Chapitre 4: Chapter 3: The Holy Mechanism
Alex's first training session to increase his reaction speed ended only in the evening.
- That's enough for the first time, - Father Joseph put away the light blade with obvious relief. - Come, young Alexander, you need to go to the infirmary....
Quickly throwing a glance down to the area of his stomach, Alex only nodded silently, the number of bruises on his body was definitely more than normal. Returning to the shelter building, he rinsed his mouth from a jug on the first floor, after which his mentor left him in the care of one of the women working in the medical center.
When Alex settled down on a small couch and they started to rub a special ointment into his skin, Asiya came running into the infirmary.
- Brother! - With a mixture of embarrassment and displeasure looking at his half-naked body, she came closer. - God...how many bruises you have.....
- Don't worry, - seeing the girl's worried face, the nurse smiled encouragingly at her. - They may look scary, but they're just a little torn blood vessels. I'll apply this ointment and tomorrow they'll be gone! ...maybe you want to help?
- Can I?! - Asiye instantly raised her head. - Nurse, can I really?!
- Sure," the nurse squeezed some ointment from the tube onto her palm before bringing her hand to a particularly large bruise. - See, rub it in like this...and then the other way, here.....
While the woman's skillful hands were rubbing some gel into the skin of his abdomen, and his sister was watching it carefully, Alex himself was just lying on the couch with his eyes closed and resting from the past training both physically and mentally. After a little time he felt not only skillful female hands, but also tender palms of his sister trembling with excitement. Their synchronized movements almost made him fall asleep, forgetting everything. Only his sister's quiet mumbling still kept him from drifting into the dream world.
- Lord, please let them all go away quickly...my brother is trying very hard for You and the others...please let these bruises go away...please, Lord....
- OH GOD!!!
The astonished cry of the female nurse involuntarily caused Alex to wake up from his half-dream. His eyes literally rounded with surprise. The first thing he saw was his sister's hands glowing with a strange green light, hovering over his stomach. Then he noticed her terribly surprised face and the last thing he realized was that all the bruises on his body were dissolving under the effect of this light at an astounding rate. Not even a couple of seconds passed before there wasn't even a trace of the huge amount of bruises left. His skin was perfectly healthy, aside from a small amount of dust and dirt. The green light on his sister's hands immediately went out.
- Asia? - he looked uncertainly at the equally surprised girl. - How did you do that!!!
- I don't...I don't know," Asiya took a couple steps back, staring at her own palms, and then quickly brought her hands to her chest, looking upward. - S-thank you, God!
***
From that moment on, the twins' lives changed dramatically. To be more precise, it was mostly Asiye's life that changed. As it would turn out later, the power that instantly healed Alex's body was a real Holy Mechanism, sometimes also called a Holy Artifact. This was the name given to special skills or abilities that only humans and half-humans could be born with. The Church referred to such mechanisms as tools given to humans by God himself. Holy mechanisms usually had a single ability, and not necessarily a unique one. However, the overall power or usefulness of an artifact was determined by how well the wielder could handle it. As the wielder became more skillful in handling his mechanism it could evolve and gain new abilities or methods of use.
Asia's sacred mechanism was called Twilight Healing and was one of those rare types that could heal people rather than cripple them. Such an artifact was not unique at all, moreover, since healing abilities were always highly valued and sought after, there were more than two dozen of them in the Catholic Church alone.
Already two days after Asia had first awakened her sacred mechanism, a commission arrived from the Vatican and spent several hours in a closed room with the girl before summarizing what they had found out.
Twilight Healing turned out to be quite a powerful ability, though this artifact also had a rather narrow specialization. The power of the mechanism was enough to heal almost anything, even extremely deep or deadly wounds. However, it could not restore lost limbs, cure diseases, or replenish stamina. When in active use, the mechanism took the form of two silver rings with a blue-green gemstone on each. It was these rings that emitted the bright green light that appeared when healing.
When all this became known, Alex was very happy that his sister had such an ability, and the girl herself almost jumped with joy when she found out that she could help not only her brother, but also many other warriors of the church, who regularly received numerous wounds and injuries on their missions. However, there was also something that the girl stubbornly refused to accept.
- I don't want to! I don't want to!
Clinging to her brother's right arm, Asia stubbornly refused to let go. They were sitting on the large made up bed in his room and it had been going on for at least ten minutes.
- Why can't you come with me?! Why can't you come with me?! Why can't you come with me?! Why? Why?!
- Asiya, you're a big girl and you should understand everything," Alex smiled encouragingly, stroking her head gently. For the first time in his life he saw that his sister decided to disobey her elders. - If you stay here, you won't be able to learn how to use your holy mechanism and help people as you always wanted to...and what about me...?
Alex grinned under his breath.
- ...I have nothing to do in Vatican, at least not until I pass the exam to the exorcist academy....
- But that's a whole six months! - Asiye looked up at him with her sparkling green eyes, almost weeping. - I'll be all alone there...
- Why alone, - Alex ran his hand through her smooth golden hair again. - I'm sure, one of the "healing virgins" won't be neglected... maybe you'll even find a future fiancé....
- I don't want to! - Asiya gripped his arm with even more force with her thin girlish hands just above the elbow. - I don't want any fiancé! I want to stay with you!
- If you don't need it, then you don't need it, - Alex shrugged his shoulders with a smile. - As if I myself want to give you to anyone...okay, Asia, let's get serious.
He confidently turned the unhappily whimpering girl to him and looked carefully into her wide sparkling eyes.
- I don't want to part with you even for a couple of days, but you should know that this world is too cruel to those who can't stand up for themselves, do you understand? - Waiting for the girl to nod quickly, he continued. - That's why I want you to agree to go with these people to the Vatican and fully master your holy mechanism. You do realize that such a gift from the lord imposes certain obligations on you, don't you?
- Y-yes," Asiye nodded again, who obviously did not plan to cry anymore, but her eyes were still very sad. - But, little brother, what about you...
- I'll just keep doing what I was doing before, - Alex interrupted her calmly. - I'll continue training, I'll pass the damn exam and very soon we'll be together again.
- But your bruises...
- Regular ointment will take care of them, - Alex shook his head. - Asiya...sister, I understand your feelings and I don't want to break up either. However, at this point it seems to be best for both of us...go Asiya and become the person you always wanted to be. Someone who can help everyone!
- ...H-okay," the girl finally nodded uncertainly and quickly snuggled up to him. - Alex, you... you just promise that you'll come to me as soon as you can, okay?
- I promise!
Having enclosed her in a strong embrace, Alex seemed to realize for the first time that he would really miss this girl with an unusually kind heart, who had become his sister.
After a few more hours, Asia and her Vatican escorts left the walls of the monastery orphanage. After seeing the departing car with a glance, Alex cast a thoughtful glance at his hands.
- Well, I really only have to continue doing what I did before...although it would be nice to awaken something similar, oh, dreams, dreams....
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone