn her. The possessed little dark-brown haired boy approached Rosette and was holding a knife beside his own neck like all of the other possessed hostages. "The train will arrive soon, if you get on board you will be able to see Lord Joshua!" The boy said to Rosette as if someone else was talking through him. "This is all part of Aion's trap." The minister revealed to Rosette. "Aion?" Rosette said as painful memories began filling her head. "This is Lord Joshua's wish. He wants to see his older sister! Do hurry up, Lord Joshua is waiting." The boy said as he was convincing Rosette to board the train. "Lord Joshua looks like he is in so much pain, so much to the point that he can't even eat." The boy revealed to Rosette. Rosette then recalled the times when her brother was in bed while coughing due to an incurable sickness of his. "Where is Joshua? Is it true that he is suffering?" Rosette again asked loudly while the marionettes started laughing sinisterly. "Please, let me see my brother Joshua?" Rosette demanded. "Rosette, calm down!" Father Remington said and just then, the black haired man pointed a gun at the minister's head. "Lord Joshua wishes to see you alone." The man said. "The minister will be waiting for you here. After all, you are the only one who can save Lord Joshua from his suffering." One guard said as he was trying to persuade Rosette. Rosette began thinking carefully about the decision she was about to make. Since she loved her brother dearly and would do anything to find him, she made her choice to board the train that will lead her to her brother. "I am sorry Father Remington, but I have no other choice. I need to go." Rosette said apologetically to the minister. Meanwhile, Chrono and Azmaria were still waiting in the car for Rosette and the minister to arrive. "Oh my, this is taking much longer than expected. I wonder what's happening inside there that's causing this delay?" Azmaria asked as she was wondering why they didn't show up by now. "I don't know, but there is something that I have also noticed. There aren't any people going out of the station." Chrono stated as he observed the station from the window which made him suspicious. "You don't think Rosette is in trouble, do you Chrono?" Azmaria asked as she had a feeling that something peculiar was happening inside. "In any case, I guess we better go check to see what is really happening in there." Chrono said and they both got out of the car and ran towards the station doors. They looked through the window and saw the two station guards dragging Rosette down to the train area. They also saw the possessed people and Father Remington being held at gun point. "Oh my God, we've got to do something about this before it is too late." Chrono panicked and tried to open the doors but was unable to do so. "Damn it, I can't open the doors." Chrono said frustratingly. "What are we going to do now Chrono?" Azmaria asked. "It looks like that there must be some demon presence in there. Let's go back to the car, grab some barrier crucifixes and place them around the building." Chrono advised. "That sounds like a good idea!" Azmaria agreed. "Come on, there is no time to lose!" Chrono said and they both went to the car to find the barrier crucifixes.

"Sister Rosette I must say, you have made the right choice in deciding to board the train. I am sure that Lord Joshua will be delighted when he finally sees you!" One guard commented as the two men were dragging Rosette to the underground train. Rosette was remembering the times in which Joshua was always very weak to the point that he spent a lot of time in bed and all the times when they had fun as children. As the train arrived she remembered the day when she and Joshua first met Chrono and the night when their orphanage got destroyed. Father Remington, not wanting Rosette to fall into Aion's clutches, grabbed his laser sword and managed to release himself from the people that were holding him hostage. He began to make his way to the underground part of the station. Just as Rosette stepped on the train step, she started hesitating. "What's the matter Sister Rosette? The train is about to leave." One of the guards asked her. As she was about to get on it, she heard a voice calling out to her, telling her not go on the train. "No Rosette, don't go on!" Father Remington shouted out, desperately trying to stop her. Suddenly, the female spider demon summoned her thick spider webs and used it to trap the minister by wrapping his neck and began to choke him. "Father Remington!" Rosette yelled out as she saw the minister's holster fall on the ground. "What a nuisance he is, trying to interfere with our plans! By doing so, he shall die!" The spider demon said in an annoyed tone. "Father Remington!" Rosette called out while the two guards pushed her inside the train. The spider demon wrapped the minister's wrists and ankles with her spider webs. She then continued tightening his neck so much to the point that the minister began to spit out saliva. Rosette kicked the guards and rushed over to the minister but one of the guards pulled on Rosette's hood which caused her to fall on the ground. Lying down, she saw a group of guards running towards her. Knowing that they were intending to put her back on the train, she grabbed one of her Sacred bullets and smashed it with Father Remington's holster which created some kind of smoke. The smoke helped Rosette to take the guards by surprise and to knock them out unconscious. Rosette pulled out her gun and shot the spider webs on Father Remington's ankles and wrists. As she continued knocking out the guards, she threw the minister's holster towards him. Father Remington managed to catch his cross shaped holster and took out his laser sword. He cut off the webs around his neck which then freed him. "Father Remington, I am so sorry." Rosette apologized. "We can talk later, now it is not the time." The minister said to her. Just then, Father Remington turned around and saw a group of possessed people in front of them. "You shall not escape! Don't you want to see your beloved younger brother? Why do you insist on defying me Sister Rosette?" The spider demon asked. "I must have been crazy to think that I could trust a coward who hides behind the shields of innocent people." Rosette admittedly said to the demon. "So you don't want to see Lord Joshua?" The spider demon asked. "Of course I want to see him. I would do anything to find him as fast as I can. I want to care for him, to hold him in my arms and if he is in pain and agony, I will gladly take his place." Rosette said emotionally. "Of course you would, you're the only one who can help Lord Joshua ease his suffering!" The spider demon tried once again to convince her to board the train. "That is why I will never accept your help! After all, you are the ones who are responsible for his suffering and I will risk my life to save him from your evil clutches no matter what price I will have to pay!" Rosette said determinedly as she was pointing her gun towards the spider demon. "It looks like I have no other choice. You shall come with me!" The demon shouted impatiently as she activated her spider webs towards the two. "Aim for the spiders by their necks." Father Remington instructed Rosette as he knew that the only way to free the hostages from their mind control spell was to remove the spiders on their necks. Father Remington sliced the spiders in half while Rosette grabbed and removed the spiders off the people's necks. "Hahahahahaha, how pathetic! What can a pair of two legs like you could possibly do?" The demon sinisterly laughed while taunting them. After freeing some of the marionettes from the spiders, they both ran back up to the main floor of Grand Central Station to free the remainder of the marionettes from the mind control spell. Before they could do that, they saw a group of possessed civilians blocking the doorways. "There is no escape!" The black haired man said as he was pointing a gun at them. Just then, a stream of green light appeared across the building and the hostages as well as the spider demon started to suddenly feel weak. "Ah no! A crucifix barrier!" The demon yelled in grief as the civilians passed out. "Rosette!" Chrono called out as soon as he opened the doors. "Chrono, is that you?" Rosette asked as she saw both him and Azmaria coming in. "Are you okay Rosette?" Chrono asked. "Yes and I can see that you two set up a crucifix barrier!" Rosette commented. "Chrono! So you were the one behind this?" The spider demon asked angrily. "It looks like you haven't changed one bit Rizel. Still using the same old despicable methods." Chrono said in a cross tone of voice. "Silence! This is not over yet girl, just wait and see!" Rizel yelled and then teleported away. Afterwards, Chrono and Azmaria went down to the main floor of the station. "Rosette!" Azmaria called out as they were running their way towards her. "Azmaria, how did you and Chrono know that I was in danger?" Rosette asked. "We were wondering what was taking you and the minister so long, so we tried to get in but we couldn't. This made us suspicious so we peeked through the window and saw some station officials leading you to the train. It was then when we decided to set up the crucifix barrier." Chrono explained. "I see, so I guess it was a good thing I left you two in the car after all!" Rosette taunted him. "What? After all what we did that is all you have to say?" Chrono said exasperatedly. Meanwhile, Father Remington was looking at some documents and a picture of a boy from the inside of the envelope that the possessed man had given to him earlier. Rosette, curious to what the minister was looking at, approached him. "Father Remington, is something wrong?" The minister turned around and showed her one of the pictures. "That would be the picture of your brother Joshua." The minister revealed. "My brother Joshua?" Rosette asked in disbelief. "Yes, we have been searching for his whereabouts for as long as you have been at the Order, and I think we have finally found the place to where he is currently residing!" Father Remington explained. "Where do you think he might be?" Rosette asked. "Judging by what the documents says, it appears that Joshua is somewhere in San Francisco!" Father Remington continued explaining. "In San Francisco?" Rosette asked out of surprise. "Yes Rosette." The minister confirmed. "Well if that's the place where Joshua is at, then we better get over there as soon as we can!" She said impatiently. "I'm afraid we can't be too rash with these things Rosette. We don't want to put you in danger by trying to save him without a well thought out plan. We have to plan everything to the smallest detail in order for this to work. Don't worry, you'll get a chance to find Joshua, I am sure of it!" Father Remington said as he tried to convince her. "I do hope so." Rosette said, somehow disappointed that it will still take some time. Father Remington and the others decided to stay at Grand Central Station to make sure that all of the possessed people had recovered from Rizel's mind control spell.

Chapter 5

The next day, Father Remington went to Sister Kate's office to give her the documents regarding Rosette's brother, Joshua. "So, it seems that you have finally found him." Sister Kate said as she was looking at the picture of Joshua while the minister was looking out of the window. "The agent that was sent for investigation compiled the file, so I trust the authenticity of it. With that being said, we now have some evidence to proceed with." The minister explained. "Speaking of which, where is Rosette and the others?" Sister Kate curiously asked the minister as she had a bit of a worried look on her face. "Rosette and Chrono have decided to take Azmaria to the place where it all began, at the Seventh Bell Orphanage." Father Remington revealed. "I see." Sister Kate said in a worried tone. Meanwhile, the trio had finally arrived at the Upstate New York countryside at Adirondacks Mountains, where there was a huge fort like structure with a big, heavy metal door. "Well Chrono, here we are. The orphanage that brings back so many painful memories." Rosette said to Chrono nostalgically. "Yeah, I can't believe it has been four years since we have first met." Chrono stated. "Is this the place where you two have met?" Azmaria asked curiously. "Yes, but it didn't always looked this way. When we get inside, you will understand why." Rosette explained. Rosette opened the door by clicking the on switch and walked inside the fort. Once they got in, Rosette went inside to find the off switch for closing the door. Chrono stayed with Azmaria as he knew it wouldn't have been wise to leave her behind. As soon as the door closed, Azmaria became scared and she grabbed Chrono's arm as everything around them was now all dark. "It's alright Azmaria, nothing is going to happen to you!" Chrono said as he was trying to reassure Azmaria who was still spooked out by all the haunting darkness. As Chrono and Azmaria were walking, Azmaria became more and more frightened as she had a feeling that something creepy might be lurking around the corner. Just then, the lights turned on and all around them they saw children and two women turned into stone. The orphanage building was extremely damaged and everything around it was turned to stone as well. As Azmaria was seeing all of this, she screamed out of fright, shocked at what she was witnessing. "Azmaria, is everything alright?" Rosette called out while she was running towards them. "Azmaria, what's all the screaming about?" Rosette asked her. "It's them, those poor children. It looks as if they are turned into stone. And that building up ahead, it looks severely damaged." She talked in a frightened tone of voice while pointing her finger towards the wrecked building. "What's going on Rosette, what is this place?" Azmaria asked Rosette. "This was the orphanage where my brother Joshua and I grew up after our parents died. Back then, everything looked beautiful and lively. However, four years ago something terrible happened which changed everything. Since then, nothing around here has changed." Rosette explained in a serious tone of voice. "Nor will it ever change. This place is still as frozen as it was four years ago." Chrono stated seriously. "Did your brother Joshua do all of this?" Azmaria asked. "No, it wasn't him who did something like this! Aion was the one who did all of this!" Rosette said both angry and sad at the same time. "Azmaria, if you're willing to fight on our side, then you must know what Aion is capable of and the forces that he set in motion." Chrono said to Azmaria.

Their story began on one spring day 4 ½ years ago when two boys at the orphanage accidentally made a mess of the orphanage's laundry. "You brats, come back here!" Rosette yelled out and began running after the two boys with a water filled bucket in her hand like a cheetah chasing after its prey. "She's really mad this time." One boy said as they were running away from Rosette. "She's so mad, she'll murder us." Another boy commented. "You messed up the laundry!" Rosette yelled again and continued chasing after the two boys. "Yayy, smash them good Rosette!" One little girl said as she was cheering for Rosette. "Stop Rosette, it was just an accident." One female caretaker said as she unsuccessfully tried to calm Rosette down. "You won't escape! Take this!" Rosette said and threw the bucket at one of the boys. However the boy was able to dodge the attack and Rosette then grabbed the boy by his shirt. "Alright Billy, do you know what awaits you now?" Rosette asked the boy sternly. "No, what?" Billy asked with a petrified look on his face. "Since you've made a mess out of all the laundry, you shall take the responsibility of tending everyone's laundry today, got that?" Rosette demanded him. "But it was your turn to do the laundry today Rosette." Billy stated. "I don't care if it was my turn. Since you made a mess out of it, you're the one who is going to clean it!" Rosette said in a slightly cross tone. "Hey, where did the bucket go?" The other boy asked. "It's over there." The young caretaker said nervously while she was pointing her finger towards the bucket. Just then, Rosette noticed that the water bucket had hit Joshua's head, much to her worry. "Aaahhhh, Joshua, are you alright?" Rosette asked worriedly while shaking him. "You clobbered him." The boy said to Billy. "It wasn't my fault Kevin. It was Rosette who did it." Billy said. "I wonder if I should go and get Ms. Jean?" The caretaker asked herself. Joshua, who was on the ground, regained his consciousness and began laughing. Rosette lifted the bucket off his head and found him sticking his tongue out at her. "Hahahahaha, I got you, I got you! You thought I was hit with the bucket? Geeze Rosette, you're such a sap!" Joshua teased as he continued laughing. Just as Rosette was starting to get angry again, Joshua began coughing. "Are you alright Joshua? Did you take your medicine today?" Rosette asked worriedly as she went close to him. "Yes, but I feel great today! Can you just please let me stay outside a little longer, just this once?" Joshua begged his sister. "What about your health condition Joshua?" Rosette asked. "Don't worry about me Rosette, I'm fine! Please let me stay outside some more." Joshua asked as he was trying to reassure her. Rosette nodded her head up with a slight smile on her face. "By the way Rosette, isn't the minister coming here this afternoon for a visit?" The caretaker asked Rosette while she was pulling Joshua up. "Oh, is he? Well in that case, I guess we better make a run for it!" Rosette said, grabbed Joshua's arm and ran out into the woods, with the intention of staying there until the minister had left. Shortly afterwards, the minister by the name of Father Remington had arrived and was in a room having a conversation with the head of the orphanage, Ms. Jean Wilson while tea was being served. "Today again I see?" The minister asked as he knew this wasn't the first time that Rosette ran off with Joshua in order to avoid him. "Yes, I am afraid she ran off with her brother Joshua to the forest once again. I am so sorry Minister Remington." Ms. Jean said apologetically. "Well I guess it can't be helped." Father Remington said. "So, you have decided to take Joshua away from the orphanage?" Ms. Jean asked. "Yes, we cannot deny that this boy has an incredible ability unlike any other we have witnessed. Therefore it is important that we bring him to our Order. We have been searching for someone with an ability like Joshua's for quite some time. So in any case, I would like to have a word with him in person?" Father Remington asked Ms. Jean as he explained the reason for taking Joshua to the Magdalene Order. "That would be an excellent offer for the young boy, Minister Remington. However, if Joshua does decide to join the Order, I'm pretty sure it will be hard on Rosette." Ms. Jean stated. "I sense that girl really does have a disdain for me, doesn't she?" Father Remington chuckled. "Those siblings do look out for each other. I imagine that Rosette fears that her younger brother will be taken away from her." Ms. Jean explained. Meanwhile, Rosette was still dragging Joshua deep into the forest as far as she could. "Rosette, are you sure it's a good idea to be running off so far out into the woods like that?" Joshua asked as he knew that they had been going farther than what they should have been. "Of course it is, and we're staying here until that weird minister has left. Have you noticed how strange he is? Do you have any idea what will happen to you if you get involved with crackpots like him? You'll get strapped onto a laboratory table, be subjected to weird scientific experiments, and then you'll get pickled in a phernaline!" Rosette said trying to scare Joshua to stay away from the minister. "I can see that someone has been reading too many science fiction novels again." Joshua cringed. "Oh, and that stuff in your occult novels are so true?" Rosette asked exasperatedly. "But the minister came all the way from New York City. I'd bet it must be more exciting over there than out here in the countryside." Joshua said with excitement. "It's a Convent, it's not like it would be any more exciting than what it is here." Rosette said in a slightly irritated tone of voice. "But since we are going to have to leave the orphanage when we turn fifteen anyways, I don't see how there is much difference with moving now or then." Joshua said. "Well I don't want to! You are still too weak and it's also too dangerous to be going anywhere by yourself." Rosette said trying to justify her over protective nature towards him. "You're a pill, you know that." Joshua said as he was put off by her protectiveness. "I just want to let you know that it is my duty as an older sister to take care of you no matter what!" Rosette said and as she was walking down the hill, she accidentally slipped on the grass and screamed. Joshua grabbed her arm and slid down along with her. They reached a bottom of the hill and dropped into a river. The stream dragged them to the rapids with a waterfall which then sent them flying to the other side of the river. All soaked they finally landed on the ground. A moment later, the ground they landed on, suddenly opened beneath them, like a trap door, which led them to an underground sewer. "Where are we? This isn't the stream!" Joshua said as he realized that they had ended up in some sort of sewer. Just then, Joshua noticed the bloody wound on Rosette's knee. "Oh no Rosette, are you okay?" Joshua asked in a shocked tone of voice. "No! Does it look like I'm okay? My knee is bleeding!" Rosette cried out. "It's just a scraped knee." Joshua sighed. "But it hurts!" Rosette yelled out. "Don't be such a baby Rosette. Here, let me tend to your wounded knee." Joshua said gently. He placed his hand on Rosette's knee and the blood disappeared. "Thank you Joshua!" Rosette said gratefully as she was stunned with Joshua's healing ability. "Sometimes I think this is the only thing that you are truly grateful to have me around for." Joshua jokingly said. "Well if you insist on joking like that, then we should go and be finding the exit!" Rosette said in an aggravated tone. "Rosette, there is something I just don't get. Why can I heal other people's injuries and illnesses, but not my own?" Joshua wondered and Rosette looked at him with sympathy as she knew how hard it was for Joshua. "Joshua, don't worry about it. As long as I am with you, I will always be there to protect you!" Rosette said gently to Joshua as she was helping him up. "Come on, let's get a move on!" She said optimistically while she was holding Joshua's hand and began walking. As the two siblings were trying to find a way out of the sewer, Rosette and her brother had spotted a giant gray door made of stone. "Wow, this door is so huge. This has got to be the exit!" Rosette said with amazement. "Look, there's something written on the door. An eternal becoming saint Magda, sleeping I think." Joshua said as he unsuccessfully tried to read the descriptive writing on the door. "What does it say?" Rosette asked. "I can't tell. It's too descriptive for me to read." Joshua said. As he came closer he touched a symbol on the door that resembled the Magdalene's Order symbol, which started glowing brightly. This suddenly caused the door to open. "It's opened. I have a feeling that this isn't the exit." Rosette said nervously as she didn't know what was behind the door. "Now that I think of it, didn't Ms. Jean say something about the forest, something about an underground tomb?" Joshua asked while Rosette was walking forward. "What, a tomb?!" Rosette asked startled. Just then, an array of candles began to light across a chamber which contained a coffin. "Oh my god, a coffin?!" Rosette said with fright as she was spooked by what they were witnessing. As the shadows wavered, a mysterious boy like figure appeared beside the coffin and demanded to know who woke him up. "Who are you and who dares awake me?" He said with an intimidating voice. The two siblings looked at him with disbelief, as if they had seen a ghost. "Tell us first who you are?" Rosette asked reluctantly. "My name is Chrono. I am who you humans would call a demon." He explained in a serious tone. "A demon?" Rosette asked surprised as he didn't look threatening. "Yes, that's what I said." He answered firmly. Just then, the demon all of a sudden felt weak and Rosette came closer to him to see if he was okay. "Are you alright sir?" Rosette asked the demon. "Since I was asleep in this tomb for so long, I lack spiritual energy." The demon said. "You mean you're weak? Then you should eat something." Rosette said and puts her hand into her pocket to see if she had anything for the demon to eat. She found some cookies and handed them out to Chrono. "Here, help yourself mister!" Rosette cheerfully said to the demon as she was holding out the cookies in her hand. "Thank you." The demon said, taken by surprise to Rosette's kindness. "My name is Rosette Christopher, and this is my younger brother, Joshua." Rosette said, introducing themselves. "Wow, this is so amazing! Can I shake your hand?" Joshua asked with great enthusiasm. "So you're really a demon? Wow, this is truly unbelievable!" Joshua said enthusiastically as he touched Chrono's hands and looked at him with a huge, dazzled smile on his face. Chrono however was feeling uncomfortable with Joshua's over the top reaction of him. "Now Joshua, don't frighten him. Considering how long he must have been in this tomb, we should try to approach him more calmly." Rosette advised Joshua as she could see that Chrono was feeling a little awkward. "By the way Chrono, how long were you in this tomb?" Rosette asked curiously. "I was asleep in this tomb for 50 years." Chrono revealed as he took the cookies from Rosette's hands. "50 years?" Rosette asked who was surprised by the amount of time he was in the tomb. "Yep, 50 years it was." Chrono affirmed while munching on the cookies. "Wow, you must be really old then?" Rosette concluded in an astounded tone. "How come you are so kind to me in spite of the fact that I am a demon?" Chrono asked curiously as he finished eating. "Because I don't think you're scary. On the contrary I think you're pretty interesting! Don't you agree Joshua?" Rosette said as she asked Joshua's opinion on Chrono. "Yes, I think he is very interesting indeed!" Joshua answered excitedly. "Thank you so much for the cookies Rosette!" Chrono thanked her as he got up. "No problem!" Rosette answered kindly. "So where do you two kids live?" Chrono asked. "We live in the nearby orphanage and speaking about the orphanage, we really need to go back! Hopefully they are not looking for us yet." Rosette remarked, realizing that they have been gone for quite some time. "Will we see you again Chrono?" Joshua asked. "Sure! If you like, we can see each other again tomorrow. Anyways I have nothing important to do, now that I have awoken from my slumber." Chrono said as he agreed to meet with them again. "Would tomorrow in the forest be good?" Rosette suggested. "Yes Rosette, it would." Chrono said with agreement. "Great, lets then meet tomorrow! Hopefully you will get your energy back by then." Rosette decided excitedly. "By the way Chrono, would it be too much to ask if you could please help us find the exit?" Rosette asked politely. "Sure! Come with me, I'll lead you to it!" Chrono said as he led them out of the chamber.

The next day, Chrono was sitting on a log by a lake, looking at some kind of mysterious seal watch. "Chrono, we're over here!" Rosette called out his name and waved towards him which caught his attention. Joshua and Rosette had brought with them a picnic basket filled with roast beef sandwiches and cookies, as well as a pitcher filled with lemonade and some mugs filled with hot chocolate. "I am so glad they finally let us out again!" Rosette said. "Yeah, who would say we would end up having a picnic with someone who turns out to be a demon, asleep in a tomb for 50 years!" added Joshua. "Not to mention that although he was sick in bed, he couldn't stop talking about you Chrono!" Rosette revealed. "What can I say? Chrono really is someone from out of this world!" Joshua said clearly fascinated by the demon. "That's because you have been reading too much of those occult stories of yours." Rosette remarked. "What's that supposed to mean?" Joshua asked slightly offended. "Just as much as you point out my constant reading of science fiction novels, that's how much I am going to point out your obsession with occult stories and mythology!" Rosette said while teasing Joshua. After their abundant lunch, they relaxed on the lush grass while Rosette was making herself busy with braiding Chrono's hair. "So, have you two ever heard of the Astral Line?" Chrono asked the two. "The Astral Line? What is that?" Joshua asked curiously. "The Astral Line is a river high up in the sky that is invisible to the human eye. It is the main source of all life that flows like that of a stream. Think of it like fragments of life force. These fragments fall to the earth and bring life to all living beings. When a puddle comes together, a soul will be born. When the life ends, the soul will rise to the sky to be rejoined with the stream once again and then the soul will ascend into either heaven or hell. This was supposedly God's creation of the life cycle which has been around for billions of years." Chrono explained while the two siblings were amazed at what they were hearing. "Wow that is so interesting! So if we go there, could we actually meet dead people?" Rosette asked curiously. "I don't know. To tell you the truth, I am just repeating the words from someone who meant a lot to me." Chrono said as he had a vision of a beautiful young woman with long blonde hair and blue, crystal like, eyes. "Wow, that is so incredible!" Joshua said enthusiastically while he interrupted his vision. "Is it really? I never thought that a life cycle system could be seen as something so interesting." Chrono said modestly. "Let me tell you what our dream is!" Joshua continued. "Our lifelong dream is to become world famous explorers when we grow up. Just think of it, the Amazon, Africa, and Antarctica. We'll be going to places no one has ever been to before. We will have our names written in all of the history books! And if we can find those Astral Lines, that will be our greatest discovery!" Joshua said ecstatically. Shortly afterwards, Joshua all of a sudden passed out with Rosette and Chrono watching over him as he slept. "He was so excited and now he is asleep." Chrono remarked. "All that running wore him out but I am happy that he still has his dreams. I was afraid that he had given up on them, considering that he hasn't talked about them for a while. Ever since the day my brother had those healing powers, he has this condition that no one can really cure. It's just so unfair to him. Why can he heal other people's injuries and illnesses but not his own? To tell you the truth Chrono, I would much rather become a doctor than a world explorer." Rosette revealed as she felt sorry for her brother. "For Joshua's sake?" Chrono asked. "Yes, my reason for wanting to become a doctor is so I can someday find a cure for Joshua's illness." Rosette explained. "You're a really good hearted person Rosette. You are one of the few people I have met with such a big heart like yours." Chrono said. "Thanks Chrono, but please don't tell Joshua that I said that." Rosette requested. A little while later, Joshua woke up and started talking like nothing happened. He was full of energy and insisted on continuing their fun. The three friends spent the rest of their day outside in the forest by Chrono learning how to fish, which he did successfully. Next, Rosette climbed up on a tree to pick some fruit from it. "Be careful Rosette, that doesn't look very safe." Joshua cautiously warned her. The tree branch then broke and seeing that Rosette was going to fall, Chrono ran towards the tree with Rosette landing on him. "Chrono!" Rosette shouted out as she saw him on the ground while he grinned with relief that he caught her on time. Later on back at the lake, as Joshua was busy eating the peaches that Rosette picked from the tree, Rosette was sowing Chrono's gray weaving cloth. While both Rosette and Joshua were asleep on the picnic cloth sheet, Chrono looked at Rosette with a smile on his face as he was lying down. He felt some sort of warm, indescribable feeling. A feeling he hadn't felt in a long time. It finally brought him peace and happiness and he wanted it to last forever.

Half a year had now went by and one night, Father Remington came to the orphanage. He went to Joshua's bedroom to talk to him about joining the Order. Joshua was resting in his bed and was badly coughing. "Some minor formalities remain, so I'll have to come back tomorrow. You will be leaving in one week, until that time it shall be best for you to take it easy and to recuperate." The minister explained after he gave him some medicine. "We won't know for sure until we take a full examination. But we suspect that this power of yours is putting a strain on your body. We have no idea how this happened so abruptly." Father Remington stated. "My sister, she is just so strong. Always running around freely and so full of life and yet she always makes time for me. But I know that she can do so much more if I wasn't holding her back and I don't want her to keep worrying about me anymore." Joshua said in a weak tone as he didn't want Rosette to be burdened with the responsibility of taking care of him due to his illness. "Minister, if I go with you, could I become that strong?" Joshua asked the minister out of curiosity. "I am afraid I can't say for certain Joshua. However, I do hope we might be able to find a cure for you once you have come to the Order!" Father Remington said. A week later, on the night when it was time for Joshua to leave the orphanage, Rosette ran back to the woods and stumbled upon Chrono who was sitting by the lake and beside the open tunnel that lead them out of the sewers. "Chrono!" Rosette said brokenly as she was devastated and did not know what to do. "What's wrong Rosette? Did something happen?" Chrono asked. "It's Joshua, he made the decision to join the Order without me." Rosette yelled and she started to cry. The news surprised Chrono. Before Chrono could even try to comfort Rosette, some bald eagle with creepy glowing red eyes suddenly appeared, much to Chrono's shock. "Is something wrong Chrono?" Rosette asked as she came closer to him. "Stay back, you mustn't come any closer!" Chrono shouted as he tried to distance himself from Rosette. "So, we meet at long last Chrono, and I can see you've got company." A voice said through the eagle as its eyes continued to glow. "Aion!" Chrono said angrily as he recognized the voice. "Yes Chrono, you and I have some unfinished business." Aion stated and the eagle's red eyes glowed even stronger as the full moon was out.

Chapter 6

"It has been such a long time since we have parted Chrono. How many decades has it been?" Aion's voice asked. "Chrono, is that bird really talking?" Rosette asked petrified. "That's no bird. It's Aion. He's also a demon." Chrono revealed bitterly. "You act as if we're strangers but in fact we're brothers. Not to mention we're both still Sinners, aren't we?" Aion asked as he was astounded that Chrono was now acting hostile towards him. "Not anymore! I want nothing to do with you!" Chrono shouted at Aion. "Not even if I promise to return your horns? There's no way that you have forgotten our dream, is it? I would like to proceed to the next step as quickly as possible!" Aion said with a monotone yet creepy tone of voice. "By the way, thank you for awakening him from his slumber young lady! As for that, let me tell you a little secret. The horns are the source of a demon's powers, storing our Astral energy. Didn't Chrono tell you that I broke his horns? Since then, he has been an outcast and became so weak that he has been rendered useless." Aion explained to Rosette as her face froze in surprise as she didn't recall Chrono telling her anything about his horns. "Come with me Chrono and I will give you back your horns! Why don't we just forget about the past and start putting our long awaited dream into motion! I want to bring back the terror of Pandemonium! Chrono, the Sinner who slaughtered 100 of our own kind!" Aion tried to convince Chrono to come back to his side. "No! I have found something here, something that I could never see from the skies. If I ever followed you again, everything that I have accomplished would have been for nothing!" Chrono said as he rejected Aion's offer. "So, what shall I do with your horns?" Aion asked Chrono. "You can keep them." Chrono said seriously. "I thought you were going to say that. No matter, I've already given them to someone else. Someone far more important who will appreciate them more than you do!" Aion said. "Who would that be?" Chrono asked. "It would be a boy who is a key to fulfilling my long awaited victory. I think you both know him, especially your friend, right here!" Aion said while laughing sinisterly as Rosette, all white in the face, looked paralyzed and couldn't move.

A little while before, Joshua was in his room sleeping. "What an unfortunate boy you are." Aion's voice said as Joshua woke up and wondered who was talking to him. "Over here!" Aion called out to Joshua and he then looked out of the window. "Thanks to you, there are so many perfectly healthy people running around. Yet you live in constant fear of your next fit, never knowing when it might come." Aion said as he pretended to sympathize with Joshua. Joshua uncovered himself from the bed and continued to look out the window, as if he was mesmerized. "Do you wish to be stronger and more powerful? Don't you wish that this unbearable pain of yours would go away?!" Aion's voice was tempting Joshua. Aion then appeared in front of him and showed him Chrono's horns. "I have a solution to your problem. These are the horns of a demon who murdered 100 of his own kind. If you want, you can possess all of the powers that they hold! With this power, you will no longer have to endure lifelong pain and suffering! Nor will your older sister and everyone else have to take the burden of caring for you!" Aion kept tempting him. Joshua looked as if he was hypnotized. He couldn't resist the demon's offer and took the horns in his hands which then mysteriously disappeared.

"What have you done to him?" Rosette furiously asked. "You wouldn't dare! He's just a child!" Chrono said angrily at Aion. "Your little friend is so interesting. With such a potent gift, I'm sure he will be a great asset to my legions!" Aion said. "Answer me. What did you do to Joshua?" Rosette shouted as Aion laughed sinisterly. "Why don't you find out for yourself?" Aion mockingly asked. "No, wait!" Rosette shouted. "Come with me Rosette!" Chrono said and at that moment, he transformed into his demonic form, grabbed Rosette and started flying towards the orphanage in full speed. The bald eagle then returned to its master Aion who was looking at the bright light that was coming from Chrono as he was flying. "The two siblings are quite an interesting pair. I wonder what might you be plotting Chrono." Aion said to himself as he wasn't sure what Chrono was thinking of doing. As Chrono was flying high up in the sky, Rosette was feeling very tense due to not being so high up in the sky before. "What you are seeing is my true demonic form. The form that you have seen up until now was created to conserve my Astral energy." Chrono explained. "We have got to hurry. Your brother Joshua is in danger!" Chrono said and continued to fly even faster. Back at the orphanage after Joshua took possession of the horns, he began to feel excruciating pain in his head and the veins around the head got bigger. When the pain in his head had intensified even more and as his veins expanded, he began screaming uncontrollably from the pain. As Joshua continued to scream in pain, the horns started protruding out of his head. The blood was splurging out of his head and sprayed the walls of his room. Once the horns had completely formed on his head, Joshua's pajamas were all covered in blood. He placed his hands on his head but as the pain became more and more unbearable, he continued screaming. Joshua's screaming woke up everyone and the head caretaker of the orphanage, Ms. Jean knocked on the door. "Joshua, is something wrong? Open this door!" Ms. Jean said in a worried yet stern tone of voice. "Yeah Joshua, open this door at once!" Billy demanded. There was no answer while everyone was waiting in the hallways to see what was going on. The screaming suddenly stopped and Joshua opened the door. He walked out while holding his head and saw everyone looking at him. Everyone at the orphanage was terrified at what they were seeing as Joshua was walking out of his room and kneeled down at the floor while starting to scream out of pain again. Joshua then looked at all of the children around him across the hallway. "I have always looked straight at the sky because when I looked down, I couldn't stand all the happiness that I was seeing. I knew deep down that they must have resented having to be kind to me, having to hide their pity towards me. I couldn't stand that look in their eyes. I want to be strong so that no one needs to take the burden of having to take care of me!" Joshua thought to himself as he recalled all of the times he was bed ridden. He thought that no one aside from Rosette genuinely cared about him and were only masking their resentment. "Are you feeling alright Joshua?" Billy asked. Joshua looked up at the boy and could hear his thoughts in his head. "He is so disgusting. Why are there horns on his head? Is this some kind of a disease?" Billy thought to himself as he was terrified of him. Joshua started screaming again and with the horns powers, summoned some kind of powerful wind energy that pushed the boy onto the wall. "You're so mean Billy. I don't have these fits because I enjoy them." Joshua said in a deranged, sinister tone of voice. "What's that in your eyes?" Joshua said in an intimidating tone as he was walking towards the frightened boy. Billy began to run away from Joshua across the halls while yelling out of fright. Joshua began to scream again as he was listening to what Billy was thinking to himself. "What's wrong with him? Is he some kind of monster? He's going to kill me. I've got to run as fast as I can!" Billy thought to himself as he continued running. "Stop it, stop the noise! Stop it now! Get out of my head!" Joshua yelled out and he released some powerful wind energy from his body which turned the frightened boy's body into stone. "The noise, it's gone! Now I see. Ending this torture is simple! All I have to do is make it stop!" Joshua said to himself as everyone panicked and ran outside away from him. At that moment while Father Remington was driving to the orphanage, he stopped his car and noticed some bright light high up in the sky that was moving like a shooting star. The minister was curious as to what that light was as he was sure that he must have seen it somewhere before. Just then, Chrono and Rosette arrived at the front of the orphanage and Chrono put Rosette down onto the ground. "Joshua!" Rosette yelled out as she started running towards the orphanage. "Rosette, wait." Chrono called out to her and suddenly felt weak. "Just that little use of my energy drains me." Chrono said in his head as he was feeling slight pain. As Rosette was running towards the orphanage, she saw everyone running for their dear lives. "Sarah, Nelly." Rosette called out as she saw one little girl and one of the caretakers holding a baby as they were running away from Joshua. "Rosette, where have you been?" Sarah asked. "What in the world is going on here? Where is Joshua?" Rosette asked the caretaker. "Joshua's gone completely crazy!" Sarah said. "What are you talking about, where is he?" Rosette asked. "Don't go!" Chrono called out to Rosette as he warned her. Just then, Joshua again released his powers which wrecked the orphanage building and everyone that was running away was turned into stone. Rosette and Chrono were both shocked to see that the orphanage was now all damaged and everyone frozen in stone. "What happened? Why are you all standing so still? Please Sarah, speak to me. What's happening here?" Rosette asked in desperation as she walked over to the young caretaker who was now frozen in stone like everyone else. Joshua then walked out of the destroyed orphanage and came towards Rosette. "Joshua, is that you?" Rosette asked terrified. "Hi big sister!" Joshua said as he looked at her with a deranged smile on his face. Rosette then saw the horns on her brother's head and the blood on him. "Joshua, what is this? Why is no one moving? What happened to them?" Rosette asked her brother in shock as she couldn't believe that he was the reason behind all of the destruction. He looked at Rosette and said with a creepy tone of voice "It's alright Rosette, I just stopped them! All the noise that was coming from everyone was just unbearable! So I had to stop them! Once I did, I felt much better! To be honest, I've never felt better in my life! I never thought that my body could feel this good! When I stopped everyone, I could feel this amazing power! All the pain is now finally gone! You don't have to worry about becoming a doctor anymore Rosette!" Rosette was horrified when she saw the horns on his head and seeing the people who he just turned into stone. "Stop it, this isn't right. You're not the Joshua I know anymore!" She yelled out of desperation. Joshua briefly regained his sanity and a tear drop came down on his face. "What did I just say?" Joshua asked his sister in a sad tone and saw that tears were also falling down on her face. Rosette came closer to her brother and touched his bloody hands. Once Rosette touched his hands, Joshua's horns however overwhelmed him and he pushed himself away from his sister. "Stop the noise, stop it please. Stop the screaming in my head." Joshua yelled as he felt that voices were overwhelming his head. Rosette walked towards him to try and comfort him but he pushed her away. "You've got to get away from me. Run, before I stop you." Joshua yelled as he warned Rosette. Joshua began screaming again and then released a powerful energy. The energy around him started getting stronger and stronger to the point that it created a twister like funnel which started to destroy more of the already wrecked orphanage. In the last minute, Chrono grabbed Rosette and used some of his powers to try to weaken the funnel but the funnel was so strong that it repelled both Chrono and Rosette. "Chrono, what's happening to everything around us? The people, the trees, everything! It's as if they are all freezing." Rosette stated in a weak tone as Joshua turned everything around him into stone, including the trees. "It's a barrier, they're frozen in time. Unless we find a way to stop him, not even Joshua himself will be spared." Chrono explained. "No, put me down! I've got to save Joshua!" Rosette yelled out of desperation. "You can't do that!" Chrono told her sternly. "Then you've got to stop him. Those are your horns, there's got to be something that you can do!" Rosette yelled. She then noticed some energy coming out of Chrono's body and realized that he was getting weaker. "Unfortunately, my energy reserves are so low that I can't even heal my own wounds. For those of my kind, running out of Astral energy means death." Chrono explained and pulled her to safety as he knew what was going to happen. He did not want her to end up like the other unfortunate people at the orphanage.

Chrono took Rosette back to the forest and they helplessly watched towards the place where the orphanage used to be as the funnel kept on going. "So, what should we do? What can we do?" Rosette cried out as she leaned on Chrono. "I don't know. Without my horns or a human contractor, all of my powers are gone." Chrono explained. "A contractor?" Rosette asked out of curiosity. "If you had a contractor, you can save him, right?" Rosette asked with a spark of hope. "Yes, that's correct." Chrono answered. "Then tell me! Please you've got to tell me!" Rosette desperately begged. Chrono at first hesitated to tell her but seeing that she was dying to know more about the conditions of a contractor, he decided to tell her. "A contract is an invocation that compels a demon to answer the summoning of its demon master. However instead of depending on the power of his horns, the demon can channel energy directly through his contractor." Chrono began to explain. "The human's cost is paid in terms of time to dwell on this world. With every task the life gets shortened. There has to be another way Rosette." Chrono continued explaining while it was obvious that he didn't want Rosette to go through with the contract. "What do you mean there has to be another way? If that's what it takes to getting Joshua back, I'll gladly accept it!" Rosette said with determination. "It would mean an existence of pain and loss. A life unwinding twice as that of everyone you loved." Chrono said in an extremely stern tone of voice as he explained the consequences of the contract. "Is this what you really want Rosette?" Chrono asked in doubt as he knew how hard it would have been for her if she agreed to the contract. Rosette thought about all of the people at the orphanage who were now turned into stone and her brother Joshua who was now mentally damaged from Chrono's horns. "You know how I feel about all of this Chrono. I've sworn to protect Joshua with my life. Even though I didn't know everything what that meant, I won't break that promise!" Rosette said determinedly as she remembered what Joshua said to her about not having to be a doctor. "My brother hated being the object of pain and I can't let anything end this way. That's why I have to face him and to remind him of everything what we said we'll do. Of the promises that we have made, about becoming explorers and seeing things that no one has ever seen! I will do everything that I can to make those dreams come true!" Rosette said emotionally while sobbing. "If the price of doing this means sacrificing my life then I'll do it. However, I know I can't do this alone. I need you Chrono! I need your wisdom and strength. So please help me Chrono, for the dream that me and my brother had shared." Rosette pleaded desperately with Chrono. Chrono looked at Rosette and seeing how determined and heartbroken she was, he kneeled down in front of her. "I understand. I shall make a contract with you Rosette Christopher!" Chrono finally agreed and showed Rosette a unique kind of watch that he has been carrying around his neck. "This is the symbol of that contract. However, when the seal watch turns off, your life will end." Chrono explained as he gave the seal watch to Rosette. From that day on Chrono and Rosette were bound by a contract and they were inseparable. They created a close bond and couldn't imagine a life without each other.

Back at the present, Rosette was looking at the seal watch while she was sitting on what was a wooden fence. "The clock is still ticking off my life span." Rosette said as she realized that her life span was getting shortened. Rosette then got up, looked around at what used to be of the orphanage and walked towards the stone turned statue of a caretaker. "I've often wondered, what would have become of us if Father Remington hadn't showed up in his car that night? If it weren't for him, we would never have been able to get as far as we have. My hours on the clock might have also already run out." Rosette stated as she touched the stone turned caretaker. "Even so, the time that remains is still quite short. I've always wondered if this was really for the best." Chrono said as he doubted that the contract must have been an only option. "Of course this was for the best! Second guessing ourselves won't make any difference and even if it would bring back Joshua and restore everyone, I would still be willing to sacrifice myself if it means to save them!" Rosette said strongly. "You mustn't Rosette! Just because you think the sacrifice might be worth it, please don't throw your life away. Even if it is your fate, I can't bear the thought of you dying!" Azmaria said emotionally as she was deeply moved by their history. "As sad as it may be, what choice do I have? I myself fear the thought of dying, but one day we are all going to die eventually. None of us knows when is that going to happen. Everything depends on how many times Chrono will use his powers and for how long he will be in his demonic form. If it will help me get my brother back then I must do whatever I can to accomplish that. We all have our fate but we don't know what that fate is." Rosette explained as she walked towards Azmaria. "You're right Rosette. You are really brave and selfless. I wish that I can be as brave as you!" Azmaria said softly. "I think it's time for us to go now. It will be a long way back to the Order." Chrono reminded them and after taking one long look at the orphanage, they started their drive back. Meanwhile, a boy that just so happened to be Joshua was sitting on the beach that was located by the house that he was now currently residing in which was in San Francisco. A young female caretaker of his, dressed in maid clothing came out walking to the beach towards him. "Lord Joshua." His young caretaker called out and he turned his head and saw her. "Hello Fiore!" Joshua responded back cheerfully. "Lord Aion had left you a message just now! He said he would call again later." Fiore said. "You could have called me you know." Joshua said as he got himself up from the sand. Suddenly, Fiore abruptly dodged Joshua from an axe attack. The axe came from a group of Pursuers who were targeting the Sinners. The Pursuer, who threw the axe, was a huge, muscular, gray skinned demon with small black wings, blood red eyes and teeth as sharp as knives. The other Pursuers that were present were groups of small winged demons that looked like miniature versions of the huge one. "Where is Sinner Aion? I, the Viscount Borzo was sent here to kill him. I shall smash him with my righteous blow!" The Pursuer said as he introduced himself and demanded to know where Aion was. "You should go Lord Joshua." Fiore instructed Joshua as they looked at the enormous demon. "Let me handle this Fiore!" Joshua said as he placed his arm in front of her. "Lord Joshua!" Fiore said in a surprised tone. "Why don't you go back inside and make me some coffee! I'll deal with everything from here!" Joshua suggested. "Very well, as you wish Lord Joshua!" Fiore said agreeing and walked back inside the house. "Why you little brat!" Borzo said angrily and began to charge towards Joshua while he smirked sinisterly. Once Fiore had finished preparing Joshua's coffee, she went back outside and saw that Joshua had tore off Borzo's body in half and massacred all of the other Pursuers. The beach was soaked with enormous amounts of blood as the demon's dead bodies were lying on the beach. She also saw the horns on Joshua's head which were the reason why he was able to kill off the demons with ease. "This can't be! How can this boy have so much power?" Borzo said weakly as he was dying. "Have you injured yourself Lord Joshua?" Fiore asked Joshua monotonously. "Don't worry about it, it's just a little cut!" Joshua said cheerfully as he showed her the bloody cut on his hand from his battle with the Pursuers Viscount. Fiore then took Joshua's hand and licked the wound while Joshua began drinking his coffee as he looked towards the sunny sky.

Chapter 7

A few days later, Rosette and Chrono went to Sister Kate's office to get some information regarding Joshua's whereabouts. Rosette was dying to know what clues they have found in regards to him. "Good morning Sister Kate!" Rosette said politely as she opened the door and they both walked into her office room. "Good morning Sister Rosette. What brings you and your assistant here at this hour?" Sister Kate asked curiously while Father Remington was looking out of the window. "Well, we were just wondering that considering you have now found some clues in regards to Joshua's whereabouts, would it be possible if we can start to get a move on in getting him back?" Rosette asked with hope. "I am sorry Rosette, but you know that as exorcists we can't just take off without knowing the full picture of the situation. Besides, considering how dangerous the situation is, it would be foolish to take off without coming up with a proper plan. With that being said, until we get more information on the matter, you and Chrono will continue to stay here under our order." Sister Kate explained. "What! Why won't you take action on this immediately? You've found some clues right? So what are we waiting for?" Rosette asked desperately. "I know that this is a difficult situation for you Rosette. I also understand that you are the witness of the Seventh Bell incident." Sister Kate said. "That is why we need to get a move on with this! Joshua is my little brother damn it!" Rosette said emotionally. "Enough! Right now you are too emotional. All the investigators had vanished. Not to mention what happened at Grand Central Station the other day. All what we know is that something is occurring! Until we get more clues, we exorcists will not make a move!" Sister Kate agitatedly said as she pointed her finger at Rosette's nose. "As you should know, we are an organization. As an organization, we cannot ignore the rules under any circumstances! So in the meantime, I'll be placing you two on common duty! That will give you enough time to calm that impulsive behavior of yours!" Sister Kate said sternly as she wiped her finger with a handkerchief. Rosette however was extremely disappointed in that she wasn't able to convince Sister Kate about continuing forward in finding Joshua. "Come on Rosette, say something to her." Chrono whispered to Rosette as he encouraged her. "Yes but what should I say?" Rosette whispered back as she didn't know what to say to Sister Kate. "Speak up! If there is something you want to say, just say it!" Sister Kate said impatiently. "You ugly whore!" Rosette said to Sister Kate as she pointed out her finger towards her. Everyone present in the room was shocked at what they had just heard Rosette say. "Rosette!" Sister Kate yelled angrily and Chrono along with Rosette ran their way out of Sister Kate's office. "You moron! What were you thinking?" Chrono asked Rosette sternly. "I'm sorry Chrono! I didn't know what to say." Rosette said apologetically. "You could have thought up of something more professional to say." Chrono crossly reminded her. As they came outside of the building, they stumbled upon Azmaria who was standing by the entrance and was holding a red choir song book. "Rosette!" Azmaria said excitedly as she ran towards them. Rosette all of a sudden stopped abruptly and Chrono bumped into her. She then turned her head around and looked angry which frightened Azmaria a bit. "Oh, good morning, Azmaria! Sorry for scaring you like that!" Rosette said cheerfully as she realized who was there and began to laugh at herself. Azmaria was relieved that Rosette wasn't angry with her as what her initial reaction lead her to believe. The trio all sat down on a stone ledge, enjoying the nice sunny weather. "So, what was all the running about, Rosette?" Azmaria asked curiously. "Nothing, Chrono and I tried to convince Sister Kate to further our search for my brother Joshua but unfortunately we were unable to convince her." Rosette explained. "Not to mention what you just called her." Chrono commented while cringing. "Anyways Azmaria, how is the choir going?" Rosette asked trying to change the subject. "I am really enjoying it! What's even more fun is that I'll be having a solo on our next recital!" Azmaria said excitedly as she showed them her choir song book. "I am glad to see that you are smiling now Azmaria? You've had the two of us worried for a bit." Rosette said gladly. "Well, everything is changing for the better!" Azmaria said optimistically. "Speaking of change, I've changed a lot as well ever since I came to this Order and I have learned a lot of different things. I've grown up a lot, and to think that this convent has been like a school to me!" Rosette said nostalgically as she realized how much she changed in the last four years. "But now there is nothing left for me to learn here in this Order! It's time, time!" Rosette said overly enthusiastic. "What are you talking about Rosette?" Chrono asked confused. "Isn't it obvious? If Sister Kate won't let us move any time soon then I might as well leave this holier than thou place!" Rosette explained exaggeratedly. "I don't think that's such a good idea Rosette!" Chrono nervously protested. "There's no use trying to stop me! I am going to find Joshua on my own!" Rosette concluded as she began to laugh sinisterly and fell from the ledge. "Are you okay Rosette?" Chrono asked and Rosette successfully got herself up from the ground. "Chrono, we're leaving this place!" Rosette declared sternly. "What, right now?" Chrono asked nervously. "Of course, right now! There is no time like the present when there is a job to be done. So I am planning on getting out of here as fast as I can!" Rosette said wildly.

Rosette and Chrono went back inside and they made their way to some kind of training room. Rosette opened the door and cautiously looked inside to see if anyone was there. Convinced that no one was in the room, Rosette then tiptoed her way in. "Are you sure this is such a good idea?" Chrono asked. "Of course it is! I've made my decision and that's that!" Rosette answered aggravated. "What did you decide if I may ask?" Father Remington asked smoothly as he abruptly showed up, much to Rosette's startling surprise. "Minister Remington!" Chrono said in a deeply surprised tone. "I thought you might come here." The minister said. "I am really sorry Minister, but I just want to find my brother Joshua!" Rosette yelled. "In that case, have you considered about joining the Militia?" Father Remington asked. "The Milita? You mean the first class?" Rosette asked in wonder. "Yes, as you should know that class has been granted certain privileges, including the right to do their own investigations. In fact, several Militia members have been doing their own private investigations for quite some time now. That would be a perfect fit for you, wouldn't it?" Father Remington explained as he encouraged her. "But how can I do that?" Rosette curiously asked. "Sister Kate has to be convinced of your own ability to fight at that level." The minister revealed. "I can't wait to show her my abilities!" Rosette said excitedly and confidently while Chrono had a worried look on his face as he knew what would happen if Sister Kate found out. "Well what's your beef?" Rosette asked crossly. "Nothing Rosette, nothing at all!" Chrono answered intimidated. Meanwhile, Azmaria was received by Sister Kate in her office. "Here you go! I added an extra helping of milk and sugar!" Sister Kate said to Azmaria as she handed her a cup of tea. "Thank you!" Azmaria said as she took the cup and began to drink. "This tea is really good!" Azmaria commented. "Isn't it? It's a special blend of black tea leaves that I have received as a gift." Sister Kate revealed cheerfully. "Now then Azmaria, what did you want?" Sister Kate asked. "You won't laugh if I tell you?" Azmaria asked shyly. "Of course not dear, listening to the problems of others is part of our work!" Sister Kate said passionately. "Would you laugh if I said I want to be more like Rosette?" Azmaria asked. Sister Kate, who was drinking her tea, surprised of this request, spitted out her tea. "I want to become a distinguished exorcist like her and to devote the rest of my life helping people in need! Is that strange?" Azmaria revealed as Sister Kate was coughing from the tea. "I am afraid that allowing someone to follow her lead is dangerous. Are you sure that's what you want Azmaria?" Sister Kate said as she wiped her mouth with a cloth and couldn't believe that anyone would want to be like Rosette. "I hated it, this power. I've even hated myself and how I made the people around me unhappy. But Rosette never gave up on anything, even if it all seemed hopeless or impossible. She is so courageous and selfless. That is why I never want to give up again, so I can do things for others just like she does! Is that too much to ask Sister Kate?" Azmaria said in a broken yet determined tone as Sister Kate was surprised by her openness and determination. "No Azmaria, it's not. But following into Rosette's footsteps is quite a risky task to take. You have to understand that you would be risking your life on a daily basis. If you really want to be a nun and exorcist like her, I could certainly help you with that!" Sister Kate explained. She then stood up and led Azmaria out of her office, telling her to follow her. "Where are we going Sister Kate?" Azmaria asked. "I want to show you something you never have seen before." Sister Kate said. Azmaria was following Sister Kate who led her to the same place where Father Remington met Rosette and Chrono. While they were walking through the long foggy corridor, Azmaria began to feel a little cold. "It's cold because the room's temperature is regulated to maintain the spirit energy." Sister Kate explained. After walking through the corridor, they reached a huge metal door. "Here we are Azmaria. I wanted to show you the place where Rosette and the rest of our exorcists have done all of their trainings." Sister Kate revealed. Sister Kate then grabbed one of the silver handles and opened the door. They walked into a huge, sparsely lit chamber. "Oh my, this is where Rosette has done all of her exorcist training, Sister Kate?" Azmaria asked in a shocked tone. "Yes Azmaria, it is. It was invented by the Elder to project an energy formation field, using mock spirit from containment units. In other words, this is our exorcist training area. Our targets are artificial poltergeists. By using this system, we can simulate indoor and outdoor battles with all kinds of monsters under any conditions." Sister Kate explained as they both looked at the huge room surrounded with huge containment blocks. "You mean real monsters?" Azmaria asked somewhat frightened. "Relax Azmaria, the spirit energy is controlled for training purposes. We won't make a beginner go through all that! Now go downstairs and wait, I will give you more detailed instructions from the control room." Sister Kate instructed Azmaria as she headed to the control room. Meanwhile at the control room, Rosette was getting ready for her exorcist testing by putting on her uniform gloves, communication headphone speakers and loading her rifle. "Do you remember when you and I first came here Rosette?" Chrono asked nostalgically. Just then, the minister opened the door and walked into the control room. "Alright Rosette, have you prepared yourself?" Father Remington asked. "Yes sir, I have!" Rosette said with a very determined voice. She always loved a good challenge. "Incidentally, Chrono will be staying here with me." The minister revealed. "What?" Chrono asked surprised. "Don't act so surprised. If you would have gone with her, it wouldn't be much of a test, would it?" Father Remington explained as he justified his reasoning for having Chrono remain in the control room. "Alright, I will need you to take off that seal watch of yours." The minister instructed Rosette. "So, does Sister Kate know anything about this?" Rosette asked as she handed her seal watch to the minister. "She will be informed later." Father Remington revealed. "She will be informed later?" Rosette repeated after him curiously. She had a worried feeling on how Sister Kate would react on Father Remington allowing her to take the Militia test behind her back. "If we get the right results, I'll find a way to explain to her afterwards!" Father Remington reassured her optimistically as he looked at her affectionately which made Rosette blush. Rosette then made her way to a small elevator that led her down to the test area of the chamber. "Are you ready to start Rosette?" The minister asked. "Yes, you can start whenever you want!" Rosette said with great determination. "Level twenty is the one used by the most advanced class." The minister said as he instructed Chrono. "Roger!" Chrono said. "Initiate spirit energy field." Father Remington told Chrono and the lights across the chamber went off. Azmaria, not knowing what's going on, started to become scared. "Release the targets." Father Remington instructed Chrono. "Right!" Chrono answered and turned on a switch which released some kind of gas into the chamber. "Beginning recording, the condition of passing this test is the extermination of all targets in one hour." The minister explained to Rosette. At the same time, Azmaria became even more scared as she saw something in front of her. "Very well then, good luck!" Father Remington wished to Rosette. "Yes sir!" Rosette responded. The elevator doors opened and Rosette then ran her way forward. "I sense something evil Minister." Chrono said as he realized something suspicious. "Oh that? Actually I have released a real monster down there. It was one of the most powerful spirits we had sealed in storage." Father Remington explained. "What! Why would you do that?" Chrono yelled as he was terrified at what might happen to Rosette. "She has to see what she is really up against. If she can't clear her way through a simple problem like this, she'll never be able to convince Sister Kate." Father Remington explained. "What was that you just said?" Sister Kate asked angrily as she walked into the room and overheard what Father Remington just said. Chrono was both shocked and surprised when Sister Kate walked in. Father Remington turned his head over and saw Sister Kate. "Hello!" The minister greeted as he smiled at Sister Kate. "What is going on here? Do you know that Azmaria is down there?" Sister Kate yelled furiously at the minister. "Azmaria? Why is she down there? I thought we were all alone!" Father Remington said confused as he was worried. "There's no time to explain now, we have to tell Rosette and get Azmaria out of there!" Sister Kate ignored his question and took one of the microphones to contact Rosette.

Meanwhile, Azmaria was walking her way in the dark chamber as she didn't know what to do. "Sister Kate, where are you?" Azmaria called out nervously as she was afraid of the darkness that had now swept across the training room. She abruptly turned her head and saw a black cauldron with some kind of green glow which was coming from one of the maze corridors. Seeing that nothing dangerous or scary was happening there, Azmaria just simply kept on walking. Suddenly, Rosette began shooting while she was running across the chamber. This caused Azmaria to become even more frightened as she didn't know that Rosette was doing her Militia test. Azmaria stopped walking and covered her eyes as she sat down in fright, not knowing what to do. Rosette kept running her way across the training room trying to find the monster that the minister released out for her test and began to shoot again. "Too slow, how many times do I have to tell you?" As the bullet came out of her pistol, Rosette remembered the time when one of her instructors scolded her during her exorcist training. Azmaria got up and began to walk forward again but was still petrified with the situation she was in while the cauldron glowed once again. She turned her head when she heard something but she didn't see anything and turned her head away. When she turned her body, the green glow from the cauldron glowed again and something started coming towards her. Azmaria screamed as she realized that there was some kind of monster coming at her from the cauldron. Rosette continued shooting her gun across the training room but stopped briefly as she ran out of air from all the running. She began to remember her first time when she started her exorcist training, how she started out weak and also the time when Chrono wrapped her injured wrist when she got herself injured on her first training lesson. "It's natural to be scared. Your opponents are monsters after all. But the important thing comes after that, taking one step forward no matter how hard." Those were the words that Father Remington had told her while she was still in training and she never forgotten what he said. "Rosette, can you hear me?" Father Remington asked Rosette through the speaker. "Yes Minister, I can!" Rosette said. "There has been an accident. I am sorry, but we have no other choice but to stop the test." The minister explained. "What! Why? Tell me the reason!" Rosette curiously demanded. "Azmaria is down there and we can't contact her." Father Remington revealed. "What, Azmaria?" Rosette asked surprised. "There is also a real demon on the loose down there." Father Remington said. "What? How can this be?" Rosette asked in a shocked tone. "Well, I released it in order to test your strength. But I never thought that there would already be someone down there before you." The minister explained. "What did you just say? You shouldn't have been here in the first place!" Sister Kate scolded the minister as he had an intimidated look on his face. "Oh no, Sister Kate is here!" Rosette said, surprised to hear Sister Kate's voice. "Rosette. Come back right now! We'll take care of the rest. Do you understand me?" Sister Kate demanded. "But what about Azmaria?" Rosette asked fearing for her safety. "She will be alright. We will rescue her right now, so don't worry. Is that understood Rosette?" Sister Kate assured her. "Father Remington please, I'm begging you. Give me permission to go and rescue Azmaria." Rosette asked out of desperation. "Are you out of your mind?" Sister Kate yelled at the speaker. "Please Rosette, we are dealing with a mind eater here. It possesses you, reads your mind and then it impersonates you. This particular one was responsible for over 15 murders during the civil war." Father Remington explained as he pleaded Rosette to stop the test. "This isn't something that you can handle Rosette. Let the Militia take care of this." Sister Kate advised Rosette. Just then, Rosette's speaker began to become fuzzy, much to Sister Kate and Father Remington's worry. "Rosette! Rosette!" Sister Kate called out worryingly. "Answer us Rosette, is something wrong?" The minister asked. "Father Remington?" Rosette called out as she lost all communication contact with them. Suddenly, she heard a mischievous laugh coming towards her and she turned around to see where it was coming from. A black shadow like figure suddenly appeared from behind her and Rosette then turned around but saw nothing. Just then, what appeared to be Azmaria abruptly showed up from behind Rosette which took her by surprise. "Don't scare me like that Azmaria." Rosette told her. Azmaria started laughing at her with a demonic voice. Just then, everyone in the control room saw a huge explosion to where Rosette was at, which made them shocked and worried as they had a bad feeling that Rosette was now in danger. Rosette was lying on the floor all sore due to the explosion that Azmaria had caused. "This body possesses power, incredible power!" Azmaria gloated about her powers in a demonic voice. She walked towards Rosette as little rocks floated around her. The demon had unfortunately already possessed Azmaria and she had a grin on her face that was so creepy and sinister that it would scare even the highest ranking exorcist. She then used the rocks to attack Rosette but she however managed to escape them by running to the nearest corridor maze. Azmaria walked her way forward to find the exorcist but when she saw the nearest maze corridor, she couldn't see where Rosette was. Rosette all of a sudden jumped high from the maze containment and charged towards her while pinning her down to the floor. "Azmaria, get a hold of yourself!" Rosette shouted to her as Azmaria's face was changing from her possessed form to her natural form. Azmaria briefly regained her consciousness but the demon quickly overtook control of her body again and she spitted out some kind of brown fluid from her mouth. Rosette jumped and successfully avoided the disgusting liquid that was directed at her. When the possessed Azmaria charged towards her, Rosette quickly sprinkled some holy water on her and the possessed Azmaria fell down on the ground. Rosette then took out her barrier crucifixes and threw them all around Azmaria. The barrier crucifixes weakened the demon and the possessed Azmaria began screaming. "I got to go help Rosette!" Chrono said out of desperation as he was terribly worried that Rosette might not last longer and tried to run out of the control room. "Wait!" Father Remington called out and Chrono stopped. "Wait for what Minister?" Sister Kate asked. "We can't just stand there and watch the two of them die." Chrono frustratingly said. "This is the moment of truth for Rosette." The minister said. "Do you even know what you're saying Minister? That monster down there is going to eat their hearts and souls." Chrono said as he continued to raise his voice out of frustration. "If you were to save her now, nothing would be gained at all. Under these circumstances, she has only one option left." Father Remington explained as he tried to make a point. "You want Rosette to perform a soul exorcism alone?" Sister Kate asked as she knew how dangerous this was. "You do realize that your little test could cost Rosette dearly?" Sister Kate said to the minister. "Yet, not everything can be solved by pulling the trigger of a gun." Father Remington answered. "But if there is trouble, then I am going in!" Chrono said in a protective tone. "All we can do now is pray, pray that Azmaria's causality won't overtly influence Rosette." Sister Kate said and began to pray silently. "Causality?" Chrono asked himself in wonder.

In the meantime, Rosette quickly reached for the 'diving machine' and placed it over Azmaria by first loosening her clothes and then connecting the machine around her body. The 'diving machine' allows an exorcist to dive into a person's soul with the intention of driving the demon out of it and for other purposes as well. "I'm not really good at soul diving, but here it goes!" Rosette said to herself as she put on some protective gear around her eyes and activated the machine to dive into Azmaria's soul. A few moments later, Rosette's ghostly nude projection appeared in a grave yard. She saw what appeared to be Azmaria, holding a black tattered umbrella and staring at some white crosses as if she was under mind control. "Azmaria, look over here! If you don't fight back, your soul will be taken over!" Rosette called out to her. At the same time, the possessed Azmaria appeared abruptly before Rosette. "It's no use!" The possessed Azmaria said to Rosette. "You're the mind eater, aren't you?" Rosette asked. "That girl will never move again. Do you see those graves right there? Those are her mother and father's graves and the orchestra members that cared for her. Her powers were the cause for all of their deaths. God has entrusted her with a great power! Yet her heart fears the use of it." The mind eater explained with a sinister voice. "I can hear her, if only I didn't have this power!" The mind eater mockingly imitated Azmaria. Rosette then remembered the horns on Joshua's head and how it ruined him mentally. "Loneliness, fear, anxiety and more than anything else, power! Quite a comfortable place, isn't it?" The mind eater said sinisterly as she was taunting Rosette. "Shut up you fiend! I came here to rescue Azmaria, not listen to you!" Rosette yelled at the mind eater and Azmaria all of a sudden got back to reality. Seeing that Azmaria was no longer under mind control, the mind eater summoned a bunch of possessed looking Azmaria clones which started coming out of the ground around Rosette. They trapped her body in order to prevent her from driving the monster out of Azmaria's soul. "Azmaria can you hear me? There is nothing wrong with being afraid, but keeping those fears to yourself won't solve anything." Rosette said as she tried to reach Azmaria while the demonic Azmaria clones kept pulling her down the ground as she was holding onto one of the metal bars. "Keep your mouth shut you nasty girl!" One of the clones said to her as she was pinned to the ground. "Listen to me Azmaria! You don't have to be afraid of your powers. You have to fight back! You're not alone in this world! I am here for you, Chrono is too! We will be by your side!" Rosette yelled out. She tried to reach into Azmaria's conscience, hoping that she can still hear her. A tear began to drop on Azmaria's face as she appeared to be moved to what she said and she turned around and saw Rosette being trapped. "Shut up!" One of the Azmaria clones said as they continued restraining Rosette. "The important thing is that even when you're scared, you should be taking the next step forward." Rosette continued to yell out and one of the clones then bit her on the shoulder. Rosette yelled out of pain from the bite. "Rosette!" Chrono yelled out as he realized that Rosette was screaming from pain. "Nooooooo! Please don't take Rosette away!" Azmaria yelled at the doppelgangers and she let go of her umbrella. A strong bright light appeared from her body while wings appeared on her back. Once Azmaria flew towards Rosette and grabbed her hand, the spirit of the Virgin Mary appeared. The demonic Azmaria clones blew away like dust and the mind eater forcefully came out of Azmaria's body. Suddenly everything went still. Several minutes later, Chrono took off the diving gear around Rosette's closed eyes to check if she was okay. "Rosette, wake up! Are you alright?" Chrono asked curiously. "Chrono, is that you?" Rosette said as she weakly opened her eyes and saw him. "Thank God you're okay! I can't believe that you have actually fought with causality." Chrono said as he was relieved to see that Rosette was alright. Chrono slowly got Rosette up as she was too weak to stand up on her own. "Where is Azmaria, Chrono?" Rosette asked. Rosette and Chrono then turned around and saw Azmaria floating majestically with her angel wings. "Azmaria!" Rosette said smiling as they were looking at her with her eyes closed. Azmaria then opened her eyes and looked at them with gratitude. "Thank you Rosette! Thank you so much!" Azmaria said gratefully and flew happily towards Rosette and Chrono. "Rosette, I saw something." Azmaria stated as she hugged Rosette affectionately. "Yeah, I saw it too!" Rosette said and hugged her back as they were both referencing the fact that they have witnessed the appearance of the Virgin Mary's soul.

Chapter 8

A few days have passed since Rosette had taken her latest exorcist testing in order to join the Militia. The council was impressed with her capability and selflessness that they had approved her becoming a Militia member. No one could have been happier than Rosette when she heard the news and she already started planning her next missions. As part of the Militia, she also got a new uniform, which was quite revealing for a nun. One night somewhere in South Brooklyn, a mafia group was in a warehouse by the harbor where they were busy carrying out smuggled crates. The crates contained demons from the two trucks that were present. "Do you think it's alright to be handling this stuff boss?" One of the truck deliverers asked the Mafia leader in a Brooklyn accent. "Shut up and do your job. As long as these crates are sealed, they are nothing but shipment of art!" The Mafia leader said in a thick Brooklyn accent. Just then, a loud noise came from one of the smuggled crates, which just so happened to be a demon that was moving. "It can't be. The seal on these crates are supposed to be perfect." The mafia leader said in surprise as he didn't expect anything to move in the crates. "Do you suppose that thing might be scared of me?" One sexy red haired young woman asked in a thick German accent as she walked inside the warehouse. "That's quite a bit of smuggling you have here, nicht wahr? However, it wouldn't have been worth hunted for if it weren't!" The German red head said to the Mafia leader. "Yeah, and who are you?" The Mafioso asked suspiciously. "I am a Juwel Hexen, dummkompf!" The lady revealed as she lifted her arm and put a green jewel onto a jewel hand bracelet which started glowing. "Hexen die Juwel!" The woman said and shouted out "Laden!" "Spirit I command you to now take form!" She summoned to what appeared to be a ghostly saber toothed tiger monster. A few hours later, Rosette, Chrono and Azmaria went to the warehouse to catch the demon that had just escaped from the warehouse. "It looks like we're here Chrono." Rosette concluded by looking at the warehouse. "Are you sure Rosette?" Chrono asked. "I am positive. This is where they said the transaction happened." Rosette said confidently. "Alright then, let's get a move on!" Chrono said and all three of them exited the car and made their way towards the warehouse. When Rosette opened the door, they saw that the warehouse was completely empty, much to their surprise. "It's not here." Rosette said in a disappointed tone as they saw only a meowing cat in the building. "Rosette, are you really sure that this is the right warehouse?" Chrono asked in doubt. "That's strange. I could have sworn that this was the place where they said this all happened." Rosette said in a confused tone as she walked inside the warehouse "What's wrong Azmaria?" Chrono asked as he saw that Azmaria began shivering. "It's nothing Chrono." Azmaria said in a weak tone. "Just focus on your job and you'll be fine!" Chrono said softly to Azmaria. "Well, I'll try!" Azmaria said. "Well isn't this a drag. We came all the way fired up to fight bad guys and now it appears that someone had already finished the job before us. Goddamn it, this is so unfair!" Rosette ranted in a disappointed and somewhat frustrated tone. All of a sudden, another warehouse close by was set on fire, much to the trio's wonder. "How did this happen? It was just one block over." Chrono said as he was puzzled at what caused the building to be on fire. "Alright, let's get going!" Rosette demanded and all three of them then began to run their way towards the burning warehouse. "This is my first mission, so I have to do my best!" Azmaria said in her head as she was carrying the barrier crucifixes and the holy water while running. Just then, something abruptly showed up in front of her, which made her scream and she fell down on the ground. When Azmaria turned around, she saw a large, gray demon with four arms, a thick body and teeth as sharp as machetes. The demon started roaring and Azmaria screamed again out of fright. As the demon was charging towards her, a mysterious woman grabbed Azmaria just as the demon smashed Rosette's car. "Are you hurt liebekind?" The red haired jewel witch asked once they landed on the ground in one piece. "No miss, I am fine!" Azmaria replied shyly. "That's good to hear. Now stand back while I deal with this beast!" The jewel witch said as she pulled Azmaria aside. "What are you talking about?" Azmaria asked the lady. "Who would have thought that a small child would have attracted such a large demon?" The woman said to herself confidently as she was sure that she would be able to finish it off. The woman grabbed a jewel from her pocket, placed it on her bracelet and shouted out "Laden!" "Spirit I command you to now take form!" The jewel witch called out as she activated her bracelet which summoned a huge, ghostly knight in armor. "Tear him apart, like the glimmer that twinkles in the new greenery!" The lady commanded as the demon roared again. "Mutigster, Erloschen!" The jewel witch shouted out and by moving her jewel bracelet, her spirit knight used its sword to stab the demon. As the demon was roaring in pain, it then went on fire and the jewel witch looked at the burning demon with satisfaction on her face. "Wow, a Jewel Summoner!" Rosette said in amazement as all three of them saw what the jewel witch had done. "Hey lady, who the hell are you?" Rosette shouted at the red haired jewel witch. "So you must be from the Magdalene Order." The woman said as she turned herself around facing Rosette. Suddenly, they heard some kind of an explosion took place which took them by surprise. "The warehouse!" Rosette said as they saw that the building had exploded in half. Shortly after the explosion, two gray zombies that vaguely looked like mummies came outside the warehouse roaring and made their way towards them. "Now all hell breaks loose." The jewel witch said as she realized that they were not out of the woods just yet. As more zombies exited the warehouse, Rosette began to shoot at them with her gun while the jewel witch positioned her right arm out as her spirit knight did the same. "Azmaria, set up the barrier." Rosette instructed her. "Yes Rosette." Azmaria said and went to set up the crucifix barrier. "It appears that we have no other choice but to eliminate them together. So let's hurry up and clean this mess quickly!" The lady said with determination as the demons continued walking towards them. "By the way, my name is Rosette Christopher. And you are?" Rosette introduced herself to the jewel witch. "Meine name is Satella Harvenheit." Satella revealed her name as Chrono opened the weapon backpack. "Alright, let's get started!" Rosette said as she grabbed two guns from the backpack and began shooting at the demons. "Erloschen!" Satella called out and her spirit knight cut several demons in half with its sword. "Azmaria, behind you!" Chrono said as he tried to warn Azmaria of a four headed tall slug like demon that charged towards her just as she was setting up the barrier. Azmaria began to scream again and the demon grabbed her before she could do anything. Rosette heard Azmaria screaming and turned her head around, only to see that the four headed demon caught her. "Chrono, transform into your demonic form and retrieve Azmaria!" Rosette commanded him. "Yes, but only briefly!" Chrono agreed and Rosette once again allowed her seal watch to open briefly. While Chrono was transforming, Satella looked over and began to look at him suspiciously. After Chrono was done transforming into his demonic form, he then flew towards the slug like demon. He turned his arm into a sword and chopped off its arms which caused the demon to fall onto the ground. As Azmaria began to fall, Chrono quickly flew towards her and managed to catch her in one piece. "Are you alright Azmaria?" Chrono asked as he reached the ground. "Yes, thank you Chrono!" Azmaria thanked him. "That boy! Could he be?" Satella asked herself as she realized that Chrono was a demon. "Rosette, the time is up!" Chrono called out towards Rosette and she then locked the seal watch. Once Chrono went back into his child form, Rosette continued shooting the mummy like zombies. Satella positioned her knight spirit to eliminate the sluggish demon by cutting it in half, causing it to burn once again. After all the zombies and the demon were eliminated, Chrono saw a piece of ripped paper on the ground and picked it up out of curiosity. "It appears that the smugglers had bought some time so they could run off by releasing their goods." Chrono explained to Azmaria as he was looking at the paper. Just then, Satella's spirit knight phased out, much to her surprise. "I can't believe that the stone has already run out at a time like this!" Satella remarked in disbelief as she saw that her jewel had ran out of energy which caused her spirit knight to phase out. "Ahhhhh, the car is completely smashed! That's just great, how are we ever going to get back to the Order?" Rosette screamed in shock as she saw that the car was completely damaged. "Oh calm down Sister hothead! It's just some demolished pile of scrap. Besides, a little walk never hurt anyone!" Satella teasingly said. "What did you just call me?" Rosette angrily exploded. "Anyways, I don't want to continue wasting my time with people from the likes of you. So I best be on my way!" Satella calmly said and walked her way from the trio. "But before I leave, there is something I would like to tell you, boy." The jewel summoner said and walked over towards Chrono. As Satella was walking towards him, Chrono started becoming nervous as he did not know what she wanted from him. "My, you're a cute little boy, aren't you?" Satella said to Chrono in a motherly tone as she touched his chin. Rosette became jealous at what she was seeing and she charged towards Satella. "Alright, that's enough!" Rosette jealously said as she forcefully moved Satella away from Chrono. "I don't believe you. How can you be so possessive?" Satella asked agitatedly as she was put off by Rosette's possessive behavior. "For your information, Chrono is my contractor. As long as I am his contractor, no one can lay a finger on him! Got that?!" Rosette strongly stated. "My God, you really are a nuisance!" Satella lashed at her. "In any case, just make sure you clean up that scrap of yours, okay! See you later Sister hothead!" Satella said to Rosette as she walked her way from the warehouse while the trio looked at her with amazement, still puzzled of who she is. Several minutes later, several Militia members came to the warehouse to see if everything was alright. "Satella Harvenheit, a bounty hunter who specializes in demons. She is also known as the jewel witch and makes no distinction between any of the demon factions." Azmaria said as she read from a profile book. "Yes Ma'am, that's right. I am so sorry! When we return, I'll be sure to." Rosette said to Sister Kate apologetically as she was telling her about the results over on the phone. After she was done talking to the headmistress, she put the phone down and kneeled down in disappointment. "So what did Sister Kate say?" Chrono asked. "She said to continue the mission on foot." Rosette said disappointedly. "Why do these things always happen to me?!" Rosette yelled and began hitting Chrono as a way to vent out her frustration. Later that night while Satella was taking a shower, a terrifying thought went through her mind. "That boy? Could he be the one, the hornless demon that killed my family?" Satella asked herself. She recalled vaguely on how the demon looked like and he looked an awful lot like Chrono only taller and stronger. She then recalled the time when the demon came and slaughtered her family and how she was crying out of despair while holding a dead family member. As she was remembering all of this, Satella bitterly concluded that Chrono must have been the demon that killed her family. Meanwhile, the Mafioso that Satella had confronted earlier was in a dark alley where he and one worker of his got out of a truck that contained a crate inside. "Damn it, the whole warehouse district has been sealed off and the police are everywhere." The man said angrily as he opened the truck door from the back. "Wait a second boss, what are you doing?" The Mafioso's worker asked nervously. "Shut up, I won't allow that bitch to mess everything up and get away! That woman ruined our business, and for that I'll show her the way to hell!" The Mafioso smuggler said angrily as he was tearing off the tapes around the opening of the crate. Once he opened the crate, a demon right away charged towards the two men and attacked them vigorously as they were screaming for their lives.

The next morning, the trio as well as a fair number of Militia members went to the alley where the demon attack happened. They witnessed lots of blood everywhere as well as the truck being positioned sideways. "Oh my God!" Rosette commented as she was terrified to see what just happened. "It's best not to look." Rosette said to Azmaria gently while she came closer to her since she was afraid of the sight of blood. "I can still sense the demon's desire to devour all life forms. It might as well be that of the dead." Chrono explained as he could see that some demon smugglers have been eaten by a gluttonous type of demon. "You sure have a lot of knowledge about your own kind!" Satella remarked to Chrono in an impressed tone. "Hey, you're that jewel witch from last night! So what do you want this time?" Rosette asked seriously as she walked towards her. "Isn't it obvious? I came after the smugglers. It is my job after all!" Satella said as she revealed her intentions. "So you have been up all night too?" Rosette asked curiously. "No, I wouldn't dream of wasting my time so inefficiently. Once I got the general information, I went back to my home and took a nice, long shower to refresh myself!" Satella haughtily said as she moved her long red hair. "Meanwhile we have been out walking around all night!" Rosette said in an aggravated tone. "That means the danger is still being spread unchecked. This is becoming quite a nuisance." Satella concluded. "Who is to blame for all of this? Didn't you say that you were going to find the smugglers?" Rosette asked. "I did find them and their corpses! Although scattered pieces would be more accurate." Satella revealed. "Did the smugglers released more of them last night, or did they escape by breaking the seals themselves?" Rosette asked out of curiosity. "It's the same to me either way. Thanks to this, I am at a big loss." Satella said disappointedly. "How can you say something like that?" Rosette asked sternly. "I am not compensated for dead bodies. Besides, not all of us work for charity like you do." Satella stated smugly. "Hey, we put our lives on the line too you know!" Rosette angrily said. "Calm down Rosette, it can't be helped." Chrono said as he tried to calm her down. "Why are you exactly here if I may ask? You're not getting paid for this, are you?" Chrono asked Satella. "It's what I do! Once I have taken on a job, I commit myself to finish it to the bitter end, on hell or high water!" Satella explained with great determination. "Speaking of work, could all of you three come with me?" Satella surprisingly offered. "What for?" Rosette asked as she didn't expect Satella to be asking them for anything. "To find the demon that's on the loose of course!" Satella answered optimistically. Rosette then thought of what to do as she didn't know if coming with Satella to find the demon was a good idea. "Alright, since you are pretty much working for the same goal as we are, we accept your offer!" Rosette agreed and took her hand so Satella could shake her hand as a sign of agreement. "Don't jump to conclusions Sister hothead. I am only doing this so I can catch up to the demon as fast as I can! Other than that, I would never dream of teaming up with someone as crude like you!" Satella answered haughtily. "Is that how you repay an agreement?" Rosette asked crossly. "We better get moving! The sooner we catch that fiend, the better!" Satella said as she ignored what Rosette said and started walking ahead. "I guess we don't have much of a choice, do we?" Rosette asked dissatisfied as she turned her head towards Chrono and Azmaria. "Well, she did offer us to come with her and you did agree to this after all." Chrono stated. "I guess you're right Chrono! We've made an agreement with this Jewel Summoner. So I guess we might as well come with her!" Rosette sighed and all three of them than ran their way to catch up with Satella. Satella had led the trio to Central Park, much to their surprise. "So, why did you lead us here Miss Satella?" Azmaria asked out of curiosity. "I have a feeling that the demon must be lurking around here somewhere!" Satella explained. "Why would a demon be lurking around in this particular place?" Azmaria asked in doubt. "This type of demon is a very unpredictable one. It could be anywhere. Not to mention that it's very gluttonous in nature, which makes it all the more reason why I brought you here!" Satella said as she tried to justify her reasoning. "I smell something really yummy!" Rosette said while she smelled something in the air. "A hot dog stand!" Rosette said excitedly once she turned her head around. "Alright, finally something to eat!" Chrono said with joy as they all were very hungry. "Chrono, make sure that he puts extra ketchup and mustard on mine, you got that?!" Rosette demanded while Chrono walked towards the stand. "Please tell him not to put any mustard on mine. Otherwise I won't be able to stop hiccupping." Azmaria asked politely. Satella sat on a bench and looked at the three of them getting their hot dogs. Just then, Chrono offered a hot dog to Satella. "Here you go. It's more delicious when we eat together!" Chrono said gently as he placed the hot dog on Satella's hands. Satella was astounded that a demon was very kind towards her as she never expected such behavior to be coming from one. While she was seeing all three of them eating away, she then took a bite from her hot dog. "What kind of food is this?" Satella asked in an unimpressed, disappointed tone. "I can't believe you! Chrono just bought you a hot dog and this is how you thank him?" Rosette asked angrily. "The bread is dry. The vegetables are old, and most of all it's not even a good wurst." Satella stated disappointedly. "What do you mean by wurst?" Chrono asked curiously as he could tell that it was not an English word. "That means sausage in German, right? So you must be from Germany!" Azmaria exclaimed. "You're very observant. I came to America just before the Great War started. It has been ten years now." Satella revealed. "So you have been living in this country for ten years?" Azmaria asked. "Yes, in search of someone. I've searched and searched, and yet for all of these years, I haven't found a single trace yet." Satella explained to the trio. "I am amazed that you haven't given up on it." Rosette commented while she was eating her hot dog. "What's that suppose to mean?" Satella asked frustrated. "If you just keep feeling sorry for yourself like that, you won't be able to find a clue even if it's right in front of you. I think that's probably the reason why your search has taken you for about a decade. I am really wondering how you are not getting tired of all this." Rosette bluntly said as she was eating with her mouth full and Chrono then placed his hand on her head. "You have said enough Rosette. We both know how hard it is to be searching for someone year after year." Chrono said softly as he knew what Satella was feeling. Satella tried holding back her tears as the subject was very hard for her to deal with. Just as Rosette was looking at Satella trying to repress her feelings, a ball all of a sudden hit Rosette in the face which knocked her out of the bench. "Goodness gracious, are you alright Rosette?" Azmaria panicked as both she and Chrono were looking at Rosette with a shocked look on their faces. "We are so sorry!" One boy said as he and a group of other boys ran towards Rosette. Rosette got herself up from the ground and looked at the boys angrily. "Alright you damn hooligans! You have really pissed me off and for that I am going to teach you a little lesson!" Rosette angrily fumed and the boys ran away from her out of fright. "Come back here you brats! Let me teach you how to throw a ball!" Rosette yelled at the boys as she ran after them with their ball in her hand. As Rosette was teaching the boys on how to kick the ball properly, Chrono approached Satella. "I am sorry for what Rosette had said, and I know that she is sorry deep down as well. To tell you the truth, the two of us have been searching for her younger brother, so we understand how you feel! When a person can only focus on one goal, then that's proof that their dreams are strong! I hope you can find that person soon!" Chrono told Satella in a very sweet, gentle tone. "I can't believe it. A demon actually saying such sweet words? Could I be wrong? Is it not him?" Satella thought to herself. "No, I am not looking for a person. I am looking for a demon!" Satella bitterly revealed. "It's true that a demon's horns are organs for absorbing Astral energy, am I right?" Satella asked. "Normally, there aren't demons without their horns." Azmaria said. "That demon from ten years ago burned my house, killed my family and took everything from me! 'The hornless demon,' you are the target of my revenge!" Satella concluded angrily to Chrono. Rosette just finished teaching the boys how to play with the ball when one of the boys said "Sister, teach us more!" "Sorry boys, but I have to get going now. Bye!" Rosette said as she waved them goodbye. When Rosette turned around and faced towards the bench, she saw that Chrono, Azmaria and Satella were not there, much to her confusion. "That's strange. I could have sworn they were here just a few minutes ago." Rosette said to herself as she was wondering about their whereabouts.

