10)Voice of the Almighty: Ch.10

“Touji, I see that your time away from work was good for your health.” Even as the elderly yet muscular behemoth spoke in a soft tone, his voice flowed with power itself as Touji stopped in front of him & the other three awaiting him in the centre of the amphitheatre.

“It did indeed, Eminence Strada, and I see you're as powerful as ever.”

“Hahaha~ It is only through our Father's grace that I am still able to do his work.” Strada spoke with a smile and Touji nodded before turning to the only older female of the group.

“Commander Quarta, how have you been?”

“Wonderful, actually. Headquarters have been a lot calmer when you & Dulio are separated and stopped from doing your shenanigans.”

“Now, that's hurtful, commander.” The blonde-haired man standing besides Strada spoke with a smile, to which Strada chuckled while Touji shook his head as Griselda rolled her eyes.

“The truth hurts.”

“Well, at least I can say that I'm glad to see that you have taken on a ward. Hello, young one. I am Touji Shidou, former student of his Eminence Vasco Strada here and current overseer of the catholic churches in Japan. Who might you be?”

“Xenovia Quarta, the next wielder of Durandal.” Touji had to admit that the girl had confidence in spades, but it was her last sentence that surprised him, looking at his former master who shrugged at his gaze.

“She does have potential and has resonated with the blade once. However, Durandal still thinks that she is a bit…how do I say it?”

“Weak. Via's still a bit weak.” Dulio answered & smirked as Griselda giggled while Xenovia glared at him

“Don't call me that.” Xenovia spoke with a huff, Touji smiling & nodding as he knelt down while patting her on the head.

“Well, may I say that it is quite impressive for someone as young as you to have a holy sword resonate with you, Xenovia. You know, I have a daughter your age and I'm certain she & her best friend would be delighted to have a new friend.”

“I assume you're referring to the young boy up there. Is that also the one you were told to keep an eye on?” Griselda asked as she looked over at where Touji's wife & daughter along with the boy in question and his family were seated, the exorcist simply nodding as he stood up.

“Yes, that is the Miracle Child.”

“Hmm, he is quite strong for his age, especially since the only other Miracle Child we have is only six years old & has not even unlocked his holy energy.”

“That's the thing. His grandfather knew of his heritage & he also has an ability that lets him project his voice. While this is also something that most Angels can do, the way he did made me feel as if he was talking to my very being.”

“Is that so? From the sound of it, that means his parent is a Seraph or higher, which wouldn't make sense because we all would have been notified about it.” Dulio spoke with a frown, the others nodding in agreement before looking over as Vasco cleared his throat to draw their attention.

“Whatever the case may be, he is here & wants to become a member of the Church so it is our duty as his potential mentors to make sure he stays on the path that is best for him.”

“It is as you say, Eminence Strada. Now, I do believe our guests are getting restless at being kept waiting for so long, so shall we?” Dulio asked with a smirk and Vasco smiled & nodded, turning to Griselda who cleared her throat loudly to capture everyone's attention.

“Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the 422nd Prospective Exorcist Trainee Exams.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Wow~ She's pretty.” Issei heard Irina whisper as the woman spoke and while he wanted to keep on listening, he found his mind wandering off as he looked at the elderly muscular guy that had sat down on the few chairs behind them along with Uncle Touji & the other two exorcists.

“It is wonderful to see so many prospective exorcists wanting to join us and I must say that I am excited to see all of you at the end of your journey as my comrades. Now, the test is quite simple and I will allow his Eminence Strada to demonstrate.”

“Thank you, Ms. Quarta.” Issei heard the old man say as he stood up, walking over to the woman who looked tiny compared to him as he looked up at everyone with a soft & endearing smile before speaking.

“As you all heard, there is only one test compared to the other years that had three tests every year, but there is a reason for that. We have noticed that the quality of exorcists have dropped over the past few decades so we have decided that a test will be held every year for the three years of your training and if you make it through all three, you shall be anointed as a member of the Catholic Exorcist Association.” Vasco declared and Issei watched as the crowd of parents & children clapped & cheered, hesitantly doing the same along with parents as even Irina looked excited.

“Now, the test is quite simple. One by one, Griselda shall be calling your name down and I will flow my energy through your form. Depending on how powerful your response is, I shall put you in the specific group that fits your skill level. However, if you do not react as I expect, I will unfortunately disqualify you from joining the Association.” Issei had to admit that he felt a bit nervous at the man's words, but he shook his head to get himself in the right mind set as the man looked over to Griselda who nodded as she took out a clipboard from somewhere in her cloak.

“Ahem. Amelia Abatte.” Issei watched as a blonde girl on the far side from where they were sitting stood up along with her parents, all three of them looking nervous as they walked down to the centre before letting out a soft groan as he realized that they were going alphabetical.

