Two years ago...

In a large, empty cathedral in a distant land, a young girl knelt down to pray. Her beautiful voice echoed through the halls as she sang a soft tune. The stained glass window cast a beam of light upon her, highlighting her blue kimono-like dress and the tranquility she exuded.

As the sunlight hit her face, her eyes sparkled with joy as if her prayers had been answered. Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of approaching footsteps.

A man in bishopric clothing hurried towards the girl with an urgent message. "Saintess Aisha, I have a report coming from the Kingdom of Asura."

"What is it, Bishop Frederick?" Aisha furrowed her eyebrow curiously.

"We have received news that a giant army of Orcs of around 50,000 had been defeated by a group of five people," Frederick said.

Aisha's eyes briefly widened in surprise, but they quickly narrowed back on the bishop. "What does this have to do with us?"

"I have a person of interest," Frederick pulled out a sheet of paper with a young boy's body shape and facial features, showing it to Aisha. "The third son of the Tonelico clan, Fenris Tonelico. Our church spies have determined that he possesses immeasurable power. When comparing him to the rest of his family, they're hardly alike.

If I may speak freely, Your Holiness, we have suspicions that this child may be a demon, an extraordinarily powerful one at that."

Aisha's eyes widened out of shock upon listening to the bishop's report. She remained quiet for an uncomfortably long amount of time as she tried to process everything he had said.

"A demon... and one of noble birth? Is this child out of wedlock?"

"Most likely, Your Holiness."

"I see..." Aisha stroked her chin as she evaluated this information.

"I want you to monitor this child, make sure that he doesn't try to harm anyone," she commanded. Aisha took the paper from Frederick's hand and analyzed Fenris's features in the drawing.

"As you wish, Your Holiness." Frederick bowed respectfully before making his departure.

As Aisha examined the drawing, suddenly, a blurry image of a young boy with black hair appeared in her mind. Focusing her eye on the paper, the mental image became more clear. The young boy was smirking, while blood was splattered across his face with fires cackling in the background.

Aisha was shocked at the vision she saw, which seemed to foretell a terrible fate for the world. If Frederick's account was accurate, then that means this boy must be contained. But surely, her trusted underlings should be able to keep a close watch on him, right?

-----

Seven years before...

In a dark, secluded marble room, a little girl stood, wrapped in chains and blindfolded. Nearby, a group of priests dressed in white robes, adorned with various fine jewelry and metals, were present.

The girl was seated on a chair as her binds and blindfold were removed, revealing a cute school-age girl. One of the priests then sat down next to her and removed their mask, revealing a young woman in her mid-twenties.

"It's okay, Aisha. No one is going to hurt you," the woman said reassuringly, as Aisha nervously looked around at the people surrounding her.

"Are you sure?" she asked hopefully.

"Mm-hmm," the woman nodded. She gently placed a finger on Aisha's cheek in a motherly gesture. "The Church is where you belong now. You have a powerful gift blessed by God, and we would like to help you nurture that gift."

Suddenly, Aisha's hand started glowing with a yellow light. Was this the gift she meant? Glancing at her hand, then back at the woman, she wore a shy expression on her face. She was still unsure whether she was truly safe or not. After all, she was scouted right after accidentally revealing her powers in front of her village. Part of her had a bad feeling about this, but given the circumstances, it's not like she really has a choice.

"Okay," Aisha nodded slowly. 

"Very well, then," the young woman said as she stood up. She glanced down at Aisha, then towards the other priests. "Begin her training."

The group of priests guided Aisha out of her seat and into another room, while the woman still stood there. Her smile was a bit too earnest for someone who had just discovered a little girl with extraordinary latent power.

-----

Present

Looking back, Aisha was grateful for what the Church has done for her. Even though she had her reservations, they ultimately proved good to her. Almost too good...

Aisha, as the Saintess, was viewed as a superstar by people worldwide. Many also saw her as a representative of God, believed to be second to only the Pope himself. Aisha held authority equivalent to the men who elected the Pope, but her job was not to participate in political matters.

In the Rubia Kingdom, Aisha, who hailed from there, instilled hope in the hearts of the people and served as a national symbol. While she was not superior to the Pope, let alone the King, Aisha still wielded considerable influence, particularly in matters of faith.