In the meantime, the trio became trapped inside what on the outside resembled a mummy coffin. "Where are we? We were just at the park." Azmaria stated in a confused tone as she realized that they were trapped into some kind of dimension. "It seems that we have been trapped by someone." Chrono said as they were seeing mummy like zombies all around them while they were standing on some kind of altar. "I see, now I get it. This must be revenge from the smugglers. They're the ones who schemed all of this." Satella said as she had a hunch that this was part of the smugglers doing. "This is the Nameless Pharaoh's Tomb. The Pharaoh that was assassinated. However, due to his act of abusing the sealed curse, he was regenerated along with his evil consciousness. At least that's what the report from the British Museum says." Satella explained. "So these zombies are mummies?" Azmaria asked. "That's right. This is the result of the curse and his servants of the undead. I must say, it's pretty disgusting how he transformed them." Satella explained further as she expressed her disgust about the mummy zombies. The trio saw the undead Pharaoh sitting on a throne with two coffins placed by the throne as well as walls that were carved with hieroglyphics. The undead Pharaoh then commanded his zombie servants to charge towards the trio and to attack them. "Alright, it appears that we have no other choice but to fight them." Satella said confidently as she pulled out one of her jewels and placed them on the bracelet. "Laden!" Satella called out but no spirit monster of hers showed itself, much to her surprise. "What, how is this possible? I can't summon?" Satella asked curiously as she didn't know what caused her spirit monster to not appear. "It may be caused by his field. This dimension blocks everything from the outside." Chrono explained to Satella. Just then, one of the zombies knocked Chrono out with its gigantic hand and placed its foot on top of him. Azmaria and Satella had a horrified look on their faces. "Nooooooo!" Satella cried out. Once the zombie lift its foot off of Chrono, he then slowly got himself up which surprised Azmaria and Satella, as they thought that he was unconscious. After Chrono got up, his upper face was heavily bruised and blood was also dripping down from his face. He looked as if he had gone wild. Chrono saw all of the mummy zombies around him. They roared and began to charge towards him while carrying saber swords. Just then, Chrono spotted the same type of sword on the ground, picked it up and he ran his way through the chamber dismembering the mummy zombie's bodies with the sword. "My God, this battle is unbelievable. I guess this proves that he really is a demon!" Satella commented as she and Azmaria were seeing Chrono slicing the zombies up. Satella all of a sudden pushed Azmaria down to the ground as she saw that one of the zombies was charging towards her. As Chrono heard Azmaria yell he then saw one of the zombies zooming towards the two of them. Chrono rushed his way in front of them and as he was aiming his sword towards the beast, the zombie directed its saber sword like hands towards Chrono's arm and his stomach. As the creature did that, huge amounts of blood came out of his body like that of a river while Chrono succeeded in stabbing the zombie through its head and then pulled his sword out. "I'm sorry that I scared you. Rosette is going to be quite angry." Chrono apologized in a weak tone. "Chrono, thank goodness you're back to normal!" Azmaria said with relief. "Why did you save me? I said you were my target for revenge, and I can see that now you are all injured." Satella asked Chrono as she was confused as to why he bothered saving her even when he was a target for her revenge. "This is nothing since I'm not human. Besides, you saved Azmaria." Chrono said softly and he began to slowly stand up from the ground. "I'm tired of seeing others die in front of me and not being able to do something about it!" Chrono said frustrated as he became fed up with the possibility of seeing someone dearly to him dying. "I don't know now. What is the truth? That boy, he is very different from him." Satella thought to herself as she was emotionally remembering how the demon looked like as well as when Chrono offered her a hot dog in the park earlier as a form of kindness. "Damn it! If only there was something we could do about the field." Chrono frustratingly said as he realized that there were too many zombies for them to handle. Suddenly, Chrono heard a bullet shot from somewhere and he wondered where it came from. "Yes, I have finally found you!" Rosette said once she shot towards the Pharaoh shaped coffin which was located in the park's forest. "Yes, the field is finally breaking! Now I can summon my juwel monster!" Satella said excitedly as the trio saw the cracks on the ceiling of the chamber. The undead Pharaoh however was angry at what he was witnessing. He then transformed himself into a much larger, ferocious version of himself while roaring, much to Azmaria's fright. "Erschenie! Ritter Juwel!" Satella called out as she placed her jewel on her bracelet. Satella's knight ghost appeared out of the jewel once again and it chopped off the undead Pharaoh's hand with its sword. "It's tougher than what we have faced yesterday!" Satella commented as a strong gust of wind swept around the chamber. "Rosette, can you hear me? Finish it off!" Chrono called out to Rosette. "Huh, where are you?" Rosette asked as she looked around her surroundings. "There. Hurry up, I can't hold on much longer." Chrono said as he was contacting Rosette. "But I'm out of ammo and I haven't re-supplied yet." Rosette said. Rosette looked at her pocket seal watch and as she was looking at it, she realized that Chrono was using some of his powers to try to hold off the mummified Pharaoh. Chrono pointed out his arm straight towards the Pharaoh and began to use even more of his time powers. "I pity you for being awakened by human circumstance. I'll make sure you are at peace right now!" Chrono said to the mummy Pharaoh. The mummy Pharaoh's body suddenly began to disintegrate and the undead Pharaoh was roaring out of pain. Once the Pharaoh's body had completely disintegrated into skeleton bones, the chamber cracked open. The ground as well as the trees that were around the coffin got totally obliterated, as if a bomb hit it. "Chrono, what was that monster? What the heck happened to you?" Rosette yelled out worriedly as she was running towards the trio. "Well you see, I just used some of my powers so I could help finish off the mummy Pharaoh that somehow trapped us in that coffin." Chrono explained as he was telling Rosette everything about what they have just been through. "Geeze, talk about bad luck." Rosette commented as she looked at her pocket seal watch. "What incredible powers he has! So that is his true form!" Satella thought as she was amazed with the powers Chrono had used. She then directed her spirit knight who pointed its sword towards Chrono as Satella looked at him sternly. "Tell me now, were you the demon from ten years ago?" Satella asked him seriously. "I was asleep, deep within a tomb for fifty years." Chrono answered slowly. "Chrono woke up four years ago. I was the one who had awoken him. So if it was ten years ago that a demon murdered your family, then you've got the wrong guy." Rosette explained as she tried to tell her that Chrono was not the demon that she was looking for. "You believe in him?" Satella asked curiously. "Yes, of course I do!" Rosette said passionately as she placed her hand on Chrono's head. Satella then allowed her knight ghost to return back to the jewel and she looked at Chrono with a bit of relief on her face. "In that case, I guess I am back to where I started." Satella said gladly and disappointed at the same time. It was now obvious that Satella had finally made peace with Chrono!

Meanwhile at the Order of Magdalene, Father Remington and Sister Kate were in the dining room. Sister Kate showed him the files of the Mafioso who was responsible for smuggling demons at the New York City harbor. "So this was the previous New York City incident?" The minister asked. "Yes, he was the client of the smugglers who were annihilated. It appears that he was the same demon tamer that the Militia dealt with in Chicago." Sister Kate explained. "The gang's accountant I see?" Father Remington commented. "According to the report, it seems that they were going to use it as a soldier for the family." Sister Kate explained further as she was drinking her tea. "I wish that they didn't bring their troubles on us. They are already overwhelming for humans to handle." The minister remarked. "Besides, they should behave themselves." Father Remington said and just then two teenage nuns were ogling at the minister excitingly. Father Remington turned his head around and smiled at the girls flirtatiously while slightly waving at them, much to the two nun's joy. "Oh my God, Father Remington is looking at us!" The two nuns said excitedly. As Sister Kate was seeing Father Remington flirting with the nuns, she slammed her tea cup onto the table in front of him, much to his surprise. "As should you Minister Remington!" Sister Kate said to the minister crossly. "Yes, I'll behave!" Father Remington said in an intimidated tone. "I guess this means that this case is closed! Hopefully!" The minister said with relief. "There might still be other demon tamers taking part in this mess." Sister Kate reminded the minister. "Right, I'll go and investigate. Goodness, you sure make me work a lot." Father Remington said with slight disappointment. The minister walked out of the room and began thinking to himself as he was walking across a hall that was filled with different portraits. "The demons are using the smuggling network to get into this nation. This is a really big problem. Ever since the Great War, the 'evil' has greatly increased in this country. What will happen further on was probably obvious to you. Isn't that right, Mary Magdalene?" Father Remington asked as he was talking to the portrait of a beautiful blonde haired young woman. It was obvious that the minister had some kind of ties to that particular woman.

Chapter 9

Later that evening after dinner, Rosette, Azmaria and Chrono went outside to the fountain to sit down and relax. They were tired after all what happened throughout the day. "That was such a great meal we had!" Rosette sighed with satisfaction and relief. "You're always so relieved after your stomach is full." Chrono commented. "What's that suppose to mean?" Rosette asked in a suspicious tone. "Nothing!" Chrono said in an intimidated tone. "I must say, Satella sure seems like a very nice person! I would love to get to know her better!" Azmaria said with admiration. "Are you considering Satella to be our friend now Azmaria?" Rosette asked in wonder. "Well, we do have some common ground with her. Like us, she also fights demons, not to mention she's also a bounty hunter." Azmaria explained somewhat nervously. "I see what you mean. But just because we have some things in common with that jewel summoner, that doesn't mean we're immediately friends with her. Besides, there's something about that woman that just rubs me the wrong way." Rosette said with disdain as she got herself up from the fountain ledge and began making her way back inside the building. "Well, I guess we better get going back inside. Are you feeling tired Azmaria?" Chrono asked. "Yes, all of this walking around today had really exhausted me. I don't remember when was the last time I was on my feet for so long." Azmaria replied tiredly. "Hey guys! Look at this!" Rosette interrupted them as she called for their attention. Chrono and Azmaria stood themselves up and ran towards Rosette to see what she was witnessing. By the time they reached Rosette, they saw a strange portal forming in front of them. They had never seen anything like it. It looked like a black hole but it wasn't black. The portal's color was blue while a very bright light was coming out of it. Just a few moments later, one woman came out of the portal. She was very beautiful with long straight black hair, tanned skin, and was wearing a strapless white dress. As soon as the mysterious young lady stepped out of the portal, it closed behind her and she looked at the trio tiredly. They stared at her as they couldn't believe their eyes. "Oh my God, are you okay?" Rosette asked worriedly and at that moment, the young woman collapsed on the ground. "Oh no, she just passed out! What are we going to do Rosette?" Azmaria asked in panic. Rosette and Chrono were still standing in shock. "I know what we're going to do! Azmaria, go to Father Remington and tell him what just happened. He might know what to do!" Rosette ordered. "Yes Rosette, right away!" Azmaria said and she rushed into the building to find the minister. As she was running her way inside, she saw Father Remington walking along the hallway. "Father Remington!" Azmaria said as she abruptly stopped running and began to walk slowly. "What's the matter Azmaria? Is something wrong?" The minister asked. "There's a young lady outside who just passed out." Azmaria began to explain. "A young lady, you don't say?" Father Remington said in surprise. "Yes, but we don't know who she is or where she comes from. All what we saw and know was that she just came out of some kind of portal and has now passed out onto the ground." Azmaria continued explaining. "In that case, I better go and see if that woman is alright." Father Remington said somewhat alarmed. He ran outside with Azmaria following him. When they reached the place, Father Remington checked her pulse and looked to see if she was injured. "So, did this woman say anything when she came out of that portal?" The minister asked. "No, she just passed out before she could even say anything." Rosette explained. "That's strange." Father Remington said and picked her up in his arms. "Father Remington, do you think she'll be okay?" Rosette asked out of concern. "I think so. By the looks of it she's just exhausted. Let her rest and when she wakes up we will have some questions answered!" Father Remington said and he took the unconscious woman inside. "Oh my, I wonder what could have happened to her." Rosette commented with sympathy as she had a feeling that the lady went through something bad. "You're worried about her, aren't you?" Chrono asked as he could sense Rosette's sympathy towards the black haired woman. "Why shouldn't I be? I mean, she just passed out as soon as she went out of that weird portal. If anything, shouldn't that imply that something must have happened to her? Besides, you don't see everyday someone coming out of a portal." Rosette explained as she justified her concerns for the young woman. "Well, that woman is quite a mystery, I'll tell you that." Chrono remarked. "I would really love to know who this lady is and where she comes from? For all we know, she might not even be from here." Rosette remarked curiously as she was dying to know more about her.

The next morning, Rosette carried a bowl of porridge into the room where the woman was sleeping. Seeing that she was still asleep, Rosette left the breakfast on a night table by the bed and opened the curtains. Just then, the young lady suddenly woke up. "Where am I?" She asked with a weak voice. "Good morning!" Rosette said cheerfully. "Who are you?" The young lady asked. "I am Sister Rosette Christopher and you are at the Order of Magdalene!" Rosette explained. "Order of Magdalene? What is that?" The woman asked as she was visibly confused. "It's an interdenominational Christian organization operated by Catholic Bishops. But I will explain more on that later. Right now you need to eat in order to get your strength back. Speaking of food, I brought you some breakfast!" Rosette said. "What is it?" The lady asked. "It's porridge! I made it really warm so eat it before it gets cold!" Rosette told the woman and offered her the porridge. "Thank you Rosette!" The young woman said gratefully. She took her spoon, scooped the porridge from her bowl and put it in her mouth. "What do you think? Do you like it?" Rosette asked. "It's good! I've never had porridge before so this is my first time eating this type of food." The woman stated. "Really, you never had porridge before?" Rosette asked surprised. "That's right. I was never really introduced to it up until now." The lady revealed calmly. "Wow, that's quite a surprise." Rosette commented. "It shouldn't be. Not everyone grows up eating the same food." The lady remarked as she continued eating. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what is your name?" Rosette asked the young woman. "My name is Maria Liberatori and for quite some time I was working for someone I deeply regret working for." She said quietly and continued eating her porridge. Rosette was intrigued by her answer. "Who is that person you so much regret working for?" Rosette asked curiously. Maria reluctantly answered. "This may sound a little crazy, but I was working for a demon by the name of Aion." Rosette, shocked by this fact, spaced out. "What's wrong Rosette?" Maria asked as she was surprised by her reaction. Rosette came out of shock and still couldn't believe what she just heard. "Are you telling me that you worked for Aion?" Rosette asked still in disbelief. "Yes, I'm afraid it's true." Maria said with a regretful voice. "So that portal from last night was your escape from him?" Rosette asked. "Yes it was." Maria confirmed. "But who helped you escape last night?" Rosette wondered. "It was the spirit of the Holy Woman, Mary Magdalene. She lived somewhere in the nineteenth century and it was God that made her holy. He entrusted her with Stigmata and gave her the ability to see the future. Last night while I was sleeping, her spirit appeared before me and formed a portal for me to escape. She told me that the portal will take me somewhere safe for the time being. I was confused but something in her voice made me believe and trust her. It felt like she was inside me and that we are connected. I went into the portal and ended up here." Maria explained. Rosette just looked at her, eyes wide opened, like she was in a trance. Maria's story really took her by surprise. "So, how long were you working for Aion?" Rosette asked. "Three years. It all began one night, after I had gone to bed. Once I had woken up, I found myself in a different room and house. There I saw Aion and a group of other demons. I was terrified by the realization that I was kidnapped by a demon and I didn't know what to do. He told me that he was after me because I was the Holy Woman and that he had big plans for me. After that I never saw my family again and I was also forced to be a contributor to his ultimate goal." Maria revealed. "My, you must have endured quite a lot. What was it like for you during those three years?" Rosette asked empathetically. "I don't want to talk about it. Right now, I just want to forget about everything that has happened during those years. What happened during that time causes me too much anxiety and grief." Maria said bitterly. "I understand! Perhaps it is best not to think about them!" Rosette said softly. Maria looked surprised at her, wondering why Rosette was so understanding. Just then, Chrono and Azmaria entered the room and interrupted their conversation. "So, how is she feeling Rosette? Is she feeling any better?" Chrono asked as he and Azmaria saw that Maria was now awake. "Yes she is Chrono." Rosette confirmed. "Thank goodness! We were really worried!" Azmaria commented. "Rosette, who are these two?" Maria asked. "These are my friends, Chrono and Azmaria Hendric." Rosette said as she introduced them. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry that I made you worried." Maria said politely. "No problem! So, what is your name?" Chrono asked as he offered her a handshake. "My name is Maria Liberatori." Maria said as she offered her hand. "Maria Liberatori. What a beautiful name you have!" He replied gracefully while they were both shaking each other's hands. "Thank you Chrono!" Maria gratefully said. "So Maria, where did you come from behind that portal from last night?" Chrono asked. "Well, prior to arriving here I was residing in a house in San Francisco for three years after a demon by the name of Aion kidnapped me." Maria answered. "Did you say you were kidnapped by Aion?" Chrono asked curiously. "Yes, that's what I said. By the sound of your tone, you seem to know him. Do you have any connections to him?" Maria asked. "Well, to tell you the truth, I am actually Aion's twin brother." Chrono revealed. Shocked and disturbed by that fact, Maria got out of her bed, walked towards Chrono and unexpectedly slapped him in the face. He fell down to the ground as her slap was very forceful. "So, you're Aion's brother?! If that is so, then get the hell away from me you demon!" Maria said angrily and ran out of the room. Rosette and Azmaria were shocked to see what Maria had just done to Chrono. "Oh my God! Chrono, are you alright?" Rosette asked worryingly. "Yes Rosette, I am!" Chrono said weakly as he looked at Rosette. "Thank goodness!" Rosette helped Chrono get up from the floor. "By the looks of it, she sure doesn't like demons." Azmaria remarked. "Yeah, I can see why?" Rosette said empathetically. Meanwhile, Maria was walking in the Order's hallway, clearly disturbed. "I can't believe it, a demon in a Christian Order? Not to mention that demon is actually Aion's brother! This is unbelievable!" Maria said to herself in an outraged tone. Just then, Father Remington walked down the hall and spotted her walking. Seeing that she was now awake, he walked closer to Maria. She stopped walking as soon as she saw him. "Good morning." He greeted Maria as he grinned at her. "Good morning sir." Maria replied shyly. "So are you feeling any better my dear?" Father Remington asked. "Yes I am, but who are you?" Maria asked. "My name is Father Ewan Remington. I am the Minister here at the New York branch of the Magdalene Order." The minister said. "You mean you're not a priest?" Maria asked in surprise. "That's correct." The minister confirmed to her. "In case you are wondering, I was the one who carried you to the room last night, when you were unconscious." The minister revealed to her. "Really? Thank you for helping me! I hope I didn't cause you any burden?" Maria said in a soft voice. "No, not at all, I'm just glad that you are well!" The minister said in relief. "Are you always this kind or only to people in distress?" Maria asked surprised by the minister's kindness. "I was just concerned about your well being, that's all. Besides, I would really love to know what your name is." Father Remington asked as he grinned. "My name is Maria Liberatori." She introduced herself with a soft voice. "What a beautiful name. Just like the Virgin Mary herself." Father Remington remarked. "Now, would you mind if I introduce you to Sister Kate Valentine? She is the headmistress of the Order and she would like to meet you." The minister asked. "No, I suppose not. I would like to thank her for her hospitality." Maria said. When they walked to her office, Father Remington lightly knocked on the door. "Come in!" Sister Kate said. They walked in and found Sister Kate sitting at her desk, reading a report. "Sister Kate, I would like you to meet, Maria Liberatori." Father Remington said as he introduced Maria. "It's a pleasure to meet you Sister Kate!" Maria said gracefully. "The pleasure is all mine, please make yourself comfortable, you must be exhausted." Sister Kate offered. "I am a little tired but otherwise I'm feeling much better now!" Maria answered. "Father Remington had informed me about your arrival through the portal last night. If you wish, you can talk to me about anything that is bothering you, anytime you want. After all, helping people with their problems is what we're here for!" Sister Kate said as she offered her help. Maria took a deep breath as she decided to tell Sister Kate about how she got to the Order. "The portal that Father Remington told you about from last night was formed by Mary Magdalene as a way for me to escape from Aion after I was working for him for three years." Maria revealed to Sister Kate. "So you're telling me that the spirit of Mary Magdalene helped you escape?" Sister Kate curiously asked. "Yes ma'am." Maria answered quietly while the minister looked at her with great curiosity. "Aion told me that he wants me because I am the Holy Woman. When the spirit of Mary Magdalene appeared last night, I felt some sort of strong connection to her. The fact that I am the Holy Woman definitely explains why he had a good reason for taking me." Maria explained. "You had been working for Aion for three years?" Sister Kate asked surprised. "That's right. I didn't have any other choice. There was no escaping from him." Maria stated. "My, by the sounds of it you went through quite an ordeal my dear child!" Sister Kate said sympathetically. "Yes I have, and all I want to do is to forget about that bastard who kidnapped me from my family. I have no sympathy for that devil whatsoever!" Maria said angrily. "If you don't mind me asking, what do you mean when you said that you are the Holy Woman?" Sister Kate asked. Maria took off the white bandage wraps on her wrists and feet that exposed some wounds she had on them. They resembled Stigmata. Both Sister Kate and Father Remington were shocked that she bared the symbol of Mary Magdalene. The minister couldn't take his eyes off of it, as they reminded him of someone from his past. He was the first one able to ask a question. "How did you get this Maria?" "They appeared 4 years ago when I was 15 years old. I wasn't at first aware what they were, but the priest told me and my family that they were Stigmata. When the spirit of Mary Magdalene appeared, she told me that it was a gift from God and that I am her successor." Maria revealed. "You're telling us that you're Mary Magdalene's successor?" Father Remington asked in disbelief. "Yes Minister." Maria confirmed and the minister kept on looking at the Stigmata wounds on her wrists. "Thank you so much for listening Sister Kate." Maria said. "No problem and remember, whenever you need something, you know where to find me." Sister Kate said in a motherly tone. "Maria, since you are going to be staying here for a while, I was wondering if you can become my assistant?" The minister asked as he got Maria's attention. "What do you mean?" Maria asked. "Well, I am a very busy man, and it would be so much easier for me if I could have someone to help me with my workload! I would really be grateful for any help you can give me!" Father Remington suggested to Maria as he tried to make her feel more welcome. "Oh, I would be glad to help Father Remington. I need to keep myself busy in order not to think about Aion. At least by doing that, it will help put my mind at ease!" Maria agreed as she appreciated the minister's offer. She then took the bandage wraps from Sister Kate's table and wrapped them back on her wrists and feet. "Alright, go and take some rest now! You surely need it." Sister Kate said while Father Remington watched Maria leaving the room with a puzzled look on his face. He went back in time in his mind and started remembering something that happened a long time ago. Maria's mentioning of Mary Magdalene brought painful memories from a long time ago. He was responsible for protecting a beautiful young woman who was Mary Magdalene. He was wondering if the spirit that Maria mentioned was really hers. As Maria left Sister Kate's office, she saw Rosette, Chrono and Azmaria waiting for her. "So how did it go?" Rosette asked. "Both Sister Kate and Father Remington are very kind, hospitable people. They made me feel very welcomed here!" Maria said and then glanced coldly at Chrono. "What is that demon still doing here?" She asked dead seriously. "Well you see. Chrono is my best friend and assistant." Rosette explained. "You're telling me that your best friend and assistant is a demon who just so happens to be Aion's brother?" Maria asked suspiciously. "Yes." Rosette admitted. "Are you crazy? Do you have any idea what his kind is capable of?" Maria raised her voice in disbelief. "Yes, but Chrono is not like the others, I am sure of it!" Rosette said with confidence. "No matter what form he takes, he is still a demon! And if he is a demon that means he must be a monster, nothing but a bloodthirsty monster!" Maria said angrily and walked quickly away from the trio. "Hey, get back here!" Rosette yelled after her. "It's alright Rosette, just leave her alone!" Chrono calmly said. "Why? Don't you get angry when someone acts like that towards you?" Rosette asked as she couldn't understand why Chrono was so unusually calm about the situation. "To be fair, it's not as if her hostility towards me is completely unjustified." Chrono said as he understood Maria's deep distrust towards him.

Later in the evening after resting most of the day in the room, Maria was outside sitting beside the fountain as she was gazing the waters with a brooding look on her face. "I can see that something is troubling you, my dear." A voice said to her. "Father Remington?" Maria said surprised once she turned her head towards him. "What are you doing here?" She asked as she didn't expect anyone to approach her at that time. "I came here to tell you that the Order will be having dinner now. With that being said, I wanted to know if you would like to accompany me for dinner?" The minister explained. "To accompany you?" Maria asked. "Yes. Since you are going to be my assistant, it would only be natural if we spend some time to get to know each other better. Don't you think?" Father Remington said as he made his point. "Yes, I suppose you're right!" Maria said and stood up from the fountain ledge. She and the minister made their way back to the building into the dining room. The dinner consisted of steak, mashed potatoes and vegetables with grape juice as a beverage. While Maria was eating her steak, Father Remington was dazedly looking at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Maria asked as she looked at the minister. "You really do remind me of her, you know that?" The minister said softly to her. "Who do I remind you of?" She asked curiously. "Mary Magdalene! The Holy Woman who lived 54 years ago!" Father Remington revealed. "When you said that I reminded you of Mary Magdalene, does that mean you actually knew her in person?" Maria asked the minister in wonder. "That's right! In fact, I was what you would call, her protector. Despite the fact that so many years have passed since her death, I still remember her fondly as if it was yesterday!" Father Remington said as he explained a little bit about his back story. "What is it about me exactly that reminds you of her?" Maria asked. "It's the Stigmata that is carved on your body is what reminds me of her!" The minister explained. "There's one thing I just don't get. If Mary Magdalene was alive half a century ago, shouldn't you be old by now?" Maria asked suspiciously as the blond haired, blue eyed minister was rather youthful looking for someone his age. "I will tell you that another time. For now, I would like to know a little more about you!" Father Remington said as he tried to change the subject. "What is it about me that you would like to know more about?" Maria asked. "Anything, you can tell me whatever you want about yourself!" Father Remington said. "Well, before I was kidnapped by Aion, I lived and grew up in a distinct part of the city that was called Little Italy." Maria started explaining as she remembered those days with nostalgia. "Little Italy?" The minister asked. "Yes, my parents were originally from Naples. They moved to America on Ellis Island not long before I was born. My younger sister and I were raised in a heavily Italian environment, separate from mainstream society. We lived in a neighborhood at East Harlem which was known as Italian Harlem, specifically on Madison Avenue. Our family also owned an Italian restaurant at Mulberry Street." Maria continued explaining more about her past life. "You have a younger sister?" Father Remington curiously asked. "Yes, in fact the two of us were quite inseparable. We didn't really have that many friends, so we pretty much relied on each other's company as if we were each other's best friends." Maria revealed. "What a coincidence! Rosette and her younger brother were also deeply close with each other." Father Remington said passionately as he told Maria a little more about Rosette. "So you're saying that Rosette has a brother?" Maria asked. "That's right. To tell you the truth, the reason why Rosette became a part of this Order was so she could find her brother Joshua who was also taken by a demon." The minister explained. "Joshua? I think I knew a boy by that name!" Maria revealed. "You do?" The minister asked surprised. "Yes I do. He is one of the seven Apostles that Aion needs for some ritual of his. I must say, I really do pity that boy with all of my heart!" Maria explained as she expressed empathy towards Joshua. "So if you know Joshua that means you can help Rosette and Chrono in finding his whereabouts!" Father Remington said with clear excitement. "That's right, I can! However, considering that Chrono is Rosette's partner, I am not sure if I am willing to take on that duty." Maria said with doubt and contempt. "How come?" The minister asked confused. "Because Chrono is a demon, and I don't take kindly to demons. Especially not to Aion or anyone who is associated with him!" Maria said in a dead serious tone. "I see what you mean. Demons are indeed quite the cunning creatures, aren't they?" Father Remington agreed as he understood Maria's hatred of demons. "Yes, they are!" Maria agreed. "Although I understand your hatred towards demons, you must know that Chrono is completely committed to Rosette and her cause. He is not the kind who would intentionally harm us." Father Remington explained to her. "Well, I will definitely be telling Rosette about her brother. After all, she must have been searching for him for quite some time, so she deserves to know." Maria said to Father Remington. "I am sure she would be extremely grateful to receive your help!" The minister said in agreement. "After we're done eating, can you please show me where the bathing area is?" She asked. "Sure, I will be happy to show you the direction to just about anywhere in the Order!" Father Remington gladly offered. After dinner, the minister led her to the nun's bathing room. Once she entered into the room, she took off her white dress along with her bandage wraps, walked to the shower and turned on the water. "Ahhhh, this feels so good! After a long, unusual day, I really needed to refresh myself from everything that has been occupying my head!" Maria thought to herself as she was moaning out of relaxation. After Maria was done with her shower, she grabbed a blue towel nearby and wrapped it around her naked body while putting her bandage wraps back on. Just as Maria went out of the shower, she noticed that the door was opened, much to her surprise as she wasn't expecting anyone to be inside. "My, aren't you the sexiest lady I've met!" The Elder said as he suddenly appeared right in front of with her with a huge, naughty grin on his face. "Who are you?" Maria asked as she had no clue what was going on. "My name is Elder Edward Hamilton, the scientist of the New York branch of the Magdalene Order! I just came by to check and see if it was really true that there was such a beautiful woman in this Order. I must say, you look quite ravishing! Probably one of the prettiest and sexiest ladies I have met in my life!" The Elder said excitedly and abruptly touched Maria's breasts, much to her disgust. "Oh my God, you're breasts are so beautiful and busty that I could just fondle them all day!" The Elder lewdly commented while Maria was becoming deeply disturbed by the Elder's perverted behavior. Maria became fed up with the Elder and she took his hands, lifted him high up to the ceiling and threw him straight at the wall. "Get lost you damn pervert!" Maria said with disgust and changed back into her clothes and left the room. Once she dressed herself, Maria started walking back to her room still in disbelief with what she just encountered. Just before she reached her room, Maria stumbled upon Rosette. "So, did you enjoy your first dinner at the Order?" Rosette asked politely. "Yes, it was really good. Father Remington asked me to accompany him and offered me a job as his assistant." Maria replied softly. "I see, I'm glad that you are going to be helping around here. That means we can spend some time together!" Rosette said cheerfully as she was hoping to become friends with her. "Father Remington told me that you are looking for your younger brother Joshua, isn't that right?" Maria asked. "Yes, I am. But it's taking us a really long time to locate him." Rosette said with a disappointed tone. "I think I could be of help with your search for him!" Maria revealed. "Really? What do you mean by that?" Rosette asked with hope. "Well, when I was kept hostage by Aion I knew of a boy named Joshua. He too was kept hostage by him at a house that is located by a private beach somewhere in San Francisco." Maria explained to Rosette. Rosette was looking at her with a surprised look on her face. "You knew my brother Joshua?" Rosette asked as she couldn't believe what she just heard. "Yes, and I can help you find him! I have very good navigational skills which could be of use to you." Maria further explained while Rosette was still looking at her. "It's getting pretty late now, so we'll have to talk more about it some other time. I know this is very big news for you Rosette, but you'll need some time to plan everything properly before we can even start acting on it." Maria said. "Thank you so much, for telling me about this! Something is finally coming together!" Rosette said and hugged Maria out of excitement. "Good night Maria! See you tomorrow morning! I am looking forward for us working together!" Rosette said optimistically and they both went into their rooms. As Maria entered the room, she walked towards the window and began to think deeply about something. "It appears that I might soon be of use to the Order. Tell me God, what is it that you really have in store for me? What am I up against exactly?" Maria asked curiously while looking at the window as she couldn't tell what kind of purpose God had set out for her.

Chapter 10

After a week, Maria already got accustomed to her new life at The Order. She started learning about Mass preparations with Father Remington and was slowly starting to become close to him as she was now his assistant. It soon became obvious to Rosette, Chrono and Azmaria that the two of them were spending quite some time together, whether it was through Maria helping the minister with his work or them having meals together. Ever since her new life at the Order, Maria began wearing a long green dress complete with long sleeves and high heels. One day at the Sunday morning Mass, the three nuns, Anna, Mary, and Claire, who were Rosette's acquaintances, observed Father Remington and Maria walking their way to the altar. "Hey girls, did you see that girl who is now Father Remington's personal assistant?" Anna whispered to the other two. "Yes, I find her to be very beautiful yet reserved and distant!" Claire whispered back. "Oh, how I envy her that she gets to be the one to help out Father Remington." Mary said jealously. "Yeah, she sure is lucky that she was given such a role. Now enough of this silly talk, we don't want anyone to hear us blabbing about it!" Anna stopped the conversation. Just when Mass was about to begin, Rosette and Chrono were running towards the church building, realizing that they were going to be late for Mass, which happened pretty frequently. "Damn it Chrono, we're going to be late again!" Rosette yelled at him. "Don't look at me. You're always the one who oversleeps! Besides, I'm not the one attending the Mass, you are!" Chrono defended himself. By the time Rosette reached the church, the Mass had just started, much to her disappointment. "Well, what do you know? Mass had already started!" Rosette said disappointed. "Look at the bright side. At least you hardly missed anything this time." Chrono remarked. "What do you mean this time?" Rosette snapped at him. "Nothing Rosette!" Chrono said intimidated. Rosette then went inside the church and found a seat to where the nuns Anna, Claire, and Mary were sitting at, while Chrono stayed outside since demons were not allowed to participate at Mass. "Good morning girls!" Rosette greeted. "Good morning Rosette!" Mary greeted back. "You do realize that Mass has already started, don't you?" Anna couldn't resist teasing her. Rosette looked sternly at her as if she would strangle her. Anna quickly turned her head and stared at the altar. Knowing Rosette's temper, she didn't want another confrontation with her. The Mass was beautiful and the choir was performing with Azmaria as the main singer. Her beautiful voice once again enchanted everyone at the Mass. Once Mass had ended, Azmaria and Rosette met with Chrono outside. "Good morning Chrono!" Azmaria greeted. "Good morning Azmaria! Isn't it nice outside today?" Chrono greeted her. "Yes, it sure is! This would definitely be the day for spending some time in the city!" Azmaria said with excitement as she was looking forward to the day. "Hey look, there is Maria walking by!" Rosette said to them as she saw Maria close by. "Maybe I can see if she'll agree to spend some time with us at Central Park today!" Rosette said optimistically. "Are you sure that's such a good idea Rosette? You do know that Maria still despises me? Plus, we still don't know her very well." Chrono stated with doubt. "I know Chrono, but what do we have to lose. After all, I want to get closer to her. She seems like a very interesting person considering that she worked with Aion and knows something about Joshua's whereabouts!" Rosette said as she tried to justify her plan. "So that's why you want to reach out to her, so you can interrogate her about Joshua, is that it?" Chrono asked in a mischievous tone. "Come on, it's not only about that! I also want to get to know her a little better. She is so beautiful, mature, and refined. Who knows, maybe we can become great friends!" Rosette explained. "Are you saying that you idolize her Rosette?" Chrono asked. "It's either now or never! I am going to befriend her no matter what the odds are!" Rosette said with fierce determination as she ignored what Chrono asked. She walked over to Maria who was sitting on the fountain ledge. "Good morning Maria! I hope you're enjoying your stay here with us!" Rosette said to her cheerfully while Maria turned her head towards her. "Good morning Rosette. What brings you here?" Maria asked startled. "I just wanted to ask you about something." Rosette stated. "Ask me what?" Maria asked. "Well, since it's such a nice day out today, I was wondering if you would like to come to Central Park with us." Rosette asked Maria. "If Chrono will be present, then no, I refuse to accept the offer." Maria coldly declined. "Why Maria?" Rosette asked in a shocked tone. "You know exactly why. So please, excuse me." Maria said calmly as she got herself up and decided to walk away. Rosette however, grabbed her arm as she wasn't willing to let Maria walk away from her. "You're not going anywhere until you have agreed to make peace with Chrono! Besides, Chrono is really not a bad person. If anything, he is one of the sweetest and most understanding companions that anyone could ever ask for!" Rosette said emotionally. Maria looked at Rosette and saw that some tears were coming down at her face. "You really do trust him, don't you Rosette?" Maria asked. "Of course I do, and I don't want you to keep having such a negative impression on him just because he is a demon. Like I said before, he is not like the others!" Rosette said strongly as she made her point across. As Maria continued looking at Rosette's face, she realized how much Chrono meant to her. "Very well Rosette, I will spend some time with you and your friends today! Like you said, the weather is indeed very nice outside, so let's make the most of it while it still lasts!" Maria agreed in a motherly tone as she patted Rosette's shoulder. "After all, you all have been so nice to me and helped me to adjust to my new life here." Maria admitted. "That's great to hear!" Rosette said with delight. "So, when shall we go?" Maria asked. "We can go right now if you want." Rosette answered excitedly and ran towards Chrono and Azmaria. "So, did she accept the offer Rosette?" Azmaria curiously asked. "Yes, she did!" Rosette said enthusiastically. "By the way, you do realize we need a car to get to the city, don't you?" Chrono asked. "I know, since we haven't received a new car yet we can ask Father Remington to borrow his car!" Rosette said mischievously. "Oh no, God help us!" Chrono remarked while cringing. "What did you just say?" Rosette asked crossly. "Nothing, just whenever you drive a car, there is no car to come back with!" Chrono managed to say what he wanted and stepped back a few steps. This wasn't far enough as Rosette caught up with him and started throttling him. Just then, Father Remington appeared, much to Chrono's delight as Rosette had to let him go. "So I overheard you're going to spend some time in the city?" The minister politely asked. Rosette turned around and saw Father Remington smiling at her, causing her to blush. "Yes Father Remington, we are!" Rosette answered, still embarrassed for throttling Chrono in front of him. "Well then, have a lot of fun all of you!" Father Remington said as he wished them good luck. "By the way Father Remington, since our car had just been damaged, would it be okay if we use your car to get to the city?" Rosette asked the minister. "Of course, I see no reason why not!" Father Remington answered. "Thank you so much Father Remington! I promise you that I will return your car in one piece!" Rosette said gratefully. "I do hope so." The minister said. "Alright, I'll first get myself changed and then we're off to Central Park!" Rosette said ecstatically and then zoomed towards the building. "My, I guess this is going to be quite the day for the four of you!" The minister commented visibly amused. A few minutes later, Rosette ran back outside in her Militia uniform as she was now ready to go. "Okay, I am all ready! So let's hit the road!" Rosette loudly declared as they made their way towards the minister's car. "Maria!" The minister called out her name. "Yes, what is it Minister?" Maria asked as she turned around. "Before you go Maria, I would like to wish you a great time at Central Park!" Father Remington said as he came closer to Maria. The minister then gently took Maria's hand and kissed it, which greatly surprised her. "Thank you! I hope I will indeed have a great time!" Maria said while slightly blushing.

While in the car, Rosette started teasing Maria about Father Remington. "Maria, what was all that flirting about?" Rosette curiously asked. "What flirting?" Maria asked confused. "You know, Father Remington kissing your hand as a goodbye! Don't tell me you didn't acknowledge that!" Rosette continued with a smirk on her face. "No, not at all! I have no time to bother myself with these things!" Maria said strongly. Everyone was surprised by her strong reaction, but Rosette didn't want to let go. "He is a minister you know, and almost all the young nuns have some kind of a crush on him." Rosette explained. "Including you, I assume?" Maria teased Rosette back. Rosette was blushing profoundly. "No, not me, I don't have time for these silly things! Anyways, he's my legal guardian." Rosette tried to reassure her. Chrono didn't feel comfortable with the topic and he tried to change the subject. "So what's the plan for today girls?" Chrono asked. "Once we get to Central Park, we can take a nice stroll and have some good food. Not like in the Order where the food is always so simple. We can relax on the grass, eat some snacks and get some more food!" Rosette continued. "Rosette, didn't you realize that you were only talking about food? Is that all what we're going to do there, eat?" Chrono asked. "Well, it's very important to have some good food while you're relaxing, what's wrong with that?" Rosette tried to defend her food obsession. "How about we just get there safely first, and then we'll decide on what we will do." Azmaria commented while being concerned about Rosette's reckless driving. "We'll be there very soon, just don't worry!" Rosette said while she continued to speed. Soon after, they arrived at Central Park, much to everyone's joy, for they had enough of Rosette speed driving. "Well, we're finally here!" Chrono stated in relief as they got out of the car. "Yes, and that means it's time for a little snack!" Rosette said wildly as she went straight to the food vendors and the others had no other choice but to follow her. She bought ice cream, corn dogs and pretzels. Everyone just looked at her as she devoured one by one, not even realizing that people were watching her. Someone from the crowd said "Oh my, I guess Sister hothead is in a binge eating mood today. You sure have one horrendous appetite!" Rosette turned around to see Satella, much to her horror. With a mouth still full of food, she said "Oh my God, tell me this is just a dream! It's you again!" Rosette was surprised to see Satella standing in the crowd. Azmaria on the other hand was pleasantly surprised to see her and ran towards her. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you again, I was wondering when we were going to meet again, Miss Satella!" She said cheerfully. "I am happy to see you too Liebekind!" Satella hugged her gently. "Come, let me introduce you to our new friend, Maria!" Azmaria pulled her for the hand and introduced her to Maria. "Maria, this is Satella, she is our friend." Azmaria said. "Nice to meet you Satella!" Maria said. "It's nice to meet you too Maria!" Satella said in a friendly tone. "So, you're one of Rosette's friends, am I right" Maria asked Satella. "You mean the one with the full mouth? Well, not exactly." She stated smugly. Rosette then looked at her like she would shoot her. "I heard that, you jewel bitch!" Rosette crossly said. Chrono sensing that there was going to be a fight again, tried to calm the situation. "You know Maria, they just love to tease each other like this all the time. It's nothing serious." Chrono nervously explained. "I can see that." Maria said unconvinced. "So I see you have made some new friends my lady!" An old man said as he walked towards Satella. "Hello Steiner!" Satella greeted him. He was quite tall, with gray hair and a well manicured mustache. "Satella, who is this man?" Azmaria asked. "This is my butler, Steiner Munchausen!" Satella said. "It's a pleasure to meet you Steiner!" Azmaria said. "The pleasure is all mine!" Steiner answered back. "So Satella, do you and your butler live close by here?" Azmaria asked Satella. "No, not really. I just like to come here from time to time for a nice stroll. I was actually heading back home when I spotted the four of you." Satella answered. "Speaking of heading back home, would you all like to come to our mansion for a visit?" Steiner asked. "Oh we would love to! Wouldn't we?" Azmaria asked the four excitedly. "Well, I for one don't. I have no desire to spend time with such a stuck up snob!" Rosette said as she wasn't thrilled with the idea. "But if it means so much to you Azmaria, we'll accept the invitation!" Rosette said as she didn't want to disappoint Azmaria who looked at Rosette happily and gratefully. "Alright, so it's settled! Let's all get a move on, shall we?" Satella asked cheerfully and she along with her butler went to her car while Rosette and the other three followed them to her home. When Satella stopped her car in the front of a beautiful mansion, they all got out of their cars. They couldn't believe what they saw. "Wow, is this where you live?" Azmaria asked fascinated. "Yes Madchen, this is where I live ever since I came to New York." Satella revealed, "Oh my, no wonder the jewel witch is such a snob. If she gets to live in such a luxury, she must be very rich." Rosette told Chrono. "Enough Rosette, you don't have to be so jealous, it's just a house. Besides, she's not a bad person, so what's with all the fuss?" Chrono said defending Satella. "Oh really, since when did you became her best friend?" Rosette brushed him off. "I'm just saying that you don't have to be so negative about her all the time." Chrono said. "Whatever!" Rosette brashly said. "You really have a beautiful home Satella. I was wondering if you can give us a tour?" Azmaria asked. "Certainly, I am glad that you like it."

Satella lead them all into the mansion and showed them around. The mansion looked like a home of an aristocrat. It had loads of fine arts, whether it was through furniture or through silverware. "Wow, this is incredible! It's full of fine arts!" Rosette remarked as she was fascinated by the classiness of the mansion. "Yeah, I never knew that you three have a friend who lives in such a luxurious home." Maria said amazed with what she saw. "Well, we didn't know either, until now that is." Rosette said unfazed. "Our family has been managing trade for fine art. After my mother got married, we have been also managing juwels." Satella explained about the arts. "After my master died, Ms. Satella had inherited all the funds." Steiner revealed as they continued walking across the hall. "Since this is quite the occasion, I think it's only natural that we dress up before dinner!" Steiner suggested. "Why? What's wrong with the clothes we are currently wearing?" Maria asked the butler. "Nothing really, it's just that at times like these, you ought to make yourselves look more presentable. Don't you think?" Steiner said as he made his point across. "Well, I guess you do have a point." Chrono unsurely admitted. "Well then, before we get ourselves dressed for dinner, shall we go see more of what my mansion has to offer?" Satella asked enthusiastically. "Yes Miss Satella, we sure would love to see more!" Azmaria said with joy. It took them a few hours to see the entire mansion. After going through all the various rooms, they went into the amazingly beautiful garden. After the tour was finished, they went into the dressing rooms where they changed into outfits that were given to them by Satella. Rosette dressed herself into an elegant, long sleeved dress with a hemline that exposed a bit of her cleavage along with a neck collar around her neck. The blue color ran along the middle of the dress with a yellow flow on the sides of an all white gown. Azmaria was also dressed into a long sleeved dress. The lower part of the gown was black while the upper part was white with the bow wrapped around the waist and the bottom sleeves. Maria got herself dressed into a short, spaghetti strapped green dress that nicely outlined her sleek figure. Satella was dressed in a long red dress with short puff sleeves that exposed a huge amount of her cleavage. Finally, Chrono got dressed in a black sailor outfit, much to his disappointment as he thought he looked ridiculous in it. After dressing, they walked down to the dining room where Satella's butler had already prepared the table for dinner. The dinner consisted of knodel dumplings with gravy, mushrooms, schnitzel and sliced white bread along with German white wine. "My, this really is such a wonderful place you live in Satella!" Rosette said with amazement. "Do you really think so?" Satella asked. "Yes, it sure is! Besides, I hardly ever get to wear something like this!" Rosette remarked cheerfully. "I am glad that you all are enjoying yourselves. Anyways, let's sit down and eat before the food gets cold!" Satella said with satisfaction and they all sat down. "You know what? I take back my first impression of you! You're a really nice person after all!" Rosette concluded positively. She lifted her glass and took a sip of the wine. After realizing that it wasn't juice, Rosette abruptly spitted it out onto Chrono's face. "This is alcohol!?" Rosette said with surprise as she showed Satella the wine bottle. "What's wrong? You don't like wine?" Satella asked confused. "Are you aware that alcohol is illegal in this country? Besides, I'm still under aged." Rosette asked in disbelief as she pointed out that she wasn't an adult. "So what! There's no point in following such a ridiculous law. Where I come from alcoholic beverages like beer and wine are a normal part of daily life." Satella stated while clearly opposing the prohibition law. "Don't worry about it. I'm under aged as well. 19 years old to be precise!" Satella said as she revealed her age. "No way, you're 19 years old?!" Rosette asked surprised as she could not believe that such a busty, well developed young woman like Satella was only 19 years old. "What a coincidence! I am 19 years old as well!" Maria stated. "What? You're 19 years old as well?" Rosette asked again surprised as she never would have thought that Maria was the same age as Satella. "Now that I think of it, while growing up my parents would sometimes give me and my sister wine mixed with water at our meals while they drank wine with their daily meals except for breakfast." Maria explained. "Are you telling me that you were introduced to alcohol at such a young age?" Rosette loudly asked. "Yes, it's an Italian cultural tradition that dates back centuries ago. Where my parents come from, it's perfectly normal to drink wine with your daily meals and on special occasions. It's also perfectly normal for people of my culture to be introduced to wine while they are still children in the hopes that they won't abuse it by the time they have reached adulthood. Not long before this damn Prohibition law came into place, I was already drinking full strength wine with my meals." Maria explained as she shared the same opinion as Satella in regards to the prohibition law. "Well, maybe you're right! I never tried alcohol before until now so I wouldn't be able to tell the difference." Rosette said to Satella. "Well, now it's the opportunity to continue sipping it. Don't worry! Nothing bad will happen." Satella said trying to convince Rosette. "Okay, if you say so." Rosette said as she initially hesitated sipping the wine. Thirty minutes later after Rosette and Satella drank several glasses of wine, they became drunk. "More!" Rosette said in a drunken tone while Satella was holding the wine bottle. "Alcohol sure is delicious! It's better than what I expected!" Rosette cheerfully said as she continued drinking her wine with Satella. "It really is great, isn't it?" Satella asked with a slurred speech. "Don't you think you've had enough Rosette?" Maria asked worriedly as she could tell that Rosette was drunk. "She's right Rosette, perhaps you should stop. I think you are drinking too much." Azmaria nervously stated as she agreed with Maria. Rosette mischievously looked at Azmaria. "Drink it Azmaria! You don't know what you're missing!" Rosette said in a drunken tone and forced her to drink the wine. "Mr. Steiner, shouldn't you stop them? They're acting a little out of control." Chrono asked as he was worried that Rosette and Satella's drunkenness would prevent them from getting back to the Order. "I'm sorry. It's just that I haven't seen my lady so happy in such a long time. In front of people, she is usually very strong and would not show her softer side. As a result, she never made any friends." Steiner explained as they watched the three girls laughing while Maria simply face palmed at Rosette and Satella's drunk state. "Today is a splendid day, wasn't it?" Steiner remarked positively as he was happy to see Satella having fun while Chrono smiled with the butler. "My, what are you laughing at?" Satella said as she abruptly appeared in front of Chrono and pulled his head towards her cleavage, much to his discomfort. "This is bad mannered my lady." Steiner told Satella. "Don't worry, it's all right!" Satella said gently as she put her finger on his face. "Could she actually be a….. Pedophile!?" Chrono yelled uncomfortably as Satella was smothering him to death. "Well, she is rather fond of young boys." Steiner stated. "Ahahahaha, just kidding!" Satella said as she let go of Chrono and seated herself on a chair by the fireplace. "To be honest, I thought I had finally found him! Ten years have passed and I've tried so much and I still have absolutely no clue. I am starting to get tired." Satella said disappointedly while she was stretching out of tiredness. "Mother, Father, Sister. May I give up now?" Satella asked herself while she looked at a picture of her being with her family. Suddenly, Rosette appeared from behind Satella and began to pound Satella's head with her fists. "Ouch, what the hell are you doing? That hurts!" Satella yelled out in pain while Chrono had a horrified look on his face. "How can you say such a thing?" Rosette frustratingly asked Satella as she stopped pounding her. "Anyways, sit right there!" Rosette demanded while she dragged Satella onto the floor next to Chrono. "Life is always about battling time!" Rosette loudly preached. "You're just saying that because you have a long life waiting for you." Satella said to Rosette unimpressed. "You're missing the point. Those who don't have such time have to work hard or else huge regrets will come." Rosette drunkenly said as she tried to make her point. "I myself don't even have so much time!" Rosette said and then fell onto the floor as she passed out. "Oh my, she passed out!" Satella yelled. "Oh dear, I'll take her out for some fresh air until she regains her consciousness!" Chrono said with amusement as he picked Rosette up from the floor, placed her on his back, and carried her. "I can't believe that girl? She goes out preaching like that and then she passes out." Satella said perplexed. "It's not that. To tell you the truth, Rosette had formed a contract with Chrono." Azmaria said as she started explaining. "A contract? What do you mean by that liebekind?" Satella asked with curiosity. "A contract is when a human agrees to give its life force to a demon as a way for the demon to receive its powers. The downside to this is that since Chrono can channel energy directly through his contractor that means that Rosette's life gets shortened every time he transforms and uses his powers." Azmaria continued explaining. "So in other words, she's using up her soul?" Satella asked. "That's right. She's doing this in the hopes of finding her brother." Azmaria revealed to Satella. "What you mean is that by trying to find her brother, she'll die?" Maria asked. "Yes, by giving her life force to Chrono, her life is on borrowed time, which means that once the seal watch stops ticking, Rosette will die." Azmaria emotionally explained. "I don't believe it. How can a girl like her be so willing to sacrifice her life just like that? So she can find her brother?" Maria asked herself in disbelief as she could not bear the thought of Rosette having to die. Meanwhile, Chrono placed Rosette by the stairs and sat down beside her as he watched over her. "Joshua." Rosette mumbled in her sleep. Chrono realized that Rosette was worried about Joshua and he then hugged her affectionately. "Soon Rosette, I promise you, we'll find him soon!" Chrono emotionally said as he continued to hug her even tighter. "Urrrr, it's hot!" Rosette mumbled to herself. As she was stretching, she accidentally knocked some highly decorative pots which then came rolling down onto the stairs, much to Chrono's horror. "What's that noise?" Maria asked. "It seems that the noise is coming from upstairs. Let's check and see what's going on." Steiner said and they all ran to the entrance hall towards the stairs. "Oh mein Got, what happened to all the pots?" Satella panicked as she could not believe that all of their highly crafted pots were smashed. "Hmm, what's with all the noise?" Rosette asked in a tired voice as she slowly opened her eyes and saw Satella in front of her. "Thanks to you Sister hothead, our beautiful pots are now all broken! For that, I am charging you $500!" Satella furiously said. "$500, are you out of your goddamn mind? You know I don't have so much money to pay for all of this broken crap, so why are you charging me so much?" Rosette angrily asked. "Because those finely crafted pots were one of my family's finest trades. Besides, it's only natural for you to pay for the broken items since you are the reason why they are all damaged." Satella explained. "Fine, I'll pay for your damn broken pots! But I'll need to ask the Order to lend me the money first." Rosette reluctantly agreed. "I don't care how you get the money. Just give it to me as quickly as possible!" Satella demanded. "It's getting kind of late now. What do you think we should do?" Chrono asked. "You can all stay at my mansion for the night!" Satella suggested. "But wouldn't the Order be worried about our whereabouts?" Chrono asked. "He does have a point. The Order would indeed become worried to where we have gone. Now that I think of it, I do hope Father Remington isn't becoming worried about me being away from the Order for so long." Maria said as she had a feeling that the minister was becoming worried sick about their prolonged absence. "I'll tell you what. We'll stay here for the rest of the night, and when morning comes we'll go back to the Magdalene Order!" Rosette said firmly once she stood up. "Very well Rosette, if you insist." Chrono sighed.

Early the next morning, Rosette, Chrono, Azmaria and Maria got themselves out of bed, changed into their regular clothes and went down to the main hallway entrance. "Thank you so much for yesterday Mr. Steiner, Satella!" Rosette gratefully said. "No problem Rosette! Yesterday was indeed a great day!" Steiner said fondly. "Yeah, now if you'll excuse us, we better get going back to the Order. They'll probably be expecting me to write a full report on our absence." Rosette stated. "Then in that case, Farewell and do come visit us some other time if you can!" Steiner said as he bid them a goodbye and they left the mansion. When they got back, Sister Kate and Father Remington were waiting for them outside. "Here they are!" The minister said as they both saw them coming. "Good morning Rosette. We were worried sick about you four last night. Where have all of you been?" Sister Kate concernedly asked. "It's a long story. We'll explain the details later!" Rosette said as she tried to avoid telling them the reason for their prolonged absence. "Well, the most important thing is that you are all here safe and sound! That's what counts, right?" Father Remington said in relief. The minister then looked at Maria and walked towards her. "So tell me my dear Maria, how did you enjoy yourself yesterday?" Father Remington asked smoothly as he was holding Maria's hand. "Fine I guess. I do hope I didn't make you worried or anything." Maria said shyly. "Well, I was a little worried. But I'm glad to see that you are all right!" The minister said in relief. "Thank you for your concern Minister! I really didn't intend to be away for so long." Maria apologetically said. Just then, Sister Kate noticed an odd sense of smell on Rosette. "Rosette, what is that unusual smell on you?" Sister Kate asked while looking suspiciously at all of them. Chrono couldn't withstand the suspicious look and became very anxious. Sister Kate seeing an uneasy expression on his face said "Is there something you would like to tell me Chrono?" "Well, to tell you the truth, the reason why we couldn't come back to The Order last night was really because Rosette got drunk and it was already pretty late. We didn't want the police to suspect Rosette being drunk, so we decided to stay at a friend's place until her drunkenness would pass." Chrono ratted everything out as he couldn't withstand Sister Kate's interrogation. "What? Do you have any idea what you just did, Sister Rosette?" Sister Kate yelled in anger for Rosette's irresponsible drinking. "I'm really sorry Sister Kate, I didn't want to get drunk, I just tried a little bit! It won't happen again, I promise!" Rosette begged her with guilt. "I really hope so, but you won't escape the responsibility and as punishment, you will clean the Mass room for the whole week." Sister Kate ordered her. "The Mass room! You can't be serious, right?" Rosette said obviously trying to avoid the task. "Yes, I am serious and you will start right now." Sister Kate said in a stern voice. "Come on! I can't clean the whole Mass room all by myself. That will take me forever!" Rosette said in protest. "I don't care if you clean it all by yourself or not, just get it done, understand?" Sister Kate said as she was already irritated by her whining. Rosette was grumbling in frustration. "Don't worry Rosette. We'll help you with the cleaning!" Chrono said as a way to cheer Rosette up. "Sure you'll help me clean it up! It's your fault you ratted me out!" Rosette turned her frustration on Chrono and began to hit him. Maria and Azmaria felt sorry for poor Chrono. "Would it help if Azmaria and I lend you a helping hand?" Maria offered to help. "You would do that for me?" Rosette asked. "Of course Rosette, we're friends now and friends should stick together in times like this." Maria said passionately to Rosette. "I guess you're right, I really have nothing to worry about. I really do have great friends that are always there for me." Rosette said optimistically. They went to get breakfast before they started their enormous task of cleaning the whole Mass room.

Chapter 11

For the past one and a half month things have been quite eventful. Rosette and Chrono continued on with their missions with Azmaria coming along to help set up the crucifix barriers. Maria however, stayed at the Order, helping out Father Remington with his Order duties. The last one and a half month had also been a busy time with planning the search for Joshua. During that time, Rosette formed an inseparable sisterly bond towards Azmaria and Maria and she had also started to look up to Maria as if she was her older sister. One night, when Thanksgiving was shortly approaching, Maria was having trouble sleeping as she was dreaming something that contained troubling past events. In her dream, Maria was in some kind of eerie dimension while also being in the nude. The atmosphere of the dimension became creepier as the space around her became gloomier and gloomier. Just then, hellfire appeared right in front of her and began to surround the entire dimension. "What's going on? Why have the fires of hell come to get me?" Maria said in a scared tone as she looked around and had a feeling that something bad was going to happen to her. "My child, I can see that you have sinned quite a bit! Tell me Maria, why did you do this?" God's voice asked Maria disappointedly. "I didn't do this out of my own free will." Maria said out of desperation. "I know, but that doesn't matter. You helped the Sinners with their goals, and for that there shall be no forgiveness!" God said with an uncaring tone. "What you've done was irredeemable, and as punishment for your sins, I shall condemn your soul to the flames of hell for all eternity!" God said to Maria angrily and the flames from hell intensified to the point that it began to swallow Maria up. "Aaaaahhhh!" Maria screamed in agony as the flames caught her and she began to burn. She suddenly found herself in yet another dimension which was pitch black. Maria began to look around her surroundings. "Where am I now? Why is everything so dark?" She asked herself out of curiosity. "Hey Maria, over here!" One girl's voice called out from behind Maria and she then turned and saw Rosette. "Rosette, it's great to see you!" Maria said with overwhelming relief. "Great? More like a disgrace if you ask me. How can you think about helping the Sinners with their crazy goals?" Rosette asked in a demeaning tone. "Yeah, I thought you were on our side Maria. How can you do such a thing?" Chrono said from behind Maria. "Chrono, you don't look at me as a sinner too, do you?" Maria asked nervously. "Oh my, what a shameful thing you have done Maria. How are you ever going to atone for your sins?" Azmaria asked terribly disappointed. "Yeah, and I thought that you hated demons? What a liar you are!" Satella said with obvious disgust. "Stop it! Stop putting me down like this! I am not at fault. I was forced to do this. How can you not understand?" Maria yelled at them as she was kneeling down and covering her ears. The harsh rejection she was supposedly receiving from Rosette and her friends was too much for her to bear. "Maria!" A man's voice called out towards her which caught her attention. Maria turned around and saw Father Remington walking towards her, much to her joyous relief. "Father Remington!" Maria called out and ran towards him. Once she reached him, she then hugged him tightly. "I am so happy to see you Father Remington! You have no idea of the pain I was going through." Maria said in a broken tone and tears began to fall from her eyes. "Get your hands off of me you sinner!" Father Remington said cold heartedly and aggressively pushed Maria away from him. "But Minister, why? Why are you turning your back on me? I thought you cared about me." Maria said in a heartbroken tone as she couldn't believe that the minister would reject her coldheartedly. "It was all just an act. I only pretended to care about you!" The minister said in a heartless tone. "This can't be happening." Maria thought to herself as she looked at the minister with heartbroken eyes. "No matter how hard you try to gain sympathy from me, you are nothing but a sinful demoness unworthy of any redemption!" Father Remington said to her harshly and his body then suddenly vanished. "Father Remington!" Maria called after him. Realizing that the minister was gone now too, Maria began to cry out of loneliness and rejection. Maria had never felt so ashamed and disgusted with herself in her entire life. "Maria! Don't cry! A beautiful maiden like you shouldn't have to cry her heart out over something so petty." A voice said to her. "Who's there?" Maria asked as she looked around. Just then, Aion appeared in front of her, much to her anger as she hated the sight of him. "Aion, what do you want, you bastard?!" Maria asked vehemently. "I want you of course! You are my favorite toy after all!" Aion said as he walked towards her. "Since no one, not even God himself will forgive you for helping us with our plans, I think it is time for you to become mine!" Aion said with a creepy tone. He was fondly touching her bare shoulders and face from behind. He then came in front of her and saw Maria's terrified look. Just then, Maria woke up from her intensely terrifying dream and began to take a deep breath as she was shocked from her nightmare. "Oh my God, what a hellish nightmare that was." Maria commented out of fright. "I can't believe that he is haunting me even in my dreams." She said out of disbelief as she looked out of her window at the night sky.

The next morning, Rosette, Chrono and Azmaria went to Sister Kate's office as they were summoned by Sister Kate. "Here are your train tickets to San Francisco!" Father Remington said as he handed them out to Rosette. "Thank you Father Remington! So I guess we shall be heading to the West Coast the day after Thanksgiving?" Rosette contently asked. "That's right! Your train will be leaving in the afternoon. Without further ado you must know that during your travel to San Francisco, you will be stopping by the Magdalene headquarters in Chicago." Sister Kate explained. "Wait a minute. How come there are four tickets?" Rosette asked surprised. "Speaking of which, I had also booked a ticket for Maria to come with you three. After all, she does know the place where Joshua is currently residing in, and Aion's goals. She was also involved with all the planning that we have done." Father Remington explained. "I see. Does Maria know anything about this?" Rosette asked. "I'll still have to tell her since we made the decision last night. But don't worry. I don't think she will have any objections coming with you!" The minister said. "That's good to hear. Besides, I actually wanted her to come with us to San Francisco. I believe she would be very helpful in finding Joshua!" Rosette optimistically said. "Very well then, you three are dismissed now." Sister Kate said and the trio walked out of her office. "Alright, I better be on my way as well!" The minister said as he made his way out of the office. "Where to if I may ask?" Sister Kate asked surprised. "To the dining room. I shall meet with Maria there." Father Remington answered and left the room. A little while later, Father Remington was in the dining room waiting for Maria to come. Maria walked into the dining room carrying a tray of hot tea with milk and sugar along with chocolate chip cookies. "Good morning Maria!" Father Remington said with a smile on his face. "Good morning Minister. Here, I brought you some tea and cookies that I made myself!" Maria said. "Thank you, how very thoughtful of you!" The minister smiled as she placed the tray on the table. "Maria, there is something I need to tell you about." Father Remington said. "About what exactly?" Maria curiously asked. "On the day after Thanksgiving, Rosette, Chrono and Azmaria will be heading to San Francisco to find Joshua." Father Remington started explaining. "I see. I guess this means that I won't be seeing them for a while." Maria said disappointedly. "However, I have a little surprise for you. You will be accompanying them on their travel to the West Coast where you will help them find Rosette's brother!" The minister explained. "That's great! But that means you won't have any assistance for a while Minister." Maria said both happy yet disappointed at the same time. "Don't worry about me. I am more than capable of managing my duties for the time being!" Father Remington reassured her. "Alright, if that's the case, I will be more than happy to help them out." Maria accepted. Once they were both done drinking the tea and cookies, Maria decided to take her leave. "Alright, I better be going now. I will need to meet up with Rosette and the others." Maria said as she stood herself up from the chair. "Very well then, see you later Maria." Father Remington said and she then left the dining room. Meanwhile, Rosette, Chrono and Azmaria were outside by the fountain as they were enjoying the fresh, crisp air. "Ahhhhh, isn't Fall such a wonderful season?" Rosette asked cheerfully while she was stretching. "Yes, it sure is! I really love the colored leaves that the season has to offer. It's just so beautiful!" Azmaria said in agreement. "Yeah, and speaking of Fall, this will be your first Thanksgiving with us in the Order Azmaria!" Chrono remarked. "That's right, and this will also be Maria's first Thanksgiving with us as well." Rosette stated. "Speaking of which, there she is!" Chrono said as he saw Maria walking towards them. "Well, I can see that everyone is looking forward to the festive holiday tomorrow." Maria said as she was walking towards the fountain. "Hi Maria! Are you excited for Thanksgiving?" Rosette asked excitedly as she loved Maria's company. "Yes I am! However, to be honest I never really celebrated the holiday while growing up." Maria admitted. "What? You've never celebrated Thanksgiving before?" Rosette asked surprised. "That's right. It just wasn't something my family and I celebrated amongst our people, so I guess you can say that this will be my first year celebrating it." Maria explained. "So I see. Well in that case, be prepared for a bountiful event, because we are going food shopping! " Rosette announced enthusiastically. "You mean for the Thanksgiving feast tomorrow?" Maria asked. "Exactly, now let's get going!" Rosette answered. "Before we go, I want to tell you all how happy I am to be able to accompany you to San Francisco!" Maria said excitedly. "Yeah, we are all happy about it! It's about time we made a move on in finding Joshua which will make this Thanksgiving even more meaningful!" Rosette concluded and started walking towards her car while the other three followed her. Once they got to the city, they went to a few grocery stores and a market. They bought several huge turkeys, three sacks filled with potatoes, a sack full of corn as well as lots of cranberries and baking supplies for the pumpkin pies! After they had bought all of those things, they went to put the purchased foods into the car. "Oh my, we sure did buy a lot of food." Chrono commented as he placed the turkeys in the trunk. "Yep, but that's one of the things what Thanksgiving is about, right!" Rosette exclaimed. "I do hope you're not excited about tomorrow because of the food Rosette?" Chrono asked suspiciously. "Don't be ridiculous, I am not only excited for the food. I am also excited for the fact that we will all be spending quality time with each other!" Rosette answered enthusiastically. "Are you also referring to me Sister hothead?" A woman's voice said as she approached Rosette from behind. "Satella, what are you doing here?" Rosette asked out of surprise once she turned around. "Nothing really. I was only taking a little stroll when I all of a sudden bumped into you four." Satella answered. "Happy Thanksgiving Miss Satella!" Azmaria greeted as she came closer to her. "Happy Thanksgiving to you too liebekind!" Satella greeted back. "So, will you be joining us for the Thanksgiving dinner at the Order tomorrow?" Azmaria asked. "Well to tell you the truth, I don't really celebrate that kind of thing. Thanksgiving is not something that I take any particular interest in. But if it means so much to you liebekind, I could make time for your little celebration tomorrow!" Satella said softly as she accepted the offer. "That's great! I was hoping you would be able to spend some time with us before we head off to San Francisco the day after." Azmaria said as she was overwhelmed with joy at Satella's acceptance of their invitation. "You're going to the West Coast the day after Thanksgiving?" Satella asked. "Yes, that's correct." Azmaria confirmed. "What are you going to the West Coast for?" Satella asked again. "To find my brother Joshua. The Order said that's the place where he is currently residing in." Rosette stated. "In San Francisco, you don't say?" Satella commented curiously. "Yeah, however it's only a possibility. Regardless of that, we really hope that this journey will help us find Joshua as soon as possible!" Rosette explained. "Well then, I guess I'll be seeing all of you tomorrow! And Chrono, there's something I would like to tell you!" Satella said. "Yes Satella?" Chrono asked. "Make sure that Sister hothead doesn't gobble up everything in sight tomorrow, okay!" Satella teasingly advised Chrono. "What? Why you little bitch!" Rosette angrily fumed as she walked closer to Satella. "Now Rosette, be nice! She is our friend after all." Chrono said as he prevented her from charging at Satella. "Oh my, this sure is quite a commotion. I guess I better leave before Sister hothead gets all worked up!" Satella amusedly said to herself and walked away. After Rosette calmed down, they all drove back to the Order where they carried the Thanksgiving groceries into the entrance hall. "Wow, we sure did buy a lot of food for tomorrow!" Azmaria commented as she looked at the food items on the floor. "Yeah, but one thing for sure is that we'll all have one hell of a bountiful, festive meal! I can't wait for it to happen!" Rosette exclaimed cheerfully. "Well, I can see that you have returned. Judging by the looks of it, you have been out food shopping, haven't you?" Father Remington remarked as he was walking towards them. "Hi Minister!" Rosette greeted him as she blushed. "I just wanted to let you know that you didn't have to go out of your way to buy all of this food for Thanksgiving! The Order already has more than enough food for tomorrow's feast!" Father Remington revealed. "Oh I see. But the good side is that we'll have extra food for tomorrow! That's always a bonus, right?" Rosette said nervously while looking at the other three. "What? I thought we were actually sent to go food shopping!" Chrono looked at Rosette with a disapproving look. "Well, I never said we were sent in the first place." Rosette tried to justify her gluttonous behavior. "There's never enough food around for you, is there?" Chrono said unamused. "Alright, let's bring this food into the kitchen. Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day and we better do our best in preparing for this grand meal!" Rosette commanded enthusiastically while changing the subject. "I just hope you won't be helping out with the cooking." Chrono cringed. "What did you just say Chrono?" Rosette sternly asked as she walked over and pulled him by the shirt. "Nothing! It's just that whenever you cook something, it always ends up being a total disaster." Chrono nervously stated and Rosette punched him in the face. "I can cook well, damn it! It's just that nobody gives me the chance to do it!" Rosette yelled as she denied her terrible cooking skills. "Now then, shall we be heading to the kitchen?" Rosette asked as she suddenly calmed down. "What about Chrono?" Azmaria asked as Chrono was lying on the ground. "We'll just leave him there for now! We don't want the food to get spoiled, do we?" Rosette said heartlessly. "No, I guess not." Azmaria answered. "Alright now, pick up some of the food items and follow me!" Rosette ordered as the three girls picked up the food and walked their way towards the kitchen. Once the girls had left the entrance room, the minister walked towards Chrono to see if he was okay. "So, are you feeling alright Chrono?" The minister asked as he kneeled down. "No, does it look like I'm okay? I can't believe how violent Rosette can be sometimes." Chrono groaned while he felt as if his eyes were rolling. He then got himself up and stretched. "So what will you do now?" The minister asked. "I better go and help Rosette and the others. They'll probably need my help." Chrono answered as soon as he was done with stretching and ran his way towards the kitchen.

After they were all done organizing the food in the kitchen, Maria went with Father Remington to the indoor shooting range that was just recently rebuilt. Maria was practicing on how to shoot with a gun properly, with the goal of her being able to defend herself if she gets into a dangerous situation. While in the room, Maria shot at the target wall several times until she ran out of bullets. "My, I must say, it looks like you have been improving on your shooting skills!" Father Remington said impressed as he walked towards her. "You really think so Minister?" Maria asked. "Yes, you have proven to be quite competent with using a gun. I am proud of the progress that you have made lately!" Father Remington said with satisfaction. "Based on your progress, I would like you to keep this gun for your protection!" The minister said as Maria looked at him in disbelief. "But Minister, this is your gun. I can't possibly keep it!" Maria said. "Of course you can! I would be honored if you take it!" Father Remington softly said. "Thank you so much! I will take good care of it." Maria said gratefully. "You're welcome." The minister replied back. "There is one thing I would like to tell you Maria." Father Remington said. "What would that be?" Maria asked. "From now on, please call me by my first name, Ewan!" The minister asked her. "Sure, no problem!" Maria said and she along with the minister walked out of the shooting range room. They both decided to spend some time in the dining room. While they were having their dinner, something was occupying Maria's mind, which the minister quickly caught on. "Is something bothering you Maria?" Father Remington asked. "Nothing. Well actually, there is something that has been bothering me lately." Maria reluctantly admitted. "What would that be?" The minister concernedly asked. "As I am going to San Francisco after Thanksgiving, I somehow fear the possibility of being captured by the Sinners again." Maria revealed as her voice became weaker. "I know this is hard for you to talk about it Maria. But remember, I am here for you and you can tell me anything that is bothering you!" Father Remington encouraged Maria. "Lately, I have been having some very bizarre dreams in which I am being captured by Aion. Those dreams feel so real and terrifying, as if they are implying that something terrible will happen to me. After all, Aion already showed an unwelcomed attraction towards me." Maria continued explaining. "Also, I just can't stop thinking about those poor children called Apostles whom I was forced to help capture." Maria said with a sad tone of voice as the minister dropped his fork in shock. "Are you saying that you have seen the other five Apostles?" Father Remington asked in disbelief. "Yes, I didn't have any choice in this. Aion was the one who forced me to help them with their abduction. He told me that they would spare the lives of the children's families if I agreed to help kidnap them. They didn't want to draw too much attention to themselves and as I was the only one who was actually a human, the Sinners needed me to help lure the children. I only agreed to help them in order to prevent any deaths from happening." Maria further explained as the minister was just sitting and listened to what she had to say. "I can never forgive myself for what I have done." Maria said in a broken tone. "Tell me Ewan, do you view me as a sinner, a sinner with no chance or hope of redemption?" Maria asked as she looked at the minister with a sad look on her face. "No, I don't! What makes you think you don't deserve any forgiveness?" Father Remington asked. "Because I believe that there are sins so great, that they cannot be forgiven nor atoned for." Maria said. "I don't think you would have been chosen as the Holy Woman if you truly aren't worthy of forgiveness and redemption. Even though we are technically all sinners, if we do good in this world then we can redeem ourselves." Father Remington further explained. "How can you be so sure of that?" Maria asked surprised by the minister's compassion. "Because I can see the goodness in your heart, even if you yourself don't acknowledge it because of your sense of guilt." Father Remington said in a gentle, nurturing voice. "Thanks for telling me that Ewan!" Maria said with a soft voice as they both continued eating. Once they were both done with their dinner, Father Remington walked with Maria to her room. While they were walking along the hallway, Maria felt her heart pumping fast as she was feeling somewhat nervous. "What is this strange feeling? Why do I feel so warm around that man?" Maria asked herself as she had a feeling that she was becoming more and more drawn to the minister. "Well, here you are Maria." Father Remington said as they reached the door to her room. "Thank you for being there for me Ewan!" Maria said gratefully as she smiled at him. "No problem. Just remember, whenever you feel sad, angry or depressed, please be sure to always come to me." Father Remington advised. "Yes Ewan, I will keep that in mind." Maria agreed. Just then, the minister wrapped his arms around Maria and began to embrace her, much to her surprise as she began to blush. As Father Remington stopped embracing her, he looked at Maria affectionately. "Good night Maria! I hope you will feel better tomorrow!" The minister said softly and then walked away. Maria opened the door and walked into her room. "I can't believe it. Why am I having those feelings? Those feelings filled with joy and warmth. Could it be because of him?" Maria asked herself with curiosity as she walked over towards her window. She gazed at the night sky while having all these unanswered questions in her head. She could not understand why she was having those feelings and if the minister felt the same way about it.

The next morning, Rosette, Chrono and Azmaria were having pancakes with tea for breakfast, which made Rosette extremely excited. "Oh my, these pancakes look so tasty!" Rosette said enthusiastically as she looked at them with hungry eyes and began to devour them, much to Chrono's embarrassment. Just then, Maria walked into the dining room and saw Rosette gobbling her pancakes. "Good morning everyone!" Maria said slowly, which caught Rosette's attention. "Ahh, Good morning Maria!" Rosette greeted. "So, I guess this meal must be really tasty. Mind if I join you?" Maria asked. "Not at all Maria! On the contrary, we're actually quite happy that you have decided to spend some quality time with us." Rosette said cheerfully. "Speaking of quality time, I wonder when we will get to meet with Satella today?" Azmaria asked. "We can drive to her place and bring her to the Order this afternoon!" Chrono suggested while Rosette spitted her tea out on Chrono out of surprise. "What? You're actually suggesting us to pick up that snooty bounty hunter so she can spend time with us here?" Rosette asked Chrono out of disbelief. "Well, she is our friend now, isn't she? Besides, Azmaria invited her, remember?" Chrono defensively said. "I guess you do have a point. Besides, I can tell that Azmaria enjoys having Satella around!" Rosette admittedly pointed out. "Alright, it's settled. We shall pick Satella up from her mansion in the afternoon and bring her with us to the Order for our Thanksgiving dinner tonight!" Rosette announced, much to Azmaria's relief and joy. "Here you go Maria, have some pancakes!" Rosette said and placed a stack of pancakes on her plate. The portion size left her somewhat speechless but she helped herself with the pancakes and began to eat. As soon as Rosette and the others were done eating their breakfast, they started helping the Order with preparations for the Thanksgiving feast. Later in the afternoon, they all headed to Satella's mansion. Once they had reached her mansion, Rosette ringed the doorbell. Steiner opened the door and saw the four standing in front of the doorway. "Good afternoon, what brings you here at this hour?" The butler politely greeted them. "Good afternoon Steiner, we are here to pick up Satella. Do you know where she might be?" Azmaria asked. "She's right here!" Steiner said and Satella walked towards the door. "Guten Tag meine liebekind!" Satella cheerfully greeted. "Good afternoon to you too miss Satella! Are you ready for today's Thanksgiving feast?" Azmaria excitedly asked. "Of course liebekind! Today is a special day, isn't it?!" Satella happily confirmed. "And since today is a special day, that means I can play with Chrono for a little bit!" Satella said in a smothering tone and began to hug Chrono to death which made Chrono feel uncomfortable. "Alright, that's enough! Chrono's mine, so keep your hands off of him!" Rosette sternly said as she cut them off. "Mein Got, when are you ever going to stop being so possessive over him?" Satella irritatedly asked. "For your information jewel witch, he's my contractor!" Rosette explained crossly. "Just because he is your contractor, that doesn't mean he belongs to you!" Satella answered back defensively. "Come on Rosette, let's not get into a fight again, okay?" Chrono said as he intervened in their little fight. "My, this sure turned out to be quite funny, right Maria?" Azmaria asked as she obviously found the whole situation to be hilarious. "Yeah, but why does she flirt with a demon? Especially when a demon was the cause for her family's death." Maria remarked as the situation made her cringe. After the minor commotion by the mansion, they all then drove to the Order to get ready for the feast. "Well, here we are Satella. The Order of Magdalene!" Rosette said as they walked onto the Order's property. "Wow, the area looks so spread out. It's amazing to see that this is how the typical Magdalene Order looks like!" Satella commented on the architecture visibly impressed. "Well then, shall we get in?" Rosette asked. "Yes, of course! What kind of a question is that?" Satella answered. "You do have a point." Rosette admitted and they all entered into the hallway entrance. "That's strange. It appears that nobody is here." Maria said as they all could see that the building was as quiet as church mice. "Yeah, where is everybody?" Rosette asked curiously. "Maybe I could be of help!" A voice called out. All of a sudden, the Elder appeared in front of them, and lifted Rosette's gown, much to her frustrating annoyance. "Damn it Elder, when do you ever leave well enough alone?" Rosette yelled as she kicked the Elder in the stomach. "Come on, I was just trying to have a little fun. It's Thanksgiving after all, so please don't ruin the fun!" The Elder said in dismay. "Well it's not fun when you lift my gown all the time you old pervert!" Rosette said crossly. "In any case, I just wanted to let you know that the Thanksgiving meal will be served at 5:00 in the afternoon. So, we'll have plenty of time for preparations and for me to do some nice breast fondling!" The Elder said mischievously, obviously enjoying Rosette's reaction. Just then, the Elder saw Satella taking off her brown coat. As the Elder saw Satella's giant breasts, he became so overwhelmed with excitement, that he couldn't resist his urges. He also ended up with a nose bleed. "Hello there you sexy lady!" The Elder said flirtatiously while he walked closer to her with captivated eyes. "Who might you be old man?" Satella asked. "My name is Elder Edward Hamilton. The scientist and weapon inventor of the New York Branch." The Elder introduced himself. "I must say, you have such amazingly beautiful breasts!" The Elder commented and he then buried his face onto Satella's open cleavage. Such an act on his part outraged Satella so much that she grabbed the Elder's body and threw him towards the wall in front of her. "Mein Got, what the hell is this place? Why didn't you tell me that there was a pervert running lose in the Magdalene Order?" Satella furiously asked Rosette. "I'll explain everything later. For now, let's get ready and help everyone prepare the banquet room!" Rosette said to Satella as she tried to avoid further commotions.

When 5:00 came, all of the food was prepared and placed on the table with everyone taking their seats. Once everyone was present, Sister Kate stood up from her chair and decided to make a speech. "My dear fellow Christians, as you already know, today is a special day. It is a day where we give thanks to the Lord for having a bountiful harvest. However this year in particular is a special one, as this will be Azmaria's and Maria's first Thanksgiving with us in the Magdalene Order! Without further ado, we shall now pray to the Lord as an appreciation for the bountiful food that we are about to eat. Let us all now join in a prayer!" Sister Kate announced in front of the whole room and everyone began to pray silently as not everyone was part of the same Christian denomination. After prayers were over, the Thanksgiving meal began and everyone was putting food onto their plates. The meal consisted of several baked turkeys, mashed potatoes with gravy, several plates of corn, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pies. Red wine was served along with grape juice for those who did not drink. "So, are you enjoying your food Maria?" Father Remington asked Maria who was sitting beside her. "Yes Ewan, and I must say, this food is really delicious! It's definitely different from the food that I ate while growing up, but different in a good way!" Maria explained. "Well I'm glad you're enjoying it. After all, you and Azmaria are a part of us now, so it's great to see that you are enjoying yourself here!" The minister told her gladly while Maria was drinking the wine from her cup. "Mmmmm, this food is incredible Azmaria! I never knew that American food can taste this good!" Satella remarked enthusiastically while eating her food. "Well, it is Thanksgiving, so the food has to be good!" Azmaria stated. "Thank you so much for inviting me to this feast of yours liebekind. It truly is a joyous occasion!" Satella thanked Azmaria gratefully. "Sure Satella, I am glad you like it!" Azmaria replied. Meanwhile, Rosette was busy stuffing her mouth with food that was on her plate as if the food will disappear anytime. "Don't you think you should slow down a bit?" Chrono nervously asked as her eating habit was embarrassing him. "Shut up! This is Thanksgiving, so I'm going to be stuffing myself whether you like it or not!" Rosette brushed Chrono off and continued eating. "It would be so nice if Joshua were here with us now, wouldn't you say so Rosette?" Chrono asked. "Yeah, you're right! It would be nice indeed. Who knows, maybe next year that would be the case!" Rosette agreed as she so badly wished Joshua was with them right now. "I do hope we succeed in finding Joshua soon. Then we can finally be able to celebrate all of the holidays together!" Rosette said with great optimism. "I am sure we'll be able to find Joshua eventually Rosette. I am sure we will!" Chrono commented as he had a feeling that they will succeed in finding him.

