"Should we tell Rias onee-sama?"

Sitting alone in the living room as they kept watch over the two captive fallen angels sleeping soundly in lieu of Lucia’s magic, Maria and Mio discussed in a hushed voice about the phenomenal revelation that shook them to their core.

"No, it will be really funny when Rias-sama finds out later by herself. Plus, we don’t really have the right to do that. It's Basara's secret to share, not ours."

Mio nodded at the logical reasoning provided by her little half-sister. What they had learned shortly before was a great secret that involved their entire family and its complex history.

However, the point remained that, it still wasn't their prerogative to share it with others. 

'A big brother, huh…'

Mio felt deeply odd as she perused the matter at hand. Her eldest older brother, Sirzechs, was a good man and an apt brother to his siblings.

But, was it so because he was so much older than her? 

Or because she always felt like she was intruding in the sibling's relationship between Rias and Sirzechs?

Whatever may the reason be, Mio had never really seen Sirzechs as an 'older brother' in the truest sense of the word.

But Basara…

He was different…

Shaking her head to dismiss that trailing introspection she changed topics and asked the little she-devil about a matter that intrigued her.

"Do you think Onee-sama still has a chance to win against him?"

"Non. Zero. Nyet."

Maria was as sure as she could ever be. If she had any marginal doubts about it in the past, after seeing the way Basara crushed those fallen angels, all those doubts vanished into thin air.

A holy sword that could hurt devils paired with the experience of a trained exorcist.

A sacred gear of the Longinus Tier—the highest tier available for a sacred gear.

The power of a potent devil and the powerful gravity magic he could control nigh perfectly.

The cards Basara had under his sleeves were enough to make her shiver in fright.

As long as Basara didn't make some bizarre mistake or acted too arrogantly in the fight, then the result was all too clear for everyone to see. This was not a fight, it was just the prelude to a one-sided beatdown.

"But…"

Mio frowned worriedly, if Rias lost she would become Basara's servant. It would…

'Huh…?'

"Hehe, it seems like Mio-sama finally understood. It might have been a little problematic in the past. But now that we know Basara is our family then no one can complain. Furthermore…"

A mischievous smile full of malicious playfulness danced on Maria’s lips as she talked about the next matter.

"Between Basara or Riser, who do you think would be better?"

She was already imagining the scene of Rias serving Basara. Just thinking about that sent her mind into overdrive at how exciting and funny such a spectacle would be.

At the same time though, she was making a scheme, a dangerous gamble that would also solve the problem of her elder half-sister.

‘Should I find a way to have Mio-sama and Basara sign a master-servant contract?’

It was an idea she had had for some time and it was becoming clearer by the day.

———

While Maria was thinking of some devious schemes that would benefit both her and her troublesome big sister, Asia was busy revealing to Basara about her forlorn past.

“My parents abandoned me right after I was born.”

The start of Asia’s explanation was already grim yet Basara said nothing as he continued to listen to her with his utmost attention. He knew more than anyone else in the world how the past could weigh heavily on people.

Giving him a grateful smile, Asia meekly continued her forlorn story, “I was told I had been found crying in front of a small European town’s church. I grew up there. Those days were rather simple days. Even though I was an orphan, I didn’t feel alone or unloved. However, everything changed one day.”

She showed a strained smile, “Could it be said to be the call of destiny? I don’t know. When I was eight, a wounded dog, close to death, wandered into the church. He was so pitiful. By myself, I prayed as hard as I could for its injuries to heal. That’s when a miracle occurred—my sacred gear awakened.”

A bitter smile formed on her lips at the word ‘miracle’ as she continued her tale. “As you can guess, the dog was completely healed in an instant.”

She could have never guessed how much her life would have changed from that moment onwards.

“Soon afterward, I was taken to a big church where I was ordered to heal the ill and wounded Christians coming from all over the world. I was also given the rare title of Holy Maiden and was respected in the church.”

“Of course, none of the laurels I received mattered much. I was, of course, happy to be seen in high esteem. But what made me really happy was that my power could help people.”

Basara could feel an aura of benevolence was shrouding Asia at this moment. A smile so serene on a girl her age was something he had never seen before. Someone who could give her all for the good of other people.

“But then…”

Lamentably, that light vanished as soon as it had appeared. A deep frown full of sadness and helplessness mired her charming visage. Basara tightened his grip on her hand in silent encouragement for her to continue on her tale. 

“...One day…I encountered a man who collapsed on the floor, heavily injured. Of course, I healed him. How could I leave a man die in front of me? What I didn’t know though, was that this decision would be my downfall…"

She hesitated a little to reveal the next matter but continued regardless.

“*Sigh* The man I came across and healed was…a devil.”