The Church, formally known as the Catholic Church, has a complex hierarchy. Within this hierarchy, nuns and sisters worked for the Church in various capacities. In terms of ranking, the hierarchy was structured as follows: Deacons were Priests-in-training, and Priests typically oversaw their own individual churches. There is a group of priests who are recruited and trained in magic. Aisha's guard, known as the Preacher's Legion, consisted of 10 men, each skilled in their own right in magic.

Furthermore, there are Bishops, who represent a significant advancement from the role of a Priest. Bishops oversee dioceses, which are religious districts of land under their authority. Their place of governance was a cathedral, a more magnificent version of a church. Rubia is known for its beautiful cathedrals, some of which were built hundreds of years ago.

Then there were Archbishops, elevated bishops who oversaw larger areas known as "archdioceses." While they held higher positions in the church hierarchy, archbishops and bishops were considered equal in a sacred sense.

The Pope was the head of the Church and a direct representative of God in the eyes of the people. He held supreme authority over the church and wielded significant soft power across international borders. In theory, all kings are supposed to answer to him. Until the present day, there has never been a female Pope.

-----

One day, Aisha was approached by one of the bishops. "Your Holiness, Aisha, I have come to bring you an important message," the bishop said as he presented a letter to Aisha. Curiously, she accepted the letter and opened it.

'Please come to my office.'

- Pope Maximus

Aisha read the message several times in disbelief before folding it back up. She wondered why the Pope would deliver such a vague letter to her. Despite its lack of clarity, she knew the importance of the direct letter from him.

Accompanied by her guards, Aisha hurried towards the Pope's residence, the Chastel Palace. The Chastel Palace is a well-fortified complex could be more accurately described as a series of self-contained buildings centered around a large courtyard. It housed the Pope's office, various residential apartments, as well as support and administrative offices.

Upon arriving at Pope Maximus's office, Aisha gave a soft knock on the door and was met with a faint response, "Come in."

Upon stepping inside his office, Aisha felt wary of what the Pope had to say. His office was well-organized and adorned with various holy books and appliances on his desk. Although he sat with his back turned to Aisha, she observed him in his seat.

"Have a seat," he said, gesturing with his meaty fingers for Aisha to sit, which she complied with.

Pope Maximus swayed his seat around, revealing himself to be a rather heavyset man. He wore a smug expression on his face that complimented his overstretched clothing, while holding a glass of red wine in his hand.

The Pope takes a sip of wine and adjusts himself on his seat, looking directly into Aisha's eyes. She suppresses a disgusted look at his overweight physique. "Now, Ms. Aisha, I believe it's time we discussed the boy."

"You mean the Tonelico boy, Pope Maximus?" Aisha arched an eyebrow, as if seeking confirmation.

"Precisely," Pope Maximus said, taking another sip of his wine. "I hear you've been having visions."

Aisha's face tensed up as she wasn't sure how he had obtained that information. Her hesitation prompted a firmer response, "I know you have something to say. Spit it out."

"Yes. The visions I've been having about him... I believe they're bad omens of the future," Aisha said, her face forming a frown. Pope Maximus's curiosity was piqued by these "bad omens." "What bad omens? Does it have to do with the boy?"

Aisha nodded, "I believe so... we suspect him of being a demon."

"We?" The Pope arched an eyebrow at Aisha, diverting focus from the topic.

"I've assigned people to watch the boy and ensure he doesn't cause trouble," she quickly explained.

"I see," he said in a deep voice. Pope Maximus asked, "And why did you suspect that he was a demon?"

"The boy possesses inhuman amounts of power, and the people who reported about him said they felt gagged from the amount of evil energy."

"And yet..." Aisha glanced up at the Pope, her head tilted slightly away from him. "He doesn't appear to exhibit any malicious behaviors. It's possible that a demon host is inside him."

"Was it expunged?" the Pope asked, his face tensing in expectation.

"Not to my knowledge, no."

Pope Maximus remained calm instead of lashing out at Aisha; however, he did take note of what she said.

"Well, that's just fine, then," he said as he stood up with relative ease despite his weight. He turned towards the windows behind him, standing proudly while jiggling his wine glass.

"Pardon me, Pope Maximus?" Aisha asked, baffled by his unusually calm disposition.

"I mean what I said. Continue to keep tabs on the boy, and if any rotten business happens..." the Pope took another sip of wine. "Then we'll take him into custody." Left with little else to say, Aisha nodded in understanding.

"You may go now," Pope Maximus gestured to Aisha, who promptly left.

Alone in his office once more, he began to chuckle sinisterly. "The Tonelico family will have quite the surprise when they find out."