Chapter 12

Thanksgiving had just passed by, and Rosette, Chrono, Azmaria and Maria were in Rosette's room packing their suitcases. "Thanks Azmaria!" Rosette said as Azmaria handed her a red dress. "Are you sure all of the dresses will fit? There's three more." Azmaria stated as she realized that they were running out of room. "It's alright, we'll just cram them in, and Chrono will be the one carrying the suitcase!" Rosette answered mischievously. "What? What did you just say?" Chrono suspiciously asked. "Come on, you're going to let a helpless girl carry such a heavy suitcase?" Rosette asked as she pretended to sound helpless. "It's not like we're going on a holiday Rosette. Do you really have to pack everything?" Chrono asked in frustration. Just then, Anna, Claire, and Mary along with Father Remington had come to the room to wish them luck on their mission to San Francisco. "So I can see that you are all getting ready for your departure today!" Father Remington said as they walked into the room. "Father Remington? Anna, Claire, Mary? What are you all doing here?" Rosette asked surprised of their visit. "We've come to wish you good luck on your mission to finding Joshua." The minister said. "Thank you Minister! We will need a lot of luck and a lot of prayers if we are to succeed!" Rosette answered. "Well I guess we won't be seeing you all for a while then." Sister Anna remarked. "By the looks of it, I believe so." Rosette answered. "Well, good luck on your mission then, we'll for sure be praying for you!" Anna said. "Come on Anna, we're not going to be away forever. You don't need to be worried so much!" Rosette reassured her as she tapped her on the shoulder. The minister then approached Maria. "Make sure to stay safe while you're away. I couldn't bear to forgive myself if something would happen to you." He said with a soft voice. "You don't have to worry about my safety Ewan. We'll be back before you know it!" Maria said as she was touched by his concern and tried to reassure him that everything will be okay. "Alright, if you don't mind, we still have to keep packing our suitcases. You don't want us to be late for our train, do you?" Rosette asked the girls. "No. Of course not! We just wanted to bid you all a farewell while we still have the chance, that's all." Claire explained. "In that case, we'll just let you continue packing. Have a nice trip!" Mary said loudly and they all left the room. In the early afternoon when they finally finished packing their suitcases, they left the Order and headed to Pennsylvania Station. From there, they would take a train to Chicago. "It looks like we're here." Chrono commented once they arrived at the station. "Yeah, all we have to do is find our train that will take us to Chicago and then we're set!" Rosette said. "My, I can see that this will be quite the journey!" One woman said from behind Rosette. Rosette then turned around, looked up and recognized Satella. "Oh my God! Not you again! Are you following us?" Rosette asked in disbelief. "Well, if it isn't Sister hothead! Maybe you're following me?" Satella answered. "No, and I don't intend to! Not in this lifetime!" Rosette grumbled. Azmaria was pleasantly surprised to see Satella. "It's wonderful to see you again Miss Satella. What are you doing here?" Azmaria asked. "Isn't it obvious? Steiner and I are heading to the West Coast with you! Besides, we are friends, aren't we?" Satella answered. "Yeah, of course we are!" Azmaria was visibly excited. "Attention all passengers, the train that is heading from New York City to Chicago will depart in fifteen minutes at 1:30 P.M. For any passengers going to Chicago, please step in on time." The train station announcer said, much to their alarm. "Fifteen minutes? In that case, we better get on the train right away." Maria said. "Right, come on everybody. Let's get onboard before the train leaves without us!" Rosette demanded and all six of them made their way to the train. Once they all boarded the train, Rosette, Chrono, Azmaria and Maria walked over to their own cabin which looked quite comfortable, while Satella and her butler had their own cabin which was at the other cart that belonged exclusively to them. Azmaria was very excited and took a seat beside the window so she could get a better view of the countryside. Rosette also couldn't hide her excitement. "Wow, the view is so beautiful!" Azmaria said cheerfully. "Just a few days until we reach San Francisco. Compared to the last four years, that's nothing. I can't believe that after all this time we may actually find Joshua!" Rosette thought with a sense of hope while she looked through the window. "It's beautiful, isn't it Rosette?" Maria asked. "Yes Maria, it sure is! I have a feeling that just beyond the horizons, Joshua must be there somewhere!" Rosette answered optimistically. "Your brother means everything to you, doesn't he Rosette?" Maria asked again sympathetically. "Yes he does. I would do anything to have him back, even if it means sacrificing my life in order for that to happen. Besides, he's the only family I've got left." Rosette explained. "There is just one thing that bothers me." Maria stated. "What would that be Maria?" Rosette curiously asked. "The fact that you formed a contract with Chrono, it means that you will eventually die at quite a young age. I can't stand the thought of you dying Rosette." Maria emotionally said. "It's okay Maria. Although death is one of the things I do fear, I fear more the thought of not finding Joshua on time. We will all eventually die one day, and none of us know when that will happen. Besides, this is all in God's hands." Rosette said as she tried to convince Maria. "I guess you're right, we can't do anything about it even if we wanted to." Maria admitted. "Alright! Since we are going to be on this train for a while, how about we go to the diner car to get something to eat?!" Rosette suggested once she stood up. "I'm all for it Rosette!" Chrono exclaimed and they all went out of their cabin. Just then, a young woman and her little son came by as they opened the door to their car. "Oh my, it's so crowded here. What a bother." The mother said with disappointment while she was carrying a huge luggage bag. "Can I sit down mommy?" The young boy tiredly asked. "I hope I'm not burdening you by any chance Sister, but do you have a place in your cabin for me and my son Jimmy?" The young woman asked Rosette. "Sure, just make yourselves at home. We can all switch out and take turns sitting! Chrono, help them move their bags." Rosette answered kindly as she commanded Chrono to help them with their luggage. "Sure!" Chrono answered. "My, you are all so terribly kind! Jimmy, say 'thank you' to them." The brown haired woman said to her son. "Thank you! Thank you very much sir!" The brown haired boy said to Chrono gratefully. "You're welcome!" Chrono said kindly to the boy. "May I be of some help?" Satella asked as she and Steiner approached them from the dining car. "Satella? What are you planning on doing?" Rosette asked out of surprise. "Well, it's obvious that this woman and her kid need a cabin to stay in. For that, I am offering to let them stay in my car! Besides, there are plenty of cabin rooms, and I am not intending on using them all!" Satella generously offered to the lady and her child. "Oh you don't have to Miss. We are already quite satisfied with what this Sister offered us." The woman declined. "But I insist! Steiner, lead this woman and her son to our car. Also, lead Sister hothead and her friends as well!" Satella said and commanded Steiner to take them to their cabin. "Certainly, my lady!" Steiner answered. "Why you?!" Rosette fumed at Satella. They all then walked into the dining room where Rosette opened one of the cabin rooms in Satella's car which was a huge, wide room with plenty of space for the woman and her kid. "Come on in Jimmy. You and your mother can come inside now! It appears that this incredibly rich lady here had rented an entire car. In other words, there is really lots of room here!" Rosette explained enthusiastically while the mother and her son remained speechless. "Make yourselves at home, after all with so many rooms there is no way she could possibly use them all! Isn't that right princess?" Rosette continued explaining loudly while teasing Satella. "No problem Sister hothead. Besides, it was my idea for them to stay in one of our cabins after all." Satella remarked as she was standing by the door. "Would you for the last time stop calling me Sister hothead?!" Rosette yelled irritated. "Sister, I know it's not very much but perhaps you would like to share these with all of your friends." The woman offered gratefully a bag of muffins to Rosette as thanks for offering her and her son to stay in their cabin. "Really? Thank you so very much!" Rosette said excitedly while she thanked the young lady. After she gave her the bag, the young lady then walked away. "Oh mein Got. Where does this vulgar girl puts it?" Satella asked herself while she cringed at Rosette's appetite. When Rosette opened the bag, she saw a picture that had the appearance of Joshua and something written on it. The writing said "My Dear Sister Rosette, I have something very urgent to discuss with you. Meet me at the cafeteria immediately! However, you must come alone!" Rosette was shocked when she saw the picture and she became suspicious of the woman's involvement with Joshua. "Hey, wait a minute." Rosette called out which caught Chrono's attention. "I need to go back into the dining car, I'll be back shortly." Rosette explained. "Why Rosette?" Chrono asked curiously. "I just want to buy something to eat. Here, you all take these muffins. We have a long day ahead of us, so I might get hungry and these muffins won't keep me satisfied for long." Rosette said as she didn't want anyone to know the real reason and gave the bag of muffins to Chrono. "Rosette?!" Chrono called out to her worriedly while Rosette ignored him. When Rosette got to the dining car, she looked around and saw the young lady at a table by the window. When the young woman saw Rosette coming in the dining car, she smiled at her as if nothing was wrong. "Who the hell are you, and why do you have Joshua's picture?" Rosette sternly asked as she was walking towards the table where the woman was sitting at. "You should calm that temper of yours, Sister Rosette." An old man said in a whispery tone as she passed by him, as if he was possessed. Rosette heard the whispery voice and turned around with suspicion. "How good of you to come, at last!" Another man's voice said. "We have been waiting for you for so long!" A woman's voice said. Rosette then all of a sudden remembered the spider demon from Grand Central Station. "So, you're the one from Grand Central Station?" Rosette asked as she immediately recognized the manipulative method Rizel used on humans. "It's been quite some time since we last met, Sister Rosette! But I've come back to you as promised!" The young lady said with a grin on her face that grew creepier as she continued to speak. Meanwhile, Chrono and the others were in one of Satella's cabin rooms resting as they waited for Rosette to come back. "I wonder what's taking Rosette so long? She should be back by now." Chrono said, voicing his concern. "I don't know Chrono. Maybe she's just taking her time." Azmaria suspected. "If that's really the case, then how come my instincts tell me otherwise?" Chrono commented suspiciously. "Excuse me sir, have you seen my Mommy?" Jimmy asked Chrono nervously as soon as he approached him. "I think I saw her heading towards the dining car. If you want, I can get her for you." Chrono kindly offered. "Really? Thank you Mister!" Jimmy said happily. "Wait a minute, is that what I think it is? Yes, it is." Chrono said in his head suspiciously as he saw something on the boy's shoulder. Knowing what it was, he then swiftly grabbed the thing on the boy's shoulder, and the boy all of a sudden passed out onto the ground. "Chrono, what's going on? Did you detect something?" Maria asked confused. "Yes, and I think I know what it is!" Chrono confirmed. Chrono showed them the thing that he caught from the boy's shoulder. "Oh my, it's a black spider." Azmaria said with shock. "Are you implying that this has something to do with Rosette being in danger?" Maria asked. "Yes, that is exactly what I mean. And for that, I will need some crucifix barriers." Chrono said and ran out of the room to retrieve some crucifix barriers that were in their own cabin.

"I know everything about your perversions. So tell me, what do you want?" Rosette demanded angrily. "Relax Sister, there's no need to rush. Let's be civil about this." The possessed woman said. "Why should I?" Rosette asked sternly. "Perhaps because you want to see Lord Joshua!" The woman answered. "Lord Joshua? Are you saying that my brother is alright?" Rosette asked out of great curiosity. "Yes, he is doing quite well. Although he says that the noise bothers him." The possessed lady revealed. "The noise? He is not in pain, is he?" Rosette asked worriedly. "Well, he's always screaming. I must say, that brother of yours has been stealing so much of the Lord's attention, since he is one of his favorite toys. Just thinking about it makes me want to kill that little brat!" Rizel said in a bitter voice. "What's with her? Does she actually hate Joshua?" Rosette thought to herself as she could tell that Rizel deeply resented him. "Now, let's get back to business. Remove that pocket watch of yours." The possessed woman commanded Rosette. After some hesitating, Rosette took off the pocket watch from her neck and placed it on the table. "Excellent! Now that's out of the way, I'll be changing your travel plans." The woman said with a satisfied grin and snapped her finger which then caused the dining car to become disconnected, much to Rosette's surprise. "I'm afraid that leaving your friends behind was quite necessary. After all, it would be rather foolish to bring Chrono before Lord Aion." The lady said with satisfaction while Rosette heard some laughing voices across the dining car. "Your precious Lord Joshua is calling for you, even from the depths of all the suffering he is going through. Perhaps you will be the one who will comfort him!" The lady said as she was taunting her. "Damn you!" Rosette yelled angrily, charged at the young lady and pinned her to the ground. "I want you to stop the trains right now and set the passengers free. Do it now!" Rosette demanded angrily while pointing the gun at the young lady. At that moment it looked like that the young lady came out of Rizel's mind control. "Please Sister Rosette. Forgive me, and my son Jimmy!" She begged Rosette with a weak voice while obviously trying to resist the demon's mind control. "Hahahaha, are you going to shoot her Sister Rosette? Are you really going to shoot this innocent Marionette? She is just a human in my way." Rizel's voice said sinisterly as she taunted Rosette. "Jimmy!" The woman cried out. Rosette lowered her gun and then heard the voices of the possessed passengers around her laughing. She started to have a scared look on her face, much to Rizel's joy. "That face, I really wanted to see that face! What can we do?" Rizel's voice asked out of apparent satisfaction as she regained mind possession of the young woman. "What shall we do next for her? With his lovely sister?" The possessed lady asked while she softly touched Rosette's face. Rosette felt extremely unpleasant and shocked as the woman moved her hands down from her face. All of a sudden, a strange green light shinned across the dining car which caused the possessed passengers to scream and fall unconscious. "A crucifix barrier?" Rosette wondered as she noticed that someone had set up a crucifix barrier around the outside of the train. In actuality, the crucifix barrier was set up from the top of the train. At that moment, Chrono charged in through the window, much to Rosette's relief. "Chrono!" Rosette yelled out as she was happy to see him. "I had a feeling that something weird was going on. You are such a terrible liar. You would never give up muffins!" Chrono said smiling. "Thanks Chrono! I owe you!" Rosette said happily. "Rosette, where did the pocket watch go?" Chrono asked in a shocked tone as he saw that Rosette's pocket watch wasn't with her. "Hahahaha, so you have finally noticed?! I have found myself such a lovely new toy to play with!" Rizel revealed sinisterly. "She is in the first class." Chrono said to Rosette and they both made their way towards that cabin. When they got there, they saw a tall man with a blue suit holding Azmaria hostage. Satella and Maria were injured and unconscious while two other men were beside them. The man that was holding Azmaria on his right arm held onto Satella's hair by his left hand while Maria was lying on the floor. "Satella, Maria, Azmaria?" Rosette yelled out of shock. "I am sorry Rosette. Satella and Maria were trying to protect me." Azmaria said as she revealed that the three men knocked them out unconscious. "Where are you?" Chrono asked in a cross voice. "Hahahahaha, how many times do I have to remind you? My puppets are still humans. But if you want to shoot so badly..." Rizel said to Chrono while he saw that the pocket watch was placed on a spider web on the ceiling to the right. "Stand over there." The tall man from the right directed Chrono as he pointed out the spot. Both Rosette and Chrono hesitated angrily while Rosette pointed her gun towards them. "Enough talk." The man in the middle said impatiently and slowly began to choke Azmaria with his arm. Rosette slowly took a step back as she became terribly worried about Azmaria's safety. "Please Rosette. Let's just do as they say." Chrono whispered to Rosette and he then walked towards the three men as they were grinning sinisterly while Rizel laughed creepily again. "Now you, shoot him!" The man commanded Rosette as he pointed his finger at her. Rosette was shocked with such an order that she just heard. "No, Rosette." Azmaria said in a terrified voice and the man that was holding her by the arm continued to squeeze her neck. "Hurry up and fire Sister Rosette." Rizel said to Rosette who hesitated over the order of shooting Chrono. "Just do it, go ahead and shoot me." Chrono said strongly to Rosette, much to her shocking surprise as she never thought that Chrono would instruct her to do such a thing. "No Chrono, you can't." Azmaria cried out. "Rosette, aim right here and don't miss. Shoot at the center." Chrono told Rosette in a deadly serious tone as he pointed himself on his chest. "No Rosette, you can't shoot Chrono." Azmaria desperately yelled out towards her. "Azmaria, please, I need you to pray for Chrono for me." Rosette emotionally said to Azmaria as she readily pointed her gun towards Chrono. Chrono then closed his eyes and prepared himself to be shot. Rosette also closed her eyes as she couldn't bear to see herself shooting Chrono. She then shot Chrono in the chest and his body lost control. He fell backwards towards the man who was holding Azmaria. The weapon backpack that he had on his back knocked the man out, which allowed Azmaria to be freed. Azmaria then quickly got out her small bottle of holy water and splashed it towards the spider web which caused the web to disintegrate. The two men that were left standing were also lifted from Rizel's mind control and they both passed out onto the floor. Upon seeing this, Rosette ran towards Chrono. "Chrono!" Rosette yelled out as she saw him lying on the ground. Rosette feared that Chrono might have been dead as he wasn't responding. "Chrono!" Azmaria said once she got herself up as she also worried about the same possibility. Just then, Chrono slowly stood up from the floor and showed the girls the pocket watch that he successfully caught when the web was destroyed. Rosette and Azmaria were overwhelmed with relief and joy that Chrono was alright and they both hugged each other out of happiness. A while later, after Satella and Maria woke up, they all went to the dining car to check and see if everyone onboard was alright. Much to their relief, all of the passengers were their old selves again. "Attention passengers, until we get back, please don't leave this car no matter what happens." Rosette announced to the passengers. "And Satella, make sure you and Maria don't get knocked out next time!" Rosette said to Satella. "What?! What did you say?" Satella asked offended. "Okay now, that's enough you two!" Chrono frustratingly said to the two as he tried to calm them down.

Rosette, Chrono and Satella walked their way to the storage car to find the demon responsible for mind controlling the passengers while Maria and Azmaria stayed behind in the dining car to look after the passengers. When the trio reached the storage room, Rosette opened the door. "Okay, here we go! Watch your backs!" Rosette instructed with caution as she knew that Rizel could be lurking anywhere. They walked slowly into the room carefully as they didn't know what to expect. Just then, they all heard a thumping noise on the roof top of the train. "There!" Rosette loudly said and began to shoot towards the ceiling. After she shot at the ceiling several times, the part where it was shot all of a sudden cracked opened, much to everyone's surprise, particularly Rosette's. Rizel then shoot her spider webs at Rosette's gun, twisted the webs around the weapon along with her hands, and pulled Rosette out on the top of another train. "Rosette!" Chrono yelled after her. "Hahahaha, so we finally meet! It's not what I planned but as long as I bring you back it should be satisfactory!" Rizel gloated and disconnected the cars that Chrono and the others were in. "Chrono!" Rosette yelled out. "Now that those nuisances are finally gone, our real journey can begin at last!" Rizel said with excitement. "First, I will have to take control of your body. While you are asleep, we will arrive at San Francisco, and your precious little brother will be waiting for you there!" Rizel explained. "What about the engineers? Release the hostages at once!" Rosette said as she realized that the train continued to ride uncontrollably. "Hahahaha, don't be ridiculous, there are no hostages on this train! I ate them!" Rizel revealed sinisterly. Rosette was horrified, realizing that no one was driving the train as well as Rizel's gruesome cruelty. Rosette then broke the webs on her hands and began to shoot at Rizel, but the bullets however had no effect on her. "I won't forgive you! You'll pay for involving others!" Rosette said angrily. "What difference does it make? You won't be able to defeat me with those!" Rizel stated. "Alright, then how about this?!" Rosette said and loaded a Gospel bullet into her pistol. "That bullet must be very powerful. But will you be able to use that here?" Rizel asked. Rosette then realized that with the wind and vibration, the aftershock would be too strong should she fire the Gospel bullet at her. Rizel took the opportunity to use her hand claws on Rosette which Rosette managed to miss. However, as she managed to avoid Rizel's attacks, she fell off of the edge of the train. Rizel used her webs to catch Rosette's gun and dragged the weapon along with Rosette's body back up onto the train again. "That was a close one! Now, to make sure that you are not bored during the trip, I'll play with you for a while!" Rizel said with relief and extended her metal claws that were on her prosthetic arms. Rosette positioned her long gun towards Rizel as she prepared herself to shoot her. "It's no use, resistance is pointless!" Rizel said and swiftly cut Rosette's gun in half with her claws. After that, she used her claws and cut her clothing into pieces as well as painfully scratching her body. Rosette screamed in pain as she became wounded from the spider demon's cuts. "Hahahaha, what a nice look you've got there!" Rizel laughed as she looked at her bloody wounds as well as her torn up clothing. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you anymore! It's the orders from that boy, I mean Lord Joshua!" Rizel reassured her. "How pathetic! I can't believe I'm taking orders from a human. My lord has become too playful. Why would he use me to help that broken doll?" Rizel asked herself resentfully. "Now I see, Aion needs Joshua and you hate him for it." Rosette pointed out which caught Rizel's attention. "What do you mean?" Rizel asked confused. "I can tell from your tone. Joshua's not satisfied, so I'll be the one who will take him back!" Rosette said to the spider demon. "Don't try to act so strong. What can you possibly do by yourself?" Rizel asked skeptically. "I'm not alone. Even if we ride on the same train, we will head to the destination on our own. I'll never go with you! I won't ride on the same train with someone who places their jealousy on my younger brother." Rosette said with confidence, much to Rizel's irritation. "Shut up you little bitch! You siblings sure get on my nerves! Become a damn Marionette already!" Rizel angrily said and unleashed a horde of miniature metal spiders at Rosette. Rosette became disgusted with what she was seeing. "I'll teach you the great feeling of becoming one. Have fun, my dear." Rizel said with great satisfaction while the miniature spiders were coming closer towards Rosette. Just then, Rosette got an idea. She lured the spiders into the opening of her pistol. Once all of them were inside her gun, Rosette opened fire with her regular gun towards Rizel and a long spider web came out, which took Rizel by surprise. "Hahahaha, you fool. How will that help you?" Rizel mockingly asked as she underestimated Rosette. "What?!" Rizel said in surprise as she realized that a long web had trapped her head while the web was tied to a utility post. Furious with what she just witnessed, Rizel charged towards Rosette while she took the opportunity to shoot the demon. "Now you taste it! How it feels to be a Marionette!" Rosette yelled out at her while Rizel began to scream in pain. Rosette ran towards the spider demon and pointed her gun at her. "I've caught you!" Rosette concluded victoriously as she loaded her gun with a Gospel bullet. "Gospel!" Rosette yelled out and shot towards the spider demon which then caused a huge energy bolt. The energy bolt was so strong that it caused Rosette to lose her balance and as a result, made her fall off the train. However, just before she could fall off, she managed to catch on to the top ledge of the train and helped herself back up. While she was getting herself back up, she saw Rizel breathing furiously. "How dare you!" She yelled in a cross voice. "You won't get away. You're coming with me." Rizel despaired and began to cough out blood. "Where are you? Come out!" Rizel yelled in anguish. Rosette could see that the spider demon was now blind due to the Gospel attack. "How could I make such a fatal mistake? This was supposed to be an easy mission." Rizel said weakly and coughed out even more blood. Rosette was amazed at how Rizel was still able to keep her strength. "I will, I will complete my mission. And I will return to you Lord Aion." Rizel said desperately while not willing to admit defeat. She then lifted up her head and looked as if she had hopelessness in her eyes. "We Sinners have nowhere else to go. Even if that boy is important to you, I…" Rizel explained in a broken tone and before she could finish explaining, Rosette saw a spider going towards her, much to her surprise. Rizel took the opportunity to attack Rosette with her metal claws. Rosette however accidentally let go of the train ledge and fell off the train again. She began to yell as she believed that she was now done for. Just then, she felt someone catching her. She turned around and saw that Chrono was the one who managed to catch her. She then saw both Chrono and Satella riding on one of Satella's jewel monsters that she summoned. "Rise, Tiefer Fisch!" Satella commanded her jewel monster in the form of a ghostly fish to rise up closer to the train. "Now! Fire, Rosette!" Chrono instructed her. "Rosette!" Rizel said angrily as she charged towards her. "Fire at her!" Chrono told her while Rosette aimed her gun towards the spider demon. "Rosette!" Rizel yelled in agony as she charged her claws towards her. Rosette screamed and fired her gun at Rizel which caused a huge explosion. The train that exploded fell off from the bridge and down to the cliff while Rizel's body was obliterated in a thousand pieces as a result from the explosion. After the explosion, a spider landed on Chrono's hand. Chrono looked down at the bottom of the cliff and saw Rizel's severed head on the river bank. "Rizel it's me. What does Aion need Joshua for?" Chrono asked curiously as he communicated to her through the spider. "Chrono, if you hadn't left our lord. Don't you see? Our dream, the Sinners dream is still the same. The dream of gaining our freedom. If all the Apostles and the Holy Woman join, we will be freed from Pandemonium's chains." Rizel explained in a weak tone as she was dying. "Apostles?" Rosette asked out of curiosity. "You better hurry Sister Rosette. The reason why I came here is so that the boy will remain stable." Rizel revealed while mocking her one last time. "With the horns, he is easily absorbed by it. He's gradually becoming a threat to us as well." Rizel revealed again. "What do you mean by that?" Rosette asked. "Pandemonium." Rizel told her. "Lord Aion, was I helpful?" Rizel asked in a dying tone as she closed her eyes as the river drifted her severed head away. Rosette and Satella looked at the spider on Chrono's hand and began to wonder the truth about the Sinners goals. Meanwhile, the train stopped and the emergency cars arrived to help the stranded passengers. Azmaria and Maria were waiting patiently outside as they both hoped that they were all alright. Just then, Maria and Azmaria spotted the flying jewel monster in the sky. By the time Rosette and the other two made their way onto the ground, Azmaria ran towards Rosette and hugged her. She looked at her and Rosette gave her an assuring look. "Rosette!" Maria yelled out and came running towards Rosette. "Oh my God, what has happened to you Rosette?" Maria asked worriedly while looking at her cuts and torn apart attire. "Nothing that cannot be fixed!" Rosette said and hugged her. Rosette then turned around and saw Chrono looking away, thinking deeply to himself. She wondered what was occupying his mind as she could not tell what he was thinking. "Pandemonium, Joshua, the Apostles, the Holy Woman. Just what are you scheming Aion?" Chrono thought to himself as he was wondering about Aion's plans.

Arc 2

Chapter 13

After the train incident, Rosette, Chrono, Azmaria, Satella and Maria decided to go to Chicago on their own, considering that it would have taken quite a while for the train to start operating again. Since there was no other way to travel to Chicago, Satella suggested that they take her and Steiner's jeep that was in the storage area of the train. Everyone agreed to it. Before they left for Chicago, Rosette changed her tattered clothes into a casual outfit. She wore a white shirt with a long dark purple skirt along with a purple bow on the shirt's collar. They got the jeep out and drove their way to Chicago. They were supposed to resupply at the Order's monastery in Chicago so they could continue their journey to San Francisco. Maria was tasked with informing the Magdalene organization about Aion's goals. It took them approximately a day to reach Chicago. When they finally reached the city, instead of staying at the Magdalene monastery, Satella suggested that they should stay at a hotel since she wasn't too keen on the idea of having to stay in a monastery. At 7:00 PM, Rosette went into the hotel's phone booth where she informed Sister Kate about the train incident. "What?! First you destroyed a restaurant, then an airship, and now a train?! I swear, everywhere you go you just create chaos!" Sister Kate fumed in disbelief as she was apparently becoming irritated with Rosette's carelessness. "I'm sorry to disappoint you again Sister Kate." Rosette said apologetically. "Anyways, go and thank the Headmaster of the Magdalene Chicago branch. Speaking of which, why haven't you shown yourself to him yet?" Sister Kate asked curiously. "Well, it's a long story. But I can assure you that we will meet with him soon!" Rosette nervously assured her. "I really hope so Sister Rosette! You are now excused." Sister Kate said and hung up the phone. "Phew, I really should be more careful." Rosette said to herself with relief and put the phone down. Meanwhile, Satella, Maria and Azmaria were at the dining room waiting for Rosette to come back after she was done with her telephone call. "Oh my, how long is she going to chat?" Satella asked impatiently. "I think she is getting lectured again." Azmaria stated. "That's funny, normally she's so strong, but I guess she has to listen to her boss. Thank God I am not in her situation!" Satella said and just then, Rosette burst opened the door with anger and charged at Satella. "It's because you didn't want to stay at the damn church!" Rosette yelled furiously while she was pounding Satella's head. "Oh my God, all of the food is gone!" Rosette remarked angrily as she saw that all four of the plates were empty. "I'm sorry Rosette. You were late so Satella ate your dish." Azmaria apologetically stated which made Rosette even madder. "Why you bitch!" Rosette yelled and tried to charge at her again. "Now Rosette, calm down, we are in a public dining room, so please behave yourself!" Maria said while she restrained Rosette. After Rosette calmed down she saw an empty seat at their table. "Where's Chrono?" Rosette asked as she realized that Chrono wasn't at the table. "He wanted some rest, so he went to his room." Satella explained. "Speaking of Chrono, he has been acting strange lately. It's as if something is occupying his mind." Azmaria worriedly stated. "Rosette, do you know what's wrong?" Azmaria asked Rosette. "Don't worry about it Azmaria, he has his own problems to deal with. I'll go and check up on him!" Rosette said optimistically and left the dining room. While walking across the hallway, Rosette began to think to herself. "Now that I think about it, I know barely anything about Chrono's past. Chrono is a Sinner, Aion is a Sinner, and yet they're against each other. That's all I know of his back story." Rosette was thinking in her head. When she reached Chrono's room, she opened the door and walked in. She found him sleeping in his bed and sat beside him. "This contractor of mine who is a demon has always been beside me, and supported me silently." Rosette thought to herself gratefully. Chrono then made some kind of a panting noise while he was sleeping which slightly alarmed Rosette. "He doesn't look too well. I wonder if demons dream too." Rosette thought to herself with wonder as she looked at him empathetically. In Chrono's dream, he was in his winged demon form where his hands were in chains as he was standing on a pile of dead demons. "Sinner, so they call us Sinners." A calm, sinister voice said. "It's cold, I'm going to freeze." Chrono said in his head as his body began to freeze. The atmosphere around him was really eerie. All of a sudden, Chrono heard a noise. "Aion? Is that you Aion?" Chrono asked. "What a shame. They must be afraid of the truth." The voice continued saying. "Where are you?" Chrono asked as he looked around his surroundings. "But you must be different, right Chrono?" The voice said to Chrono. In front of him was a white haired winged, horned demon sitting on top of a huge pile of demon skeletons. "So let's go!" The demon tempted him. "Go where?" Chrono asked. "To the free world!" The demon explained as he was still tempting Chrono. "It's cold here. If I take that hand, will I feel better?" Chrono asked himself in his head and he then came closer to the demon. Just when he was about to touch his hand, a nude, blonde haired girl came to him from behind. "No Chrono." The voice of the girl called to him and grabbed his body with her arms. "This warm feeling in my heart. That's right, this is…" Chrono said to himself and all of a sudden, he woke up from his dream. "Are you awake?" Rosette asked softly. "Rosette?" Chrono said weakly as he was opening his eyes. Much to his surprise, he saw Rosette in front of him who placed his head onto her lap as she was smiling in relief. "Rosette?!" Chrono said as he reacted embarrassedly that Rosette saw him dreaming. "What's with that face?" Rosette asked irritated and got herself off of his bed. "You looked terrible while you were sleeping!" Rosette pointed out. "I see. That feeling was…" Chrono said in his head as he could tell who that girl in his dream was. "I feel better now. Thank you!" Chrono said gratefully. Meanwhile, Azmaria and Satella were by the door eavesdropping on their conversation. "What are they doing in there? I can't tell what they're saying." Satella said mildly frustrated. "Don't you think it's rude to be spying on other people's conversations?" Maria asked Satella seriously as she didn't like the idea of eavesdropping. "Come on, we were just curious as to what was happening between those two." Satella defensively explained. "Still, I don't like the thought of eavesdropping. Besides, we can already kind of tell that there is something going on between them." Maria stated. "Yeah, I guess you're right. After all, their bond truly is a special one. I just wonder if I'll be able to one day experience such a bond like they have." Azmaria wondered. "You weren't sleeping well. Were you having a nightmare?" Rosette asked as she tried making Chrono more comfortable. "Well." Chrono said as he hesitated to answer her question. "It's alright. Actually, I came here to ask you for something. Although it doesn't really matter anymore." Rosette admitted softly. "You've been living for so long, so it's obvious you have your own problems. You are the same person now as you were then. Someday, you can tell me. Someday!" Rosette said optimistically as she continued to comfort Chrono. "Someday, someday huh? She knows better. She doesn't have that kind of time." Chrono thought to himself while looking at Rosette smiling and lifted his head up from Rosette's lap. "Rosette, I…" Chrono tried to tell her but before he could tell her anything, a huge demon appeared from behind the window which took Chrono and Rosette by surprise. "What the…?" Rosette said startled. The three girls then heard a loud crashing sound in the room. "Oh my, what's going on in there with all the noise?" Maria asked worriedly as she could tell that something strange was happening. Back in the room, the shattered window glass was everywhere on the floor and two demons entered the room. "Yes, we've found them! I have good smell!" One of the demons remarked with great satisfaction. "I've found you Sinner! Broken horn, Chrono!" A winged, slim black demon said with an intimidating, threatening voice. The demon beside him was a stout, pig demon with a really good sense of smell which was what lead them to Rosette and Chrono. "Pursuers!" Chrono said in a shocked tone and they both ran their way out of the room with a gun and the weapon backpack, much to the girl's confusion. "Come on girls, we better retreat before it's too late!" Rosette warned them and they all ran their way towards the hall. "What's happening Chrono?" Satella asked confused. "There's no time to explain, we've got to get out of here!" Chrono answered. Just then, Rosette found the nearest window and they all retreated by smashing through the window, hoping that they would land on the car nearby. Fortunately, they were all able to land on the car in one piece but not smoothly as they all fell onto each other. "Owww, my hip!" Satella cried out in pain. Rosette found the car keys, immediately started the car and began to drive their way with full speed. "Hey, come back here thief!" A man called out angrily while he saw his car being taken. The pig demon however was catching up to them as well. "I can't believe it, they're still after us. Why did we run?" Maria asked as she saw from behind the demon gaining on them. "There was no other choice. We have to reorganize. Plus we don't have a lot of weapons left." Chrono explained. "Why don't we head to the Magdalene Order?" Azmaria asked while they entered a road tunnel. "That is a good idea. There are weapons over there." Chrono said. "Well, there is only one problem. I don't know the directions and I don't know where we're driving either." Rosette embarrassedly admitted. "What?" Azmaria and Satella exclaimed out of shock at the same time while Maria simply face palmed. "You idiot!" Chrono called out irritated. "What? It's a new city! How should I know where it is?" Rosette answered back at him crossly. The pig demon all of a sudden catched up to them and lightly smashed the open car's front window, much to everyone's shocking surprise. "Laden!" Satella called out as she grabbed one of her jewels out but before she could activate it, Rosette swiftly turned the car wheel and smashed the demon onto the wall, which caused the jewel to escape from Satella's hand. "Aaaaahhh, stop!" Satella yelled as she was shocked that she had just lost one of her jewels. "I can't stop!" Rosette said and kept on speeding, hoping it would help them loose the demon. "Now!" Rosette said and speed the car at an even faster rate. "You won't get away Sinner! You've destroyed Pandemonium and for that you shall be punished!" The pig demon yelled determinedly. Just then, Maria took a gun from her black leg bracelet underneath her dress and pointed it at the demon's face. When they had finally reached the end of the tunnel, she then fired at the demon. The trigger caused a huge blast to take place with lots of smoke coming out of the tunnel while they all made it out safe and sound. "Thanks Maria! I didn't know you could use a gun so well! Where did you learn how to use one?" Rosette thanked her gratefully as she asked her about her gun skills. "Well, it's a long story. I'll tell you later!" Maria answered. Back at the tunnel, the demon slowly began to make his way out. He was determined to get to them at all costs. "Fools, I have good smell! I'll reach you soon! Soon!" The pig demon said with intense determination and kept going slowly after them. "Is that thing still after us?" Azmaria nervously asked. "Probably." Chrono said with certainty. "Chrono, who was that demon?" Azmaria asked curiously. "Azmaria, let's talk about that later, okay?" Rosette said as she tried to avoid the discussion. "No!" Chrono said firmly as they were passing by the water front. "I think it's better if I tell you guys now, before we meet Aion, and the reason behind why we are called the Sinners." Chrono explained in a serious tone.

Meanwhile, Father Remington was in his car talking with someone on the telephone while he was driving. "Yes, I'll be in Chicago very soon. What? An accident?" The minister answered while someone on the phone informed him about the demon incident. "It appears that demons are involved. However, there's no further information yet." The man on the phone replied. "Do you know which direction they went?" The minister asked. "No." The man replied back. Suddenly, Father Remington saw Rosette and the others pass by his car which caught his attention. He stopped his car on the side of the road and while he saw them driving their way he got out of his car. "Rosette? Did something happen?" Father Remington asked himself confused. "I think I understand now, Gilliam." The minister concluded. Rosette and the others stopped by a warehouse from where Rosette contacted the Magdalene Chicago Headquarters through the telephone. After she was able to inform them about the demon attack, she then started to load her pistol. "Okay, I was able to contact the Magdalene Chicago Headquarters. They'll be coming here immediately!" Rosette explained. "However, it sucks that we don't have much equipment with us." Rosette disappointedly pointed out. "But we have to defend ourselves against those Pursuers until they arrive." Chrono stated. "Speaking of Pursuers, could you tell us who exactly are they and the reason why you and Aion are called Sinners?" Satella demandingly asked. "Yeah, if you're called the Sinners, then there must be some kind of a sin, right?" Azmaria asked Chrono. Chrono at first hesitated to tell them, but after a short while he then began to explain to the girls about the Pursuers. "Before that, let's talk a little bit about Aion. As you all should know he kidnapped Joshua, Rosette's younger brother. At the time of the revolution of Pandemonium, he became the leader of the beings known as Sinners." Chrono began explaining. "Pandemonium? What is that?" Rosette asked curiously. "The world in which we demons came from and the one who gave life to all of us demons. Like ants and bees, we demons are born into one nest and queen. Like a feudal society. Who we call mother is Pandemonium itself." Chrono revealed which intrigued the girls. "That's why…" A voice said loudly across the warehouse, which took Rosette, Chrono and the others by surprise. "They're here." Rosette said and picked up her gun. "Ahhhh, why is it so dark?" Azmaria asked as she became scared with what was happening around them. "That's why killing anyone from our kind is forbidden." The tall demon said as he was standing towards the warehouse while his shadow reflected the building which made it dark. "Unforgivable!" The pig demon snorted from behind Rosette. "There!" Rosette said and turned around. By the time she saw the pig demon, he knocked down some black oil tanks onto the ground while the oil began to spill out. "Damn it, they're trying to get to us with the darkness." Rosette said in frustration. "Sinner! You who will not be forgiven for carving into our bodies. The karma which you can never escape from. Atone for those sins with death! Your slaying of 100 demons and Aion's beheading of Pandemonium!" The tall demon said in a sinister voice. Just then, memories of Chrono's past in regards to the revolution of Pandemonium began to occupy his mind. The revolution of Pandemonium began 50 something years ago when Aion had formed a group of demons to rebel against Pandemonium. The purpose of their rebellion was to gain their freedom from the tyranny that was placed on their demon brethren by the Elders. "Stop! Stop it! Aion!" Chrono yelled out while he saw Aion taking out the head of that of a woman with horns on the altar. Once Aion succeeded in pulling Pandemonium's head out, he then looked at it with a satisfied grin on his face. "What's wrong? What's with that face of yours?" Aion asked his brother as he was surprised by his reaction. "Let's go now, to the free world! Be happy! There's no one that will keep us in!" Aion said sinisterly while blood was flowing down on the altar. "See? Pandemonium can't do anything." Aion remarked. "You've killed her!? Pandemonium!?" Chrono asked in disbelief. "We're free now!" Aion said victoriously. "You've killed Pandemonium!?" Chrono angrily yelled. "Oh my, the eggs are burning. Even the nest! The next generation is doomed. This is terrible!" One of the Elders said in a shocked tone as they saw that the eggs of the hives that contained the unborn demons were obliterated. "Hahaha, the Elders have finally appeared!" One of the Sinners said in a sinister tone. "Let's go Chrono. You're involved too. I'm going to need your help." Aion pleaded and offered his hand to Chrono. That was when Chrono had helped Aion by killing 100 demons of their own kind. Since then, Aion, Chrono and their followers became known as the Sinners, for they dared to go against Pandemonium and commit the heinous crime of killing demons from their own brethren. The revolution was a bloody one as a total of 1,000 demons died, including a huge number of Aion's followers. When the Sinners had no other choice but to escape, the Pursuers, demons who were still loyal to Pandemonium, tried to find them with the intention of executing them for their betrayal. Back in the present, Azmaria, Satella and Maria stared at Chrono shocked, for they could not believe that he was responsible for murder while Chrono began to tremble. "He's trembling. We can kill him. Get him Carv!" The Pursuer demanded. Carv then charged towards Chrono as fast as he could while snorting. "Die inside of this darkness, Sinner!" The tall Pursuer said. Just when Carv was getting closer to Chrono, Rosette stepped in and shot towards the oil tank on the ground which caused a huge explosion. Unfortunately, Carv managed to quickly escape the attack by flying up on a long upper metal staircase in the warehouse. "There!" Rosette shouted out when she saw the demon standing on the staircase and started to shoot towards it. The Pursuer however swiftly jumped down just when Rosette shot at it. "Damn, he's fast!" Rosette commented as she couldn't believe how quick the demon was. "So, what is it that you want us to do?" Rosette asked Chrono while he looked at her puzzled as if he did not understand what she asked. "We have to keep going forward. We can't let those Pursuers kill us!" Rosette turned around and said with determination. Chrono realized that Rosette was right with what she just said. "My answer was decided 4 years ago. I am going to meet Aion and…" Chrono thought to himself determinedly while he picked up a long stick from the ground and prepared himself to fight alongside Rosette and the others.

"That's odd, a flame inside my field? Is someone nullifying it? This isn't good!" The tall Pursuer said perplexed as he realized that his shadow was slowly starting to become lighter due to the flames. "Carv, something has come up. We need to change the plan!" The Pursuer told the pig demon. "Don't worry Gurio. I'll finish them off soon!" Carv assured Gurio and he began to inhale the flames with his pig like snout. As he was standing on one of the pipes high up, he then puffed out the flames from his mouth towards their direction. "Look out!" Rosette cautiously yelled out and took Azmaria's hand. Rosette docked Azmaria and herself from the incoming flames while Chrono grabbed Satella and Maria and swiftly jumped towards the upper level stairs where he managed to land successfully. "Rosette, Azmaria! The flames are spreading!" Maria called out towards them, informing them on the flames getting bigger. "We're alright! He's coming!" Rosette answered strongly as she pointed her gun out towards the front while Azmaria slowly got up from the ground. Rosette started shooting her gun towards Carv and just when it seemed that the bullets got inside his body, his skin then reflected the bullets back and he quickly charged towards the two girls. "What?!" Rosette frustratingly yelled out as she didn't expect that the Pursuer's body was immune to her Holy bullets. "His skin bounces my bullets back. And his flexibility is incredible. I can't get near him!" Rosette thought to herself as she could see that the Pursuer was too fast for her to catch. "Rosette, Azmaria, behind you!" Chrono, Satella and Maria warned the two girls at the same time. Rosette and Azmaria looked from behind that the pig demon was behind them, much to their worry. "Aaaaahhhhh!" The two girls yelled out when Carv suddenly grabbed them with his large hands. "Rosette, Azmaria!" The three yelled out. "Yes, that's right. Take away their attacks one by one. Little by little, make them defenseless until they can no longer move! This is our greatest strategy!" Gurio said satisfied while Carv was squeezing Rosette and Azmaria. Outside the warehouse, Father Remington was observing the Pursuer and his shadowy reflection. He also heard the strategy that the tall Pursuer was talking about which made him worried yet angry at the same time. "Hahahahaha, I got you now! Gurio, what do we do now?" Carv said triumphantly as he asked his partner Gurio. "Ummm, Gurio?" Carv asked curiously when he realized that Gurio wasn't answering him. "Now's our chance to attack, let's go!" Maria advised. "Right!" Chrono agreed wholeheartedly while Satella grabbed out one of her jewels. "Laden! Aufladung! Tiefer Fisch!" Satella called out once she loaded her jewels on her jewel summoning bracelet and the ghostly fish was released from the jewel. The jewel monster charged towards the Pursuer and pushed its way towards the wall. When the jewel monster hit the Pursuer, he accidently dropped Azmaria who yelled out until she reached the ground. Rosette on the other hand safely landed on the ghostly fish monster. "Rosette!" Azmaria called out as she could see that she was on Satella's jewel monster along with Chrono who was holding on to its long tail. The jewel monster then pinned the Pursuer against the wall behind him. However, Carv began to inhale again and he puffed out some air which caused the jewel monster to slowly start crumbling. "Aaaahhh!" Satella cried out shocked as Carv's attack towards her jewel monster put a strain on her jewel. Rosette struggled to keep herself on the ghostly fish monster while Chrono jumped towards Carv. He stretched out his hand while in another hand he was holding the long stick. Rosette was surprised that Chrono was able to go further than her as she could barely hold herself on the jewel monster. "Aion, just you wait! I'll be heading straight for you! To make the children's time from the Seventh Bell Orphanage unfreeze! Joshua, Rosette, and my own time!" Chrono thought to himself as he was thinking about Aion, the now frozen Seventh Bell Orphanage, Rosette, Joshua, as well as the time when Aion mercilessly ripped his horns out of his head. "By taking the next step, I will go through everything that stands in my way!" Chrono said with fierce determination and impaled Carv's mouth with the wooden stick. The blood started flowing out of his mouth due to the impalement. "Hahahahahaha! Fool, you can't defeat me with that!" Carv taunted him sinisterly. "Do you really think so?" Rosette asked confidently, pushed her gun towards the stick which made it slide into the gun's barrel. Rosette then shot her gun towards the demon's mouth which suddenly caused an explosion. The explosion broke the surrounding glass windows and all the mechanical parts that were on the ceiling around the demon had also exploded into pieces. Azmaria looked worried as she had a horrible feeling that Chrono and Rosette might have died in the explosion. "Are you alright liebekind?" Satella asked as she offered her hand to Azmaria. "Yes, I am! But what about Rosette and Chrono?" Azmaria asked worried once she got herself up. "We better see if they're okay. Who knows what might have happened to them." Maria said and they all ran towards the place where the explosion took place. "Even if the outer layer is tough, the inside should not be." Chrono stated. "I must say, those were fast reflexes." Rosette sighed. "Rosette, Chrono!" Azmaria called out towards them while they saw that the Pursuer was buried with the wrecked ceiling parts. "I guess this proves I'm smarter, right?" Rosette asked while she was sitting on the wreckage. "That's tough to say." Chrono answered weakly as he was lying on the fallen down ceiling parts. "We can't slack off now. There's still one more." Chrono pointed out. "Aah, I forgot!" Rosette whined. "You're such an imbecile! You always forget the most important things!" Chrono strongly said while the three girls looked at them with confused looks on their faces. "Oh, shut up!" Rosette replied back rudely as she punched him while Azmaria, Satella and Maria started to laugh at their amusing conversation. "That's right, for now I'll just go forward! It's better to go forward than back!" Chrono concluded optimistically. "Moron! Moron!" Rosette called as she began to playfully attack Chrono. "You're the moron!" Chrono said and attacked Rosette back. "I was so worried." Azmaria said in relief. "You two are so reckless." Satella pointed out as they all walked towards them. Just then, Chrono heard a loud noise from behind him. It was the Pursuer Carv, who had lifted himself up from the ground. "Crap, it's still alive!" Rosette commented nervously as she prepared her gun while they all saw the demon rising from the wreckage. "Fire!" One man commanded a group of nuns and they all started shooting at the Pursuer at once. After he was shot multiple times, the Pursuer Carv finally met his bloody demise as his body vanished. "The target is down!" One of the nuns said while they walked towards Rosette, Chrono and the others. "We will now be collecting the evidence. Over!" A man's voice answered on his headphones. Rosette, Chrono, Azmaria and Maria looked at the clergy members with a surprised and confused expression on their faces. "Sorry to keep you waiting Sister Rosette. The Headmaster of the Magdalene Chicago branch is waiting. Come with us." A brown haired man apologetically offered. "After we finish collecting evidence, we will return. Over!" One of the agents said from his headphones. "Thank you for helping us, Minister!" The agent thanked the minister as he walked towards him. "I came to Chicago on a different mission, but it's just my luck." Father Remington answered stoically. "In the previous smuggling incident, the report said that a demon master from Chicago was involved, so I was just on my way searching for demons to question." The minister revealed while he was looking at Gurio who was pinned to the wall with Barrier crucifixes which impaled his body and blood was all over the wall. "You appeared at the right time." The agent stated. "With that being said, I wonder if Pandemonium is trying to migrate the demons to this nation?" Father Remington asked himself in deep thought as he was trying to make a connection between Pandemonium and the smuggling incident.

Chapter 14

It was afternoon in San Francisco, where the waves moved calmly on the shore and a bald eagle was flying high up in the sky around a house. In the house, a young black haired woman dressed in maid's clothing was making soup in the kitchen. After she tasted the soup from the ladle, she then heard a knock on the door. Curious as to who it was, she made her way out of the kitchen and went to open the front door. As soon as she opened the door, a seemingly white haired young man was standing in front of her. He was holding something long that was covered in his hand as well as a white bag. The person was Aion, who was the leader of the Sinners! He walked into the house with the lady closing the door. "Welcome back Lord Aion! How was your trip?" The lady greeted him as she bowed in front of him. "Somewhat disappointing, I was going to stay a little longer at Atlantic City, but the Apostle wasn't there, so I decided to come back here." Aion explained. "Here are the coffee beans that you have asked for. Speaking of which, don't make me shop for you again. Besides, I am not your servant!" The Sinner said sternly as he gave her the white bag filled with coffee beans. "Another thing Fiore, where's Joshua?" He asked. "He's still asleep." Fiore answered. "Very well then, wake him up!" Aion demanded and he went into the living room where he seated himself on a chair. After Fiore woke Joshua up, she went downstairs and walked into the living room towards Aion. She showed him a small spider that she carried in her hands. "I read the report. Too bad for Rizel." Aion disappointedly remarked as Fiore placed the spider on Aion's hand. "In any case, I guess I'll get the details from her." Aion said while he looked at the spider. "Now you've done it Chrono. However, it seems that you haven't become a complete coward! I'm glad, my brother!" Aion said with slight satisfaction on his face. "And as for Maria, that woman sure has some nerve to even think about escaping. Where could she be off to right now I wonder?" Aion asked himself out of curiosity as Maria was his favorite 'toy.'

Meanwhile, Rosette, Chrono and Maria were at the Chicago branch of the Magdalene Order in the Headmaster's office. Satella and Azmaria were at the road tunnel to search for the jewel that Satella had lost from the recent Pursuer attack. "I've heard about your report Sister Rosette. Well done!" Father Deckard looked at the report papers while he praised Rosette's good work. "Thank you, sir!" Rosette replied slowly. "Now then, I have been told that there is a lady with you here who had come to inform me about something very important. Isn't that right?" Father Deckard asked. "Yes sir. Father Remington said that Maria knew something about Aion's goals, even though we still don't know what they are as of yet." Rosette explained. "I see. In that case, won't you care to explain to us about the Sinners plans young lady?" Father Deckard asked. "No problem sir. I'll tell you everything in regards to the Sinners goals and why they need the Apostles!" Maria said as she stood herself up from the sofa and walked in front of his desk. "Alright then, explain it to us!" The headmaster said and Maria took a deep breath. "The reason why the Apostles are crucial to the Sinners plans is because of their powers that stems from the Astral Line. Since the Astral Line is the basis of all life, their powers range from either reviving dead people or healing other people's injuries." Maria began to explain. "I see, but how does this tie in with Aion's plans?" The headmaster asked curiously. "Well, the Apostles powers are needed in order to activate the head of Pandemonium so Aion can begin something of what he calls the Grand Apocalypse. There is also a Holy Woman who is the main key to this particular ritual." Maria continued explaining. "The Grand Apocalypse, you don't say?" Father Deckard commented worriedly. "Yes, and once all of the Apostles powers are gathered into the head of Pandemonium, it will then be able to take control of the Holy Woman's body so it can then begin to destroy not only Pandemonium, but eventually all of humanity as well!" Maria further revealed. "So that's the Sinners goal. To gather the Apostles along with the Holy Woman, and to take away the Apostles powers to then have the head of Pandemonium to gain control of the Holy Woman's body which will then allow the Grand Apocalypse to begin." The headmaster concluded while Rosette and Chrono had a horrified look on their faces. "That is correct sir." Maria confirmed. "In any case, who might the Holy Woman be if I may ask?" Father Deckard asked Maria. "Me, I am the Holy Woman, the successor of Mary Magdalene!" Maria revealed and she then slightly lifted her sleeves up and began to untie the white bandages around her wrists and feet. Once the bandages on her wrists and feet were removed, she then showed the headmaster her Stigmata. When Father Deckard looked at it, he became overwhelmed with surprise and shock as he didn't think that a young woman like her would be subjected to the wounds of Jesus Christ. "Oh my, so you really do possess the power of God! Just like Mary Magdalene!" The headmaster commented with amazement. "What is it sir, is something wrong?" Chrono asked. Father Deckard stood up from his desk and walked towards Maria. "This young lady possesses the wounds that came from Jesus Christ's crucifixion known as Stigmata. In other words, she is the Holy Woman and her Stigmata marks are proof of that." The headmaster said. "So if Maria is the Holy Woman, does this mean she has any kind of powers?" Rosette asked out of curiosity while Chrono looked at the marks curiously with deep thought. "Yes Rosette! In fact, the type of powers that I possess are healing powers just like the Apostles. However, unlike the Apostles, I cannot lose my healing powers after using them a certain number of times." Maria explained. "Wow, I never would have guessed that you are a Holy Woman, let alone one that possesses healing powers." Rosette said out of amazement. "Now that I think of it, it's no wonder that Aion and the Sinners need you for their ritual. Like you said, you're pretty much the most important key to their goals." Rosette stated. "Now, about your journey to San Francisco, we have decided to arrange special transportation for you. Sister Kate also helped me to arrange it. I will notify you when it's time for you to leave. Until then, you shall stay at the Magdalene Order under our branch. You are now dismissed." Father Deckard explained and dismissed the three from his office. "So, I guess we now know what we are dealing with. And it's all thanks to Maria informing the Headmaster about it!" Rosette commented optimistically while they were walking across the lobby. "Speaking of which, there is something that has now been occupying my mind ever since we left his office." Chrono said. "Really, and what could that be?" Rosette asked curiously as they stopped walking. "The Stigmata that are carved on Maria's body. They remind me of someone whom I knew before I ended up in the tomb. Like Maria, that person also had Stigmata which signified her holy status." Chrono explained stoically. "Would that person be Mary Magdalene if I may ask?" Rosette asked. "Don't worry yourself too much about it Rosette. For now, let's worry about the mission at hand, shall we?" Chrono advised as he clearly tried to change the subject. "Hey look, they're back!" Chrono said as he saw Azmaria and Satella entering the Order. Azmaria and Satella walked into the lobby towards them all dirty from their jewel search with Satella looking as if she was going to strangle someone any minute. "Oh my God, what happened to you two?" Maria asked them in a surprised tone. "Well, I'll tell you everything!" Satella said in a mildly cross tone of voice and began to explain their search for the jewel. While the two were at the road tunnel, it took them about an hour to find Satella's missing jewel as they searched the whole area just to find it. "I found it!" Azmaria exclaimed as soon as she saw it on the ground and picked it up. "Yes, well done liebekind!" Satella said in a congratulating tone. However, when Azmaria stood up from the ground, she accidentally tripped and fell on her face. The jewel bounced out of her hand and into the nearby sewer, much to their horror. "Then, the rest of the day we were searching for meine juwel in the sewer. Thank goodness we were able to find it eventually!" Satella finished explaining in a stern tone. "Ewww, you two searched in the sewer of all places? No wonder you're all so dirty." Rosette pointed out in disgust as Chrono and Maria had the exact same thought as her. "I'm so sorry that I was so clumsy Miss Satella." Azmaria apologized. "That's all right liebekind. It's pointless for you to apologize. You have to be more careful around your surroundings before you really do something that screws things up!" Satella told Azmaria sternly. "Satella, can't you say it a little nicer?" Rosette said in an irritated tone as she pulled her sleeves up and began to charge towards Satella. Before Rosette could do that, Chrono stepped in to prevent a potential fight from taking place. "There, there. It's bad for you two to stay in those clothes for so long. Why don't you all go and clean up?" Chrono nervously advised. "Rosette, Maria, take care of Azmaria!" Chrono ordered. "Fine!" Rosette said and she along with Maria took Azmaria with them to the showers room. "I'll clean up later!" Satella yelled out at them while Chrono was leading Satella in the opposite direction. "Can you please behave yourself a little Satella? We are at a Christian Order you know." Chrono told her stoically. "Well, I'm honored to be followed by a demon!" Satella said ignoring his advice, as she put her finger on Chrono's chin which made him a little uncomfortable. "Lucky me!" Chrono remarked unimpressed while Satella continued to look at him affectionately and then removed her finger from his chin. "You know, there are times when I feel like putting meine juwels away. But I will never throw them away." Satella said as she walked ahead of Chrono. "I must be getting irritated because she reminds me of someone." Satella concluded while she looked behind herself. "Of who? Azmaria?" Chrono asked as Satella smiled and winked at him. Just then, Satella suddenly stopped smiling as soon as she saw Chrono having a puzzled look on his face. "What's with that face?" Satella asked him crossly as he was head scratching and still having a perplexed look on his face. "Besides, it's not someone you know!" Satella said as she claimed to be referring to someone else. Satella thought back to a time when she tried to train herself to become a Jewel Summoner just like her older sister while her family was still alive. "Satella, you are nothing like her. Nothing like your older sister." Satella's mother said to her when she saw her younger daughter crying on the floor. The young Satella failed to have summoned any of the jewels she tried to activate while her mother put her down because of that. "It's important to point out the child's weak spot. Or else, she can't go any further." Satella said as she remembered her first failed jewel summoning attempt. After explaining her thoughts to Chrono, Satella continued walking her way towards the entrance. Chrono looked at her and understood the point she was trying to make.

Meanwhile, the three girls were in the shower room. Rosette helped Azmaria clean her body in one shower stall while Maria showered herself in the shower stall located beside them. "My, even your toenails are black. You better wash yourself really good." Rosette told Azmaria while she was washing her body. Azmaria then turned around and looked at Rosette as if she was going to pass out any second. "What is it Azmaria? Are you feeling okay?" Rosette asked as she could see that Azmaria looked a little tired. Just then, Azmaria fell onto Rosette's cleavage, much to her surprise as she didn't expect that such an awkward situation like this would happen. "Hey, Azmaria!" Rosette said in an awkward tone and accidentally stepped onto a bar of soap that was on the floor and slipped. As she slipped, she hit the door behind her which broke off from its attached handles. "Aaaaahhh!" Rosette yelled as she was falling onto the floor. "Oh no, I'm so sorry? Are you okay Rosette?" Azmaria asked worried. "Alright, what's with all the noise?" Maria asked while walking out of the shower and saw Rosette lying on the floor. "Oh my, how did this happen?" Maria asked deeply concerned as she walked towards Rosette's body. "I'm afraid it's my fault again Maria." Azmaria said apologetically. "Don't say that. Whatever happened, it must have been an accident." Maria told her as she knew Azmaria wouldn't cause the situation on purpose. "Yeah, it definitely was an accident alright! And if it weren't for that damn bar of soap lying on the floor, then maybe the door would still be left intact!" Rosette shouted angrily as she sat on the floor. Both Azmaria and Maria began to laugh at Rosette's explosive reaction. They were sure that she wasn't badly injured. "So, is there something that's bothering you Azmaria?" Rosette asked while she was touching her sore head. "Well, I want to grow up!" Azmaria said and Rosette along with Maria began to laugh out of amusement. "Huh, what's so funny? Was it something that I said?" Azmaria asked as she didn't know what they were laughing about. "Don't kid yourself Azmaria, you can't change that quickly!" Maria explained with an amused tone. "She's right. I used to always get told that I was a bit underdeveloped and immature for my age!" Rosette stated while her pink towel fell down from her nude body. "Well, I might be more well built now, but I'm still the same old impulsive self I was four years ago!" Rosette concluded embarrassingly as she placed the towel around her body again. "Although, you're much more positive than when we first met!" Rosette remarked while Azmaria looked at her with a confused look on her face. "What I'm saying is, take your time! Okay?" Rosette advised her. "Take my time?" Azmaria asked still confused. "That's right!" Rosette affirmed optimistically. "Oh, since we are staying in this Order for a brief while, I'd like to ask you something Maria!" Rosette said. "What would that be Rosette?" Maria asked. "From the time when we were escaping from the Pursuers, I saw you shooting one of the Pursuers with a gun. I was just wondering. Where did you get that gun from and how were you able to use it properly?" Rosette curiously asked as prior to the Pursuer's attack, she never saw Maria with a gun before. Maria looked at Rosette with a puzzled look on her face and after briefly hesitating, she decided to tell her. "Ewan was the one who gave me the gun. He was also the one who taught me how to fire a gun properly." Maria began explaining. "Wow, you mean you were trained by the minister to use a gun?" Rosette intriguingly asked. "Yes, that's right. He wanted me to be able to use a pistol so I could defend myself if I ever needed to." Maria explained further. "So that's why he gave you that gun?" Rosette asked. "Yes! In fact, this was originally his gun that he gave it to me." Maria finished explaining. "I see. Speaking of which, I have noticed some change in you as well Maria." Rosette pointed out. "What is it about me that makes you believe that I have changed?" Maria curiously asked. "Well, for starters, you're slowly starting to open yourself to us more. And I can also see that your hostility towards Chrono had somewhat diminished!" Rosette gladly remarked. "Don't jump to conclusions. Even though I'm no longer hostile towards Chrono, I however still don't entirely trust him. He is a demon after all, as you clearly know." Maria said in a dead serious tone which surprised Rosette. "If that's the case, then how come you came with us?" Rosette asked perplexed. "Because I am one of your biggest chances in helping you find your brother Joshua. I did say that I know the place where he is currently residing in, didn't I?" Maria asked. "Yes, you did." Rosette admitted. "Umm, if you don't mind me asking, are we going to be in the shower room any longer?" Azmaria asked. "Well, I guess you do have a point." Rosette admitted. "Alright then, may I help you two girls up?" Maria asked as she stood up from the floor. She pulled Rosette from the floor and did the same with Azmaria. "I have another question for you Maria." Rosette said. "What would that be?" Maria asked. "Speaking of you opening yourself to us more, I have also noticed another change." Rosette stated. "What do you mean?" Maria asked in wonder. "Your relationship with Minister Remington. For the past one and a half month you were with us in the Order back at New York, I could tell that there is something going on between the two of you." Rosette remarked. "Are you implying that I am romantically involved with Ewan?" Maria asked and began to blush. "Well, it is obvious, isn't it? The fact that you now refer to the minister by his first name is more than enough proof of that! Wouldn't you say?" Rosette tried to conclude. "You must be getting the wrong impression. Just because I am the minister's assistant and now call him by his first name, doesn't mean that I have any romantic affiliation with him whatsoever." Maria denied in protest while Rosette and Azmaria looked at her. "But I must admit one thing. Despite my indifference with romance, I am slowly beginning to fall for him. And I also enjoy his company and good hearted character!" Maria said softly. "But please, don't tell him that I said that. Okay?" Maria pleaded with Rosette while having an embarrassed look on her face and she began to blush again. "Sure Maria, whatever you say!" Rosette respectfully agreed. Later on, after the three girls were done washing themselves, Azmaria was in the church where she was looking at the choir singing behind the altar. "Take my time? I wonder what Rosette meant by that." Azmaria asked herself curiously. As Azmaria kept on watching the choir singing, she began to remember the days when she lived with the choir. "Come on, don't be so hasty Azmaria. When you put too much pressure on yourself, it ends up worse. But when you are uptight like that, then you should close your eyes and listen to your own breath." One girl told her after choir practice back then. Remembering what the girl told her, Azmaria stood up, took a deep breath and began to sing. "Do not lose your faith, and share it with everyone. The evening glow fades and the star begins to glitter. Receive its glow and show your happiness to our fatherly God." Azmaria sang with a beautiful voice which not only caught the choir's attention, but also everyone present in the room. "This voice!" Satella commented surprised as she never heard such a singing voice before. "You haven't heard it yet, have you Satella?" Chrono asked. "No, I haven't." Satella admitted. "This is Azmaria's voice! It's beautiful, isn't it?" Chrono remarked with praise as they were observing Azmaria and the choir children singing together. "Those who have sinned, come to us. Our Lord will not abandon you. When the light approaches, God will guide us with the wishing star. Show your happiness to God. Send that love to our God that guides us." Azmaria and the choir singers continued singing. After they finished singing, all of the choir members gathered around Azmaria with obvious enthusiasm. "Incredible! You must be the girl from New York City headquarters!" One choir girl said with excitement. "Are you going to sign up for the choir here?" One choir boy asked. "Yeah, I never heard such a beautiful voice before!" Another girl remarked. Azmaria became overwhelmed and nervous with all of the attention that she was suddenly receiving. When Azmaria saw her four friends watching her on the altar, she decided to sing again. However, when she started to sing again, she right away accidentally hit a sour note and then looked at Satella looking at her with tears of joy. "What's wrong? I was so touched by your singing! When I noticed it, I was already attached to your song." Satella lashed out in an irritated tone. "I'm sorry." Azmaria nervously apologized. "Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault!" Satella said obviously annoyed. "Oh mein Got, just because you made one mistake, it doesn't mean everything about you is bad. You should have more confidence in yourself. And quite frankly, I was touched right now!" Satella advised Azmaria. "Oh yes, that's right!" Azmaria said and began to laugh. "Unhelpful, but at least she can sing." Satella pointed out to Chrono. "Actually, she has been a great help to us." Chrono told Satella. "There are times when you've been saved just by someone smiling beside you." Chrono said. "That's true." Satella sighed and then thought back to the time when her older sister was comforting her after her failed jewel summoning attempt. "Don't cry Satella. Mother says that, but I believe strong emotions can easily beat talent. So please, I want you to love the Juwels. Even more than I love them! And also love your Juwels more than me!" Her sister told her when she was trying to comfort her younger sister, who was still crying from the harsh words that their mother told her. "You were always smiling beside me, sister." Satella thought to herself as she remembered her sister's sweet, nurturing smile. "Sister Rosette, sorry to interrupt you but there is some important news that we need to tell you." Reverend Gilliam said as he and his second in command abruptly entered the church. "What would that be Reverend?" Rosette asked curiously. "A message from the chief, we are ready now! We can fly anytime!" Reverend Gilliam said. "We're leaving for San Francisco right now, so hurry." The Reverend commanded. "What, right now?" Rosette asked. "Yes, now!" Reverend Gilliam confirmed. "Well, I guess it's time for us to go. Speaking of which, I have a feeling that you'll meet with your brother again really soon Rosette!" Maria predicted optimistically. "You really think so Maria?" Rosette asked. "Yes, I do! After all, that is what you have been attaining for, isn't it?" Maria remarked with confidence. "Yeah, I guess you're right. The sole reason why I am even here is so I can find Joshua." Rosette stated. "That's right, and as long as we're your friends, we'll find your brother together!" Maria promised. "Yeah, and we'll also try to defeat the Sinners while we're at it!" Azmaria remarked. "You have our word Rosette!" Chrono said and all of them had then stretched their hands out and placed them on top of each other's hands as a sign of agreement.

Back at the beach house in San Francisco, Aion was observing the train incident through a black flashback motion portal in a room. "I see, so that's what happened." Aion said to himself. "Hahahahaha, this is splendid. This must be some kind of special gift." Aion laughed as he was amused with what he just saw in the motion flashback. "I can't believe that all of them had gathered together! You really outdid yourself this time Chrono!" Aion concluded and the flashback motion portal then began to shrink. Once it disappeared, Aion picked the spider up and looked at with a satisfying grin. "So have you found something?" Fiore asked as soon as she entered the room while holding a cup of coffee. "Yes, it's a wonderful gift. Rizel gave us an important clue even though she didn't notice it herself!" Aion revealed while he placed the spider back onto the desk and took the coffee mug. "Joshua will be happy with this!" Aion said and started sipping his coffee. "Fiore, go and call Genai and the others for me. Tell them that the next phase of our plan is about to begin!" Aion ordered Fiore. "We have found the soprano in an odd place. The Apostle will soon be within our grasp!" Aion said with confidence as he lifted his glasses up.

Chapter 15

It was night time as Rosette and her four friends were boarding a special type of airship that was taking them to San Francisco. While on board, Rosette became bored since there wasn't much to do on the aircraft. She decided to walk up towards the cockpit, where no one except the pilots, were allowed in. Despite Reverend Gilliam's repeated commands of her not to go there, she still decided to anyways. "Hey, how many times do I have to tell you not to come here?" Reverend Gilliam asked as he was standing from behind Rosette holding four cups of coffee. "Oh, Reverend Gilliam! I am a little bored and I wanted to talk with Maria for a bit." Rosette said. "By sunrise, we'll be there and I'll fetch you and the others then, so get some sleep already!" The Reverend said impatiently as he was obviously becoming irritated with Rosette's lack of regards for rules. "Oh alright! God, this is so unfair!" Rosette whined as she turned her back around. "Well, take care Rosette." Father Remington waved to Rosette without looking at her. "You too Minister." Rosette slowly turned around and waved back. She then made her way back down towards the seating area. "Was that alright?" Reverend Gilliam asked Father Remington sympathetically who was a close friend to him. "Haha, thanks Gilliam!" Father Remington chuckled and took a cup from Gilliam's hand. "I guess you're right. I never thought that I would get sympathy from you." Father Remington commented with amusement while smiling nervously. "So, does this have to do with the demon you've got information from?" The Reverend asked continuing their conversation. "Yes, there's something suspicious about the West Coast. Supposedly, the demons are targeting around that location. I need to investigate it myself." The minister said. "Speaking of that, the Magdalene Order is weak on the checks of the western side. They can only handle the central and east area." Reverend Gilliam revealed. "Ewan, why don't you just show yourself and talk to Rosette?" Maria asked as she was sitting beside the minister. "Rosette will soon be approaching the enemy. Therefore, it's best not to act too soft around her." Father Remington said. "But aren't you already softening her?" Maria amusedly asked. "Besides, she's panicking. I can see it through her actions." Maria revealed as she knew what was bothering Rosette. "You really do care about Rosette, don't you Maria?" Father Remington asked. "Of course I do! After all, Rosette does live on borrowed time, which won't do her any good in the process." Maria said with great pity while the minister looked at her with sympathetic eyes. Meanwhile, at the seating area, Rosette was sitting beside Chrono with a light brown blanket wrapped around her. She opened her eyes and looked around as her mind was too preoccupied for her to sleep at ease. "Just a little longer, a bit more until we reach San Francisco. I just need to wait." Rosette said in her head as she tried to get herself to sleep. "This is tough. Just to keep waiting." Rosette thought to herself as she was becoming somewhat restless in regards to her search for Joshua. "What's wrong, you can't sleep?" Chrono asked Rosette tiredly as he just opened his eyes. "Chrono, you were awake all this time?" Rosette asked out of surprise. "You kept roaming around every ten minutes." Chrono stated amusedly. "While I'm rushing into things, I don't feel anything. But I begin to think a lot when I have to wait." Rosette revealed. "If Joshua really is there, can we make him normal again? Can we actually win this?" Rosette asked herself out of worry and curiosity. "If the night never ends, its pressure might crush me." Rosette said in a worried tone as Chrono looked at her. Father Remington and Maria were right by the entrance to the seating room where they overheard Rosette and Chrono's conversation. "There will never be a night that never ends. The sun will eventually rise. No matter how long the night may feel, no matter how deep the darkness is." Chrono said to Rosette. Just then, Rosette and Chrono saw the sun shining across the sky through the window. Rosette looked through the window with amazement at how beautiful the sunrise looked. "Now, the sunrise will push our backs." Chrono said with great optimism. "When we get there, there will be lots of things we will need to do such as investigating locations, gathering information, and to create the strategy for saving Joshua!" Rosette said determined. "We don't have time to be hesitating. We're going to put our efforts to make this mission a success!" Chrono said with determination. "Right!" Rosette agreed. Father Remington grinned as he liked their attitude towards the situation. "So, it looks like they are not giving up, are they?" Maria remarked. "Why should they? Besides, Joshua is Rosette's brother. It would be heartless for her to not go looking for him." The minister pointed out. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But what if she never finds her brother, and what if all of her sacrifice would be in vain?" Maria asked worried. "I guess we'll have to wait and see for that." Father Remington said. "So, did you sleep well?" Reverend Gilliam asked as he walked into the seating room. "Yes we did!" Chrono said. "Good, because I have some good news!" The Reverend said. "What news would that be?" Rosette asked. "We're almost there! You can see it now. It's San Francisco!" Father Gilliam said and Rosette along with Chrono looked through the window and saw a huge city ahead of the hills. "I can't believe it, we're actually here?" Rosette asked in disbelief. "Yeah, it sure looks like it!" Chrono commented.

As soon as the airship landed on the San Francisco harbor, Rosette, Chrono and the rest of their friends exited from the aircraft onto the dock. "Thank you so much for bringing us here Reverend Gilliam!" Rosette gratefully said. "No problem Rosette, it's the least we can do." Reverend Gilliam said. "Now that we're in San Francisco, what do we do?" Maria asked. "To find Joshua, that's what!" Rosette answered with determination. "Slow down Rosette, just because we are now at the place where Joshua is, it doesn't mean we should be too hasty with these things." The Reverend said as he made his point. "Reverend Gilliam is right. We must take one step at a time if we are to complete this mission efficiently. Besides, those Sinners have proven themselves to be quite unpredictable, so we'll have to keep an eye out for them." Father Remington explained. "Since we're going to be in San Francisco for a while, where shall we stay?" Azmaria asked. "The four of you can stay at my villa for the time being if you like!" Satella offered. "What, you have a villa here?" Rosette asked surprised. "Yes, and I'm sure you would all enjoy it. It's quite luxurious after all!" Satella bragged. "And you're offering us to stay with you in it?" Azmaria excitedly asked. "Why not? Besides, there's no telling how long we'll be staying here, and I don't have any particular wish to stay at a Christian Order." Satella said. "Why you?!" Rosette said irritated as she lifted up her sleeves and tried to charge at Satella. "Now calm down Rosette. She just offered us a place to stay. Don't you think you should be a little bit more grateful about that?" Chrono said to Rosette as he tried to calm her down while restraining her. "Alright, I guess you're right Chrono!" Rosette sighed. "By the way Satella, where is Steiner?" Chrono asked as he noticed that they hadn't seen Steiner around since they arrived in Chicago. Suddenly, a tall old man appeared from behind Satella, who just so happened to be Steiner. "Hallo Steiner! Is the villa ready?" Satella asked as she turned around and faced her butler. "Yes my lady, it is!" Satella's butler confirmed. "Excellent! In that case, I guess it's time for us to go there!" Satella said excitedly. "What, we're going to the villa now?" Rosette asked. "Of course! When else Sister hothead?!" Satella replied as she taunted Rosette. "There she goes again!" Rosette angrily fumed. She then turned around and faced her attention to the two clergymen. "Sorry that we decided to stay somewhere else instead of staying at the San Francisco Magdalene Order." Rosette said to the two men apologetically. "There's no need for apologizing Rosette. Besides, there's a lot of cleaning and organizing that needs to be done at the San Francisco Magdalene Order since we don't have many workers and tools as of yet." Reverend Gilliam revealed. "Oh, I see." Rosette said somewhat disappointed. "Don't worry about it Rosette. I can assure you that we will get on with finding Joshua and the Sinners whereabouts as soon as possible. We just need to be patient, okay?" Father Remington assured Rosette. "Ewan!" Maria called out as she was running on the dock towards the minister. "Yes Maria, what is it?" Father Remington asked. "Are you sure you're going to be okay without my help for a while?" Maria asked the minister out of concern. "Don't worry about me Maria. I'll be fine!" The minister reassured her confidently. "I do hope so." Maria said with a somewhat worried tone. "Well, I guess we'll be seeing each other soon then! Make sure to contact us in regards to the plan of our next move." Rosette said to Reverend Gilliam. "No problem Rosette! We'll be sure to inform you and the others about the details soon enough!" The Reverend said. "Great! Let's go Maria, the others are waiting for us." Rosette told Maria and they both walked their way out of the dock and into Satella and Steiner's jeep. Once they were all in, Steiner started the car and began to drive their way to their villa. "Steiner, how did you get to San Francisco before us?" Chrono curiously asked. "Well, when we stopped at the hotel back in Chicago, I decided to go on ahead to San Francisco by train so I could check and see the villa that we have just bought." Steiner explained. "I see. And Satella knew about this?" Chrono asked. "But of course. I wouldn't have left earlier for San Francisco if it wouldn't have been alright with my lady." Steiner answered. "So Satella, is your villa really as luxurious and beautiful as you say it is?" Azmaria asked enthusiastically. "Of course liebekind! After all, I do have the money to afford such things you know." Satella said as she bragged about her wealth. "We didn't choose to come with you so we could listen to your wealth bragging!" Rosette fumed again. "Whatever!" Satella said indifferently. After driving for half an hour, they finally reached to what looked like a large and luxurious house on the outskirts of the city. "Here it is, our San Francisco Villa!" Satella said excitedly as she pointed at the beautiful huge house with a perfectly manicured garden. "Wow!" Azmaria gasped. "It looks very beautiful, almost like a castle. What do you think about it Rosette?" Azmaria asked in amazement. "I think it looks very beautiful indeed! Why don't you live here all the time Satella? The weather is definitely better than back in New York!" Rosette stated. "I just got this Villa very recently, but who knows, I might consider moving here one day!" Satella said. "How do you like it Chrono?" Rosette asked him. Chrono however did not answer as he was just getting out of the jeep. He somehow felt so dizzy to the point that he looked like he was about to pass out any minute. "What's the matter Chrono? I just asked what did you think of this Villa." Rosette said with growing impatience. "I'm sorry Rosette, I don't feel so good." Chrono said with a weak voice as he was walking so loosely. "What do you mean you don't feel good? You were perfectly fine when we got here, so what's the big deal now?" Rosette asked impatiently as she never saw Chrono not feeling well. She thought he was pretending. Chrono then suddenly passed out on Satella's enormous chest, much to everyone's horror. "Chrono, what the hell did you just do?" Rosette asked in shock. "Laden, cut him to shreds, Mutsiger!" An enraged Satella said as she summoned her jewel knight monster who then along with her punched an unresponsive Chrono. He flew high up into the air and fell down to the ground. "Whoa, that sure got to hurt." Rosette commented as she was not amused. Satella then quickly ran towards Rosette like that of a tiger. "What the hell did you teach that devil to do?" Satella asked Rosette crossly, thinking that Chrono purposely fell onto her chest. "Don't worry. I'll scold him real good once he wakes up!" Rosette assured Satella. "Rosette?" Azmaria called her. "What is it Azmaria?" "It's about Chrono. I think he has a fever." Azmaria said worried. "A fever? How is that possible? He never had a fever." Rosette said and went to check Chrono's forehead. "Oh my god, he really does have a fever! How come I didn't realize that his face is so red? Poor Chrono, he is really sick and we mistreated him so badly!" Rosette felt sorry for thinking badly about his 'intention.' "So what are we going to do with him Rosette?" Azmaria asked. "Let's go inside and put him on a bed where he can rest in peace." Rosette suggested. They carried Chrono into the villa and brought him to one of the sleeping rooms. After they were done putting him on the bed, Chrono woke up. "Where am I?" Chrono asked in a weak tone. "You are in Satella's villa. You passed out and it looks like you have a fever!" Rosette explained to him. "I have a fever?" Chrono asked in disbelief. "Yes, but don't worry about it. We'll find something that can reduce your fever, I promise. You just need to rest." Rosette promised and everyone left the room leaving Chrono to rest. "So, how is Chrono doing?" Satella asked. "Not good." Rosette said somewhat sadly. "I don't think Chrono ever had a fever before." Rosette sighed. "I wonder if his legions are activating?" Maria asked herself. "Legions?" Rosette asked out of curiosity. "Chrono's body is constructed the same way like all the other demons, right? When a demon takes damage, their powers work to heal the wound as well as restoring them back to their health quickly." Maria explained as she was quite knowledgeable on how demon biology worked. "Well in that case, all we have to do is reduce his fever, right?" Rosette concluded. "Alright then, let's get a move on!" Rosette said with great enthusiasm and burst her way out through the front door. "I am going to buy him a fever reducer!" Rosette said ecstatically as she was dashing out of the villa. "Satella?" Steiner called her. "Yes Steiner." Satella answered. "You do realize that Rosette has just gone out to buy some medicine for Chrono, don't you?" Steiner asked. "Yes I do." Satella answered without paying attention on what Steiner asked. "What? You mean she is going all by herself?" Satella finally realized what he was saying. "Yes, she is." Steiner concluded. "In that case I better come with her just in case she won't get into any trouble!" Satella said worried as she knew that Rosette does not know the city and that she might get lost. "I'm coming with you Satella." Maria said. "Alright Maria, let's get going before she leaves alone." Satella said. "I'm coming with you as well." Azmaria said. "I think it would be best if you would stay here Azmaria, in case Chrono wakes up." Maria suggested. "Steiner, while we're gone make sure you keep an eye on Azmaria and Chrono." Satella told Steiner. "Certainly Satella. I would be delighted to do that." Steiner said as he was glad that he could help. "Thanks. Now let's go Maria!" Satella said and the two women went outside to join Rosette. "Hey Rosette." Maria called out. "Maria, Satella? What are you two doing here?" Rosette asked surprised to see them. "We wanted to make you company and help you find the medicine Chrono needs." Satella said kindly. "I am perfectly fine of handling this myself!" Rosette answered defensively. "Are you really?" Satella asked sarcastically. "Yes!" Rosette answered stubbornly. "If so, then why would you leave without taking some money with you? Plus, you don't even know where to find a pharmacy in this city." Satella pointed out. "On second thought, I think it was a good idea that you two came after me." Rosette blushed and admitted that she rushed without thinking. They went inside the car and started looking for a pharmacy. "So, what medicine do you think would be strong enough to reduce Chrono's fever?" Maria asked while Satella was driving the car across the San Francisco's hill roads. "I don't know but hopefully we'll find something." Rosette answered. "How about that store over there?" Maria pointed towards a pharmacy. "That pharmacy looks like it has quite a fair amount of medicine in it. Let's see if they have what we're looking for." Rosette said and they all went into the store. While searching through the shelves with medicine, a large man abruptly appeared in front of Rosette. "Hello there little girl, are you looking for something?" The shopkeeper asked which greatly startled Rosette. "Yes sir." She answered nervously. "What is it that you're looking for?" The man asked. Rosette didn't know what to say since she wasn't sure with how the pharmacist would react to her question. "Please, do tell me." The pharmacist said and Rosette then started to giggle at him. The shopkeeper and Rosette began comically chuckling at each other due to the man's laid back attitude. "Come on! Just tell him what you want already!" Satella said impatiently as she pulled Rosette's hair. "Okay already!" Rosette responded aggravated. "Do you have any medicine that could help reduce the fever of a demon?" Rosette asked straight forward in a dead serious tone. The pharmacist as well as Satella and Maria were surprised and shocked by Rosette's request and decided not to answer. "I am sorry, what did you just say?" The man asked in a frightened tone. Satella grabbed Rosette and pulled her out of the store. "Please forgive us sir." Maria said to the man and walked out of the store. The pharmacist sighed with confusion. "What the hell was that for?" Satella asked Rosette angrily. "How else was I supposed to ask him?" Rosette asked confused. "A million other ways!" Satella said not amused. "We better go find some other place. It's obvious that man doesn't have a cure for demons!" Maria suggested. They then went back inside the car and drove to find another pharmacy. They searched through all of the pharmacies across the city but none of the pharmacists took Rosette seriously as she was either ignored or outright kicked out of the store for her questions. "Beat it kid!" One owner of a pharmacy said as he kicked Rosette out of his store. "Just give up. No matter where we go, no one is going to take you seriously." Satella pointed out. "How disappointing?! To think that we have searched the whole city just to find Chrono a medicine that can cure his fever." Rosette said discouraged. "To be honest Rosette, I don't think that there is any medicine that we can use for him." Maria said. "What do you mean?" Rosette asked. "Since Chrono is obviously a demon that means that no medicine that we use to get better has any effect on him." Maria stated an obvious fact. "So in other words, we've just wasted our time?" Satella asked. "I'm afraid that's the case. Like I said before, a demon's legions can help heal their wounds and restore them back to health quickly." Maria explained. "Well, what shall we do?" Rosette asked. "I say we head back to the villa. It's pointless to keep looking for a medicine for Chrono since there are none that can help him." Maria suggested as she made a point. "Alright then, if there is no other solution, then let's go back to the villa!" Rosette said in a disappointed tone. Rosette, Satella and Maria went to the car and drove back to the villa.

