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.