Chapter 2: Oripathy Saint

Well, it is already a month since I have become a Sankta, and let’s just say life is not easy, especially the scripture, since in my past life I wasn't even a Christian or Catholic, so I don't know the Bible. But this scripture is really weird; for example, one of the pages is the praise of the Patron firearms and how the first Sankta got them from the Law.

Still, the firearm training is fun at least, and I got to experiment with my power a lot here. For example, I have absorbed around 10 people's originium now, which is a bit surprising since, from what I know, Laterano doesn't have any infected from Oripathy.

But still, there is one thing I am sure of: this world is one of many alternate universes of Arknights, which is not surprising since the game hinted that there are many alternate universes of Arknights, and each of them has a different ending, for example.

One of them is Integrated Strategies 3 in Arknights, which explains what happened if you reach the bad end where
Ishar-Mia manages to triumph over the Tide Hunting Knight and Mizuki, leading up to Mizuki's death because he helps the doctor of Rhodes Island to escape.

But the worst of it is in Integrated Strategies 5, where Amiya becomes the King of Fiend, and she travels across all alternate universes, destroying every Terra in existence. Though I don't know why or how Amiya ended up this way, one thing is for sure: it is not good.

Then there are many more, but I don't know the details of each one. There is even an alternate universe where Skadi ends up becoming one with Ishar-Mia, leading up to her—or should I call him by then?—capturing the doctor of Rhodes Island, leading to the seaborn invasion of Terra.

So the reason I know this is the alternate universe is because of one thing: there are Mostima, Lemuen, and lastly Exusia, who are now my classmates in firearm training.

From what I know, Mostima, Exusia, and lastly Lemuen shouldn't have met this early, especially Exusia, because they should have different ages. But remembering that Arknights never put any official age for each of the operators, one can only guess.

Though even in the alternate universe, they really have different weapons, but what is most surprising is Mostima. Since when she became an operator in Arknights, she already used Black Lock and White Key, which are ancient relics that have the power of the art of slowing down the perception of time.

But still, seeing her not become one of the fallen is great since she looks cute. However, I noticed one thing: her tongue is really blue. Though officially it was denied, still for me, I like Mostima's blue tongue because let's just say she is the one who awakened my tongue fetish.

Still forgot about that, but both of them are what I call a genius since Mostima is even using a Kriss Vector, which is a surprise since that was Exusia's signature weapon. She managed to hit the target from 500 meters away, while the original only manages to be effective around 50 meters.

Well, even though many of the guns here are replicas of Earth guns, there are some that are custom. For example, Exusia Alter or Exusia the New Covenant, which uses a railgun that, if I remember correctly, doesn't exist on Earth or maybe exists but is never used in firearm warfare.

Still, looking at my weapon, which is custom-made, is a surprise as well since, from what I tested with my Originium art, I can make a bullet from the liquid I produce, and its power is strong enough that I can hit a target from 1 km away with ease, but my aim kind of sucks.

I got overconfident since I managed to hit a 1 km target and proceeded to try hitting a 2 km target, only for it to hit badly because it just hit the ground right beside it and managed to hit the target because of the explosion.

I got mad, and they forbade me to use the bullets I created, but since my gun has two modes, I can at least still shoot. Though instead of using bullets, I use my Originium power that shoots a water jet, though the range is rather short, which is only 500 meters, and beyond that, I miss a lot of the time.

"Alisia, come over here."

"Oh, okay, Exusia."

"For the last time, Alisia, my name is Lemuel. Who is Exusia anyway?"

I got called by Exusia, or should I say Lemuel, but still, I got in the habit of calling her Exusia since that is her operator codename. I thought because of that, she is pouting right now.

"Ah, sorry, forgot, but don't blame me since you and your sister have the same name."

"You better start to remember my name, or I won't give you any apple pie anymore."

"Fufufu, let's leave it at that, Exusia. You know Alisia is bad with names, right, Mostima?"

"Indeed, Lemuen. I wonder why she always calls us by different names. I wonder if that is what she likes since our names are clearly different."

(I knew that Mostima and Lemuen like to tease from Arknights, but still, they have already liked to tease since early on, which was a surprise for me. But looking at Exusia, I kind of get why.)

"Fufufu, it's fine, you know, Alisia. I kind of like the name Lemuen, right, Mostima?"

"Yeah, I like that name too. And besides, you know Exusia doesn't hate it since that makes her feel special, right, Exusia?"

