The Holy Trials 1

"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you."

John 16:12-15

#####

Adam was but a simple man.

Wake up, Train, Pray and sleep. The routine of a healthy man.

One that Adam followed piously. He often lamented the abandonment of these simple things from the people of this world.

Lamented was a weak word for what Adam felt towards the vast majority of his kin.

An unwise peasant would call it wrath, but Adam knew what it was.

It was Righteous Anger.

Yes, Adam felt disappointment and contempt towards his fellow humans, all corrupted by the mundane pleasure, shying away from the light that was their creator, God.

He knew what kind of danger the Devil represented. After all, every time he saw someone of his race, he could smell it, he could hear it, he could feel it.

It was not an easy task for Adam to realize that none of his peers were free of the touch of Evil. He knew that the vast majority of humanity was doomed, touched by the lies of the Great Evil, from the most debased one to the most zealous.

All of them.

Therefore, Adam was a man on a mission. Knowledgeable of the rampant corruption and filth spewing out of their homes and pouring out on the human world, he endeavored to become the sword of his Lord, the tip of his spear, raised against the Evil that encroached upon his land.

Though that was the first reason behind his motivation, he had soon learned about how this kind of event was not all that rare, and instead was more of a constant state of the world. He had learned about the perversion of humanity, by the Great Evil.

He had learned about the rot of his kind, the greatest humans taken from them by every other faction other than the one humanity should follow.

Adam could not remember an emotion more defining in his life than the surge of pure righteous rage he felt at that moment.

Therefore, Adam was a man on a mission.

He wanted to become an exorcist. Adam would have been content with becoming a pious man, dedicating his life to the study of the teaching of God. However, Adam had discovered in the urging situation humanity found itself in a new purpose. A new goal, one that would allow him to give back to God much more than he ever could have with the life of a simple man.

Maybe Adam was not such a simple man.

No, Adam abruptly stopped himself. That train of thought was not exactly true. Adam would be a simple man, one among many others if the others weren't already indulging in the sins of the world. He considered it normal that a man, made in the likeliness of the Lord, would walk the path of righteousness against those that deny and threaten the Heavens.

Since that was not the case, Adam would be one of the few. He didn't think of himself as a hero by doing this, he would only be a normal man.

And normal men do not hesitate to go to war against Evil.

The great men are the ones that spread the truth of God among their kin, those that open the minds of the ignorant, and those that redeem the infidels. But Adam could not do that.

He would simply be the instrument of his Lord's wrath. He would be a pawn, used against the rampant decay of the Good.

And Adam could find no greater joy in life than this.

#####

Xenovia's village was not one blessed with a great number of inhabitants. Near Rome, the coalition of rather destitute people in which the blue-haired, the exception being the green fringe standing proudly on her forehead, woman grew was completely loyal to the church. Among all of the villagers living here, not one would not be seen in the remote church each Sunday.

She felt blessed to live in an environment like this. She, who always pursued giving everything to the Lord, was truly thankful for her surroundings. Poor but honest Christian that helped each other every time someone needed help. Their generosity and honesty filled her heart with pride ever since she visited the city of Rome, accompanying her mother, Mother Griselda Quarta.

The exterior world, for someone raised in a small community, was something that she had always dreamt of getting to know. She had often heard about the grandeur of the big cities, the immensity of these lands. While that all turned out to be true, she felt cheated when she realized the reality of the people living there.

For one, poverty was not something she ever experienced. Despite not having a lot of things, everyone was able to live in her village. Nobody had overwhelming wealth, and if they did, Xenovia knew that they would give it away to the most destitute, like a good Christian.

Seeing people struggling to survive, bare of any possession, and begging in the street was truly hard to endure for the young woman. Her mother had to stop her from beating a noble that proclaimed to be a good Christian, flaunting his wealth, right next to someone so desperate and in need.

At that moment, she had been taught of the reality of this world by her mother, the one she took her last name from. It quickly doused any interest she had in the exploration of this planet. She knew that it was going to be part of her path as a future exorcist, but now she dreaded it instead of welcoming it.

But right now, she has a mission.

Becoming an exorcist was not a simple task, but it also wasn't the hardest one available to those willing to walk the path of becoming God's instrument.