"We're here!" Rosette announced to Azmaria when they walked into the villa. "Welcome back!" Azmaria said excitedly and rushed towards them. "Has Chrono gotten any better Azmaria?" Rosette asked. "No, I'm afraid he is still asleep. And unfortunately it's not getting any better." Azmaria stated with a sad look on her face. "I see." Rosette said with slight disappointment. "So did you find any medicine for Chrono's fever?" Azmaria asked. "Honestly, it was true madness! She mercilessly dragged us all over the city and no one even wanted to hear about healing a demon! Now I am exhausted and we didn't even find any medicine for Chrono. Seriously, what a complete waste of time!" Satella ranted. "Really? That's too bad. If there is no medicine for him then how will he get better?" Azmaria asked concerned. "Well, according to Maria, demons have an entirely different body system than us which means that human medicine is pretty much useless on him. But don't worry, he'll get better soon! At least I hope he does!" Rosette explained as she tried to assure Azmaria while Satella walked past them. "That's good to hear." Azmaria said with relief. "I almost forgot. I better get our dinner ready!" Rosette announced enthusiastically and began to run towards the kitchen. As she was running, Rosette all of a sudden felt very dizzy to the point she looked like she was going to pass out. Satella turned around as she noticed that Rosette for some reason was not feeling good. Rosette then passed out on her busty chest. "For the love of God, what is it with you two? What's going on here? Don't tell me you have a fever now too?" Satella yelled in disbelief. "Oh my, she feels hot!" Azmaria said after touching Rosette's forehead, much to Satella's shocking surprise. Azmaria, Satella and Maria carried Rosette onto a bed in one of the rooms and placed her pocket watch in a basket. "I don't believe this! Just what are we going to do with you now?" Satella asked in an annoyed tone. "Do you think Rosette will be okay Satella?" Azmaria asked. "Ja, why shouldn't she be? After all, it's just a fever, and she's not a demon so she'll be just fine after she rests!" Satella tried to convince Azmaria. Rosette then woke up to find herself in bed. "Oh my God, I can't believe I have a fever now too." Rosette said in disbelief. Satella suddenly punched Rosette on her head. "Ouchhh, Satella you're such a meanie." Rosette cried out. "Whatever! I was just helping you to get some rest, for you to recover from your fever quicker." Satella said in a monotonous tone while Azmaria and Maria looked on in shock of her behavior. "Alright girls, let's leave Sister hothead to rest. She really needs it after all this running and dragging us all over the city!" Satella said and they left the room while Rosette had already fallen asleep. "How is punching Rosette in the head going to make her rest in peace quicker?" Maria asked questioning Satella's method while they were walking in the hall. "It can help her get her mind off of the fever that she now has!" She explained still not getting what all the fuss was about. "You really have a funny way of dealing with Rosette don't you?" Maria asked. "Enough! Now that both of them have a fever, we should try to get them better." Satella said impatiently and they then walked into the living room. "Maybe making some food for them will help them to recover?" Azmaria suggested. "Why not? If there is one thing that Rosette loves is food." Maria stated. "Great. I shall go and make some food for them." Azmaria said with determination. "Are you sure you're going to be okay making the food all by yourself?" Satella asked in doubt. "Sure, it is important for me to help them get better!" Azmaria tried to reassure her. "Okay. Just make sure you don't break anything." Satella told her. Azmaria went into the kitchen to begin preparing a meal. "Alright, this is my big chance!" Azmaria said with excitement as this was the first time she ever tried to cook. However, she found herself unable to do the task alone since she constantly kept dropping some stuff on the floor such as a China plate, a soup pot and a sack of potatoes along with vegetables. Satella, Maria and Steiner rushed into the kitchen after hearing loud noises and stuff breaking. "Are you sure you don't need any help?" Satella asked, while looking at Azmaria trying to pick up broken items from the floor. "I'm so sorry Satella! I am trying to do my best but I am just too clumsy to do this by myself. Can one of you help me prepare their meals?" Azmaria asked nervously and admitted that she overestimated her skills. "Sure Azmaria, I will help you prepare the meal." Maria said while trying to calm her down. Maria started helping Azmaria with the cooking while Satella decided to take a bath to refresh herself. They decided to make white cream soup with schnitzel, baked potatoes, baked kale and knodel dumplings. They had a lot of fun preparing the meal together and it went much quicker than if only Azmaria would do it. "It's ready!" Azmaria announced when they were all finished with the meal. Satella went into the dining room while still in her bathing robe as she just finished taking her bath. "It's incredible Azmaria!" Satella remarked with amazement as she was seeing the delicious food. "Do you think they will like this food?" Azmaria asked. "Of course they will! Now let's serve it to them before it gets cold!" Satella said with great optimism. "I guess we really outdid ourselves. This food looks incredibly good!" Maria added. They put the food on two platters and brought it to Rosette's and Chrono's room. Azmaria brought food for Chrono, while Satella and Maria brought Rosette her food. When Azmaria walked into the room, Chrono woke up to find Azmaria standing by his bed. "Azmaria!" Chrono said in a weak voice. "Here, I brought you some food we just made." Azmaria said and put the food platter onto his lap. Chrono picked up his spoon and tasted the soup. "It's delicious! Did you make this?" He said obviously liking the taste of the soup. "Well, Maria and I made this food for you. You need some good food to make you stronger." Azmaria said. "I like it Azmaria, I really do!" Chrono said as he complimented the food. "Thank goodness! Please, take your time eating. I'll come back for the dishes later." Azmaria gladly said. "By the way Azmaria, where is Rosette?" Chrono asked just when Azmaria started to leave the room. "I'm afraid Rosette has also caught a fever." Azmaria responded. "What? A fever?" Chrono asked in disbelief. "Don't worry about it, she'll be fine. We brought her some food as well." Azmaria said. "Well knowing her, she certainly would indulge herself in such a delicious food. That is our Rosette!" Chrono cringed. Meanwhile, in the other room, Satella and Maria observed Rosette devouring the food they just brought to her. "Slow down! Try to eat your food more slowly. Oh mein got, this girl eats like a horse! Even the sickness cannot stop her!" Satella said as she couldn't believe how much Rosette could eat. Maria laughed at her comments, especially when she saw that Rosette didn't even blink on it and continued eating away. Once she finished her meal, Rosette asked about Chrono. "Is Chrono feeling any better?" "No, not yet I'm afraid. Azmaria brought him some food." Maria answered. "Then I guess we will have to postpone our search for Joshua now that we are both sick." Rosette said in a disappointed tone. "Out of all the times, why now? Anyways, I hope Chrono will recover from this so we can continue our search." Rosette continued. "I'm pretty sure he will, but you also have to think of your own health." Maria tried to reassure her. "Yes, now rest and we will come to check on you later." Satella suggested. Azmaria, Satella and Maria left the rooms and after leaving the dishes in the kitchen, they decided to meet in the living room. They all sat down on the sofas to rest as they were tired from all the events that happened. "What a day that was. Got, these two are such a handful." Satella commented in a tired tone. "This might sound a little strange but I realized that no matter how far apart Rosette and Chrono are they never seem to stop thinking about each other. It's pretty obvious that they constantly worry about each other." Azmaria commented. "What do you mean Azmaria?" Satella asked. "Didn't you notice that they always keep asking for each other?" Azmaria asked. "Yes, I think we know what you mean Azmaria. After all, they are connected by Rosette's life force." Maria agreed. "I still think that this is not only because of that. It is something much deeper!" Azmaria continued. "I did notice that Chrono would surely give his life for her." Satella joined in the conversation. "That's right. Chrono and Rosette truly do share a bond unlike any other that I have seen." Just then, Azmaria fell onto the sofa and fell asleep. "Azmaria, no, not you too?!" Satella yelled in worry. Steiner picked Azmaria's body up and took her to a bedroom. "Don't worry Satella. She's just exhausted and fallen asleep." Steiner reassured Satella once he came back in the living room. "So she was just tired. Thank goodness! I couldn't bear another fever." Satella said with relief while she was drinking tea. "Yes, I was a bit worried myself." Steiner commented. "Well, it is getting late and today sure was quite tiring. I think I am going to go to sleep now." Maria said as she began to yawn from exhaustion. "Yeah, I think I might as well do the same." Satella yawned and they both decided to go to bed. In the middle of the night, Rosette woke up and walked into Chrono's room which Steiner just so happened to have seen. Chrono woke up to find Rosette beside his bed. "Rosette, is that you?" He asked with a weak voice as he saw her putting a wet cloth on his forehead. "Yes it's me Chrono." Rosette responded. "Why aren't you in bed?" He asked. "I just wanted to see how you are doing." Rosette answered. "But what about your fever Rosette?" Chrono asked. "Don't worry about me, all I need is some medicine and I'll be as fine as I was before!" She said and looked at Chrono. "That's good to hear!" Chrono said with relief and had fallen asleep again. Rosette then leaned herself towards his face and kissed him. She sat on his bed for a while just looking at him until she fallen asleep beside him. A little while later, Rosette woke up to find herself lying on Chrono's bed. Much to her surprise, he was not in his bed. "Rosette!" Chrono called out from the balcony. Rosette lifted her head up as she heard Chrono calling out her name. She turned around to see Chrono on the balcony. It seemed that he had recovered from his fever already. "Sorry to have caused you so much trouble." Chrono apologized. Rosette was relieved to see him out of the bed. "Chrono. Why you?!" Rosette said and walked quickly towards the balcony and punched Chrono. She then started throttling him mercilessly. "How dare you make me so worried?!" Rosette said angrily. "Let go of me Rosette!" Chrono protested. Azmaria, Satella and Maria were standing on a living room balcony and saw what was happening between Rosette and Chrono. "I guess everything turned out alright after all. It looks like they are both their old selves again!" Azmaria commented. "Yes. They do make a cute couple don't they?" Maria added. "Yes, they certainly do." Azmaria answered. "However, even though Chrono is all better now, we have to make sure that Rosette is restored back to health." Satella stated. "Oh you're right. We have to buy some medicine for Rosette so she can recover from her fever." Maria realized. "We'll go to one of the pharmacies again tomorrow and buy her some medicine." Satella announced and walked back into her bedroom. "In that case, I guess our search for Joshua will still have to be postponed until Rosette gets better." Maria remarked with disappointment. "Come Azmaria, let's go back to bed!" Maria said and walked back inside with Azmaria following her.

Chapter 16

A few nights later at the house, where Aion had been keeping Joshua, a young woman who took care of him heard a loud scream coming from the bathroom. She rushed to see what was happening. When she opened the door, she saw Joshua and shower walls all covered in blood. "Lord Joshua! What happened to you?" She was shocked by the sight. "Make it stop! Make these horrible noises stop!" Joshua yelled while his horns started popping through his head again. The woman came close and put Joshua's arm around her neck. She then helped him go back into his room. She placed him on the bed and took out some kind of jewel stones out of her pocket which looked identical to Satella's. The young lady put them on a bracelet that she wore on her wrist and then placed her hand on Joshua's forehead. Joshua started calming down and it looked like his pain was greatly reduced. He sighed with relief and soon after, he fell asleep. The young woman went to the living room where Aion was waiting. "So Fiore, has his condition improved?" Aion asked. "I'm afraid it has not. He is still experiencing a great deal of pain and his body is unfortunately still very weak." Fiore explained in a worried tone. "I see, just keep doing what we have agreed on. He has to be ready as time is drawing near." Aion said mysteriously. "Yes Lord Aion, as you wish!" Fiore said and left the room. Meanwhile, two of Aion's henchmen were driving a truck at the forest trail just by the beach house where the radio was playing a song called Dixieland. On the left seat, one was a tall, skinny demon with an artificial arm and an eye mask by the name of Genai. The other one on the right seat driving was a tall but stout demon by the name of Viede. "Damn it! Aion sure makes us work to the bone!" Genai said exhausted. "Relax Genai, it's not as if he would have made us come all the way here for nothing." Viede said to Genai as he was driving the car. "If you don't shut the hell up, I'll kick your ass down to Atlanta!" Genai crossly said as he became dangerously irritated by the music on the radio. "Here we are. Aion is waiting for us!" Viede told Genai as soon as they reached the beach house where they saw Aion and Fiore waiting for them. Once Viede stopped the truck they both got out of the vehicle and walked towards Aion. "I can see that you two are late. Care to explain me why? Viede, Genai?" Aion curiously asked. "Lord Aion, we have observed several Pursuers not far from here, and we think that they are looking for us." Viede explained to Aion. "I see, let them come! Whatever happens, we'll be ready to take action!" Aion said unusually calm. "It took us one night to drive to Denver and we were in a rush!" Genai explained. "We have successfully found the victims who we were looking for! They are inside the trunk." Viede revealed to Aion. Once Aion opened the trunk door, he saw fifteen dead people lying inside the truck. "It's enough!" Aion said with a sinister grin on his face. "Fiore, take care of this!" Aion commanded Fiore as he was referring to the dead people in the truck. "Yes, Lord Aion!" Fiore answered even though she was planning on dealing with the corpses later. As they all got into the house, Genai and Viede seated themselves at the table and began eating their meals that Fiore had cooked. The dinner included bread loaves, chicken drumsticks, corn, mashed potatoes and beer. "So, I heard that you found the Apostle." Viede remarked while they were eating. "That's right. The Fatima soprano is coming here! And here's the kicker. She is with Chrono and Joshua's sister! I found out from Rizel's last report." Aion stated enthusiastically. "How lucky we are! It's as if we have been served a meal on a silver platter!" Aion commented excitedly. Aion then noticed the angry look that Genai had on his face. "What's wrong Genai? You don't look satisfied." Aion commented. "Of course not! Whose fault do you think this is?" Genai asked vehemently. "Rizel died because that son of a bitch wanted his sister and made her go all alone!" Genai said angrily. "Genai, Rizel failed herself. It would have been an easy mission if she were more cautious." Viede said as he was trying to talk some sense into Genai. "Screw that! Where the hell is that brat?" Genai asked as he snapped aggressively. He then got up from his chair and began to walk upstairs towards Joshua's room. Before he actually had a chance to go up, Fiore suddenly came and blocked his way. "Hey, what's the big deal?" Genai asked impatiently. "If you won't calm down, I cannot allow you to see Lord Joshua." Fiore said with a calm yet stern tone. Just then, Genai grabbed Fiore's neck, aggressively pinned her to the wall and began choking her. "How dare you have the nerve to talk back to your master? You worthless bitch! You're only a damn property!" Genai said furiously as he continued choking Fiore. Aion then intervened by wrapping his arm around Genai's shoulder. "Calm down, Genai! We are a team." Aion said to him. "It was my fault that I lost part of my arm. Just because my other arm is gone, I won't allow him to rip apart my two legs." Genai said in a cross tone. "Don't worry. I'll listen to your problems. So behave yourself, Genai!" Aion told his henchman calm but sternly as he was touching his face. "Besides, Fiore is already his." Aion said as he let go of Genai who then sat down on his seat by the table. "Alright Fiore, I will be heading upstairs to check up on Joshua." Aion said. "Do as you wish master!" Fiore replied and the two of them went upstairs into Joshua's room while Viede followed them. Once Fiore and Aion entered his room, they found Joshua sitting on the floor by the window sill. His horns were still visible on his head along with the high pressured veins surrounding his face. "Joshua." Fiore said in a worried tone and walked closer towards him as she could see that Joshua looked very weak. "Oh, it's you Fiore!" Joshua said with a weak voice. "Yes Joshua, it's me!" Fiore said in a nurturing tone. "Fiore, my sister isn't here. Where is she?" Joshua asked since he deeply missed his older sister Rosette. Fiore looked at Joshua with great sympathy. She came closer and hugged him. "I will be with you Lord Joshua! I will do anything for you, so please wait a little longer." Fiore said to Joshua in a somewhat sad yet motherly tone. "I guess both are attached to each other because they're both missing something." Viede said as he observed the bond between the two. "Joshua is becoming too attached to the horns. This means that Fiore is losing her effect as a limiter. We are going to need his sister in order to maintain his conscience." Viede advised. "Don't worry about it Viede." Aion said and walked towards Joshua. "Joshua, can you hear me?" Aion asked Joshua as he kneeled down on the floor. Joshua lifted his head up and faced Aion. "Yes Aion, I can!" Joshua said in a weak tone again as he was looking at Aion. "Good, because I wanted to let you know that you will see your beloved sister soon." Aion said to Joshua. "I see. This is so exciting! I can't wait!" Joshua said with excitement as he grinned somewhat sinisterly. "Yes, we'll light the candles, celebrate, and we'll welcome her!" Aion announced enthusiastically while he wrapped his arm around Joshua's shoulder. "There will be a carnival in a few days time. It'll be fun!" Aion informed Joshua with a creepy tone.

The next morning, Rosette and Chrono decided it was time that they continue searching for Joshua. "Well, since the Order isn't asking for our help at the moment, I think it's about time we start searching for Joshua's whereabouts!" Rosette said with determination as soon as they stepped out of the villa. "Where do we start? Joshua could be anywhere around the city." Chrono remarked. "That's why Maria will be coming with us. She is the only one who knows how the house looks like." Rosette stated. Just then, they saw a car driving towards the villa, much to their surprise as they didn't expect anyone. When the car stopped, two familiar men stepped out and greeted them. "Good morning!" Father Remington called out to them. "Father Remington!" Rosette said in surprise as the minister along with Reverend Gilliam walked their way towards them. "What brings you here if I may ask?" Rosette asked wondering. "Reverend Gilliam and I are doing an investigation on the Denver incident that just happened recently. We think that it might have something to do with the Sinners." Father Remington explained. "But what does this have to do with us?" Chrono asked confused. "Well, you're searching for the house where Joshua currently resides in, right?" The minister asked. "That's right!" Chrono admitted. "Well, considering that Joshua is now a part of the Sinners and the fact that the Denver incident might be connected to them, Gilliam and I have decided to join you three in your search for the house!" Father Remington said. "That does sound like a pretty smart idea!" Rosette agreed and just then, two exorcists from the San Francisco Order walked towards the trio. One was a tall agent with black hair while the other one beside him was a nun militia exorcist with blonde hair. "So, are we ready to leave yet Reverend?" The guy asked. "Almost, we still need to ask Remington's assistant a question." Reverend Gilliam answered. "Reverend, who are these two?" Chrono asked. "These are some of our members from the San Francisco branch, Brother Will and Sister Jane. They will be helping us with our investigation on the Denver incident." Reverend Gilliam explained. "It's a pleasure to be working with you. I've heard many things about you Sister Rosette!" Jane stated politely. "You have?" Rosette asked confused. "Yes, and I must say that by the sounds of it, you sure are one handful!" Will answered. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Rosette asked slightly offended. "Since we don't know the direction to the house, do you have any idea where we should start Maria?" Reverend Gilliam asked as he interrupted the conversations. "I suggest we start with the coastal part of the city. From what I recall, the house was near the water." Maria explained. "Alright everyone, let's get going! The sooner we find that house the better!" Rosette said to Maria and Chrono. "Wait for me! I want to come with you!" Azmaria shouted out while walking excitedly out of the house. "I'm sorry Azmaria, but I'm afraid this is not something you can help us with. It's going to be a very tiring day, so it's best for you to stay here and in the meantime you can help Steiner prepare lunch for us! We also wouldn't want to draw too much attention on ourselves since the Pursuers are still after us." Rosette explained. "I understand. In that case, I'll help here as much as I can!" Azmaria responded with slight disappointment. "Alright, we'll see you all later!" Maria said and Azmaria walked back in the villa. "Okay, since Maria has to focus on recognizing the house where Joshua is, I'll be the driver!" Rosette stated. "Oh no, do you have any idea how nauseating these roads are? Since you are such a crazy driver, we'll all be sick in no time!" Chrono stated in horror. "Do you doubt my driving skills Chrono?" Rosette asked with an irritated, impatient tone. "Just please drive slowly! You don't want us to feel queasy do you? It would ruin our search for Joshua. Anyways, Maria needs time to observe the houses and she can't do that when you drive insanely fast." Chrono said quietly as he was somewhat afraid of her reaction. "You do have a point. I'll drive as slow as I can!" Rosette answered calmly, which greatly surprised Chrono. He was definitely expecting a fiery response. "If I may suggest something, I think we should start our search by looking at the outskirts of the city by the coast first." Maria advised. "Alright, if that's where you think we should start our search, then that's where we shall be heading to!" Rosette decided determinedly and the three of them went into Satella's jeep and started driving away from the villa with Father Remington and Reverend Gilliam following them. It took them quite a while to reach the edge of the city by the coastal area. They went from house to house, driving slowly in hope that Maria would recognize it. "Oh my God, we have been driving around the suburbs for two hours already! When are we going to reach this damn house already?" Rosette impatiently asked as she was becoming restless with their search. "Calm down Rosette, Maria is trying her best in finding the house where Joshua is currently at. Can't you be a little more patient?" Chrono asked. "So Maria, do you recognize anything around this area?" Chrono asked Maria. "Not yet, but I have a feeling that we're almost there!" Maria assured Chrono. "Well that's good to hear! At least we're almost there!" Rosette commented gladly as she couldn't wait for the moment to arrive. Rosette then took a turn towards another street and once she did that, they drove into a street that was right by the water. "We're getting closer now, I can feel it!" Rosette said with deep confidence. "Maria, since we're getting closer, would you mind telling us what the house looks like?" Rosette asked out of curiosity. "From what I remember, the house was located directly on the beach but it was secluded from the other houses." Maria explained. "Like the other houses, the entrance had a brown color door and it had two levels. Right behind the house, there is a forest not far from there, which means we will have to go through it in order to get there." Maria said describing the house as well as its location. After driving a little more for about twenty minutes, Maria suddenly spotted the house that she remembered seeing. "We're here Rosette! You can stop the car now!" Maria told Rosette and she then stopped driving. "Are you really sure that this is the right house Maria?" Rosette asked as she could not believe that they had finally found it. "Yes Rosette, look up ahead of you." Maria said and pointed her finger at the house which was straight ahead from the forest area. They all then stepped out of the car and took a look at the property with Father Remington and company doing the same. "I can't believe that we have finally found it! It has been so long since I have been waiting for this moment to happen!" Rosette said still not believing that the moment had finally come. "So, this is really the house we are looking for, isn't it?" Father Remington asked. "Yes Ewan, it is indeed the one we are looking for!" Maria confirmed. "In that case, we have to be careful in order not to be discovered by the Sinners." Chrono stated. "Chrono's right, we must come up with a plan if we are to find what we are looking for." Reverend Gilliam said. "In that case, Jane, Will, and I will be heading towards the house to look for any clues." Father Remington explained. "What about the Reverend?" Jane asked concerned. "I will stay here in the car where I will be observing the search through this telescope from afar." The Reverend explained as he took out a telescope in the shape of a recording camera and placed it by the car window. "Rosette, you and I will start checking behind the house. Maria and Father Remington will check out the front. Once we're sure that no one's around, we'll all break in at once." Chrono explained their part of the plan to Rosette. "Okay, let's go for it! We'll take them by surprise!" Rosette said with great determination while Gilliam, Remington, and the two militia members put on communicating head phones. The trio went back into the car with the minister and the two militia members following them, and drove out of the forest area. When they reached closer to the house, Rosette stopped the car and they all stepped out again. All of them then split into different areas around the perimeter of the house. They carefully searched around the house, not knowing whether Aion and the rest of the Sinners were there. "Do you see anyone Rosette?" Chrono asked as Rosette was peeking from the back on opposite sides with Will and Jane being on the same side as them to check for any possible traps. "No I don't Chrono!" Rosette confirmed. Chrono took a little peek and also saw that no one was there. "You're right Rosette! It doesn't look like they are here." Chrono remarked. "If that's the case, then let's go to the front of the house and see whether Maria had any luck over there." Rosette suggested. "That sounds like a good idea!" Chrono agreed and they both hurried to the front door where they found Maria and the minister peeking through one of the windows. "Maria!" Rosette shouted out her name. "Rosette, did you and Chrono manage to have any luck seeing anyone in there?" Maria asked. "No, I'm afraid we didn't." Rosette replied in a disappointed tone. "I see!" Maria said. "So, did you two see anyone?" Rosette asked. "No, neither have we? By the looks of it, they might have already left." Maria stated. "Are you saying that there is a possibility that we drove all the way down here for nothing?" Rosette asked curiously. "It's a possibility. After all, the Sinners are pretty unpredictable. So we can never be too careful or too sure when dealing with them." Maria commented. "Well in that case, this leaves us to our last step. We'll break into the house!" Rosette announced. "Before you three do that, I would like to remind you to be careful. Just in case if someone is still in there." Father Remington said concerned. "Don't worry Ewan. We'll be careful, I promise!" Maria assured him. The three then broke in together at the same time. As they feared, no one was in the house. It was completely empty.

"Damn it, where did they go!" Rosette asked herself disappointed. "I can't believe that this is happening. After all these years of searching, and now we have found nothing. I was so sure that we would have luck this time." Rosette said in a sad tone. "Don't worry Rosette, we'll find them. They probably knew that the Pursuers were after them and they therefore had fled. We can see that they were here not so long ago!" Chrono said trying to calm Rosette down. "You really think that's the case Chrono?" Rosette asked. "Well, I did used to be one of the Sinners, so of course I am still able to know and sense their tactics!" Chrono explained. "Anyways, now that we are here, let's search around this house and find some clues!" Rosette suggested. "What kind of clues?" Chrono asked. "Any clues that might have something to do with Joshua. And since we don't know the rooms of this place, Maria will lead us to them! Right Maria?" Rosette said with confidence and turned her head towards Maria who had a shocked look on her face. "Maria, are you alright?" Rosette asked out of concern as she saw that Maria was in a shocked daze. "I'm sorry Rosette. I was just lost in thought again." Maria said. "Again, I see." Rosette commented. "So, what is it that you asked?" Maria asked as she didn't pay attention to what Rosette said. "We just need to find some clues in this house, that's all. Since you were the one who lived here for three years, surely you can lead us through this place." Rosette explained as she walked towards Maria and touched her hand. "When you said clues, you meant traces about Joshua's residence here, am I right?" Maria asked. "That's right!" Rosette confirmed enthusiastically. "Alright then, we'll start by searching the upstairs floor! There you will be able to find most of the clues that you and Chrono are looking for." Maria explained as she pointed her finger towards the hallway that leads to the stairs. Upstairs, Maria led the two to the bathroom which was at the center of the hallway. When they opened the bathroom door and walked in, they saw a tremendous amount of blood on the shower walls. "Oh my God. This must have been from Joshua and those horns." Rosette said with tears in her eyes. "Poor Joshua, how much has he been through all this time?" Rosette said sadly. "While I was here, I occasionally had witnessed Joshua screaming from his painful headaches and also bleeding from the horns. This place just brings me so many unpleasant memories." Maria said with a sad expression on her face. "I believe you. This is a pretty hard time for both of us. This is the closest I've ever got to reaching Joshua ever since we've been separated." Rosette said sympathetically and gently touched her hand. "If you want Rosette, I can show you the room to where Joshua was sleeping!" Maria offered. "Of course I would Maria! Please show me!" Rosette said and they followed Maria through the hallway. She led them to the corner of the hallway at which end was Joshua's bedroom. Rosette walked across the hall with Chrono and Maria following her. "This is it. This was the room where Joshua slept in." Maria confirmed. Rosette slowly opened the door and walked in the room with Chrono while Maria walked into another room just beside Joshua's which used to be her bedroom. Just then, Maria began to have haunting memories filling in her head. She began to think back to the time in which she was asleep on the bed in which Aion placed her in on the day she was kidnapped from her family. "So, that's the Holy Woman that we are looking for Aion?" Genai asked while the rest of the Sinners as well as Fiore and Joshua were standing by the bed. "Yes, a successor of Mary Magdalene." Aion confirmed. Maria then woke up and slowly opened her eyes. She was shocked and confused as to what was happening. "Oh my God, who are you people?" Maria asked in a shocked tone. "Relax my dear! You are officially under our wing now where you shall be a contributing member to our goals!" Aion explained as he tried to calm Maria down while she slowly got out of the bed. "Who are you? And what am I doing here?" Maria asked firmly. "My name is Aion, and these here are my subordinates!" Aion introduced himself as well as the other Sinners. "In case you were wondering, I was the demon who captured you and brought you here while you were in your sleep." Aion revealed to her. "What? You took me away from my family just so I can be used for whatever your plans are?" Maria asked out of disbelief. "That's correct my dear!" Aion answered. "You bastard, I will never work for you! I would rather die than to have to work for a demon like you!" Maria angrily yelled at Aion as she couldn't believe what she was just hearing. "My, what a fiery attitude you have there! I like that!" Aion amusedly said as he then touched Maria's chin. "Take your hands off of me you devil! I don't want to have any associations with demons, so you just get the hell away from me!" Maria said in a cross voice as she forced Aion's hand away from her chin and then stormed out of the room while Aion looked at her with a sneaky grin on his face. Maria remembered the event and felt as if it was only yesterday that she met Aion and the Sinners. "So, this is where it all began. Right here in this room." Maria said to herself quietly while she was still remembering the painful events she had of the house. Meanwhile, Joshua's room was darkened by the window drapes and Rosette walked towards the windows to open them. The bright light entered the room and both she and Chrono could see and feel for the first time where her brother had lived for all these years. It felt like he was still in there. "It sure feels good to feel Joshua's presence in here! Isn't it Rosette?" Chrono commented. "Yeah, I guess so! Even though it would have been even more joyous if we would have found Joshua for real." Rosette remarked disappointedly and sat on the bed. She took the pillow and smelled it. She observed the room and saw a shelf filled with books. One book had caught her attention. It was a book called 'The Explorers.' Rosette grabbed the book from the shelf and started looking through the pages. "What is it Rosette? Did you find something?" Chrono asked. "I can't believe it. He still remembers our dream of becoming explorers!" She said with a sense of hope. "Maybe he still remembers me as well!" she said quietly and decided to take the book. As she walked out of the room, she slowly turned around to see it one more time. "Joshua, we will see each other again soon! I am sure of it!" Rosette promised to herself and tears began to go down her face again. "Rosette, are you crying?" Chrono asked empathetically. "No Chrono, I just have something in my eye." Rosette said as she denied her sad emotion. Chrono took Rosette's hand and the tears in her eyes stopped. "There's no point in denying how you feel when it is very obvious that you are sad." Chrono said softly to Rosette. "Chrono!" Rosette quietly said. "Come, let's see where Maria is right now!" Chrono said and led Rosette straight into the hallway. There they saw a room with an opened door. When they reached the room, they saw Maria standing towards the bed like a ghost. "Rosette, why does Maria look so unresponsive?" Chrono whispered. They both walked in the room to see what was bothering her. "Hey Maria look, we've just found a book in Joshua's room! It's called The Explorers!" Rosette told her excitedly, but Maria wasn't paying any attention. She then slowly turned her head and looked at the two. "I'm sorry. Did you say something?" Maria asked obliviously. "Maria, is there something else about you that you're not telling us? Maybe something that has to do with your history with Aion and the rest of the Sinners?" Chrono asked out of deep concern. "What do you mean?" Maria asked. "It's just that as of late we have been seeing you constantly lost in thought about something yet you never tell us what is preoccupying your mind. Plus, we still don't know too much about you in regards to your history with the Sinners." Chrono pointed out. "Chrono's right Maria, you can't go on keeping everything about yourself a secret to us. We are your friends, and whatever you're dealing with, we will always be there for you! So please, tell us what's going on so we can help you in whatever way we can!" Rosette pleaded with Maria. Maria took a deep breath, cleared her throat and then began to tell the two more about her past. "As you should know, since I was working for Aion during those three years, this means that I had to be involved in their plans." "So how did you contribute to their goals?" Rosette asked. "Well, I was responsible for helping the Sinners kidnap the five Apostles. I had no say in it. Aion promised me that he and his subordinates would spare the lives of those who were close to the Apostles. Ever since I had been at the Magdalene Order, I frequently had tormenting nightmares about me being condemned and rejected by everyone around me for the sin I have committed." Maria explained somberly. "Maria, you're sad." Chrono pointed out. "It's nothing. After all, I am a sinner who is nothing more but damaged goods. That is what my nightmares had been constantly reminding me about." Maria said sadly. "That's not true! Just because you were forced to help the Sinners with their evil goals by abducting the Apostles, that doesn't make you a bad person!" Rosette said to her strongly as she could tell that Maria deep inside was not a bad person. "Rosette's right, you shouldn't keep blaming and demonizing yourself for committing a crime that you were not willing to do." Chrono told her. "So, you two really believe that I wasn't at fault here? If that were the case, then none of the Apostles would have been captured." Maria blamed herself again as she doubted their claims. "Anyways, this room brings back so many painful memories. Memories that are just too hard to forget." Maria said with a broody tone. "What happened to you that caused you to have those traumatic memories?" Rosette curiously asked. "Since I was Aion's favorite toy, he molested me frequently." Maria explained. "Oh my, you really have been through a lot, haven't you?" Rosette asked empathetically. "Yes Rosette." Maria sadly confirmed. "Since we now know more about your tragic past, let's share our pain together!" Rosette offered and gave Maria a hug. They both began to cry at the same time as they shared similar feelings.

Meanwhile, Will and Jane were still on the beach searching for any traps. "Well, what's going on?" Reverend Gilliam asked Will and Jane through the headphones. "It appears that there are no traps!" Will revealed. "There's also no sign of spiritual or moving objects Reverend!" Jane confirmed. "If we would have known that this was going to happen, perhaps it would have been better if we finished the wide field setup." Jane stated. "Yeah, you do have a point Jane." Reverend Gilliam answered and then switched contact to Father Remington. "I never thought that we would have found something like this in the Sinners layout before our plans were ready. So, did you find anything Remington?" Gilliam asked. "It's the same numbers. This has to be it. The suspicious truck that has been reported missing." Father Remington answered as he was looking at the numbers on the truck's license plate. "Aion and missing people from Denver? This sure was unexpected." The minister commented as he was trying to connect the Denver incident with Aion. "What do you think?" Gilliam asked the minister. "The Sinners. The Denver incident might be connected to the Sinners. At least we can suspect that the driver joined Aion." Father Remington replied. "So in other words, the other unidentified Sinners might have joined him." Reverend Gilliam concluded. "In that case, we need to regroup. It's time for us to head back now." Gilliam decided. "Will, it's time for us to regroup. Go to the house and inform Rosette and the others." Reverend Gilliam commanded. Just then, the communication line on the headphones began to phase out as Will and Jane were suddenly not answering. "Will, what's wrong? Jane, answer me!" Reverend Gilliam shouted as he did not hear a single word of either of the two. "Gilliam, get out of there now! Gilliam!" Father Remington alerted Reverend Gilliam as he saw something coming towards him. "It's too late!" Reverend Gilliam responded seriously as he loaded his gun. Just then, he saw Genai standing right in front of him. The Sinner was holding both Will and Jane's decapitated heads and gave the Reverend a sinister grin. Gilliam started shooting at the demon. The gunshot all of a sudden caught Maria's attention. "Wait a minute. Is that gun fire I am hearing?" Maria asked herself. "Yeah, it appears so." Chrono confirmed. Maria ran out of her former room towards the stairs to see what the shooting was all about with Rosette and Chrono running after her. Once Maria had exited the house, she saw the Reverend shooting at the Sinner. "Oh my God, Genai knew that we were here all this time?" Maria thought to herself as she was sure that everything was safe and sound. "Maria! What's going on?" Rosette shouted as she and Chrono ran out of the house. "Give some of your crucifix barriers Rosette!" Maria commanded as she turned towards Rosette. "But." Rosette said hesitantly. "Just give them to me!" Maria raised her voice and Rosette groped through her pocket and got out six crucifix barriers and gave them to her. "Thanks Rosette!" Maria said as she grabbed the crucifix barriers from Rosette's hand and ran off towards the forest area. "Maria, what are you doing? Come back here!" Rosette shouted after her. Back at the forest area, Genai was about to decapitate Reverend Gilliam with his axe transformed hand. However, Father Remington abruptly appeared behind him and as he waived his laser sword swiftly towards Genai, the Sinner quickly caught his guard by moving out of the way. "You Christian bastard, how dare you interfere with one of my targets? For that, you shall die!" Genai said in an extremely cross tone as he then charged towards Father Remington. Just as he was about to cut off Father Remington's head, six crucifix barriers were all of a sudden placed around Genai's body. Father Remington was both surprised and relieved at the sudden intervention. "Ah damn it, a crucifix barrier!" Genai yelled as the power of the barrier began to activate and he then teleported from the forest. After his teleportation, the crucifix barrier stopped activating. "A crucifix barrier? Where did it come from?" Father Remington asked himself out of surprise. "Ewan!" Maria shouted out as she walked out from behind a tree. "Maria, was the crucifix barrier your doing?" The minister asked astounded. "Yes Ewan, it was!" Maria confirmed. "I see. Where did you get the crucifix barrier from?" The minister asked. "Rosette gave them to me once I witnessed what was going on here in the forest." Maria explained. "Speaking of Rosette, we have to go back there and tell her and Chrono that the investigation is finished for today. Gilliam, would you care to drive us over back to the house?" The minister asked. "No problem Remington, just get inside!" Gilliam answered and both the minister and Maria got in the car. In just a few minutes, Rosette and Chrono saw the Reverend's car driving towards the house. Once Maria got out of the car, Rosette ran towards her. "Maria!" Rosette shouted as she then tightly hugged her. "I am so glad that you're okay Maria, you've really did had Chrono and me worried." Rosette said with relief. "Come on Rosette, it's not as if I was going to die or anything." Maria said with a slight smile on her face. "So Father Remington, were any clues found in regards to the Denver incident?" Rosette asked. "Well, considering that this was the house where the Sinners resided, and considering that this truck must have been the one that was used by the Sinners. I think it's safe to conclude that it was the Sinners who were behind this incident!" The minister answered as they concluded their search. "In that case, let's check out the truck." Maria suggested and Father Remington went and opened the trunk. Much to everyone's surprise, none of the corpses were there. "How very odd?! There are no corpses to be found." The minister asked himself out of confusion. "The Sinners must have had the corpses disposed of just when they were about to leave." Maria stated. "Are you sure Maria?" Father Remington curiously asked. "Yes, I am sure that's the case." Maria concluded. "By the way Reverend, where is Will and Jane?" Chrono asked. "I am afraid that one of the Sinners who we have just encountered had killed both of them." Reverend Gilliam revealed in a disappointed and sad tone. Rosette and Chrono looked at the Reverend with a horrified look on their faces. "We better start heading back to the villa now. Since we have found all the clues we could find in this place, it would be pointless to continue the investigation, wouldn't it?" Maria stated. "She's right. We've found all the clues that we need from here, so I guess it's best to leave now!" Father Remington agreed and they all decided that it was time to leave. Rosette and Chrono sat in the back of the car while Maria drove back to the villa. Rosette was so lost in thought that she looked as if she was hypnotized. When they arrived, Azmaria happily came out running towards Rosette but when she saw her sad face, she knew something didn't go well. "Is everything alright Rosette?" She asked worried. "Let's just leave Rosette to have some alone time, she had a very emotional day." Maria told Azmaria and Rosette went inside the villa and walked upstairs into her room without saying a word. Chrono and Maria stayed with the rest of them in the living room and explained everything that happened on their search.

Chapter 17

Later that night while everyone in the villa was asleep, Rosette started turning and tossing in her bed as if she was having a nightmare. In the nightmare, Rosette was standing by some fountain facing Joshua who smiled at her. "Joshua! I am so happy to have finally found you!" Rosette said with overwhelming joy. Rosette ran towards Joshua and when she came closer to him, the horns popped out of his head which made his head all bloody. She stopped running and Joshua's smile became quite sinister. He then began to laugh like a maniac and released the power of the horns which froze everyone and everything within its grasp, including Rosette. "Oh my God, what's happening? Joshua!" Rosette yelled out his name as she became so terrified by the situation. She felt like that it really was happening. Rosette's face was covered in cold sweat and her eyes were squeezed shut as if she was afraid to open them. Suddenly she started screaming. Her scream woke everyone up and they rushed to her room. "Rosette, what's with all the screaming? Are you alright?" Chrono asked alarmed as everyone was running across the hall. They found her sitting in her bed and her body was shaking uncontrollably. It looked as if she was in some kind of shock. "Rosette, what happened?" Chrono asked as he walked towards her. "The dream, everything was just so horrifying!" Rosette said in a terrified tone. Chrono gently took her hand and looked at her with caring eyes. "Don't worry Rosette, there's nothing to be afraid of!" He kindly reassured her. As she heard his voice, Rosette slowly stopped shaking. "What happened? Did you have a nightmare?" Maria asked while everyone else looked concerned at her. "Yes I did. It was a horrifying dream!" Rosette said in a shaky tone. "What was the dream about?" Chrono asked curiously. "I dreamed of finally seeing Joshua somewhere in the city and as I was walking towards him he had this beautiful smile on his face. I started running towards him, but as I came closer, his head turned bloody and he had that sinister look on his face. I stopped running and at that moment he started laughing hysterically and he released some kind of energy that froze everyone and everything around him, including me. It was so frightening. It felt like it was really happening." Rosette explained her intense dream. "It felt as if he wanted to tell me something, but he didn't have the chance." Rosette kept explaining. "It was probably just a bad dream." Maria said trying to calm her down. "I suppose you're right, I'll just go and make some tea for myself. Hopefully that will make me sleep better!" Rosette said while getting off of her bed. "Ja, some tea would surely calm your jittery nerves. You just stay in your bed and I'll make some tea for us all, now that we are all awake!" Satella offered and went downstairs to the kitchen. "Maria." Rosette called out her name. "Yes Rosette?" Maria asked. "Would it be alright if you can sleep in my room for the rest of the night?" Rosette asked shyly. "Sure, I will be glad to make you some company!" Maria gladly accepted. A few minutes later, Satella came back with tea for everyone. "Alright, the tea is all ready now, so let's drink it while it's still warm!" Satella announced as she entered the room. "Thanks for the tea Satella! I really needed it!" Rosette gratefully thanked Satella. "You're welcome. After all, you are a guest in this house, so I must be hospitable, don't I?" Satella pointed out. "Yeah, I guess you're right!" Rosette admitted and after everyone was finished drinking their tea, they all went back to bed.

The next day in the afternoon, Maria was preparing lunch for everybody. The food that she made was a linguine pasta dish covered with tomato sauce along with shrimps. It took an hour for her to finish making the meal. Once she was done she served the pasta dish onto six separate plates and brought them to the table in the dining room. She brought a bottle of red wine from the kitchen to serve with the meal. "Alright, I hope you will all like this meal." Maria said in a hopeful tone and then poured the wine into the glasses and served them to everyone. However, she filled Azmaria's glass with water and then added some wine. "Wow, the food looks so jake! I didn't know that you were so great at cooking Maria." Rosette said with excitement as she complimented Maria's cooking. "Well, my mother taught my younger sister Letizia and I how to cook at a very young age." Maria revealed. "Speaking of your sister, how old is she?" Rosette asked. "She is around the same age as you." Maria revealed. "I see. How close were you two?" Rosette asked. "Quite close, I'll tell you that. My sister and I didn't have many friends, so we were always there for each other. Just like that of best friends." Maria continued explaining. "I hope you'll get to reunite with your family soon Maria!" Rosette said gently. "Thank you Rosette!" Maria replied gratefully. After everyone had finished their lunch, Steiner came in the living room with dessert. "Ahhh, the food was so good!" Rosette remarked with satisfaction while she and the others were sitting on the sofa. "Yeah, who would have thought that Maria could cook so well!" Chrono commented. "Miss Rosette, there was a call from the Order and they requested that all of you are needed at once." Steiner said. Rosette was puzzled as to what was so urgent that the Order needed all of them. "Alright, in that case, let's get a move on! We need time to get there. At least they could have sent a car for us." Rosette said impatiently and stood up from the sofa. "I would be glad to take you there." Steiner offered. "Thank you so much! You saved us from having to walk all the way there." Rosette was relieved and grateful. "I'll come with you as well! After we drop you off at the Order, Steiner and I need to do some shopping." Satella announced. "Very well then, I'll get the car ready." Steiner said and they all walked outside. While in the car, Chrono seemed unusually happy. "Thank God Steiner is driving, it feels so nice and relaxing!" He said trying not to look at Rosette. Rosette turned around and looked at Chrono as if she will strangle him. "What are you trying to say?" She asked angrily. "Nothing really, it's just that Steiner's driving feels much smoother than yours." Chrono answered nervously. "Pfff, you're one to talk. You don't even know how to drive a car. So how can you possibly criticize my driving?" Rosette said trying to pick a fight. "Oh mein got, not again! Can't you two stop bickering with each other for a change?" Satella said frustrated and they both stopped arguing. "Wait a minute. I don't recall the Order being this way." Maria remarked while looking at the road. "We are taking a shortcut as you need to be there quite quickly." Steiner responded while he had an unusual grin on his face. A few minutes later, they passed by what appeared to be a carnival and Steiner suddenly stopped the car, much to their surprise. "Hold on a second, this is not the Order." Maria stated confused. "Ja Steiner, what's going on?" Satella asked also confused. "Why don't we get out of the car? I'm sure you will all love the surprise!" Steiner told them and they all got out of the car. They walked their way towards the carnival still confused as to what was going on. All five of them looked around their surroundings and saw an instrument performance, several food stalls, tents as well as a carousel that was attached to a large silver pole. "Is this a carnival?" Rosette asked unimpressed. "Ja, it appears to be so." Satella commented. "Surprise!" Azmaria ecstatically yelled out. "Surprise? What are you talking about Azmaria?" Rosette asked puzzled. "Well, Steiner and I made a plan to bring us all here for a day of fun! Everyone is so worried lately that some cheering up would do some good to everyone! Besides, this is my first time at an American carnival!" Azmaria happily explained. "What about the Order?" Chrono asked. "To tell you the truth, we made it up so that everyone would come, otherwise I don't think we could get you all here." Azmaria explained and laughed mischievously. "Alright everybody, let's go!" Azmaria exclaimed excitedly. "I think this was a good idea Liebekind! It's been quite a while since anyone of us had fun. Besides, it might take our minds off of all the things that we are going through, at least for a little while. Besides, I'll try to enjoy commoner things for once!" Satella said surprisingly open to the idea. "Well if you're all for it, then I'm all for it too!" Rosette warmed up to the idea. "Well what are we waiting for? Let's get going!" Chrono cheerfully said. "Let's make sure that we all stay together so that no one gets lost." Maria said cautiously. "Don't worry about it. I'll keep an eye out for everyone." Steiner offered and reassured her. "Alright, let's not waste time! Besides, I would love to try whatever snacks they have!" Rosette tried to be cheerful while joining in the fun. Chrono however realized that Rosette's mind was still burdened with the dream. "You're still thinking about that dream, aren't you?" Chrono asked worried. "I can't help it. No matter what I do I can't get that dream out of my head." Rosette said. "Well let's go and try to have some fun. I will be with you so you don't have anything to worry about!" Chrono said gently. "Thanks Chrono, I knew I could count on you! But you need some fun too, so let's go!" Rosette said and they both ran towards the ticket entrance booth where the other three were already at.

Meanwhile, at Aion's new secret house, a cat demon scientist was in a room, looking through a new telescope that she just invented. "Oh, this is working better than I expected! With this telescope, I can see the whole city!" She said ecstatically and with so much pride about her new invention. "Oh, what do we have here? A carnival! What a way for those pathetic humans to have fun." The cat demon said mockingly. She looked more from her telescope when something had caught her attention. "Oh, what a lovely surprise! The big sister and her friends are here, and also Chrono. Lord Aion will be extremely pleased to see what my latest invention has discovered!" She said uncontrollably excited. "Well, I can see that this telescope of ours has been doing wonders, hasn't it Shader?" Aion asked surprised as he suddenly appeared right from behind her. "Ahhhh, Lord Aion, please don't sneak up on me like that!" Shader yelled as she was startled. "So tell me Shader, did you find anything exciting, anything worthwhile?" Aion curiously asked. "Yes, speaking of which Lord Aion, I have some wonderful news for you! With my latest invention, I have just discovered something of great importance to us!" Shader announced. "Really? What would that be?" Aion asked intrigued. "It appears that Joshua's big sister and Chrono are on some carnival in the city. The Apostle girl and the Holy Woman are also there!" Shader continued excitedly. "I see. This is wonderful news indeed. You're inventions prove to be very useful Shader! Now our time has come and we will have to act quickly!" Aion said. In the dining room, Joshua was eating his lunch when Fiore walked in. He ate lamb, potatoes and carrots. He put aside the carrots, hoping no one would realize it. "Is something wrong Lord Joshua? Are you pleased with your food?" Fiore asked curiously. "Yes, I am enjoying the food, just not these tasteless carrots." Joshua said displeased. "Carrots are good for you! You have to get your strength back." Fiore said sternly yet monotonously. "If only I could eat only what I want!" Joshua said rebelliously. "You shouldn't be so upset. You know what this does to you." Fiore reminded him calmly. At that moment, Fiore saw Aion and Shader walk past the dining room. "Is that Aion who just passed by?" Joshua curiously asked. "Yes Lord Joshua." Fiore confirmed. "Is it okay if I can talk to Aion?" Joshua asked. "Sure, I see no reason why not? Just follow me!" Fiore said and they followed the two demons. Both Aion and Shader went to the living room where they met Genai and Viede. "Alright, we have some important matters to attend to. Shader has found everyone who we are looking for! This is going to be a great victory as after this, we can finally start accomplishing our dream!" Aion said victoriously. "We must act quickly as we don't know how long they are going to be there." Aion said. "So where is the place that they are at?" Genai asked. "At the carnival!" Aion replied. Just then, Fiore brought Joshua into the living room. "Lord Aion, forgive me for interrupting, but Joshua insisted on seeing you." Fiore said and Joshua walked in the living room. "Lord Aion, is it alright for me to come with you! I feel great today, my head feels clear!" Joshua said excitedly yet with a weak tone as he overheard their plan. "Ah, I see that you are willing to be of service to me. Very well then, but you better put on your suit. It makes me nervous to see you unprepared for this joyous occasion!" Aion said to Joshua while he was tightening his black tie. "So tell me Aion, will we be seeing my big sister at the carnival?" Joshua curiously asked. "Yes Joshua! In fact, Shader had found them with her latest invention!" Aion said to Joshua. "This is wonderful! I can't wait for this to happen!" Joshua said overjoyed and Fiore took him upstairs to his room. "Well Lord Aion, what is the plan exactly?" Viede asked. "Your task is to capture the Apostle girl along with the Holy Woman and bring them to me!" Aion explained. "Today will be a memorable day! All of the signs will come together to defeat Pandemonium. With the power of the Astral Line that is possessed by the Apostles as well as Maria's Stigmata, it will bring the true death of Pandemonium. Then we will gain our long awaited freedom!" Aion explained enthusiastically while looking at the window. "Even if that means death to the world, Lord Aion?" Viede asked. "Yes. Either way, the world will change. Just like the extinction of ancient animals, the world will once again start from the beginning." Aion confirmed. After Joshua was done changing into his suit, he walked downstairs to the living room. All of the Sinners then decided to make their way to the carnival. "Let's go to the stage. Our guests of honor are waiting!" Aion said triumphantly as they were walking out of the house and to their way to the carnival.

Meanwhile at the carnival, Rosette, Chrono and Azmaria were taking turns at the stand where they were shooting at the objects to win a prize. Azmaria was quite successful as she was able to hit the target can without a problem. "Wow, good shot Azmaria!" Chrono congratulated her. Rosette impatiently took a gun and carefully shot at the target can. She however missed the can, much to her frustration. "Damn it! This gun is useless!" Rosette cursed and started blaming the gun she got. She then took several other available guns and hysterically tried all of them out. When none of her tries succeeded, she angrily used her guns from the Magdalene Order and started shooting at the targets as if she were crazy. Chrono and Azmaria on the other hand became horrified by Rosette's destructive behavior. "Rosette, would you give it a rest already? Other people want to have fun too." Chrono remarked. "Alright, I just wanted to check if those damn guns were rigged." She explained trying to justify her erratic behavior. Azmaria then saw a carousel and was fascinated by it. She walked towards the three other girls excitedly. "Girls, will you join me on the carousel ride?" Azmaria asked. "I would! I always love riding those!" Rosette replied enthusiastically. "Sure Liebekind, I wouldn't mind going! I've never been on one before." Satella replied. "Yeah, let's try it out!" Maria agreed as she was eager to try it out as well. Rosette and Azmaria were obviously enjoying it very much while Satella cringed at it. "Oh mein Got, can't this ride get any more ridiculous?!" Satella said unimpressed while Maria was just neutral about it. After the carousel ride, they had several snacks such as hot dogs, ice cream, cotton candy and a hot potato along with apple cider. As always, Rosette ate like she hadn't had a decent meal in years as she demanded the ice cream parlor man to scoop her several scoops of ice cream. Later on, Rosette, Chrono and the rest of the girls all saw a dance taking place on an open stage. "Wow, these people sure can cut a rug, can't they?" Rosette asked amazed at how the people were dancing. A young blond gentleman all of a sudden appeared and greeted Satella. "Good evening miss, may I offer you a dance?" The young man asked. "Certainly!" Satella accepted his offer and took off her pink scarf off of her shoulders. She began to jiggle her cleavage at the man, which took the young man totally by surprise and he started blushing while Rosette looked annoyed. "Now, shall we have that dance?" Satella asked the man and they took their lead to the stage. "She is just like a princess from a fairy tale, isn't she Rosette?" Azmaria asked amazed. "Well, she looks good. But I doubt her dancing skills are refined." Rosette said with smug confidence. "Are you so sure about that Rosette?" Maria asked and Rosette along with the others saw Satella dancing graciously with the man on the stage which stunned the audience. "Wow, Satella is wonderful!" Azmaria stated with amazement. "So, are you going to dance Rosette?" Maria asked which made Rosette blush. "What? Me? Dancing?" Rosette asked nervously as she doubted her dancing skills. She started feeling jealous of Satella. "Rosette, is everything alright?" Azmaria asked Rosette. "Come on Chrono!" Rosette demanded while grabbing Chrono's hand. "What are you doing Rosette?" Chrono cried out. "You'll see, just come with me." Rosette said and kept dragging him to the stage. Rosette and Chrono were on the stage but didn't know how to start. "A one, and a two, and a three." Rosette said as she was trying to teach Chrono how to dance. "This is impossible. Have you done this sort of thing before Rosette?" Chrono asked as he knew that they weren't dancing properly. "Yes. When I was eleven, I was at a folk dance competition at Easter." Rosette claimed. "Anyways, if she can do it, so can we!" She said pointing at Satella. Chrono sighed and they began dancing! "Now, take a step forward." Rosette instructed Chrono. "Like this?" Chrono asked and accidentally stepped on her foot which made her yell in pain. "I'm so sorry, were we waltzing?" Chrono worriedly asked while Rosette then stepped on his foot and he began to yell too. It was then that they realized they were no match to Satella and her dancing partner, but they didn't want to stop. They decided to do it just for fun, and they started dancing anyway their feet carried them which they did by stomping aggressively on the stage floor. Everyone looked at them, as they never saw two people dancing so clumsily before. "Oh my God, this dance is quite amusing!" Maria said with amusement and began to silently laugh at their performance. "Rosette, what kind of a dance is this?" Azmaria yelled frightened as she had a feeling that the two would hurt themselves. After they were stomping on the stage floor they then began twirling, and spinning around, laughing and it felt as if they had just forgotten about all of their troubles. After spinning with each other a bit, they then grabbed each other's hands and smiled happily at each other. The audience cheered at their untraditional dance. "Now then, shall we continue?" Satella asked her dancing partner who was also distracted by their odd dance. After the dance, Azmaria and Maria congratulated Rosette and Chrono on their unorthodox but interesting dance. "Congratulations on your dance Rosette!" Azmaria cheerfully said. "You really mean it Azmaria?" Rosette said trying to catch her breath. "Yes, I thought your dance with Chrono was very inspiring!" Azmaria stated. "Thanks Azmaria. God, who knew that dancing could be so tiring yet fun at the same time?" Rosette stated in an exhausted tone. "As inspiring as it was, I can't say that was the proper way of dancing. Not that you would have truly mastered the Waltz by any chance." Satella said jokingly as she walked past her. "There she goes again! Not everyone has so much time on their hands to spend on dance lessons." Rosette fumed. They all then decided to get their picture taken together by a photographer behind the water fountain. "Watch the birdie! Everyone smile!" The photographer said and took the picture of all five of them together. "Did you take the picture already?" Azmaria asked as she realized that the camera flash already happened. "Oh damn, I think I blinked at the wrong time." Rosette complained. "If we are going to take pictures together, would you please refrain from making faces?!" Satella impatiently suggested. "What did you say?" Rosette asked insulted. "Now, don't get out on each other you two!" Chrono nervously suggested. The photographer walked over to the five of them with a notepad and pen in his hand. "I am sorry for the interruption ladies, but will you please write down your address." The photographer politely asked and handed the notepad to Rosette. "Write it down, and I'll have it delivered to you in a week!" The male photographer promised. Rosette took the white notepad and with the pen, wrote down the Magdalene Order's address. "To the Order?" Satella asked. "We are going to be busy, aren't we? If he sends it there, we'll get it to the Order no matter what!" Rosette explained. "That is true!" Chrono confirmed. "Wow, I can't wait to see how it turns out!" Azmaria said out of deep excitement. "Yeah, this is the first time we have taken a picture together! I just do hope that it turned out okay." Maria hoped. "I'm sure the picture will turn out just fine!" Satella assured her. Rosette then turned around and to her surprise, Chrono wasn't beside her. "Is it me, or has Chrono disappeared somewhere?" Maria asked as she saw that Chrono abruptly left. "What?! This is absurd. Why would Chrono leave without telling us where he will be at?" Rosette asked herself surprised as she never thought that Chrono would go somewhere else without telling them. "So, what do we do now?" Satella impatiently asked. "Would you three excuse me, I need to see where Chrono is!" Rosette said and began walking towards the crowd. "Just don't go too far away!" Maria shouted after her. "Don't worry, I won't!" Rosette shouted back and continued running after Chrono. "I'll go too!" Azmaria announced and just as she began to run along with Rosette, Satella grabbed her hand. "It is a festival. It's best if we give them some time alone for once!" Satella said softly to Azmaria as they watched Rosette running. Azmaria, Satella and Maria seated themselves on a bench and started chatting with each other. "What a fun day we had, wasn't it?" Azmaria stated. "Yes it was. For once I had actually enjoyed doing things that Commoners usually do." Satella agreed while she was slowly brushing Azmaria's hair with a small comb. "Maybe we should start having fun more often. We were really in a need for some relaxation!" Maria said. "I wonder where Rosette and Chrono headed off to? I can't see them anywhere." Azmaria stated concerned. "Just leave those two love birds alone! After all, their bond is unlike any other I have seen!" Maria said. "Yeah, their bond really is unique and strong, but I wonder how everything will turn out for them?" Azmaria said with a bittersweet tone. "What do you mean Azmaria?" Satella asked. "What I meant was about their contract." Azmaria stated. "Well, none of us know what the future has in store for us. Besides, we all have our own destiny." Maria said. "This might sound a little odd, but what if Rosette and Chrono have actually decided to spend the rest of their lives together as a married couple? Do you think that would be weird?" Azmaria asked. "As weird as it may seem, I think it's quite a lovely thought. After all, love has no real limitations." Maria said. "You're right. I just wonder if I will find love like that some day." Azmaria wondered. "I am sure that you might as well, meine liebekind!" Satella said convincingly. "You really mean it Satella?" Azmaria asked. "Of course, I wish for your happiness, and for Rosette and Chrono's happiness, liebekind!" Satella answered in a soft tone. "And I wish for your happiness as well Miss Satella, and Maria's as well. We've all went through something in our lives, and for that I am going to pray for all of our happiness every day!" Azmaria boldly said to Satella which pleasantly took both of them by surprise. "Danke schone Azmaria!" Satella thanked her gratefully. "Thanks for your kind consideration Azmaria! We really appreciate it!" Maria said kindly to Azmaria. Azmaria then hugged both Satella and Maria all at once which made Satella somewhat uncomfortable. "Azmaria, please, not in front of all of these people! Please, I understand!" Satella nervously told her while Steiner was looking at the three of them with a satisfying grin on his face.

Meanwhile, Rosette had finally found Chrono who was standing and watching a clown performance. "Chrono, what are you doing? You can't just leave us like that." Rosette said in a mildly angry tone as she walked towards him. Chrono turned around and said apologetically "I am sorry Rosette, I just got carried away, that's all!" "Come on, let's go." Rosette said impatiently and took Chrono's hand. "Can't you next time tell us where you're going? It is embarrassing to have to go after you like a little kid!" Rosette sternly suggested as they continued walking. "Sorry!" Chrono apologized again. The two of them all of a sudden stopped as they realized that they were walking too far away from the others. "Applesauce." Rosette said in disbelief as she looked around the crowds. "Wait a minute, don't tell me that we're lost, are we?" Chrono suspiciously asked while Rosette looked as if she was clueless. "You're so hopeless. Come on, let's get out of this noisy crowd." Chrono said and took Rosette's hand and they began walking towards a quiet area of the carnival. While Chrono was leading Rosette, she began to remember the time when Chrono used to lead her to the pond four and a half years ago while she and Joshua were still living at the orphanage. "Come on Rosette!" Chrono said to her when they stopped by the pond. Rosette looked at Chrono shyly as she felt some kind of warmness that she hadn't felt before. "Rosette, Rosette!" Chrono called out her name as he knew that she was deep in thought about something. Rosette then turned her attention back to Chrono and began to look embarrassed by the fact that she was sidetracked. "Hey, snap out of it! Will you? Look!" Chrono said and showed Rosette the place where they had ended up. The area was away from the carnival and they could see the view of the city, stars shinning in the night sky and a forest beside it. "Wow, this is so beautiful! Look at the city, and the stars. Everything feels so magical!" Rosette said amazed by the view. "Yeah, it really is magnificent, isn't it?!" Chrono said and just then, he remembered a time, long ago, when he and a young blonde haired woman were sitting and looking at the night sky. The memory began to haunt him. "Hey Chrono." Rosette said as she turned towards Chrono and saw that he was trying to hold back his sad emotion. "Are you alright?" Rosette asked. "Yeah, this just reminded me of something. I remember seeing a view like this a long time ago." Chrono revealed while Rosette looked at him with envy. "That's what is so unfair about you!" Rosette bitterly said. "What do you mean?" Chrono curiously asked. "You have been living for all of these years without a trace of gray hair or a wrinkle. You've always looked the same, and you always will too. But yet, I am not sure if I will be able to find Joshua before I die. I don't want my life to end without me accomplishing my goal." Rosette said emotionally and started crying. Chrono, seeing Rosette crying, tried to lessen her emotional pain. "Rosette, somehow I feel that we will succeed, on the other hand, without you my life is just not worth living, I would have no purpose." Chrono began to explain to her which caught her attention. "I wish I could change things, but we both know that this is not possible. The contract is irreversible, but if a solution did exist, I would give my life to find it!" Chrono said to Rosette and gently placed his hand on her cheek. Rosette looked at Chrono as if she saw him for the first time. "The moment I met you, a new world has opened up to me. After being in the darkness for so long, a light has brought me happiness. It's all thanks to you Rosette!" Chrono said in a kind, gentle tone. Rosette was speechless as she never heard Chrono telling his feelings so openly. She felt the warmth of his hand on her face and did not know what to say. "That's not true, I feel the same way!" Rosette softly admitted. "But I've taken so much of your life away." Chrono stated. "It's because my time is limited, that I don't have any doubts. It's all thanks to this seal watch. That is why I can walk straight ahead. It's why I can always keep going. It's because I have you with me Chrono!" Rosette said in an emotional and broken tone. Touched by their feelings, they passionately hugged each other. They both felt as if the time just stopped. They had felt this profound love and connection between each other. Just then, fireworks suddenly started, making everything even more magical. While watching the fireworks, Rosette saw a bald eagle. She felt as if she saw it before. When the eagle flew away, Rosette started running after it. "Rosette, Rosette!" Chrono yelled out her name as he was surprised by her sudden departure. Suspecting that something strange was happening, he ran after her. "Rosette, please let me through. Rosette, wait! Rosette!" Chrono continued calling after her as he couldn't keep up with her due to the crowds. Rosette reached a water fountain area after she climbed a massive set of stairs. The eagle stopped flying and she saw someone that looked very familiar to her. The stranger then turned around, facing Rosette. The person standing by the fountain with the bald eagle on his arm was none other than Rosette's brother Joshua. "Joshua!" Rosette said in shock as she couldn't believe that it really was him.

Chapter 18

Rosette stood there in shock and stared at Joshua as if she had seen a ghost. He was also looking straight at her. After a while, she realized that the person standing in front of her was real. "Joshua, is it really you?" She managed to say and started walking towards him. "I can't believe how much you have grown after all this time! I am so happy that I have found you at last, Joshua. I was so worried about you. I was beginning to think I would never see you again!" She talked in excitement while the bald eagle on Joshua's arm flew away. "It's nice to meet you!" Joshua said politely as if he was addressing a stranger. Rosette was taken aback by his response. "My name is Joshua! I am waiting for someone to meet me here, my big sister!" Joshua said with a grin on his face. "Joshua! Don't you remember who I am? It's me, Rosette!" She asked emotionally. "What a coincidence, my older sister's name is also Rosette." Joshua responded with a slight grin on his face. "Yes, that's me Joshua, your older sister!" Rosette repeated to him but Joshua clearly didn't seem to recognize her. "This can't be happening." Rosette said as she was shocked and heartbroken when she realized that Joshua didn't remember her and wondered what happened to him. "Well, isn't that touching? The two siblings have finally reunited. How bittersweet!" Rosette suddenly heard a very familiar voice that was coming from the direction of the water fountain and turned around. Aion and Fiore were standing beside the water fountain and calmly observed Rosette and Joshua. "This also must be a sign of change! It seems that Joshua has his own way of treating girls." Aion said with amusement. Rosette saw the Sinner by the fountain. "You must be Aion." Rosette said in a shocked tone. "Correct! It's been four years, hasn't it?" Aion mockingly asked. "What have you done to Joshua you devil!?" Rosette shouted angrily. "Relax nun girl, Joshua's completely okay. Didn't you just hear from Rizel? Pandemonium's effect changed Joshua into this. Desperation drives you to need… However, for now it doesn't take effect." Aion revealed while obviously enjoying the shocked look on her face. "What are you talking about? I don't understand any of this." Rosette said with confusion. "Forget it. It's not my job to explain this to you anyways." Aion said while obviously bored. Rosette then pulled her gun and pointed it towards Aion. "What is this I see from within your pretty eyes? Is it hate? Or is it violent and murderous thoughts? Whatever it is, it's very real!" Aion said while taunting her. "Alright, let's play a game, shall we?!" Aion announced and stood up from the fountain ledge. "So this is the 'Gospel.' At the time, the reaction took me by surprise. If you don't grip the gun with both hands, your aim cannot be accurate, right?" Aion condescendingly explained. He all of a sudden grabbed Rosette's wrist and directed her gun towards his face, which took her completely by surprise. "What do you think you're doing?" Rosette asked out of confusion. "So this is the strength that you have attached to yourself in the last four years. The strength that makes you fight. The love for your brother that was stolen from you. The peaceful days that were stolen from you. For all that, you should vent your hate on your enemy!" Aion continued taunting her as he felt the strength of Rosette's wrath in her arms. "Shut up!" Rosette said in a cross voice. "If you win, you shall unveil my story. But if you lose, then the revenge against the one you seek will become meaningless." Aion explained the conditions of the game. "Go ahead, shoot me! That's what you wanted to do all this time, didn't you?" Aion asked mockingly. "Of course I do, and I will! You're the one who took everything from me!" Rosette yelled at him. Just when she was about to shoot him, Joshua abruptly appeared in front of her as if he just teleported and took the gun out of her hand. Everything happened so quickly that she didn't have time to react. "It's not nice to hurt someone as great as Lord Aion!" Joshua said with a monotone voice. Aion was watching with great satisfaction as Rosette just stared at Joshua in disbelief. "Joshua, I think you should be a little nicer to our guest of honor, don't you think?" Aion said to him sarcastically. At that moment, Chrono suddenly arrived and landed on his feet between Rosette and Aion. "Chrono?!" Joshua said in a surprised tone. "So, you've finally came!" Aion amusedly remarked. "Aion! We meet again!" Chrono said extremely angered and stepped in front of Rosette, shielding her from Aion. "Rosette, we have to retreat." Chrono said to her. "To retreat? But why?" Rosette asked not knowing what he meant. "We are unarmed and we don't have a battle plan yet. The Sinners have beaten us to the punch line this time, which means that we'll have no other choice but to accept the loss." Chrono explained seriously. "This doesn't make any sense. What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to say about this?" Rosette asked Chrono out of deep desperation. At that moment, the horns started popping from Joshua's head and he started screaming unbearably. "Ahhh, make it stop! Make those horrible voices stop!" He held his head and it was obvious that he was experiencing excruciating pain. Fiore all of a sudden appeared and touched his head, trying to lower his pain. "Lord Joshua, you need to control yourself! Calm down or the pain will get worse!" Fiore said worried. "It won't stop! Those horrible voices can't get out of my head!" Joshua continued screaming. "My horns!" Chrono said while he recognized what used to be his horns. He started walking towards Joshua. "These horns belong to me Chrono! I won't let anyone to have them!" Joshua said with a defiant tone. He pointed Rosette's gun at Chrono and shot him in the chest. "Chrono!" Rosette yelled out and started running towards him. Chrono was lying all covered in blood, unconscious on the ground. Rosette started shaking his body, but to her horror, he did not respond. "What did you do to Chrono, Joshua? Why would you do such a horrible thing?" Rosette asked in despair. "I should have done this a long time ago! Don't you think so Lord Aion?" Joshua said with a cold hearted voice, completely ignoring Rosette. "Yes, I think you're right. You did me a favor by saving me the trouble from killing him myself." Aion said praising Joshua's devotion and walked towards the crying Rosette. "Your grieving won't bring him back. After all, he's just a traitor!" He coldly said to her and started laughing while looking at Chrono's bloody body. "You heartless bastard!" Rosette yelled bitterly at him as she was helplessly looking at Chrono's lifeless body.

In the meantime, the girls waited for Rosette and Chrono. "So, does anyone care for some refreshments?" Satella asked cheerfully as she stood up from the bench. "Sure, I would like to have some nice, refreshing lemonade!" Azmaria said. "I would also like one as well!" Maria said. "Alright, I'll go get some!" Satella announced. "I can get the drinks for us if you want!" Azmaria offered. "To be fair, such a thing should be my duty." Steiner stated. "That's alright, you three wait right here!" Satella suggested and she went to buy some lemonade for herself, Azmaria and Maria. "My, Miss Satella sure has changed quite a bit, hasn't she?" Azmaria gladly remarked as they were watching Satella walking to the drink stand cheerfully. "Yes, the fact that my lady has opened up her gentler side has brought me more happiness than anything else." Steiner stated gladly while Azmaria looked at him. "It was you and your friends that have made this possible, Miss Azmaria!" Steiner gratefully told her. "Me? Oh no sir, I haven't done anything. Or have I?" Azmaria modestly said. "Indeed, it was due to her encountering your kindness that my Lady had begun to open herself to others! I owe you all my greatest gratitude!" Steiner thanked her with huge appreciation as he gently touched her hands. "We didn't do anything, really." Azmaria shyly said as she didn't know what to say. Suddenly, Steiner felt as if some sharp object was stabbing his back. "Steiner, what's wrong?" Azmaria asked as she didn't know what caused him so much pain. Genai appeared behind Steiner as he stabbed the old man from the back with his sword like hand. Steiner dropped onto the ground and the Sinner left the butler for dead. Azmaria looked at the demon with a terrified look on her face as she didn't know what to do or how to react while Maria was standing beside her in shock. Genai looked at the two with an intimidating look. "Come on Azmaria, let's get out of here while we still have the chance!" Maria said as she took Azmaria's hand and the two of them began to run away from the demon. Just as they started to run away, Viede however appeared right in front of them, preventing the two from escaping. "Lord Aion is expecting both of you. Trying to run away is pointless!" Viede said in a stoic tone. "He's right ladies, there's no escape for you!" Genai said in a sinister tone as he was coming closer to them from behind. Azmaria turned around as soon as she heard his voice and became even more terrified as she and Maria knew that running away from them was now impossible. The two demons grabbed them and flew towards the fountain area. When Satella came back with the drinks, she found a lot of people standing at the place where she left the girls. She saw fear on their faces and pushed through the crowd. She then saw Steiner lying on the ground with blood all over him. She was shocked and dropped the drinks on the ground. "Steiner!" Satella yelled out and kneeled beside him. While she lifted his body up, she saw the blood on her hand. "Speak to me, Steiner!" Satella desperately said and Steiner weakly opened his eyes. "My lady!" Steiner said with a weak voice. "Steiner, what happened, who did this?" Satella asked devastated. "Don't worry about me my lady, find Azmaria and Maria, they are in danger! The Sinners have taken them! Please, I beg of you. Find them!" Steiner said with a very weak voice. He looked at Satella with love in his eyes as she was holding his hand. He then closed his eyes and his head dropped lifelessly to the side. "No Steiner, you can't die! Don't leave me now!" Satella cried out and began to sob profoundly. She just continued sitting there beside him and couldn't let go of his hand. It felt as if her whole life just fell apart all over again. "Steiner!" Satella yelled out his name devastated and continued crying her heart out. Genai and Viede took Azmaria and Maria to Aion by the fountain area. "Lord Aion, we have succeeded in finding the Apostle and the Holy Woman!" Viede announced to Aion as soon as they arrived. Azmaria and Maria were both surprised and shocked to see Chrono lying all bloody on the ground and Rosette kneeling beside him. "Rosette, what's happening?" Azmaria yelled out terrified. Hearing her voice, Rosette lifted her head and as if she was in shock, could barely say with a weak voice. "Azmaria, Maria! They have taken you as well?" Then she heard Aion's voice as he was walking towards Maria who had an angry look on her face. "Well, if it isn't the Holy Woman! You thought you could escape from me. Why doesn't your God help you now?" He mockingly asked while touching her face. Maria tried to move her face away from him but he disregarded her move and continued to touch her. When Rosette saw Aion touching Maria, the blood rushed through her head. Suddenly, Aion turned his attention towards Chrono. He then walked towards his unconscious body as Rosette turned around and saw Aion walking by. "As for you, I can see that you've turned Chrono into quite the coward, young lady. It has been decades since the two of us had last spoke. So please, don't interrupt!" Aion said in an intimidating tone as he placed his hand right in front of Rosette's face while his sudden move surprised her. After pulling his hand away from her face he turned his attention towards Chrono. "So, long time no see. You really never change, do you Chrono?" Aion stated in a disappointed tone. "I told you before, this happens because you make things too dear to you. You can't go beyond the end of the world." Aion told him. He began to grow quite irritated with Chrono to the point that he then angrily picked him up from the ground and held him by his shirt. "You disappoint me! After all this time you still haven't learned a thing! Get up! How long do you insist on playing dead? Get up and reestablish the legion! Be aggressive and intercept the enemy! Kill! Drive them to defeat! Kill the Sinner in front of you! Kill me!" Aion said to Chrono in such a cross tone of voice, that it managed to spook both Azmaria and Rosette. "If only, the things important to you are lost forever." A voice said in Chrono's head while he was dreaming. "Forever. You're crying. Why do you cry?" Chrono asked to himself as he saw that Rosette was crying. "Because I am sad." Rosette's voice said. "Why are you sad?" Chrono thought to himself. "If only death never existed." Rosette's voice cried out. "Why is death sad?" Chrono wondered to himself. "The things important to you are forever lost." A young blonde woman said to Chrono as he was lying on her lap beside a huge window. "So that's it. But I'm different." Chrono said. "That day will come, when Rosette never cries." The woman said to him. "Again, before me, the important things, it's not like it's lost." Chrono said as he remembered the time when he formed the contract with Rosette. "That's it. It was a promise, wasn't it?" The woman asked him curiously and stood up. "The problem at that time was… Again, I didn't realize it. It was you." Chrono said as he slowly got himself up from the ground. As soon as he stood up on his feet, he began walking towards the woman. Chrono placed his hands above his eyes as the light began to enter the room. "But you never came. You never kept the promise." The woman's voice said. Next in the dream, Chrono was in his demon form carrying an impaled blonde woman in front of a demon with crosses all around them. As Chrono looked out from the window, he then saw that the demon in front of him was Aion. At that moment, Chrono suddenly woke up from his dream and began to slowly lift himself up from the ground. Rosette looked at him in disbelief that he was actually standing on his feet and she all of a sudden fell down onto the ground, much to her surprise. Meanwhile, at the New York Order, Sister Kate along with a group of nun technicians were calculating San Francisco's Astral Reaction. "Well, how are the results?" Sister Kate asked one of the nun technicians. "Immediate verification, it's not a calculation mistake." Sister Claire answered as Sister Kate picked up the paper from the sound measuring machine. "Elder, we have a little problem." Sister Kate said as she showed him the results of the graph paper. "And what kind of problem would that be Sister Kate?" The Elder asked while he was drinking his coffee out of a mug with a scantily clad nun on it. "From the line of the San Francisco Branch." Sister Kate confirmed. "It says that San Francisco's Astral reaction is suddenly rising. It is usually three times smaller than what it currently is right now." Sister Claire explained. "I'm worried about Rosette and the others. I wonder if they are in danger." Sister Kate wondered in a worried tone. Just then, the Elder dropped his coffee mug onto the floor out of deep surprise. "Send an evacuation order to the entire city immediately. All town staff are dispatched to aid the rescue team." The Elder commanded. "We'll have to set proper procedure for a decoy on a major scale." The Elder explained. "Elder?!" Sister Kate said surprised. "Get to it! What's worse is that on the map, San Francisco is disappearing." Elder frustratingly demanded as he knew that there wasn't much time left for intervention. Sister Kate and all of the nun technicians had a shocked look on their faces as they couldn't believe that such a potential disaster was to happen soon. "Also, you must not repeat the same mistake, Chrono." Elder said to himself as he was looking out of the window with his back facing towards them.

Back at San Francisco, the seal watch around Rosette's neck got activated and forcefully started opening while Rosette started shaking. "What's happening? My body, I'm having trouble breathing." Rosette said to herself out of intense pain as Chrono's abrupt transformation had severely weakened her. Chrono's eyes were glowing red and some powerful energy was emitting from him. Everyone was looking at him surprised that he was actually alive. At the same time, Chrono started transforming into his demon form. "Nooooo, Rosette!" Azmaria cried out of shock and fear as she was overwhelmed by what was happening to Rosette. "Oh my God, his wounds are healing!" Maria stated as a powerful wind circled around Chrono. "What's that? Azmaria, could it be?" Satella asked herself as she meanwhile saw the powerful energy from afar. She stood up and ran towards the fountain area that was located on top of the hill. Rosette's seal watch was beginning to go intensely out of control due to Chrono transforming without her request. "The seal is breaking." Rosette said in a weak voice as she was still lying on the ground and continued to suffer. Chrono was on the verge of completing his demon form transformation. As he was finished transforming, Chrono had an extremely angry look on his face, as if he was about to shoot someone. "Aaargh!" Joshua screamed out of pain as the power of the horns began to hurt his head once again. "Lord Joshua." Fiore said worriedly. "The horn is resonating! It knows!" Joshua said in an angry, bitter tone of voice. "The horn, the horn that Chrono lost. The horn's source of power is Rosette's soul of time! I felt it before. I should have realized his strength." Azmaria thought to herself as she recalled the time when Chrono rescued her in his demon form. "If that's the case, then how will Rosette fare?" Azmaria wondered as she could see that the seal watch was still currently putting a heavy strain on Rosette's body. By the time Satella had reached the fountain, she saw Chrono transforming and was shocked to see what was happening around her. "Oh mein Got, what's happening?" She said in shock and looked around herself. Just then, she saw a young woman who looked awfully familiar to her. "This can't be! Florette?" She looked straight into the young woman's eyes but the woman didn't show any sign of recognition towards her. "Laden." The woman called out which summoned a glaive, a staff weapon with a sharp rounded end, and started charging towards Satella. Satella was so taken by surprise that she couldn't even react when Fiore reached her and placed the staff under her chin. "Florette, it's me, your sister!" Satella said emotionally. "Don't interfere with Lord Aion's plan!" She answered to her in an emotionless tone, as if she was hypnotized. At the same time, as Chrono was done transforming into his demon form, he then angrily charged straight towards Aion and they both flew high into the sky. "Wait Chrono, Rosette is dying." Azmaria desperately begged. "It's no use, no one's voice can reach him. Not even yours! He won't stop until he destroys everything in his path." Viede told Azmaria in a dead serious tone. "Hahahaha, that's more like it! However, I'll give you only 70 points!" Aion said with twisted satisfaction while Chrono was still charging at him. Aion then fiercely hit Chrono who underestimated his strength. He lost control which caused him to fall down somewhere in the middle of the city. As Chrono was falling down, several people including a little boy sitting on his father's shoulders witnessed a demon falling down from the sky. They all looked at it with a mystified look on their faces. Chrono's fall caused tremendous amounts of damage around his surroundings. It felt as if a bomb dropped on this part of the city from the energy that Chrono was emitting when he fell. A huge number of people also became severely wounded as the fall damaged all of the surrounding cars as well as the street car that was driving by. Meanwhile, everyone at the fountain area noticed a huge cloud of smoke. "Oh no, this is impossible." Maria said with a deeply worried tone as she had a bad feeling that something happened to Chrono. Viede became concerned about Aion and he decided to go to the area where the smoke was coming from. "Where are you going Viede?" Genai asked curiously. "It appears that their battle has gotten out of hand. In that case, I'll leave you here to keep an eye out on our targets!" Viede explained to Genai and flew his way to the city center while holding a leather case hoister behind his back. Back at the city, Aion saw everyone running out of fear and despair as the fire continued raging. "Those eyes! Humans are such pathetic, foolish creatures!" Aion said with a cold hearted yet amused tone. When Viede got to the city, he saw that Aion was all in one piece. "My lord, are you alright?" Viede asked Aion concerned. "Why did you come here Viede? Tell me, does this game refresh you?" Aion asked in a serious yet entertained tone. "So, what happened Lord Aion?" Viede asked. "Well, it looks as if Chrono had just caused a huge blast in the middle of the city." Aion responded. "Judging by the situation, he sure is pissed." Viede stated. Just then, Chrono took the two Sinners by surprise by picking up a truck and throwing it towards them. Viede was the one who got hit. Just then, as Aion looked straight ahead, he saw Chrono getting himself up, looking as angry as a bull while Aion had an amused smirk on his face. "Uaaaggghhh!" Viede groaned as he lifted the truck up. "So Chrono, you finally have given in to your murderous instincts, have you? Let's see how you will be able to handle this!" Viede said in an aggressive voice and threw the damaged truck at Chrono. "No Viede, stop!" Aion demanded, but Viede ignored him as he still threw the truck towards Chrono against Aion's wishes. Chrono straightened his hand and formed a barrier which prevented the truck from smashing into him. He then charged towards Viede, who however moved quickly, came behind Chrono and punched him so forcefully that he slammed into a street car. Viede catched up to him and began choking Chrono while pushing the street car along with them. Chrono kicked Viede in the stomach and he hit the ground. He came towards Viede and much to the people's horror, he turned his hand into a sword and cut Viede in half. The demon's blood sprayed all over him. "Stop!" A voice called out to Chrono and he turned around with an angry look on his face. The voice that called out to him was that of Mary Magdalene's spirit. "The one thing you lost. The one thing you kept had disappeared. You've changed that into the thousands of sorrows that you created." Mary Magdalene said with disappointment. She then directed Chrono to look at Rosette's spirit who was in the nude. It then came towards him and touched his face with a sad look on her face as tears flooded her eyes. Chrono then realized that he had taken a toll on Rosette's life force as he knew that activating the pocket watch without her consent would put a tremendous strain on her body. Chrono had then turned back into his child form when he noticed that people all around him were looking at him in fear. After looking at the crowd around him, he then looked at his bloody hands with shock and remorse. "Oh my God, what have I done? The city is in ruin. How am I ever going to atone for what I have done? And Rosette, because of me, she's suffering." Chrono said in a regretful tone while sadly realizing the damage they had caused to the city as well as the pain that he had unintentionally brought upon Rosette. Chrono was filled with intense remorse and guilt for he was not at his senses while attacking in his demon form and he was deeply afraid of hurting and killing others. "You've broken through. The pain, the sadness, the regret." Aion said from behind Chrono who had transformed into his demon form. Just then, Aion stabbed him from behind with his sword that Viede was holding for him in a leather case until Chrono attacked him. "Like a bird unable to fly. In the end, it only lives in torment." Aion said coldheartedly as Chrono turned his head around and saw Aion in his demon form. To his surprise, Aion didn't have his horns on his head. Chrono fell down to the ground as blood gushed out of his mouth.