'This is going to take a while.' He thought with a frown as he watched Vasco placing a hand on the girl's head, her parents waiting patiently yet anxiously at the same time as the old man looked down at the nervous girl with a hum before smiling.

“Page.” The man declared, the term foreign to Issei but known to the people here as they all clapped & even Irina's mom looked happy as she clapped along with the crowd.

“Mommy, is that good?” Issei heard Irina ask her mom and even his own parents looked curious as the woman as she smiled & nodded.

“Yes, it may be the lowest rank out of the groups, but it still shows that she has promise as an exorcist.”

'That shows why her mom & dad looks so happy.' Issei thought with a soft smile as he watched Amelia's dad picking her up while her mother gave her a peck on the cheek, the girl giggling as the family made their way back towards their seats.

“Antonio Arnold.” The name didn't sound Italian, but Issei supposed even foreigners can become exorcists since he was being a chance to do so, watching as a dark brown-haired boy with a slightly cocky smile walked down along with his smiling mom & stoic father.

“Squire.” Unlike Amelia who Vasco took a few minutes with before speaking, Issei was surprised as the man took only a minute before speaking, watching as gasps & whispers of excitement echoed in the ground while the cocky boy grinned before looking up as his mom patted his shoulder & his dad nodded while giving Mr. Strada a respectful nod

“Is that one higher?” Issei asked Auntie Reina, who smiled & nodded.

“One rank higher than Page. There is one above it, but it is the highest rank a prospective exorcist can get and only those that will become leaders of the Association are given such a rank.”

“Eh, Issei & I will probably get it.” Irina spoke with a dismissive wave of her hand, making their parents snicker at her words as Issei sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose.

“As long as I just get in, that's all that matters to me.”

“What? But how are we going to show our superiority over everyone if we're not the highest rank~?” Issei ignored Irina's whine at his words as he looked back down at the family walking back while watching as Antonio looked happy at his parents' happiness at him passing.

'I guess he's an exorcist too so he must have expected his kid to get a high-rank.' Issei thought with a frown before ignoring his mom's giggle at his groan as he leaned back into her the moment he heard another name being called.

'Oh, this is going to take a while.'

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Issei Hyoudou.” Issei was jolted from his boredom by the sound of his name being called, his mom placing him on the ground before he turned as Irina patted him on the shoulder.

“Remember, highest rank.”

“You…are an idiot.” He muttered as he turned & walked away, hiding his smirk as he heard Irina's growl & his dad's stifled laughter before the Hyoudou family made their way down to the centre of the amphitheatre.

Despite how confident they looked on the outside, Issei could feel his parents' anxiety and reached up to grasp a hand from each of them, making them glance down to see him smiling at them which they answered with their own smiles before they stopped in front of a smiling Vasco.

“Go on, sweetie.” With a deep breath, Issei followed his mom's words and walked towards the large man, barely coming up to his waist as Vasco looked down with a smile before Issei gulped softly as he felt the man gently enveloping his head.

“Ex-Wire.” It was barely a few seconds and Issei had to process the man's words as Vasco took his hand from his head, both him & Ms. Quarta besides him looking pleased as she nodded & wrote it down on the clipboard.

Turning back to his parents, he looked just as shocked as they did before his dad gave a small fist bump to the air as his mom picked him up, unable to hide her happy smile as they made their way past the shocked crowd towards where Irina was smiling smugly & Reina was clapping with a happy cheer.

Issei just sat down next to Irina while his parents sat down on the opposite side, slouching slightly in his seat as he saw the shocked gazes aimed at him before glaring at Irina as she leaned in with her smug smile.

“Told ya.”

“…I hate you.”

“No, you don't.”

“No, I don't. …Urgh, you're annoying.” He grumbled and huffed as she simply giggled & moved back to sit right in her seat, looking forward to watch as the next person moved towards the centre before shaking his head as he laid back & closed his eyes.

'Just like Gramps said, keep calm & meditate to clear your mind. Deep breath in…deep breath out.'

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Page. That's the last one, yes?” Issei snapped out of his mindless state that he goes to whenever Irina wants to rant as he heard Vasco say those words, looking down at the middle before wincing as he noticed the numerous crying faces amongst the crowd.

'Oof, I guess not everyone passed.'

“For those that didn't pass, I do apologize for that, but think of it as motivation to get stronger and perhaps pass the test when you take it in three years' time. Now, would those that didn't pass please make their way towards the door at the far back along with their parents, please?” He asked and Issei watched as some of those that were crying were picked up & carried out by their parents while the others walked, a bit surprised to see some of the kids & even the parents glaring at him & Irina as they walked past before shrugging as he sat back in his seat.

