RSE CH 44 (Patreon)

“Should we tell Rayne?” Mimi asked.

Sitting alone in the living room as they kept watch over the two captive Nephilim sleeping soundly thanks to Lucy’s magic, Maria and Mimi discussed in hushed voices the phenomenal revelation that shook them to their core.

“No,” Maria replied. “It will be really funny when Rayne finds out for herself. Plus, we don’t have the right to tell anyone... It’s Leo’s secret to share, not ours.”

Mimi nodded at her half-sister’s logical reasoning. What they’d just learned was a secret that involved their entire family and its complex history. However, the point remained that it wasn’t their secret to share with others.

‘A distant cousin, huh…’

Mimi felt odd as she turned the matter over in her head. Her eldest brother, Salvatore, was a good man and a leader of his siblings. But was it so because he was so much older than her? Or was it because she always felt like an intruder in the sibling relationship between Rayne and Salvatore?

Whatever the reason, Mimi had never really seen Salvatore as an ‘older brother’… not in the truest sense of the word.

But a cousin… particularly a distant cousin… that was different. Hells, Leo was different.

Shaking her head to dismiss her introspection, Mimi changed the topic and asked her little sister a question she’d wondered the minute she’d first heard about the proposed masque-game. “Do you think Rayne and her Circle have a chance against him?”

“Non. Zero. Nyet.”

Maria was as sure as she could be. If she’d had any doubts before, after seeing how Leo had crushed the Fallen angel and her minion, those doubts had vanished before their heads had hit the ground.

A holy sword that could hurt devils paired with the experience of a trained exorcist? Not to mention a Divine gear blessed by Dragons? And these were the tools of a potent devil and the powerful gravity magic he had near perfect control over.

The trump cards Leo had, quite literally, tucked in his sleeve were enough to send a shiver down her spine. As long as he didn’t make some bizarre mistake or was stupidly arrogant—which didn’t seem like him at all—then the result was a foregone conclusion.

This wouldn’t be a fight; if a serious duel, it would just be the prelude to a one-sided beatdown.

“But…”

Mimi frowned. If Rayne lost, she would become Leo’s servant. It would mean…

‘But if… Huh.’

“Hehehe! It seems you finally understand what this means. It might have been a problem before, but now that we know Leo is family, no one can complain. Furthermore…”

A mischievous smile full of malicious playfulness danced on Maria’s lips as she spoke.

“Between Leo or Richard, who do you think would be better?”

Maria was already imagining scenes of Rayne serving Leo. Just thinking about that sent her mind into overdrive at how simultaneously exciting and funny such a spectacle would be. As she did, another idea came to her. It would be a dangerous gamble, but one that would solve the problems of her half-sister.

‘Should I find a way to have Leo and Mimi sign a master-servant contract?’

It was an idea she had had for some time, though she’d originally thought Leo would serve Mimi. That was obviously not going to happen, but the reverse was an idea worth spending some time fleshing out.

***

While Maria was thinking of a devious scheme that would benefit both her and her troubled sister, Asa was busy revealing her forlorn past to Leo.

“My parents abandoned me right after I was born.”

Asa’s story had barely begun, and it was already grim. Still, Leo said nothing. He listened to the petite blonde, giving her his utmost attention. He knew more than most how heavily the past could weigh on people.

Giving him a grateful smile, Asa meekly continued her story. “I was told by the nuns that I was found crying on the steps of a small town’s church. I… I grew up in an orphanage the Church sponsored in Brugge, Belgium.” She paused and a faint smile stretched her lips as fond memories rose in her mind’s eye.

“Those were rather simple days, but they were pleasant ones. Even though I was an orphan, I didn’t feel alone or unloved. I spent my days in the orphanage, the cloister, or in the bakery the lay sisters of the order ran. One day, however, everything changed.”

Her smile grew strained. “Could it be the call of destiny? I really don’t know. But when I was eleven or so, a dog that had been hit by a car—close to death—wandered into the church.”

The pretty blonde teared up. Her fists clenched at her sides before she dashed the tears away. “He was so pitiful, Leo... By myself, I prayed as hard as I could for the poor dog’s injuries to heal. That’s when a miracle occurred.”

