11)Voice of the Almighty: Ch.11

“S-So, I'm Mirana Shatarova from Russia. W-hat are your names?” The girl in the white dress asked with a shy smile as she looked at them, Irina smling back while the others looked at her.

“Irina Shidou from Japan. This is my best friend and super genius Issei Hyoudou also from Japan!”

“No, I'm not. It's nice to meet you.” Issei said with a smile and a bow of his head after talking to Irina, to which the girl rolled her eyes while Mirana smiled and nodded.

“Xenovia Quarta as you heard earlier and I was born and raised in the Vatican.” Issei turned to the blue-haired girl as she spoke up along with the others, nodding before looking at the blonde boy as he spoke with a happy grin.

“Nero Raimondi, also from Italy!”

“I'm Freed Sellzen from Scandavia and this is my twin bro Siegfried!”

“We're from Germany and it's a pleasure to meet you two.” The stoic one of the two white-haired twins spoke up with a bow of his head, the younger and more expressive one grumbling before they looked at the two remaining blond girls.

“I'm Jeanne Argento and this is my younger sister Asia Argento. Did you know your name sounds like that old hero, um…Asia, what was his name again?” The blonde with the ponytail and blue eyes asked, to which the one with her hair loose and blue eyes answered with a slight stutter.

“S-Siegfried but the locals called him Sigurd.”

“Right! That's the one.”

“Wait, if your surnames are Argento, then weren't you supposed to be called first?” Issei asked with a frown and Jeanne giggled as she shook her head.

“Actually, we already tested ourselves a week ago since Sister Argento wanted to get it out of the way so today was just us showing up because we wanted to. Now, back to you, Mr. Hero. Got a reason why your names like that?”

“I could say the same. Your name is similar to that of Jeanne D'Arc who is also known as Joan of Arc.” Siegfried answered and Jeanne simply shrugged before they looked at Irina as she spoke up.

“You guys sound so smart. Do you guys like books? Because Issei here really loves books. I mean like he has his own library back home with a whole lot of books in it.” Issei just looked at his best friend talking out all of his secrets before turning back to his parents to ask for help only to sigh at the sight of his mom chatting happily with the other moms while his dad just gave him an amused smirk and shook his head.

Traitors.

“S-So, you love books?” Issei turned back as he heard Mirana speak, looking at the girl with a surprised look at how close she had gotten before smiling and nodding his head in agreement.

“I do.”

“Have you read Dance of the Fatal Stars?”

“Volume 1 to Volume 40, all finished in a week's time.” Issei answered and a look of excitement took over Mirana's face before they turned to Siegfried as the boy spoke up.

“What of Guderian's Panzer Leader?”

“I have not. Have you read Miyamoto Musashi's The Book of Five Rings?” Issei asked and Siegfried frowned at that and shook his head.

“No, is it any good?” He asked and Issei grinned and nodded in excitement.

“Oh, yeah! I've never been a fan of reading those kind of books, but my gramps got me into them by making me read it first and now I want to find another book like it.”

“Those sound like they'd be fun to read. M-Mother doesn't want me to read those kinds of books though which is why I love Fatal Stars so much.” Mirana spoke up and Issei nodded as Siegfried blinked at her words before frowning.

“Is it fictional?”

“Most of the wars in the book were inspired by the wars that have happened in the past as well as some of the battle tactics too. It's pretty cool.”

“See what I mean?” Irina whispered to Jeanne as they followed after the others, Jeanne giggling and nodding as they watched Issei, Mirana and Siegfried talking happily to each other.

Right behind them, Freed and Nero were talking animatedly with each other about some cartoon that was showing on TV with Xenovia, Asia, Jeanne and Irina taking the back with their parents walking after them as they made their way up the stairs and towards the outside of the cathedral.

“Yeah, so what of you, Ms. Serious? What do you like?” Jeanne asked as she looked over at Xenovia, who simply looked at them with a stoic look before nodding.

“I like food.” The two girls blinked as that was Xenovia's only answer before looking forward, glancing at each other before looking at Asia as they heard her giggle.

“Look alive, kiddos…and parents!” Dulio added as he remembered the parents at the back, who all rolled their eyes as he opened the front door and led them out of the cathedral before the exorcist smirked at everyone's shocked looks when they saw the large armoured bus waiting at the end of the steps with four smaller armoured trucks around it.

“U-Um, your Eminence Gesualdo. I-Is that our escort?” The nun that was Asia and Jeanne's guardian asked and Dulio smiled and nodded.