"Over here! There are some more people buried here!" One man said to a group of people as they were trying to help the injured out of the street car. "Has anyone seen my child?" A young woman cried out. "My, what a fierce fire this is!" One man said as he witnessed the burning buildings nearby. "Oh my God, the building is crumbling!" One woman said in a panicking voice. "Hurry, there's someone over there." Another man said as he saw that a woman was quite close to the burning building. The situation in the city center fell into despair. Not only did lots of people got severely hurt, but even a building was caught on fire which now got out of control. Back at the fountain, everyone was observing the smoke from the city. Just then, Aion came back and was holding Chrono by his arm. As Satella saw Aion in his demon form, a shocking revelation came to her. "I can't believe it! The hornless demon, I finally found him!" Satella said in a shocked tone as she never would have thought that she had actually found her family's murderer at last. "Welcome back Lord Aion!" Joshua greeted him. "Well Lord Aion, where is Viede?" Genai asked. "I am afraid to say that Chrono had killed him! Fortunately, I impaled him and he will no longer be an interference to us! If he does manage to heal by any chance, our plan will already be accomplished!" Aion responded in a relieved tone. "What? You mean Viede is now dead because of that traitor?" Genai asked in a shocked yet angry tone. "Yes, but no matter. Now that the last Apostle and the Holy Woman are finally here, we must be returning to Eden for our ritual!" Aion said indifferent to the news as he put Chrono down onto the ground. "What's the matter Chrono? You're not worrying about that nun are you? After all, she's just a contractor!" Aion said to Chrono coldheartedly. "You're wrong. Rosette is a very important person to me!" Chrono responded in a mildly angry voice as he looked at Aion from behind. "What a contradiction. Whether it's now or 54 years ago, it doesn't make a difference! This time, victory is mine!" Aion scoffed as he proudly declared his victory and then turned his attention to Maria. "Our time is drawing near Maria. Didn't I say I have special plans for you?" Aion asked Maria in a provoking manner while she tried not to look at him. Just then, Father Remington appeared from behind Aion and swiftly moved his sword towards him. Aion promptly moved and was caught completely by surprise by the minister's sudden appearance. Father Remington pointed his sword towards Aion with a serious look on his face. "Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect a Militia member like you to come and stop me." Aion said to the minister with a mocking tone. "Why don't you just surrender?" Father Remington asked sternly. "Hahaha, and why do you think I should do such a stupid thing like that? Besides, I have business with this Holy Woman right here, and the seven Apostles!" Aion said provokingly while touching Maria's shoulders from behind, much to her discomfort. The air was filled with tension. Just then, a sound of gunfire came from behind the concrete stairs to the left where Reverend Gilliam was targeting Fiore. Fiore escaped the shot, rushed towards the Reverend and smashed his shot gun with her glaive, making the Reverend very furious. Father Remington used the distraction and charged towards Aion with his sword. Aion took out the sword from the leather case hoister and they began battling each other. While Father Remington proved to be a strong, worthy opponent, he however was no match for Aion. "Satella Harvenheit, take Azmaria and run. Hurry, you don't have a second to lose. The chances may be slim, but it'll do!" The minister instructed Satella as he was trying to block Aion's attack with his sword. Just when Father Remington was about to strike him, Aion swirled his sword around which created some strong force of energy that easily overpowered the minister. Satella took the opportunity to get Azmaria to safety. "Come on liebekind, we have to leave." Satella said, grabbed Azmaria's hand and started running with her. "What about Rosette, Maria and Chrono? We cannot just leave them." Azmaria asked panicked. "Unfortunately, we cannot help them right now, but I need to at least get you out of here." Satella explained. Joshua, who was watching over Maria, realized that Satella was trying to escape with Azmaria. He appeared right from behind Azmaria and used the power of the horns on his head to freeze her. "Haha, I have her now!" Joshua said in a sinister tone. "What did you do to her?" Satella yelled at him realizing that Azmaria was not moving. "I froze her!" Joshua said in a triumphant voice. "Don't use too much of your power, it'll get harder to control it." Aion warned Joshua while holding Maria around her shoulders. "Well, now that we have everything that we need from here, it is time for us to execute our plan for the Grand Apocalypse! The death of Pandemonium and the rebirth of the world!" Aion said triumphantly. Just as the Sinners were about to leave, Satella ran after Fiore and grabbed her hand. "No, big sister, I can't lose you again!" Satella yelled out of despair. Fiore however looked coldly at her and pushed her away as if her words had no meaning to her. The Sinners then teleported back to Eden to begin their apocalyptic ritual. "We have failed!" Father Remington said with huge disappointment as he was tending to Rosette who was still very weak. Chrono on the other hand remained on the ground barely breathing. Satella was emotionally crushed as she had once again lost the only family she now had left.

Chapter 19

Back at Eden, Shader was waiting for the rest of the Sinners to return in the control room. "Oh my God! They're coming! They're coming! Open Gate!" Shader yelled enthusiastically while she opened the gate to Eden as Aion and the rest of the Sinners arrived. "Welcome Back!" Shader said visibly excited while heading towards the gate area. "Hey! Why the hell didn't you come with us?" Genai asked Shader in a cross tone. "Because using my head is my specialty, not my fists!" Shader responded cleverly while trying to justify her reasons for not being present at the carnival. Shader then turned her attention towards Azmaria. "Ah, what do we have here? Wow, this girl is so cute! Why is it that all of the Apostles have to be so adorable?" Shader commented while looking at Azmaria. "This girl is the Apostle who was with Chrono." Aion told Shader who was startled by Aion's abrupt answer. "Oh, so I see." Shader said with much excitement. "Ah, I see that Maria is also back!" She said while turning her attention to Maria. "So Shader, I can see that you are still the same energetic scientist that I have known for the past few years." Maria said in an unimpressed tone. "Hooray! We finally have all seven of the Apostles and the Holy Woman as well!" Shader cheered intensely. "By the way, where is Viede?" She asked realizing that he was not present. "Viede is dead I'm afraid." Aion responded calmly. "Dead? Are you saying that Viede has suffered the same fate as poor Rizel, Lord Aion?" Shader asked. "Yes, that is exactly what I am saying." Aion confirmed while Shader looked at him with a frozen look on her face. "No, not Viede too? I can't believe it! There are now only three of us Sinners left!" Shader said while she broke out into a state of intense sadness and began to cry like a small child. "Oh, those damn Pursuers and that Order of Magdalene! Those bastards will pay for trying to kill us all off!" Shader yelled angrily and ran out of the gate area as she was sobbing her heart out. "I can't believe how childish Shader can be at times! It's so embarrassing." Joshua cringed as he started walking while holding the sleeping Azmaria in his arms. Fiore, Genai and Maria also began to walk out of the gate area as they were following Joshua. "Now that both Maria and the last Apostle are finally within our grasp, it is only a matter of time when our freedom will be gained at last. As for Maria, she shall belong to me one way or another! That, I am sure!" Aion said to himself as he was looking at Maria.

Meanwhile, the council of the Magdalene Order formed a meeting to discuss the San Francisco downtown attack. "This is horrific. A large area of downtown San Francisco is still on fire. Yet compared to the extensive damage, it's incredible that there aren't a lot of casualties." The head of the council had noted. "However, this isn't just any small problem! We are lacking in rescue aid assistance. The government might even start dispatching military forces." The head council said stating his concern for the well-being of the civilians of San Francisco. "On a different note, we must move quickly in finding the Sinners whereabouts. If I'm not mistaken was it Magdalene's successor that knew the Sinners hiding place, Sister Kate?" The head council bishop asked curiously. "Yes. In fact, the reason why we, the New York branch, have sent one of our Militia members to San Francisco was to find the Sinners hide out as well as one of the Apostles that had been with them in the last few years." Sister Kate explained. "So, has there been any luck in finding the Sinners?" The head council bishop asked. "Well, judging by what we got from the reports by our assigned Militia member, it says that they have found the Sinners hiding location, but by the time they got there they have fled." Sister Kate explained. "The report also said that on the same day that the Sinners hiding place was found, two Militia members by the names of Will and Jane were sent to investigate the area. However, both of them were decapitated by one of the Sinners who spied on the area." Sister Kate continued explaining. "This is not what we were expecting. The prophecies did not foretell us about this." One of the bishops frustratingly commented. "Must the history always follow the Holy Maiden's prophecies and oracles?" The Elder curiously asked. "We are once again one step behind. What is the point in formulating the Militia Sister Kate?" The head council bishop asked. "The point in formulating the Militia is to help prepare ourselves for the greater threat that is about to take place and to fight against that threat. Magdalene's successor, Maria, had already informed us about the Sinners goals, has she not?" Sister Kate asked. "Yes, she did. The Sinners goals in regards to humanity are indeed very worrying. We cannot rely on the government to dispatch military forces as by the time the government does so, it might already be too late. That's why we must mobilize our Militia members as soon as possible!" The head council bishop concluded. "It is also worth mentioning that a demon by the name of Chrono was responsible for the damage that was done to San Francisco. From what we know, he worked for the New York branch, isn't that right Sister Kate?" The bishop asked. "That is correct sir. Chrono had indeed worked for us alongside with one of our Militia exorcists' by the name of Rosette Christopher." Sister Kate confirmed. "I see, considering that your Militia members failed to stop him from causing severe damage to the city, you do realize that this heavily damages your leadership of the New York branch, don't you Sister Kate?" The Bishop asked. "Yes sir, I am very well aware of that. Because of this, I shall accept my resignation as headmistress of the New York branch. In the meantime, I shall be assisting the Militia force!" Sister Kate firmly decided, much to the shock of the Elder. "Very well Sister Kate. From this day forth, you are hereby resigned from your position as Headmistress of the New York branch." The head bishop decided. "Until further notice, we shall send our Militia members to help the civilians in whatever way they can to help them rebuild their city!" The head council bishop concluded and dismissed Sister Kate from the room. "Your personality is a weakness Sister Kate. Why were you resigned without reason?" The Elder asked Sister Kate as they were walking outside of the building through an outdoor hallway. "What happened this time was entirely due to my leadership. I had no other choice but to resign." Sister Kate explained. "However, to tell you the truth Elder, I feel so relieved now! I'd actually much rather be working with the Militia than being headmistress anymore. As you can see, this new mission will be quite a challenge for all of us." Sister Kate stated as she was stretching her hands out of relaxation. "Hahaha, compared to those big mouth bishops, you have more of the Holy Maiden's spirit living within you!" The Elder chuckled. "The Holy Maiden, Mary Magdalene. Have you known her, Elder?" Sister Kate curiously asked. "Yes, I have. As a matter of fact, I was the one who brought her to the Order when she was still just a girl. She had the ability to foresee the future and because of that, the Order protected her, so her powers would not fall into the wrong hands. She would see all, everything from good fortunes to bad fortunes. In spite of that, there was always a smile on her face. Even though her past itself was tragic." The Elder explained to Sister Kate who felt sorry for Mary Magdalene as she was reminded of who she was and what her powers were. "Sister Kate!" Sister Anna shouted as she and her two friends ran towards Sister Kate which caught her attention. "Sister Kate, I heard that you resigned as headmistress of the New York branch." Sister Anna said in a shocked tone. "How can this be Sister Kate?" Sister Mary asked out of disappointment. "Don't worry girls, it's not like I was expelled from the Magdalene Order!" Sister Kate reassured the girls calmly as she was amused by their shocked reaction of the news. "What are you thinking of doing Sister Kate, now that you have resigned from your position as headmistress?" Sister Claire asked out of curiosity. "I'll be working with the Militia as we will be preparing ourselves for the battle that awaits us." Sister Kate explained. "The situation right now is just like what happened fifty four years ago. It's almost as if history is repeating itself." The Elder said to himself as he was looking up towards the sky.

The next morning, Azmaria woke up in a room where Fiore had put her in while keeping an eye on her. Fiore noticed that Azmaria was so tired that she didn't even realize where she was. "Good Morning." Fiore said to Azmaria. "Oh, Good Morning." Azmaria responded while still unaware of her surroundings. "Very well, I'll go and prepare some breakfast." Fiore said. "Alright." Azmaria said and put her head back on the pillow. Just then, Azmaria abruptly got up. "Wait a minute, where am I? What just happened?" Azmaria asked herself while looking around wondering how she got there. She got out of bed and ran out of the room to see where she was. When she opened the door, she found herself on a narrow ledge where she almost fell off from. Fortunately, someone arrived just in time to catch her. Azmaria turned her head around and saw Shader holding her. "You've got to be more careful my dear, otherwise you'll go falling down like a deflated hot air balloon!" Shader said to her while looking at Azmaria in a motherly manner while holding her. "Yes, Okay. I'm alright!" Azmaria said timidly. "Don't be afraid my dear, I just want to hug you so badly!" Shader said while hugging the daylight out of Azmaria, much to her discomfort. "Well, I can see that you haven't changed a bit, Shader." Joshua said while walking on the narrow ledge towards them. Azmaria who was still feeling uncomfortable around Shader, looked straight at Joshua. "There's no need to worry. She used to hug me all the time." Joshua said to her. Shader stopped hugging Azmaria realizing that she had forgotten to introduce herself to her. "Oh I almost forgot. I am Shader the Sinner, or in professional terms, Doctor Shader. It's a pleasure to meet you!" Shader introduced herself in a rather boisterous manner. She couldn't help herself and went on to hug both of them out of excitement. "The Apostles are such cute children! Oh, I could hug them all day!" Shader said cheerfully. "Please, don't treat me like a kid anymore!" Joshua said while cringing at Shader's smothering behavior. "She's a demon? If that's the case, then where are her horns?" Azmaria asked herself in thought as she saw that Shader didn't have two horns on her head like what demons have. All of a sudden, Fiore approached them in an extremely stern manner which deeply startled Shader. "Sorry to interrupt your little fun, but breakfast is now ready!" Fiore said in a tone so serious that she sounded as if she was a nun teacher at a convent. "Oh my God, Fiore, you're not angry by any chance are you?" Shader asked still startled by Fiore's abrupt approach. "No, I am not!" Fiore responded in a dead serious tone and started walking up the ledge which became wider and eventually led to a stairway. As they were walking their way up to the stairway, Azmaria had noticed how unusual the place looked. "Rosette, I've been brought to a very faraway place. I've just met one of the Sinners who is here to work on something concerning the Astral Line, here among the skies on this floating island. But this isn't an island. This is Eden, the Sinners paradise." Azmaria thought to herself as she observed that it was high up in the sky among the clouds and that it resembled a floating island. However it wasn't an island, it was a floating fortress surrounded with solar panels. On the top of the fortress there was a big, white villa type house which housed an observatory and was surrounded by grass, and shrubs. This place was the Sinners paradise by the name of Eden. When they went inside the building Fiore took Azmaria to one room where she gave her an outfit that she made for her. At the dining room Joshua, Shader and Maria were eating breakfast. The table was filled with tasty food which Fiore prepared. There was plenty of buns, croissants, jam, sausages, fruit tarts, vegetables, roast beef sandwiches, various types of cheeses, ham, porridge, coffee and tea. The food looked so delicious that Shader could not take her eyes off of it. "Oh my God, the food is so scrumptious! Oh Fiore, I want you to be my wife!" Shader said excitedly while hugging Fiore. Fiore blushed and was confused at what Shader had meant. Just then, Azmaria entered the dining room wearing a dress that Fiore had given her earlier. "Wow, you look so pretty in that dress!" Shader said enthusiastically. Azmaria ignored her and sat down by the table. She wasn't feeling like she was in the mood for eating. "What's going to happen to me and Maria?" She asked out of worry. "Until our next move has been decided, you both will be staying here. However, Aion said that it won't be too long now. Come on, let's eat." Joshua said to Azmaria disregarding the effect of his words. "I'm not hungry!" Azmaria said defiantly. "You are all bad people!" She continued. "You put all of my friends through such horrible pain. Even the city is now on fire. That's why I can't forgive you for all what you have done!" Azmaria said in a bold manner as she recalled San Francisco's damaged state as well as the suffering Rosette and Chrono went through. Shader then patted Azmaria on the head. "I don't blame you child. I know very well that demons lie to humans, that they kill humans, and cause them great pain. I'm not about to change your perception. However, dear Fiore worked really hard cooking breakfast for you, Maria and the rest of us Sinners. Besides, food can't really be good or evil, can't it?" Shader said, for the first time in a calm manner, as if she really understood her negative feelings towards the Sinners. Azmaria began eating her breakfast and found the food to be quite tasty, much to Fiore's relief. "I'm glad that you like the food. I made what my little sister used to like. Looking at you now reminds me of her!" Fiore said to Azmaria in a sweet, motherly tone. At that moment Aion and Genai came into the dining room. "Well, I can see that quite a feast is going on here!" Aion said with a grin on his face. "Oh, good morning Lord Aion, care to dine with us?" Shader asked Aion excitedly. "No, I just wanted to inform you all that it's time to begin." Aion explained as he declined the meal. "Begin with what?" Shader asked. "To start executing our biggest victory! A victory that shall finally grant us our long awaited freedom!" Aion explained boisterously. "Before we start, I need to have a word with Maria alone, outside." Aion said as he walked towards Maria. Maria looked at him with a disgusted look on her face. "The time has come my dear Holy Woman!" Aion said in a provocative tone. "Fiore, bring me that black dress you have made." Aion ordered Fiore. "Yes Lord Aion, as you wish." Fiore replied monotonously and exited the room. "So, what is it that you want Aion?" Maria asked aggressively. "Well, meet me outside and you shall find out!" Aion answered. Maria got up from her chair, as she didn't want Azmaria to witness their conversation, and walked out of the room. "Here it is Lord Aion, the dress that you have requested." Fiore handed the dress to Aion. "Thank you." Aion took the dress from Fiore and made his way outside. The dress was black, extremely open as it revealed the legs, shoulders, cleavage, and even a bit of the midriff. It also went along with a long cross necklace and small bracelets for the hands and ankles along with a thin black sash on the back of the dress. Azmaria began to worry about what might happen to Maria.

Outside at the top of Eden, Maria was gazing at the clouds as her long hair was being blown by the wind. While Maria did not know exactly what Aion wanted with her she could however tell that what he had in store for her was pretty dubious. Aion then came outside with a sly grin on his face and walked towards Maria. Once Aion approached Maria she abruptly turned around with a deadly serious look on her face. "So Aion, now that we are outside why don't you tell me about what your intentions are for me?" Maria asked sternly. Aion began grinning sinisterly. "Well, you are the Holy Woman, and as the Holy Woman, I have a little present for you." Aion said as he gave Maria the black dress. "Who is this black dress for Aion?" Maria asked suspiciously. "This dress is for you my dear! My, it has a very beautiful look and class to it, doesn't it?" Aion said in a flirtatious manner. "Forget it! I am not accepting anything from a bastard like you!" Maria said with a strong, defiant tone while throwing the black dress at Aion. "Really, but Fiore made this dress especially for you." Aion said. "I don't care about that. I want to know what do you plan to do with me?" Maria asked while raising her voice. "Isn't it obvious? The human world now looks up to a woman, a certain kind of woman who is known to be the successor of Mary Magdalene. That kind of woman who is destined by God to help humanity in times of need, and a woman that is crucial in helping us Sinners to bring the apocalypse so we can finally gain our long awaited freedom!" Aion said. "What are you trying to say Aion?" Maria asked. "You and I are the same Maria. We both want what is best for our own kinds. Just look at the city. So many damages have been done and people are now in peril. At times like this who can the humans possibly look up to for salvation? That much is already clear." Aion said while coming behind Maria's back. He began touching her stomach and shoulders which made Maria feel extremely unpleasant. "I can see that you have already started to feel for those unfortunate humans. If you want I can assist you in helping those helpless souls in rebuilding their lives." Aion said to Maria in a sly, charismatic tone in a way that he hoped that Maria will fall into his temptation. Maria angrily took Aion's hands off of her and gave him a hateful look. "You despicable fiend, how would a demon like you possibly understand what these people are going through?" Maria asked Aion vehemently. "Because I know that humans would do anything to have a savior that can help them. If you side with me, I can help you improve the lives of the people of this city! Isn't that what you want? I will consider sparing humanity if you side with me!" Aion charismatically said as he was hoping to get Maria on his side again. Just then Maria froze in thought. She remembered him promising her before that he would spare the lives of the people close to the Apostles if she agreed to help the Sinners capture them. "Tell me Aion, what happened with your last promise?" Maria sternly asked as she could see through Aion's deception tactic. "Those people were nothing but bystanders. There was no need for keeping them alive." Aion coldly revealed. "You mean you killed them?" Maria asked shocked. "Yes, but what does it matter?! Those people right now in San Francisco are in serious need of help and you are the answer to ending their suffering!" Aion said as he walked closer to Maria and touched her face. "I want you to know that I am willing to do this for you because I love you! So please, accept my proposition! Together, we can both achieve our goals for wanting what's best for both of our kinds!" Aion pleaded passionately and forced a kiss on Maria. She raised her hand up and slapped him in the face. Aion started to look at Maria with an angry look on his face as he became frustrated with Maria's refusal to accept his deal and his 'love' towards her. "So, you dare to reject my help and my love towards you?" Aion crossly asked. "No matter what your promise is, I will never accept it! And no matter how hard you try to pursue me, I will never accept your love!" Maria defiantly told him as she raised her voice. "You sure have become quite difficult Maria. If that's the case, you leave me no other choice!" Aion said in an irritated tone. He then picked up Maria's body and began to walk down the stairway that led him to the narrow edge of Eden. "What do you think you're doing Aion? Put me down!" Maria pleaded as he continued walking while carrying her body on his shoulder. Aion found an opened door and walked into the room which was the room where Fiore placed Azmaria in. Once they got into the bedroom, Aion pinned Maria onto the wall and began looking at her with a sly grin. "My dear Maria, no matter what you think of me, you shall belong to me! You are my favorite toy after all!" Aion said while Maria looked at him with disgust. "It is such a shame that you have refused to work alongside me, Maria. Because of that, you shall get what's coming to you, and God won't be here to save you." Aion said and began disrobing her. He then placed his hand onto Maria's leg and came closer to her body. "Noooooooo!" Maria screamed in despair while Aion kept advancing towards her. A little while later, Aion walked out of the room and left Maria on the floor traumatized. After he left the room, he closed the door and walked the narrow edge all the way up to the stairway that led to the top of Eden. Once he reached the top of Eden, he walked back inside the dining room where the Sinners were waiting for him. "So, where is Maria, Lord Aion?" Fiore asked curiously. "She's alright. I have taken her into one of the bedrooms as punishment for refusing to work alongside me again." Aion explained as he tried to avoid telling them the truth about what he really did to her. "Before we start, we'll first have to unfreeze the captured Apostles." Aion explained the first step and walked towards Azmaria. When he got closer to her, he bowed his head in front of her which startled her greatly. "Now that you are here Apostle girl, we shall bring you to see where the other Apostles are being kept. You and the other Apostles shall help us in the battle against the Kingdom of Pandemonium." Aion explained as he and the other Sinners left the dining room and walked down the hallway which led to another door. Behind the door was a large, concrete circular staircase. As they were walking down the stairs, Aion began telling Azmaria about their goals for the apocalypse. "As you know, oxygen is a necessity for human survival. However, too much oxygen can also be a very deadly poison. The Astral Line, a river of souls, contains an enormous amount of power. It is made up of all the life energy on this planet which was how you're God intended it to be. If we extort all of the energy into the core of Pandemonium, it would completely obliterate everything within its path. You are needed in order for us to accomplish our goal. You and the rest of the Apostles were chosen by God. With your powers, you should be able to control it. In fact, all of you seven Apostles can control it!" The Sinners have now reached another huge door. As soon as he opened the door, there were five large jars to be seen in the middle of the room. As Azmaria walked closer to the jars, she saw something that resembled humans. Much to her horror, she realized that they were children. The children that were inside the jars were the captured Apostles. Aion approached Azmaria from behind, much to her fright. "Come now my dear, for our first step. It is time for us to prepare for the Grand Apocalypse that awaits us!" Aion said to a frightened Azmaria. At 8:30 P.M. in Seattle, a group of people who were walking on the sidewalks have witnessed the Astral Line flowing across the night sky, like a river. They were surprised as they never saw something like it before. "Is that the Astral Line?" One Pursuer asked himself as he was walking by. "No, it can't be. Those damn Sinners! Are they planning to awake her? How foolish could they possibly get?" The Pursuer asked himself in disbelief as he could not believe that the Astral Line had been activated. "From a long time ago, from a long undisturbed sleep, in the middle of a ten thousand year old dream, our mother, Pandemonium, is awakening!" The Pursuer said to himself. Sister Kate, Satella, along with Father Remington, Reverend Gilliam and his assistant Sister Grace, all saw the Astral Line in the night sky. Rosette woke up in the hospital tied up in a bed and through the window, saw the Astral Lines flowing through the sky. She wondered if their activation had anything to do with the Apostles.

Chapter 20

A few days later, as Rosette was asleep she was dreaming a peculiar dream. She was at the carnival where she had just met her brother, Joshua. "Sister." Joshua called out from far away behind her. "Joshua!" Rosette yelled as she ran towards him. Just as she got close to him, Joshua suddenly pulled out a gun and pointed it in front of her face. "You aren't my sister." Joshua said to her coldly while giving her an intimidating look. "Rosette, give me your hand!" Chrono called out as he rushed towards her. Rosette turned around and saw Chrono. However, she began imagining Chrono in his demon form biting her neck while she was dressed in a short, white tattered dress. Rosette was afraid that Chrono would put her life at risk through him transforming into his demon form. "Nooooo!" Rosette yelled and slapped Chrono's hand just as he was offering her to escape. Chrono then looked sad as he couldn't believe that Rosette would refuse his help. "I'm sorry, Rosette." Chrono apologized and his body began to fade. "Hey, wait Chrono, please wait!" Rosette called out in desperation as Chrono's body finally disappeared. Rosette all of a sudden woke up from her nightmare and began to breathe and pant heavily. "Oh my god, what a dream this was." Rosette said to herself as she was catching her breath. Just then, she looked out of her window and saw something that resembled a colorful river flowing in the night sky. "That river up in the sky, could it be the Astral Line?" Rosette asked herself as she recalled seeing it before. "Yes it is Rosette." Reverend Gilliam confirmed as he walked towards her hospital bed with a bandage cast on his right arm. "Oh, Father Gilliam. Owww." Rosette greeted him as her head started hurting. "I can see you're finally awake. You've been asleep for three days." The Reverend told her. "Where am I?" Rosette asked in a weak tone as she was still rubbing her head. "In a hospital near San Francisco. The Militia had also set up a temporary base here. Currently, the city is still in a state of rebuilding and there are still many victims who were sent here to be treated." Reverend Gilliam explained. "Where are Chrono and the others?" Rosette asked. "Well, as you can see, things had become quite crazy." Reverend Gilliam said and handed Rosette a newspaper that focused on the demon who destroyed San Francisco. Rosette became shocked when she realized that the demon who was in the picture was Chrono in his demon form. "Wait a minute, that demon was Chrono!" Rosette said with certainty. "Mysterious monster destroys San Francisco. That's what the media is focused on right now." The Reverend stated as he told her the name of the newspaper article. "This time, things have gotten completely out of control. The Militia has very little power on the West Coast and they couldn't control the media in time." Reverend Gilliam continued explaining while Rosette had a shocked expression on her face. "I'm afraid we couldn't spare him any special treatment. So he was locked up." The Reverend began explaining Chrono's current condition. "Locked up? Where? Where is he? Tell me Reverend Gilliam!" Rosette asked the Reverend in a worried tone. "He is in a room downstairs in the Hospital basement. If you'd like, I can take you there." Reverend Gilliam revealed as he offered Rosette to take her to Chrono. "Yes, please do! I don't care what state I am in right now, I just want to see how Chrono is doing!" Rosette said with great determination as she was more worried about Chrono's condition than her own. "Very well then, feel free to follow me downstairs. But I will warn you, what you will see down there in that room will most likely upset you. Are you sure you are able to handle it?" The Reverend asked curiously as he took off the arterial line on Rosette's arm. "Yes Reverend Gilliam, I am!" Rosette answered optimistically. "Alright then, follow me!" Reverend Gilliam said and began to walk his way out of the hospital room. Rosette quickly got off the hospital bed and put on some light, pink slippers that were right beside her bed. She followed Reverend Gilliam out of the hospital room downstairs to the basement. After passing by a few rooms, Reverend Gilliam stopped by one door. "Here we are Rosette. This is the room where Chrono is currently being kept in." The Reverend stated. "Regardless of what state he is in, I do hope he is okay." Rosette said as she was hoping that Chrono's condition wasn't too serious. "Like I've said before, what you are about to see might upset you. I really hope that you will be able to handle this situation without being too shocked." The Reverend said as he grabbed the door handle. "Don't worry Reverend, I will try to contain myself!" Rosette promised the Reverend and he opened the door. Rosette saw a crucifix barrier set up on the left side of the room which made her somewhat worried. Rosette slowly walked into the room and as she walked by the crucifix barrier, she vaguely spotted someone bounded and tied onto a cross. Rosette slowly turned around and to her shocking surprise, she saw Chrono. He was unconscious and was tied onto the cross with small belts tied around his arms, his legs and a big belt tied around his legs as well. The crucifix barrier that was around Chrono was in the shape of a square with two crucifix barrier crosses on both sides. "Chrono!" Rosette called out his name as she was shocked at what she was seeing. "It's no use, he can't acknowledge the outside world." Reverend Gilliam told Rosette and she turned her head facing the Reverend. "Why is Chrono tied up onto a cross? What happened to his body?" Rosette asked in desperation as she was pointing to his unconscious body. "He lost control of his legion." The Reverend revealed. "His legion?" Rosette curiously asked. "You know that every living being is composed of millions of cells, right? A demon's body is also formed by countless microscopic organisms, and that is what a legion is. They repair his wounds and injured body parts after battles, but his legion never stopped functioning. Because of that, he had to keep his body from absorbing an external life force." Reverend Gilliam explained to Rosette. "So he lost control because of that? But why?" Rosette asked as she didn't understand why Chrono lost control of his legion. "It's because he was trying to save your life Rosette." Father Remington, who was also in the room, said as he walked towards her. The minister then recalled the time at the end of the carnival battle when Chrono volunteered to have himself restrained by the Order. "Rosette had already wasted a lot of her soul. If this continues, she won't last much longer. So please, take care of her Minister!" Chrono pleaded in a weak tone as he was kneeling on the ground. "But that means you'll lose control of your legion." Father Remington alarmingly pointed out. "Please tell her that. I'm sorry." Chrono once again pleaded to the minister in a weak tone. "I've always brought pain to you. I'm so sorry. Those are the words Chrono have said before he was restrained." Father Remington said. "What was that? I don't want to hear you say such things! You have nothing to apologize for!" Rosette said in an irked tone as she became aggravated with Chrono's self blaming. "I'm the one who should really be sorry. So please, say something. Hey, can't you hear me? Please Chrono, answer me!" Rosette pleaded out of desperation as she began to cry heavily. The minister then patted Rosette on the back as he felt sorry for her. He knew the emotional state she was currently in. "Minister, I think I should be heading back to my room now." Rosette said. "That sounds like a good idea! I can see that you are going through quite an emotional state. If anything, heading back to your room for some alone time and rest would be best for you at this time!" Father Remington said as he encouraged her to have some rest and alone time in order to recover from her emotional despair. "Thank you Father Remington!" Rosette thanked the minister and gave him a hug. She made her way out of the room and went back to her hospital room for the remainder of the night. The next morning, once she woke up, Rosette grabbed a sweater and walked downstairs towards the hospital lobby and made her way straight to the telephone booth. She decided to call Sister Kate's office.

"Good morning!" A man said once he picked up the phone and answered from Sister Kate's office. "Wait a minute, you're not Sister Kate." Rosette said out of surprise as she realized that the voice who answered was someone else. "No I am not. I am her replacement, Deckard." The man revealed. "Replacement? Are you saying that Sister Kate has resigned from her position as headmistress?" Rosette asked out of curiosity. "That is correct. I was the former Minister of the Chicago branch. The council had decided to dismiss Sister Kate due to the incident. It was the decision of the bishop's council to take her resignation." The man explained to Rosette. "What happened was entirely beyond the Militia's control. Your mission on the search for Joshua has also been called off." Deckard continued explaining. "What? The search for my brother Joshua has been called off?" Rosette asked out of disbelief as the search for her brother meant everything to her. "Yes, but don't worry about it. You should be grateful Rosette. All of this was possible because of your insistence. You still need more rest. Take as much time as you need!" Deckard advised and Rosette placed the telephone down. "Time?" Rosette asked herself in a discontented tone as she walked out of the hospital building. "Hey, watch out!" One man with a broken arm told her frustratingly as she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. She was lost in thought about something while walking. Once she managed to get out of the civilian base, she turned to the left side of the building and walked into a corner where she found two wooden benches. Rosette walked towards the first one and sat down. She began to think deeply to herself as something was bothering her mind. "Ever since I was little, I never stopped running. I've always felt that if I had stopped, something will eventually swallow me whole. That's why, no matter what, waiting will always be so painful to me. But, whenever I run, I lose something precious along with it." Rosette said to herself as she acknowledged the fact that she was always overly persistent with everything she dealt with regardless of the situation. "God, I'm so stupid. I didn't even know what I had until I lost it." Rosette said to herself in a blaming tone as she was thinking about Chrono, Azmaria, Satella and Maria. She acknowledged that even though she hadn't realized it before, her friends were the ones who were always there for her even if they at times disagreed with her. Rosette began to cry out of despair as she was beginning to lose hope with herself. "I can't run anymore. The only thing I can do now is wait." Rosette said to herself as she continued crying her heart out. "Wait for what if I may ask?" A familiar voice asked as the person walked towards her. Rosette turned her head forward and saw that it was Father Remington who had approached her. "Father Remington?!" Rosette exclaimed out of huge surprise as she wasn't expecting him to approach her at that moment. "How did you know I was here?" Rosette asked. "I saw you walking by the base from inside and I could tell from the look on your face that you were feeling very down. So I decided to come over here to talk to you!" Father Remington said as he explained his reason for approaching her. "Talk about what?" Rosette asked again. "Something about myself that I should have told you a long time ago!" The minister said as he took a seat beside Rosette on the bench. "A long time ago, around forty years ago, I was gravely injured in a battle. My injuries were so severe that while being treated, I was on the verge of dying in the process." The minister began to explain his back story. "But if you were dying at that point, then how come you're still alive right now?" Rosette confusedly asked. "It's because of a condition that was placed onto me. Before I could ascend into heaven through the Astral Line, God's voice spoke to me. He told me that since I have failed to protect the holy woman, Mary Magdalene, I could not die just yet." The minister continued explaining. "Then what happened to you next?" Rosette intriguingly asked. "God then told me that I had to keep on living so I could be able to atone for my failure on the condition that my aging process gets halted. I gladly accepted that fate which meansthat by continuing to live, I was now able to continue my work as a minister so I could help the Magdalene Order." Father Remington revealed. "Wow, you've been through quite a lot. By the way, how did your aging process stopped?" Rosette curiously asked. "Through some Astral energy that was bestowed upon my body once I gained back my consciousness. Since the Astral Line's purpose is to bring life onto the earth, God can also use the Astral Line to halt a person's aging process. Once the Astral energy was placed onto my body, from that day forth, my body was unable to age. This means that throughout those forty years, despite now being old, I still have the body of a young man. This ageless cycle of mine will continue until the Sinners have one day been finally defeated. When that day arrives, the Astral energy that was bestowed upon my body will begin to lose its effect on me, which means that my body will begin to age again gradually like that of a regular human." Father Remington finished explaining and Rosette looked at him with pity. "So, what do you think? Your opinion of me hasn't changed, has it?" The minister asked as he grinned. "My opinion of you hasn't changed one bit! You are strong! Much stronger than someone like me! I can't even save one person." Rosette yelled as a tear dropped from her eye as she began to blame herself for not being strong enough. The minister then stood up from the bench and began to look at the sky. "You know Rosette, I am not really that strong. The truth is I merely started walking steps earlier than you." Father Remington said. "What do you mean?" Rosette asked as she got herself up from the bench. "What I mean is that the only difference between you and me is the distance between us at this point in time. Humans really are no different from one another. They are always contending with bitter regrets of the past, obstacles of the present, and uncertainty of the future. People are fighting their own battles as they ceaselessly forge ahead. Why give up while there is still a path ahead of you?" Father Remington explained and he then turned his head behind facing Rosette. "So what you're saying is that no matter what our situation is, we must keep on going regardless of the challenges we will inevitably face?" Rosette asked. "Yes, that is exactly my point." The minister confirmed. "You're right! Thank you for the advice." Rosette gratefully said. "No problem. I'll be going back inside now to pray." Father Remington said and began to walk his way towards the corner of the building. "What is it that you'll be praying about?" Rosette asked loudly. The minister stopped walking and turned around facing Rosette. "I'll be praying for Maria's well being along with Azmaria's. Since it is not yet decided when we will make our next move, the only thing I can do is to pray so to make sure that they are doing alright." Father Remington said. "I see, you do love her, don't you Father Remington?" Rosette asked. "You're right, I do! The fact that she has been kidnapped by Aion again makes me frightfully worried about her. Considering that she is a successor of Mary Magdalene, I cannot bear the thought of losing her the same way I lost Mary Magdalene fifty four years ago. Maria is the most important person to me. The thought of her being in Aion's grasp pains me." Father Remington said in a tone that was both angry yet broken at the same time while Rosette looked at him with pity. "However, I am sure that we will be able to get Azmaria and Maria back eventually one way or another. I am sure of it!" The minister said optimistically as he looked towards Rosette. "I really hope so Father Remington!" Rosette commented. "I'll be heading back inside now. Continue to rest until further notice. You'll surely need it for the battle ahead of us. See you later!" Father Remington said and continued to make his way towards the corner of the building. "That minister sure is something!" Rosette said to herself and walked towards the base. While walking, she saw another two benches not far from the tents where there were plenty of white doves on the ground pavement and seated herself on the bench nearest to the tents. Once she sat down, she thought back to what Father Remington had said to her earlier as his advice inspired her to keep going no matter what the circumstances were. "I've been looking for you!" One familiar young woman called out towards Rosette which caught her attention. The woman who approached her was Satella. "It caused me quite some trouble. Nobody at the Magdalene Order would tell me where you were." Satella said as she walked towards Rosette. "Satella?" Rosette said as she was surprised that Satella was looking for her. "It's been a while Rosette." Satella said to Rosette in a friendly tone as the doves flew away. "Hi Satella, it has indeed been a few days since we last met." Rosette greeted her. "What's wrong?" Satella asked as she could tell that something was on Rosette's mind just by the look on her face. "It's nothing Satella, I'm fine!" Rosette assuredly said but Satella grabbed her hand as she wasn't convinced. "What do you mean it's nothing? Obviously something is bothering you. I can tell just by the look on your face." Satella said in an unconvinced tone while Rosette looked at her with a blank expression. "Come with me! Let's talk about our troubles by one of the bridges nearby! That way, we can be able to get some kind of common ground!" Satella said and she forcefully dragged Rosette out of the Militia base and took her to a bridge that was not far from the hospital.

Once they got to the bridge, Satella let go of Rosette's hand and they both began to look at the view. "Ahhh, what a view this is! Isn't it Rosette?" Satella said as she was embracing the breeze. "Yeah, I guess so." Rosette slowly said. "By the way, where is Steiner?" Rosette asked as she realized that he wasn't with her. "Steiner is dead I'm afraid!" Satella revealed in a broody tone. "Dead? How did he die?" Rosette asked out of wonder. "One of the Sinners at the carnival stabbed him as he was intending on taking Azmaria and Maria with them." Satella explained and a tear on her face dropped onto the ledge. "Satella, are you crying?" Rosette asked. "It's just that I can't believe that Steiner is now dead. He was the only one I had left ever since I moved to America. Without him, I doubt I would have been able to get as far with my goal as I now have." Satella said in a sad tone and began to wipe her tears. Rosette took a deep breath as she could tell that Satella was going through a rough time. "I think you should know that Chrono has been restrained by the Order and is now unconscious." Rosette revealed to Satella. "What? Chrono has been restrained by the Magdalene Order?" Satella asked in a shocked tone. "That's right, and on top of that, he might not wake up for a while." Rosette explained. "For how long?" Satella worriedly asked. "Five years, ten years, or maybe even more." Rosette continued explaining. "Wait a minute! How can you be so calm? Chrono is your contractor, isn't he? How can you give up so easily?" Satella asked as she couldn't believe Rosette's unusually calm behavior towards the situation. "I know what you mean. But in the end, it's all up to Chrono." Rosette calmly said as she slightly grinned with optimism. "I'm so disappointed! To think that you two give up so easily." Satella said disappointedly and realized that Rosette wasn't even answering. "In that case, maybe I should take him!" Satella said which quickly caught Rosette's reaction and she was shocked with what she just heard. "What the hell did you just say?" Rosette asked in a shocked tone and looked at Satella with a surprised look on her face. "Calm down Sister hothead! It's not as if Chrono belongs solely to you! Mein Got, I can't believe how possessive you are of him." Satella said with amusement. "Why you?" Rosette said crossly and began to charge at Satella. Satella however managed to charge at Rosette back and started to roughly grab her face while Rosette grabbed Satella's hair. "Say something Chrono!" Both Rosette and Satella said at once as they turned around and quickly realized that he wasn't there. "Hahahaha, how stupid of us! Chrono isn't here!" Rosette laughed as she knew that they were both making fools out of themselves. "Tell me about it, I am wondering what made us think he was even there?!" Satella said unamused and they both walked towards the bridge's ledge and looked at the view in front of them. "That was a bit pointless." Satella sighed. "Yeah, I guess it was." Rosette agreed while Satella had a small frown on her face. "Actually, I came to say goodbye." Satella revealed and Rosette looked at her with a surprised look. "So long as the Magdalene Order is going all-out on this, bounty hunters like myself can't intervene. At any rate, I can't work with someone in the Order like you. Your superiors most likely won't allow it." Satella explained and turned herself facing Rosette. "That is why I have decided to do this on my own. To be honest, I was just going to get Chrono to say goodbye for me. But when you make that kind of face, it's difficult to leave! Get a grip of yourself!" Satella said to Rosette. "If you don't mind me asking, how are you connected to Aion?" Rosette asked out of curiosity. Satella then seated herself on the bridge's ledge and began to tell Rosette about her back story. "I had an older sister by the name of Florette. She was so sweet and gentle, but above all else, my sister was powerful. Ten years ago, when I came to my house, it was engulfed in flames. My mother and father were dead. That demon held my sister and disappeared into the fire along with my mother's juwels. I was the only one left. My long search began and then I have finally found out that my older sister is still alive." Satella explained as she remembered the tragic event as if it was only yesterday that it happened. "This time I am sure of it. The hornless demon is Aion. The demon who is responsible for my family's death." Satella said as she was sure that Aion was the one. "You and I have the same goal Rosette. So, can you two move forward?" Satella asked passionately as she spread her two arms out while Rosette slightly grinned. "I see, the same goal huh? There was someone I looked up to. He was very strong and handsome. He always guided me. He never faltered and never shook. He was the reason I was able to become an exorcist. But he said that he himself isn't really that strong." Rosette said as she was dreamingly referring to Father Remington. She remembered the day when Father Remington took her to the Order of Magdalene in New York City and when he patted her head with a smile on his face. "So, I'm alright. It's still a bit hard now, but if Chrono and I find the answer, we can walk on forward!" Rosette said optimistically. "I see." Satella commented and they both began to laugh together. After they were done laughing, Satella and Rosette faced each other as they knew that this would be the last time they would see each other in a while. "I'll wait for you one step ahead. Let's meet again on the other side!" Satella promised and she started to take her leave by walking past Rosette. "Wait for me!" Satella said as she turned her head around and waved goodbye to Rosette. "I'll catch up to you!" Rosette shouted back and began to walk her way back to the hospital. Once she reached the hospital, Rosette made her way downstairs to the room where Chrono was in. Once she walked into the room she looked at Chrono and began to talk to him. "I now know that everyone around the world is constantly fighting his or her own battles. Just like Father Remington and Satella. That's why I have to continue fighting mine. Isn't that right Chrono? You're fighting too, right?" Rosette asked even though she knew that he could not answer her. "I guess you can't hear me. There's no response on the outside." Rosette said with a slight grin. "However, if there's no response on the outside, then what about from the inside?" Rosette asked herself as she was convinced that there was somehow a way for Chrono to respond to her.

The next day, the Elder had arrived at the hospital in San Francisco. He went to the room downstairs where Chrono was at. Father Remington had contacted the Elder about Rosette's decision to dive into Chrono's soul as a way to reach him. He arrived with the Magdalene Order's aircraft and brought the soul diving machine that Rosette previously used for her Militia training test. By the time Elder Hamilton came into the room, Rosette was already prepared and was dressed in her Militia outfit. She was seated on a chair and had some eye gear on herself for the soul diving. Chrono's body was also connected to the wires attached to the soul diving machine and with eye gear on himself as well. The Elder set up a round belt like circle consisting of the connection wires across the perimeter of where Chrono is in order to help set the soul diving method into motion. "Once again, you've come up with something audacious. If it doesn't work from the outside then try from the inside. Huh, I do hope it will work." The Elder said to himself skeptically as he was flipping the guide book while turning on the soul diving machine. "No one can predict what will happen." Reverend Gilliam commented to Father Remington. "There is no other way. Besides, this is what she decided on. We will give her maximum support." The minister said to his friend. "Dive, huh? Diving into a demon's soul is unheard of." Father Remington revealed since diving into a demon's soul was never done before. "But they're under a contract, aren't they? Rosette's soul could be consumed during the dive." Reverend Gilliam pointed out. "In that case, I'll take appropriate action before that happens." Father Remington said as he was holding his laser sword just in case something dangerous happens to Rosette during the soul dive. "Have you thought that he shut himself off? He might refuse to meet you. When I asked her that, she said: We're connected, so I want to believe!" The Elder quoted what Rosette had told him just before he started operating the diving machine. A few moments later, Rosette's soul had managed to enter into Chrono's soul while she was floating in the nude. "I am scared. It might already be too late to do anything. I might go through pain that I've never felt before. Maybe this time I might actually die. But to let it end this way is even more painful. That's why I'm coming to wake Chrono up!" Rosette thought to herself as her soul was getting closer to something that resembled a bee's hive. Once she reached it, she then saw the various memories that Chrono had with him through bubbles. "This is Chrono's soul. Then these bubbles are Chrono's memory?" Rosette asked herself as she was sure that was the case. "I see, so if I follow the flow, then I might be able to find out more about Chrono's history! Alright then, let's go further!" Rosette said to herself as her soul started to go further into Chrono's memory. "I wish I could change things, but we both know that this is not possible." Rosette recalled what Chrono said as her soul continued going further into his memories. A few minutes later, Rosette's soul had finally reached into one of Chrono's memories that began to show her the story that Chrono wanted to tell her one day.

Chapter 21

It all began one night in the spring of 1870. Mary Magdalene was in a library at the Order of Magdalene, reading a book while everything around her was quiet. Suddenly, a demon with horns walked into the library and went through one of the book sections until he reached the Holy Woman. Mary Magdalene looked at the demon, but to his surprise, she was not afraid of him one bit. "You're Mary Magdalene, the Holy Woman, am I right?" The demon asked. "Yes I am, and I assume you came here for me." Mary Magdalene said surprisingly calm. "How do you know my purpose for being here?" The demon asked as he was surprised that she wasn't frightened by his presence. Mary Magdalene got out of her chair, went towards the demon and began to touch his face. "I have been waiting for you, Chrono!" She revealed in a happy tone. "You were?" The demon asked since he was confused that she knew his name. "Yes, the time has come Chrono!" She answered. "What do you mean?" Chrono confusedly asked. Just then the Militia along with the minister, rushed into the library to slay the demon that intended to take her. Mary Magdalene was standing in front of Chrono when the minister came towards the demon and pulled out a sword. "Step away from the Holy Woman! No one is allowed to touch her! Let alone a demon!" The young blond minister demanded angrily. "He will strike diagonally over his head in 6.2 seconds. 0.05 seconds after that, make a straight line from your left side. There won't be any obstacles. Please fly with all of your might." Mary Magdalene instructed Chrono. "This is a prediction! So she sees the future!" Chrono thought to himself out of surprise. "If you do that, you will be able to escape without hurting anybody!" Mary Magdalene assured Chrono. "Here he comes!" The Holy Woman warned Chrono as the minister charged towards him. Just as the young minister charged his sword towards him, Chrono quickly grabbed Mary Magdalene, flew through out of the window and disappeared into the night sky. "Outside! They won't turn around." One Militia nun said to the headmaster. "We can't, it's too late!" The head minister said. "Reinforce the barrier, don't let them escape!" The head minister commanded. "Bring a horse! This is an emergency situation! The Holy Woman has been kidnapped!" The young blond haired minister announced as he put his sword back into its holster. "What do you intend to do with her, you fiend?" The young man asked himself as he was referring to Chrono. "Hurry up Ewan!" One of the Militia agents called out to him. Meanwhile, the demon took the Holy Woman to a nearby lake where he then let go of her once they had landed. "So, you can see the future?" Chrono asked in a surprised tone. "Yes, isn't that why you came to take me with you?" Mary Magdalene asked. "But I still don't understand. Why did you willingly choose to come with me?" Chrono asked still very confused by her behavior. "As you should know, I have powers bestowed to me by God that let me see the future. Ever since I was little, I had foretelling dreams and you were in them!" Mary Magdalene explained. Chrono was looking at her, trying to come to terms on what she just said. "So if you have powers that let you see the future, does this mean you know the reason why I took you?" Chrono curiously asked. "Yes. You took me because Aion needs me in order to find the head of Pandemonium." She confirmed. "Even knowing this, you were still willing to come with me?" Chrono asked in disbelief. "I believe that destiny cannot be changed and I wanted to get to know you before my destiny happens!" Mary said unusually calm. At that moment, Aion appeared and congratulated Chrono in completing his task. "Well, I see you came through this time Chrono! I'm impressed!" Aion said while looking at Mary. "It's time for us to go! Everyone is waiting for us!" Aion said and teleported them to an abandoned Inn, in a desert just on the outskirts of a small town in Texas. The other Sinners were inside the Inn waiting for their return. They walked in and one of the Sinners, the scientist Shader, cheerfully greeted Mary. "Yes! The Holy Maiden is finally here!" Mary was surprised at the scientist's hyperactive behavior. "Well, now that we have the Holy Woman in our grasp, we shall tomorrow morning begin our search for Pandemonium's head!" Aion declared to everyone. "Yes! I can't wait for us to find the head of Pandemonium! With it being found, that means we can finally start executing our dream!" Shader said enthusiastically as she could not stop her overbearing excitement. "Don't get too excited Shader, there is a lot of things to prepare once Pandemonium's head has been found." Aion reminded her. "But of course! I can assure you that everything will go according to plan once we have finally found the head!" Shader assured him. "Chrono, since the Holy Woman is probably feeling exhausted, why don't you take her to a room where she can sleep for the night?!" Aion commanded Chrono. "Sure Aion, whatever you say!" Chrono said and took Mary Magdalene to a room at the end of the hallway. It looked like he was bothered by something. Mary felt that Chrono had conflicting thoughts but did not want to question him about it. "Well, here we are Mary. This is the room where you will be sleeping in for the night." Chrono said and Mary walked into the room towards the bed. "Are you sure you'll be alright Chrono?" Mary asked. "Yes, of course! Why?" Chrono confusedly asked. "Because I can tell something is bothering you." Mary Magdalene answered. "What do you mean?" Chrono asked. "It's nothing! Good night Chrono!" Mary said and closed her eyes as she began to fall asleep. "There's something strange about this woman. How could she be so willing to let me take her out of the Order without being scared? Surely an ordinary human would be terrified at the thought of being kidnapped by a demon." Chrono thought to himself as he could not understand Mary Magdalene's reaction towards him. The next morning, Mary woke up and found Chrono standing right beside her bed. "Good morning Mary Magdalene!" Chrono said. "Good morning Chrono!" Mary responded while being surprised to see him. "Did you sleep well?" Chrono asked politely. "Yes, I did!" Mary Magdalene answered and then yawned. She stood up and they both went to meet the others. As they entered the main room, Mary stopped by Shader to greet her. "Good morning Shader!" Mary said politely. "Oh, Good morning Mary! How are you doing?" Shader responded in a startled tone. Mary then spotted Shader making some kind of unique necklace that resembled a watch. "What's that?" Mary asked Shader curiously. "It's called a seal watch. It allows the demon to form a contract with a human in case that the demon loses its horns. The contract lets the demon live since a demon will die without its horns. As long as the human lives, the demon can use its own powers, but if the human dies, the demon will still live but it will not be able to use its own powers. What the human contractor does is that it lets the demon to take their life force and seal it into the watch which will allow the demon to activate its powers. However the side effects are that it has an effect on the human's life span. The more the demon uses its powers, the shorter the life span the human will have and the weaker it will become. Once a contract has been made, the human's life span will be drastically shortened and it cannot be broken or changed!" Shader explained to her. "Why did you make something like that?" Mary asked Shader. "Why are you so surprised? I am a scientist after all and I love to experiment with different things!" Shader said. Suddenly, Aion appeared and looked around the room to see if everyone was present. "Good morning my fellow Sinners! Since the Holy Woman is now finally with us, Genai, Viede, Chrono and I will be heading off to the Grand Canyon immediately to retrieve the head of Pandemonium." Aion began explaining the plan. "What are we two to do in the meantime?" Rizel asked. "You and Shader will return back to Eden to prepare the container for Pandemonium's head." Aion explained their role to Rizel. "Alright, now that everything has been planned out, let's start making our move to the Grand Canyon!" Aion announced to the rest of the Sinners and they all made their way out of the Inn, with the exception of Shader and Rizel. Aion had decided that they will be traveling by horse to the Grand Canyon in the Northwestern area of Arizona. It was a more practical traveling option for searching Pandemonium's head than it would be if they teleported to that place. They needed to make sure that they weren't missing any turns or directions. It took the Sinners about a week to reach the Grand Canyon since they had to make many stops along the way for the horses and themselves to rest. After a week of traveling it was dusk when the Sinners had finally managed to reach the Grand Canyon. "Here we are, the Grand Canyon! As you all know, we lost the head of Pandemonium somewhere around this place when we fought those Pursuers. It's been six months now." Aion turned his head around towards his fellow Sinners as he reminded them about their reason for being there. "That kind of stuff really pisses you off, doesn't it?" Genai asked. "We demons can't detect the location to where the head is at." Viede stated. "Isn't that why I was brought here?" Mary Magdalene asked Chrono as she was sitting on his horse behind him. "Yes, you can search for it. From a far away past to a far away distant location, to the words of the dead. The Holy Maiden whose eyes can see everything. You can find it!" Chrono answered. "Alright, the time has come for the Holy Woman to use her powers to detect the head's location. But first, we will need to go down towards the canyon in order for her to do so." Aion explained and they all started to make their way to the lower area of the canyon as their horses began to run. It has been six months since the Sinners have been on the surface of the earth. However, fights against the Pursuers were waiting for them day after day and the Sinners dream of freedom was still very far away. Once the Sinners have reached the lower area of the Grand Canyon, they all got off of their horses. "Alright Magdalene, now that we are down here, it is time for you to use your powers to detect the head's location!" Aion commanded her and the Holy Woman walked slightly ahead of the Sinners. She then kneeled down and clasped her hands together as if she was praying. Just then, a huge source of powerful energy was emitted from Mary Magdalene's body across the canyon which surprised Genai and Viede. "I guess the risk of having her with us is worth it." Viede commented. "It wasn't a mistake to kidnap her, don't you think?" Genai said as he grinned sinisterly. "The Magdalene Order had a reason for protecting her. This power of hers surpasses that of a human." Aion explained to Genai and Viede while Mary Magdalene was still in the process of detecting the location of Pandemonium's head. A few moments later, she finally was able to pinpoint its exact location. Once she was done detecting the location, the powerful energy across the canyon significantly wavered and it eventually disappeared. "Just a little more! There's a tiny bit of movement fifty miles downstream." Mary revealed in an exhaustive tone. "The area has been narrowed to 1/100 in just three days. That discovery is only a step away. Let's go!" Aion demanded as he was holding the map. "Aion." Chrono said and walked towards the Holy Woman. "Well Chrono, what is it?" Aion asked. "We got to let Mary Magdalene rest first. Can't you see she's exhausted?" Chrono advised as he was tending to her. "Don't say such a foolish thing! Beat her until she wakes up!" Genai advised Chrono in an impatient, cross tone. "She just detected everything in an area of 100 miles. Of course she would be exhausted!" Chrono defended her as he shouted at Genai. "We just have to go south along the river. In that case, it seems we'll manage the rest on our own. We'll leave her to you Chrono." Aion said as the three Sinners climbed back on their horses. "Sure Aion, no problem!" Chrono answered. "Good! After all, you're the one who suggested it, so make sure that you look after her properly. We'll be back by tomorrow." Aion told Chrono as he turned his head towards him and bid him a farewell. After Chrono watched Aion, Genai and Viede leave for the downstream area of the canyon, he then turned his attention towards Mary who had already fallen asleep due to exhaustion. He walked towards the Holy Woman to keep an eye out for her. "Uh, did everybody went ahead?" Mary asked Chrono as she woke up tiredly after an hour had passed. "Yes, they can't search from the sky, so it's going to take them a while. It's okay, just keep resting for now." Chrono told her. "I'm sorry. I'll do that." Mary Magdalene apologetically said and went back to sleep with Chrono looking at her. "What an enigmatic woman. From the time we met, she hasn't been nervous at all. It's as if there is no meaning to the difference between humans and demons." Chrono thought to himself as he began to gaze at the night sky.

The next morning, Chrono woke up slowly and was holding his hand above his head due to the sun rays flashing into his face. Just then, he turned around and saw that Mary Magdalene wasn't on her sleeping blanket. "Magdalene, where are you?" Chrono shouted out as he was worried that he might have lost her. "I'm here Chrono!" Mary called out back which quickly caught Chrono's attention. He walked towards the big rock that was in the front of the stream, as he could tell that Mary had answered from there. "Are you alright, Magdalene?" Chrono asked as soon as he reached the rock. "Yes, I'm completely fine." Mary said assuredly as she turned herself around and faced Chrono. He was surprised to see her in the stream dressed in her under clothing. "Good morning Chrono!" Mary greeted him cheerfully. "Good morning." Chrono answered shyly and Mary turned around with her back facing Chrono. "I just finished bathing. Too bad!" Mary said in a playfully disappointed tone. "What do you mean by too bad? Anyways, what are you doing?" Chrono asked as he cringed with what she just said. "I'm doing laundry. These clothes are the only ones I have." Mary revealed while she was washing her clothes. "What is laundry?" Chrono asked as he never heard of the term or concept before, much to Magdalene's surprise. Mary then turned around and walked towards Chrono. "Can you excuse me for a moment?" Mary politely asked and began to take some of Chrono's clothing off. "Wait, what are you doing?" Chrono asked in a surprised tone as his clothing began to rip. "It's alright Chrono, just take it off!" Mary said and continued disrobing him. Suddenly, they both fell into the water which caused a huge splash. A few minutes later, Chrono and Mary got out of the water. She decided to sow Chrono's wet shirt which he protested against but did not succeed. While Mary was sowing, Chrono was sitting next to her, looking at her with an annoyed look on his face. "I already said, I don't really care." Chrono protested. "No, I won't let it be so worn out!" Mary said and continued sowing his shirt. "You'll never be popular with women, no matter how wonderful you are!" Mary Magdalene teased and began to chuckle while Chrono was clearly not amused with the situation. "My, he's getting embarrassed." Mary said to herself as she chuckled at Chrono's cringing expression. "Don't get carried away!" Chrono finally snapped. "Until the search is over, I cannot harm you. Those were Aion's orders." Chrono said to her in an agitated tone. "Yes, but understand the situation a little." Mary said as she began to walk towards Chrono and touched his face. "Once that time comes, you will have to kill me. You do know that, don't you?" Mary revealed to him. "I am Aion's sword. If those are his orders, I will have to obey them." Chrono said as he pushed Mary's hand away from his face. "Is that what your role is?" Mary asked. "Tell me Mary Magdalene, why did you choose to come with me?" Chrono asked curiously. "Because I saw that you didn't want to hurt anybody. You are swaying between your duty and yourself." Mary answered and Chrono looked at her with a surprised expression on his face. "I am the same. That is why I came here." Mary revealed as she turned towards Chrono and placed down her sowing needle. "Here! It's finished!" Mary said cheerfully as she gave Chrono his sowed shirt. "She's an intriguing woman. But those words violently permeated my heart. She saw through everything." Chrono thought to himself and smelled his sowed shirt. "Smells like a sunny place!" He said to himself as he liked the smell of the shirt. "I'm a sword. A sword can't hesitate about the way it lives." Chrono thought to himself again. "What's wrong Chrono? Don't you like how I sowed your shirt?" Mary asked as she realized that he was lost in thought. "Yes, I do!" Chrono abruptly answered. "I'm glad that you do!" Mary said gratefully. Just then, Chrono and Mary heard some horses running towards their direction and they both turned around to see who it was. "It looks like they came back." Chrono stated as they saw that the three Sinners were riding their horses back towards them. This implied that they had succeeded in finding Pandemonium's head. Once the three Sinners climbed off of their horses, Aion walked towards Chrono as he was holding something in his hand. "So, how did the search go?" Chrono asked. "It went great Chrono. We've finally found it! Pandemonium's head! We met again after six months." Aion said triumphantly as he was holding the horned head strapped onto black belts. "So, now that the head of Pandemonium has finally been found, does this mean that it's now time for us to go back to Eden?" Chrono asked. "But of course, that's what I said before we left for our excursion, right?" Aion reminded Chrono. "Yes, I suppose." Chrono said. "Very well then, let's be heading back to Eden. Shader and Rizel are waiting for us there!" Aion announced and all four of the Sinners had teleported back to Eden along with Mary Magdalene whom Chrono was carrying.

"What I saw when I dived into Chrono's soul was a reminiscence of a distant past. His meeting with Mary Magdalene, the Holy Woman, and their exploration trip which resulted in finding Pandemonium's head. Now that they have accomplished their goal, what was going to happen next?" Rosette asked herself as she reflected the events that she gathered through Chrono's past history with Mary Magdalene. At Eden, the head of Pandemonium was placed onto a straight stool like altar inside a giant jar tube that was connected to the wall in the lab room. For the past two months, Aion and Chrono had been visiting Shader on a daily basis to ask her on Pandemonium's condition. "So, how is her condition?" Aion asked Shader. "She's doing well! The search for her memory area is 30% from completion. The information on the structure of the essential central controller is just a step away." Shader explained. "Even if it's a terminal, it's still part of Pandemonium. If we're able to investigate her memories, we could also find her weakness." Aion said as he was looking at the head while having his hand touching the tube. "By the way, what about Magdalene? Was she able to help you?" Chrono asked Shader. "Oh, she's been such a great help! I can't complain about having such a reliable assistant, can I?" Shader overly enthusiastically said. "She's got good intuition and learns the things I teach her quickly, even though our technology is like gibberish." Shader explained as she remembered fondly on how quickly Mary was able to pick up on the Sinners ridiculously advanced technology. "Could that phenomenon be another one of her abilities? If that's the case, then I guess it was worthwhile to bring her along." Chrono said to himself. "My, to think you have an interest in someone. Who could that person be, I wonder?" Shader asked as she abruptly approached Chrono. "What?" Chrono confusedly asked and began to blush. "Come on, what's with the blushing face? You're quite a ruffian, aren't you? It's impossible to control you!" Aion joked as he walked towards Chrono and placed his hand on his shoulder with an amused grin on his face. "Not really." Chrono said in an annoyed tone while he pushed Aion's hand away from his shoulder and began to walk his way out of the lab room. "Hahahaha, you're just a guy who doesn't understand jokes." Aion chuckled with amusement while he saw Chrono walking out of the room. "That's not it Aion. Chrono has changed a lot since two months ago. It's all thanks to Magdalene!" Shader said as she noticed that Chrono's bond with Mary Magdalene was getting stronger and stronger by the day. "It's been two months since Magdalene came with us." Chrono thought to himself as he walked outside and found Mary Magdalene hanging up the clothes who then looked at him with a smile on her face. "She's not afraid of demons and because of that we accepted her immediately. Shader, Viede, even Genai and Rizel. It was as if things had been like that since the beginning. The days went by, days that were meant to have been happy, perhaps." Chrono thought to himself as he remembered the positive impact that Magdalene had on the Sinners. Whether it was helping Shader with recovering the head's condition, Viede reading books with her on demon biology or with Genai and Rizel simply enjoying her company. It was as if the Sinners had become one big unified family. Three days later at dusk, Aion had informed Chrono and the three other Sinners that the head of Pandemonium had almost succeeded in recovering its memories which then caused them to all run towards the lab room. "Did you manage to complete it Shader?" Viede curiously asked once they abruptly walked into the room. "Yes, it's done! The data retrieval of the memory zone is 99% complete. All that's left is to analyze the data." Shader revealed in an excited tone as she showed them the head of Pandemonium with Mary Magdalene standing on the left side from the scientist. "Well done Shader. You sure worked very hard." Aion congratulated her. "To be honest, if I had been alone, I wouldn't even have gotten halfway yet. It's all thanks to Mary Magdalene." Shader modestly explained as she placed her hand on Mary's shoulder while praising her for her huge help. "Alright, let's celebrate in advance, shall we?!" Aion excitedly offered as he pulled out two bottles from behind his back. One was a beer bottle while the other one was a whiskey bottle. "Oh, you're so clever Lord Aion! All our troubles were worthwhile!" Rizel commented excitedly. "Rizel, you didn't do anything, did you?" Genai sneakily asked her as he realized that out of all the Sinners, Rizel didn't really contribute much in regards to the head of Pandemonium. "Shut up Genai!" Rizel snapped at him. "Just to let you all know, dinner is ready now! And considering that this is a special occasion, why not have the drinks with the meal?!" Mary Magdalene said to the Sinners and they all then walked out of the lab room and into the dining room. The food was already placed onto the table which consisted of roast beef, potatoes and corn. Once the Sinners had all gathered around the table in their seats and once all of their glasses had been filled with beer, Aion stood up and raised his glass. "Let's have a toast my fellow Sinners, for our freedom and future!" Aion proposed and all the other Sinners have then raised their glasses and gave each other a toast. The dinner celebration was an extremely joyous event as Shader got overly excited about the whole celebration. She began to yell enthusiastically while Genai laughed at her insanely energetic behavior. After Mary Magdalene took a sip from her glass, she glanced from behind and saw both Aion and Chrono outside sitting on the panels at the edge of Eden. There, the two brothers toasted each other and took a sip from their glasses. "Good job Chrono!" Aion congratulated him. "No, really. I didn't do anything." Chrono modestly denied his role. "Be happy. Eight months ago, we were able to escape to the earth's surface thanks to you. You opened up the bloody path to escape. And I'm grateful for that, killer of one hundred demons." Aion said while praising Chrono's contribution to his goals. Chrono then recalled the time when the Pursuers had attacked them on Eden after which they had escaped to the earth's surface. "How impertinent! For how long are the Pursuers going to keep coming?" Viede asked as he realized that the shell of Eden's shield cover was cracked by the Pursuers who had flown towards it in large numbers. "This is bad! We're falling!" Viede alarmingly said as he saw that Eden's shield cover was cracked. "Put it on level two! The second wave is coming!" Viede demanded as he predicted that the second Pursuer attack would be even stronger. "No, don't. The shell will not resist." Shader begged as she knew that the shell cover would not last any longer as the crack grew bigger. A few minutes later, the crack on the shell shield began to break from one side which allowed the Pursuers to storm an all attack against the Sinners. "Oh my God, what a number of them!" Chrono said to himself in a shocked tone as he couldn't believe the number of Pursuers attacking them. "Don't be concerned about the lower ranked ones. We only need to kill the one hundred high ranked ones!" Aion commanded as he knew that killing off the higher ranked Pursuers would weaken them all. "Chrono, the 13th layer has been invaded. They are about seventy of them. Go!" Rizel told Chrono as she was contacting him through one of her spiders while checking what layers of Eden had been invaded by the Pursuers. "What did you say? That's where the uninjured ones are." Chrono asked as he realized that the 13th layer was where the uninjured Pursuers were at. Chrono flew towards the 13th layer section and by the time he reached there, he saw that the Pursuers had brutally murdered all of the Sinners who were at the 13th layer area of the floating fortress. While Chrono saw the bloody corpses lying all over the layer, he all of a sudden turned around and saw a strong wind energy coming towards Eden. "Gaaaaahhhh!" Chrono yelled in agony as he realized that the powerful energy was so strong to the point that it would very easily kill a demon in a short period of time. Chrono saw that this powerful wind was the Pursuers doing as he saw the one hundred highest ranked Pursuers in front of him. All around himself, he saw that an overwhelming amount of Sinners were being killed off by the incredibly strong wind energy as they were no match to its effect. Chrono then saw one young Sinner who was on the panel and flew over and picked the Sinner up. While he was carrying the young Sinner into his arms, he saw its body crumbling and decaying into pieces much like how all the other Sinners had eventually become. The one hundred Pursuers positioned their sword like arms as they were preparing themselves to attack while Chrono continued to see the poor Sinners body decay even more until its body had finally crumbled away. Sad and angry by the fact that so many Sinners including the younger ones were killed off by the wind, Chrono yelled fiercely and angrily. He then charged towards the one hundred Pursuers and mercilessly slaughtered them in brutal ways. He murdered them by decapitating some of them, cutting some of the other ones in half, and impaling the rest. An hour later, after all the killings were stopped, Aion and the rest of the Sinners flew down from Eden and onto a cliff where they saw Chrono standing among a ground filled with the Pursuers bloody corpses with some of them even having their skeletal bones revealed. Aion looked at the view with huge satisfaction on his face as he realized that Chrono had followed his order while he was wiping the blood on his face.

"The memory is still impressed in my eyes. That was a good sight." Aion said with nostalgic pleasure. "So many have died. We were the only six Sinners who survived." Chrono stated as he remembered the attack as if it was only yesterday. "A crowd was sacrificed so we could be standing above this world." Aion explained emotionlessly. "When I think about it, I get the bad feeling that this is a horrible lie. Everything, even my own choices." Chrono said to him with much doubt. "Forget about it. Thinking is not your role. The edge of your blade will become blunt. We have to keep moving forward, that's our duty as the ones who survived. That's the only thing that matters." Aion told him monotonously. "Isn't it our duty to give something back to them?" Chrono demandingly asked. "The dead don't have any demands. Pity is the ego of the living beings." Aion explained in an impatient, somewhat irked tone. Mary Magdalene overheard their conversation as she was outside standing not far from them. She was able to sympathize with what Chrono was saying since she deep down knew about his conflicted side. Suddenly, Mary Magdalene sensed something dangerous which then caused her to turn around and see what the danger was. "Something is coming!" Mary shouted alarmingly which caught both Aion and Chrono's attention. A sharp curved blade abruptly moved toward Genai and cut out his eyes and left arm off. He was screaming in agony as a huge amount of blood came out and he then fell down onto the ground. Viede and Rizel transformed into their demon forms and went over to Genai to see what happened to him. "Oh my God, Genai!" Rizel said in a shocked tone once she saw what happened to him while Viede rushed to use his powers to attack the threat that was occurring. The curved blade then moved towards Rizel and cut off both of her legs and she too fell down to the ground as she was screaming in agony. "Oh no, Rizel, Genai!" Shader said in shock as she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Aion and Chrono came back inside in their demon forms and saw the assault that just happened with a surprised and shocked look on their faces. They both realized that all of this was the head of Pandemonium's doing as her voice began to mildly roar since her awakening was starting to take root and the wooden floor in the dining room began to break. "That's impossible. Pandemonium's head can't be in that condition!" Chrono said to himself in disbelief as they all looked at the head in the dining room who was attached to its spine as well as to its spider like sharp legs. Viede rushed towards the awakened head of Pandemonium and summoned a shield in the shape of a bee hive from his fist, hoping it would prevent future attacks from the head. Unfortunately, Viede's shield attack didn't work as the dining room area exploded into shambles along with some of the areas underneath the panels. The head of Pandemonium was now standing on top of a cylinder like step ground with Shader, Viede, Aion and Chrono looking at the extensive damage of Eden around them while also looking at the head. The head of Pandemonium started to regenerate itself by mildly roaring again as its jaw began to grow. "Gaaaaahhhhh!" Viede screamed as the sound had a piercing effect on both of his horns and his body. "What is this? My horns! My body! It's as if were being paralyzed." Shader said in a crying tone as she felt the same effect that Viede felt. "It's using the torn off body parts to regenerate. Damn it, by a mere terminal." Aion said angrily since he saw that the head of Pandemonium was being regenerated as her arms, neck and breasts began to form. Just then, Mary stretched out her arm towards Pandemonium's head. She opened her mouth while Pandemonium's voice began to pour into Magdalene's mouth. "I can't believe it. Her voice is pouring in." Chrono said to himself as he witnessed what Mary was trying to do. However, the voice that poured into her mouth began to overwhelm her as the power of Pandemonium's voice became too strong for her to handle it. After she passed out, Chrono abruptly rushed toward Pandemonium and grabbed her by the neck while Aion attacked her from the back with his elbow. "Chrono, there is still time to defeat her! Don't hesitate, do it now!" Aion commanded him. Chrono ripped Pandemonium's head off from its forming body while Aion then ripped off the arms and chest area that was forming. Pandemonium's head had fell onto the floor which meant that Pandemonium had finally been defeated for the time being. Several minutes later, Shader and Viede got themselves up from the damaged ground and walked around to see if Aion, Chrono and Mary were anywhere in sight. "Hahaha, we did it Chrono!" Aion chuckled as he was relieved that they had succeeded with defeating Pandemonium. "Yeah, but Pandemonium's memory zone is completely gone now." Chrono said in disappointment. "I guess we're back at our previous starting point. Well, I'll think of something later." Aion remarked in a somewhat disappointed tone as he realized that they were back where they started from. Shader and Viede spotted the trio sitting on top of the ruble that was caused by Pandemonium's attack and saw that Mary Magdalene was unconscious. "Are you three alright?" Shader asked as she and Viede ran towards them. "Sorry, please lend me your hand, will you? I can't move." Chrono pleadingly asked as he offered his hand to Shader. "But of course Chrono! You don't even have to ask for such a request!" Shader answered and she lifted Chrono and Mary Magdalene up while Viede helped Aion get up as he was just as tired as Chrono was.

Chapter 22

"I am now journeying in the swirling depths of Chrono's memory. Chrono had such a dark and bloodthirsty past fifty four years ago. However, Mary Magdalene's encounter began to change him and his surroundings. There were memories so dazzlingly beautiful that it hurts." Rosette thought to herself as she found out Chrono's bloody past as well as his relationship with Mary Magdalene and the bond that he had with the other Sinners at the time. "I wonder if these warm memories are what Chrono seeks in his dreams, I wonder if never waking up from these memories is what he wishes for." Rosette curiously asked herself. "I have to know how these memories end and what Chrono really wants from now on!" Rosette said to herself with determination and continued on with her journey to dive into Chrono's memories. A week had passed by since Pandemonium attacked the Sinners and caused huge amounts of damage to Eden. Since the attack, Mary Magdalene was asleep the whole time. "It's been a week now and she still hasn't woken up yet. I wonder if she's dreaming." Shader remarked as they both watched her sleeping in her bed in her room. "Whatever she's dreaming, I hope they are nice dreams." Chrono said in a hopeful tone. "Only once we fought against Pandemonium and it left us wounded all over. Three of us were wounded and Genai as well as Rizel were seriously injured. Eden was also half destroyed. Even with all of the restoration legion mobilization, it would take three months to repair it. All too quickly, we had lost our potential freedom." Chrono thought to himself as he remembered the damaging effects that Pandemonium's attack had on Eden and the injuries that was inflicted upon them. While Mary Magdalene was sleeping, she dreamt about the time when her parents died during the civil war and she was brought to the Order by a minister with medium length dark brown hair and a small facial beard along with glasses. As they were riding in the carriage, the young Mary was looking out of the window. "Mary Magdalene." The man called out to her. "Is that my name sir?" She asked. "That's right. It would be incredibly difficult to get by without a name, don't you think?" The young man said to her. Mary continued looking out of the window and saw something that deeply frightened her. "What are you looking at?" The man asked. "Over there, so many people are dying!" Mary said to the young minister as she was seeing lots of dead soldiers lying on the battlefield along with other soldiers shooting each other in battle. This caught the minister's attention and Mary started to feel traumatized with what she was seeing. "People are being shot and suffering. It's so painful." Mary said in a traumatized tone. Her body started to feel extremely uneasy to the point that she began to have a painful fit. "Please Magdalene, calm down!" The man said to her as he tended to her while she was screaming in pain. "No, don't come into my mind! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!" Mary screamed in pain. A few moments later, she was finally able to calm herself down as she stopped screaming and the minister placed his hand on her shoulder. "A lot of guerillas of the Northern army died in this area. You must not look at them. Let them be." The minister explained to her while she still felt very traumatized with the situation that she just witnessed. "So, won't you tell me more about yourself instead?" The man asked the young girl while the carriage was riding through a forest. "When we arrive at the Order, will Chrono be there?" Mary asked. "Chrono?" The minister asked confused. "He's the one I see in my dreams. He is tall, dark and very frightening, but somehow he is crying! Why is he crying? If I go there, do you think I will be able to see him?" The young Mary asked the minister while she was thinking of the demon that she saw in her dreams. "If you saw him, then one day you will be able to meet him." The minister said to her as he had a grin on his face. At that moment, Mary woke up from her dream and began to breathe heavily. "That dream felt so familiar. Like a vague memory from my past." Mary said to herself as she stood up from the bed and walked out of her sleeping room. In the meantime, Chrono and Aion were in the lab room where they were checking Pandemonium's condition. Aion was touching her slippery hand to see if she was alright since her body parts had been reconnected by Shader, while Chrono looked at Aion with a worried look on his face. After Aion checked Pandemonium's condition, they made their way out of the lab room while Aion talked to Chrono about Genai and Rizel's current conditions. "What? They can't return to normal anymore?" Chrono asked as they were walking along the hallway. "That's right. Unlike Viede who had already recovered, those two were directly wounded. The legions that were injured by Pandemonium's blade have fallen into necrosis. In other words, injuries caused by Pandemonium cannot heal." Aion explained to Chrono. "I wonder if we really do have a way to resist Pandemonium?" Chrono asked out of curiosity. "Well, finding a way is my job! In the meanwhile, it's time for us to eat. Go call Shader." Aion commanded in a relaxed voice. "Sure, no problem." Chrono responded with indifference and walked his way towards Shader's room. "We're seriously up against the wall here. What should I do?" Aion asked himself as he was wondering how to deal with Pandemonium. Just then, Aion noticed someone coming towards him and he turned around to see who it was. To his surprise, it was Mary Magdalene who was floating towards him while a powerful glow shined through her body. "Hello Magdalene, I didn't know you were awake. I was worried about you since you were asleep for a whole week. How are you feeling?" Aion asked her in a relieved tone as he was seemingly glad that she was doing alright. He then noticed the powerful glow on her body which caught him by surprise. "I've heard a lot of voices. Your voices and voices about the Sinners. Do you intend to fight this lonely battle like this forever? Aion the Sinner, the entity stripped off of its title." Mary asked him in a calm yet mystical manner while Aion continued looking at her with both shock and surprise. Meanwhile, Shader was in her room gazing at the seal watch on her desk that she had made a couple of months ago. "Shader!" Chrono abruptly called her name from behind her chair which deeply startled her. "Aaaaahhhh! You scared me! Don't suddenly yell out my name!" Shader reacted in a panicked tone as she turned herself around towards Chrono while grabbing the seal watch. "I called you many times. You never hear anything whenever you're concentrating or lost in thought about something." Chrono pointed out as he cringed at her reaction. "What's that thing?" Chrono curiously asked as he saw something in Shader's hands. "Oh, this? It's something like an Astral Convergence Unit." Shader began to explain. "Astral Convergence Unit?" Chrono asked confused. "Yes, it's a substitute for our horns." Shader revealed and they both walked out of the room and into the hallway where Shader continued to explain the seal watch to Chrono. "As I was saying, it's a substitute for our horns. Since it'll remain as a substitute, I still need to improve it beyond needing another source of Astral. This is something I deduced from our last fight, but I think we'll need it to fight Pandemonium." Shader explained enthusiastically. "Oh, I see." Chrono said in a confused yet cringing tone. "Just how much do you know? Don't tell me you've reached the Sacred Legion." Aion's voice said in a cross tone from across the hallway which caught both Chrono and Shader's attention. They both ran across the hallway and stopped once they had saw Aion grabbing Mary's upper dress. "Aion, Magdalene?!" Shader said in shock as she never saw Aion behaving in such a way before while Chrono walked towards him. "Aion, what are you doing?" Chrono asked in a mildly angry tone. Aion then turned around with an angry look on his face while Shader walked towards Magdalene to see if she was alright. "Magdalene, are you okay?" Shader worriedly asked. "What was I doing?" Mary asked as she came back to her own senses since she wasn't 'herself' when she talked to Aion. "What happened, Aion? Tell me!" Chrono demanded. "It's nothing! Sorry about that Magdalene!" Aion said as he pretended to apologize while walking his way through the hallway. "That's strange. This is not like him. I wonder what's going on?" Shader asked herself confused. "Are you alright Magdalene?" Chrono asked as he tended to her. "Ah, yes I am!" Mary answered. Just then, an image of a demon that she had dreamed about began to occupy her mind as she then fell onto the ground in shock. "Once again I'm seeing it. So, that time has come, hasn't it?" Mary thought to herself as if she knew something bad was going to happen to her. "What's wrong? Is something bothering you?" Chrono asked as he offered Mary his hand. Mary grabbed Chrono's hand and lifted herself up from the ground. "Chrono, do you have a moment?" Mary asked. "Yes, I see no reason why not!" Chrono answered. "Good, but first I need to get changed, so excuse me for a bit." Mary said and she walked back into her sleeping room to get herself changed. Aion was walking by the corner of the hallway with his hand over his mouth as he was thinking deeply about Mary Magdalene.

After Mary Magdalene was done changing, they both walked outside to the lower level of Eden. They walked through the damaged sections of it, jumped over to a ledge and seated themselves there. "So, have you calmed down now?" Chrono asked curiously. "Yes, the air outside is really refreshing." Mary answered with a smile. She clearly was enjoying herself while ignoring the narrow ledge they were sitting at. "My, what a strange woman she is." Chrono thought to himself. "Chrono, look down there!" Mary said as she pointed her finger towards some lights she saw down on the surface of the earth. Chrono also began to look at the lights. "The lights from the town, I like to see the cities lights just as the sun goes down." Mary said excitedly. "When fathers who are tired from work and children who are tired from playing come home, they'd tell the mothers who are preparing dinner, all about their day. Within those lights there are families, livelihoods and life." Magdalene explained as she was remembering the typical town life. "The lights of life. Each and every one of those flickering lights are proof that people are living." Mary continued saying and just then, she took off white bandages that she wore around her wrists and revealed what appeared to be bloody wounds. Chrono was taken aback not knowing what the wounds were. "What are those wounds on your wrists?" Chrono asked curiously. "They're not really wounds! They're called Stigmata!" Mary said. "Stigmata? What is that?" Chrono asked confused. "These marks represent the wounds of Jesus Christ and were given to those chosen by God! Ever since those marks were carved onto my wrists and feet, my memory was filled with events from a distant past and future. I have lost all of my memories regarding my childhood and what happened to my parents!" Mary explained. "This gift bestowed to you sounds more like a curse than a blessing!" Chrono commented ironically. "Although it might seem that's the case, it really is not! I fully believe in God and trust in whatever he has planned for me and I therefore have no desire to change my destiny!" Mary said peacefully. Chrono was taken aback by her complete trust and love in God. "My powers of vision would often let me see thousands of different dreams, dreams of a younger sibling suffering because of sickness, dreams of those of soldiers swallowing in sand, rotting of thirst, those of a bride in a small village being violated by those soldiers. My perception of everything did not differ one bit from the truth. I knew everything that happened anytime and anywhere on this planet." Mary explained how her visions worked. "Due to the fact that I don't remember my childhood ever since I received my Stigmata, I feel like an empty vessel. A vessel that you can add anything to but it's empty." Mary said how she felt about herself in regards to her memories while Chrono looked at her with a deeply surprised expression. "Even so, there is one and only one dream that I kept having over and over again when I was a little girl. A dream that I remember as my own." Mary stated fondly. "I knew your name before I understood words. It's the future, the only path that I have despite such vague memories. It is a dream of you!" Mary revealed as she stood up on top of the narrow ledge with Chrono doing the same. "You are Chrono, the one who will take my life away." Mary Magdalene said to him in an unusually calm manner. Such a revelation gravely surprised Chrono. "You came here despite knowing that?" Chrono asked. "Yes." Mary confirmed. "How can you be so calm about this?" He asked her in disbelief. "Because I wanted to get to know you, despite the fact that you will be the one who will take away my life!" Mary explained and Chrono continued to look at her as he became speechless about what she just said. "My, isn't this quite a sentimental view we have here!" Aion commented while sitting on a higher ledge attached to Eden's lower base. Chrono and Mary turned around and saw Aion in his demon from, much to Chrono's surprise. "Aion?" Chrono asked as he didn't expect Aion to show up at this time. "I can see you two are enjoying yourselves. However, there are important matters at hand! Kill the Holy Woman Chrono, before she turns into Pandemonium!" Aion abruptly commanded him as he stood up on the ledge. "Aion, what are you saying?" Chrono asked in disbelief. "It's the voices. She heard, or rather saw Pandemonium's voices through her power of sight. At the same time, the memories inside those voices flowed into her. In other words, Pandemonium's memories have not only survived but are burning inside her brain. We might consider it lucky for us. The voices have already begun to taint her. She won't remain as Magdalene for much longer." Aion explained monotonously while Chrono looked at Mary Magdalene in shock as he couldn't believe what he just heard from Aion. "Now Chrono, carry out your duty! Your duty as my sword!" Aion ordered while Chrono was still looking at Magdalene in shock.