He didn't know them, they didn't know him and it's not his fault both him & Irina got placed in the Ex-Wire group.

“Now, would those that were given the rank 'Page' along with their parents/ guardians please follow Mr. Shidou here through the doors to my right?” As Vasco spoke, Issei saw Uncle Touji stand up with a smile & make his way towards the door, waving at them as he walked away & they all waved back before the man was followed out of the door by most of the families gathered.

“Those with the rank of 'Squire', please do the same and follow Ms. Quarta here through the door to my left.” Issei was a bit confused as the woman whispered something to the blue-haired girl sitting next to her before standing up, making her way to the door on Vasco's left along with the other kids & their parents.

“As for you all that were left, please make your way down here and I'll be leaving you all in the capable hands of Cardinal Deacon Dulio Gesualdo here. Now, if you would please excuse me.” Vasco spoke with a smile & a bow before making his way up the stairs through the door that the same people that failed walked out, Issei watching the man before blinking as Irina patted him on the shoulder as she stood up.

“Come on, everyone's already going.” She whispered and Issei gave a sheepish smile as he stood up, their parents following after them as they walked down the stairs alongside six other kids.

The first two looked to be twins as both boys had short white hair & scarlet red eyes, but one of them were dressed in dark grey & red with a stoic look on his face & the other in silver & blue with a confident smirk, their guardian being a smiling old man with a monocle over his right eye, dark grey hair & dressed in the attire of a priest.

The third & fourth also appeared to be siblings as both girls had long blonde hair, but one had her hair tied up into pigtails with sky blue eyes while the other had her hair hanging loosely behind her with green eyes and both had a smile on their face as their guardian, a mature woman with dark brown hair & dressed in a nun's outfit followed after them.

The fifth person was alone as he walked down the stairs with a confident look in his dark gold & a wide smile on his face, his spiky golden hair bouncing with each step as he was dressed in a simple white & gold outfit, with his parents dressed the same as his dad looked like an older copy of him with the matching grin & outfit while his mom was dressed in a simple yellow & white sundress while her blonde hair was tied up in a low bun on her head.

The last one appeared to be the shyest out of them all which Issei didn't think was possible as he watched the girl's mesmerizing grey eyes with a tint of blue flickering from person to person, her ashen blonde hair done up in a ponytail as she was dressed in what appeared to be an expensive white dress.

He knew that she was from a rich family as both of her parents were dressed in what looked like expensive clothes as well, her father's head shaved bald with a grey beard to match his dark grey suit while her mother had a soft smile on her face as her ashen blonde hair was cut short into a bob-cut while she was dressed in an eye-catching white dress.

“Firstly, I wish to say congratulations to all you little kiddos for making it to this rank. I myself have been there and let me tell you, I was also the only one of my year to get the rank so don't think that you got it by luck, okay?” Dulio began speaking as soon as everyone was gathered in front of him, Issei nodding along with the others as the man smiled before turning to the bored bluenette still sitting.

“Via, you know you're supposed to be joining them. Everyone, this is Xenovia Quarta and she has been trained by Ms. Quarta from earlier seeing as she is her Ward. Xenovia, say hi.”

“Hello.” Xenovia's response was quick & efficient as she walked over & stood next to Irina, Issei smirking as he could already see his friend wanting to turn to the girl to speak to her.

'Oh, she's going to be so annoying.'

“Secondly, I know that with this rank being given to you, it feels like you have a lot on your shoulder and I'm here to say that you would be right. However, that doesn't mean that you should feel pressured to be the best. As long as you're better than everyone else below you guys, you should be fine.”

“Um, Mr. Dulio. Is there like a de-ranking system or something of that sort?” Issei asked as he looked towards Dulio, everyone doing the same as the man grinned & gave a thumbs-up.

“Correcto, uh…Issei, right?” The man said with an unsure grin before it turned back to normal as Issei nodded.

“As I was saying, there is a de-ranking system, but you're not going to have to worry about that until the first exams. Like I said, do your best and you shouldn't worry about that. Does that put your hearts at ease?”

“No.” They all answered in unison, the parents looking amused at their unified response while Dulio chuckled & gave a thumbs-up.

“Good, it wasn't supposed to. Now, I'm certain Mr. Strada is done with those that have failed outside so why don't we all go to the transport vehicles & I'll give you all the rundown of how your lives are going to be for the next three years?”

A/N: Another quick chapter, but just for a bit of world-building and to introduce new characters. Next chapter, meeting them all and their first test.

Not like the TEST test but just a simple test.

Anyway, Issei also got the highest rank(go figure) but how & why did Irina as well? Who knows?

Also, sorry for the late upload but this world building took a while

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

Ba-Bye~!!