“That is correct, sister. Now, parents please line up with your child and fill up the seats inside in the order of which your child was called down to get his or her rank, if you all wouldn't mind?” Dulio explained as they walked down the stairs, Issei nodding before looking up as he felt a pair of hands grasping his left and right shoulders.

Looking up to see his parents smiling at him, he nodded before climbing into the bus and staring in awe at the interior as he sat down on the seat in between his parents.

Even with how dimly lit the inside was, his vision was able to see the numerous sigils carved into thick plates that had been welded to the inside walls, ceiling and floor of the bus before smirking at Irina's disgruntled look as she had to sit down far from him.

“So, I see you made a few new friends.” His mom spoke with a sly smile and Issei and his dad rolled their eyes as he nodded.

“I did. They're also a lot more calm to be around compared to Irina.”

“I heard that!”

“And I meant it!” Issei shouted back, confusing the other kids and bewildering the parents before both kids winced and fell back into their seats as their respective mothers smacked them upside the head.

“What have we told you two about doing that thing in public?”

“I know. Sorry about that.”

“You better be. So, tell me about your new friends.” His mom asked with a smile that replaced her scowl as Dulio closed the door and sat down and Issei blinked at his mother's ability to switch between emotions before his confusion was swept away as he processed her question.

“Well, first there's Siegfried and Freed. They're the white haired kids and…”

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“Woah~” Issei whispered in awe as he sat on his mom's lap, looking out the side of the bus they were in at the towering rotunda sitting on the other side of the bridge they were about to cross, the towers at its walls looking imposing as numerous white-cloaked people walked along the walls that connected the towers while a pristine white flag that had seven golden doves surrounding a golden circle with two scarlet 'S' inside of the circle embroidered on it.

“Cool, isn't it?” Issei heard Dulio say and turned before feeling slightly embarrassed at the amused look on the man's face.

“I-It is. Is that our new home?”

“That is correct. Also, parents are allowed to stay with their child throughout their study life at our institution and are allowed to pull out their child at any time.” Dulio added as he saw Issei's parents looking at him, to which Miki let out a sigh of relief while Gorou gave the young man a thankful nod.

“Thank you. So, how old are you? You look far younger than the one exorcist I know.”

“Haha~ I get that a lot. I am turning eighteen this year, sir, as I was an early graduate that quickly rose through the ranks and became one of the youngest to reach my ranks.” Dulio spoke proudly and Gorou's eyes widened while Miki looked impressed and Issei stared at the man in amazement.

“That's…quite the achievement, but why did you graduate early?”

“Oh, that's something we can't reveal to the public. Secrets and all that stuff. What I can say is that I was just…born special, just like how I hear you are, Issei.”

“I wouldn't say I'm born special.”

“He is.” Gorou added and Dulio chuckled as Issei gave his amused father a narrowed stare.

“What? You are, aren't you?”

“…Fine, I am, but I don't want that to help me.”

“Oh, it's too late for that. Truthfully, your word and my word are considered as equal in the eyes of the higher-ups as you are the son of an Angel.”

“Wait, what? S-So, if you and Issei had a disagreement…?” Miki trailed off with a panicked look which was mirrored by her husband before they both let out a relieved sigh as Dulio shook his head with a smile while Issei rolled his eyes at his parents' antics.

“Do not fear. Right now, most exorcists wouldn't exactly follow his orders, but the moment he graduates and becomes an exorcist, you and I will be considered equals when speaking in terms of political power in regards to the Vatican. All you then need to do is to prove yourself by vanquishing the evil of this world and work your way up in the ranks and yeah, you'd be set for life.”

“And these missions? Are they…are they dangerous?” Miki asked hesitantly and Dulio frowned as he crossed his arms and sat back.

“Truthfully, ma'am, I won't lie and say that they are not. Being an exorcist is only for those willing to throw themselves into the grasps of hell itself in order to make sure that the rest of humanity has one more day to live out their best lives. Unlike the rest of the Obscured World, we exorcists are simply humans who are trying our best to make you all live another day so while most of us would see it as a never-ending curse, there are a rare few of us that dream about a day where we will no longer be needed.”

“…I…I see. And you're still sure you want to do this?” Miki asked as she looked at her son before palming her face while Gorou chuckled at the determined look in Issei's eyes.

“I see he's already made his choice, huh?” Dulio spoke with a grin as he stood up, Issei feeling the truck stop before Dulio turned to those that were listening in on their conversation.