Being worthy of a holy sword was the highest attainment one could reach, in Xenovia's opinion. For someone that desired to become attuned with the sword, like her, it was similar to a childhood dream becoming true.

The Holy Sword Test was starting tomorrow, and Xenovia couldn't say that she wasn't a little bit scared without lying, and as the daughter of one of the most influential people in the Church, she was responsible for the welcoming of the participants in this test coming from all across the world. It meant that she could scout the competition before the moment arrived.

It was a little bit shameful, according to her friend Irina, but Xenovia paid no mind to shame. Shame meant that one had something to hide, and she had nothing like this.

The last person to arrive was someone named Adam. Adam, with no last name. While she thought it was a bit pretentious to name one's children after the original human, or naming them after the noble angels, protecting the human race from the skies, she understood the tradition behind it.

He heard from the villager of his arrival in the place of her birth. Ever since he entered the village, he could only be found at the church, having decided to train his body before the test started.

The more she approached the relatively small building of her favorite place in the village, at least compared to the churches in other cities, the more a familiar sound became audible to her ears.

The soundless hum of a sword severing the air. The vibrations became more intense and more high-pitched, informing Xenovia of the speed of the swings.

Not bad, not bad at all, thought the young exorcist, able to judge the strength behind the swinging of Adam's arm through the sound his blade makes.

Xenovia was so attuned with the art of the sword that the sounds Adam was making were enough to make her thrilled, for she was but a warrior at heart.

So she stood there, watching the young man go through his routine.

She nodded when she saw the beads of sweat running down the muscular man's body, appreciating the visible effort of someone that walked the same path as her.

Adam's appearance, if he was truly him, was nothing remarkable. His black hair and his brown eyes were not specifically rare for her. He stood at an average height, and seemed approximately as old as her, though she could be wrong on that last assumption.

"Your aim is a little bit off, tighten it up to the left," blurted out Xenovia when she noticed Adam's mistake.

Without skipping a beat, Adam followed Xenovia's advice and was able to successfully produce a vertical attack from the top.

"Your grip needs to be firmer, especially around your weaker fingers." continued Xenovia, able to pick up the young man's mistakes easily due to her experience.

Adam simply nodded along and kept on practicing his swipes. After continuous tips from the blue-haired exorcist, he felt like his arms were burning from the work-out he just forced them to go through.

Breathing heavily, he dropped the training sword to the ground and closed his eyes.

"I thank you sister, for the help you've provided me," said Adam between each hurried breath he took.

"No problem, one should always strive to help their neighbor," nodded Xenovia, tossing him a towel that she found somewhere.

Accepting it without hesitation, Adam started to wipe the sweat off his body, only for more to pour out of his pores.

"Neighbour? I take it that you're the one the Church sent to meet me?" asked Adam, smiling at the exorcist.

"If you're Adam, then yes that is me," answered Xenovia.

"I did not expect the Church to respond so quickly to my arrival, I'm surprised."

"Well, we have been waiting for you for a while now."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, you're the last person to arrive at one of the villages designated for the test," commented Xenovia, completely blunt.

"Oh…" he sighed, scratching his head in embarrassment. "I thought that the test was going to be in a few months."

"No, it's tomorrow," rectified Xenovia with a tilt of her head, not understanding how someone could make such a mistake.

"Yes, I've heard from the villagers that welcomed me,"

The mention of the honest and humble people living here brought a small smile to Xenovia's face. "The people around here are known for their warm welcome, even if there's isn't too much to offer… I hope it was to your standard," she couldn't help but boast.

"I shall not expect anything from anyone, and pursue to make my place in the world," mirthlessly chuckled Adam.

Xenovia raised an eyebrow at Adam's words but didn't comment on it. Wanting to break the awkward silence, Adam explained himself: "These were the words of my late older sister."

"I-I'm sorry for your loss," Xenovia said, flustered by the sudden mention of a dead relative.

"No need to be… It was a long time ago," Adam said, putting the practice sword back into its original place.

"But beyond that, yes, I appreciate the welcome of the folk here," added Adam, his back turned on Xenovia while she smiled at his words. "It has been a while since I met such honest people."

"A what?"

"Well," Adam admitted. "Living in a big city means that the level of filth and sin present in people is generally higher, or that's what I observed during my travels."