Chrono turned towards Mary, grabbed her by her neck and started chocking her. Mary just stood there and closed her eyes without making any effort to free herself. "Why? Even though you knew all along." Chrono demandingly asked. "Because I couldn't change anything. Even if I cry, scream, deny, hate and regret, the end will not change." Mary answered while Chrono continued on choking her. He was at war with himself as he realized that he was doing this against his will and suddenly, he let go of Mary. Aion became extremely frustrated with Chrono, as he realized that he refused to carry out his order. "Let's think this over Aion. There has to be another way. A way that doesn't involve hurting our partners." Chrono advised in which Mary looked at him surprised by what he just said. Aion then flew towards him and looked at him straight into his eyes. "Are you saying that you are abandoning your duties as my sword? I assume I can interpret it as that?" Aion asked as it was obvious that he was becoming irked with Chrono's sudden disobedience. "No, that's not what I meant! You came to the conclusion too soon." Chrono said trying to justify his action to Aion. Just then, Aion suddenly punched Chrono's stomach so violently to the point that a small amount of blood came out of his mouth and he feel onto the ground. "I'm disappointed in you. You're so pathetic and weak!" Aion said in disappointment. He then walked towards Mary Magdalene and started to choke her. "I regret bringing you along. I'm going to retrieve Pandemonium's memories even if it means churning your head inside out. That kind of information is too powerful for a human to have!" Aion said in a cross tone as he continued to choke Mary even harder. "You're keeping it a secret from your allies?" Mary asked in a weak voice as she began to suffocate. "That's right. There only needs to be one truth." Aion raised his voice. "You're afraid of something other than what you've been used to seeing?" Mary asked as she slowly began to lose her voice. A moment later, Aion finally stopped choking her. "Your end will be the same whether it is me or Chrono!" Aion impatiently snapped. He held her head and swung his arm with the intention of cutting Magdalene's head off with his demon claws. Mary looked at Aion with fear in her eyes, but all of a sudden, Chrono transformed into his demon form and grabbed Aion's arm, much to Aion's surprise. "Why do you decide so hastily?" Chrono asked Aion in an intimidating tone while Aion looked at with him a surprised look on his face. "You can't see the alternatives because you fixate in one of the options. If there aren't any, keep looking for them. The path should be expanding in all directions." Chrono impatiently advised as he began to criticize Aion's stubbornness. "Don't kid yourself. If you procrastinate, then you will run out of time even for your only option. Get out of my way! If you interfere again, I will not hold back!" Aion threatened him as he became extremely frustrated with Chrono. "Why are you acting like this? What is it about her that scares you? What are you hiding Aion?" Chrono asked in a weak tone while he began to breathe heavily as small amounts of blood were still flowing from out of his mouth. Aion started charging towards him and Chrono didn't have any other choice but to protect himself and to charge towards him as well. Although Chrono managed to harshly scratch Aion's stomach with his sharp demon claws, Aion grabbed Chrono's horns and ripped them off of his head. Chrono screamed out of pain as his head started bleeding profoundly. He then lost his balance and was about to fall off the ledge when Mary reached towards him and tried to grab him. Unfortunately, he was too heavy and they fell down off the bottom of the concrete ledge. Aion, without any remorse on his face, watched both of them falling down while he was holding Chrono's horns in his hands. "They got what they deserved! No one disobeys my orders and gets away with it!" Aion said to himself bitterly and mercilessly. Just then, Aion began to spit out a small amount of blood and a massive wound began to form on his stomach with lots of blood coming out. Aion screamed in pain and after the blood stopped spraying, he then passed out onto the narrow concrete ledge. In the meantime, one gentleman from the surface of the earth was looking at a floating island high up in the sky from an advanced, thick telescope that he just recently made. "Bingo! That's it! The nest of the demons that captured Mary Magdalene! I told you Ewan, have a little bit of faith in my inventions!" Edward Hamilton said to Ewan as he spotted Eden through the telescope. "You can talk. It took a whole two months to find it!" Edward said to the young minister. "What should we do now? Without an air balloon we can't get up there." Ewan remarked worriedly. "Hmmm, what is that?" Edward asked himself in a surprised tone as he saw something falling down with high speed. At the bottom of the cliff, Mary regained her consciousness and saw that Chrono's body protected her from the fall. He was lying underneath her, all bloody, severely injured and unconscious. "Chrono, please hold on!" Mary sadly begged him as he then slowly opened his eyes and saw Mary looking at him with a sad and terrified look on her face. "Where are we?" Chrono asked in a weak voice. "On the ground! We fell from Eden!" Mary answered him worriedly. With a very weak voice Chrono said "I see. I am so glad that you are alright Mary!" "You will be alright too Chrono!" Mary wanted to reassure him, knowing that he is badly injured. "No I am not, my time is up! Without my horns, I cannot heal myself and I will die!" Chrono said. "You won't have to die! Instead, you can use this!" Mary Magdalene said and showed him the seal watch which she secretly took from Shader's desk. "The Seal Watch?" Chrono asked looking at the seal. "It allows a demon who lost its horns to form a contract with a human for the purpose of staying alive and to preserve its powers." Mary explained. "What does the human get in return from this contract?" Chrono asked. "The human will share its life force with the demon. When that happens, the human will have its life span drastically shortened. The more the demon uses its powers, the shorter the human life span will be." Mary continued explaining. "Are you saying that you are willing to do this? Even if it will cost you your life?" Chrono asked in disbelief. "Yes, it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make! It's all part of my destiny!" Mary said with determination. "No, I cannot let you do this! I am not worthy for such a sacrifice." Chrono said with an even weaker voice. "It's not your destiny to die here Chrono. We all have a path and purpose in our lives and you haven't fulfilled your purpose yet. I know what God wants from me and I know what my purpose is! So let me do what I feel is right!" Mary said passionately. "You've changed Chrono and that's why I know that this is the right thing to do." Mary put the seal watch around her neck and put Chrono's hand on it. Some kind of energy from the watch transferred into Chrono through his hand. The contract has been established and Chrono's wounds started healing. A few minutes later, he felt completely recovered and assumed his human form. "You didn't have to do that Mary, I am forever in your debt!" Chrono said gratefully. "I am glad I did it, now you can fulfill your own destiny!" Mary said happy to see him recovered.

They decided to hide from the Sinners for a while until Chrono had found a way to defeat Aion. They went to the town they saw from the cliff and stayed for a few days and from there, they moved across the country until they finally settled in rural Upstate New York at the Adirondacks Mountains. Throughout their travel, Chrono constantly thought about a way of how to protect Mary and defeat Aion. Mary however was becoming weaker and weaker by the day due to their contract and the fact that Pandemonium's memories resided inside her head. Mary enjoyed Chrono's company and couldn't imagine her life without him anymore. During the next few months, they became so close to the point of being inseparable. They shared every moment of their lives together, it was clear to them that they had fallen in love with each other. Mary enjoyed visiting the small local church where she heard about a legend of a secret underground tomb that was hidden somewhere in the woods. One evening, Mary was out on the front porch gazing at the sunset. Chrono came out to join her. "So, what are you looking at?" Chrono asked. "I was just enjoying the beautiful sunset!" She answered. "I was thinking of something. Is your future now changed because of me?" Chrono asked. "Since you didn't kill me as it was supposed to happen, my visions about my future are somewhat unclear. For the first time since I became the Holy Maiden, I cannot clearly see my future anymore. For the past three months, everything changed. Instead of me dying, I'm sharing my life with you!" Mary explained. "Yes, but I'm also living because of you. If we wouldn't have formed a contract, I would have already been dead." Chrono said. "I am not sorry about what I did. The past three months were the best moments of my life!" Mary said happily. "Mine too!" Chrono said and gently hugged her. They remained sitting on the porch like this and continued gazing at the stunning sunset. While they continued gazing Mary began to cough. "What's wrong Mary?" Chrono asked. "It's nothing. It's just another one of my coughs, that's all." Mary said trying to reassure him. "Your condition has become worse day by day. I don't want you to continue going through this." Chrono said worriedly as he knew that both the contract and Pandemonium's memories within her had weakened her to the point that she wouldn't last much longer. A little while later, just when they decided to go back inside, Aion suddenly appeared. They were both shocked to see him. "Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise!" Aion said sarcastically. Chrono stood in front of Mary and looked at Aion furiously. "How did you find us?" Chrono asked angrily. "You almost tricked me into believing you two were dead. However, Shader noticed that the seal watch was missing, so I went back to the cliff to see if you took it. To my surprise, you both weren't there. Since that day, I have been searching for you, and finally, I've found you!" Aion explained in an extremely calm, creepy voice. "I won't let you lay a finger on her!" Chrono yelled. Aion abruptly teleported and grabbed Mary who was standing behind Chrono. "How do you propose to stop me now? You can't even help yourself!" Aion mocked him. "Now Chrono, I will take away everything you ever loved and I shall make you suffer dearly for disobeying me!" Aion said while he turned his hand into a sword blade and stabbed Mary who then started coughing out blood. Her body fell to the ground while Chrono watched as if he was paralyzed. Furious, he charged towards Aion but he started laughing and simply teleported, leaving Chrono heartbroken. Chrono rushed to Mary, kneeled beside her bloody body and took her hand. "Oh no, this can't be! Don't worry Mary, Aion will pay dearly for what he has done!" Chrono said sadly and determined at the same time. "Don't be sad Chrono, I knew this would happen, I just did not know when. I am glad it didn't happen by your hand!" Mary said weakly with a sense of relief. "No, you can't die! Please, don't leave me!" Chrono was heartbroken. "It's not up to us to decide Chrono! My time has come, and one day you will join me in heaven!" Mary said. "I am a demon, I cannot go to heaven!" Chrono said. "You were not who you once were, and God will judge you by your actions, not by who you are!" Mary said with an even weaker voice. "One last thing I would like to tell you Chrono is that I have fallen in love with you! I thank you for making my last few months with you, beautiful!" Mary said and closed her eyes. "Mary! Mary! Mary!" Chrono yelled out her name and started shaking her lifeless body. Mary however did not respond, so he took her body into his arms and cried heavily, overcome by grief. Just then, a huge amount of powerful Astral energy had risen out of Mary's body and began to flow rapidly high up into the sky. Meanwhile, while Ewan and Edward were traveling along the edge of the town, they both stopped their horses and witnessed the strange Astral energy flowing. "Do you see that Edward?" Ewan asked. "Yes, it's the Astral Lines!" Edward answered. "The Astral Lines? Coming from a small town?" Ewan asked himself. He then commanded his horse to run towards the area where the Astral energy was coming from. "Ewan, what are you doing?" Edward asked. "I am going to see where that Astral Energy is coming from. It could be coming from Mary Magdalene!" Ewan answered while Edward stayed behind with his horse and the carriage. Once Ewan reached the area where Chrono and Magdalene were at, he climbed off of his horse and ran towards them, while the Astral Energy had disappeared. The young minister became shocked to see what happened to Magdalene as he saw Chrono holding her in his arms. Chrono was now transformed into a child form due to the Astral Energy that poured out of Magdalene's body. The young minister walked slowly towards them as he could not believe with what he was seeing while Chrono continued crying. "Tell me demon, what happened to her?" The young minister asked the now transformed Chrono in a stern tone. "Mary Magdalene is dead!" Chrono answered extremely saddened. "Dead? This can't be?!" Ewan said in disbelief and knelt in front of her dead body. He touched Mary's hand and it was then that he came to realize that she indeed was dead. "No, it can't be! It just can't!" Ewan said emotionally while tears began dropping from his eyes. The minister slowly stood up from the ground and continued standing still like a soldier. "This is all your fault isn't it? You're the reason why Magdalene is now dead isn't it?" Ewan asked bitterly while Chrono looked at him. In a fit of anger, Ewan yelled in despair as he grabbed Chrono's body and pinned him to a tree nearby the forest. "You bastard! Because of you Mary Magdalene is dead!" Ewan angrily yelled at him. "That's not true. I wasn't the one who killed her!" Chrono answered with a weak voice. The minister let go of the demon and looked at him with a surprised look. "So if you weren't the one who killed Magdalene, who did?" Ewan curiously asked but Chrono remained silent. The young minister walked towards Magdalene's dead body and picked her up. Once he did that, he then started to make his way towards the woods. "Wait, where are you going?" Chrono asked as he tried to catch up to him. "I'm taking this young lady to the underground tomb so I can give her a proper burial in the coffin there." The young minister explained. "I was the one who was with the Holy Woman for all this time. So if anyone should give her a burial, it should be me!" Chrono pleaded while the young minister looked at him with an astounded look on his face. "I don't care if you were the one who was looking after her all this time. The fact is that Magdalene is now dead and it was your fault that you didn't prevent this from happening." Ewan said to Chrono cold heartedly. "With that being said, I shall be taking you to the tomb with me!" Ewan decided. "What for?" Chrono asked. "To lock you inside there as punishment for capturing the Holy Woman and for not preventing her death." Ewan explained to Chrono. "I am willing to accept that punishment for myself. Since I was unable to protect her, then surely I should atone for my sins. Even if that means to be locked up in an underground tomb, in a forest for all eternity!" Chrono accepted in guilt. "Follow me, I'll lead you there!" Ewan sternly said and started to walk his way through the woods with Chrono following him. The young Ewan placed Magdalene's body in the coffin that was present in the tomb and at the same time, he locked Chrono in there by closing a huge metal door behind him. Since that day, Chrono was guarding the tomb for the next fifty years.

Chapter 23

After seeing Chrono's back story from over fifty years ago, Rosette's soul was finally taken to what appeared to be the underground sewer where a tomb was located. Rosette saw the chamber door opening itself abruptly and she walked towards it. Once she reached the door she slowly entered the tomb and continued walking down the stairs which lead her towards Magdalene's coffin. There she found Chrono sitting beside it and was looking at her with a sad look on his face. "I've finally found you. I finally get to see you, Chrono!" Rosette said to him in a happy tone as her soul started to get closer to him. "Come on, let's go back!" Rosette pleaded, but Chrono continued looking at her with uncertainty and then looked away from her. "I can't! I can't go back!" Chrono loudly said to Rosette in a sad tone of voice. Meanwhile, back in the basement room, the three men were continuously watching Rosette to see if she would wake up by the time her limit in Chrono's soul was up. "She still hasn't woken up. It's past the time limit. If we continue to go on longer than this, she may not last much longer." Reverend Gilliam remarked concerned as he realized that Rosette should have woken up from the soul diving by now. "Not yet, she hasn't given up just yet." Father Remington said and it was decided that Rosette will continue on with the soul diving for a little longer. Back in Chrono's soul, Rosette saw Chrono walking towards the coffin and began to look at it with a tremendously sad expression on his face. "I can't go back Rosette!" Chrono said sadly as he opened Magdalene's coffin. "If I return, the same thing that happened to Magdalene will happen to you." Chrono explained to her emotionally. Rosette saw Magdalene's body inside the coffin which was surrounded with different kinds of flowers. "In the end the place was not a place of happy memories at all. It was a painful and unforgettable farewell." Rosette thought to herself as she could see clearly that Mary Magdalene's death was still haunting him to this very day. "That's why I can't go back. If I return, I'll drain your soul. That means I will end up killing you as well!" Chrono cried out emotionally while looking at Rosette with a teary expression. "Because of that you're going to stay here forever? This cold, dark depth of your consciousness?" Rosette asked him in surprise. "If that's the case, then why did you make a contract with me?" Rosette asked confused while Chrono just stood there deep in thought without saying a single word. "Even now I think if there had been another way, if nobody had been hurt, there would have been a different ending." Chrono said to her in a regretful tone and Rosette continued looking at him with great pity. "It's past the time limit! Why isn't she waking up?" Gilliam frustratingly asked the Elder. "It's time! Any more than this will surely put her in danger." The Elder said cautiously and started to turn off the soul diving machine. "Don't disconnect it needlessly!" Father Remington advised them while he was holding his cross shaped holster in his hand, his back turned towards them. "Then what should we do Remington?" Reverend Gilliam asked the minister as he raised his voice. Father Remington walked towards the restrained, unconscious Chrono and aimed his holster towards his neck. "Is it really going to end like this Chrono? All of your atonement, not even carrying out your responsibility, just like this?" Father Remington asked him curiously in a serious tone. Just then, the minister heard Rosette standing up from the chair and turned around. He saw Rosette walking towards Chrono's body in such a slow pace that it looked like she was hypnotized. When she finally reached the cross Chrono was restrained on, she stretched her arms towards Chrono's face and touched his cheeks. Back in Chrono's soul, when she touched his cheeks, Chrono was feeling uncomfortable as she took him by surprise. Rosette looked at Chrono's face with tears in her eyes while holding his cheeks and said "Chrono is kind, much too kind! It's sad. Even I have regrets. At the time I grabbed your arm, I was unable to see my surroundings. It was my fault! No, it was our fault!" Rosette said to him in an emotionally teary tone with tears in her eyes. She remembered the time when they confronted Aion at the Carnival and when she grabbed Chrono's arm as well as when he forcefully transformed into his demon form in a fit of anger. "I'm happy that you came with me. But if you say this was all a mistake then I understand. If you don't want to fight, then you don't have to. But if you're staying here for my sake, I can't agree to it! I don't want you staying here alone." Rosette said to Chrono in an emotional tone as she remembered all of the good times they had with each other. Chrono was deeply moved by her words as he looked at her with a surprised expression on his face. "Please Chrono, don't deny the good times we had as well!" Rosette begged him as tears began flowing intensely on her face while Chrono was still looking at her. Just then, the soul diving machine exploded which caused Rosette's soul to tear apart into nothingness. "Rosette!" Chrono shouted out as he became terrified with what he was seeing and abruptly stretched out his hand to Rosette's decaying soul. This abrupt action of his caused him to release himself from the cross on which he was restrained and this meant that he had finally woken up! The belts that were strapped onto him broke apart and Rosette along with Chrono landed onto the ground. This also meant that Rosette's soul was also saved. The three men looked at the two with astounded amazement as they were relieved to see that both Chrono and Rosette were alright. "You're too reckless. Aren't you supposed to leave people alone?" Chrono tiredly asked while looking at Rosette with tears in his eyes. He then began to cough heavily which Rosette had noticed. Her body also began to hurt a little from the excessive soul diving. "Rosette, are you alright?" Chrono asked alarmed. "I'm fine Chrono! Don't worry about it!" Rosette said reassuringly while still having tears in her eyes. "The pain, the sadness, let's bear it both together! Magdalene's too!" Chrono emotionally said while thinking of Mary Magdalene. "Yes, that's right. At that time, if we hadn't made the contract, you would have gone by yourself anyway. I thought I had to watch your back." Chrono thought to himself as he remembered the time when he formed a contract with Rosette and the fact that Rosette would have carelessly run off if they did not form a contract together. Chrono then hugged Rosette tightly and dearly with Rosette doing the same thing. The three men looked at them while having a relieved expression on their faces as they were glad that both Rosette and Chrono were alright.

At Eden deeply traumatized, Maria refused to come out of the bedroom Aion had put her in a few days ago. During that time, she was sitting on her bed and plotting how to get revenge on Aion. "I guess there's no way out of this. In order to put an end to Aion, I have to pretend to be his willing servant. Then when the timing is right, I can finally kill that bastard for raping me, taking me away from my family, and for making a fool out of me!" Maria said to herself as she realized that there were no other options in having Aion defeated. She then took off the white bandages from her wrists and feet and looked at her Stigmata. "I am sorry God, but this is the only way. Please forgive me o Lord!" Maria said apologetically to God as she was looking at the mirror. Just then, Aion opened the door and walked in which caught Maria by surprise. "Hello Maria, it's been a while! I hope you've made your decision by now!" Aion greeted as he was walking towards her while carrying the black dress he previously presented to her. Maria looked at him with a shocked expression in which Aion quickly caught on as he seated himself beside her. "So Maria, do you accept the offer I gave you a few days ago or not?" Aion asked her as he knew that she was still mentally vulnerable at that moment. Maria then got herself up from the bed and looked at Aion firmly, much to his surprise. "Aion, I accept your offer in being your willful servant once again!" Maria announced to him in a dead serious tone. "I see, so you have made the right choice after all, haven't you?" Aion said with a huge grin on his face as he got himself up from the bed and looked at her with satisfaction. "Yes Aion." Maria assured him. "Things are now going according to plan! With Maria now as my personal ally once again, I can continue forward with our plan for the Grand Apocalypse!" Aion thought to himself optimistically as he was sure that everything was going to go swimmingly. "Here's the dress Fiore had made for you and a necklace that goes with it!" Aion said as he gave her the extremely revealing black dress and the cross necklace that came with it. Maria took both the dress and the necklace and began to take off her clothes. Once she was done putting on the clothing Aion gave her and the cross necklace around her neck, she then turned around facing him. "My, you look so beautiful in that dress Maria! Even more beautiful than Mary Magdalene herself!" Aion said passionately as he was complimenting her beauty. "Before we start with our next plan, I would like to go down to the city where I can see that the people are being taken care of. After all, since I am the Holy Woman, it is my moral obligation to see whatever it is I can do to help them!" Maria requested. "But of course! Whatever you desire my dear!" Aion accepted and offered his hand to her. Maria hesitantly took his hand and they both then walked out of the bedroom. A little while later, Sister Kate and the Elder were communicating with each other on the headphones. They were discussing the activation of the Astral Line which caused many demons to reveal themselves in public. "In the darkness of the night, you aren't aware of anyone. The world is repainted in black. When you look at this view, you can think like that." Sister Kate remarked to the Elder. "My, that's very poetic Sister Kate." The Elder commented with a huge grin on his face. "Goodness Elder, that gives the impression you're nice! Don't mock me!" Sister Kate said embarrassedly while Sister Claire and Sister Mary chuckled at Sister Kate's reaction. "It's something like that, because demons have started moving everywhere." The Elder stated. "Yes, since the Astral Line has appeared, the demons have begun to reveal themselves. It looks like the Militia everywhere are dealing with them." Sister Kate remarked as another demon attack took place in Seattle not long ago, during the night. The demon flew quickly down from the sky and crashed at the ground towards the civilians which caused them to scream out of fright as the demon was aiming towards them. All of a sudden, one Militia agent abruptly appeared and climbed onto the demon, pulled out his gun and shot the demon multiple times. After the agent succeeded in killing off the demon, he went towards the car and picked up the phone from the car seat beside him. "This is Militia Storm Valerie, the mission is completed. What's next?" The agent asked as he informed one of the nuns on his mission completion. "Please wait. We're requesting reinforcements." The nun told him and then switched to another agent on the line. "This is Louis Rainback and Phaser. We have just finished our third extermination!" The agent said to the nun on the line. However, the telephone communication line began to become fuzzy and eventually disconnected which prevented the agent from explaining further. "We can't get in touch with the second unit. Is anybody nearby?" The nun asked as she was struggling to connect the telephone lines. "Crap! This is the fifth one tonight!" The blonde nun said in frustration. "Eyewitness reports on route eighty say the victims are a mother and a child." Another nun revealed as she and other nuns beside her were reporting the recent demon attack. "Demons hate to reveal themselves in public. What does this mean? In all, something is coming." The Pursuer asked himself in confusion as he was standing on top of a building while witnessing the various demon attacks from above. "There's no mistaking their goal. They are the Sinners. I know their location!" The Elder revealed to Sister Kate. "Really?" Sister Kate asked curiously. "Up until now, we only knew a few uncertain things surrounding the events of fifty four years ago from what Chrono remembered. However, this time the Astral Line has appeared and become active. So if we can calculate where the demons will go, within a fifty mile radius of Seattle in the sky." The Elder explained. "I see. If that's true, then we should set up a mission at once." Sister Kate said with great satisfaction as she knew that the Magdalene Order will eventually succeed one way or another. "Anyways, how is that child?" Sister Kate asked. "You mean Rosette? She's doing fine! She's helping the Militia out with serving the civilians some food and by the looks of it she sure seems to be doing a great job!" The Elder told Sister Kate. The people that Rosette was serving next were three children, two boys and one girl. "I don't need carrots." The blond haired boy said but Rosette just simply dumped the carrot soup into his bowl, much to the boys' shocked disappointment. "Don't give me that crap! Listen, if you don't stand in line, I'm not giving you any food, got that?" Rosette said in a strict, angry tone since she wasn't willing to put up with the children's food pickiness. "You're such a stingy old lady, Rosette!" The black haired boy angrily called out to her while the brown haired girl was having a sad look on her face. "What did you just say you stupid kid?!" Rosette snapped while the three kids ran away from her as fast as they could. "Yikes, Sister Rosette is angry!" One of the boys frightfully commented. "Well, I can see that you sure have a way dealing with kids Rosette!" Chrono commented as he was walking towards her while she was still fed up with their picky behavior. "Oh, Hi Chrono, what brings you here?" Rosette asked since she wasn't expecting him to be there. "I just wanted to see how you were going along with your duties and by the looks of it you sure are as short tempered as ever!" Chrono sneakily remarked while Rosette began chuckling to herself out of embarrassment. "Oh, here you go Chrono! I almost forgot!" Rosette cheerfully said and poured one serving of carrot soup into a bowl and handed it to Chrono. "What's this?" Chrono dubiously asked. "It's carrot soup. Oh, that's right! You hate carrots!" Rosette commented as she could tell that Chrono was not pleased with the food he was given. "No, I'll give it a try!" Chrono hesitatingly said as he then picked up his spoon and placed it into his mouth. Rosette was looking at him with deep satisfaction, hoping that he would eventually like it. "So, do you like it?" Rosette gleefully asked. "It looks gross, but it tastes okay I guess!" Chrono nervously said as he feared Rosette's reaction. "What did you just say Chrono?" Rosette asked in a haunting tone as she came closer towards him while giving him an intimidating look. "Nothing Rosette! The soup is good, very good!" Chrono said intimidated as he was spooked by Rosette's reaction.

"Hey look, there is a young woman who can perform miracles right up ahead, let's check it out!" One guy said to a group of friends while they were running. The guy's words caught Rosette and Chrono's attention. "A young woman who can perform miracles? Who could that be I wonder?" Rosette asked out of curiosity. "I don't know, but I guess it doesn't hurt to find out!" Chrono advised and they both made their way out of the food tent and followed the guys. By the time they got to the center of the base, they saw an enormously large crowd of people, much to their surprise as they weren't even expecting a crowd to be present. "Boy, this crowd sure is big, isn't it Chrono?" Rosette asked Chrono in disbelief. "Yeah, If only we could see who that woman is." Chrono commented as he was astounded that the crowd was big to the point that they couldn't see who the young woman was. "Well then, I guess this leads us no other choice." Rosette announced as she grabbed Chrono's hand and began to drag him towards the crowd. "Hey, what do you think you are doing Rosette?" Chrono asked as he protested to Rosette's sudden action. "Just follow me Chrono!" Rosette said and started to push her way through the crowd by cutting in, much to the people's annoyance. "Rosette, did you really have to make us push our way through all these people?" Chrono asked once they had finally reached the front of the crowd. "Well, what else was I supposed to do?!" Rosette asked annoyed. "I am just saying that we could have just simply found another way around this crowd, that's all!" Chrono answered while Rosette looked closer at the woman to see who she was. Much to her shock and horror, the young woman was none other than Maria who was accompanied by Aion. "No, this can't be true! It just can't!" Rosette exclaimed out of disbelief. "What's wrong Rosette? Did something happen?" Chrono asked and looked to the direction that Rosette was looking. "I can't believe it! Maria is with Aion amongst a huge group of people?" Chrono asked himself as he too could not believe with what he was seeing. A small girl then ran towards Maria. "Hello there little girl, is there something I can do for you?" Maria asked the girl in a soft, gentle voice. "My hand is scrapped!" The girl told her in a mildly sad tone as she showed Maria her hand. "Don't worry, you'll be alright!" Maria assured the girl and a glowing power then shined through Maria's hand as it healed the girl's scrapped hand. "So, how is your hand doing? Does it feel better?" Maria asked the girl who was looking at her hand with amazement that the wound was now gone. "Yes it is. Thank you so much!" The little girl said gratefully and hugged her tightly. After the girl was done hugging Maria, she then stood up from the ground. The crowd began to become amazed with Maria's ability as they never saw a woman who actually possessed healing powers. Several other people had then made their way towards Maria so they could have their injuries healed by her. "Oh my God, I can't believe this is actually happening. Maria is actually working with Aion again?! This just doesn't make any sense. Why would she choose to work for that demon again? Why?" Rosette confusedly asked herself as she never would imagine seeing Maria willingly be with Aion. "My, this sure is quite a gathering. I wonder what all the commotion is about?" Father Remington asked himself as he just got his way out of the crowd. "Minister, you have got to see this. This young woman here is actually Maria!" Chrono told the minister as soon as he saw him. Father Remington then turned his head towards the front and when he finally saw that the young lady was Maria, he all of a sudden froze in shock. "Maria, is this true? Have you actually decided to work alongside Aion again?" The minister asked himself as he couldn't accept the reality that he was seeing while Maria was busy healing another one of the individuals. "There you go, the bleeding has stopped now!" Maria said to a man whom she just healed its head. "Thank you Miss! Thank you so much!" The young man gratefully thanked her and left. "You sure are becoming quite the savior Maria! With your healing powers, you could basically heal the masses all at once!" Aion said to her with an impressed tone and walked away from the crowd. "Maria!" Father Remington called out to her. Maria then turned her head around and saw the minister walking his way towards her. Once Father Remington had reached her, Maria looked at him with a monotonous expression. "Hello Father Remington!" Maria greeted him as if he was a total stranger to her. "Maria, please tell me this is not true?! That you are actually on Aion's side?" Father Remington asked in a broken tone. "Yes Minister, it is true! I am doing this to help humanity!" Maria said but the minister wasn't convinced by what she said. "That's a lie!" Father Remington said in a strong voice while Maria began to mildly laugh. "Oh Ewan, you really don't understand, do you? Just look around you. People all around here had come for a miracle to happen. A miracle that would surely help end their suffering! I alone am the only one who the people can turn to!" Maria explained as she placed her hand on the minister's face. "But why would you do this through working with Aion?" Father Remington asked confused. "Things are not as they appear to be! I thought you of all people would know that." Maria said mysteriously. "Now please, if you will excuse me, I have another miracle that I would like to perform!" Maria pleaded as she then raised both of her arms high up. Just then, a glowing power began to emit through her body, which then spread through amongst the masses. "Wow, look at that! Could this woman actually be our savior?" One man asked astounded. "Well, if this power is really healing us? Then she must be the one!" The guy beside him remarked. "This is incredible! It's as if a new messiah has come!" One woman commented with amazement. "Shall we get going Maria?" Aion asked once the glowing power within Maria's body faded away. "Yes Aion, let's!" Maria said and they both walked their way out of the crowd with Maria holding Aion's hand. "Make way for the Holy Woman everybody!" One young man directed as they were both leaving the base. The crowd became mesmerized with her healing powers to the point that they started viewing her as both a savior and a messiah. "This is unbelievable. Those people are acting as if Maria is their savior." Chrono stated to Rosette as he was observing on how the masses have been elevating Maria to a virtual Messiah status. "Maria, wait!" Rosette shouted as she tried to run after her. "Rosette!" Father Remington said as he grabbed her. "Father Remington, let go of me! There's something I have to tell her!" Rosette protested. "There's nothing we can do now, I'm afraid." The minister said in a defeated tone. "What do you mean Minister?" Rosette asked confused. "This is Maria's decision. I guess we have no other choice but to accept it!" The minister said as if he had lost hope. The three of them looked on as Aion and Maria were leaving the base amongst the crowd.

Chapter 24

The next day as it was raining heavily, Father Remington received a call from Minister Deckard in New York City. The new headmaster told him about the Magdalene Orders' decision to have Chrono executed as they have now viewed him as a potential threat due to the recent San Francisco attack. The headmaster also told him that it was he who shall carry out the execution. "So, is that an order?" Father Remington asked. "It's the council of Bishops official decision. Of course, the vote for the senior stationed with you was omitted. But above all, efficiency is the highest priority. I'll entrust you to deal with this." The new headmaster said as he commanded the minister to carry out his assigned duty. "Roger!" The minister accepted and put down the phone. He then wiped the fog of the window and looked outside with a deadly serious look on his face. In the meantime, Rosette was in Chrono's hospital room where he was staying in for the time being. The two looked through the window with a disappointed expression as the weather wasn't really helping their mood. "My, this weather sure is depressing, isn't it Chrono?" Rosette sighed. "Yeah, it's almost as if the heavens are crying with how much rain is falling." Chrono remarked. "If only we could get a move on from here. I am really getting worried about Maria." Rosette said in a worried tone. "We can't be too impatient Rosette. You know we can't make our next move until the Order has decided on it." Chrono reminded her. "I know, but Maria is now with Aion again and we all know how vital she is to the Sinners goals. If we don't make our next move soon, then not only would we not be able to see Maria and Azmaria again but humanity itself will be doomed." Rosette said in an urgent tone and stood up from the chair she was sitting on. "After all, I've lost too many people in my life, my parents, my brother Joshua, and now Azmaria and Maria. If I don't keep on pushing myself forward, then I will never be able to accomplish my goals." Rosette said in a deeply emotional tone. She turned around and walked towards the window. "Rosette." Chrono said sympathetically. "I can't give up just yet. I just can't. That's why I'll keep pushing myself till the very end, so there won't be any regrets! But I can't do this alone. I need you with me Chrono, to help make my goals a reality!" Rosette said to him in a soft, gentle voice. Chrono got up from the bed and looked at her. Just then, the rain stopped and the sun came out in full brightness which caused Rosette and Chrono to look towards the window. "It looks like it stopped raining!" Chrono observed. "Yeah, perhaps there is some hope out of this situation after all, isn't there?" Rosette asked in a hopeful tone. "Well, I can see that the two of you are alright!" Father Remington commented as he entered the room. "Hello Father Remington, what a pleasant surprise!" Rosette shyly greeted him. "So, is there something you want to tell us Minister?" Chrono curiously asked. "Yes there is. Since the rain has now stopped, it is time for me to bring you two to the Sinners former hideout place again!" The minister announced. "What? Why do you need to take us there again? Especially considering that the Sinners no longer reside there?" Rosette asked as she made her point. "I'll explain everything to you once we get there, for now, follow me to my car." The minister commanded. They both followed Father Remington to his car even though Rosette was still confused on what the minister's intentions were. "So Father Remington, is this excursion a sign that we are making our next move by any chance?" Rosette asked curiously while the minister was driving his car somewhat fast. "That's partially the case. The other thing is that I have been given permission by the Order to take you two there again." Father Remington explained while he continued driving. "For what reason exactly?" Chrono asked. "Like I said, I'll tell you two once we've reached the house." Father Remington said as he dodged the question. Several minutes later, they had finally reached the Sinners former hideout once again. Father Remington made a short cut which allowed him to drive towards the beach area. Once Father Remington had stopped his car on the edge of the beach, Rosette and Chrono promptly got out of the car and looked towards the house. "Well, here we are again Chrono. The house we have found not so long ago." Rosette commented astoundingly. "Yeah, I can't believe that we are actually here again, especially considering that no one is currently living there." Chrono pointed out. "Now that we are here, can you tell us the reason Minister?!" Rosette asked. "The reason why I brought you two here is because I have been told by Maria after the investigation that there was an underground chamber in that house that leads the Sinners to a floating fortress called Eden. As you should know, that is where they are located at." Father Remington explained to Rosette as he was standing behind her. "However, I cannot take you there." The minister revealed as Rosette turned around and looked at him. "What do you mean you can't take us there?" Rosette asked confused and the minister all of a sudden flicked Rosette's nose which caused her to fall onto the sandy ground. "I am sorry Rosette." Father Remington said monotonously. "Rosette!" Chrono shouted out as he was shocked by what he was seeing. Father Remington swiftly pulled out his laser sword and looked at Chrono with a dead serious, intimidating look. "Fight me! As the one responsible for Magdalene's death!" The minister challenged Chrono in a serious tone. "What do you think you are doing?" Chrono asked demandingly as he didn't know why the minister was acting so hostile all of a sudden. "Chrono, the Council of Bishops has officially ordered for your execution. Also, the Magdalene Order is to consider Chrono the Sinner and all other demons as enemies and therefore must be executed." Father Remington explained to Chrono. "The executioner is me!" The minister revealed to Chrono while looking at him seriously. Chrono gulped as he became somewhat worried about the situation at hand. Rosette overheard the conversation and became terrified as she couldn't believe that the minister was ordered to kill Chrono. "So let's settle this dispute, from fifty four years ago!" Father Remington said while he then threw a sword to Chrono and pointed out his laser sword towards him.

The two started combating each other with the minister striking first towards Chrono. However, Chrono managed to shield himself from the minister's sword by moving his sword against the laser one and striking Father Remington's sword away from himself. The minister would charge at him again while Chrono kept defending himself. "This can't be happening. To see those two fighting." Rosette said to herself in shock as she could not imagine that they were fighting each other. She slowly got herself up from the sandy ground since her legs hurt a little from the abrupt fall. Once she got up, Rosette ran between the two as fast as she could in order to stop the fighting. "Please, stop!" Rosette yelled out. Chrono and Father Remington stopped fighting and casted their swords aside so as not to accidentally smite Rosette. The minister was deeply surprised that Rosette would dare to intervene in their fight. "Rosette?" Chrono said her name out of surprise as he too didn't expect her to intervene. "What happened to your reason for not killing Chrono? There is no meaning in this!" Rosette shouted out emotionally as she was guarding Chrono who had a small bloody cut on his face that was caused by their combat. "To erase the things that are dangerous. That is the true motive of the higher ranks." The minister explained and walked towards Rosette. "In that, there is meaning. From that, you can shape meaning." Father Remington told her seriously and he then abruptly slapped her in the face violently which then caused Rosette to fall onto the ground once again. "Behave, that is an order. Remember who brought you this far. If I told you to stop searching for your brother, would you simply give up?" Father Remington angrily demanded while looking at her crossly as she was rubbing her slapped cheek. "When there is faith in an action, it cannot be easily stopped." The minister pointed out and resumed his fight with Chrono while he ran towards the demon with his sword. "Father Remington!" Rosette shouted out, but the minister did not pay attention to her. Chrono then swiftly charged his sword towards Father Remington. "You dare strike Rosette like that, even though she trusted you?" Chrono said to the minister angrily. "Why don't you worry about yourself? Aion's swordsmanship is better after all, isn't it?" Father Remington asked Chrono in an aggravated tone. He then pushed Chrono away with his sword which then caused him to fall into the water. A huge splash was made as the minister walked towards Chrono. "Demons have great confidence in their own power. They can heal their wounds in an instant. With one sweep of their arm they can turn a human into a pool of blood." Father Remington explained to Chrono while he was still sitting in the water. "But those rough movements. Demons are all instinct, like a charging bull in a bull fight. But if you fight with a tranquil heart, there is no opponent you cannot defeat." Father Remington continued explaining to him. Chrono started to get himself up from the water and looked at the minister with a mildly angry look as he was panting. "What if I released the seal on that pocket watch? Perhaps that would even out our fight. Someone would probably die, but at least there will be some results." The minister mockingly asked as he looked at Chrono with a sly and somewhat deranged expression on his face. Chrono started to become somewhat scared as he had a feeling that the minister had lost his mind. "Don't mock me!" Chrono said in a cross voice and began to charge towards the minister with his sword. However, the minister managed to block his attack with his laser sword every time Chrono charged at him. Just then, Father Remington all of a sudden positioned his sword from behind his back and attacked Chrono at once. Chrono however was able to dodge his attack by jumping away from the minister's laser sword. Once Chrono had successfully landed on the ground, the two then continued on with their combat while Rosette was watching the two fighting each other intensely. Rosette had a somewhat sad and shocked look on her face as she could not believe that she would see the two of them fighting as if they were bitter enemies. As much as Rosette tried to make sense out of this whole situation, she just simply couldn't. She always looked up to the minister as a kind mentor and a father like figure to her. Rosette began to think back at the times when she remembered the minister as she truly thought of him to be. "Nice to meet you! You must be Joshua's older sister?" The minister said to her at the time when he first met Rosette while he was having a conversation with Ms. Jean. "Will you come with me? I'll teach you how to fight!" Father Remington promised her on the night when he came to the orphanage after Rosette formed a contract with Chrono. "Minister Remington, you've always supported us. For you to become an enemy is just unimaginable!" Rosette thought to herself while she was thinking of all the times when the minister was dotting her by patting her on the head or by training her to become an exorcist. "What should I do?" Rosette asked herself as she began to feel lost with the situation at hand. Just then, Rosette looked at her pocket watch and started thinking about her brother Joshua, Azmaria, Satella and Maria. "You are saying 'let's stop giving up,' aren't you?" Those are the words that Rosette imagined Azmaria asking her. "An action compelled by faith cannot easily be stopped." Rosette remembered Minister Remington saying those words to her. By remembering those words, Rosette then stood herself up from the ground and looked at the combat with slight irritation. "That's right, I am, no, we are not giving up!" Rosette said with determination and she walked to the car, grabbed the minister's gun and ran back. Rosette positioned the gun carefully with the intention of missing her aim. In the meantime, the two got out of the water and continued their fight on the shore. "It's useless, you can't win. Don't you understand that you will die every time?" Father Remington asked while Chrono looked at him with an angry look as he was kneeling down on the ground on one foot and panting. The minister then lifted his laser sword high up and charged it towards Chrono. However, just as he was about to strike him, Father Remington quickly noticed a Gospel bullet aiming towards them which allowed him to get away from the shot without being hit. Such a bullet took both the minister and Chrono by surprise since none of them were expecting someone to pull the trigger while they were fighting. Father Remington turned his head around and saw that it was Rosette who fired a bullet towards them. "Who are you aiming at?" The minister asked in a harsh tone while looking at Rosette with a seriously intimidating look on his face. Rosette was still holding the gun and aiming it forward while looking at the minister with a defiant, determined expression. "I missed on purpose. The next time, I will hit." Rosette slowly said while both Father Remington and Chrono looked at her with a surprised expression on their faces as they didn't expect her to intervene in their fight by pulling the trigger. "I'm serious. You told me this when I was your apprentice. 'If you just pull the trigger whenever there is trouble, you can't solve anything. However, there are also times where if you don't fight, you cannot take another step forward. When that time comes, we won't lose our way.' For example, even if it is you." Rosette told the minister as she reminded him on what he told her while she was his apprentice. Before she could continue explaining, Chrono interrupted Rosette by saying "Rosette, put the gun down!" Rosette lowered the gun and looked at Chrono with deep surprise as she was amazed that he was so extremely calm in such a situation. "It looks like I've lost sight of it all, again." Chrono thought to himself while thinking of the time when he went berserk to the point that he forcefully unleashed Rosette's seal watch and transformed into his demon form at the carnival. Chrono then positioned his sword as he was preparing himself to continue battling with Father Remington. "It's alright already, so let's go!" Chrono said as he was challenging the minister to continue their duel. Father Remington looked at Chrono and just as he began to grin, he then thought to himself "That's right. That verdict, you must overcome it." Father Remington then positioned his sword towards his shoulder and began to run towards Chrono. Chrono also began to run towards the minister as it was a sign that their fight had continued. Once the minster had ran beside Chrono, he then aimed his sword towards his braided hair before the demon could have a chance to strike him. Just then, Chrono's braid fell off, much to his surprise. He didn't anticipate that the minister would actually aim for his braid instead of just outright smiting him with his laser sword. Father Remington's body all of a sudden became intensely sore from the fighting and he kneeled down onto the ground and grunted heavily as the pain was overwhelming him. "Father Remington!" Rosette shouted out towards the minister as she noticed that he was dealing with intense pain.

Once the minister's pain had passed, he lifted himself up from the ground and began to think heavily to himself while Chrono looked at him from behind with a relieved look. "That was wonderful, because I've received an important clue in controlling your own violent emotions. That is the very thing I must overcome." Father Remington said to himself while Chrono walked towards Rosette as she looked at his injuries. Father Remington turned around and walked towards Chrono's cut off braid and picked it up. "I delivered the verdict. 'Mission completed! Chrono the Sinner fought Minister Ewan Remington and thereafter died.' There is nothing that binds you anymore. You are free!" Father Remington announced as he was holding the cut off braid. Rosette stood behind him as she listened to what he just said which took her by surprise. "Go! Somebody with no ties to anything should go settle things." The minister told Rosette and Chrono as they looked at him both surprised and confused with what he told them. "Minister, you don't mean…" Rosette said just when the minister interrupted her. "In order to carry out the verdict against us, in order for Chrono to escape the Magdalene Order's attention, he has to part ways!" The minister revealed which deeply shocked Rosette. "There is a new model weapon in the trunk. It should definitely do the job!" Father Remington informed Rosette. "Minister!" Rosette shouted out as she could not believe what she heard and tears began to flow down from her eyes. "We both have different fights waiting for us. If possible, I hope that will become your support." The minister told her while the two were still standing behind him. "Go now, don't look back. Look ahead!" Father Remington told Rosette as he noticed that the two were still behind him. Just hearing the minister saying those words made Rosette's tears intensify even more. She never would have thought that she and Chrono would have to part ways from the Order and away from Father Remington. Chrono and Rosette walked towards the car where Chrono picked up the weapon backpack and put it on his shoulders while Rosette grabbed a Militia jacket and put it on. They then walked their way from the car and towards the house as there was no turning back now from their future battle at hand. "Yes Father Remington, understood!" Rosette responded quietly in a sad tone as she was wiping her tears with her hand. Once Rosette and Chrono had left the beach area to the house, Father Remington sat down onto the ground beside his car to relax for a bit. Just then, Elder Hamilton showed up and walked towards the minister. "So, they've already left, haven't they?" The Elder asked as he didn't see the two with the minister. "Yes, that is correct." The minister confirmed. "Are you content with that?" The Elder asked. "I don't know. Perhaps Magdalene was hoping for this." Father Remington said to the Elder and looked up towards the sky. "Please protect those two, Azmaria and Maria as well, Magdalene!" Father Remington desperately pleaded to her spirit as he was looking towards the house. Meanwhile, Rosette and Chrono climbed their way up the stairs that lead them to the house from the back side. Just before they walked into the house, Rosette spotted a corked gun on the floor deck and picked it up. Rosette gently lifted the trigger pull so as to prevent the gun from firing accidentally. She then followed Chrono into the house, to the living room and saw that the house was all empty, just like it was last time. "So, not only are the Sinners no longer here, even the house is unfurnished." Rosette commented. "Yeah, there really is nothing here." Chrono stated as they saw thin wooden planks covering all of the room openings and the windows. "That's strange, there should be something left around here." Rosette said out of confusion. "If there isn't anything to be found here, then we might as well end up on the streets." Chrono stated in a humorously hopeless tone. Just then, Chrono found a jewel on the floor and picked it up. "Chrono, did you find something?" Rosette asked while she saw Chrono picking up the jewel from the ground. "Well, well, it looks like someone had beaten us to this house already I can see!" Chrono said astounded as he could tell just from the jewel that somebody had already been in the house just before them. Rosette walked towards Chrono to get a closer look at the jewel. "Oh my God, it's one of Satella's jewels!" Rosette exclaimed as there was only one person that she knew who had possessed those things. Suddenly, the jewel began to shine immensely across the room which took both of them by surprise as they didn't expect it. The jewel shined so brightly that both Rosette and Chrono felt compelled to close their eyes as for their eyes to not get damaged. A few moments after the bright shine on the jewel had completely wavered down a voice was then speaking to them from it. "You two are so slow! You just came, didn't you?" Satella asked as she was surprised that it took them so long to arrive back at the house. "Satella?!" Rosette said her name out of deep surprise. "No, this is just an image recorded in this gemstone!" Chrono informed her as they were both seeing Satella's image on the jewel. "I thought you would find it, so I left this juwel right here!" Satella revealed. "I see, she sure is unpredictable, but in a good kind of way!" Rosette said in relief. "Yeah, she has a good heart, doesn't she?" Chrono fondly remarked. "Alright, go ahead! To the transportation gate located underground! Go, the Magdalene Order's investigation is no good." Satella informed the two as they then walked their way towards the open underground room and pulled out the wooden planks strapped on the opening. Once they did that, Rosette and Chrono began to walk down the stairs that will lead them to the transportation gate. "When you reach the transportation gate, you will find that it is disguised with demon cells. This means that you cannot see it." Satella further explained to them as they were walking down the stairs towards the underground gate. By the time they reached to what appears to be the gate, Chrono touched one of the demon cells and once he did that, he stretched out his hand and touched a huge amount of disguised demon cells which then caused the gate door to be cleared. Once all the demon cells disappeared, Chrono opened the gate. "I'm waiting one step ahead of you. See you later!" Satella said as she wished them both, good luck on the mission ahead. Chrono and Rosette looked towards the transportation gate which was in the shape of a round circle. "Well, I guess once we go forward, there is no turning back! Is there Chrono?" Rosette said to Chrono with great certainty. "No, I guess not!" Chrono answered. "Alright now, let's go! To Eden!" Rosette announced with great determination as she took Chrono's hand. The two then ran towards the transportation gate and once they had reached it, both of their bodies were then teleported straight to Eden.

Arc 3

Chapter 25

At Eden, Fiore was walking down a large hallway all the way to a big brown door which was Joshua's room. Once she opened the door and entered the room, she saw him sleeping on the sofa, in peace. This surprised her as she expected Joshua to have woken up by now. "Master Joshua, the guests will arrive soon and all of the other masters have begun their preparations. Master Joshua should begin as well and quickly!" Fiore announced to Joshua urgently as he then slowly woke up. "Fiore!" Joshua yawned out her name. "Yes Lord Joshua, what is it?" Fiore asked and walked towards him. "I had a dream, a dream about my big sister. Tell me, will I see her soon?" Joshua asked in a tired tone. "I am sure that you will Lord Joshua! I am sure of it!" Fiore reassured him as she walked towards him and touched his hand while looking at him affectionately. Meanwhile, the teleportation gate had succeeded in teleporting Rosette and Chrono to what appears to be Eden's gate. It was a circular cement ground with a Star of David drawing on it and a straight cement plank protruding through it. "We're here Rosette!" Chrono said. "No way, that fast?! What kind of machine was that?" Rosette asked astounded since she could not believe that they reached Eden so quickly. She began to cough due to the dust that had accumulated during the teleportation. "Well, this is Eden!" Chrono said to Rosette after she finished coughing. They looked around the room in amazement of the fact that they really were in Eden. "I can't believe it's been fifty four years." Chrono said in disbelief. "That's right, you lived here. Considering you used to be a Sinner just like Aion, it makes perfect sense." Rosette pointed out as Chrono looked at her with a slight grin. "So, what should we do now?" Rosette asked. "First of all, we have to find Satella." Chrono stated. "Right, and once we meet up with her, then we'll find Azmaria, Joshua and the rest of the Apostles along with Maria!" Rosette agreed. "So, which way should we go?" Rosette asked Chrono. "Hahahaha, settle everything huh?" Genai sinisterly remarked as he was sitting on a narrow ground ledge beside a huge window. Just then, Rosette and Chrono heard a loud gulping sound across the large room and looked around to see who was there. Rosette started to become somewhat scared as she had a feeling that one of the Sinners might have already caught on to them. "Who is making that noise?" Rosette asked nervously as they heard someone drinking out of a bottle. The sound came from the Sinner Genai who was drinking a bottle of red wine. When he was done drinking, he pulled out a cigarette out of his coat pocket, lit it up and placed it into his mouth. Rosette and Chrono turned around and saw Genai smoking as he was looking straight at them. The Sinner took his cigarette out of his mouth and blew the smoke out of it as well. "I'm Genai! You'll regret it if you open your big mouth you bitch!" Genai vulgarly warned Rosette, much to her displeasure. Genai jumped towards the circular ground the two were standing on and turned his attention to Chrono. "Genai?!" Chrono said in disbelief. "Hey Chrono, I've been waiting for you! I'll be your guide! However, I'll have to take care of something before we begin!" Genai welcomed Chrono. "But you're no good brat! I am going to kill you right here!" Genai pointed to Rosette with his cigarette. She pulled out her new gun and pointed it towards the demon. "Did Aion invite you too? I don't care! I am going to get my revenge for the demon that you have defeated! Rizel! The same goes for the demon that Chrono killed, Viede!" Genai bitterly explained his desire for avenging both Rizel and Viede's death. Rosette immediately remembered her battle with Rizel on the train as well as her brutal death. "Hahahaha, when a person dies, they put coins in their eyes as a boat fare to the Underworld." Genai said to Rosette while taking off the mask that covered his eyelids and took a nickel out from his eyelid. This scared Rosette as she could see the opened bleeding stitches on the demon's closed in eyelids. He took two nickels out of each eyelid and showed them to the young exorcist. "Use mine!" Genai said mockingly to Rosette and threw the coins at her. She quickly started shooting at the coins but her aim was off and missed them. She lifted her hand to block the coins from hitting her. Once the coins dropped onto the ground, Rosette pointed her gun with both hands towards Genai but to her surprise, he wasn't there. "Damn it! He disappeared!" Rosette said frustratingly as she was sure that she was going to be able to shoot him. "Rosette, look out!" Chrono warned Rosette as Genai suddenly landed on the ground behind her in his transformed demon form. Rosette turned her head facing towards the demon and began to vigorously shoot her Gospel bullets at him. Genai however managed to evade the Gospel bullet shots by moving very quickly. He then used his sword transformed arm to smite the cement ground they were standing on, which caused the ground to crack. As the crack grew bigger and bigger, Genai smite the ground in two halves and the ground finally collapsed. Rosette and Chrono fell off the circular cement ground all the way down to the very bottom of the dark floor underneath it. Rosette began to cough again due to the huge accumulation of the dust from the bottom floor while Chrono was holding her. "Well, I can see the fun had just intensified! Shall we continue?" Genai mockingly asked the two once he flew towards them. Just when the Sinner was about to charge at them, Chrono promptly took out a crucifix barrier in front of him and a big green like laser cross began to form which caused the demon to be repelled. "Ha, you always do that! It's the same pattern every time!" Genai chuckled with amusement since he found Chrono's tactics to be very predictable and repetitive. Once the huge laser cross had disappeared, Rosette pointed her new gun straight at Genai while giving him a dead serious look. "Then I'll show you my specialty!" Rosette said in determination and fired her gun towards the demon with a huge bang. After the smoke from the bullet had cleared up, Genai however was found to still be intact, much to Rosette's surprise. "That was nothing special." Genai remarked unimpressed. "What? The Gospel didn't work?" Rosette exclaimed out of disbelief. Chrono threw three more crucifix barriers towards Genai which again formed a huge laser cross. The Sinner promptly moved back from the laser cross as the power of the barrier was too strong for a demon to bear. He then flew towards a pile of ruble where he witnessed the barrier disappearing, much to his relief. "What's wrong Chrono? If you want to save that brat, you should fight me too!" Genai mockingly challenged Chrono as he was straightening his arms high up while Rosette looked at him with frustrating impatience. "That's right. You try not to use too much energy by sealing your power in order to protect the life of your precious contractor. If you're going to do something that stupid then what is the point in fighting?" Genai asked Chrono in a mocking tone as he began to laugh his heart out sinisterly. "We're here to save Joshua!" Rosette shouted at the Sinner. "Hahahaha, that brat forgot your face so easily! He did it happily! He's not worth risking your life for, you fool!" Genai mocked her as he continued laughing wildly. Rosette then remembered the time at the carnival when Joshua acted as if he was talking to a stranger as well as pointing her gun at her. Before Rosette could fire at the Sinner, Genai abruptly charged towards the two and sliced Rosette's machine gun in half, much to her frustration. Just as Genai was about to smite the two with his sword like arm, Chrono promptly took a barrier crucifix and used it to shield themselves from the demon. Once the Sinner had been repelled, Chrono then opened the weapon backpack on his back and he took one of the hand guns. "Rosette, catch it!" Chrono shouted out and threw the gun towards Rosette and she was fortunately able to catch the hand gun in one piece. "Hurry, shoot him!" Chrono loudly commanded Rosette and she then turned around facing Genai. As she was looking straight towards the demon, she then pointed her gun towards him and shot him with an enormous bang. Genai tried to escape the explosive shot, but his sword transformed arm got severed from the huge gunshot and blood started to come out of his mouth.

Meanwhile, Joshua was telling Fiore about the dream he just had when she interrupted his sleep. "I had a dream that I haven't had in a long time. A very nostalgic dream which involved an important promise I made with my sister a long time ago." Joshua explained as he remembered Rosette and him standing in front of their parent's grave on a cold winter day when they were really young. "But I can't remember my sister's face. That person I met in San Francisco called herself my sister, Rosette. Still, I can't connect the two faces." Joshua explained disappointed as he remembered the carnival event as well as imagining the face of his younger sister as a toddler disappearing away like that of a puzzle. "All of the important things have slipped away. By morning, I'll forget more. But if I don't check, what should I do Fiore?" Joshua desperately asked as he so badly wanted to see if the nun who called herself Rosette was really his sister. Fiore walked towards Joshua and started to look at him with great sympathy. "One more time, let's meet her one more time." Fiore suggested with a soft tone. "That's right, if I don't check once more with my own self conscience, we can't take another step forward! The truth doesn't come down to words alone." Joshua said to Fiore as he then stood himself up from the sofa and looked at Fiore with a slight grin. Back at the gate of Eden, a huge puff of cloud dust emerged throughout the chamber. The gunshot was incredibly large to the point that it even created a huge hole on one side of the wall. "Amazing! What is this? There's not even a backlash!" Rosette commented out of amazement of the bullet's strong powers. Just then, Genai slowly got up from the ruble on the ground as he was grunting which alarmed both Rosette and Chrono. "This isn't over yet! I will avenge Rizel and Viede one way or another!" Genai angrily shouted out. "Stop!" A familiar female voice loudly echoed across the chamber and Rosette along with Chrono turned their heads around. They looked towards the upper wall and saw that the woman who was standing above was Maria. "Maria!" Rosette and Chrono shouted out her name with gladness and relief. "That's enough Genai, I won't let you harm our guests!" Maria scolded the Sinner. She suddenly jumped all the way to the bottom of the gate area and walked towards Genai. "What is it that you want? Can't you see I'm trying to avenge Rizel and Viede?!" Genai snapped at her. "I see! In that case, I'll put an end to your misery!" Maria said coldly and without emotion as she extended her hand towards the demon. All of a sudden, Maria's Stigmata activated and the holy blood from it sprayed towards Genai's waist which then started to disintegrate. Genai screamed in agonizing pain as the power of the Stigmata's holy blood was literally melting his waist. This caused his body to tear itself apart in half. "Rizel, I'll be meeting with you in the afterlife. Please wait for me there!" Genai helplessly pleaded as he was saying his last words. After his severed body fell to the ground, Maria looked at the corpse with satisfying relief. She then turned around facing Rosette and Chrono. Both of them looked at Maria with a huge shock on their faces as they never imagined that Maria's Stigmata was capable of doing such a thing. "Come with me! The curtain will rise shortly!" Maria said to them and grabbed their hands. Maria then jumped high up towards the upper narrow edge. By the time they got back to the narrow edge, Maria began to walk towards the cement plank to what appeared to be a dark stairway. "There is something strange going on here, don't you think so Rosette?" Chrono whispered. "Yeah, she's on Aion's side again and yet she saved us from that demon Genai! Just what is she up to, I wonder?" Rosette curiously commented as she was now confused by Maria's intentions. Chrono and Rosette started following Maria around the circular narrow edge all the way until they had reached the staircase that was connected to the cement plank. The stairs they were walking on were shrouded in darkness, so they had to be careful to watch their steps. A few minutes later, they saw a bright light from outside and shortly afterwards, Maria had exited the stairway which led them on the top of Eden. By the time, Rosette and Chrono got to the outside of the floating fortress, they saw a horde of winged demons in various shapes and forms flying across the sky towards Eden. Both Rosette and Chrono were taken aback by what they were seeing. They couldn't imagine that the Pursuers had actually decided to form an assault on Eden. Just then, the three saw an enormous Pursuer holding a smaller, gruff looking, black haired Pursuer who just so happens to be their general. In the meantime, Aion was observing the skies from his own personal room while he was sitting on the chair beside a huge window and looked at the sky with a sinister smirk on his face. "Well, it appears that everything is going according to plan! What fun this will be, an assault on Eden like none other! May the battle begin!" Aion remarked with amusement as he looked at the whole thing as it was some kind of a game. "Sinners, what you take is not enough. Those who have committed treason shall be put to death! The reason you have been able to survive on this filthy planet is because you are not worth me personally coming to stop you. That is, will you once more bare your fangs against Pandemonium?" The Pursuer sternly announced to the Sinners. "Chrono, who is that demon?" Rosette asked. "He's a Pursuer by the name of Duke Duffau. He came from Pandemonium to eliminate the Sinners. He's the elite among the elite." Chrono explained to Rosette. He looked at the Pursuer surprised that the general of the Pursuers was showing up in battle. "Isn't it great?! I'll have used just enough strength to crush you all!" Duke Duffau said with excitement as he couldn't wait for the battle against Eden to begin. The Pursuer then raised his arms up towards the sky as a sign that the assault against Eden was permitted to begin. All of the winged Pursuers present began to charge towards Eden. Just when Chrono pulled out a crucifix barrier, a force field had suddenly started to form across the fortress with the purpose of preventing the Pursuers from attacking Eden. The fortress formation was so loud that Rosette was compelled to cover her ears while Maria was just simply standing there as if nothing was happening. "It has started. I've prepared a force field just for today. It's on a new level compared to my previous work! It should hold for approximately twenty minutes. Hopefully the Pursuers will be gone by then!" Shader said to herself in complete satisfying confidence while she was in the control room. Just then, Shader saw a huge Pursuer coming towards the force field, much to her surprise as she thought that using the force field would surely make the Pursuers go away. The large Pursuer spread out its entire body and placed itself onto the force field, which it then began to weaken significantly. "Impossible, the Pursuer is using his body!" Shader shrieked out of disbelief. The Pursuer punched the force field aggressively several times until the force field had finally started to crack. Once the crack had formed, the Pursuer punched the cracked portion of the force field which allowed an opening to make way. Duke Duffau, who had transformed into his demon form, flew towards the broken area of the force field and made his way to Eden. The crack on the force field began to crack even more in such little time in that a few seconds later, the force field across Eden had completely broke apart like glass falling on a floor. The fact that Eden no longer had anything to protect itself meant that the Pursuers could now begin their attack. The winged Pursuers charged towards Eden in huge numbers as they began to attack the fortress. Some of them used their powers, like that of a bomb, to create huge amounts of damage which caused fires in the various areas. In a short amount of time the fires that were spreading around the fortress intensified as the Pursuers continued their assault with Duke Duffau observing the destruction. "Don't think you have won just yet, Duffau!" Aion said loudly from behind Duke Duffau as he was standing on the ruble, transformed into his demon form. His voice caught the Pursuer's attention as he then turned around and saw Aion holding his sword. "The game has just begun! Why don't we relax and have fun while we are at it?!" Aion said in a mocking tone and started to swiftly charge towards Duffau with his sword. Duke Duffau however crossed his two fingers which created a shield against Aion's sword attack just as he was about to strike him. Just when Aion pulled his sword away from the Pursuer he punched Aion in the stomach so forcefully that Aion coughed out blood and crashed onto the ground. Aion slowly lifted himself up from the ground while he was still coughing up blood as Duffau's punch was so strong. The Pursuer walked towards him and looked at the Sinner with a satisfying grin. "Stand up! I'll show you that your little tricks are no match for me!" Duke Duffau challenged Aion as he was pointing his finger at him.

In the meantime, the damages across the floating fortress had become worse and worse. Chrono and Rosette had to run for cover into a nearby building as the arson attacks felt like that of exploding bombs. "I can't believe it has come to this." Chrono said in disbelief as he never imagined that Eden would be experiencing yet another destruction. Rosette however continued running away from the fire attacks. "Rosette!" Chrono yelled out her name as the arson attack was getting closer to her. She then tripped and fell on the ground. Just then, Maria calmly walked right in front of Rosette with her arms straightly positioned and with the power of her Stigmata, holy blood started to come out and sprayed at the several incoming Pursuers whose bodies began to disintegrate. "Maria!" Rosette shouted out her name. "Now, save yourselves before it is too late! Go before the Oratorio begins." Maria commanded them. "Oratorio, what does that mean?" Chrono curiously asked. "There's no time to explain. You two should hide for cover while I take on these Pursuers! Hurry, their attacks are intensifying." Maria commanded them as she continued to fight off the incoming Pursuers. Rosette and Chrono looked around themselves and saw that the Pursuers were swarming all over the place. "Wah, what should we do? To be in a situation like this?" Rosette frustratingly yelled out. The amount of Pursuers around Eden and the destruction of the floating fortress overwhelmed her to the point that she didn't know what to do. As Chrono was witnessing Rosette's frustration, he stood up from the ground and saw that the tower on the building in front of them was still intact from the attacks. "Rosette, are you able to run to that tower in the middle there?" Chrono asked while pointing the tower to Rosette. "Sure, I guess!" Rosette nervously answered. "Good. Now then, what's our goal?" Chrono asked as he placed his hands onto Rosette's shoulders. "To search for Joshua and Azmaria. After that, we search for Satella as well." Rosette answered. "That's right." Chrono said. "We can't lose sight of our goals because of our surroundings. The decision has already been made, hasn't it?" Chrono explained to Rosette as he was reminding her about their current goals. Rosette then suddenly got an idea and she stood up from the ground. "We can't hold on for much longer. Just a little longer. Just a little longer and Oratorio will begin!" Shader said to herself in the control room as she was watching Maria using her Stigmata against the Pursuers. Despite the fact that Maria had already killed a great deal of Pursuers with her holy blood, there were still loads of them that continued their way towards Eden. Just then, a loud gunshot was fired from the center of Eden which took all of the Pursuers, Maria and Shader by surprise. They were all wondering where the gun shot was coming from. As the dusty wind was blowing through the fortress, all of the Pursuers stopped at what they were doing and gathered around Rosette and Chrono. Maria and Shader looked at Rosette with an astounded look on their faces. Rosette was the one who fired the gunshot. She had her hand high up, holding the gun which proved that she was the one who abruptly pulled the trigger. Rosette then grabbed another gun from her side pocket and crossed her arms together as she was directing both of the pistols towards the Pursuers. "That's right. Instead of trying to understand this, I'll do the opposite!" Rosette yelled and swiftly moved her arms as she was ready to shoot at the demons. "I'll make you understand!" Rosette shouted out and started to shoot at the demons with both of the guns she was holding while Maria resumed with using her holy blood from her Stigmata against the Pursuers. Unfortunately, the shooting attacks from Rosette had no effect on the Pursuers. This meant that Maria had to fight the Pursuers all by herself again. "Alright Rosette, hurry and make a run for it while you and Chrono still have the chance." Maria strongly advised Rosette. "But what about you Maria?" Rosette worriedly asked. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Just make sure you and Chrono run through the center building before it is too late!" Maria told Rosette who then nodded and ran off together with Chrono. "Break through the center Chrono. Run!" Rosette urgently commanded as she was shooting at the Pursuers as a way to stall them. Once the two had reached the center, Chrono broke through the large window and into the inside of the building. When he got up from the floor, he suddenly saw by the window on the left corner, through the dust, that Duke Duffau was choking Aion who had blood all over his face. "Is that your so-called audience Aion?" Duke Duffau seriously asked him while Aion was struggling to breathe due to the Pursuer choking him. "Aion!" Chrono said his name in shock as he was surprised that Aion was in such a vulnerable position. "Hurry Chrono! The door ahead is going to close." Rosette warned him as she could see that the door at the end of the room they were in was about to close at any minute. Just when they ran towards the door and into a long metal hallway, a huge Pursuer abruptly burst into the room and charged towards Chrono. He was able to swiftly dock the demon's attack just in time. Once Chrono landed on the ground, he opened the weapon backpack and grabbed from the bottom a medium sized thick combat knife. With it he began to swiftly attack the Pursuer in the room. Rosette in the meantime continued shooting at the demons vigorously as a way to repel them as they were trying to get their way through the door. Fortunately for the duo, the giant metal door began to close which meant that the Pursuers would not be able to reach them, much to their anger. The door finally shut tight with Rosette and Chrono sitting on the ground panting in relief that the Pursuer battle was finally over for now. "Phew, that was close." Chrono exhaustedly remarked. "Yeah, tell me about it!" Rosette agreed. "What about Maria? Will she be okay?" Chrono asked Rosette concerned. "She'll be fine, I am sure of it! If anything her Stigmata powers will definitely help eradicate that Pursuer army at a much faster rate than the Sinners could ever do! Besides, she herself decided to stay behind so we could get to Azmaria and Joshua as soon as possible!" Rosette reassured Chrono. "Yeah, I suppose your right. I just do hope that she doesn't get killed out there while eliminating them." Chrono commented. "I hope so too! Now let's hurry before those Pursuers break down the door." Rosette commented as she got herself up while offering Chrono her hand. Chrono took Rosette's hand and they both ran their way towards to what appeared to be a huge window. Behind it was a room with a gigantic organ player on the wall. When they reached the window, Rosette became mesmerized by how large the room along with the organ player was. "What is this?" Rosette curiously asked as she never would have imagined that such a room had existed in Eden. "I don't know. I've never seen this before." Chrono answered and just then, something caught his attention. "Rosette! Look!" Chrono shouted out and they both saw the horned Joshua in his black suit standing in front of the organ. Azmaria and the other Apostles with their wings spread out were standing on one side of the room on huge circular plates while the organ was playing. "I can't believe it! Joshua, Azmaria! Just what in God's name is going on here?" Rosette asked in shocked disbelief as the sounds of the organ continued filling the room.

Chapter 26

In the organ room, the winged Joshua was playing the organ slowly. He suddenly turned his head around and continued playing the instrument. "Oratorio! Through my horns, to Pandemonium!" Joshua called upon the organ. "It's a huge pipe organ." Chrono stated while Rosette was still looking at the room, not knowing what to say in regards with the situation at hand. "Joshua! Azmaria! Damn it, they can't hear me." Rosette shouted out as she was banging on the glass window. "Stop Rosette! The Astral is very thick. It would be best if you don't bang the glass so forcefully." Chrono strongly advised her. "Then what should we do?" Rosette impatiently asked while Chrono did not answer. "Damn it, there's no other way?! Chrono, I'm releasing the seal!" Rosette loudly announced while she was holding her pocket watch. "Releasing the seal?! You can't be serious?!" Chrono exasperatedly asked as he could tell that Rosette had failed to calm down. "Of course I'm serious! Let's hurry up and release the damn seal already!" Rosette impatiently answered and it was becoming quite obvious that she was still in an impulsive state. Chrono touched Rosette's shoulders and turned her around facing towards him. With a mildly irritated and impatient tone, Chrono said "Listen to me Rosette!" Rosette all of a sudden calmed down and looked at Chrono with a blank expression on her face. "When you open the seal on the pocket watch and my power is released, the cost for that is your life. In other words, we'll be bringing you closer to the end of your life. The time to use it is at the end. Only when all that awaits is death." Chrono calmly reminded her, much to Rosette's annoyance. "I already knew that in case you didn't know!" Rosette said aggravated. Just then, something caught Rosette's attention and they turned their heads around, seeing the standing six Apostles with their mouths open gasping loudly while blood was flowing down from their eyes. "Azmaria? What happened? Why are they becoming so lifeless?" Rosette desperately asked since she was deeply shocked and terrified with what she and Chrono were seeing in the gigantic organ room. "They're in sync with the Astral Line!" Shader's voice revealed. Suddenly, an electrical warp image of Shader appeared across the room which heavily frightened Rosette to the point that she began screaming and fell down onto her bottom on the floor. "Sorry to talk to you through this screen. I'll explain everything to you." Shader apologetically said. "Shader?!" Chrono called out in surprise since he recognized her. "It's been a while, hasn't it Chrono? I missed you!" Shader said in a smothering tone. "It's been fifty four years and our preparations are finally complete! We're going to throw the Astral Line at Pandemonium by using the power of the Apostles, amplified by this Astral Organ." Shader explained. The screen then flashed a picture of a mortally wounded Aion lying onto a huge slab of stone. His right leg and left arm were severed along with his impaled stomach. "Aion!" Chrono shouted out in shock with Rosette also being just as shocked as he was. Meanwhile, back outside Eden, Duke Duffau was looking at Aion lying on the standing slab of stone with utter contempt. "What a waste, you're completely defenseless. If you're going to keep deluding yourself in front of a general, you should just give up!" The Pursuer general said to Aion in a harshly critical tone, as if he was mocking him. "You can watch from there as your tiny kingdom disappears." Duke Duffau said as he then lifted his arm high up as a sign for the remaining winged Pursuers to prepare themselves to attack. "All forces, attack!" The Pursuer general commanded his army as he straightened out his hand towards Aion. Just then, before the Pursuer army could continue their attack on Eden, the winged Pursuers bodies all of a sudden froze which took the general by surprise. "What's happening? Why isn't my army moving?" Duke Duffau asked himself as he couldn't figure what was the cause behind his army's sudden freeze movement. A few moments later, Duke Duffau's body began to slowly crack and he started to yell in pain. His body now could no longer move as if it was frozen and the Pursuer general fell to the ground while Aion grabbed his sword that was beside the stone slab. Aion began to once again cough out some blood as his body was still badly maimed from Duffau's battle with him. "It's pretty hard, isn't it, to lose on purpose? In order to trick you, I had to prepare myself for this. Don't tell me you were completely unaware that I was doing it on purpose." Aion explained to Duffau about the geas that was cast on all the horned demons while obviously mocking him. He then picked up a jewel that was on the ground and directed it to the hole on the sword in what appeared to be that of a Jewel Summoner's bracelet. "Rosette, do you see what I see?" Chrono alarmingly asked Rosette as they were both seeing Aion placing the jewel onto the bracelet area of his sword which then magically floated. "I can't believe it, A Jewel Summoner's jewel?!" Rosette pointed out while the power of the jewel on Aion's sword helped to regenerate his body at an extremely quick pace, which deeply astounded and confused Duke Duffau. "What have you done Aion? Why can't I move?" The Pursuer general asked with fear in his eyes. "Because Pandemonium is now awake! Can't you hear it Duffau? The Oratorio the Apostles are playing had woken up Pandemonium's voice for the first time in ten thousand years!" Aion explained triumphantly. Meanwhile, at the Atlantic Ocean as the Astral Line continued flowing its way through the sky, a large, gigantic wave began to rapidly form into a tsunami and an enormous, flat demon like creature roamed its way through the sky along the waves. Rosette and Chrono looked at the waves and the gigantic creature with a shocked look on their faces. They couldn't believe what they were seeing had already begun to take place. "That is the origin of all demons, the spirit world of Pandemonium." Shader explained to Rosette and Chrono. It was 8:40 PM back at New York where Christmas decorations were lavishly put up across the city as it was snowing. A little boy then pointed to Pandemonium high up in the sky which quickly brought all of the adults on the street to their attention. Pandemonium had unfortunately reached the city as the tidal wave was following to where Pandemonium was roaming to. A few seconds later, the tidal wave aggressively flooded down towards the buildings which then began to collapse. As the wave continued flooding the city in its path, Rosette looked at the tremendous flood in shocked despair. She could never imagine that a catastrophic situation like that would have occurred at such a disastrous price. "The Astral Line is a huge mass of Astral energy from the waking Pandemonium of its ten thousand year slumber. The center should be in a state of panic due to the awakening. Because of that, the army should be beyond her control." Shader continued explaining as more and more buildings across the city flooded in such little time. Just then, the screen switched back to Aion and Duke Duffau where Aion was standing in front of a defenseless Pursuer general. "These are the chains that the superiors use to control! In other words, the army's umbilical cord is still attached to their mother. And the umbilical cord is also this!" Aion patronizingly explained to Duke Duffau as he then grabbed his horns. "Horns?!" Rosette shouted while the screen then switched back to the scene that was showing the current awakening of Pandemonium along with the flooding of New York City. "That's right. The demon army listens to orders given by their superiors. Because the army is part of Pandemonium, horns are the source of a demons power, but at the same time, an antenna as well." Shader explained as the screen then switched to a graphic of Joshua who was still playing the organ. "To defeat Pandemonium, one needs to manipulate the Astral Line while possessing horns and not be a demon. Also, the Holy Woman is our most important key to the apocalypse since in order for the apocalypse to proceed in full swing, Pandemonium's head will have to take full possession of the Holy Woman's body, which means that not only Pandemonium will be defeated, but the human race will then cease to exist." Shader explained and the screen then switched to a graphic of herself. "The girl's brother did a wonderful job for us Chrono. Thank you for your contribution!" Shader thanked Chrono and switched the screen back to the scene showing the flooding of New York which showed the Statue of Liberty also flooding as well. Rosette looked at the flooding with such a horrified and sad expression to the point that tears began to fall from her eyes.

In the meantime back outside on the top of Eden, Duke Duffau's body began to slowly crumble away as his body was beginning to lose its legions. This caused several crystal like edges on his body to form, including his face. "Aion, don't tell me you tried to escape the chains of Pandemonium by breaking your horns? That's ridiculous! If that's the case, you can't fight." Duke Duffau remarked in a grunting tone. "Naturally, I had a plan." Aion said and showed the Pursuer General three jewels that were between his three fingers. "My horns and my contractor are sealed in these jewels. With this the chains of a contractor are not a problem either. It's as if I became totally invincible." Aion explained triumphantly and he then placed one of the jewels onto the sword and aimed it towards Duke Duffau's head. "Well, I believe your time has come to an unfortunate end. So long, Duffau!" Aion said in a mocking tone as he raised his sword high up and stabbed the Pursuer General in the head. Back inside the building, the screen had phased out and Rosette along with Chrono looked at the glass window speechless as they were so shocked with what they just saw. Just then, Chrono abruptly formed his hand into a fist, pulled back his arm and swiftly began to punch the glass window. The Apostles all of a sudden stopped gasping which was a sign that Oratorio had stopped working. Chrono had punched the glass window so aggressively that it not only shattered into pieces but it also caused Chrono's hand to become bloody. Rosette then got herself up and faced the organ room. "Rosette, I will not forgive him!" Chrono said in an extremely bitter, vengeful tone while both he and Rosette gritted their teeth. "That's right, me neither!" Rosette responded in an equally unforgiving tone as they both had an intensely angry look on their faces. "Revival of the world? Sealed in a jewel? Don't think everything is so simple! Everybody is in so much pain! If you die, you can't come back!" Chrono said in an extremely angry voice as he thought of Aion in his demon form as well as the time when Rosette was lying on the ground at the carnival screaming in agonizing pain from his abrupt transformation. "How many more will you kill? Just to accomplish your twisted goal? Their hearts! Their time! Their lives! I won't forgive you Aion!" Rosette said in an angry yet sad tone while thinking of the time when the orphanage was frozen in time. She also thought of the winged Apostles along with Aion himself in his demon form. Rosette then stood her way by Chrono's side as she pulled out her gun and pointed it towards the room while Chrono grabbed two curved knife swords from the weapon backpack and also walked forward. "No matter what your motive is, we will definitely not forgive you!" Rosette said in a determined yet bitterly aggressive tone. Azmaria then looked towards Rosette with such a blank expression that it looked as if she was completely lifeless while blood was still dripping down from her eyes. "I can't believe it, it's losing sync. I'm sorry, the Oratorio should not stop right now. I'm going to release the outer ring. I'm really sorry." Shader announced in disbelief as she apologized for Oratorio stopping. Just then, the lower platform of the floating fortress began to drastically creak while the upper platform had just been abruptly set on fire. The building that Chrono and Rosette were in also began to collapse itself. "The platform is collapsing!" Chrono stated urgently while the ground they were standing on had separated itself. "Damn it!" Rosette said in frustration and jumped towards the circular ring surrounding the room. Further away in front of her, Rosette saw Joshua standing in front of the organ. Joshua sternly turned his head to see what was going on. "Joshua!" Rosette shouted out his name while Joshua turned around and had an extremely stern, bitter look on his face. The circular ring however broke apart which caused Rosette to fall down towards the bottom of the room and she began to scream. "Rosette!" Chrono shouted out her name as he was worried sick about what might happen to her. However, someone grabbed Rosette's arm, much to Chrono's relief. "That was dangerous! This is the second time!" Satella said to Rosette. Satella was on one of her jewel monster transporters while Rosette looked at her with a surprised look. "You don't think about consequences! It looks like you can't live without me." Satella constructively commented while Chrono grabbed onto the jewel monster's tail. "Satella!" Rosette said her name in surprise as she wasn't expecting that Satella would save her just in the nick of time. "Satella, how come you came for us?" Rosette curiously asked. "We'll talk about it later. We're withdrawing for now!" Satella told her and her ghostly fish jewel monster pulled them out of the building. The jewel monster managed to successfully fly its way out of the crumbling building and out of Eden. "Rosette, are you alright?" Chrono asked while he finally reached up to her on the jewel monster. "Yes Chrono, I'm alright!" Rosette confirmed much to his relief. "Oh my God, it appears as if Eden transformed itself." Rosette stated as she could see that Eden no longer had any vegetation left on top of it. Instead, it was transformed into a huge circular shaped fortress and a lot of smoke was coming out from it. "That's right, I have a feeling that this must be Shader's doing." Chrono commented. "I am so glad that you found us Satella!" Rosette said to her. "I came here earlier to investigate the situation. I am glad you two followed me here and for that I'm happy." Satella explained in a grateful tone. "It looks like we made you worried, sorry about that." Rosette apologetically said. "I am just glad that we are all safe! To the Sinners, Pandemonium is the enemy and we're just the audience who will eventually be terminated. They mock us while thinking 'What can the humans do?' I was also watching what was happening to New York City." Satella explained to the two. "For that cause, my sister is somewhere there!" Satella said with intense determination. Just then, a huge roaring noise came up from the sky and within a few seconds later, Pandemonium's soul came roaming its way through the sky. "Pandemonium!" Rosette and Chrono shouted out in disbelief that it already was reaching Eden. Pandemonium continued roaring loudly across the sky. It looked like a creature with a body of a whale yet had a face like that of a snake. As it continued to roam its way through, a huge banging sound had erupted. "Oh my God, this thing is so huge! I can't even tell how far away it is!" Rosette commented in a shocked tone. "This looks bad!" Chrono remarked in a worried tone as he feared for the worst to happen. "The Gate Shift from the Atlantic Ocean, that sure was fast!" Aion commented with obvious satisfaction as Pandemonium completed its Gate Shift from the Atlantic much faster than he had expected. "Oratorio's third movement shall begin! Containment!" Shader said back in the control room with a worried look on her face. Joshua resumed playing the organ aggressively which caused Azmaria and the other Apostles to begin gasping loudly. The six Apostles also began to scream as blood continued dripping down from their eyes. The third movement of Oratorio allowed Pandemonium to begin dropping several demon cells down into the ground's surface as it quieted itself down. "It got quiet all of a sudden." Chrono stated since he realized that Pandemonium had stopped roaring. "Hahahahahahahaha! Well, I can see that victory is clearly on my side!" Aion maniacally laughed at the top of his lungs and flew his way towards Eden. "He's getting away!" Rosette alarmed the two. "Let me down! We have to stop him right now! If we don't, it might already be too late!" Chrono demanded and Satella commanded her jewel monster to fly down towards Eden at the direction to where Aion is at. "You should all be more aware of your surroundings." Aion smugly said to them which caught Chrono's attention. Suddenly, he saw demon cells in the shape of starfish being dropped at the direction where Satella's jewel monster was at. "What the hell is that?" Rosette curiously asked. "Their demon cells are multiplying far over the limit! But originally, that was suppressed! Pandemonium has gone silent! Both the commanders and controllers are gone! Their instincts are taking over!" Chrono explained as he was watching the demon cells go down and Pandemonium began to roar heavily once again. Rosette suddenly pulled out her gun and started to shoot towards the demon cells.