“Please, parents and children, follow me to the entrance hall.” He spoke before walking off of the bus, Issei quickly standing up and following his parents as they made their way off the bus and followed after Dulio as the exorcist walked over to where he saw the old giant from before waiting for them.

“Thank you for escorting them here, Dulio.”

“Ah, it was no problem, your Eminence. Now, if you would excuse, I got a date with that cannoli shop down the street. Children, parents, it was lovely to meet you all, but I'm leaving you all in the capable hands of his Eminence Strada here.”

“Thank you, Mr. Dulio!” The children chorused in unison while the parents simply smiled and nodded, Dulio returning the gesture before Issei watched the man walking away.

“Now then!” He turned his attention back to Mr. Strada as he spoke up, the old man smiling softly at them all before gesturing for them all to follow as he began walking into the surrounding compound of the fortress.

“Firstly, let me welcome you all to Castel Sant'Angelo, your new home for the following three years of your training. As I'm sure Dulio has said, parents are allowed to stay in any of the hotels nearby or, if they feel the fortress is protected enough, head back home if they wish to. Children, you however are not allowed to leave the premises of the walls around the fortress unless you have been given permission by myself or one of your teachers to allow you to do so. Before anyone gets angered by my words, the last time a child walked out on their own is also the time when they were kidnapped by fallen angels and never seen again.” Vasco spoke as he saw the frowns on the parents' face, to which the fathers' frowns deepened while the mothers looked horrified as they hugged their pale children to their legs.

“Like I have said before, this is meant to be your home away from home and you must think of everyone here as just another distant family member.”

“Does that make you the grandpa?” Issei asked as his fear faded away and the atmosphere went back from tense to jovial as the parents looked amused at his words while the kids snickered at it.

“Haha~ Yes, I suppose one could say that being that I am the oldest exorcist in history.”

“Really? How old are you, Mr. Strada?” Freed asked and Vasco smiled before shocking them all with his response.

“I will be turning 73 years old this year and it would be my 63rd year of being an exorcist.”

'Wait, 63 years of service and he's 73? Holy crap, he's been doing this since he was ten years old.' Issei thought in shock and his eyes widened as Mr. Strada gave him a knowing look before nodding.

“As I'm sure you all figured out, yes, I started and graduated from the academy in the same year and have been protecting humanity for the past 63 years. For reference, the second oldest exorcist was one of my closest friends and he retired at the age of 58 after 45 years of service. The average exorcist retires at 50.”

“Woah~” Issei couldn't help but mutter as he stared at the large man in awe, who smiled at their shocked faces before nodding and walking towards the castle while gesturing for them to follow.

“Anyway, back to the tour.”

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“Hmm, it's a good room.” Issei heard his mom say as he laid on his queen-sized Victorian-era styled bed, surprised at the fact that it was just for him before looking around at his new room that was nearly twice the size of his old one.

The people had gone all out as he had both a walk-in closet with a standalone wardrobe all for himself on his right near the door to the outside along with having his own private bathroom that had a bath, shower and toilet through the door on his right.

Folded and placed neatly in his closet were all of his clothes that he had brought along from Japan with the added addition of different gold, white and silver clothes and shoes that were in his size as well as new jackets, underwear and boots in the wardrobe.

Along with that, his suitcases had been packed neatly in a sliding compartment in the closet and lying on a special cushion that was surrounded by a glass case was his own white cloak with gold lining and accents as well as black boots, light grey baggy pants and some kind of skintight bodysuit?

'No idea why that last one is there, but I don't mind it.'

“Just admit it, dear. You want to find fault, don't you?” His dad's words knocked him from his thoughts and Issei looked at his mother only to snicker at the huff she gave as she crossed his arms.

“I do not.”

“Mom, that's your usual 'I want to be right' face.”

“There's nothing stopping me from picking you up by your hair and taking you back home, mister.”

“Yes, ma'am.” Issei didn't know if his mom was joking and to be honest, he didn't want to be the one who found out.

“Miki, don't worry. Touji just sent a message and he's found a house for sale right across the bridge. Not to mention, my boss called me this morning and asked me if I wouldn't mind heading a branch we're opening here in Italy?”

“Oh, please. As if that were true.” Miki spoke sarcastically with a roll of her eyes before both her and Issei looked surprised as Gorou continued smiling and nodded.

“W-Wait, you're…you're being serious?”

“All I need to do is call back and we can permanently stay here in the Vatican with Issei. It's very lucky for us that this happened, but we can also see it as a 'message from God' as Touji likes to say.”