"Filth?" repeated Xenovia, a little bit put off by the language used by Adam.

"Yes, filth. Even the most dedicated man will have certain darkness inside of him. The amount of people that were completely devoid of it is very low… My sister was one of them," informed Adam, revealing a little bit of his experience.

Despite the numerous comments Xenovia wanted to say, she held off her tongue: "But how… how do you know how someone has darkness inside of them?" she asked.

"Oh, that…" Adam trailed off, walking towards Xenovia, a serene smile gracing his face. "I was born blessed by the Lord. He saw it fit to gift me with the ability to judge people according to his standard. A Sacred Gear, in other words."

Xenovia nearly choked, a Sacred Gear that could judge the good from the evil? How has she never heard of it?

"Are you sure that your Sacred Gear indeed judges that?" incredulously asked the exorcist, unwilling to put down the man as a liar just yet.

"Yes I am sure," Adam smirked. "And I've found that nearly everyone is a little bit tainted in humanity. The villagers of this city are no different, though they are mostly better than most. Even you and I are not exempt from this rule."

Xenovia felt a surge of anger in her mind the moment Adam deemed the villagers of being a little bit evil, but she quickly killed it. Succumbing to sin was a mistake she wouldn't make. Though in her mind, she dubbed Adam as yet another charlatan that didn't know what they were talking about.

"Unless you have proof of it… I think you can understand how it's a little bit hard to believe you," bit back Xenovia, clearly showing her skepticism.

"Of what?"

"Of your Sacred Gear."

"I mean, I can show you the physical appearance of it…" said Adam, bringing out the equipment that was bound to his soul since the moment he was born. An ancient book wrapped in a golden casing and a white cover that seemed to feel holy appeared in his hand. Xenovia could feel the holy energy seeping out of the artifact. "...But I can't exactly prove to you that what I said is right."

"However, I am used to such doubts," continued Adam. "I will continue to act according to the gift my Lord gave me."

"...Sure," answered Xenovia, not knowing how to take this. She guided Adam towards their way of getting to Rome for the Holy Sword Test.

Horses.

Two of them. One sported a white body and a blonde mane, while the other was a brown horse with a black mane. The white one was Xenovia's designated horse, gifted to her by the Church, while the other one was the one Adam would use to reach Rome for the test.

"Since you arrived so early in the morning, we have the time to reach Rome by noon," said Xenovia, checking the saddle of her horse.

"By noon? Is Rome truly that close to this village?" commented Adam, his eyebrow raised. "Or are these horses… special in any way?"

"Yes, they are not your normal horse. Those are horses blessed by the Church, to allow fast movement, at least faster than should be possible with any other horse."

"...Magnificent!" whispered Adam, who now was taking a closer look at the animals in front of him. He could indeed feel a very familiar feeling seeping out of them, the feeling of holy energy. He gently nudged the horse he was supposed to ride, and to his surprise, the blessed animal affectionately rubbed its neck against his hand.

"I know how amazing these are, but we should start our journey to Rome as quickly as possible," interjected the exorcist, slightly smirking at Adam's look of wonder.

"Yes, ahem, I'm sorry. I just never saw any animal being blessed by the Lord, only heard rumors about them."

"I can understand, I was as surprised as you when I first encountered them," chuckled Xenovia, mounting her ride with ease.

Adam struggled a bit due to his lack of experience with horse-riding, but he managed to take his place on the back of the brown horse.

They exited the vicinity of the Church and rode through the village, getting warm encouragement from the villagers for the test that was coming.

Xenovia smiled peacefully and waved at the people around her, while Adam was a bit more awkward considering he didn't know these people as much as his companion.

"I find it surprising that you never even saw one of the Church's blessed animals before. You seem to come from a big city, so I assumed that you would be more... Knowledgeable of these things," remarked Xenovia when they exited the village and the horses took their first steps on the roads leading to the city of Rome.

"While I was raised in a big city, I always kept away from the bigger religious establishment. I am content with living in small, remote churches just like the ones we just left."

"So you never went into one of them?"

"Them?"

"The bigger Churches, or even the religious schools."