"Damn, they sure are fast! Slow down, I can't hit anything this way!" Rosette commented while she was taken aback by Satella commanding her jewel monster to move faster towards Eden. "Don't be stupid. If we stop, they'll get us!" Satella urgently explained to Rosette. "Look from above." Rosette alarmed the others as she saw so many more demon cells falling their way to the ground. "Good lord, there are so many of them!" Rosette said and took out another pistol. Rosette pointed her two guns towards the demon cells and started to shoot at them again with vigorous speed. She was becoming more and more frustrated with the amount of incoming demon cells. "Damn it, this situation is becoming hopeless! What do we do?" Rosette shouted desperately while she continued shooting. "Please withdraw, Rosette!" The minister's voice called out to her, which then caught both Rosette and Chrono's attention as they saw huge explosives heading towards the demon cells which immediately eradicated them all. Just then, they saw a huge airship roaming across the sky along with many other smaller airplanes. It wasn't long for the two to realize that all of the aircraft that they were seeing high up in the sky was from those of the Magdalene Order. "Dozens of demons were destroyed above the axis line!" Sister Mary reported to Sister Kate while all of the Magdalene battle reporters were inside the enormous aircraft. "What about Pandemonium?" Sister Kate asked authoritatively. "We're still confirming the damage. No effect! It's still together!" Sister Claire answered her as she just reported Pandemonium's current condition. Meanwhile, Father Remington was contacting Reverend Gilliam through headphones while a group of other Militia members were standing on the top of the aircraft out in the open. "Roger. Please tell the Elders to hurry." The minister told Gilliam as he then hung up. "What the hell! That thing sure is huge." One male agent remarked as he was seeing Pandemonium. "Don't quiver, Storm!" One dark skinned agent told him as he could see that Storm Valerie was shaking. "We've talked too long." One brunette nun said while she was standing beside two other agents. "As Militia, we will fight to the very end. We won't let even one near!" The nun said with great determination as all the other Militia members whether nuns or agents, prepared themselves for the battle ahead of them. "I'm going ahead, Ewan." Reverend Gilliam told Father Remington through his headphones with Sister Grace sitting right behind him on the airplane that he was piloting on. "The Barrier ship Metron! Attack!" Father Remington commanded as he was holding his laser sword. One Militia nun directed the other Militia members to their positions as they prepared themselves for battle. Just then, the airship opened the cannon holders and began to shoot towards the remaining demon cells with intense speed. The fire shots resembled those of cannon balls. "It's the Magdalene Order! They came!" Rosette gladly said while Chrono looked at the Magdalene's aircraft force with huge surprise. "I don't know what you are capable of, but I am not pleased." Aion said to himself in an unimpressed tone as he knew that the Magdalene Order could ruin his plans. Rosette continued firing at the remaining demon cells with both of her pistols as Satella's ghostly fish jewel monster was getting closer and closer towards Eden. "Chrono! I'm going ahead!" Aion shouted out towards Chrono while taunting him. Aion's voice quickly got Chrono's attention as he was wondering what he wanted. "Let's play a game! Who will be the one to reach the center first? Our bet will be our individual, and the loser will forfeit." Aion explained while challenging him. "If you want to stop me, come and catch me. You said you won't forgive me, didn't you?" Aion tauntingly asked him. "The main event is from here on. Let's have fun, my brother!" Aion said as he wished his brother all the luck on their game. "Wait, we can't! There are too many enemies for us to get any closer." Chrono nervously stated since he realized that there were still loads of demon cells falling down from the sky. "The Sinners air fortress is going to land on Pandemonium." Sister Claire reported to Sister Kate while looking carefully at Pandemonium's movement. "Stop them!" Sister Kate urgently commanded. "It's too late to reload the cannon missiles. There are too many enemies and the Militia is severely understaffed." Sister Anna reported to Sister Kate. "Sister Kate, since Rosette's group is alright, do you think it would be a problem to ask them for our help?" Sister Mary asked. "You idiot! What are you saying?" Sister Anna snapped at her as she knew Rosette was already battling against Eden and Pandemonium. Sister Kate thought long and hard about whether to contact Rosette or not but she realized that the situation was very dire and so she decided to finally contact Rosette through her speaker. Rosette's telephone rang and she picked it up from the telephone holder that was on the right side of the weapon backpack. "Rosette!" Sister Kate called her name in an authoritative tone. "Sister Kate, is it true that you were demoted?" Rosette startlingly asked as she wasn't expecting that Sister Kate would contact her at that moment. "I chose to be here, working at the scene!" Sister Kate impatiently explained. "The normal command system is not functioning, so I am temporarily in charge. Communications from the New York base has stopped due to the flooding that just happened." Sister Kate explained which reminded Rosette as she gritted her teeth out of bitterness of the situation. "Withdraw Rosette. You are not supposed to be part of this operation. From Minister Remington's information I didn't expect you to be here. But anyway, we can accommodate you on this ship. Please return here at once!" Sister Kate ordered. "I'm sorry Sister Kate, but I cannot obey your order. I'm not qualified to be a Sister anymore, am I? I'm sorry for being brash but honestly, I'm not just fighting because it is my duty. Four years ago, it started in a small orphanage and the tragedy that befell us. Today, tragedy has hit countless people. That was caused by Joshua and Aion. Those, who were once very close to us. We have to go, so that the same tragedy will not be repeated again. Please, allow us to help our loved ones repay their sins!" Rosette pleaded while reminding Sister Kate about the real reason why she joined the Magdalene Order as well as remembering the time of when everything at the orphanage led straight to chaos. Sister Kate was stunned by the words Rosette just said to her as she never would have imagined that Rosette would speak with such wisdom. "I see, so she has finally grown up indeed!" Sister Kate said to herself as she was glad that Rosette had finally matured. "Aim the cannons at Pandemonium!" Sister Kate commanded the Sisters while straightening her right arm forward. "But the effect is still unstable!" Sister Claire protested. "That doesn't matter. Fire!" Sister Kate ordered and the airship's cannons fired directly towards Pandemonium with a huge bang. Rosette looked at it surprised as she could see that a huge crack had been made onto Eden's upper round surface which means that a path had been made. "Rosette, if you feel that strongly about not giving up, it's alright. I order you to scout ahead!" Sister Kate ordered her. "First, break through after determining a clear path. I'll send reinforcements afterwards." Sister Kate explained while sighing afterwards as she had a feeling that her sudden kindness will be the end of her. "Okay!" Rosette happily responded since Sister Kate never allowed reinforcements before. "Please go, Rosette. Right now, you are the closest one to the scene." Sister Kate urged her while Satella commanded her jewel monster to fly faster towards Eden. "If that girl comes back alive, then all thanks be to God!" Sister Kate said to herself as she put down the communicator device. She then decided to contact the Elder to tell him to refurbish the machine that he and the others were working on. "What was that Sister Kate? The engine hasn't even started yet." The Elder said frustratingly. "About Rosette's lifespan, how much longer does she have?" The Elder asked concerned as he was worried about the fact that Rosette's life was slowly drawing to an end. "I don't know." Sister Kate answered. "She can probably feel it. The next time she releases the seal, what awaits her will be death!" The Elder alarmingly reminded her while Rosette and the others had finally reached the path on Eden as the jewel monster was flying at full speed.

Chapter 27

Satella's jewel monster continued on flying closer and closer to Eden's entry area, which gave the trio a sense of both worry and hope at the same time due to the fact that Eden's size was quite small. "Whatever happens, I do hope that we'll succeed in reaching Eden again one way or another." Rosette commented anxiously. "Because of Eden's size, its points of entry are limited." Chrono told Satella. "We're closer to the center than they are, let's go on ahead!" Satella stated and just then, the power on Satella's bracelet began to waver down tremendously. "Oh Scheise! The power is going to run out! It's out of energy! When there's no more it will disappear!" Satella explained in a deeply shocked tone since she couldn't imagine that her jewel bracelet would be so low on energy of all times. Rosette looked at Satella with a confused look. "What?!" both Rosette and Chrono shouted out in horror. It didn't take long for both of them to realize that the jewel monster was starting to slow down due to it being on extremely low energy. However, the jewel monster was able to reach past the entry point of Eden. The area looked like a huge world surrounded with bee hive like structures along with a huge waterfall up ahead. A circle like island was also surrounded with trees along with a low rise building. The trio was extremely amazed by what they were seeing, especially Rosette who was wondering whether they were in a different world or not. When the jewel monster had reached one of the hive grounds, it all of a sudden stopped and disappeared. This caused all three of them to start falling towards the ground and they started screaming for their dear lives. Fortunately, all three of them landed on the ground in one piece. "That was close!" Rosette said in relief while turning around and seeing that they were all okay. The three then began to look around their surroundings and realized that they had passed through Eden. "Chrono, is something wrong?" Rosette asked. "You do realize that we are not in Eden, do you?" Chrono calmly asked and Rosette turned herself around in confusion and saw the island that was just across from the hive ground they were standing on. Just seeing the island alone was enough to convince all of them that the world they were indeed on was not Eden but Pandemonium. "So, this really is Pandemonium, isn't it?!" Rosette asked Chrono who was standing behind her. "That's right Rosette, this is our world." Chrono calmly answered while turning his head facing Rosette. "Are you saying that Pandemonium is this, a city inside a large fish?! How extravagant. I haven't heard of anybody seeing anything like this before!" Satella exclaimed in disbelief as Chrono was walking towards the edge of the ground. "I wonder where we came from, I wonder what we are?" Chrono asked himself with deep curiosity since although he knew that Pandemonium was always the demons world, he however never knew their exact origins. Rosette looked at him with great sympathy as she knew that this was bothering him. Just then, the ground began to rumble a bit and it wasn't long until Eden had finally showed up and entered into Pandemonium right from above their heads. They all looked at it surprised while Chrono rushed towards Rosette and Satella. "It looks like Eden has reached Pandemonium." Chrono alarmed them. "What? This can't be right. It's being attacked?" Satella asked in disbelief. The monstrous looking demon cells inside Pandemonium had made their move by showing themselves in front of the three as they were surrounding them. "It looks like the demons that lived here were also deceived into becoming Pandemonium's demon cells." Chrono explained as Rosette swiftly got out her two guns and they all formed a circle as they were preparing themselves to attack. "There's so many of them? Are you sure that we can take them all out like this?" Rosette skeptically asked since she knew that they didn't stand a chance in eliminating all of the demon cells inside Pandemonium. "That seems to be very unlikely at that moment, which is why we must evade them." Chrono said decisively. "In that case, I'm going to break through!" Satella decided. "Laden, Solid August!" Satella shouted out as she placed one of her jewels onto her bracelet and summoned a jewel monster. It had an appearance of a huge lion with thick crystal like edges surrounding its face along with a dark green jewel on its face. They all then quickly hopped onto the jewel monster which began to run its way by following the demon cells that were located towards the main corridor. "Satella, as you should know, Eden is controlling them from the main corridor." Chrono revealed to Satella. "I'm following them!" Satella loudly answered him in which her jewel monster did exactly what she said she was doing. In the meantime as Eden was absorbing the demon cells energy, Joshua slowly woke up and saw Fiore kneeling beside him. "Fiore, is that you?" Joshua asked in a weak tone. "Master Joshua, thank goodness you are alright!" Fiore said with a huge amount of relief as she was seeing that Joshua was finally waking up. He then straightened his arm up while he had his long black blazer off. "I see. I fainted with the burden of Oratorio." Joshua said as he was reminded what happened to him once Oratorio had overwhelmed him. "So what's the situation?" Joshua asked. "Lord Aion went ahead. He's going to strike at the center before Pandemonium recovers from its confusion." Fiore explained. "How is everybody?" Joshua asked while lifting his upper body up. "They haven't woken up yet. Shader is buying us time, but she said that if the situation becomes critical, then abandon Eden." Fiore explained to him. "I'm going. I shall become everyone's protective shield." Fiore said and got herself up from the ground. "So please, excuse me." Fiore said apologetically while slightly bowing down towards him. She then turned around and started to walk her way out of the room. "Fiore." Joshua said her name. "Is it really alright if you don't protect me?" Joshua asked with a slight grin on his face and Fiore all of a sudden stopped walking. "Aren't those Aion's orders? Because of these horns, I will most likely fall under Pandemonium's control. Not my body, but my heart. When that happens, I want you to protect me!" Joshua explained to Fiore while she had a blank expression on her face. "I can tell, it's written on your face." Joshua remarked as he could tell that Fiore was suddenly starting to become emotional, albeit quietly. "Don't be ridiculous, my heart is stone. I have never laughed nor cried." Fiore explained as she was denying her current emotion, even though it was very obvious to Joshua how she was feeling. He then stood himself up from the ground. "Yes, I know that. But it really is written on your face!" Joshua calmly said as he walked towards Fiore and hugged her from behind. Such an act from Joshua made Fiore even more emotional, to the point that tears slowly began to fall from her eyes. She then let go of Joshua's arms as she turned around with a sad look on her face. "I shall be going now. However, before I go, I only ask for one thing." Fiore emotionally said while tightening up Joshua's slim black tie. "What would that be Fiore?" Joshua curiously asked. "Please tell me what you did the first time you met me." Fiore requested. Joshua then remembered the night when he arrived at Eden where he saw an unconscious girl sitting on a chair tied up on long strings and holding several jewel pieces in her hands. "That's right. Because of the noise, I mistook you for my big sister." Joshua said while remembering himself walking towards her and mistakenly calling her "Big Sister." Joshua smiled slightly and said while waving "Alright, farewell big sister!" "Farewell to you as well, Lord Joshua!" Fiore said solemnly and then walked her way out of the room. "That brought back memories. With that single word, I was no longer a doll who created jewels. The soul that should have disappeared was once more given life." Fiore thought deeply to herself while thinking of all the times she showed her younger sister Satella how to properly use the jewels, and the jewels themselves were also occupying her mind. Meanwhile, Satella's jewel monster continued running past the demon cells while Rosette was shooting at them with both of her pistols. Unfortunately, no matter how many times Rosette fired at them, they were just too many of them to defeat. The lion jewel monster was able to run out of a cave like hive and was running at full speed straight towards the walkway while roaring heavily. Just when the jewel monster was running across the walkway towards the flat ground from above, Satella saw Fiore standing right in front of the area with her glaive sword. She looked at her with a deeply surprised look while Fiore also looked at Satella the same way. Fiore looked at Chrono and Rosette but with indifference. She then turned around facing them while they were all surrounded by demon cells. When Satella looked at Fiore, she saw that there is a little bit of blood on her face which was from the demon cells that she was battling with her glaive sword. "Satella, isn't that who I think it is." Rosette asked as she pointed her finger towards Fiore while Satella was looking rather serious in regards to the situation. "Thank you all for waiting." Fiore said in a calm, quite tone as she lifted her head up. "Lord Aion will have everything finished in a moment. Until then, my mission is to protect Lord Joshua! You may not go beyond this point!" Fiore demanded in an authoritative tone. "Joshua is just past here, isn't he?" Rosette loudly asked Fiore since she had a strong feeling that Joshua was somewhere close by. "At this moment Master Joshua is preparing himself. I cannot permit any contact with confusing people like you." Fiore responded in a cold, indifferent tone. "And just what do you mean by confusing people?" Rosette crossly asked as she was obviously insulted with what Fiore just said. "Calm down Rosette, if you go in with such a vulgar attitude every time, you won't have enough life to spare." Satella turned her head around and told Rosette as she was constructively criticizing her brash attitude. "I don't understand. How can you all be so calm at a time like this?" Rosette commented dumbfounded. "Anybody would naturally become calm while taking care of somebody they love. On the other hand, we are in front of a hoard of formidable enemies. In this limited time, how would you solve this difficult problem?" Satella explained while also asking a thought provoking question at the same time which amazed both Rosette and Chrono. "Satella?" Rosette said astounded. Just then, Satella jumped off her jewel monster and commanded it to continue running forward which took Rosette and Chrono by surprise. Satella had succeeded in landing safely onto the ground. Fiore was equally surprised that Satella would abruptly choose to do such an act while Satella commanded her lion jewel monster to jump past Fiore. Fiore saw the jewel monster running at full speed from behind her while making a huge thumping noise, much to her bewilderment. "This is the answer! Disperse power!" Satella gloated while having her arms stretched out. "Satella!" Rosette and Chrono shouted after her while looking from behind. "I'm terminating the jewel in one minute! Continue towards your destination!" Satella told them while shouting at them. "When did we decide that you had to do this alone?" Rosette asked while shouting after Satella. "I'm not doing this alone. This is also teamwork." Satella thought to herself while her lion jewel monster had run far enough for Rosette and Chrono not to see Satella any longer. "This is my conclusion. The picture that we all together took at the carnival that night, it's proof that I am not alone." She thought while thinking of all the times that she had spent with her four friends, Azmaria, Chrono, Rosette and Maria. They were the only friends she ever really had. "Well, see you later! Rosette, Chrono, Maria, and my dear liebekind Azmaria!" Satella silently bid them farewell with a look that was both happy yet sad at the same time. Satella then turned her attention at Fiore and after looking at her for a few seconds she turned around and gave herself a little stretch. "Now it's just the two of us Florette. It's our ten year reunion you know!" Satella said optimistically. "Ten years is it?" Fiore monotonously asked and Satella turned around facing her bigger sister. "Tell me Florette, why are you with Aion? Florette Harvenheit." Satella asked her seriously and with deep curiosity as she couldn't understand why her big sister would be working for Aion of all people. "I am Fiore, a regular flower. The Florette that you knew had died ten years ago." Fiore explained monotonously to her while placing her hand onto her chest. "I am a puppet, a soul that has taken over this body." Fiore revealed while denying her relations to Satella, much to Satella's shock since she couldn't believe what she was just hearing.

One day, ten years ago, Fiore was tending to her younger sister Satella who was asleep by the tree on their back lawn of their huge mansion in Germany. Aion of all people had showed up in front of Fiore which at first startled her as she then dropped her jewels onto the ground. "You were watching us, weren't you? Please don't tell anyone or else they'll treat us like witches." Fiore pleaded to Aion who had a huge wrap around his head. "You really think so lowly of your powers? I think it's a wonderful power to have. Powers exist to be used, aren't they?" Aion charismatically asked. "So, you came from America to visit our mother?" Fiore curiously asked. "That's correct, even though we never met in person. I am what you could call a distant relative." Aion explained to the girl while obviously lying to her. Several days later Satella and Fiore's mansion was burned to the ground by Aion's men and their parents killed by Aion himself. Fiore was also impaled by Aion when she challenged to fight him with a sword. After Satella and the butler Steiner managed to escape, Aion had the Elder sister, who was now dead, completely within his grasp. "Don't you think that was a little bit too extreme Aion?" Viede questioned his actions. "There was a difference in opinion along the way. Those two people were our allies. We were both alienated from our societies, but it appeared that we held different opinions. However, there is no need to worry about it because we have a replacement instead. The ability is passed down, at least among the bloodline that is." Aion explained to the other Sinners while carrying Fiore's dead body. Aion then threw the girl down onto the ground as if it was nothing and began to walk forward. "Aion, this girl is already dead. What should we do?" Shader empathetically asked. "Do whatever you can to make her functional. I don't care what condition she is in." Aion heartlessly said and continued walking. "I'm sorry." Shader apologized to the dead Fiore who had a small amount of blood coming out of her mouth. Back to the present, Rosette and Chrono were able to run towards the hallway while Rosette was shooting at the demon cells with very insignificant results. Fortunately, the door swiftly shut closed tightly before any of them could get in, much to their relief. "There's too many of them!" Rosette commented in an exhausted tone. "This place is divided into separate areas. We can't be surrounded. Let's get moving!" Chrono explained while he offered Rosette his hand and she got up from the metal floor. "Whatever is happening behind that door, I do hope that Satella is doing okay." Rosette remarked concerned. "You're worried about Satella, aren't you?" Chrono asked. "What makes you think that?" Rosette asked while denying her concerns for Satella. "Because I can tell by your words." Chrono softly answered. "Anyways, let's get a move on shall we?" Rosette interrupted. "Yes, lets!" Chrono agreed and they walked their way forward. In the meantime, Satella and Fiore were battling each other vigorously in which Satella had summoned her knight jewel monster while Fiore simply battled with her glaive sword. Fiore had extremely good jumping skills which allowed her to destroy the jewel monster's right arm, much to Satella's shock and frustration. She then commanded her jewel monster to move its sword towards Fiore, which she managed to evade. However, Satella ran towards Fiore while directing her knight jewel monster and it cut off Fiore's right arm from which blood started pouring out. Satella turned around and saw Fiore holding her severed arm while she herself held onto her wounded, bloody shoulder blade. "There's no point in slicing me. Because I am a doll." Fiore monotonously reminded her and she then placed her arm back into its proper part of her body which it then got reattached very quickly. This astounded Satella that Fiore could even have such abilities. "Lies, this is all a lie!" Satella angrily said while taking off her scarf from her shoulders. "Laden! Fourth month of beginning!" Satella called out and her jewel monster had transformed its severed right arm into an enormous knight shield and was ready to battle once again. "Laden! September of Purity!" Fiore called out. While Satella's jewel monster's severed arm was holding onto Fiore's glaive sword, her jewel monster began to appear. It had an appearance of a young woman with long hair whose hair and facial features looked very similar to the head of Pandemonium. It also had a large warrior like body with arms that resembled Satella's jewel monster. Once Fiore's jewel monster was done transforming itself, she commanded it to charge towards Satella's jewel monster and they began fighting with each other. "I am a tool. I was created with the body of your sister. My purpose was to create the jewels for the Sinners as substitutes for their horns, to destroy my lord's enemies, and to protect Master Joshua." Fiore calmly explained. Satella yelled out in disbelief while the two jewel monsters continued clanging their weapons while fighting each other. Satella then charged towards Fiore. "Sister, ten years in search of revenge, I believed I would be able to take back what I had lost." Satella thought to herself while thinking of the time when she came to America by boat and was looking at the Statue of Liberty. She was also thinking about her parents, all the hardships she and Steiner had to go through just to make it to America and a boy that she had met when she arrived to New York City. "But, ten years ago, it was already finished. I wasn't able to take back anything." Satella again thought to herself while the two jewel monsters continued battling each other. Satella's knight jewel monster managed to tear off Fiore's clothing on her right shoulder. Fiore then ran towards her jewel monster, grabbed the glaive sword, jumped towards Satella and tore off her clothing by her midriff with her sword. By doing that, a huge wound had formed on the exact same spot.

"I shouldn't have hoped for anything." Satella hopelessly thought to herself as she began to spurt out blood and fell onto the ground while Fiore had just landed on her two feet successfully and turned around facing Satella. "It seems that you are surrounded. It will be difficult to escape with an injury this huge." Fiore stated while looking at the demon cells all around them. She then kneeled down towards Satella and saw that she was lying on a small pool of blood that was caused by her injury. "In that case, do you want to be finished off?" Fiore asked. "It's over, I can't move. It looks like this is the end for me, isn't it?" Satella said in extreme despair since she knew that because of her current state, she had no chance of winning and began to silently cry. She then thought about Rosette and her courage to keep on going against all odds. "Why give up while there is still a path ahead of you?" Those were the words that Satella remembered Rosette saying to her before they parted. "That's right, you didn't give up! You just kept on going!" Satella lamented to herself as she was reminded by Rosette's strong determination. Satella then slowly raised herself up from the ground and with a loud and determined voice she shouted "However, it is not futile!" Once she got up, she slowly walked towards Fiore in a way that looked as if she was about to collapse any second. "Sister, my sister who had been distorted." Satella cried out while walking towards Fiore. When she finally came close to her, she hugged her which took Fiore by surprise. "If we cannot reunite together, then let's at least die together!" Satella concluded in a broken tone as tears were flowing immensely down her face. She reached out for Fiore's glaive sword and grabbed it from her hand. Satella directed the blade towards herself while Fiore looked at her with a confused and surprised look. "What are you planning on doing?" Fiore asked confused. Suddenly, Satella impaled Fiore from her back along with herself through her stomach. In the meantime, while Rosette and Chrono walked their way across the metal hallway, Chrono abruptly stopped and Rosette wondered if he had sensed something. "Is something wrong Chrono?" Rosette curiously asked and Chrono turned around facing her. "It's nothing!" Chrono denied. "Something is wrong, isn't it?" Rosette asked since Chrono's tone didn't convince her. "You think so? Anyway, we should get going. We're almost there. Let's finish this mission and celebrate in time for Christmas Eve! We save Azmaria, Joshua, the rest of the Apostles along with Maria, meet up with Satella and defeat Aion once and for all! It'll be a happy ending, and we can make a memorial for Christmas! We'll celebrate it every year so that it'll remain in our hearts!" Chrono excitedly said in an overly optimistic tone as he walked forward across the hallway towards an opened passage way. Rosette however knew that Chrono was deep down hiding his true feelings by putting on a happy exterior. "Chrono!" Rosette called out his name. "You are the heroine. Like a twentieth century Joan of Arc!" Chrono continued going on optimistically while at the same time faking it. "Chrono! Don't fake your smile. It's just not like you!" Rosette sternly remarked since she could see right through his fake optimism and smile. Chrono still fake smiled although he did finally say in a reluctant tone "I guess I can't fool you Rosette, can I?" "What do you mean Chrono?" Rosette asked. "I'm afraid we can't meet Satella anymore." Chrono sadly revealed and turned around. "Are you okay? You're acting a little strange." Rosette loudly commented. "No I'm not, I just don't want to make you sad, that's all! Come on, there is another door just ahead of us!" Chrono fake smiled again and he then walked forward while Rosette looked at him. Rosette followed his lead while she was still confused by Chrono's behavior as she found it highly suspicious. "Another door? We haven't even walked one hundred yards yet." Rosette stated once they had finally reached the door which resembled that of a beehive. "Step back a little." Chrono said and walked towards the door. He began to touch the door while tapping on it and thought to himself "I won't let anything or anyone harm you Rosette. I will bear your weight and I will never leave you by yourself!" The door then suddenly opened but once it did, a horde of demon cells had appeared by the door, much to their horror. "Rosette, Run!" Chrono alarmed Rosette and they started running away from the demon cells. The demon cells were making their way out of the door while roaring intensely. "Why are there so many of them?" Rosette frustratingly asked and began to shoot at the demon cells with one of her guns but the gun shot had little to no effect on them. "Just a little more! The previous door hasn't closed yet!" Rosette loudly stated to Chrono as they continued on running away from the demon cells. "If we escape into there, we should be safe from them!" Chrono remarked. Just then, Rosette yelled as she accidentally tripped and fell onto the ground. "Rosette!" Chrono yelled out after her once he saw that Rosette was lying on the ground. Unfortunately, the demon cells had managed to catch up and Chrono had a horrified look on his face as he saw that they were right behind Rosette. He ran towards Rosette, quickly grabbed her from the back and pushed her towards the door. Rosette slid through the door aggressively and was able to go right through it. "Ouch!" Rosette cried out since the sliding was quite painful. "Chrono, can't you be more gentle?" Rosette frustratingly complained. Just then, she saw that the demon cells came so close to Chrono that with their sharp tips, they began to puncture Chrono's body. Huge amounts of blood were gushing out of his body as the door began to close itself. "Chrono!" Rosette yelled out his name in shock with what she was seeing. "Stay back!" Chrono told her while coughing out blood. Rosette began to shudder and the door was almost at the verge of being closed. "You can't go to Eden through this area. But don't worry, Joshua is just ahead! If you go now, you'll make it Rosette!" Chrono began to explain while Rosette had a worried look on her face. "What are you saying? I'll open the door right now!" Rosette said in desperation. "The console is broken. You're worrying too much Rosette. It's just a matter of time before I escape. But right now, the time is dire to us." Chrono further explained to her. "I had a feeling a day like this would come when I would not be able to stand by you. You had given me many things. We laughed and cried together. The first cookies you gave me. Even now, I can remember their flavor. The time has come to return the favor." Chrono said with a bittersweet tone. "I don't intend on dying. Just go on ahead." Chrono told her while Rosette was both surprised and shocked with what he just said. She then imagined in her head Chrono being blown amongst the winds. "Don't worry about me Rosette. I'll catch up!" He promised her and the door had finally closed itself tightly. Rosette, overwhelmed with emotions had tears that began to overwhelm her eyes as they flowed down her cheeks. "Chrono!" Rosette desperately yelled out his name as she began to sob. "You idiot!" Rosette said tearfully. In the meantime, Chrono had stood up in full confidence as the demon cells had roared once again. "Alright, come on!" Chrono dared them. "Even though we are small or have no power, humans can still fight! That's what she taught me." Chrono thought to himself as he pulled out his sword blades and prepared himself to battle the demon cells.

Chapter 28

Pandemonium had been roaming its way across the sky for quite some time now while Rosette pulled out both of her guns and began shooting intensely at the door. "Damn it! Why can't I destroy this door?" Rosette frustratingly asked as her Gospel bullets had absolutely no effect on the door. However, Rosette had an idea, an idea that would definitely both shock and surprise Chrono at the same time. Meanwhile, Chrono was still battling the demon cells despite his injuries. "I wonder if Rosette is gone now?" Chrono curiously asked himself while he was standing on top between the demon cells. "That's right, don't worry about me Rosette!" Chrono said and he lifted his arm up. He directed his sword towards one of the demon cell's face. The demon cell began to roar as the blade had just touched its face. "Hurry, go and do what you need to do. Don't come back!" Chrono loudly told Rosette as he had a feeling that she was still behind the door. Just then, Chrono felt some light energy emerging from his body which took him by surprise. "What's happening?" Chrono confusedly asked himself since he did not know what was causing the energy to emerge from his body. The bright energy that surrounded his body glowed so bright that it repelled the demon cells. A few seconds later, Chrono had found himself transformed into his demon form which shocked him as he was looking at his hands in disbelief. "Rosette, what did you just do?" Chrono yelled at Rosette from behind the door. "There was no choice. This is the fastest way." Rosette explained to Chrono as she hinted that she released the seal on the pocket watch while leaning on the door. "You idiot! If I use any of your strength, your life will become vulnerable! Everything could be lost! This is exactly what I was trying to avoid!" Chrono explained in a horrified tone since he knew very well what will happen to Rosette if she releases the seal watch more and more. Rosette quickly became fed up with Chrono's over protectiveness of her and the fact that he constantly doesn't want her to worry about him. "Just who is the idiot?!" Rosette frustratingly yelled out. "Stop joking around. I've already suffered enough." Rosette said emotionally to Chrono and a moment later she screamed out of frustration. "You're the same as Satella! Always saying 'Don't worry about me! Hurry up and go!' What the hell! Are you two imitating one another? Do you really think this would make me happy?" Rosette angrily yelled out as she became both irritated and fed up with their attitudes towards her. "Why? Why must you be the one to endure everything?" Rosette perplexedly asked. "You guys shouldn't be so rash with your conclusions. Right now, there's still another way. There has to be another way!" Rosette said while standing up and seeing a huge group of demon cells in front of her. "It is better than sending one person with no wounds to continue forward. I would rather be with you, injured and backed into a corner, than to just keep on going by myself! If we can accomplish our goals together, I won't hesitate to offer some of my soul to a demon!" Rosette said with strong determination while she pulled out both of her guns and pointed them towards the demon cells. "Haha, it's just like that. So hurry up and break down this door." Rosette over confidently challenged them. "However you do it, it is fine by me." Rosette said to the demon cells but just then she all of a sudden fell onto the floor and a huge thudding sound was overheard on the other side of the door. When Chrono heard the sound, he right away knew that it was Rosette who somehow fell onto the floor unconscious. He became overwhelmed with shock and grief as he was just simply standing, speechless. "Rosette! Rosette, answer me! Quickly reseal to recover! I'm coming for you." Chrono cried out in an emotionally broken tone. While gritting his teeth in despair he rushed towards the door and tried to aggressively force it open. "You really are an idiot. It doesn't matter who it is, no one can get everything they wish for. There has to be some compromise." Chrono thought to himself angrily. "Even though humanity will struggle endlessly, at least they will not complain and will try to seek out the best solution." Chrono thought to himself determinedly and after some great deal of straining, he finally managed to forcefully open the door. "Rosette!" Chrono shouted out after her but to his shocking surprise, he didn't see Rosette anywhere on the other side. "This can't be. Rosette is gone? How did this happen?" Chrono confusedly asked himself in disbelief as he was absolutely sure that Rosette was just there a few moments ago. Meanwhile the demon cells had gathered around him. "Rosette, where are you?" Chrono desperately called out for her but Rosette did not respond as she was nowhere in sight. "Rosette!" Chrono once again yelled out in despair since he still hoped that Rosette was still somewhere around. Meanwhile, Rosette was deep within her mind due to her unconscious state. She was having a dream where her body was flowing downwards like that of a river in some kind of dark, empty dimension. "That's right Chrono. The answer, there are never that many options to choose from at any one instance." Rosette thought to herself as if she was trying to tell Chrono something. Just then, Rosette's mind shifted to a hospital room where Chrono was sitting on the bed and sat on a chair beside him. "When that time comes, if I'm made a captive here, you and the others from the Order must proceed forward to Joshua's side. At that time, you must make a personal connection with him." Chrono explained to her. "How can I do that?" Rosette doubtingly and curiously asked. "Calm down and listen to me." Chrono told her. "Can you fire your gun against your own brother? Can you really pull the trigger? Can you really do it?" Chrono asked Rosette in a deadly serious tone while pointing his finger at her. "This day has finally come. My dear little brother, on that day we made an important decision." Rosette thought to herself as if she was now trying to communicate to Joshua. "Mother, Father! On the day when our ship had sunk, our parents had disappeared into the ocean, never to return." Rosette thought somberly as she was remembering the faces of her parents on the day when their huge ship had sunk. She and Joshua were one of the survivors. "We continuously waited to hear news about our parent's fate. All the grownups seemed confused. They couldn't even take a moment off. It was like we had been abandoned along the great flow of time. Soon, we started to hate waiting." Rosette once again thought somberly while remembering all what she and her brother had went through after their parent's death and at the same time recalling that both of them had felt neglected by the adults around them. It was also a time when the two siblings had enough waiting and decided on one winter day to go to the graveyard to pay their respects to their dead parents. "Joshua had always felt that adults had lied to us due to the fact that they had never found our parent's bodies. As a result, we made a promise, a promise to grow up together and to never leave each other's side!" Rosette concluded while remembering the time when they visited their parent's grave. "Our decision. I forgot what we had decided together. I remember now, Joshua!" Rosette said to herself as if she was confirming what their decision was throughout all this time. Rosette suddenly woke up and much to her surprise, she saw Joshua carrying her while he was flying with his white wings. "Joshua!" Rosette called out his name in disbelief with what she was seeing. Joshua continued flying his way through Pandemonium's hallway corridors until he had found a secure place which just so happened to be in one huge chamber. He flew towards it and softly landed on his two feet while placing Rosette on the ground. "This time, you really were in danger." Joshua said to her in an extremely friendly tone while Rosette looked at him with both suspicion and disbelief. "Don't worry, you are safe here! No one will come here. No one will bother us!" Joshua assuredly told her which made Rosette feel somewhat at ease. "Please tell me, you are my sister, right? This is the truth, is it not?" Joshua asked in a hopeful tone as he extended his arms wide out and looked at Rosette with a mesmerized smile.

Joshua flew towards Rosette and began to embrace her while she looked at him with a startled look on her face, not knowing what to think of the situation. "I've finally found you! I've missed you so much Rosette!" Joshua said in a loving tone while hugging Rosette. This brought tears into her eyes as she looked at her younger brother. "I've missed you too Joshua!" Rosette said emotionally as those were the words she wanted Joshua to say to her. "I want you to always be by my side, even if this world is destroyed and reborn!" Joshua said to Rosette. "Joshua?" Rosette said his name out of disbelief with what she just heard him say. "I won't ever let anyone get between us again. I will personally kill anyone who tries to obstruct us." Joshua explained in a possessive, creepy tone while looking at Rosette as if he was possessed by something. "That's right, that's exactly what I will do!" Joshua said decisively while Rosette looked at him shocked since she could not imagine Joshua saying such things. Rosette abruptly pushed herself away from Joshua and grabbed him by his suit while looking at him sternly. "Open your eyes and take a good look Joshua! I'm not the only one who's been waiting for you to come back! You need to quickly take off those horns and then we'll go home together, back to the orphanage where you had stopped time!" Rosette told him in a stern, mildly angry tone while thinking about everyone they knew at the orphanage. "It is because of these horns that I am able to be free! Do you really want me to go back Rosette? Do you wish for me to turn back into that weak, helpless child?" Joshua asked her defiantly while remembering the night when he was looking out from the window which was the same night when Aion came to his room. "No, of course I don't want that. But those horns aren't yours. The one who has taken your place, living with severe limitation and constant pain is Chrono!" Rosette explained to Joshua in a serious tone, hoping that her words get through to him while holding his hands. "You're not my sister! My kind and gentle sister would never say such things!" Joshua said to Rosette in a cold hearted tone. She promptly backed away from him while looking at him in shock. "Since you're not my sister, I have no need for you!" Joshua heartlessly said as he extended out his left arm while a howling wind started to form around the two siblings. "Wait!" Rosette yelled out as she then grabbed one crucifix barrier and placed it on the ground. The wind however became so strong to the point that it was creating a vortex. By the time Rosette pulled out one of her pistols, she was unable to fire it as she tried to resist the incredibly strong wind. Unfortunately, the wind blew Rosette backwards onto a window. Rosette crashed through the window and began to roll onto the floor while screaming out in pain. "Haha, are you still able to resist?" Joshua mischievously asked while looking around the room and at the broken window. "Alright, then let's play!" Joshua said in a tone that was both playful and mischievous. He pulled out a gun from the holster on his pants which happened to be Rosette's gun. Meanwhile, Rosette was in a room where she was leaning on a wall not far from the glass jars. She was grunting heavily in pain since her landing was quite rough. "In this kind of situation, can I really beat him? He shouldn't still be confused." Rosette said to herself in a weak tone. "I wonder if Joshua is in the middle of a dream?" Rosette curiously asked herself as she was speculating whether or not Joshua was still in a dreamlike state. At the same time, she was thinking about Joshua saying to her "It's nice to meet you." "I finally understand! So that's how it is! It's the horns that are distorting his mind." Rosette concluded and pulled out both of her pistols. Just then, an explosion had occurred somewhere in the room which was not far from where Rosette was at. The explosion that Rosette just saw came from her own gun which Joshua was holding. "Where are you? You can run, but you can't hide! You might as well come out!" Joshua tauntingly said to Rosette while pointing the gun forward. Rosette quickly stood up from the ground, pointed one of her pistols towards Joshua and irritatingly thought "That brat, he's even using my gun." Joshua had his arms wide open while Rosette pointed out her pistol towards him. She was torn on whether to shoot Joshua or not since he was after all her beloved brother. "Can you really fire?" Rosette remembered Chrono asking her in her dream. After a few moments of hesitating, she shot towards the ceiling which started crumbling down towards Joshua as he looked at the ceiling with an alarmed expression on his face. "You idiot! Why aren't you getting out of the way?" Rosette yelled out to him as she tried to warn him about the crumbling ceiling. Just as the collapsed ceiling parts came closer to Joshua, he straightened out his left arm upwards and much to Rosette's surprise, the crumbled ceiling parts froze in motion. "I can't believe it! He stopped time?!" Rosette asked herself in astounding disbelief. Joshua then looked towards Rosette as he once again pointed the gun towards her and said with a taunting tone "Haha, not even one hit me! Is that really the best you can do? You should try to show off a bit more!" Joshua started shooting at Rosette but she managed to evade it. As Joshua continued firing at her, Rosette began to run away from him while the room became more and more damaged from all the shooting. Rosette managed to hide behind a decorated thick poll, and lay down on the floor. She started shooting towards her younger brother again while loud banging noises filled across the room as the equipment had continued to be destroyed. Just then, an even bigger gunshot had banged its way across the room which forced Rosette to retreat. As she started to shoot towards Joshua again, he fired back with a gunshot that resulted in an explosion which sent Rosette falling down into the next room. She splashed onto what appeared to be a round circle filled with water as Joshua was witnessing it. Rosette started to gasp heavily as she tried to reach the edge of the circle. She managed to get up while still panting heavily and coughing at the same time. "That ability sure is getting annoying! Damn it, if it weren't for those stupid horns, this would have been a whole lot easier!" Rosette said in an aggravated tone and then coughed again. Once Rosette had managed to get out of the water, she desperately began to think about what Chrono had asked her in her dream. She remembered him asking "Can you really pull the trigger?" Suddenly, Joshua appeared right from behind Rosette and said with a creepily sinister tone "Shall we finish this?" Rosette was taken aback by his sudden appearance and she turned around to prepare shooting towards him while Joshua looked at her with a deranged look on his face. However, just when she was about to shoot, Joshua swiftly grabbed Rosette's gun which then shot out a bullet with a loud banging noise. Once Joshua let go of Rosette's gun, it began to slowly freeze itself into stone along with her hand. Rosette looked at it with a horrified look. "Haha, now that hand of yours is useless!" Joshua said triumphantly as he aimed his gun towards his sister. Rosette rushed to grab out a crucifix barrier from her side bag and threw it at the ground in front of Joshua since it was now the only tactic she could use against him. Just when Joshua fired his gun at Rosette, a large green laser cross appeared right in front of them and Rosette used the chance to push herself away from the crucifix barrier. Joshua suddenly stopped shooting and touched the laser cross while looking at it with a confused expression. Suddenly, the crucifix barrier had begun deteriorating which prompted Joshua to pull his hand back. The barrier exploded while making a steamy sound as the smoke was clearing itself. Such an abrupt explosion took Joshua by surprise since he didn't expect that touching the crucifix barrier would cause it to destruct itself. Once the smoke had completely cleared, Joshua looked around to see where Rosette was at. "That's strange. Where did she go?" Joshua curiously asked himself as he was sure that Rosette was just in front of him. Meanwhile, Rosette was sitting against a huge glass tank ledge while looking at the gun and her hand that was frozen in stone. "I get it! I get it already! With that gun and his speed, along with his ability to freeze anything by a mere wave of his hand, he is definitely the strongest opponent I've ever dealt with!" Rosette concluded as Joshua was walking his way towards her with a possessed look. "Joshua, you're definitely the strongest. However, I am not the enemy!" Rosette said with great amount of determination while she grabbed out three barrier crucifixes from her side bag and looked at where Joshua was heading while gritting her teeth in suspense. "That noise. It's getting louder. Don't get nervous, I've already found it!" Joshua said to himself in an unsettling tone as he then lifted his head up and looked straight at Rosette as if he was possessed. Rosette looked straight at Joshua once she stood up and she then grabbed her gun and pointed it towards him while giving him a determined look. "Didn't I already say it? No matter what you do, that hand of yours is useless." Joshua mockingly reminded Rosette while he was walking towards her as the wind continued to howl. "Forget it. Whatever you want! I still need to go and find my real sister, my gentle and sweet sister." Joshua said to Rosette while pulling out the gun and simultaneously loading it. "I'm really sorry! I hate to have to disillusion you, but it's a pity that you only have just me for a sister." Rosette said in a bitter tone since she deep down knew how hard it was for Joshua to face the truth while Joshua had just stopped walking and simply had the gun pointed at her. "You need to wake up! The time for dreaming is over!" Rosette strongly said to him as she was trying to snap some sense into Joshua.

"That gentle sister? It seems that you've been continuously trapped in a dream, and you still are! Never realizing that the dream had replaced your true self, therefore causing you to endlessly chase after that image of your sister in your dreams." Rosette explained to Joshua while he placed his hands on the horns. "However, I've been continuously chasing you too! In the midst of reality, I've also been battling!" Rosette said as she begun to raise her voice. "Based on the accumulation of everything that I've learned and experienced in these last few years, I certainly won't lose to a guy who's been doing nothing but dreaming!" Rosette said in a fiercely determined tone as she wasn't willing to give up. "Let me show you the proof!" Rosette said to Joshua and she grabbed another barrier crucifix from her side bag. She quickly clicked on the top of it and the barrier crucifix began to float and energize itself while a crack on the window had started to form. While the barrier crucifix was energizing, the glass window had continued to crack more and more until finally, the glass had shattered and huge amounts of water splashed towards Joshua, much to his startling surprise. Joshua however was able to see the water coming right at him and he tried to get himself out of the way. Unfortunately for Joshua, the water managed to reach him and amazingly the water started to freeze itself into ice. Joshua looked at the frozen water all around him with a surprised look while touching the water that had been frozen with great curiosity. Just then, Rosette came running towards Joshua as she tried to jump towards him. "Damn it! This water is really in the way!" Joshua frustratingly said and banged on the ice which then broke. This caused some of the water to flow once again and Joshua began to shoot at the rest of the frozen parts of the water to break it up. Joshua continued shooting at Rosette while she tried to use her frozen hand as a shield. "Aaaaaahhh!" Rosette screamed in frustration as she then ran towards Joshua and swiftly touched the gun in his hand while he was still shooting. "Can you really pull the trigger?" Rosette remembered Chrono asking her in her dream. The young exorcist then abruptly lifted her leg up, hit Joshua's face and grabbed the gun from his hand. Once she did that, Rosette landed back onto the ground and loaded her gun with a Gospel bullet. She aimed the gun straight at Joshua towards the horn on the left side of his body. "I can! If he really won't return to his original self, then with my own hands I shall try to aim for the horns!" Rosette remembered answering to Chrono in her dream. "At that time, aim precisely for the horn! While I'm not positive, this is the way to do it if you want him to return to his original self!" Rosette remembered Chrono telling her in her dream about how to get Joshua back to his old self. After hesitating for a while on whether to shoot at the horn or not, Rosette then decided to pull the trigger while screaming "Aaah!" Once Rosette shot at the horn on Joshua's head, the Gospel bullet made a loud banging noise. "Joshua!" Rosette said his name out loud while remembering seeing him with the horns for the first time at the orphanage. She also pictured the times when he would read a book outside while sitting on the swing and the time when they made their promise on a cold winter day. The bullet was going down and down until finally, it fell on the ground while a surge of water was still flowing. Joshua was lying on the ground unconscious from the gunshot with Rosette sitting beside him with a bloody cut on her left cheek. She was still holding the gun in her hand as she was gritting her teeth in suspense. She then lowered her gun and with an emotional tone called out "Joshua!" Joshua however did not answer. "Joshua!" Rosette yelled out his name out of immense worry that Joshua might be dead. The blood began dripping down his face as the gunshot succeeded in shooting the horn off the left side of his head. "Is it enough? Was it enough? Is he dead?" Rosette thought to herself while panicking as she began to cry out of deep sadness for she now believed that her beloved younger brother was dead. Just then, Joshua abruptly opened his eyes and began to scream uncontrollably in pain which took Rosette by surprise. While screaming in pain, Joshua put his hands on his bleeding head as the pain was insufferable for him. "Joshua! Get a hold of yourself!" Rosette yelled at him as she was trying to calm him down. "Aaaahh. My head! It hurts! I don't want to be alone! Where are you Rosette? Help me, please! I don't want to feel this pain anymore!" Joshua continued screaming helplessly while desperately pleading his younger sister to help him as she was tending to him. "Rosette!" Joshua yelled out her name which brought tears in her eyes since she realized that he really did want her to be there for him. Rosette then hugged Joshua's head and while her body continued to freeze in stone, she said in an emotional tone "I'm here for you Joshua! Didn't we already make that promise?" "I remember it now! I think I said it before 'until that time, we will always be together!' Right?" Joshua answered her as he now remembered the promise they had made while they visited their parent's grave as children. "Aaaaaahhhh! What's happening? What's going on?" Joshua once again screamed in pain and not long later, he then fell asleep. In his dream, he was at a graveyard on a cold winter day where he saw two small children standing in front of a grave stone. Joshua instantly recognized that the two blonde haired children were Rosette and himself ten years ago, after both their mother and father died in a sunken ship. "I absolutely hate waiting! No matter how long we wait, mother and father still won't come back! Those who organized this funeral are deceiving us! Who do they think they're kidding?! Adults are nothing but liars!" The young Joshua said to his older sister bitterly since he deep down knew that their parent's bodies were never found and that the grave stone they were standing in front of was simply put up as a way to make the two siblings believe that their parent's bodies had been found. "Sister. That's right. I definitely should try to comfort Rosette." Joshua thought to himself while seeing that Rosette began to have tears in her eyes out of the sad realization of the fact. "But one day, we will become adults too Joshua." Rosette told her brother. "Yes, that's right." Joshua said admittedly. "Then let's make a promise. A promise that we'll always be together and become adults together!" Rosette decisively said as she took the young Joshua's hand. "I'm still so weak. Therefore, since that day, I swore to myself that one day, I'd definitely become strong enough to be someone else's support. I want to become stronger more quickly. I don't want Rosette to continuously wait for me!" Joshua thought to himself while looking at the two younger forms of both himself and Rosette. "Until that day comes, we will always be together!" Joshua thought to himself, remembering the promise that he and Rosette made. "That's right! I can't always be dependent on something like this!" Joshua thought to himself as he concluded that he cannot be dependent on Chrono's horns while also thinking about the now frozen orphanage and all the children and supervisors that they had known there. Just then, Joshua abruptly woke up from his dream and he lifted himself up from the ground as he moved his right hand towards the other horn and pulled it out of his head. A great deal of blood started flowing out of his head. An air of silence had filled the room as Rosette was speechless about the whole situation. She placed her hands on her mouth while looking at her younger brother in disbelief. Joshua then walked towards his younger sister Rosette while holding onto his head. "I can't believe it. Joshua had actually returned back to his original self!" Rosette thought to herself in both joy and disbelief with what she was seeing. Once Joshua had reached Rosette, he then placed his left hand onto her shoulder and looked at his younger sister while tears had begun to fall down his face. "We promised to become adults together. Isn't that right Rosette?" Joshua emotionally asked while crying for joy that he had finally remembered their promise and that he is seeing his real sister face to face. He had never felt so happy in his entire life. It was as if, everything was coming back together for him and Rosette. Rosette then jumped and gave her younger brother a big hug which pushed Joshua down onto the wet ground. "I never regarded that conversation as being important, so that's why I had forgotten. I never thought your words contained such significance. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry!" Rosette said overwhelmed with emotional joy to the point that tears had too fallen down onto her face. Joshua was becoming so emotional with the situation that he could not resist crying. "Welcome back Joshua!" Rosette gladly thought to herself as she was both relieved and happy that the days of her searching for Joshua were now over!

Chapter 29

Back at the hallway, Chrono continued battling the many demon cells that were still attacking him. Chrono stabbed one demon cell in the face with the blade sword as it screamed and howled in agony while blood was dripping from both its face and mouth. After that, Chrono promptly jumped back down onto the ground and pulled out one gun from the weapon backpack. He then fired directly at the injured demon with a loud bang which caused the demon cell to explode in a cloud of smoke. Chrono managed to get himself away from the explosion and began to pant heavily as he was beginning to feel somewhat tired from all the fighting and the bloody wound that he got on his stomach didn't help. "I can't use my powers. Otherwise, Rosette's life will be in danger." Chrono said to himself while still panting heavily. While looking towards the outside of the hallway and to his horrifying surprise, Chrono saw an enormous demon cell in front of him. It was at least a hundred times his size along with many other much smaller demon cells. "Rosette, I definitely will find my way back to your side!" Chrono said to himself in a weak voice as the wound on his stomach was awfully painful. After a few moments of going through the pain, Chrono then let go of his wound and with a huge roar, flew quickly towards the gigantic demon cell with his blade sword. He was determined to finish it off once and for all. Meanwhile, Rosette and Joshua left the room and were walking their way across the hallway. Rosette's arm was wrapped around Joshua's shoulder while she was breathing heavily. "Are you okay Rosette?" Joshua asked concerned. "I am! I was just catching my breath. My whole body seemed to suddenly lose all its energy." Rosette explained to Joshua while taking her arm off from his shoulder and he looked at her with an unconvinced look. "I'm fine, really I am! It's nothing at all!" Rosette tried to assure Joshua that nothing was wrong with her and she then looked away from him. "Chrono, you idiot. You don't have to hold back so much." Rosette cringingly thought to herself as she had a feeling that Chrono's battles with the demon cells had something to do with her exhaustion. "Are you really okay?" Joshua doubtingly asked Rosette. "I said I'm fine. Don't worry about me so much! But your head on the other hand is worthy of a worry." Rosette reassured him as she pointed out that his head was still recovering from the bleeding as Joshua's black tie was tied around his bloody head. "I'm fine. I can't hear those bothersome noises anymore!" Joshua assured Rosette. "That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about your injury as well as your body." Rosette answered. "I still feel terrible, but I know that there are people who are suffering a hundred times more than me, so I can bear it!" Joshua said in a somewhat weak voice as he was holding onto his head and the two siblings then began to start walking again. "Somehow, that statement feels backwards." Rosette commented. "That's because we're already adults. I think it's because of this as well as the fact that our dream has come true! It surrounds us here. The Astral Line!" Joshua stated out of excitement while looking at Rosette as she looked at him confused. "Oh, the Astral Line, that's right!" Rosette said in a reminded tone. "In the future once this is all over, let's all go to the Astral Line together!" Joshua decided excitedly. "It won't be so easy to accomplish that wish. Won't there be some sort of consequence?" Rosette asked herself in a cringing tone. "Oh yeah, that's right, we need to tell Chrono!" Joshua chuckled as he was amused by Rosette's reaction. "Eden is up ahead, and the Apostles along with the Holy Woman should be there. I would think that Chrono would be nearby. Let's hurry!" Joshua said decisively which Rosette agreed on as she smiled in approval. She closed her eyes and they continued walking their way across the open hallway. "Our dream has finally come true! Yes, that's right! I'm so happy! Chrono, I want to tell you so badly about my current feelings." Rosette happily thought to herself while thinking about Chrono and she opened her eyes. Just then, the two siblings stopped walking as they saw Chrono sitting on the ground which was in the shape of a dome. He was badly injured, with his right arm severed. Beside him was the huge demon cell that he just fought with who was also badly wounded. Both Rosette and Joshua were shocked at what they saw in front of them that they couldn't even say a word while the demon cell had then begun to roar loudly. "Chrono!" Both of the siblings shouted out at once towards him. "We need to quickly help him! Or else who knows what will become of him." Rosette urgently said. "Watch out!" Joshua alarmed her as he could see that Rosette's body was about to fall down from the edge of the long, walking metal planks. Rosette screamed for her life as she fell off the edge. Joshua straightened out his hand and an energy beam was then emitted from his body and onto Rosette which stopped her from falling as she continued to go down by floating. Once Rosette had safely reached the bottom of the ground, the energy beam disappeared and she looked over at Joshua's direction. He now had to deal with the demon cells coming towards him and he promptly summoned his wings as he was preparing himself to attack. Rosette stood up from the ground and with a loud voice, yelled out "Joshua!" "You go first! I can still handle something this small! However, Chrono's situation is more dire! Hurry! I'll catch up soon enough!" Joshua told Rosette while he started emitting some powerful energy from his left hand at the demon cells. Rosette was at first hesitant to do what Joshua told her but after a few moments, she then turned around and started running towards Chrono's direction. "Alright, but hurry and catch up!" Rosette yelled out to Joshua as she continued dashing her way towards Chrono. In the meantime, Chrono was still sitting on the ground while having an angry look on his face since he thought that he had lost Rosette. "Chrono!" Rosette shouted out his name while she was shooting at the surrounding demon cells as they were howling loudly. Rosette's calling brought Chrono's attention. He stood up from the ground and saw her shooting at the demon cells as he shouted out "Rosette!" While seeing Rosette running towards him, Chrono started flying towards Rosette as fast as he could. He was still gravely injured and some blood was coming out from his body. Rosette continued running towards him in full speed until Chrono had finally reached her. The two looked at each other with a satisfied grin on their faces. Chrono then reached out his left arm and began to embrace Rosette. "I'm so happy that you are alright, Rosette!" Chrono said gratefully while looking at her with tears of joy. "Oh my, what happened to you? You're again covered in injuries. Geeze, I can't ever leave your side for one minute." Rosette exasperatedly commented. "What's that suppose to mean?" Chrono defensively asked. "I'm just kidding!" Rosette chuckled out of amusement at Chrono's reaction. Once she stopped chuckling, Rosette then with a tender voice said "It's usually so embarrassing. I'm always saying very awkward things. I feel like I still have so many things I want to say. So many things I want to do. I feel that there's still one more thing I need to do." Rosette then lifted up her arms as Chrono then saw both of his horns in her hands and said in disbelief "I can't believe it. You've succeeded in taking the horns off of Joshua's head?" Rosette didn't answer as she then slowly placed the two horns onto Chrono's head and while doing so, Rosette gave him a kiss which took him by surprise. "In the future, there shouldn't be any more problems, even if I am not by your side." Rosette said in a tone filled with optimism and she then let go of Chrono's horns. "Rosette." Chrono said her name as he was speechless on what to say to her. "Anyways, we should get going. The sooner we get a move on, the better!" Rosette commanded. "Right, first we have to meet up with Joshua and help him defeat those demon cells. After that, we'll continue on with finding the rest of the Apostles, Maria and to put a stop to Aion's plan to recreate the world through an apocalypse!" Chrono decisively said. "Alright then, let's get going!" Rosette said but just then, more demon cells had shown up and surrounded them, much to their surprise. "Great! More demon cells? They just don't know when to quit, do they?" Rosette asked in a slightly irritated voice as she then promptly pulled out both of her guns and directed them at the demon cells. "It appears that there are still more of them than anticipated. In that case, we don't have any other choice but to deal with them." Chrono commented. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's take them on already!" Rosette impatiently said and began to fire her guns intensely at the demon cells while Chrono had straightened out both his arms and a glowing energy began to emerge from his body.

Meanwhile, Joshua turned around as soon as he heard gun shots coming from the demon cells direction which were just behind him and with a puzzled look said "Rosette." Just then, while seeing the demon cells surrounding the two, an electric charge began to appear around the demon cell. As it became brighter, the electric energy had significantly weakened the demon cells to the point that they were repelled and flying away from them. Joshua tried to use his arms to shield himself from the strong steam caused by the energy, as the demon cells continued to fly away. After the incredibly strong electrical energy had succeeded in repelling the demon cells away, Rosette looked at Chrono with an astounded look and said in a surprised tone "Amazing, you actually repelled those demon cells with your powers singlehandedly!" Chrono turned towards Rosette and with an exhausted tone said "Yeah, I'm already exhausted because of using them all at once." While panting heavily, Chrono then suddenly began to cough out blood and a huge amount of blood had also burst out from his back as he then started yelling in pain. "Oh no, Chrono!" Rosette said in a shocked tone as she was seeing the blood. "Rosette! Chrono! Are you alright?" Joshua worriedly asked as he was dashing his way towards them while Chrono was panting heavily with Rosette by his side. Joshua all of a sudden stopped running and saw that Chrono's wounds were still quite huge from the battle that he just fought. "Rosette." Joshua said her name once he caught up to her. Rosette heard her younger brother as she then turned around and faced him. "Joshua, you managed to catch up to us! Thank God!" Rosette said in deep relief. "I can see that you are alright, but what about Chrono?" Joshua curiously asked. "It appears that Chrono has been badly wounded from the fights with the demon cells and that large electrical energy that he just emitted had made him exhausted." Rosette started explaining as Joshua had a small frown on his face. "But don't worry. Chrono will be okay! Demons can heal their own injuries, so there's nothing to worry about!" Rosette assuredly stated which helped put Joshua somewhat at ease. Just then, Chrono lifted his head up, looked at the two siblings and with a slightly tired tone, asked "So, since Joshua has finally recovered back to his original self, I guess it's safe to assume we can continue on from here, right?" "That's right!" Rosette confirmed. "If you don't mind me asking Chrono, what is that thing around Rosette's neck?" Joshua curiously asked while walking towards Chrono and placing his hand on his left shoulder. "Do you mean the seal watch?" Chrono asked, pretending not to know what Joshua was asking. "Yes, considering that it is a seal watch, why does Rosette carry that thing on her neck?" Joshua asked again. Chrono tried to tell him but couldn't bring himself to do so, fearing Joshua's reactions towards him if he told him about the conditions of their contract. After hesitating for a while on whether to explain to Joshua the terms of the contract between him and Rosette or not, he then slowly began to explain in a clear voice "The seal watch that you see on Rosette's neck contains her life force. This is all part of the contract. Every time I transform into my demon form and every time I use my powers, Rosette's life gets considerably shortened in the process. Considering, that I have transformed several times already and the fact that I have used my powers as well, Rosette's life I'm afraid will soon come to an end." Such a revelation shocked and angered Joshua so much that he then punched Chrono aggressively in the face. "Chrono." Rosette yelled out his name in a shocked tone as she couldn't believe that Joshua would resort to violence on Chrono. "What are you talking about? Why? Why did you form such a contract with my sister? How dare you put her through such a horrible situation." Joshua angrily and bitterly said while he continued to punch Chrono's face. "Joshua, stop!" Rosette loudly pleaded as she tried to get Joshua's attention, but to no avail. Once he was done punching Chrono out of deep anger, Joshua then knelt down in front of him and with an extremely sad, broken tone said "You monster. Because of you, Rosette will die! And for that I can never forgive you!" As Joshua began to cry, Rosette walked towards him and once she got close to them she then placed her hand on his shoulder. "Joshua." Rosette said his name softly. "What is it?" Joshua asked while still sobbing. "About the contract between me and Chrono, I was the one who begged him to form it with me." Rosette revealed to him as Joshua then turned his head around and saw her with tears still in his eyes. "You mean you actually told him to form the contract with you, knowing full well that you will eventually die?" Joshua asked in a confused tone as he got up. "Yes Joshua. That is what I am saying." Rosette confirmed. "But why? Why did you want to go through with this?" Joshua perplexedly asked. "So I could get you back Joshua!" Rosette revealed in a gentle, soft tone. Joshua, who was overwhelmed with sentimental feelings, gave his older sister a huge hug. Chrono looked at the two siblings with a relieved smile on his face as he was happy to see that the two siblings had finally reunited. Just then, Rosette saw an electrical warp image of Aion right in front of them. He appeared from a screen in the shape of a pentagon. Joshua then turned and saw the exact same thing Rosette was seeing and they both had a surprised look on their faces. "Chrono, look!" Joshua said to him and Chrono turned himself around and with a surprised look said "Aion!" The trio didn't expect that Aion of all people would show up through a communicating screen image. "I'm almost there! I'm only one step shy of reaching her. This means that the Grand Apocalypse shall soon take full effect!" Aion revealed triumphantly as he extended out both of his arms and Maria appeared beside him. "Maria." Rosette shouted out her name. "As you all know already, Maria is the final key in my plan for bringing the Grand Apocalypse into motion which would also bring the rebirth of the world! My, what a useful gem she is, isn't she?" Aion reminded them as he then began to stroke Maria's bare shoulders. Maria however didn't respond. "You won't get away with this Aion! We will get Maria back one way or another!" Rosette said to Aion in a strong, determined tone as Aion stopped touching Maria's body. "I already have in my hand part of what I need. Even though I'm not able to easily maneuver it, these chains however still have their uses." Aion explained as he then promptly pulled out his sword. "Watch Chrono! This is the first true step to gaining freedom!" Aion said in a victorious tone as he swished the sword around. At the same time, a series of explosions took place outside in the sky as the demon cells forcibly exploded. "What's happening? A bunch of demon cells are self exploding?" One of the male pilots confusedly asked as he was just witnessing the explosions. "That's strange. There isn't any smoke coming from the explosions." The pilot commented suspiciously as he didn't see any smoke whatsoever. Just then, a gust of corrosive wind had reached the pilot and started to corrode the man's body. The pilot looked at his hands and with a terrified look, began to scream in horror seeing what was happening to his body. The body corrosion had grown so rapidly to the point that it had reached the poor pilot's face in no time. "Aaaaahhhh!" The man screamed in horror as the corrosion was eating his body up. "Has number twelve evacuated the air space?" Sister Kate curiously asked. "Number six, number twenty and number nine. Please respond!" Sister Anna tried to contact the rest of the pilots but failed since they were having their bodies eaten by the corrosion that had been inflicted on them from the outside. "I'm being eaten! Help me!" One pilot screamed for its dear life while its body was being corroded. "Oh my, is it that the demons are eroding?" Father Remington alarmingly asked himself in horror. "Could it be that the apocalypse is starting?" Storm Valerie asked the minister as he was walking towards him. "Considering what's happening right now, it sure looks like it. At this rate, it could really mean the end of humanity as we know it." Father Remington stated in a worried tone. "The end of Pandemonium and the Grand Apocalypse means the rebirth of this world. You of all people should understand that Chrono!" Aion patronizingly reminded him. "As for you Joshua, Chrono is not the one you should be angry at! Everyone knew full well that this is how things would eventually end up. The fact that your beloved sister pushed herself too hard so she could use her life to get you back is costing her dearly as her life keeps getting shorter and shorter." Aion said to Joshua in an all knowing tone while Joshua looked at him angrily. "Rosette and Magdalene were exactly the same Chrono. You ended up repeating the same destiny twice. Shouldn't this make it all clear to you? This is not your world!" Aion stated to Chrono who was thinking deeply of all the people he knew. "A little bird that can't fly isn't just tragic, it is downright pitiful!" Aion said in a disgusted tone as he was indirectly criticizing Chrono's weakness. "Return to us Chrono! If you do so, you can be a contributing part of the Grand Apocalypse that will make way for the birth of the new world!" Aion charismatically tempted Chrono, hoping that his temptation tactics will get him back onto his side. Chrono gritted his teeth heavily as he then got up from the ground and with a dead serious tone, said "Aion, don't always be standing on some high place looking down at humanity. Because you are always standing in such a place, you're unable to tell apart that every person has a different name, face, and warmth. Even if they don't have wings, it doesn't matter. Once in a while, you should walk on the earth with your own two feet and see for yourself! This is my response!"

Aion had an unamused look on his face as Chrono touched his right horn which began to activate and a large whirlpool like wind surrounded him. Chrono started to scream heavily as he was re-chaining himself which caused the severed right arm to become a muscular, crystallized arm with huge sharp claws like that of wolves. "You fool! If you re-chain yourself, you'll become just like them!" Aion said in shocking disbelief as he knew that Chrono would eventually become like the subservient demons of Pandemonium. Both Rosette and Joshua looked at the wind with a worried look on their faces while Rosette suddenly started to feel slightly weak as her body forcibly leaned onto Joshua. "Are you okay Rosette?" Joshua curiously asked. "I'm fine! It's just that Chrono is using so much of his power all at once. Whatever happens, I do hope it is worth it!" Rosette said in a worried tone as she was not sure on what would happen next. Meanwhile, Chrono's arm was just in the process of completing its formation while he still continued screaming heavily. After his arm had completely regenerated itself, the wind surrounding Chrono had disappeared and while holding his left arm, he said with a determined and somewhat angry tone "It doesn't matter what I become. I want everything to be settled here!" Once Chrono had straightened his arm out towards the screen, he then dead seriously announced "I will be there shortly to settle things with you Aion!" Aion was not amused with Chrono's rejection and the screen suddenly turned off. "That idiot! Does he really think that he can put an end to my goal on starting the Grand Apocalypse? He sure is delusional." Aion harshly commented while he turned around and walked his way. "What makes you so sure that Chrono won't interfere with your plans? After all, he is a powerful demon that should not be underestimated!" Maria pointed out to Aion while indirectly questioning his over confidence as Aion turned around and looked at her. "What are you talking about? You're not saying that Chrono will defeat me by any chance, are you?" Aion suspiciously asked. "I'm just saying that over confidence can be your downfall. That's what I am saying." Maria answered sternly. "It will make no difference of how powerful Chrono is. Since he dares to interfere with my plans, I'll just take care of him accordingly!" Aion said overconfidently as he then once again walked away from the screen while Maria had a worried look on her face. "Joshua, Rosette, I'm leaving the rest to you two." Chrono said to the siblings. "Wait! Are you planning on leaving us here?" Joshua asked in a surprised tone since he couldn't believe with what he just heard Chrono say. "Why shouldn't I? After all, I'm only a monster! I really don't qualify to exist with other people!" Chrono said in a tone that was serious and emotional as he turned around and started to walk away from the two siblings. "The only thing that monsters can do is destroy!" Chrono said to the two as he continued walking away. "Chrono. Just why must you do this alone?" Rosette asked herself confused since Chrono's sudden decision had surprised her. Just then, a huge white wing has caught the trio's attention as Chrono all of a sudden stopped walking. "What's that? Is that who I think it is?" Rosette asked in a surprised tone while at the same time guessing who was coming. Much to their surprise, it was Azmaria who appeared right before them. "Azmaria!" The three shouted out her name. "It's been a while, Rosette, Chrono!" Azmaria happily commented. "I see. I'm glad that you are alright Azmaria! So, what did you come here for?" Rosette asked while she was happy to see Azmaria unharmed. "I'm here to direct you and Chrono to Pandemonium's Imperial Palace! After that, I shall direct Joshua to Eden. There's still a chance that we can prevent the Grand Apocalypse from reaching its fullest scale!" Azmaria explained. "How are we going to do that? The apocalypse has already slowly started to take root." Rosette skeptically stated. "But that doesn't mean we can't stop it from going even further! Hurry and follow me, time is of the essence!" Azmaria explained as she then commanded the trio to follow her and began to fly straight ahead with the rest of the three running after her. In the meantime, Aion opened a large door and walked into what appeared to be a huge room where Pandemonium was present along with several dead demon cells on the ground. Maria followed Aion and looked around the room with a slightly disturbed look on her face since she had a feeling what will happen next. "This place was formerly the imperial palace. While Pandemonium was asleep, the senior guard was busy here maintaining order with the imperial army protecting her." Aion explained to Maria while they were both walking towards the stairs to the altar. "However, today none of them are here. Only she remains." Aion finished explaining as he then turned around, facing Maria. "Once I've liberated Pandemonium, she shall then take possession of your body. This means that the Grand Apocalypse shall take full effect and the rebirth of the world shall take place!" Aion said victoriously while walking towards Maria and he then placed his hand on her upper chest, which made her feel extremely uncomfortable. "Don't you feel honored to be such a contributing part in my quest for freedom Maria?" Aion asked flirtatiously. Maria then suddenly raised her arm up and just when she was about to slap Aion in the face, he quickly grabbed her wrist but since her Stigmata was not concealed it started to burn his hand. Aion however promptly moved his hand away from the Stigmata mark as he began to slightly yell out in pain while smoke was coming out of his hand. After Aion tended to his hand, he then looked at Maria with a serious glance and said in a slightly irritated tone "I can see that your Stigmata is quite the repellent Maria." He stated while Maria looked at him with disgust. "But no matter, you stay here while I go to the altar and liberate Pandemonium!" Aion instructed Maria and he walked forward onto the stairs. Once he reached the altar, he looked at Pandemonium's hybrid like body. Her upper body was that of an armless naked young woman with thick crystalline shaped wings and two horns on her head. Her lower body however was much fuller looking and it very much looked like that of a bird's body with bird like legs along with a long set of thick crystalline shaped feather wings. With a gravely serious tone, Aion said "I'm going to liberate you from your duties Pandemonium!" Aion continued gazing at Pandemonium with a dead serious, almost angry look.

Chapter 30

"There are a few things about us you probably don't know about. To be fair, it's already been fifty five years since we last met Lilith." Aion said to Pandemonium while she was silently breathing. "On that day, the rite of passage took place along with the day of refinement." Aion reminisced as he was remembering the day when as a part of the rites of passage, he underwent a process that was called by the Elders of Pandemonium as a refinement procedure. "It's a real shame. Your generation should have been able to reach an even higher position, even higher than that of the senior guard." The leading Elder said with extreme disappointment while Chrono, Viede, Genai, Rizel and Shader watched the ritual through a glass window from the outside of the ritual chamber. "However, during the refinement procedures, you attempted to access the sacred legion. You have resonated with the central core of memories where access has been forbidden since ancient times. You have penetrated too deeply!" The lead Elder further explained while Aion was kneeling on the ground all wet from the procedure while his hands were placed onto both sides of his head. "It looks like we won't be able to give them any noble ranking." One Elder commented. "Sure enough, we shouldn't have let Lilith's illegitimate offspring live." The lead Elder said with tremendous contempt. "Chrono as well?" The Elder beside the lead Elder on the right asked. "Yes, in that case, Lilith's offspring after the two hundred sixtieth set should be eliminated." The lead Elder decided as he viewed Aion and Chrono's presence to be a tremendous danger for Pandemonium. "This is the true face of the world? This is utterly senseless, completely senseless." Aion thought to himself horrified as he had an extremely traumatized, worried look on his face while his hair slowly started to turn white. Chrono, Shader, Genai, Viede, and Rizel were looking through the window with a deeply worried, shocked look since they could see that Aion was obviously deeply traumatized by the procedure. Back in the present, while still gazing at Pandemonium, Aion said with a creepily calm tone "Don't worry, Chrono doesn't know! Since he's still unaware of this, let's settle this once and for all!" Aion then pulled out his sword and directed it sideways close to where Pandemonium was. "Come Pandemonium, let me release you!" Aion commanded in an aggressive tone as he then directed his sword at Pandemonium. In the meantime, Chrono, Rosette, Joshua, and Azmaria had reached the outside of Pandemonium where they all looked at Pandemonium's Imperial Palace which was straight ahead. "Well, here we are! I'm sure that this time, we'll definitely put a stop to Aion! I just know it!" Rosette commented with huge determination. "So, now that you brought us here to prevent the Grand Apocalypse from happening at its fullest scale, how are we going to do that?" Joshua curiously asked Azmaria. "Now that you have mentioned it Joshua, I brought you all here not only to stop Aion, but to also prevent Pandemonium from taking over the Holy Woman's body." Azmaria revealed. "Pandemonium taking over the Holy Woman's body? Then that means Maria is in grave danger!" Rosette concluded. "Yes, that is exactly what I am saying." Azmaria confirmed. "Since Maria is indeed the holy woman, Pandemonium needs to take possession of her body in order for the apocalypse to take full swing. When that happens, then all of humanity is doomed!" Azmaria began to explain while Rosette, Chrono and Joshua looked at her with an alarmed look. "However, it's still not too late for us to prevent such a tragedy from happening! Joshua and I shall go back to Eden to retrieve the other Apostles who may know some way to put a stop to the Grand Apocalypse. Rosette, Chrono, you two better hurry to Pandemonium's Imperial Palace now before it's really too late!" Azmaria further explained in an urgent tone. "Alright, what are we waiting for Chrono? Let's get going to Pandemonium's Imperial Palace!" Rosette impatiently announced. "Even so, there's a real possibility that things will be more difficult to fix." Azmaria worriedly said. "What do you mean Azmaria?" Chrono gently asked. "Since Aion is only one step away from his goal, this means that parts of the Apocalypse had already begun to take place." Azmaria stated while reminding the three of that fact. Meanwhile, Pandemonium continued roaming its way across the sky while loudly howling and a tremendously bright light had begun to emit from Pandemonium itself. "Pandemonium is emitting a tremendous amount of light! Simultaneously, the surrounding spiritual energy is also increasing quickly!" Sister Claire reported from her headphones. "There seems to be some sort of particle matter that is intermixing with spiritual matter." Sister Mary reported from her headphones. While Sister Kate was listening to the sound recording, she heard the howling sound of Pandemonium and with an alarmed tone asked "Just what has happened?" The Elder suddenly entered and walked into the reporting room while having a very serious look on his face. "We have to hurry! Something big has occurred!" The Elder said urgently. "I know exactly what has happened! I know what Aion's true purpose is." The Elder revealed as he was holding a paper clipboard. In the meantime, Chrono had finally reached Pandemonium's Palace and landed in the room where Aion and Maria were in. He then walked slowly across the room towards the stairway that led to the altar where Pandemonium's body was at. Chrono saw his brother Aion standing right by the stairway holding Pandemonium's severed head. Aion turned his head around and saw Chrono looking at him with a deeply angry look on his face. "So, you're here Chrono!" Aion said while having Pandemonium's head extremely close by his face. Pandemonium's face had a small amount of blood coming from her mouth. "What do you think? Doesn't she look like she's fast asleep?" Aion asked while Chrono continued to angrily look at him while gritting his teeth. Suddenly, Chrono transformed his arm into a long sword and charged at Aion who quickly pulled out his sword and charged back at him. The two brothers however did not strike each other but instead, had their swords directed at each other's throats. "Tell me Aion, did you really destroy the core of Pandemonium?" Chrono asked in a cross voice. "Why are you suddenly so angry? Of course I killed her!" Aion revealed while at the same time confused by Chrono's reaction. "Now we can consider this as a sign of gaining our freedom! Once Pandemonium has successfully taken over the Holy Woman's body, the rebirth of the world shall then begin!" Aion triumphantly said while showing Chrono Pandemonium's severed head on his hand. "Soon the outer shell will begin to crumble. All the chained demons will immediately start to disintegrate! All the chained demons in this gigantic structure will mix into the atmosphere and fall to the surface. All of the humans and other creatures alive on the surface will corrode in vast numbers all at once, causing their eventual destruction. Even the face of the earth will substantially be altered!" Aion explained while imagining what the world will look like once the apocalypse has actually taken full effect. "This is not at all a rebirth! It is doom!" Chrono angrily said to Aion since he knew that such a crazy plan will eventually wipe out humanity and all other living things off from the face of the earth. "Doom you say? I'm just using our hands to reshape this world! A strong will of mind will reign over this demon army." Aion explained as he was trying to justify his actions. Just then, Aion turned his head around and saw some blood coming out of Pandemonium's mouth. "What? The core system has been terminated already!" Aion said in a deeply surprised tone as he didn't anticipate that Pandemonium's core would be terminated so soon while the head had a petrified look with its mouth wide open. Meanwhile, Shader was still in the control room where she was checking the databases on the screen in regards to Pandemonium's core. "An alternate loop is forming I see. Pandemonium is separating herself from its core. This means that it soon will be time for Pandemonium to transfer herself into the Holy Woman's body." Shader stated to herself as she knew what the next step was for Pandemonium once it had separated itself from its core. "So, the time has finally come! The final step for achieving full rebirth of the world shall now take place! It appears that victory is on my side!" Aion exclaimed with intense enthusiasm since the last step in starting the apocalypse at its fullest scale was now beginning. Just then, Aion heard a gunshot coming straight towards him and he quickly dodged the attack. After the bullet failed in hitting Aion and instead exploded, Rosette walked her way across the room with a serious, determined look on her face while pointing her gun forward. "Rosette Christopher!" Aion said her name in an irritated tone while she continued walking as if he hadn't said a word. "Aion, you will not get away with this! I will never let Pandemonium to take possession of Maria's body just so you can accomplish that crazy goal of yours!" Rosette said in an intimidating, serious tone while still having her gun pointed at him. "Rosette, I can see that you have caught up with me." Chrono commented. "Yes, indeed I have. Now that I'm here, I shall retrieve Maria by any means necessary!" Rosette said to Chrono with great determination. Suddenly, Aion began to power himself up as a fierce wind surrounded both Rosette and Chrono. "Hahaha, don't think that you can stop me so easily! I am only one step ahead of achieving the rebirth of the world, and I don't intend to have my plans ruined by the likes of you two!" Aion chuckled sinisterly as he was hell bent on accomplishing his goal. "Rosette, go on ahead of me and meet up with Maria. I'll battle with Aion from here!" Chrono instructed Rosette. He then quickly flew towards Aion and charged at him while screaming slightly as Aion did the same. Rosette took the opportunity to run on ahead of the two demons straight to the altar so she could reach Maria on time.

In the meantime, Shader was observing Chrono and Aion's battle from the control room on the screen. She found the battle to be quite intense as she was wondering how it would end. "My, what an intense battle this is. I'm worried about those two outside. I wonder how it will all end!" Shader commented in a somewhat excited yet suspenseful tone. "Oh crap, I've lost track of Pandemonium's soul! I didn't think the transfer would happen so quickly." Shader said in a shocked, alarmed tone since she got distracted by Aion and Chrono's battle. "It doesn't matter. Anyways, it has already reached Eden! This is like a race against time." Shader stated with a confident tone. "I wonder if Pandemonium will arrive first, or will Aion? Also Chrono, will you really be able to succeed in defeating Aion?" Shader asked curiously since she couldn't tell what the outcome would be in regards to Aion and Pandemonium. While the two demons were fighting, a huge explosion erupted right by the outside of Pandemonium and Aion then wielded his sword towards Chrono. This caused an aggressive wind to set off. As Chrono charged towards Aion with his sword transformed hand, Aion raised his sword up and used it to block Chrono's energy attack as if the sword was some kind of shield. Aion was laughing with amusement at how useless Chrono's powers were against his sword. Chrono then summoned his strongest energy powers from his hand. He stretched out his hand towards Aion and released a very powerful form of freezing energy. Unfortunately for Chrono, his energy powers failed to hit Aion since he was using his sword's blade as a shield against Chrono's attacks. "Unbelievable, freezing is useless against him?" Chrono thought to himself confused as he didn't know what protected Aion from his attack. "In case you have been wondering Chrono, this blade can withstand all demon capabilities! Don't think that you can stop me from that distance!" Aion explained while gloating at his sword's strong power. Aion then lifted up his sword again and quickly wielded it around at Chrono which caused a huge explosion right on the walls of Pandemonium. Chrono however, managed to evade the explosion as he promptly flew his way up and charged towards Aion. "In that case, I will directly block you! I won't let you through!" Chrono determinedly said while charging at the Sinner. Meanwhile, Rosette was still in the altar room at Pandemonium searching for Maria. She heard the explosion from outside which made her worried about Chrono's fight with Aion. "Whatever is happening out there, I do hope that Chrono will be alright!" Rosette said in a worried tone. Just then, someone walked right behind her which caught Rosette's attention. She turned around to see who was approaching her, and to her surprise, it was Maria. "Maria, is that you?" Rosette asked in disbelief while Maria looked at her with a monotonous expression. "Yes Rosette, it's me!" Maria confirmed in a tone that was so dry and soulless that it sounded as if she was stripped of all emotions. Rosette was overwhelmed with joy that Maria was alright. She then ran towards her and gave her a big hug. Such an action from Rosette put Maria off as she wasn't exactly expecting her to do so. "We were all so worried about you Maria! Considering that you are now under Aion's grasp, I'm happy to see that you are okay!" Rosette told Maria in an overwhelmingly grateful tone as she backed from Maria and took her hand. "Let's get out of here before Pandemonium takes over your body! Azmaria, Joshua and the rest of the Apostles should be waiting for us by now! Let's go!" Rosette said as she then rushed to get Maria out of Pandemonium. Maria however let go of Rosette's hand who looked at her surprised. "Maria, what's the meaning of this? Aren't you happy that we all came this way to get you and to put a stop to Aion?" Rosette asked confused. "You really don't understand, do you Rosette?" Maria asked in a dry, unimpressed tone. "What do you mean? What is it that I don't understand?" Rosette asked perplexed since she didn't know what Maria meant. "You should know that my reason for siding with Aion was so I can make sure that he is eventually defeated!" Maria revealed. "You mean you chose to side with Aion just so we would be able to defeat him quicker?" Rosette curiously asked. "That's right! You of all people should know that my hatred for that demon knows no limits. What better way to see your enemy being defeated just by siding with them!" Maria said in a callous tone. "Maria!" Rosette said her name in a surprised tone as she couldn't believe what Maria was saying. "Don't worry Rosette! All what he did to me was deprive me of my family by kidnapping me. He also had the nerve to rape me after I was captured a second time just because I didn't accept his 'love.' I am more than happy to see Aion get what he finally deserves for wishing to wipe out humanity just so he can accomplish that crazy dream of his! To die a horrible, painful death!" Maria explained in a vengeful, callous tone as she walked towards Rosette. "Once you and I meet up with Chrono, I shall use my holy blood on Aion in huge amounts which will certainly kill him in the process! Aion will then be remembered as the evil demon that he is! It's a shame I couldn't have killed him earlier." Maria continued explaining to Rosette callously. In the meantime, Azmaria and Joshua reached the organ chamber at Eden and started searching for the rest of the five Apostles. All five of the Apostles were standing right above the organ player. There were three boys and two girls. "Considering that the remaining Apostles haven't left, they should still be here somewhere." Azmaria commented as they began searching, while the five Apostles were watching the two from above. "Little do humans know that there will come a day when all living things will come to an end." The Apostle girl in the kimono said. "This is the way it is. Even we Apostles are unable to change that. It is because we are only death's Apostles!" The black boy Apostle explained. "Our adversary, Pandemonium, will consume souls and its source once it has taken possession of the Holy Woman's body. It is this planet's greatest enemy! Pandemonium will lead to earth's destruction. Her existence weakens souls and brings death to the next generation!" The blond haired Apostle boy with glasses explained. "However, let's continue to see what happens! The wisest answer is something we still don't understand." The blonde haired Apostle girl advised. Outside Pandemonium, the battle between Aion and Chrono continued with great intensity. Aion stroked the walls of Pandemonium again with his sword and it began to collapse rapidly. Aion then flew his way towards the direction to where the Organ room was at. Chrono managed to evade the crumbling bee hive shaped walls as he was fiercely determined to stop Aion at all costs. They finally arrived by the windows of the chamber where the Oratorio ritual took place and suddenly, Aion directed his sword at the walls of the Organ chamber. He then wielded it towards the large windows, which caused Chrono to have a very alarmed, worried look on his face as he feared the worst to happen. "Is something wrong Joshua?" Azmaria asked as Joshua abruptly stopped walking. "That noise. It's coming from outside. I can hear it." Joshua answered since he was hearing a loud banging sound coming from outside. Just then, the large glass windows across the chamber had shattered into a thousand pieces all at once. This took Joshua and Azmaria completely by surprise. "Well, well. Look who we have here! You two, along with that interfering nun are really causing me quite a few problems!" Aion said to the two Apostles as he was slowly flying his way into the chamber. "Too bad it's all over!" Aion said victoriously as he then landed onto the ground. Joshua abruptly ran towards Aion and once he reached him, he then spread out his arms in protest. "Aion, stop this madness at once! If the core of Pandemonium is destroyed, then humanity and all other living things will cease to exist." Joshua desperately pleaded Aion. "You idiot! Why would I stop here at this final stage? You're a fool to think I can lose to Chrono!" Aion said in a cold, slightly impatient tone since he was not willing to give up on his goals. Just then, Chrono arrived into the room as he landed onto the ground facing Aion and began to charge at him. Aion quickly turned around and used his sword to shield himself against Chrono who was trying to attack him. Azmaria and Joshua were watching the battle with deeply worried looks on their faces, worrying of the outcome since the battle became so intense. Suddenly, Joshua and Azmaria saw the remaining five Apostles flying towards them, much to both their relief and surprise. "All of you! Did you come to tell us something?" Azmaria curiously asked. "The outcome is clear!" The black haired, kimono wearing Apostle said. "We cannot allow Pandemonium to take over the Holy Woman's body!" The black Apostle revealed their intentions. "Even though there's only a slight chance of stopping Pandemonium, we will help you!" The blonde haired Apostle girl said to Azmaria as she took her hand. Joshua and Azmaria's wings had then sprouted out from their backs.