“What are you waiting for? Go make the call!” Miki exclaimed with an excited smile and Gorou chuckled with a nod as he took out his phone.

“Glad you agree because I've already sold our old house.”

“What?!”

“My manga!”

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“Ahem! It's wonderful to see that everyone has decided to stay for the opening dinner!” Vasco's voice echoed across the large rooftop restaurant of Castel Sant'Angelo that was Caffetteria Ristorante Le Terrazze, where the parents and children are seated in long tables along with Griselda, Dulio, Touji and another exorcist that had his dark brown hair slicked back into a ponytail along with a long jagged scar on his right cheek.

'David Cerro, another exorcist that was the same rank as Uncle Touji.' Issei thought with a smile as he recalled the man introducing himself to them, with Uncle Touji looking as if they were close friends.

“Issei.” Issei blinked as he turned to Irina only to sigh at the smile on her face.

“What are you planning?”

“They want to see your power.” Irina said while pointing at the other kids around the kids table they were sitting at, to which the brown-haired boy looked at the expectant looks on their faces before looking back at the sheepish looks on her face.

“How did they find out?”

“It might…have slipped past my lips.”

“…Irina?”

“Yeah?”

“What happened the last time I used my Voice?”

“Uh, you made the area shake.”

“And what do you think we'll happen if I use it on a rooftop that might shake and cause us to fall right through?” Issei asked before shaking his head as he saw everyone paling at his words.

“Hah, I'll show you guys but I'll point it up.”

“Wait, wh-!” Before Freed could finish his sentence, his eyes widened as Issei clicked his tongue while activating his Voice, the air above them rumbling as the table shook the moment a visible shockwave erupted from Issei's mouth and shot up in the sky.

“You never told me you could do that!” Irina exclaimed and Issei rolled his eyes as he ignored the shocked gazes aimed at him.

“I didn't have to. You should have figured it out.”

“Issei, while we did enjoy the demonstration of your angelic abilities, can we ask you to refrain from using them outside of a training session please?” Mr. Strada asked and Issei gave a sheepish smile as he nodded.

“R-Right! Sorry about that, Mr. Strada.”

“Wait, wait! Angelic…abilities? You're an angel?” Jeanne whispered with a look of awe before it turned to confusion as Issei gave a so-so gesture.

“Kind of. I'm half-angel, half-human.”

“Wait, you're a Fallen Angel?” Siegfried asked as his gaze snapped to him and Issei's eyes widened before quickly shaking his head, confusing everyone even more.

“Nonononono! Not at all! My mom was human and my dad was an Angel! Apparently, if an angel and a human love each other very much, then they'll be able to have a child.”

“Mr. Gorou, you're an angel?!” Irina shouted in excitement and Miki hid her giggles behind a cloth as Gorou smiled and shook his head.

“Not me, Irina. Issei's biological parents.”

“…I'm confused.” Nero spoke up, most of the other kids nodding in agreement as Mirana giggled and Siegfried rolled his eyes.

“What he means is that if the love between an angel and a human is pure, they will be able to have sexual intercourse and give birth to a child that is a hybrid of the two races?”

“What is sexual intercourse?” Jeanne froze at Asia's words before slowly turning a burning glare towards Siegfried, who was frozen in place with a look of shock before he quickly jumped away as Jeanne jumped over the table at him.

“Get back here so I can tear your heart out for taking Asia's innocence!”

“She's 10! She should know what sex is by now!” Siegfried shouted back and Issei watched as the two of them ran around the rooftop with Dulio chasing after them while laughing hysterically.

“…This is far more fun than I thought it would be.”

“And you thought it wouldn't be, huh dummy?” Irina spoke and Issei looked at the smug smile on her face before shaking his head as he decided to let her have her moment.

'Just let her have this, Issei. Let her have this.'

A/N: Another quick and lighthearted chapter before we kick off next chapter with their first year in training.

I made a mistake with the whole 'alphabet order' where they called everyone to get tested since both Jeanne and Asia are Argento, but I explained it in this chapter to fix the mistake.

Also, I think I'll be doing 1-2 chapters a year at most, two sounding better as I could do half a year every chapter to be honest.

Let me know which one sounds better since you guys are paying me to write these.

Another thing that I'm sure you all noticed. Some characters have been de-aged to fit into the story better, so pay that no mind. Just something small that I thought needed to be said.

Anyway, as always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…

Ba-Bye~!!