"No, I was born in a small orphanage in the middle of nowhere. The closest city we had was Florence, but even then it would take days to travel there. Nobody had cars in the village. After my older sister died, I was sent to a small Church in Florence, one at the border of the city, for my studies."

"Studies?" asked Xenovia, tilting her head to the right, curious about the experiences Adam had with the Church.

"Yes. At first, I wanted to dedicate my life to the study of the Bible. I thought nothing could be more honorable than examining the Holy Book. However, that changed a couple of years ago."

Xenovia let Adam talk about his motivations while keeping an eye on the road.

"I… I learned of the less savory realities of this world, especially the ones regarding the other creatures hidden in the dark."

She perked up at his words but kept her silence. Still, she shifted her head to look at him and was pleasantly surprised to see the passion in his eyes. It reminded her of the most fervent believers she had the honor of meeting.

"I decided from that day to dedicate myself to purging the world of its impurities. I always knew that the state of humanity was… disappointing, due to my Sacred Gear, but I learned how truly bad things were at that moment," exclaimed Adam, squeezing his fists tight on the reins of his horse. "So that is why I'm here."

"Your motivation is truly praiseworthy," smiled Xenovia. "I can't help but feel a little bit jealous of your devotion."

Adam smiled and scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed by the compliment.

"My motivation is much more simple. I was raised that way by Mother Griselda Quarta, my mother. For me, it was simply a given to become an exorcist," she continued.

"Mother Griselda Quarta?!" blurted out Adam, shocked by the revelation.

Xenovia didn't hide the pride she felt about his reaction, puffing her chest slightly. "Yes, my name is Xenovia Quarta, I was adopted by her when I was but an infant," she said. "Ever since, my goal is to become as good as a person as her, both in strength and in character."

"That is an honorable goal, Sister Xenovia," commented Adam, his feature softening after learning her drive.

"Ah…" uttered the blue-haired exorcist, feeling slightly embarrassed. "I am not a nun. I didn't feel like I could walk the path of a nun and an exorcist at the same time," she explained, which prompted Adam to look at her attire once more.

"But the clothes you wear are very similar to that of a nun, though."

"Well, this is because that's how my mother dressed me when I was younger," Xenovia answered. "So it became a habit for me to dress like this when I'm not wearing the exorcist uniform."

"Then, wouldn't that be problematic if people confused you for a nun?" asked Adam.

"Even though I look like a nun, there are a lot of differences between the two outfits."

At her words, Adam paused and simply examined the apparel of his companion. Indeed, now he could see that she didn't wear a proper veil for example, but it was just a black hoodie. Her clothes were much closer to her body than what a proper nun should wear, making her look like the perverse version of one. It was not an official habit, Adam concluded.

"My excuses, I jumped to conclusions too soon and didn't take the time to properly assess your attire," said the young man, with a nod of his head.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, I'm used to being taken for a nun," pointed out Xenovia, slightly giggling at Adam's expression. "I think we might have to cut our conversation short, Adam. The road is long and the horses are eager to let loose."

Adam looked at the brown animal that he was riding and chuckled a little bit before simply nodding to the exorcist's words.

"Let us ride to Rome then!" said Xenovia, giving the green light to her horse.

Adam followed after her, riding at very high speed towards the Holy Sword Test.

#####

Adam and Xenovia boarded the train designated to travel inside the Vatican. Of course, since there was no place better than the Vatican to hold the Holy Sword Test each year, a portion of the Vatican had been hidden away from the public ever since the Church deemed fit to process this way for the inheritance of the Holy Sword fragments.

The Holy Sword Excalibur had owned the Church ever since the demise of the first wielder of the weapon, Arthur Pendragon, who had been gifted the weapon by God himself, to support his campaign to return the Holy Grail to the Heavens.

Back then, the sword was not fragmented as it was today. Except for the most powerful fragment of the sword, Excalibur Ruler, which was in the possession of the Pendragon family back in England, all 6 other parts of the holy sword were reforged with the help of the angels, and through a miracle of alchemy, now each formed another weapon entirely.

The book Adam was reading did not hold information about the original weapon, the truth behind its fragmentation shrouded in obscurity, probably lost to time, so he couldn't know whether Excalibur once held each ability the fragments displayed, or if they came after.