"Well, I don't deny it, but it's the name my mother gave me, so this time I will make sure you remember it, Alisia."

Saying that, Exusia pointed at me with her other hand on her hips.

(But still, looking at her always makes me wonder, while indeed Lemuen was adopted from Exusia's family, why did they give her the same name as Exusia? Is there any meaning for that, I wonder?)

"Let's stop at that, you four, since it's almost lunchtime, so go to the hall."

"Understood, Pastor." 4x

"Good, and Alisia, stay here for a minute. I need to speak with you."

"Okay, Pastor."

Hearing that I stay behind while Mostima and Lemuen start to walk away, except for Exusia, who glances worriedly at me before being pulled away by the two.

"Alisia, today another check-up on you and the treatment of patients."

"Okay, Pastor."

The reason why I recently got called by the pastor is that they found out about my Originium Eater power, which lets me absorb Originium that leads to people being cured of Oripathy, which later surprised me since, from what I remember, Laterano doesn't have any infected, but apparently, that is false.

The real reason is they are killed in silence, but when the pastor found out that I have the power to 'cure' Oripathy, he led me to this small store in the dark alley where I cure Oripathy patients.

(Still, now I understand what the price meant, but for me to experience their pain while affected by Oripathy is harsh even for me.)

The price my Originium Eater mentioned is rather harsh because I basically have almost the same power as Tatsuya Shiba, who has the power to basically heal and even resurrect people but feel the pain they have when he cures them.

(I have a deep respect for Tatsuya now. I mean, even now it still pains me, and his is three times the pain of the patients he used his magic on. I'm surprised he has not gone mad from it since, if I don't distract myself while curing them, I feel like going mad from this.)

Usually, I heal the soldiers who come back from outside since they tend to have the most Originium in their blood, but sometimes I cure regular people as well.

(Well, at the very least I can use their art, so it's a win-win for them and for me, I guess, but still, it is torture for me to do this almost every day.)

"Thank you, little saint."

"You're welcome. Please be careful on your way outside."

"That is the last for today, Alisia. Thank you."

"It's okay, Pastor. I'm having fun as well."

(The pastor is making a worried face again. Even now, I can feel his emotion, which proves that he is worried about me, but surprisingly, he never reports to the higher-ups or even to the pope, which is good news for me, but I wonder why?)

(This child, she has not even reached the age of 16 but has already helped us adults so much that it pains me. While her power is a welcome one, I'm sure there is a side effect from it, but so far the doctor said she is doing fine and has never shown any sign of Oripathy. Still, I suspect there is something going on because she started screaming the first time she treated a patient.)

The pastor is still gazing at me, but he guides me to the hall where I meet Exusia and the others. What surprised me there is that Flammetta is present.

(Wait, why is Flammetta here? I thought she would meet Lemuen and Mostima later on when they graduate and enter the same unit after Mostima and Lemuen join her.)

"Oh, Alisia, come here! Let me introduce you to someone."

Exusia waves at me when she notices I come with the pastor.

"Well then, Alisia, I'm going right now. Enjoy your time with your friend."

"Thank you, pastor. I will."

Saying that, I slowly go and sit beside Exusia while glancing at Flammetta, who is beside Mostima.

"Let me introduce you, Alisia. Her name is—."

"My name is Flammetta. Pleasure to meet you."

"Huh....? I thought earlier you said your name is—."

Flammetta cuts off Mostima, who is trying to introduce her, and shoves an apple pie toward Exusia's mouth when she tries to tell me her real name.

"Oh, so your name is Flammetta then. Thank you for the warm introduction."

I smile at her, but she slowly looks away, confusing the other three, especially Mostima, who starts to whisper something to her. Then she whispers something back, which makes Mostima nod.

"Oh yeah, Alisia, you know what Originium Saint is?"

Hearing Mostima ask that, I almost choke on my food, which leads to Exusia giving me water that I drink.

"Uh, where did you hear that?"

"Oh, so it is you! I wondered, since your art is unique. I thought maybe it was you, but to think I was correct."

"Mostima, what is Originium Saint?"

"Oh, you see—"

Before Mostima manages to explain to Exusia, I throw some bread straight to her mouth, which manages to silence her. But then Lemuen starts whispering toward Exusia, which makes her grin at me.

"Oh, I never thought Alisia was doing that."

"What did you tell her, Lemuen?"

"Fufufufu, what did I tell her, I wonder?"