Basara opened his eyes wide in a stupor, sacred gears were essentially the power of God and Twilight Healing was a sacred gear extremely partial towards the holy power. It should have been impossible for her to heal a devil.

“Incredible.”

This time it was Asia who opened her eyes wide in absolute bewilderment. Basara was an exorcist first and foremost after all. She had been ready to see reproach or loathing in his eyes but all she could see was admiration and awe.

She could still remember the words and disdain she received back then from the very people who lauded her not long ago,

‘She can heal devils? She is a witch!’

‘A witch that heals devils!’

‘She should get burned!’

“You don’t find that disgusting?”

Basara shook his head, “You don’t seem to know much about sacred gears.”

Basara didn’t wish to interrupt her story but this was something he had to make clear.

“Sacred gears all have a base power. A setting. My [Boosted Gear] boosts and your [Twilight Healing] heals. This base set can never be changed. But how they do it, and how much of it they can do is influenced by the thoughts of the wielders.”

Basara smiled a bitter smile as he revealed those words. Because of his fear and trauma, he had always rejected his Boosted Gear. 

How powerful would Banishing Shift be if he boosted it too much and lost control? How much destruction could it bring to reality?

Basara already knew the answer to that question and the mountain he changed into a seemingly endless crater while erasing the corpses of all his friends was a memory, still fresh and extremely vivid, that would always be seared in his mind.

"[Twilight healing] has the power to heal but since all those who awakened it are humans and members of the church, none of them wished to heal devils and as such it was impossible for Twilight healing to do so. But…you are, as you may have already guessed, different."

Basara sighed in exasperation, "You love all beings while discriminating against none. All that matters for you is saving lives. This is why your Sacred Gear does not discriminate between any race and heals all."

People like Asia were few and far between. 

A heretic? A ludicrously ridiculous notion.

He doubted there was anyone in existence more deserving of the title of Saintess or Holy Maiden than Asia Argento.

Asia's face reddened a little as she let out a sniffle of relief intermixed with melancholy. 

Those words were something she had always wished to hear and hearing them from Basara brought great joy to her heart.

She just smiled a bitter smile and shook her head,

“Sadly, the higher-ups of the church didn’t think like you. I don't know how they learned of it. But when they did, I was branded as a heretic and chased from the church because I had the power to heal even devils."

It was really an ironic twist of fate. 

She became a Holy Maiden because she healed a being that was dying and she was branded as a heretic because she healed once again a dying being at the door of the church. If that wasn’t irony she didn’t know what was.

“So, that’s why you had nowhere to go and got picked up by a fallen angel.”

“I am really helpless, right? Hehe.”

She stuck her tongue out cutely before holding her hands in a prayer sign.

“But I never stopped praying to God and expressing my gratitude to him. Even so, I am inexcusable. I never knew what terrible things they were doing.”

She felt a little forlorn when she thought about the atrocities the people she followed committed.

“The Lord must be testing me. If I can overcome this ordeal, he will make my dream come true someday. That’s what I believed.”

“Your dream?”

“I’ll make a lot of friends. Together, we’ll buy flowers and books, and chat. That was my dream. After all...I don’t have any friends, you see. Haha.”

That was really an understatement. For all her life, Asia never had a peer that could keep her company. She had always been alone even while standing in the midst of her believers as she healed them.

"You speak in the past. Is there something else you want now?"

“Indeed. Recently, I came to realize how helpless I was."

Her expression became stern and her gaze locked on him as she uttered her next words, "I understand I was wrong. Happiness does not come to those who wait or those who simply silently endure while doing nothing."

Faith was a good thing and believing in God was also a good thing.

But God did not help those who did not act for themselves.

Even if God gave you ten chances, as long as you stayed hidden without acting, it would all come to waste.

"Happiness can only be grasped by those who stretch their hands towards it and now, I believe that my chance at happiness is here. This is why…”

Asia stretched her hand towards him. It was a sign, an act, her will of acting at the chance given to her by God. That was her earnest belief

“Would you take my hand and let me walk alongside you?”

Basara looked at Asia silently. 

He could feel the unwavering will and the deep resolve in her eyes, showing that this wasn't just a spur-of-the-moment decision.

He could also see the faint trembling of her outstretched hand as she fought to hide her fears and insecurities. 

Basara did not doubt that right here, right now, Asia had given her all and fused all her feelings in her demand.

Even though he had decided to never use his pieces, how could he refuse such an earnest demand from such a lovely girl?

Releasing a sigh of utter defeat, Basara clasped her hand and looked at her directly in the eyes. He was also serious.

“Asia Argento. Do you really wish to enter my peerage?”

“I do!”

“Then…I am happy to have you at my side.”

The smile Asia revealed afterward was bright enough to illuminate a city riddled in complete darkness.

And seeing her smile, a heartfelt smile also peeked Basara’s lips.