Holy fire flared atop the crucifix in Father Burke's hand, its radiance flooding the passage and chasing away the shadows.

Burke's sudden, forceful entry caused Valak's expression to darken instantly.

The demon had anticipated that, without his interference, the Sisterhood would eventually help the priest escape his predicament. What shocked him was how the two of them had managed to track him down so quickly afterward.

"Tweet! Chirp-chirp!"

The cry of a plump bird provided the answer to Valak's silent question.

"Seia!"

Irene, who had been following close on Father Burke's heels, spotted the girl pinned beneath a faceless nun. Before her worry could spiral into panic, she raised her weapon; the bullets tore through the air, knocking the nun back.

Bang! Bang!

Two more follow-up shots followed in rapid succession, causing the faceless nun's form to dissipate into nothingness.

"Get her back!" Father Burke barked. Noticing Seia's visible exhaustion and the struggle she had just to stay upright, he thrust the crucifix forward, forcing his way toward her.

Under the searing glow of the holy fire, the remaining faceless nuns recoiled. Unwilling to waste his strength for no reason, Valak commanded them to retreat from the direct path of the light.

"On it!"

Irene kept pace with him. Reaching Seia, she knelt without a second's hesitation, scooped the girl up into her arms, and sprinted toward the exit.

Maintaining the holy fire was a massive drain on one's physical and spiritual reserves.

Seeing that the others were out of harm's way, Father Burke extinguished the flames and followed them out of the passage, slamming the door shut behind them.

"Chirp! Tweet-tweet!"

The rush of surviving a near-death experience filled their hearts, and it was only the persistent chirping of the plump bird that brought them back to their senses.

"Thank goodness for this little guy, or things would have ended badly..." Irene said, letting out a long sigh of relief as she looked at the round bird hovering in the air.

After she had managed to get outside earlier, she had searched frantically for Father Burke to no avail. That was until this chubby bird appeared, chirping and fluttering about as if beckoning her to follow.

Though she was confused as to why Seia's little companion was here, she knew the creature possessed a strange sort of spiritual intelligence, so she followed it immediately.

It had led her straight to the graveyard, where she rescued Father Burke. He had been ensnared by Valak's illusions and sealed alive inside a coffin; if she hadn't arrived when she did, his fate would have been grim.

But no sooner had they dealt with that crisis than the bird began chirping again, signaling for them to move. Realizing Seia was likely in trouble, they didn't even have time to wonder how a demon had breached a bedroom protected by crosses. They simply ran.

The good news was that the demon hadn't attacked Seia in her room.

The bad news was that she had been in genuine peril.

Still...

Irene glanced at the girl cradled in her arms.

Even though they had all faced the same danger, she and Father Burke were covered in grime and looked utterly disheveled from their struggle.

Seia, on the other hand, looked perfectly clean—aside from a clear lack of energy, there wasn't a speck of dust on her.

"Thank you... you really saved me, didn't you?" Seia said with a soft smile, acknowledging the bird as it chirped incessantly, clearly fishing for credit.

The "silly bird" was visibly delighted by the praise. It landed on Seia's chest, puffing out its wings to show off its supposed might.

"And thank you as well, Irene, Father Burke."

Seia continued, "If you hadn't arrived in time, things might have... spiraled out of control."

She didn't elaborate on how things would have spiraled, but they certainly would have.

After all, acting was one thing, but she couldn't actually let a common demon lord step all over her. In a sense, Father Burke and Irene hadn't saved her so much as they had saved Valak from a very unfortunate end.

"Out of control..." Father Burke muttered the phrase.

He didn't doubt her for a second; after all, this girl possessed the gift of prophecy. She was someone likely blessed by an Archangel.

That bird hadn't just been sent to save him—it was part of her own plan for salvation. Everything that happened had clearly been foreseen by her.

"Sister Irene, do you have any leads on this particular demon?" Burke asked, looking toward her.

"I..." Irene thought for a moment before shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I couldn't sense anything specific."

"I see," Father Burke nodded. "Beneath the coffin where I was trapped, there were skeletal remains and several books. We might find some clues in those texts."

But research was a task for tomorrow.

Seia was currently drained of all strength, so Irene acted as her "human wheelchair." While Irene's constitution was nowhere near that of a master exorcist like Burke, her training and the holy power within her made her stronger than the average person. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Carrying Seia back to her room was no trouble at all.

Even though she hadn't been directly attacked tonight, Irene had a nagging feeling that this was a crisis she couldn't handle as a mere novice.

Was she truly fit to face the Lord's trials? The demon hadn't even bothered to target her.

To some, that might seem like a blessing, but to Irene, this "omission" felt like the demon simply didn't consider her a threat.

"I intend to take my official vows tomorrow," Irene said suddenly on the way back.

"Have you made up your mind?"

Father Burke wasn't surprised. A "Trial from God" required one to be at their absolute best to prove their devotion. To his eyes, Irene becoming a full nun amidst this crisis was a holy and fitting timing.

Irene felt the same.

Beyond that, becoming a nun meant more than just an increase in holy power; it meant transitioning from a lay follower to a "Bride of Christ." It would make it far harder for evil to touch her.

Once the three returned to their respective rooms, the exhaustion of the night finally claimed them, and they fell into a deep sleep.

Seia's fatigue was genuine. When she wasn't utilizing her Halo, her physical constitution was notably more fragile than that of an ordinary girl.

The next morning, Irene and Father Burke prepared a simple breakfast while Seia fed some berries to her bird. Once they had finished eating and felt their spirits renewed, the three of them gathered before the iron gates of the convent's inner courtyard.

Father Burke did not follow them inside. He had entered the previous night to save a life, but that was an emergency. As a man, he could not enter the cloistered area without absolute necessity.

He wouldn't be idle, however. He intended to spend the day poring over the books he had found in the coffin to uncover the truth.

Standing before the gate, Irene pulled the bell cord. Before long, a nun emerged from the courtyard chapel and made her way to the gate.

"You two must be the guests who arrived last night," she said with a friendly smile. "Please, follow me."

Returning the smile, Irene and Seia stepped through the iron gates and into the inner sanctum.

--+--

T/N: I have a Patreon!

It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!

[email protected]/AspenTL

If you guys wanna check it out.