Xenovia had fallen fast asleep aboard the train. They had given the horses to someone Xenovia knew at a stable near Rome, and they decided to take the train to enter the Vatican, instead of walking through the immense city.

However, Adam did not let the snores coming out of Xenovia distract him from admiring the city and reading the book in his hands. Knowing that he was going to soon enter the most important city in the mortal world, the Vatican, left him both elated and impatient. So he decided to direct that energy towards learning more about the trials he was about to enter.

The train was nearly soundless, no doubt a product of humanity's ingeniousness, so Adam had been completely focused on his reading ever since he stopped taking in the view of Rome.

What disrupted his intense session with the work about the holy sword, was his other book. The one that he called his Sacred Gear. Quite frankly, other than being able to give out a judgment on everyone he focused on, Adam had no idea what his Sacred Gear could do. While he felt like it was a wonderful ability in and on itself, he couldn't lie that he had sometimes entertained the idea of gaining a powerful offensive ability with it, that would allow him to better purge the world of the rampant Evil in the future.

'It matters not,' Adam thought. He would do with what he had, stopping because of his circumstances would be downright treacherous, and he was already feeling blessed to have been gifted something by his Lord.

However, when he felt an odd sensation settle in his mind, associated with the feeling of his Sacred Gear, the one that he pulled to conjure the book in his hands, Adam couldn't help but be both worried and expectant.

'Did the Lord heard of my motivation and saw fit to give me the tools necessary to fight Evil?'

Adam didn't know, so he decided to make his Sacred Gear appear. He knew of the Balance Breakers, something each Sacred Gear could achieve, but he also knew that it required intense emotional activity and a powerful desire. He didn't think of himself lacking those two, but why would it appear after all this time if that was enough.

The book silently popped inside of his palm. It had the same holy appearance and didn't give off any particular feeling other than the ones Adam was used to. He opened the book and was greeted with the same blank pages he always saw when the book was not aimed at anyone.

But suddenly, something started to appear on the old yellow pages of the book.

You have been selected by the Great One to be the next Gamer.

Downloading data…

Data successfully downloaded.

Welcome, Gamer Adam.

Choose your Role:

[Warrior], [Rogue], [Mage]

​

'What?'

Adam had never been more confused in his life than in this moment. It seemed that his Sacred Gear indeed went through a change, but it was one he didn't understand. He was not that familiar with the terms written in black ink on the first page of his book. The word 'Gamer' brought to his attention some old memories, memories of his sister before she was murdered.

Compared to himself, his sister had always been much more extraverted and even deemed necessary to get to know the other kids. Even the infidels that didn't attend the Church. She had been invited to other people's houses a lot of times and had at one point brought back the idea of a game called RPG.

While back then he only had listened to it uninterested, it still marked him because of the enthusiasm his sister displayed back then regarding this topic. Ironically, it seemed that this knowledge was going to save him right now.

'Indeed, the Lord works in mysterious ways…' mentally remarked Adam. To think that one of the precious memories he had of his older sister was going to be so crucial, Adam couldn't help but let out a silent prayer towards the Lord, thanking him for his guidance.

Adam then focused back on the matter at hand, namely, why would his Lord give him the path of the treacherous, in the role called Rogue. No matter how confused he was, he still reminded himself to never doubt the way of God, for he is the only source of truth in this rotting world.

Despite that, it didn't mean that Adam was going to choose that role, considering the two others were much more appealing to him. They also fit him better, since he never tried to hide in his life, and he didn't think that he would have succeeded even if he tried to.

Without hesitation, Adam chose the way of the Warrior. While Mage would be interesting and deciphering the truth in this world interested him greatly, he had abandoned his religious studies to become a weapon of God. Not only the class Warrior would probably help him directly with the trials he was about to overcome, but it also matched his goal completely.

Warrior Role selected.

Skills obtained:

[Song Of David] (Passive) - Lv MAX

Protects the believer from outside mental and emotional manipulation.

[Vow Of Nazarite] (Passive) - Lv MAX

Grants infinite growth and potential.

[Truth] (Active) - Lv 1

Reveals information about the target.

[Dungeon Dimension] (Active) - Lv 1

Grants the ability to travel to various instances.

[Warrior Conditioning] (Passive) - Lv 1

Grants increased body and martial growth.