"You really are getting on my nerves! Why are you working so hard against me?" Aion asked in a heavily annoyed tone while Chrono continued to use his sword transformed hand against Aion's sword. Suddenly, Chrono felt some strong pain on his sword arm to the point that he begun to grunt and moan. Just when he dragged his arm away from Aion's sword, Chrono's sword arm began to crack as he screamed loudly. Just a few moments later, it shattered into many pieces, with blood coming out of the arm. This took Aion completely by surprise. With his left arm now completely destroyed, Chrono abruptly turned around and saw all of the seven Apostles had left the room. "The Apostles, could it be that they are heading to where Rosette and Maria are?" Chrono asked himself as he had a hunch that was the case. Chrono then began to fly out through the window at full speed while Aion looked at him with an unimpressed look. "Hmmm, what can they possibly do now? It will soon all be over. They can't stop Pandemonium from taking over Maria's body now." Aion said with slight confidence and began to laugh sinisterly as he believed that the final step in his goal will soon come into motion. Meanwhile, back at the altar room, Rosette and Maria witnessed Pandemonium's soul emerging into a nude, horned female vision of itself with multiple Pandemonium lookalikes on the bottom of its soul like body. "Oh no, Pandemonium is emerging!" Rosette said in a shocked tone as she knew what will happen to Maria once it takes possession of her body. As Pandemonium began to howl, it charged right towards Maria while its hands spread out open and a strong energy started to flow across the room. "Why are you standing there, Maria? Hurry! Get out of the way!" Rosette alarmed her but Maria did not respond as she looked at Pandemonium's appearance as if she was hypnotized. Once Pandemonium had gotten close to Maria to the point that it was about to take over her body, Rosette ran towards her and shielded Maria from Pandemonium. As Rosette stood right in front of Maria, Pandemonium instead went into Rosette's body all at once. Pandemonium's energy was so intense that Rosette slowly began to feel weak and after a short while, she passed out onto the ground. Pandemonium was now inside Rosette's body which now made her unconscious as its energy was unbearably strong. Maria looked at Rosette's body lying on the ground and tears began to fill her eyes with sadness. "Rosette?" Maria said her name in a sad, weak tone and slowly walked towards Rosette's body. Once she knelt down on the ground, she gently took Rosette's hand and looked at her with a sorrowful look on her face. "No, this can't be true?! Why? Why did you sacrifice yourself to save me? Why?" Maria yelled in a broken tone as she couldn't believe what she just witnessed. The tears flew even more down her face while as she was crying heavily over the loss of her friend. "Rosette!" Maria cried out her name as she was embracing her body in grief. Chrono and all of the seven Apostles had finally reached the altar room where they saw Maria weeping over Rosette. "Maria!" Chrono called out her name as she turned her head around facing him. "Chrono, I am afraid it is too late." Maria explained in a broken tone and turned her head away. "What are you talking about? What happened to Rosette?" Chrono asked in shock. "Rosette sacrificed herself to save me from Pandemonium taking control over my body." Maria explained in a heartbroken tone. "What do you mean?" Joshua worriedly asked. "Since Pandemonium has taken control of her body, Rosette will not last much longer." Maria sadly revealed while Chrono rushed towards Rosette and started to hold her hand. He became overwhelmed with sadness as tears began to fill his eyes, and with a broken voice, yelled "Rosette!" The five Apostles looked at Chrono, Joshua and Azmaria with deep empathy as they knew how hard it must have been for them at the moment. "Rosette, open your eyes! You are strong! You won't lose to anyone! Don't you dare die on me Rosette!" Chrono emotionally said in despair since he couldn't believe that such a thing would happen to her. "Please Rosette, answer me!" Chrono brokenly said while Joshua looked at him as he knelt to the ground. "Is there nothing else that can be done for Rosette? Will she really die soon?" Joshua asked in fear. "In this sort of situation, Rosette would not give up! She definitely wouldn't give up!" Azmaria said with huge confidence. "Azmaria." Chrono said her name in a surprised tone as he didn't anticipate that Azmaria had become so emotionally strong. "Rosette isn't really dead yet! Her soul should still be in contact with her body! Because of that, this means that the pocket watch is still moving!" Azmaria began explaining. "I see, so there is a way to save Rosette after all! But how?" Chrono asked in a hopeful yet uncertain tone. "I can use my healing powers to try to prevent Rosette from dying by bringing back her consciousness!" Maria revealed. "Maria, you're saying that you can actually bring Rosette's consciousness back?" Chrono asked in an amazed tone. "Well, I'm not entirely sure if my healing powers will be strong enough to do that, but I can certainly try!" Maria explained with hope and grabbed Rosette's seal watch. Chrono then teleported Maria and the unconscious Rosette back to Eden while the seven Apostles flew back there as well.

Chapter 31

In the meantime, Rosette was dreaming a psychological kind of dream where she was inside a train cabin sitting beside the passengers. "Snow? When did I start to wait here? Everything here seems to be rather vague. Whether it is the passing of time, or the boundary between heaven and earth? Even the boundary between life and death?" Rosette thought to herself deeply and anxiously while looking out of the window. The snow was falling as the train passed by a field filled with an array of crosses. While looking through the window with a long, confused look, Rosette thought "I don't feel anything. My anxiety and regrets should still make me feel uneasy, but I am already indifferent! Up ahead is the final station, the end of the story." Just then, a male train clerk opened the cabin door and walked straight in. "Excuse me miss, can you please show me your train ticket!" The young black haired train clerk demanded and Rosette searched her pocket for it. "I'm sorry sir, I don't have one! I don't even recall when I got on board." Rosette apologetically said to the gentleman as she then got out a picture showing a portrait of herself, Azmaria, Satella, Maria and Chrono. "The cost of the fare for this train is your life story. Please tell me, what sort of life did you lead?" The guy curiously asked while slightly lifting his hat. "My life? It seems like I was always running. My brother Joshua was kidnapped. In order to find him, I persistently searched everywhere. Since I was always running, I was so tired. However, I continued to run regardless of what the outcome might have been." Rosette explained in a somewhat nostalgic manner. "It must have been difficult for you." The man commented. "Actually, it wasn't difficult at all! Because I tried my hardest, I was finally able to get my brother back! For that, I'm very satisfied now!" Rosette answered contently while slightly chuckling at the man's comment. "Alright then, I wish you a happy journey!" The young man said to her as he started to make his way out of the cabin. "While the world never stops turning, you have already tried your hardest. The final destination is a very nice place. It will allow you to finally get a good rest!" The train clerk explained to Rosette and left the cabin. "Is that so? Then I won't need to rush anymore!" Rosette thought to herself in a relieved yet disconnected tone. "I've given it my all. Now I have arrived!" Rosette thought conclusively. "So, that's the way it is Joshua. The world keeps on going. Even if I'm not there, it will still keep on going." Rosette thought to herself while looking at the field from the window. When night time came, the snow had fallen heavily onto the ground and while looking out of the window Rosette heard a female voice call out "Rosette." Rosette heard the voice and turned her head around. She saw a young hooded woman dressed as the Virgin Mary sitting right on the other side of the cabin in front of her. "Who are you?" Rosette curiously asked the mysterious lady. "Are you really satisfied?" The young lady critically asked. "What are you saying? Of course I'm satisfied! For four years, I didn't stop running. In the end, it was all worth it since I was able to get my beloved brother back. Because of that, I am satisfied!" Rosette explained to the lady defensively as she couldn't believe what the woman just asked her. "You are lying to yourself. In reality, you are afraid of the truth!" The lady said as she wasn't convinced by what Rosette told her. "How am I lying? What right do you have to say this to me? I've already tried my hardest! Why are you saying this to me? Everything has come to an end, so it makes no difference!" Rosette angrily said at the young woman as she continued to deny that she wasn't yet completely content. "If that's true, then why do you keep looking out of the window? Who are you looking for?" The young lady calmly yet curiously asked which suddenly made Rosette realize something about herself that she hadn't realized until now. She then looked out the window once again and saw Chrono in his demon form standing right out in the cold, snowy field. Rosette immediately dashed out of the cabin room and began to run across the hallway of the train. "Even though my journey was very hard, it wasn't all hardships, because there was one other person who was always by my side!" Rosette thought to herself strongly as she opened the door that lead her outside on the observation deck. She looked straight at the snowy field perplexed. "Chrono is not here. It looks like I came here alone!" Rosette said in a disappointed tone. She slowly began to kneel down onto the deck with her hands holding the deck's rail while the wind howled strongly like that of a blizzard. "The reason why I came here alone is because I'm already dead." Rosette said in a quiet, broken tone as she faced the cruel realization of the situation. "No, I don't want to die! There's still so much I want to say. There's still so much I want you to help me accomplish. I don't want to be apart from you Chrono!" Rosette yelled out and began to sob out of despair while the veiled lady walked her way towards her. "The one who is most important to me is Chrono! He was always there for me and he never once gave up on me!" Rosette sobbed in despair while tears flew heavily down onto her face. The fact that Rosette felt she couldn't be with Chrono again emotionally devastated her as she continued crying her heart out. After many minutes have passed, Rosette wiped her tears away and looked straight ahead again at the snowy field. Once Rosette's tears had completely dried away, she took the seal watch from her neck and looked at it indecisively. "Are you leaving now?" The woman asked Rosette once she stepped outside onto the deck from behind her. "Will this be hard? To start walking back now, there isn't much time anymore!" Rosette thought to herself deeply and with hesitation. She began to climb onto the rails and turned around towards the veiled woman with her arms spread out. "After a while, you will eventually fade away and return here. Do you still want to go back?" The woman curiously and critically asked Rosette. Rosette looked at the veiled woman with a bittersweet look on her face and with an intensely emotional voice she answered "Yes! Even so, I still want to go!" Rosette then jumped off of the deck rail and spread out her arms and legs in a lying position and closed her eyes. Just then, the snowy field had suddenly changed into a blank dimension in which Mary Magdalene's nude spirit appeared in front of Rosette which took her by surprise. "That's right, because you are still alive!" Mary Magdalene said to her in a calm, whispery tone as she offered her hand to Rosette. It was then that Rosette had figured out that the veiled woman who was talking to her on the train was actually Mary Magdalene. "It is you Mary Magdalene! You were always here by our side. You were always protecting us." Rosette said as she came to the realization that Mary Magdalene was the one who was always watching over her, Chrono and the others at the Magdalene Order as well as Maria. Mary Magdalene smiled warmly at Rosette and gently said "Let us go back to be by the side of the person we both love!"

Rosette took Mary Magdalene's hand and within a moment later, she woke up. As she slowly lifted herself up from the ground, Rosette saw that she has been taken to the organ room back in Eden. "I can't believe it. I've actually made it back!" Rosette said to herself in disbelief while looking at her hands. "Rosette, thank God you are okay!" Chrono said in an intensely emotional voice and began to hug Rosette dearly. "So, my healing powers have worked after all! Thanks to them, Rosette's consciousness has finally returned!" Maria said with joyous relief while the seven Apostles were watching Chrono embracing Rosette. "I've come back Chrono! While I was dreaming, I met Mary Magdalene. We even held hands together!" Rosette emotionally explained while tears were falling down onto her face. "So you have?" Chrono asked while tears had also filled up his eyes. "This truly is a miracle! I have never been so happy! Please don't ever leave me again!" Chrono said happily while sounding as if he could cry at any moment out of joy. Chrono turned his head around and looked at Maria. "Thank you Maria! Without your healing powers, Rosette would have surely been dead by now. How can I ever repay you for such a miracle?" Chrono thanked gratefully to Maria and she then smiled at him. "Chrono, you really are quite the soft hearted one, aren't you?" Maria commented amused as she could clearly see that Chrono's love for Rosette was extremely strong. Azmaria and Joshua looked at Chrono and Rosette with huge satisfaction and relief and Azmaria began to become teary as well. Just then, Joshua heard a loud rumbling noise from outside which alarmed him. "What's happening?" Joshua curiously asked. Pandemonium began to slowly collapse as the outer part of it had began to break apart. "It appears that Pandemonium is breaking up." The blonde haired girl Apostle monotonously revealed which made all of them deeply shocked. "If the demon matter continues to spread, it will poison the whole world!" The blond haired boy Apostle explained while lifting his glasses. "Since Pandemonium failed to take possession of the holy woman's body and instead possessed the body of an ordinary human, it had no choice but to self destruct. When that happens, all of humanity will cease to exist!" The short brown haired Apostle girl explained. "This is because the core has now been completely destroyed. Nothing can stop it now!" The kimono wearing Apostle explained conclusively. "How can this be? There has to be a way out of this." Azmaria shouted out in desperation while Rosette patted her shoulder. "There's still a way! If someone can reach the core, they can stop it." Rosette explained calmly to Azmaria once she turned around towards her. "What are you saying Rosette?" Azmaria asked and Rosette took her hand off of her shoulder. "I've decided to go!" Rosette said determinedly and decisively. "What? Are you crazy Rosette?" Joshua asked out of disbelief. "I saw everything in regards to Pandemonium's memories! If I can reach the core, I can probably think of a way to control it." Rosette confidently explained as she was loading her gun with a few bullets while Chrono approached her from behind. "I know that even if I tried to stop you, you would still go. I'm coming with you. Let me accompany you along this path!" Chrono stated as he gladly offered Rosette his support. "Joshua, please take care of Azmaria and the others. I assure you that Rosette will definitely come back!" Chrono instructed Joshua while simultaneously insuring Rosette's safety. Joshua then gritted his teeth and with an uneasy look on his face said with a strong voice "It's a deal! Now hurry!" Rosette and Chrono started to run their way out of the rumbling room but abruptly stopped when Joshua shouted out "Wait Chrono." "Yes Joshua, what is it?" Chrono asked. "I'm sorry for having called you a monster. Just take good care of my sister!" Joshua apologetically said while Rosette looked at her brother with a huge confident smile. "Don't worry Joshua! I'll be alright, I promise!" Rosette said to Joshua and she along with Chrono began running out of the room while Pandemonium continued to crumble. "Joshua, are you sure Rosette and Chrono will be okay?" Azmaria worriedly asked. "I really hope so Azmaria. I really do!" Joshua said in a worried tone. Chrono and Rosette were running for several minutes across the halls of Eden until they finally reached the edge of it. Right in front of Eden was Pandemonium, which continued to crumble. "It looks like we finally made it! Soon we will be able to reach Pandemonium's core and stop it once and for all!" Rosette commented while breathing heavily. "Are you alright Rosette?" Chrono asked as he could see that the nonstop running was slowly starting to make Rosette tired. "I'm fine! I always seem to be running anyways, so it doesn't make much of a difference." Rosette assured Chrono. "That's good to hear!" Chrono said in relief. "I want us to run together. I want to run with you forever Chrono!" Rosette said in a hopeful tone and continued running on the stair passage way right towards Pandemonium. Chrono abruptly stopped running which took Rosette completely by surprise and she stopped as well. "Chrono what's wrong? Why did we stop?" Rosette asked concerned. Chrono turned around and looked at Rosette with a sad look on his face as he knew what he must say to her. "I'm sorry Rosette, but I have to settle things alone. I believe that once we get there, things will not turn out well." Chrono started to explain to Rosette in a disappointed tone. "What are you saying? That is why I can't let you go there alone Chrono!" Rosette shouted at him since she couldn't believe what Chrono was actually telling her. "It's not just that! Up ahead, there are too many demons and I won't be able to properly protect you. If I go alone, there might be a chance for me to come back alive!" Chrono started explaining his reason for not wanting Rosette to accompany him in reaching Pandemonium's core. "Besides, Aion is also most likely at the core. This battle is between brothers. No matter what, I need to settle things with him." Chrono continued explaining. "Are you saying I'll get in the way? I don't want to be separated from you anymore Chrono!" Rosette shouted at him as tears began to fill her eyes since she couldn't imagine losing him now. Chrono walked towards Rosette and started hugging her and touched her face gently. "Don't worry Rosette! No matter what I have decided, I will always be by your side! I will definitely come back for you and I intend to make that a promise!" Chrono said to her optimistically and started to make his leave. He flew away towards the right at Pandemonium. Rosette watched Chrono take off and tried to smile despite the fact that she was clearly sad. "Chrono, whatever happens, please come back safely!" Rosette desperately tried to hold back the tears in her eyes that had begun to intensify. "In another twenty seconds, the barrier will have reached its limit! There's no way we'll get near it." Sister Claire reported from her headphones. The Magdalene Order had set up a barrier across their entire air force as a way to prevent having their bodies corrode from the toxins that Pandemonium had released in the air. "Wait a minute! The demon matter has stopped spreading! The spirit energy is increasing tremendously! Is the center the enemy's weak spot?" Sister Claire reported to Sister Kate who all of a sudden witnessed a huge amount of bright energy flowing through the sky that was coming from Eden. Back at the organ chamber, all of the seven Apostles called upon their wings and their powers to activate the Astral Line. They intended to use it to surround Pandemonium which would inevitably weaken the core significantly in the process. Such a task proved to be quite overwhelming for all of the Apostles as they were using the last of their remaining powers to help weaken Pandemonium and to stop the demon matter from spreading further. "Whatever happens, I do hope that all of our efforts were not for nothing in the end." Maria said with uncertainty while using her own powers to support the Apostles. As the Apostles continued to use their last ounce of powers, The Astral Line flowed directly towards Pandemonium and surrounded her entire surface. "I don't believe it. Pandemonium is being surrounded by the Astral Line." Father Remington commented in disbelief with what he was seeing. "Look, it's heading towards space." Storm Valerie said as he pointed at the Astral Line while another exorcist agent was holding his arm around his shoulder. Meanwhile, Shader was in the control room where she saw the Astral Line surrounding Pandemonium. She was now transformed into her demon form dressed in a tube top that exposed the cleavage as well as a long skirt exposing the side of her legs. "Thank you all Apostles! I will have Eden separate from Pandemonium! I wish you all good luck for your safe return to the surface of the earth!" Shader wished the best for all the Apostles as she deep down knew that they, the Sinners had ultimately failed in their dream for freedom from Pandemonium.

In the meantime, Chrono had finally reached the altar room on Pandemonium which had been destroyed while he was battling Aion. Chrono saw Aion sitting on the stairs while holding Pandemonium's head and he assumed that Aion was waiting for him. "So, you've came Chrono. Without my sword, I feel pretty ill." Aion commented at Chrono while he looked at his brother with a serious look. "So, you bore this suffering for the last fifty five years. Isn't that right, Chrono?" Aion asked his brother in a somewhat grudging tone. "That woman, is she the one?" Chrono curiously asked as he was referring to Pandemonium's head. "Yes, she is Pandemonium's core replacement, the unturned human Lilith who is our biological mother!" Aion revealed which definitely surprised Chrono as he was never told of that fact before. "Aion, what are you talking about? Are you saying that Pandemonium was our mother?" Chrono asked in disbelief. "Exactly, you of all demons should have known that. Ten thousand years ago, Pandemonium had crashed onto the earth's surface as it was its final destination after leaving its original home for over 376 days. Along the way, something unusual has occurred within the core. While Pandemonium was in the process of landing, the pressure from the barrier shields shattered the surface, and the core began to experience a malfunction which meant that Pandemonium was unable to proceed along its course and thus had sunk to the bottom of the sea." Aion began to explain Pandemonium's origins. "What does this have anything to do with Pandemonium being our birth mother?" Chrono suspiciously asked. "I am just getting on to that! After Pandemonium had failed to land on the surface, The Elder had found out that maintaining the system would be extremely difficult by just relying on non-essential tuned demons. Since they have lost their bestowed leader, three million of the yet unfrozen noble class had been destroyed. From that day forward, the Elders had decided to shield all information from the public and at the same time to restrain the public in order to maintain the system. It was then that a core replacement was needed, and the Elders started kidnapping young women in order to keep Pandemonium alive. Every time a human host died off, a new female host would have to be found to replace the previous one. The last victim was already pregnant with the both of us by the time she was brought here. After she eventually had been turned into the core replacement for Pandemonium, she then became the mother of a whole new generation of demons." Aion finished explaining the history of Pandemonium. "So what you're saying is that we both have some human blood in us?" Chrono asked intrigued. "Yes. Actually it doesn't matter whether you knew this or not. It's just that I was thinking of at least to let you know on what happened on that coming of age ceremony of mine." Aion answered while at the same time seeming indifferent to Chrono's knowledge on the subject. "Aion, don't tell me that you actually have tried to access Pandemonium's core at that time?" Chrono asked in a surprised, shocked tone. "Why so shocked? This is nothing more than a container for Pandemonium! The truth is that Lilith died a long time ago while giving birth to us. As you should know, the dead cannot demand. To continue moving forward is the purpose of living. Isn't that how it is?" Aion asked while telling Chrono a saying that he had told him fifty four years ago which quickly jogged Chrono's memory. "No matter who it is, not having to rely on others, and being able to reign over the world's end. The system tightly controls humanity, strips them of freedom, and the strength of their wings to fly. Government, religion, society, whether it be God or the Devil himself, it's all just a creation of someone's imagination. All of this is nothing more but a method for binding humanity to society. That is what I hate the most!" Aion said bitterly as he tried to justify his goals and actions. "So that was your main motive to bring about the world's end and to draw in the entire world, sacrificing everything?" Chrono asked. "That's right, unfortunately now it's come to this. I wonder where did it all go wrong?" Aion sighed and lamented on his failure to accomplish his goal. "Rosette Christopher, that girl is not someone I had anticipated. Who would have thought that a brat like her would have appeared?! She is just a mere human, a worthless being who is only part of this cycle of life and death, whose soul will disappear someday. Who would have thought that she would ruin everything I was trying to accomplish for all these years?!" Aion again lamented on his failed goals, blaming Rosette for the reason why his dream goals had failed. "Aion, it is because of Rosette that I'm able to continue fighting! It is because of her that we are here now. That is why I wish to create a future for her!" Chrono said to Aion optimistically as he was facing him while Aion laughed out of amusement. "Is that so? In that case, this here will be our world's end. Because of our opposing objectives, that is why we will finish it here." Aion said as he then prepared for their final battle by transforming his hand into a sword with Chrono also doing the same. "Rosette, I want to help create your future and the future of the world that you live in as well!" Chrono thought to himself determinedly. As the two brothers were prepared to battle each other one last time, Shader was standing by the room entrance and watched the two charging at each other. The cat demon had a bad and worried feeling that their last battle will end with one of them getting killed. In the meantime, Rosette was still at the place where Chrono left her as she was kneeling down and looking at the sky in front of her while wiping her tears away. "Rosette!" Azmaria, Joshua and Maria shouted her name while they were running towards her. The trio stopped running and saw that Rosette was emotionally down. None of the three knew what happened that made Rosette so unresponsive all of a sudden. Maria slowly walked towards Rosette and patted her shoulder as she then asked "Rosette, what happened? Why are you crying?" Rosette slowly stood up from the ledge and with a mildly sad tone, revealed "Chrono is gone!" Such news had shocked Azmaria as she never would have thought that Chrono would leave Rosette all of a sudden. "What? Chrono is gone? How can this be? Chrono would never willingly leave you alone, especially at a time like this." Azmaria stated confused. "It's okay Azmaria! We made a promise! He said that for my sake and for us, he will create our future. But, if there is only me alone in my future, how does that help?" Rosette explained while trying to accept the situation at hand. Azmaria walked closer to Rosette and leaned herself on her as she was on the verge of crying. Rosette turned around, placed her hands on Azmaria's shoulders and with a gentle voice explained "Azmaria, there is no reason for you to be sad over this. It doesn't matter if it's ten years, fifty years, I will continue to wait for him! Because Chrono said that he would definitely return! Furthermore, I made that promise to him." Azmaria however, could not help but bring herself to cry heavily as the situation of Chrono being gone was just too much for her to emotionally bear. She then gave Rosette a huge hug as a sign of sympathy for her. "Azmaria, it's okay! I can assure you that Chrono will return one day, I am sure of it!" Rosette tried to assure Azmaria who was still crying. "You really think so Rosette?" Azmaria emotionally asked. "Yes Azmaria, I do!" Rosette calmly confirmed and Azmaria then began wiping her tears away. "Alright, let's go home! There's still a bunch of things we need to do!" Rosette decided as she then lifted her arms up in the air while the other five Apostles had successfully reached them. "Look Rosette, the other Apostles have reached us!" Joshua told Rosette as she turned around and looked at them. "So, you're coming with us to the Magdalene Order I assume?" Rosette asked as she knew that was most likely the case. "That's right. We have nowhere else left to go now since the Sinners have clearly failed in their destructive goals. Assuming that one of the Magdalene Order's roles is to help people in need and for those who have nowhere to turn to, all five of us have decided to come with you four!" The blonde haired Apostle girl explained. "That's great to hear! We were actually thinking of taking you five to the Magdalene Order anyways! Considering it's a church organization, it is a perfect sanctuary for those who have nowhere else to go!" Rosette said gladly to the girl. "Rosette, look up ahead. I think it's someone who we know." Maria told Rosette as she looked at a severely injured young red haired woman carrying another young woman with short black hair dressed in maid clothing. Rosette took a closer look at the two women and as the red haired lady walked closer to them, she recognized Satella and her sister Fiore. "Oh my God! Satella, what happened to you?" Rosette yelled in a shocked tone. She ran towards her as she saw Satella barely able to walk. Satella slowly lifted her head up and looked at Rosette and the others. She said with a weak tone "Rosette, I can see that the Sinners have finally lost! For that I am glad, and I am also happy that Azmaria and the other Apostles are alright along with Maria!" "Satella!" Azmaria shouted her name while she was running towards her. "Halo mein liebekind. It's been a while now!" Satella weakly said while trying to catch her breath. "Satella, it appears that you are severely wounded. What happened to you?" Azmaria asked in a shocked tone while commenting on Satella's wounded state. "I impaled myself along with my sister Florette since there was no hope in bringing her back." Satella exhaustedly explained. "What do you mean? You're not saying that Fiore is dead?" Joshua asked confused as he could see that Fiore was not responding at all. "Yes, I stabbed her with her weapon at the same time I stabbed myself. For some reason I couldn't reach out to her." Satella continued explaining in a sad, broken tone. "Azmaria." Satella called out her name. "Yes Satella, what is it?" Azmaria asked. "Although my time is now up, please sing me one of your songs for one last time." Satella pleaded as she then fell down onto the ground. Azmaria at first was hesitant to sing for Satella since seeing her on the verge of death was too much for her to emotionally bear.

Nevertheless, she began singing in a sad, choir like voice "Lo he comes with cloud descending, once for favored sinners slain. Thousand saints attending, Swell the triumph of his train. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, God appears on Earth to reign, God appears on Earth to reign. Those dear tokens of His passion, Still His dazzling body bears; Cause of endless exultation, To His ransomed worshippers; With what rapture, With what rapture, With what rapture, Gaze we on those glorious scars! Gaze we on those glorious scars." While Azmaria was singing, Satella felt much at ease. She closed her eyes in peace, knowing that she will die with her sister by her side. Once Azmaria had stopped singing, she looked at Satella's body and with a broken voice called out. "Satella!" Satella however did not answer as she had died while Azmaria was singing to her. "No, this can't be. Satella, answer me!" Azmaria sadly begged Satella as she lifted her body up and looked at her face. Tears began to flow down Azmaria's face since it became clear to her that Satella had now died in peace. Azmaria hugged Satella's body tightly and with an extremely sad, broken voice, cried out in despair "Nooooooooooooo!" Meanwhile, Chrono and Aion's battle was becoming somewhat intense as they continued to fight with their sword transformed hands as Aion abruptly flew away. "Huh, where did he go?" Chrono asked surprised as Aion took the opportunity to abruptly strike at him and cut his right arm off. His arm started to bleed heavily as Chrono screamed out of deep pain as he then fell down to the ground. "It appears that you have let your guard down Chrono. How disappointing, to think that you are almost as powerful as I am and yet you've allowed yourself to be maimed like this." Aion said in a sarcastic yet disappointed tone while walking towards the maimed Chrono who was still lying on the ground. Aion grabbed Chrono by his neck and lifted his body straight up. With a sinister smile he said "This is the end Chrono! It is now time to put an end to your misery." Just as Aion was about to impale Chrono right in his stomach, Chrono suddenly grabbed Aion's sword transformed hand. Such an abrupt act on Chrono's part had taken Aion completely by surprise as he didn't expect him to have the strength to even strike back. Just then, Aion's arm began to freeze into stone as Chrono had used his time freezing powers on him. "No, this can't be! Chrono, what have you done?" Aion asked in horror since he could not believe that his body was actually in the process of being frozen into stone. "You've underestimated my strength Aion! Even if I am badly maimed, I will defeat you one way or another." Chrono calmly explained to his older brother. "You bastard!" Aion cursed angrily at him. "Die, Aion!" Chrono shouted out determinedly as he further activated his time freezing powers on Aion's body which made the process of it turning into stone much faster. Aion started to scream in agony while his body continued to transform into stone rapidly. Within just a few moments later, Aion stopped screaming as his body was now completely frozen into stone. Shader was totally shocked and speechless with what she was seeing. Chrono then ripped Aion's frozen hand which was still around his neck and charged at his stoned body. Chrono quickly lifted up his remaining arm and scratched Aion's stoned body with his claws. Aion's body began to crack to the point that his entire body broke into a thousand pieces onto the ground while dust had then accumulated around Chrono which caused him to cough. Once the gusty dust had disappeared, Chrono stopped coughing and saw Shader walking slowly towards Aion's remains. As she reached his remains, she knelt down to the floor and asked Chrono with an overly emotional voice "I guess it's all over for us now, isn't it Chrono?" "What do you mean Shader?" Chrono asked. "Since Aion is now dead, our goal of accomplishing our dream for freedom is ruined! And it's all because of you Chrono!" Shader answered in despair while clearly blaming Chrono for the Sinners loss. Just then, Shader broke out into sadness as she began to cry heavily at the fact that the Sinners could never have gained their freedom from Pandemonium and the fact that all of the Sinners expect her are now all dead. "What am I suppose to do now that Fiore is gone? Where am I supposed to go now that Aion and all of my companions are dead?" Shader continued sobbing heavily while Chrono suddenly felt weak and he knelt down to the ground. Shader stopped crying as her attention turned towards Chrono. "Chrono, are you alright?" Shader worriedly asked while running towards him. Once she had reached him, Chrono asked with a grunting voice "Shader, can I ask you for a favor?" "Yes Chrono, what is it?" Shader curiously asked. "I am now far too weak and injured to return to Rosette and the others. There is also the fact that I am most likely confirmed dead by the Magdalene Order." Chrono began to explain to her. "What are you saying?" Shader asked confused. "What I am asking for is can you please take care of me for a while?" Chrono finally managed to ask. "To take care of you?" Shader asked surprised. "Yes, until my wounds are completely healed and until I finally gain my strength back, I am unable to meet up with my contractor again." Chrono revealed. "I see, so in other words you need my help so you can return to your contractor one day, am I right?" Shader asked while offering Chrono a helping hand. "Yes, that is correct!" Chrono confirmed and took her hand as he got up from the ground. "Alright, since we are the only Sinners left alive, let's support each other in whatever way we can, okay Chrono!" Shader optimistically agreed since she always had a soft spot for Chrono. "Yes Shader." Chrono agreed. "I must say, I sure am going to be missing Fiore. Who knows if she is even still alive?" Shader curiously wondered. "Shader, don't tell me you have feelings for Satella's sister do you?" Chrono asked in disbelief while Shader started to blush out of embarrassment. She turned around and asked with an embarrassed tone "Now then, shall we both leave this area and see what I can do in treating your wounds?" "Sure Shader, whatever you say?" Chrono said indifferently and they both walked their way out of the destroyed altar room. This was the beginning of both Shader and Chrono's new life.

Chapter 32

Two weeks had now gone by since Aion was defeated and things had been very busy since then. Rosette, Joshua, Azmaria and Maria along with everyone else from the Magdalene Order headed back to New York City so they could help the civilians who survived the flood as well as to help put the city back on its feet. The five remaining Apostles however, were relocated to other Magdalene Order branches across the country, one to the San Francisco branch, one to the Seattle branch, two to the Chicago branch, and one to the Boston branch. Shortly after the final battle, all of the seven Apostles had lost both their powers and their wings since they used up all of their Astral powers which meant they now could live as ordinary people. Fortunately, New York City had been slowly recovering from the devastating flood thanks to the extensive help from the Magdalene Order. Christmas time was also just around the corner. On the night before Christmas Eve, Maria was in her room praying quietly to God while kneeling on her bed. "Dear Lord, please make sure that my family is alright and that they had survived the flood that has happened recently. Amen!" Maria finished praying. She then got off of her bed and walked towards the window. She began to gaze out the window while snow was falling down onto the ground. "Now that Aion is finally gone, I hope I will soon be able to reunite with my family." Maria hoped since reuniting with her family meant everything to her. After gazing at the night sky for a while, Maria walked back to her bed and tried to get some sleep. The next morning, Rosette, Joshua and Azmaria were at the dining room eating breakfast which consisted of toast and pancakes along with coffee and hot chocolate. "So Joshua, is it true that you will soon be the Elder's apprentice?" Rosette asked while Joshua was sipping his coffee. "That's right Rosette. Considering that Elder Hamilton will eventually need someone to replace him some day, I volunteered to be his apprentice so I can be of use to the Order. Besides, the Order did so much to help you find me, so why not repay the favor." Joshua explained. "Yeah, I guess you do have a point." Rosette commented. "It appears that Christmas this year will be quite a cheerful yet somber one." Azmaria remarked. "What do you mean by that Azmaria?" Joshua asked while stuffing a pancake into his mouth. "What I mean is that even though we will be celebrating Christmas as our victory over the Sinners, Chrono however will not be there with us. Not to mention Satella." Azmaria explained in a dismayed tone. "I see what you mean Azmaria. The fact that Chrono will not be with us, this Christmas will be quite different, that's for sure." Rosette said in a disappointed tone while clearing missing Chrono's presence. "By the way, has anyone seen Maria around?" Joshua curiously asked which immediately brought Rosette's attention. "Now that I think of it, I could've sworn that I saw her with Father Remington earlier this morning. It looks like they are spending a lot of time together lately!" Rosette revealed. "Well, shall we go and see how are they doing?" Azmaria excitedly asked. "Sure, why not? I would really love to see how their relationship is progressing! And since it is Christmas Eve today, I would like to take Maria out for some gift shopping!" Rosette agreed with Azmaria's suggestion and she promptly stood up from her chair. "What about the Christmas gift wrapping for the children at the orphanage?" Joshua asked. "You will help Azmaria finish wrapping the presents for me while I will do Christmas shopping with Maria around the city!" Rosette explained to her brother. "So if you're planning on taking Maria Christmas shopping, then how are we going to meet up with each other when it's time to deliver the presents to the orphanage?" Azmaria asked confused. "Well, the Magdalene Order had just rented a horse sleigh carriage for this particular task. This means that you and Joshua catching up with us in the city won't be a problem." Rosette revealed to Azmaria as she was trying to reassure her. "Alright, I'll go to Maria right now and ask her to spend some time gift shopping with me. See you later!" Rosette excitedly said and raced her way out of the room. "Boy, she sure is as feisty as ever, isn't she?" Joshua commented while cringing. "Well, she does look up to Maria as if she is her older sister. The same way I looked up to Rosette and Satella." Azmaria fondly explained to Joshua while having a somewhat long look on her face. Meanwhile, Maria and Father Remington were sitting on one of the benches in the middle of the church. It was there that Maria told the minister of her desire to return to her family after Christmas. "So, I see that you really wish to be with your family as soon as possible. Don't you Maria?" Father Remington asked. "Yes Ewan, of course I do! That's all what I have been praying for ever since the night Aion kidnapped me." Maria said in an extremely calm yet strong tone. "Before that night, my family was the only one I could trust and rely on. Due to our ethnicity, we were discriminated against in this society, outside of our enclave. As a result, my family and I didn't have a lot of contact with people outside of our community. Because of that, Letizia and I were always told by our parents to stay amongst our own kind, since our people were the only ones who truly accepted us." Maria explained more to the minister about her past before Aion abducted her. "I see, so the area where you grew up in was quite a tightly knit community." Father Remington remarked. "Yes, I guess you can say that my upbringing was something like that." Maria admitted. "I hope that you do meet up with your family again soon Maria, I really do!" Father Remington said passionately to Maria as he looked at her with affection. Just then, the door opened. Once they turned around, they saw Rosette walking straight towards them. "Good morning Rosette! What brings you here if I may ask?" Father Remington asked in a surprised tone while he and Maria stood up from the benches. "Sorry if I was interrupting anything but since today is Christmas Eve, I was thinking of taking Maria down to the city. That is if she wants to." Rosette explained her plans to the minister. "Considering that today is a special day, I see no reason why wouldn't she want to! Well Maria, what do you say?" Minister Remington asked Maria. "Sure, I would be delighted to spend some time in the city for a while!" Maria accepted Rosette's offer. "Thank you Minister! Alright Maria, shall we get going?!" Rosette excitedly asked once she thanked the minister. "Yes, we can!" Maria calmly answered. "Well then, follow me to the car!" Rosette told Maria to follow her as she then made her way out of the church building. "You might as well Maria. Rosette can be quite the impatient young lady." Father Remington told her. "What about your duties for today Ewan? Don't you need my help with any of them?" Maria curiously asked the minister. "Don't worry about it for today! In fact, it would be better if you just take the time today to relax. I know how preoccupied your mind is right now in regards to your family." Father Remington said to Maria in an understanding tone. "Come on Maria, are you coming with me or not?" Rosette shouted out at Maria as she realized that Maria hadn't left the church building yet. "I'm sorry Ewan, I have to go now!" Maria bided the minister farewell as she quickly walked out of the church building. "See you later Maria! I hope you'll have fun with Rosette!" Father Remington waved goodbye to Maria and found the whole situation to be quite amusing. Once they left the Order by car, Rosette drove to Manhattan to find some gift shops for them to shop at. After searching for a while, Rosette had finally found a gift shop that was to her liking and she parked the car by the sidewalk. "Well Maria, What do you think? Doesn't this shop look festive?" Rosette asked while getting out of the car along with Maria. "It sure looks very well stocked. Do you think they have what we're looking for?" Maria commented on the shops item selection. "I'm sure they do. After all, Christmas is the busiest time of the year, so why wouldn't they?" Rosette reassured Maria. "Yeah, I guess you're right!" Maria said out of amusement with what Rosette just asked.

Rosette and Maria walked in the gift shop where they saw plenty of Christmas themed items to choose from. The store was filled with hundreds of glass and crystal like items that glittered under the light. "Wow, this shop sure has a huge selection to choose from. I don't even know what to buy." Rosette commented on the merchandise selection out of amazement while they were walking their way around. Just then, a snow globe had caught Maria's attention and she stopped to look at it. The snow globe was very pretty as it had a Nativity scene in it. "I can see that you have found something Maria! My, that snow globe sure looks pretty!" Rosette remarked as she was fascinated by the snow globe's look. "I am just wondering if it's the right present for Ewan or not. That's all." Maria said in an unsure tone. "I don't see how Father Remington or anyone could not like it. It looks so captivating! Besides, it's not about what present you give to the person but the thought of it is what counts." Rosette explained. "The thought?" Maria asked curiously. "That's right. I can tell that you deeply love Father Remington, yet you don't know how to tell him your feelings for him." Rosette pointed out. "How do you know?" Maria asked in a deeply surprised tone. "Don't act so surprised. Besides, I've known you for a few months now and I could tell that from the amount of time you were with the minister, your feelings for him had sure turned into genuine love." Rosette explained to Maria. "I see. Well, one thing is for certain, I do love Ewan and I hope that I can always be with him. But at the same time, I want to return back to my family. Considering who I am in this society, I'm not sure if I can have it both ways." Maria said in a calm yet uncertain tone. "I know how you feel Maria. However, that shouldn't prevent you from telling Father Remington your feelings for him. If you don't tell him now, then you might regret it later on when you don't have a chance to tell him anymore." Rosette advised as she suddenly took the snow globe from the window sill and looked at it. "Well, aren't you going to buy this or not? If you want, we can go to other shops and see what they have to offer." Rosette suggested. Maria took the snow globe from Rosette's hands and looked at it. "Let's buy this snow globe. It has a very modest yet beautiful touch to it. Not to mention it contains the Nativity scene in it. Such a gift like this will be perfect for Ewan!" Maria explained in a decisive tone as she liked the snow globe for its Christian symbolism as well for its beautiful simplicity. After Maria had bought the snow globe, the two walked out of the gift shop. "Rosette." Maria called out Rosette's name. "Yes Maria, what is it?" Rosette asked while turning around facing Maria. "Why did you go out of your way to help me buy a present for Ewan?" Maria asked curiously. "Because that's what friends do. They help each other out." Rosette answered and walked towards Maria. "Since you are going through quite an emotional time right now, I want you to have the most wonderful Christmas you'll ever have! So please, do try to cheer up a bit." Rosette pleaded while Maria had an astounded look on her face. "You're right Rosette. Since Christmas is the most joyous time of the year, let's have as much fun as we can for the time being!" Maria said optimistically. "That's great to hear Maria! In that case, shall we go and buy Azmaria and Joshua their presents, and perhaps to munch on some hot dogs?!" Rosette excitedly asked. "Sure, be my guest!" Maria answered Rosette and they both walked back to the car. Once Rosette started the car, she decided to drive around the Manhattan borough to visit some other gift shops. Rosette and Maria had visited ten more gift shops across Manhattan to look for some more gifts. They took their sweet time with shopping as most of the shops they visited either had gifts that were too expensive or just simply not what they had in mind. Maria and Rosette however did not mind the slow pacing since they knew they still had plenty of time on their hands. This also included Rosette buying hot dogs from the street vendors whenever they past by them which amused Maria. While they were shopping, Maria felt a strong sense of hope that she never had felt before. She was now more optimistic than ever of the possibility of finally seeing her family again, even if it meant not seeing Father Remington again. After five hours had past, Maria and Rosette finally finished buying Azmaria and Joshua's presents. While walking out of the last shop they visited, Rosette said with a relieved tone "Finally, we've actually managed to buy all the gifts we needed! The Manhattan borough sure isn't cheap, that's for sure." "No kidding, some of the shops we visited had prices that only the wealthy could afford." Maria pointed out astounded at Manhattan's expensive prices. "At any rate, we should be heading back to the Order now. Joshua and Azmaria must be waiting for us." Rosette suggested. They walked back to the car and Rosette started to drive their way back to the Magdalene Order. By the time they got back, they saw that the Order was lavishly decorated from the outside while the open red sleigh was standing by the fountain. Much to their surprise, they didn't see Joshua and Azmaria waiting for them outside. "That's strange. Azmaria and Joshua should be waiting for us by now. Could it be that they're still not done wrapping the presents?" Rosette wondered. "That might very well be the case. Shall we check inside the Order to see?" Maria suggested. "Yes, we shall!" Rosette immediately agreed on her suggestion but just then, Joshua and Azmaria walked out of the building. Joshua was dressed in a Santa suit and was carrying a bag full of wrapped presents. "Azmaria, do you think this Santa outfit looks good on me?" Joshua asked in doubt. "Yes it does, I think that outfit suits you really well!" Azmaria praised his Santa outfit with much optimism. "But why did Rosette made me wear a Santa costume of all things?" Joshua cringed as the two continued walking towards Rosette and Maria. "Is that Joshua in a Santa costume?" Maria asked surprised. "Azmaria, Joshua. Over here!" Rosette shouted at them and simultaneously waved her hand at them. "Hey look, Rosette is waving at us!" Azmaria pointed out to Joshua. Rosette began to run towards them while Maria followed her, albeit slower. "I can see that you two are back! So, how did the Christmas gift shopping turn out? Did you two have fun?" Joshua asked. "You bet we did, but that was nothing compared to the fun we'll have tonight!" Rosette enthusiastically answered. "Tonight?" Maria asked confused. "Don't mind what I just said." Rosette nervously told Maria, trying to dodge a surprise that will happen later on Christmas Eve. "So, considering that we've wrapped all the presents, isn't it time for us now to be heading off to the orphanage?" Azmaria asked. "Oh yes, now that you have mentioned it, I have to get my red Christmas dress on right now!" Rosette said in an alarmed tone and rushed to her sleeping room. Ten minutes later, she ran outside towards them wearing a short red dress along with a Santa hat. "Well, what do you all think? Doesn't this dress look festive?" Rosette asked while Joshua, Azmaria and Maria looked at her dress speechless. "Well, it's something else, that's for sure!" Joshua answered nervously. "What do you mean by something else?" Rosette asked defensively. "Nothing at all Rosette!" Joshua answered in an intimidated tone. "Rosette." Maria called out her name. "Yes Maria." Rosette answered her. "Does the Magdalene Order really do this sort of thing every year?" Maria asked while seeing the huge red sack filled with presents that Joshua was carrying on his back. "Yes we do! Every year, Chrono and I were given the task of delivering presents to the orphanage, to kids who have been good, which is pretty much every kid in there!" Rosette explained. "Would you mind if I joined you in your present delivery? Perhaps you could use my help." Maria suggested. "Not at all, we would love you to come with us!" Rosette said cheerfully. "Are we going with the car?" Maria asked. "No need to, we have a rented carriage sleigh that we will use to take us there!" Rosette explained as she pointed out the red sleigh equipped with a horse. "Alright, we still have a few hours left to spare so we better be heading to the orphanage before night falls!" Rosette announced. "Right!" Azmaria and Joshua said at the same time. They then made their way to the sleigh carriage and sat down. Rosette commanded the horse to start walking while the sound of bells had roamed the streets wherever they went. Thirty minutes later, they arrived at the orphanage. "Merry Christmas children, have you all been good this year?" Rosette shouted towards the children that were gathered in a play room. "Yes!" The children shouted back with a huge smile on their faces. "Then come and receive your presents from Santa right here!" Rosette shouted back as she and Joshua started giving the presents out. Afterwards, Maria told the children a Christmas story since she always had a huge soft spot for children. After Maria was done storytelling, Azmaria sung the Star of Bethlehem song for them and everyone was enchanted with her beautiful voice. Everyone was very happy and it seemed like that the time stood still. Once they were done, Rosette decided to give Azmaria and Joshua their presents. "Joshua, Azmaria. Please accept these little gifts from me and Maria. I hope you like them." Rosette presented the two gifts. Azmaria and Joshua opened their presents and were really surprised with what they got. One was a Holy Night song lyric book for Azmaria and the other one was a Bible for Joshua. "So, do you two like your gifts?" Rosette asked in suspense. "This song would be perfect for the midnight mass tonight! I will try to sing it." Azmaria said enthusiastically as she was enchanted by her present. "This Bible sure looks very elaborate. I don't recall ever seeing one like this one! Thank you Rosette and Maria!" Joshua said gratefully. "I am glad you all like your gifts!" Rosette said in a cheerful tone as she smiled. It was now time to leave the orphanage and go back to the Order of Magdalene.

Once they came back to the Order, Rosette and Joshua rushed to their rooms through a side door to change back into their regular clothing. Not long after, they went back outside and met with Azmaria and Maria by the front door. "Okay everyone, we should be heading in right now. The dinner will start soon!" Rosette reminded them. "What dinner are you talking about?" Maria curiously asked. "It's a surprise, you'll see!" Joshua assured her and they all headed towards the main entrance. Once they opened the door, everyone in the entry hall greeted them with a loud "Merry Christmas!" Maria was deeply surprised and looked at her friends with a puzzled expression. "What's this all about?" Maria asked confused. "We were told that after Christmas, you will be returning to your family, so we all decided to throw you a surprise Christmas party!" Rosette explained obviously enjoying Maria's reaction. They all walked to the banquet room, which had the tables placed around the room with plenty of food and desserts for everyone. In the middle of the room, there was a huge Christmas tree, beautifully decorated with handmade ornaments. In front of the tree, Sister Kate and Father Remington waited for everyone to come in. Maria walked towards the tree while the minister walked toward her as he knelt down and prepared a speech. "My dear Maria, since you are returning to your family after Christmas, I would like to wish for your happiness, safety, and your well being. I hope that any path you choose in your life will be with God's blessing!" The minister lead a confused Maria towards Sister Kate who stepped forward and placed a cross necklace around Maria's neck. "May God bless you and watch over you, Maria! Let this cross necklace remind you that we will always be praying for you and that you will never be alone!" Sister Kate said with a motherly tone. Maria was touched with all the attention and well meaning wishes. She was left speechless as she couldn't believe that they were all concerned about her well being. Once she turned around, facing everyone, she said with a thankful yet bittersweet tone "Thank you all for doing this for me. I really don't know what to say except that I will really miss you all once Christmas is over. I wish all of you the same happiness that you have wished for me. Thank you for accepting me as one of your own!" At that moment, the Elder came in with some kind of a switch in his hand. "For your amusement, there is something I have made exclusively for this occasion!" The Elder announced. "Here's my new invention, the automated Christmas lights." He pressed the switch and the Christmas tree became lit with hundreds of colorful lights. The lights on the Christmas tree were so spectacular that they dazzled like the stars in the heavens, much to everyone's amazement. "You know, you made something really amazing, for once." Rosette said to him. "What do you mean for once? Aren't I the best scientist you know?" The Elder asked Rosette. "You are, but you're also the only pervert I know!" Rosette whispered in his ear and went to join the others at the buffet. While everyone was eating, Rosette approached Maria and asked "Maria, how do you like this surprise party?" "I am enjoying it! But you didn't have to go out of your way for me to feel welcomed." Maria modestly explained. "I know, but we wanted to do something special, that's all." Rosette said. "However, once I return to my family, there is a possibility that I might not see Ewan again." Maria revealed. "What do you mean?" Rosette curiously asked. "Due to the fact that I am an Italian, my parents would never approve of me being with a minister like Ewan." Maria explained while Rosette looked at her with great sympathy. "But I want to be with him by his side forever, and if I can't see him again then I want to at least tell him my feelings for him!" Maria said in an emotional tone as Rosette placed Father Remington's gift into her hands. "Then go ahead and confess your love to Father Remington by giving him this snow globe!" Rosette encouraged her. "Thank you Rosette, for supporting me in this!" Maria gratefully said and walked her way towards the blond haired minister. "Ewan." Maria called out the minister's name once she approached him. "So Maria, are you enjoying yourself this evening?" Father Remington asked as he turned his attention at Maria. "Ewan, can I spend some time with you outside?" She asked. "Of course you can! In fact, I was hoping that we would be having some alone time on Christmas Eve! So let's be on our way, shall we?" Father Remington agreed on Maria's suggestion and they both made their way outside. While they were sitting on the fountain ledge, Maria was looking up at the sky as snow was falling down gracefully onto the ground. Maria surely seemed to enjoy looking at it. "Well, I can see that the snow has caught your attention." The minister said astutely. "Yeah, it's so beautiful tonight with all the snow, isn't it Ewan?" Maria said in an amazed tone. "Indeed it is! I guess this must be one of the reasons why people consider Christmas to be one of the most magical times of the year." Father Remington commented. "Ewan." Maria called out the minister's name. "Yes Maria, what is it?" Father Remington asked. "Before I return to my family tomorrow, I just want to tell you something really important." Maria began to explain. "What would that be?" The minister curiously asked. "Ever since I have started working for you at the Magdalene Order, I had begun to feel some kind of warm feeling that I never have felt before. It was a feeling that had relieved me of my loneliness and anxiety. It was all thanks to one person that I finally began to have some happiness and hope after all those years." Maria explained. "What do you mean?" Father Remington asked. "I love you Ewan!" Maria finally revealed which took the minister by surprise. "I want to be with you forever! It was thanks to you that I could finally find some hope and happiness again! I cherish every moment that I have spent with you and I will never forget how great of a man you truly are!" Maria emotionally said as she placed her hands on Father Remington's face. The minister had a warm smile on his face. He knew that Maria had genuinely loved him and he also felt the exact same way about her as well. "Maria. I love you too!" Father Remington sentimentally said and stood up from the fountain ledge along with Maria. The two stood towards each other and for the first time, Father Remington and Maria kissed each other passionately. It was at that point where it was clear that they truly did love each other. Once they were done kissing, they both looked at each other with a relieved, satisfied grin. "Before we go back inside, I wanted to give a little present that I have bought for you." Maria said and picked up the gift that she had left on the ledge and handed it to the minister. "You and Rosette spent half of the day in the city buying a gift for me?" The minister asked in disbelief. "Well, not exactly, but we did take our time, I'll tell you that." Maria answered. Father Remington opened his gift and saw that it was a snow globe that contained a Nativity scene inside it. He could not take his eyes off of the snow globe as it was so simple yet beautiful. "What's wrong? Do you like it?" Maria asked. "Yes Maria, I do! You couldn't have gotten me a better present! Not that I was actually asking for one, but it is a really beautiful gift." Father Remington gratefully said since he really liked his present. The minister then reached into his cassock and took out the little wrapped box and gave it to Maria. She was surprised as she did not expect a gift from him. Maria opened her present and saw a pair of long silver earrings that had the exact same shape as her orange earrings she was wearing when she first came to the Order. "Ewan, I don't know what to say." Maria could barely say something from the surprise. "Do you like it?" The minister asked. "Yes, of course I do. Who wouldn't? I don't know how to thank you. You didn't have to do this for me." Maria said overwhelmed with joy as she put on her new earrings. "I'm glad you like it Maria, and you don't have to thank me. I did it because a beautiful young lady like you deserves to have some nice jewelry!" The minister complimented her looks. "It's getting a little chilly outside. Shall we make our way back inside?" Maria asked while feeling a little cold. "Sure, we might as well!" Father Remington agreed and they both went back inside to enjoy the rest of the party.

The next morning, Father Remington volunteered to take Maria back to her original home which was located in Manhattan's Little Italy where a large number of Italians lived. It took about thirty minutes for them to drive to that area in which Maria told him the directions. Once they arrived at the ethnic neighborhood, they looked around for the town house where Maria lived in which was located at Madison Avenue in East Harlem. While driving through Madison Avenue, Maria finally spotted the house where her family lived and it was then that the minister had stopped the car. As soon as they both walked out of the car, Maria looked at her family's place and with an astounded tone, said "I can't believe that I finally made it back! Soon I will be able to see my family again after all these years! Do you have any idea how much this means to me?" "Yes, I know that this means a whole lot to you." Father Remington answered. "Thank you so much for bringing me here Ewan! It is all thanks to you and the Order that it was even possible for me to be here at this very place again!" Maria thanked the minister while hugging him affectionately. "Would it be alright if I come with you inside?" Father Remington asked. "I think it would be better if you stay here. My family would not approve of me bringing in a man they don't know." Maria advised him. "I understand. In that case, I'll be waiting in the car." Minister Remington said and went back into the car. Maria took a big deep breath and walked towards the door of her family's home. She knocked on the door but found that no one was answering. "That's strange. Neither Mamma nor Papa bothered to open the door. Not even Letizia. I do hope that this isn't what I think it is." Maria worriedly said as she rushed back to the car. "What's the matter Maria? Did something happen?" The minister curiously asked. "For some reason, none of my family members have answered the door." Maria revealed. "Did not answered the door? That is indeed very strange. You don't suppose something has happened to them?" Father Remington wondered. "That's what I'm afraid of. Come with me to the door at once Ewan." Maria pleaded the minister and they both rushed towards the door. Father Remington tried to open the door knob and to their surprise, the door was unlocked. "The door is unlocked?" The minister suspiciously remarked as they both looked inside. "How can this be? We always made sure that the door was locked all the time." Maria explained in a confused tone. They walked inside the house through the hallway and they haven't seen a single person. The whole situation became very suspicious since everyone would have surely been inside their home on Christmas day. Maria went upstairs to her parent's room as well as her younger sister's to see if they were there, but to no avail. This made Maria extremely worried and she went back downstairs to meet up with the minister. "So, did you have any luck finding them?" Father Remington gently asked. "I'm afraid I didn't." Maria revealed in an extremely disappointed tone with the minister looking at her sympathetically. "I don't understand. What could have happened to them? Where they kidnapped by the mafia? Or even worse, could they have been killed by someone?" Maria asked herself in a confused, broken tone as she had a feeling that something bad has happened to her family. Suddenly, Mary Magdalene's spirit appeared in the hallway right before them in a glowing light which took them by surprise. "Mary Magdalene?" Father Remington said in disbelief with who he was seeing. "Hello Ewan Remington. It's been quite a long time now, hasn't it?" Mary Magdalene remarked. "What have you come here for if I may ask?" The minister asked perplexed. "I have come to this very place to tell you both something very important in regards to my successor's family." Mary Magdalene revealed. "Mary Magdalene, please tell me what happened to my dear family. Are they okay? Where are their whereabouts?" Maria emotionally pleaded and the former Holy Woman's spirit began to have a small frown on her face. "The unfortunate truth in regards to your family Maria is that on the night Aion kidnapped you while you were sleeping, he ordered the rest of the Sinners to kill both your parents and your younger sister." Mary Magdalene explained. The news had both shocked and devastated Maria. "No, this can't be true. Are you saying that my family has been murdered by the Sinners?" Maria asked in a broken tone. "I'm afraid that's sadly the case." Mary Magdalene answered with great empathy. Maria fell straight down on her knees, crushed. "Ewan, please take good care of Maria. After all what she had to go through, she needs you now more than ever." Mary Magdalene instructed Father Remington. "Yes Mary Magdalene." The minister agreed and the former Holy Woman's spirit then ascended back into heaven as she bid the two a farewell. Father Remington looked at Maria and saw that she was still on the floor severely heart-broken. "All this time, I was looking forward to the day in which I can finally be with my family again. However, considering they have been dead ever since I was kidnapped, all of that hope was nothing but a dream." Maria said in a broken voice as she slowly stood up from the floor. "Because of those bastards, I have nowhere left to go. It's all Aion's fault. He is the reason why my family is dead! He was the one who ordered their execution." Maria aggressively raised her voice as the minister looked at her with great sympathy. Maria than ran into her family's kitchen, opened a cupboard and promptly took many white plates and threw them onto the floor. She did this while continuously yelling out Aion's name out of both anger and sorrow. Her rage became so violent and loud that Father Remington felt compelled to intervene but before he could do so, Maria all of a sudden stopped throwing the plates onto the floor. She slowly walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. She took a picture from the table of her in a Confirmation dress standing by her family and began to sob profoundly as she kneeled down. "There is no hope left for me anymore. If only I never received those Stigmata wounds on my body and became the next Holy Woman, none of this would have happened. I still would have been with my family to this very day! To think that he made me believe that my family was still alive! I've lost everything!" Maria said in a voice so broken, sorrowful and distraught that the minister walked towards her and patted her back while looking at her with huge sympathy. "Ewan?" Maria said his name sadly while looking at him with a teary look on her face. "There is still hope for you Maria! You haven't completely lost everything and you are not alone. You have me, Rosette and the rest of the Magdalene Order to turn to and rely on! Don't you ever forget that Maria!" Father Remington told Maria in such a gentle tone as he was trying to console her. Maria abruptly hugged the minister and pleaded in a desperate voice "Please help me Ewan! I don't want to be alone anymore! You and the Order are the only ones I can turn to now! So please, never leave me alone!" Father Remington continued hugging Maria as he became quite sentimental with the situation. After half an hour, they both stood up and looked at each other. "Well then, shall we be heading back to the Order now?" The minister asked. "Yes Ewan. We shall!" Maria agreed and they both started to make their way out of the house while Maria was still holding her Confirmation picture. Just then, Maria abruptly stopped and Father Remington turned around and curiously asked "Is something wrong Maria?" "Ewan, can I be with you forever?" Maria asked emotionally and the minister took her hand and looked at her affectionately. "Of course Maria! You don't even have to ask for that!" Father Remington gladly accepted and they both continued walking across the hallway right to the front door and out of the house. This was now the beginning of Maria's new life.

Chapter 33

7 ½ years had now past since Aion was finally defeated, and a lot has happened since then. In 1926 when Rosette reached the age of eighteen, she decided to give up her duty as a nun exorcist for the Magdalene Order and to return to the Seventh Bell Orphanage to serve as one of its caretakers. Azmaria was the one who took Rosette's place. After four years of being a regular exorcist, she eventually became a Militia member. Joshua was trained under Elder Hamilton who then took over his role when the old man died of a heart attack in 1928 and was now the scientist and weapon inventor of the Order. He also helped with the reconstruction of New York City as a way to atone for what he had done. Several years after Minister Deckard retired from his position as Headmaster of the New York branch, Father Remington took over as the new Headmaster. Not long before Rosette resigned from her position at the Magdalene Order, Maria and Minister Remington got married in the summer of 1926. Once she got married, Maria changed her maiden name Liberatori to that of her husband's surname Remington and is now officially Maria Remington. A year later, Maria had given birth to a boy who she decided to name Lorenzo. While the now five year old boy had black hair and tanned skin complexion just like his mother, he however had blue eyes just like his father. Rosette always had a soft spot for the cute young boy as she knew that due to her tragic circumstances, she could never have a child of her own. So, as a way to cope with that fact, Rosette would heavily smother and spoil Lorenzo every time she got the opportunity to see him. As the years went on, Rosette's health condition worsened significantly due to her lifespan being drastically shortened. She would frequently receive cardiac attacks and she didn't know whether she was going to live another year, another month, or even another week. Despite all of that, she still waited for Chrono, and never lost hope that he will return to her before she dies. One day on a warm early afternoon in June 1932, Father Remington and Maria drove to the Seventh Bell Orphanage to pay Rosette a visit and to pick up their son Lorenzo. He was staying at the orphanage for a few days shortly after his fifth birthday. Azmaria and Joshua decided to accompany them as it was quite a while since they last saw her. They also weren't sure if this was the last day that they would see her alive. "I wonder how is Rosette doing today Father Remington?" Joshua worriedly asked once they all got out of the car and looked at the orphanage. "I do hope that she is okay, considering her extremely weak state." The minister remarked as he too was worried. Meanwhile, Rosette was in her room reading a fairy tale story to Lorenzo as she was lying on her bed. "And that's the end of Pinocchio!" Rosette said conclusively as she closed the book, took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "Are you okay Rosette?" Lorenzo asked in an alarmed tone. "Yes Lorenzo, I am! You don't have to worry about me!" Rosette reassured the boy as she then gently touched his black hair. Rosette picked Lorenzo up and began to hug him softly and the boy instantly felt at ease. "You're such a good boy, you know that Lorenzo?!" Rosette said in a warm tone to Lorenzo as she was looking straight at him while the boy looked confused. Just then, Rosette heard someone knocking on her door and asked "Who is it?" "It's me, Sarah. I am here to inform you that the minister and his wife have just arrived at the orphanage to pick up Lorenzo. Your brother Joshua and Azmaria have also paid you a visit as well! Is it okay if I let them in your room?" Sarah asked. "Of course, please let them in!" Rosette permitted and the dark-brown haired caretaker opened the door. All four of them walked into the room and saw Rosette holding Lorenzo while lying on her bed. "Mommy, Daddy!" Lorenzo cheerfully rejoiced as he got off the bed and ran towards his parents. "Hello Lorenzo, I can see that you have missed both me and your mother. Haven't you my son?" Father Remington gently asked his adorable son while patting his head as he frequently would do. Joshua and Azmaria walked towards Rosette's bed and with a worried tone Joshua asked "So, how are you feeling today Rosette? You're not feeling ill are you?" "No Joshua, I am feeling just fine today!" Rosette assured Joshua. "That's great to hear!" Joshua said in a relieved tone. "Indeed, we were all worried that you've had another attack. We wanted to make sure that you were alright!" Azmaria explained in a worried tone. "Thank you all for your concern! I am using all of the willpower that I can to keep on going." Rosette explained to them. "You mean in the hopes that you could finally see Chrono again?" Maria asked while walking towards her bed along with her husband. "Yes. However, the doctor said that should the next attack occur, I might not be able to continue going on." Rosette revealed in a calm yet emotional voice. "You're not saying that you'll die if you receive another one of your attacks, are you?" Azmaria asked in a shocked tone. "I'm afraid there's a huge possibility of that happening. What's worse is that it might happen soon." Rosette said and she got off of her bed and walked towards them. Rosette first took Joshua's hand and pleaded with an emotional tone "Joshua, promise me that you'll always be the best that you can be in the Magdalene Order and that you will do great things in your life!" "Yes Rosette, I will do that!" Joshua promised in a somewhat somber tone as Rosette then took Azmaria's hand. "Azmaria, promise me that in my place, you'll always be the strong Militia exorcist that I have always hoped for you to be!" Rosette emotionally pleaded. "Yes Rosette, I will gladly try to live up to that!" Azmaria promised as tears suddenly began to fill her eyes. Rosette then took both Maria and Father Remington's hands and pleaded "Maria, promise me that you'll always be there for your husband and son no matter what and to always be able to find happiness!" "Of course Rosette, you don't have to ask me for that!" Maria promised. "Father Remington, take good care of your wife and son, and make sure that the Magdalene Order stays in line!" Rosette pleaded the minister. "Absolutely Rosette, without question!" Father Remington promised. Rosette then turned her attention towards Lorenzo and picked him up. While looking at the adorable boy, she then hugged him gently and said with a warm, soft tone "Lorenzo, promise me that you'll always be a good boy and to be what God had intended you to be!" Lorenzo wasn't sure how to answer but he did feel warm and at ease when Rosette hugged him. Once Rosette put the young boy down on the floor, she looked directly at everyone in front of her with a sad yet happy look on her face. "Is something wrong Rosette?" Maria empathetically asked while Rosette turned around and walked towards the window. "No, it's just that my condition is so vulnerable that I am not sure if I will even be able to see Chrono again." Rosette said with great uncertainty as she turned around and saw everyone in the room empathizing for her as they all knew how hard this was on her. Rosette then walked straight towards them and when she stopped walking, she said with an emotional yet calm tone "There's no point in feeling sorry for me, because even if I die, I will always live on in your hearts forever!" What Rosette just said deeply touched all of them since they knew that it wasn't long until Rosette's inevitable death. "We will all gladly keep you alive in our memories Rosette! That we can assure you of!" Maria promised on all of their behalf. "Maria." Rosette said her name since she didn't know what to say to her. "So Rosette, I hope this is not goodbye then, is it?" Joshua emotionally asked his older sister as if it was the last time he'll see her. "Oh Joshua, you don't have to be so overly sentimental. It's not as if I am going to die this very instant." Rosette pointed out to him as she tried to make him feel better. "I suppose you're right. If only you hadn't made a contract with Chrono, then you wouldn't have to die so soon." Joshua lamented. "That's true, but if I hadn't made a contract with him, then we might not have ever been able to get you back." Rosette explained to Joshua. "That's what I don't understand? Why would you sacrifice your life, for me?" Joshua asked emotionally. "Because that's what siblings do Joshua. They look out for each other!" Rosette answered while Joshua was touched by her answer. "Rosette." Joshua quietly said her name as she smiled at him. "Besides, no one is guaranteed how long they will live." Rosette said to her brother in a reassuring tone. Just then, someone knocked on the door. "Who is it?" Rosette asked. "It's me Sarah. I would like to tell you that lunch is now ready." The caretaker said. "That's great. We'll be heading down at once." Rosette answered. "Well, I hope the food will be delicious." Azmaria said cheerfully. "So, shall we all make our way down?" Father Remington asked. "Yes Ewan, we shall." Maria answered and they all went downstairs for lunch. The lunch was simple yet delicious. They had pork roast, potatoes, peas and iced tea as a beverage. After lunch, Rosette played with Lorenzo outside on the field which he enjoyed immensely. The rest of them were sitting on the bench looking at the little boy playing with Rosette. Late in the afternoon, they all returned to Rosette's room. "Well, it is time for us to be heading back to the Magdalene Order. It's getting late." Father Remington said to Rosette and Joshua then walked towards his sister. "Goodbye Rosette. I hope that you live long enough to see Chrono again! I also hope that we will see each other again as well!" Joshua said to her while holding back his tears. "Yes Joshua, I hope so too! Goodbye." Rosette said emotionally and Joshua slowly walked out of the room. "Farewell Rosette. Whatever happens to you, I hope that you live your remaining life to the fullest!" Azmaria told Rosette while holding her hands once she walked up to her. "Sure Azmaria, I will try! Take care!" Rosette promised and Azmaria followed Joshua out of the room along with the minister. "Goodbye Rosette and good luck with everything!" Minister Remington said to her just before he left the room. "Goodbye to you too Minister! And thank you for helping me get this far. I couldn't have been able to get where I am now without your help!" Rosette thanked Father Remington gratefully as she walked towards him. "I'm glad that I was of help to you Rosette! Farewell my child!" Father Remington softly said to her and finally walked out of the room. "Come Lorenzo, we're going home now!" Maria said to her son as she took his hand. "What, already?" Lorenzo asked in a surprised and disappointed tone as he clearly didn't want to leave the Seventh Bell Orphanage just yet. "Yes dear, we have a long ride ahead of us, and you can't stay up all night." Maria calmly explained to Lorenzo. "Yes Mama, I understand!" Lorenzo sighed in dismay. "Can you believe it? It's almost as if this orphanage is his second home." Maria commented to Rosette out of amusement. "I know. I guess this shows just how much he likes it here." Rosette stated. "I think it has to do with the fact that for the past five years, you were pretty much like an aunt to Lorenzo and he always enjoys staying with you. However, I'm not sure if he will have any friends his age, considering his mixed background." Maria revealed worriedly while Rosette suddenly placed her hand on Maria's shoulder and looked at her with a confident look. "Don't worry about it Maria! Whatever challenges Lorenzo will face in that regards, be sure to always be there for him. Okay?!" Rosette advised Maria who was touched by what she said. "Of course Rosette. I'll keep that in mind." Maria said and just then, Father Remington returned back to Rosette's room. "So, is my family coming already or not?" The minister curiously asked since he realized that his wife and son had yet to leave the room. "Yes Ewan, we're coming!" Maria assured her husband as she turned her head facing him. "We better get going now. A drive from this orphanage to New York City is indeed quite a long travel you know." Maria said to Rosette as she then took her son's hand. "Yes, I know." Rosette acknowledged. "Alright Lorenzo, say goodbye to Rosette." Maria told her son. "Goodbye Rosette! I hope we can play together really soon!" Lorenzo cheerfully said. Rosette walked towards him and the little boy gave her a big hug. "Goodbye to you as well my dear Lorenzo! We'll play with each other again soon! I promise!" Rosette promised the boy as she knew that would definitely cheer him up. "Well, goodbye Rosette." Maria said to Rosette as she and Lorenzo then walked out of her room. "Goodbye to you too Maria! Take good care of your family!" Rosette advised. "What makes you think I am not?" Maria jokingly asked as she stopped and looked at Rosette. "I know you do, I just wanted to see your reaction!" Rosette joked back. "Take care Rosette and may God bless you!" Maria said and continued walking her way through the hallway and down the stairs with her son.

As the car was leaving the orphanage, Rosette waved goodbye and then turned around as she started walking her way towards the open field. "Rosette, where are you going?" Ms. Jean asked as she saw the young lady walking past the orphanage. "I'm just going to be sitting on the grass for a bit Ms. Jean." Rosette said and continued walking. "I can see that something is troubling Rosette as of late. I wonder what could be bothering her?" Ms. Jean wondered to herself since Rosette never told her or the rest of the people at the orphanage about Chrono. Once she had reached the grassy field, Rosette sat down onto the grass and looked at the sunset with an uncertain look on her face. "I wonder what is taking Chrono so long. It's been 7 ½ years now since I've last saw him. Will he actually come back for me like he promised?" Rosette asked herself as she didn't think that she would have to wait for Chrono so long. "Now that I think of it, something must have happened to him while fighting with Aion. Otherwise he would have come back to me a long time ago. If that's the case, where is he now?" Rosette wondered curiously as she tried to connect the dots in regards to Chrono's whereabouts. Just then, a demon appeared behind Rosette and said to her "If you're wondering where I am now, turn around and see!" A surprised Rosette turned around and saw that the demon right in front of her was none other than Chrono! He was now in his adult form wearing the same poncho clothing Mary Magdalene made for him sixty two years ago. "Chrono! Is it really you?" Rosette asked in disbelief. "Yes Rosette, it's me! Chrono!" He confirmed to her. "Chrono!" Rosette said in a joyous, happy tone as she was now finally seeing him after all these years. Rosette then jumped towards Chrono and began to hug him passionately. "I can see that you really missed me greatly, haven't you Rosette?" Chrono asked. "Of course I did. You were away for so long. I just can't tell you how happy I am to see you again." Rosette emotionally said to Chrono while looking straight at him. "Yeah, it has been quite a long time hasn't it?" Chrono confirmed, being aware of the time that had passed since they last saw each other. "Yes it has been." Rosette said and while she continued hugging him, she felt some tears coming down from her eyes. Chrono looked at Rosette's teary face and asked "What's wrong Rosette, why are you crying?" "I'm not crying. I'm happy! These tears are tears of joy!" Rosette tearfully explained. "Oh, that's good to hear! I was beginning to think that something was wrong." Chrono commented. "Of course not, silly! I am just overwhelmed with joy, that's all!" Rosette said and they both sat down on the grass and looked straight at the sunset. "It's a very beautiful sunset out there, isn't it Chrono?!" Rosette asked. "Yes, it sure is!" Chrono agreed as he touched Rosette's hand. Just then, Rosette noticed that Chrono was missing his right arm. "Chrono, your arm is missing. Did something happen in your final battle with Aion?" Rosette asked. "Yes, I'm afraid that would be the case. But don't worry about it Rosette. I'm perfectly fine!" Chrono tried to assure Rosette. "I'm not worrying, I was just curious, that's all." Rosette said. "Sorry I couldn't come back to you earlier? I was in a really bad shape after the final battle and it took me a very long time to recover. Also, if I would have returned to you earlier, I would have been hunted down by the Order and Minister Remington would then most likely be punished for lying about my death." Chrono apologetically explained. "I wanted nothing more than to see you all this time. At least that has given me a reason to keep on going." Chrono further explained. "I completely understand. That same desire has kept me going for all these years as well!" Rosette commented. "A lot has happened while you were gone that I don't even know where to start. However, I will tell you that when I turned eighteen, I resigned from my position in the Magdalene Order and returned back to the Seventh Bell Orphanage to become a caretaker here." Rosette explained. "I see, that explains why you're no longer wearing your nun uniform." Chrono commented. "It's great that you came back, for I have a feeling that when my next attack comes, the seal watch will turn off which means that my time will be up." Rosette began to explain. "What are you saying?" Chrono asked confused. "What I am saying is that for quite some time now, I have been receiving multiple cardiac attacks. All of this has made me become very weak. It's incredible that I was able to keep on going up until now. But when the next attack comes, I'm afraid that this will be the end for me." Rosette continued explaining and Chrono looked at her with a shocked expression on his face. "However, I have lived my life to the fullest by accomplishing my goals of getting Joshua back, and now I am finally seeing you again after all these years! For that I am grateful!" Rosette stated to Chrono in a relieved, satisfied tone. "I am glad that you feel that way Rosette!" Chrono said in a somber yet relieved tone. As dusk was slowly approaching, Rosette looked at the sun with a worried look, as if something was troubling her. "Chrono?" Rosette said his name. "Yes Rosette?" Chrono asked. "Before I die, I want to tell you my feelings about you." Rosette began to confess. "What do you mean?" Chrono asked confused. "What I mean to say is that, I love you Chrono! I don't care if you are a demon, you were the best pal and contractor a human could ever have!" Rosette finally revealed which greatly moved Chrono. "If only I would have had the chance to live longer, then maybe we would finally be able to be more than just friends but also lovers. We could get married, move to some place, and build ourselves a future together! But considering the circumstances, I don't think that's going to happen, will it Chrono?" Rosette asked. "No, I am afraid not. Even though I am still hoping a miracle would happen." Chrono answered in a disappointed yet hopeful tone. "Do you feel the same way about me as well Chrono?" Rosette asked while waiting for an answer. "Yes Rosette, I do! In fact, you are the most important person to me in this whole world! I can't imagine going on without you! These past 7 ½ years were just torture for me." Chrono passionately confessed. "Thanks Chrono! That's just what I wanted to hear you say." Rosette emotionally said while tears were suddenly flowing down her face. "I am scared Chrono. Despite the fact that I have willingly formed a contract with you, I am afraid of dying." Rosette reminded him in a sad, fearful tone. Just then, Rosette began to yell out of fear and sadness as she hugged Chrono tightly. "Chrono, I don't want to die! I want to live! Just for a little longer!" Rosette intensely sobbed while embracing Chrono. "Rosette." Chrono said her name quietly out of emotional despair while tears also had began to fall down onto his face since he could feel both her pain and sadness. While the two were still embracing each other and the sun was setting down, Rosette's seal watch was ticking slowly. Suddenly, the seal watch turned off and Rosette went under cardiac arrest. She started to groan in such severe pain that she felt as if a sword had pierced her body. "Rosette, what's wrong? Speak to me!" Chrono demanded as he slightly shook Rosette. "No, it can't be. I hope this is not the cardiac attack she was talking about!" Chrono thought to himself out of both shock and disbelief. "Aaaaahhh, make it stop! I don't want to die!" Rosette screamed out of despair. "Don't worry Rosette, I am here for you! I won't leave you!" Chrono promised Rosette as he continued to hold on Rosette tightly. A few moments later, Rosette felt as if the pain was gone and she stopped screaming. While Rosette's eyes were slowly closing, she said to him in a quiet, relieved tone "Thank you Chrono! Thank you for helping me live my life to the fullest against all odds!" Just then, Rosette closed her eyes and her head slowly tilted down. Her face looked so peaceful as if she was dreaming. Chrono looked at Rosette's body in horror and saw that the seal watch around her neck had turned off. He started to cry immensely. "Rosette!" Chrono cried her name out in grief as he knew that Rosette was now dead.

Rosette's death had a devastating impact to all of those who were close to her. While everyone knew that she was going to die at some point, they however didn't expect it to happen so soon. Although they never got over Rosette's death, they did however know that she will always be in their hearts forever. One day, four months after Rosette's burial, Azmaria and Joshua visited Rosette's gravestone. Azmaria sighed and placed down a bouquet of flowers in front of the gravestone. "Whenever I visit this graveyard, I always feel so sad. Don't you Joshua?" Azmaria commented in a sad tone. "Yes Azmaria. The day when Rosette's funeral took place was the most devastating day I have experienced in my life. It's unbelievable that she was willing to throw her own life away just to have me back." Joshua stated emotionally as small tears dripped down his face. He then took out the seal watch from his pocket which he gained possession of after Rosette's death and nostalgically looked at it. "We'll never know for sure, but I do hope that Rosette was finally able to meet up with Chrono again after all these years." Azmaria said while looking at the seal watch as well. Just then, Father Remington and his family entered the graveyard and walked towards them. "Well, it looks like we've all once again meet up at the exact same spot." Father Remington remarked. "Hello Minister Remington. So you and your family have decided to visit Rosette's gravestone as well I see?" Azmaria greeted them. "Of course we have. After all, Rosette's death has impacted us all tremendously. We can all be thankful for what she has done for all of us!" The minister said while he was holding Lorenzo's hand. "Yes, indeed it has." Azmaria said admittedly as Maria walked slowly towards the gravestone and placed a bouquet of flowers onto Rosette's grave. "It's hard to believe that it has been four months since Rosette's death. The fact that we are still grieving for her is proof of just how inspiring her life really was." Maria stated in disbelief while her son walked towards the gravestone beside his mother. As Lorenzo looked straight at Rosette's grave, tears began to fill his eyes and he began to cry. "Lorenzo, you miss Rosette very much, don't you sweetie?" Maria asked her son in a motherly tone as she lifted him up in her arms. "Yes Mamma, I do! I really do!" Lorenzo continued sobbing. "Now there Lorenzo, don't cry! Rosette is doing fine up in heaven. That I assure you my son!" Maria said to Lorenzo as she tried to make him feel better. "It appears that this graveyard is giving Lorenzo a really emotional time." The minister remarked as he walked towards his wife. "Not only Lorenzo, but all of us as well." Maria said to her husband and she then handed Lorenzo over to him. "I wonder what would have happened if Rosette hadn't made the contract with Chrono? Would she still have been able to get me back without having to compromise her life?" Joshua curiously asked himself aloud. "I don't know. Perhaps Rosette thought that forming a contract with Chrono was the only way to rescue you Joshua." Azmaria answered while simultaneously guessing. "I highly doubt that there was another way." Father Remington stated seriously. "What do you mean Minister?" Joshua asked. "Even though the Order had many resources available, it wouldn't have been nearly enough for Rosette to get you back without Chrono's help. If she didn't form a contract with him, she wouldn't have accomplished as much as she did as Chrono saved her life countless of times." The minister explained. "Ewan is right. There indeed was no other way around this. But because of that, I had to witness the death of someone who I considered to be my first true friend." Maria said in an emotional, sad tone as she then looked towards the sky. "Rosette, even if you are dead now, you will always be in our hearts forever!" Maria said while looking up at the overcast sky. "Thank you Rosette! Thank you for helping me to open myself to others and to be at peace with myself. For Azmaria becoming stronger and for Joshua being right here with us! We thank you all for that!" Maria said to Rosette as if she was still alive. Suddenly, tears began to appear on Maria's face as saying all of those things made her become even more emotional and sad. "So, shall we be heading home now Maria?" Father Remington asked his wife as he noticed that she was covering her face with her hands. "Yes Ewan, we might as well. This place is too much for all of us to emotionally bear." Maria agreed with her husband's suggestion. "Azmaria and I shall be heading back to the Order as well. Besides, going to this place frequently is just making me too emotional as it is." Joshua said with a slight tear on his face and they all started to walk their way out of the graveyard. A few hours later once they had all left, Chrono walked towards Rosette's gravestone and looked at it with a very depressed, sad look. "Ah, so this is where I find you Chrono! Why didn't you tell me where you were heading off to? I was looking all over for you!" Shader asked Chrono as she suddenly showed up behind him. "Are you even listening to what I am saying?" Shader persisted since Chrono did not respond. "It's been too long since I have been departed from you Rosette." Chrono said in a serious tone. He then lifted his arm up, in which he was carrying a very sharp edged knife and directed it towards himself. "Chrono, don't tell me that you are actually planning on taking your own life away?" Shader thought to herself as she was shocked at what she was seeing. She could tell that Chrono was intending to commit suicide. "Well Rosette, I can assure you that I will be able to meet you in the afterlife! Please wait for me there!" Chrono said as if he was talking to Rosette. Just when Chrono almost succeeded in impaling himself with the knife, Shader rushed towards him and grabbed his hand. The knife slipped out of Chrono's hand and they both fell onto the ground. After a few moments later, Chrono slowly got up from the ground along with Shader. "That was close! Are you crazy? Do you not know that you have almost committed suicide all in the hopes of reuniting with your contractor?" Shader asked Chrono, obviously shocked. "Yes, and I finally might have been able to reunite with her in the afterlife if you hadn't interfered!" Chrono said to Shader in a really cross tone. "Tell me Shader, why did you stop me from bringing about my own death? You know full well that I cannot bear to continue living without Rosette any longer. Why did you prevent me from the possibility of meeting with her again?" Chrono asked the cat scientist angrily. "Do you really think that you are the only one in this world who is going through such a rough emotional time?" Shader critically asked. "I know that your contractor's death has left you tremendously sad and heartbroken. But do you honestly think that killing yourself will suddenly solve everything for you?" Shader asked impatiently while understanding the emotional hardship and pain that Chrono was going through. Such words had deeply astounded Chrono as he never expected that Shader of all people would be saying those things. "Chrono, hear what I have to say. When I found out that Fiore had died along with her sister, I was extremely saddened and distraught. But instead of trying to kill myself, I tried to make the most out of my new life since I knew that nothing would have changed if I did that." Shader explained to Chrono while she was gently holding his hand. "Shader?" Chrono said her name in a surprised tone. "Please Chrono, continue living on, for my sake. We are the only Sinners left and I can't stand to see you take your own life away." Shader pleaded. "Shader, you're not saying all of this because you fear becoming lonely, are you?" Chrono suspiciously asked. "That's not the only reason. The other reason is that I don't think your contractor would have wanted you to do such a thing." Shader explained. "I see, considering that I am a demon, I doubt I would have been accepted into heaven in the first place." Chrono said as he realized a harsh fact. Chrono walked closer to Rosette's gravestone and said with a satisfied yet emotional tone "Although it is unlikely that I'll be able to meet up with Rosette some day in the afterlife, she will forever be in my heart! If I keep on atoning for all of my sins then maybe, just maybe, there could be a way to meet her again in the afterlife!" Chrono turned around and walked towards Shader. "So tell me Chrono, why didn't you decide to come back to your contractor sooner since you loved her so much?" Shader asked out of curiosity. "The reason why I didn't was because I couldn't. If I would have, there would have been no doubt that the Order would have hunted me down and have the Minister of the New York branch punished severely for lying to them about my supposed death." Chrono explained. "My, sounds like you are in quite the problematic situation." Shader remarked out of amazement. "We better get going now! It will be dark soon." Chrono told Shader. "Sure Chrono, whatever you say!" Shader said and they both transformed into their demon forms and teleported themselves back to their current place of residence. It was there on that day that Chrono accepted the fact that Rosette was dead. He knew that she will always be in his heart first and foremost, for the rest of his days.