She took a shuddering breath. “My Divine Gear awakened.” A bitter smile formed on her lips at the word ‘Divine’ as she continued her tale. “As you can surely guess, the dog was healed in an instant.”

Asa explained how her life had changed from that moment on.

“It wasn’t long before I was taken to a big church where I was ordered to heal ill and wounded Christians that came there from all over the world. I was given the rare title of Holy Maiden and was respected by the Church.”

Asa pressed three fingers on each hand to her temples and massaged them. With a rueful snort, she continued her tale. “Of course, none of the laurels I received ever really mattered. I was happy to be held in high esteem—me, an orphan abandoned on the steps of a small church. But what made me happiest was how, with my Gear’s power, I could help people.”

Leo sensed the aura of benevolence that had fallen around Asa as she expressed her joy at making a real difference in people’s lives. She wore a smile so serene that it was easy to understand why she’d been called Holy.

It was clear she’d give her all for the good of others.

“But then…”

Unfortunately, that benevolent aura vanished shortly after it appeared. A deep frown full of sorrow and frustration mired her previously charming visage. Leo squeezed her hand in silent encouragement for her to continue.

“One morning, after Vespers when everyone had gone to breakfast, I encountered a man on the steps of the church who’d collapsed on the sidewalk. He was bleeding… heavily injured.”

She paused, then shook her head, as if deciding to see this through to the bitter end. “I healed him, of course. How could I let a man die in front of me? What I didn’t know, was that my decision in the spur of the moment would be my downfall…”

She sighed before continuing. “The man I stumbled onto on the steps and healed was… a devil.”

Leo eyes opened wide in amazement. Divine Gear were essentially manifestations of the power of God. And her Divine Gear, Serpent Bearer, was a conduit of Holy power. It should have been impossible for her to heal a devil.

“Incredible,” he breathed.

Asa blinked at him, brows narrowed in confusion.

Leo had been an exorcist. He’d studied in the Vatican! She’d been ready to see reproach or loathing in his eyes, but instead she saw admiration and awe.

“You don’t find that disgusting?”

“Disgusting? How could I?!” He took her hands in his. “Asa, you did the impossible… a TRUE miracle.”

She would never forget the words and disdain she’d received back then from the very people who lauded her as a Holy Maiden. Ducking her head, she stared at the coverlet on the bed. “That’s not what the Priests said…”

‘She can heal devils. She is a witch!’

‘Only a witch could heal a devil!’

‘She should be burned at the stake!’

Shivering slightly, Asa told him what they’d said about her.

Leo shook his head, “You don’t seem to know much about Divine Gear.”

He didn’t wish to interrupt her tale, but he had to make this clear. “Divine Gear all have a base power… a default setting, if you will. My Dragon Emperor’s Gauntlet boosts my power, and your Serpent Bearer heals. This default setting can’t be changed.”

He squeezed her hand again before releasing it. “But how they do it, and how much they can do is influenced by the intent of their wielders.” Leo revealed a bitter smile as these words escaped his lips.

Because of his fear and the trauma he’d experienced, he’d always rejected his Gear. How powerful would Banishing Shift be if he boosted it too much and lost control? How much destruction would be responsible for?

Leo already knew the answer to that question. The mountain he’d turned inside out, making it into a seemingly endless crater while erasing the corpses of all his friends, was a fresh and extremely vivid memory—one that would forever be seared into his mind.

“Serpent Bearer has the power to heal… but since all those who awakened it are human and members of the Church, none of them intended to heal devils. As such, it was not just the impossibility of Holy power blessing a demonic being that prevented Serpent Bearer from doing so. But you are, as you may have already guessed, different.”

Leo snorted in exasperation. “You love all beings while discriminating against none. All that mattered to you was that you could save a life. This is why your Divine Gear doesn’t discriminate between any race. It even healed a being antithetical to Heavenly power… because you asked it to. It heals all.”

People like Asa were few and far between.