1% increased stat growth and skill growth related to the physical aspect.

Analyzing Character…​

Adam, realizing that his Sacred Gear was working something out, took the time to read about his alleged skills.

The two first abilities were truly mind-boggling for the young man. He understood that the Sacred Gears were the gifts of the Lord once he realized what these two skills meant. However, the skill Adam was the most curious about was [Dungeon Dimension]. He didn't know what instances meant in that particular context, but he wasn't willing to try it out right now, in the train going to the Vatican.

'I shall follow the vow of Nazarite from now on,' thought Adam, touching the very short black hair sprouting from his head.

Suddenly, his train of thoughts was stopped by his book once more.

Analyzation complete.

Trait added:

[Holy Man]

You are the bearer of the Holy Light amongst humans.

Unlocks Holy Magic and grants Major Affinity to Holy Magic.

[Virtue of Righteous Anger]

Your belief in the Almighty is impenetrable and unchanging. You are willing to do what must be done to expel the impurity of this world.

+100% damage to unholy beings. ​

For a moment, Adam could swear he saw [Sin of Wrath] pop up.

'Am I feeling tired due to the travel?' he asked himself.

Collecting himself, Adam looked with admiration at the traits he possessed. He already knew about the Holy Man trait, since only those that could manipulate holy light naturally were able to enter the Holy Sword Test. It was one of the requirements to wield a holy blade after all.

However, he felt deeply grateful that the Lord recognized his campaign against Evil with the trait called [Virtue of Righteous Anger]. Nothing made him happier than knowing that the path he was treading was the correct one.

Adam's resolve skyrocketed at this moment and decided that fighting against Evil was the only way one could truly show one's dedication to God. He swore to cut down all of the treacherous and the blasphemous.

"Attention to everyone boarding this train, in an instant, the railway of the Vatican will be reached. I repeat the railway of the Vatican will be reached."

The announcement ringing from the speakers all around the train startled Adam, lost in his happiness.

It also woke Xenovia up, who was hugging her sword, wrapped around a simple but resistant clothe since she did not possess a scabbard.

She yawned and stretched her body, her eyes still struggling to open up completely.

"I hope you had a good nap," said Adam, his eyes still zeroed on his book, studying what was written in it.

It took a while for Xenovia to react to his voice, "Indeed, are we there yet?" smiled Xenovia, looking through the window to see the rapidly approaching Vatican.

Adam thought it was necessary to also take in the sight of the holy city for him and closed his book to follow the gaze of his companion.

He felt a deep emotion he could not describe when he saw the Vatican. It was the city of his dreams, the pinnacle of holiness amongst all of humanity, it was the unreachable summit, and he now would set his foot upon the place closest to the Heavens.

"Amen," prayed Adam, staring at the various buildings. Xenovia smirked but copied Adam in his words, before deciding to satisfy her curiosity.

"By the way, what were you reading so intensively Adam?" asked the blue-haired exorcist, talking about the book in Adam's hands. "Isn't that your Sacred Gear?"

"Yes it is, but something changed recently. I believe that my proximity with the holy city enabled my Sacred Gear to go to the next step," he answered, opening up his book once more to show his 'status' to Xenovia.

"The pages are blank…" noticed Xenovia, raising her eyebrow in confusion. Adam was slightly shocked by her words since he could see the black ink on the pages of God's gift to him.

"Can you not see what is written?"

"Hmmm, no, I can't see anything," she answered, tilting her head to the side. Adam sighed before closing the book once more.

"The Lord really works in mysterious ways… I apologize Xenovia, if you can't see what is written, then there is no point in discussing this," he concluded, sitting back on his seat.

Xenovia shrugged her shoulders, believing her fellow Church member. She would never doubt the words of someone walking the same path as her, as someone raised by Mother Griselda, she had learned the habit of trusting those that follow the Lord.

His eyes once more settled on Saint Peter's Basilica, exposed to the outside world as his heartbeat increased in anticipation of the trials to come.

#####

It started from a discussion on how Shiro was lacking only three sins so far, Wrath, Envy, and Gluttony. It's obviously inspired by his work and many others of the Gamer type.

The MC is a real piece of work in this one I would say. He's a fanatic through and through and will get only worse with time.