Slowly putting a hand on her cheek, Lemuen just smiles at me, ignoring my question, while Exusia is back to eating her apple pie and thinking about something.

Still, her emotion is there; I know she is still curious about me and wants to ask me something, but I wonder if she is holding back, seeing that I'm not comfortable speaking about it.

When I am about to continue eating my lunch, the chapel bell is ringing, signaling the time for our Scripture reading, which is basically just art training since the religious part of the law is not that strict but harsh toward people who break it.

Now that I think about it, I am the only Sankta who focuses on speaking and not using empathy to communicate with others, which is not a surprise since this feels like breathing to them, and they are already used to it since they were babies. But I feel bad for them since, because of that, other races have a hard time understanding them.

Though many can communicate normally, most of the time, Sankta barely speak to communicate since their halo lets them do it.

(Still, the Originium Saint rumor has already reached Mostima and the others, huh....)

That is my title in the dark alley, which is the Originium Saint because of my power that 'cures' oripathy. Though I wonder who is spreading the rumor. The first time I learned about this was when one of the soldiers who had a severe case of oripathy basically prayed to me and called me that.

Still, from the stats, the Originium in my blood is rather rising from 0.00 u/L to now 0.25 u/L, which is close to the first time Amiya met the doktah of Rhodes Island. I should have shown signs of oripathy, but maybe because Laterano is lagging behind Rhodes Island or for another reason, they didn't find out I basically have the same amount of Originium as a patient who starts to show the signs of infection.

(If I remember right, the sign is the Originium stone starting to appear somewhere in the body, right?)

Still, today is another hard day since in the chapel someone is shooting, which made everyone start to shoot each other, and the kids even cheered it on.

(I know I should get used to it, but I can't. I mean, can you imagine taking a walk and suddenly a random bullet just lands at your feet? Even now, I am still afraid to walk outside alone without Mostima or the others.)

Thinking about that, I slowly drift to sleep.

In the chapel, Flammetta is standing facing the pastor and one Cardinal, a candidate to become the next pope, Yvangelista XI.

"Is it true that today too there is no abnormality with Alisia?"

"Yes, Cardinal, Alisia still shows no sign of Oripathy from the daily check-up."

Thinking, Yvangelista XI slowly strokes his beard as he is considering something.

"Cardinal-sama, is it okay to not speak to the pope about this matter?"

Flammetta gazes toward Yvangelista XI as he slowly stares back at Flammetta, then looks up.

"The pope already knows this but is keeping it secret from the other Cardinals, so the only ones who know her are basically you two, me, and the patient."

"Is there a reason why we hide her from the others, Cardinal-sama?"

"Flammetta, you are being rude toward the Cardinal."

"It's okay, Pastor Ruciel. Flammetta is just curious, but Alisia's power is dangerous, especially if we don't know what a Wahrsagung user can do, after all."

The chapel becomes silent again before Yvangelista XI starts to walk toward the statue of the first Sankta.

"Since ages past, we Laterano have obeyed the Law, and in return, we're protected from Originium, but that doesn't mean we're immune to it. Because of that, many have died because we killed them in silence. While most citizens always criticize Ursus for its treatment of the infected, we're not better than them either."

"But Cardinal-sama, they—"

"I know, without you saying it to me, Pastor Ruciel, the soldier and the citizen gladly sacrifice themselves to not affect the other, but that doesn't mean we're free from the sin of ignoring them and not paying attention to their pain and suffering."

Yvangelista XI slowly walked toward Pastor Ruciel and Flammetta as he put his hand on their shoulders.

"While I am Cardinal, at the same time I am still just a normal Sankta who obeys the word of the Law, which is why I hope you two become friends and guides of Alisia since even now you haven't forgotten the first time she cured Oripathy, right, Rucien?"

Hearing that, Rucien went silent as he remembered the first time Alisia cured the Oripathy patient who was nearing death.

While Alisia managed to cure him, at the same time, Alisia started screaming in pain as the signs of Oripathy began to show up on her hand. But then, after she woke up from passing out, the signs were no longer there, and she was fine.

"I don't know how the signs of Oripathy disappeared on her, but the burden she carries is heavy, which is why we need to protect her daily life at all costs since she is the light to Oripathy. So I leave it to the two of you to pay attention and become friends with her."

Yvangelista XI slowly left the chapel after saying that, which hardened the resolution inside Pastor Rucien's heart.