It was pure irony that they’d decreed her a heretic. It was ridiculous. He doubted there was anyone in this world more deserving of the title of Saintess or Holy Maiden than Asa Silvers.

Instead of luxuriating in the warmth that spread from her chest, she gave him a sad little smile and shook her head.

“The higher-ups of the Church didn’t think like you. I don’t know how they learned of it. But within two days, I’d been branded a heretic and chased from the cloister that had been my home because I had the power to heal even devils.”

It was an ironic twist of fate.

She’d become a Holy Maiden because she healed a dog that had been dying, and she was branded a heretic because she’d healed a dying being—one who turned out not to be human—at the door of the church. If that wasn’t irony, she didn’t know what was.

“They were idiots. You are a true miracle, Asa.”

Asa’s face reddened a little as she gave a melancholic sniffle of relief. Those were words she had always wanted to hear. And hearing them from Leo, from her savior, brought joy to her heart.

Leo scowled. “So that’s why you had nowhere to go and got conned into helping a Fallen Angel?”

“I’m hopeless, aren’t I?” She stuck her tongue out cutely before pressing her palms together in front of her in the sign of prayer.

Leo chuckled at her antics.

“But I never stopped praying to God and expressing my gratitude to him. Even so, what I was doing is inexcusable. I can’t believe I assisted them in the terrible things they were doing... in the terrible sins they did.”

She felt forlorn when she thought about the atrocities the people she’d worked with had committed. Surprisingly, the ache of guilt wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been yesterday.

“The Lord must truly be testing me. If I can overcome the ordeal he has laid before me, he will make my dream come true someday.” She ducked her head, cheeks heating. “At least that’s what I believed.”

“What is your dream, Asa?” Leo pushed strand of golden blonde hair behind her ear.

Asa’s blush reached the tips of her ears. “My dream was th-that I’d make lots of friends. Together, we’d buy chocolates and books, and read them together in a sunny field while we shared the chocolate and talked about our favorite characters. That was a lonely orphan’s dream. You see… until I met you, I’d never had a friend.”

That was an understatement. In the orphanage, there hadn’t been any kids her age. The older kids had called her a nerd and other not-so-nice names. The younger kids followed the example of the older kids. And then she’d been whisked away from the orphanage at age eleven.

That was eight years ago. Since then, she’d been alone… even when standing in the midst of believers as she healed them.

“You speak in the past tense… you said that ‘was’ your dream—that was the dream of a lonely orphan, you said.” Leo brushed her cheek with his thumb. “Is there something else you want now?”

“Indeed… Recently, I realized how helpless I am.” Her expression became stern, and her eyes fixed on him as she uttered her next words. “I understand now that I was wrong, Leo. Happiness does not come to those who wait or those who simply endure while doing nothing.”

Faith was a good thing and believing in God was also good. But God did not help those who did not help themselves. If God gave you a dozen chances, if you didn’t act on them, it would all come to naught.

“Happiness can only be won by those who stretch their hand out to grasp it.” She took a deep breath and searched his eyes. “And now, I believe that my chance at happiness is right in front of me. This is why…”

Asa stretched out her hand to Leo. It was a symbolic act, evidence of her intent to act on the chance given to her by God. That was her earnest belief

“Will you take my hand and let me walk beside you?”

Leo looked at Asa silently. He sensed her unwavering will and saw the deep resolve in her eyes. Somehow, he knew this wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. He noted the faint tremble in her outstretched hand as she fought to hide her fears and insecurities.

Leo did not doubt that right here, right now, Asa was offering him herself—her everything… her all. She’d laid it all out and put all her feelings into her request.

Though he had decided to never use his pieces, how could he refuse such an earnest demand? Closing his eyes, Leo breathed a sigh of utter defeat. Opening his eyes, he smiled and took her hand as he looked her in the eyes.

He was deadly serious. “Asa Silvers, do you truly wish to enter my circle?”

“I do!”

“Then… uh… I am happy to have you.” He blushed. “I mean… to have you walk beside me.”

The smile Asa gave him was bright enough to illuminate a city shadowed in complete darkness. And seeing that smile, a heartfelt smile graced Leo’s lips in reply.