"All my life, I tried to see the good in people but ended up seeing the bad... I just hope that you, my daughters, will never stray from your paths."
The pope placed his sick hand on each of the warrior nuns' heads as if blessing them one last ti.
"Listen to now," the old Pope said, pausing for a few seconds. "I want you, my daughters, to leave the Vatican."
"Father, what are you talking about?"
The saintess and her siblings had never imagined the Pope would say such a thing.
As far as they could rember, they had lived their entire lives in the Vatican, filled with happy, wonderful mories.
This was their ho.
"I know what I am asking is too much, asking you to leave your ho, but it is for the best. The Vatican has changed. It is no longer a place where people co seeking salvation, redemption, or Christ."
"I am done being Pope. I am done with the religion. The only thing I want now is to ensure, before I pass, that my daughters are no longer part of this world. That is why I want you to leave the Vatican."
"I..." Maria glanced at her fellow warrior nuns, who all nodded, silently agreeing to follow whatever decision she made on their behalf.
"Okay... we will listen to you, Father. But where would we go?" the saintess asked hesitantly.
"Climb the tower and reach the First Tower Realm. There, you will create a new ho for yourselves," the Pope said, smiling faintly.
"I am sure you will et people who will share your faith."
"We will do as you say, Father. We will—"
Before the saintess could continue, she saw her father, the Pope, shaking his head.
His expression revealed that she had misunderstood.
"My daughters... in my state, it is already impressive that I have managed to speak this long. There is no place for in the tower."
"You must go on without ."
Then, suddenly, the Pope's eyes began to glow with a purple hue.
The nerves around his eyes bulged, as if unable to handle the strain.
The Pope's vision changed, and a series of real-life images flashed before him: seven people moving toward his location.
These seven individuals seed to have reached a conclusion, for if they hadn't, his ability would not have activated on its own.
"What did you see, Father?" the Saintess asked.
She and the warrior nuns were well aware of the ability the Pope had awakened on the Day of the Awakened.
This particular gift granted him the ability to see glimpses of the future.
However, the future was not set in stone—it constantly shifted depending on the choices people made.
Every ti a person he was tracking made a decision, the future would alter again.
That was when his ability activated.
Just now, the Pope had seen the seven cardinal-generals reach a decision—a decision he had expected them to make long ago.
It seed they could no longer afford to wait.
"A decision has been made," the Pope said, looking at his adopted daughters with a small, strained smile.
"There isn't much ti left. You must leave this place."
"No! We won't leave you," the Saintess and the warrior nuns protested, shaking their heads.
"You have to go… just go," he urged, his voice heavy with both command and sorrow.
...
The door to the large chamber opened, and four n and three won entered, all dressed in pure white clothing with crosses hanging around their necks.
As they stepped inside, their eyes imdiately fell on the old man lying alone on the bed.
His labored breathing filled the silence of the room.
"How are you, Father?" one of the seven cardinal generals asked with a small smile.
"Father? Do you even understand the aning of the word, Antonio?" the pope replied with a weary sigh.
"Of course we do, Father. If we didn't, we wouldn't be here to put you out of your misery," Antonio answered with a calm yet chilling tone.
"You know what? It's useless to even talk to you," the pope grunted.
"Go on, go on and do what you ca here to do. You're here to finish , aren't you?"
"We will, once you tell us where the warrior nuns are," Stefano demanded, narrowing his eyes.
"I don't know," the pope replied flatly.
But the truth was, he had already convinced the warrior nuns to flee.
He had foreseen that the seven cardinal generals had made up their minds to end his life and seize complete control of the Vatican.
The Vatican, now one of the strongest powers not just in Italy but in the entire world, held sway over millions of believers.
"Co now, Father, don't make this harder than it already is," Caterina, one of the female cardinals, pleaded with a sad expression.
"Please, for the love of Christ, just tell us what you told them to do and where they are. Don't make it any more painful than it already is."
"You, whom I have trusted all my life as friends and comrades in spreading the word of Christ and love, now stabbing in the back, doing selfish things, and hurting innocent people. That pain is already far worse than anything else," the pope said indifferently.
"It doesn't matter what you say, Father," Antonio interjected.
"We'll find them eventually. Even if they've gone to the Tower Realm, they can't run forever."
"There's no convincing you, is there?" Stefano clicked his tongue in irritation.
"If only you'd been a little more open-minded, you could have had imnse power and riches. You could have done anything. You could have gained countless followers. We could have brought millions more into the faith in no ti."
"That's not the way of our religion," the pope said firmly.
"That's not how faith grows."
"People should join the faith because they seek spiritual growth, a better life, and a path to understanding and happiness."
"They should find themselves in our Lord and live in harmony with all people, without discrimination. That is the way of Christ."
"Using power, control, and force to make people believe? That's not faith, it's blasphemy. Without free will, a religion can never truly grow."
"Oh, great Father," one of the cardinal generals sneered, rolling his eyes.
"All those lofty ideals will take ti and effort."
"Then so be it," the pope replied sharply.
"There are no shortcuts, not in faith, not in life. Anything gained through shortcuts will not last. That will be your downfall."
The pope sighed deeply, then looked at the cardinal generals with a small, pained smile. "I hope you understand this before it's too late."
"Goodbye, Father," Stefano said coldly.
"I hope you reach Heaven."
...
The Saintess and her twelve warrior nuns finally beca convinced by their father's words.
They left the Vatican and fled as far as they could.
They only stopped after about an hour when the Saintess suddenly halted in her tracks.
Her eyes grew moist before tears flowed down her cheeks.
She felt the weight of her father's departure from this world.
However, she wiped her tears away, refusing to let the grief overwhelm her, and continued her run.
During their journey, no one spoke of what might have happened to their adopted father.
At this point, they could do nothing but pray for his soul in their hearts.
While most of them were deeply saddened and moved to tears, others were filled with a burning fury for vengeance, swearing to take revenge.
The Saintess was among them, though she kept such thoughts hidden, her expression calm and composed.
For her, responsibility ca before revenge.
She bore the burden of caring for her sisters, protecting them, and ensuring they grew stronger together.
Only when the ti was right would she consider seeking retribution.
Right now, her priority was keeping her siblings safe.
They couldn't remain in Italy.
The Vatican had eyes and ears all over the country.
They had to escape to a place far away because, as long as their presence threatened the seven Cardinal Generals, the pursuit would never stop.
"We'll leave Italy and find sowhere safe," the Saintess said, looking at her sisters. "We'll take our ti, clear the remaining trials, and gain entry to the Solarta."
[A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider supporting it with a few Power Stones, maybe so GOLDEN TICKETS, or even a gift! The author may be a little naive, but your support ans the world to . Arigato!]
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