In Nomine Patris

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PATER noster, qui es in cœlis;
sanctificatur nomen tuum:
Adveniat regnum tuum;
fiat voluntas tua,

sicut in cœlo, et in terra.
Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie:
Et dimitte nobis debita nostra,
sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris:
et ne nos inducas in tentationem:
sed libera nos a malo.

Quia tuum est regnum, et potestas, et Gloria,
in saecula.
Amen.


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Date: IM 2364

"...and in FR 3874, the Incorum of Seris was nearly destroyed by the Everto Matris. The one thing we can see from all of this is a simple pattern, one which will happen again. Maybe not soon, but eventually. One must not get complacent, class, because something like her can not be imprisoned forever. Why, even now she may be plotting her escape, ready to.."

It's not like Lillium St. Claire didn't like the class, oh no. Aside from Demonic Combatives, Historical Studies was her favorite. She was just so damn tired though. Standing a mere Five feet, Four inches tall, sporting a sweetly curved body and soft blond hair that was usually tussled, she could use her too cute looks to get her out of most things, save her own schedule. A lazy girl by nature, she enjoyed the simple things in life, like sleeping, which was what she was doing at the exact moment the teacher had to emphasize the last word in his sentence by slamming a large, dusty book down on her desktop. The resulting shriek of terror propelled her a good foot into the air, much to her dismay and the delight of her now laughing classmates.

"Well, I hope that put some spring into your step Lily, because you'll be giving me a report of the next two chapters of this book." A groan of dismay caught her an extra chapter, and she heaved the mammoth tome into the bag at her feet as the bell sounded. Her head hit the desk again just as a hand patted her back, pulling a grunt out of her before she pulled her tired head back up to look at her assailant.

"So, this must be chapter seventy-seven, huh?" Kyle Matthews grinned down at her, hand sliding to grip her shoulder and put a little pressure on the tendon connecting it to her neck.

"Yeah, and seventy-eight, and seventy-nine."

"You brought it on yourself. Hell, at the rate you are going, you'll have summarized all three hundred and forty-five chapters."

"I'll rip your face off and use it as a new cover for the book."

"Mm...creepy."

"I hate you. Now lets go, i have the urge to throw this in my locker and hope Mr Morrison forgets about it because i'm lazy and i don't want to do this." That brought a chuckle from Kyle. He had been her friend since childhood, and the only one who had gotten past the lazy exterior and down to the creamy center of how she truly was. Dark hair, standing six foot five, he was a dreamy sight, but he hung around Lilly for the sheer fact that they could talk to each other without restraint.

At their lockers, Lilly had just finished putting a cookie into her mouth when she remembered she had to ask Kyle something. "Hey, do you remember hearing a creak after Mr Morrison hit my desk?"

"Mm...not really, i was more preoccupied with this short blond girl screaming to the ceiling after it happened."

"I can only say I Hate You so many times before it loses its luster. But seriously, I swear i heard the floor creak afterwords. They need to keep up with maintenance better in this place."

"Don't worry about it. Now lets get out of here before they decide to make us do another drill again."

She nodded her agreement and nabbed her bag, made three hundred pounds(Well, so it felt like)heavier by the massive book it now carried. The huge double doors of the school slash church were made of reinforced stained glass; beautiful and delicate looking when light hit it, but strong enough to stand the force of a fifteen pound sledgehammer. Bright white light hit her eyes as it was reflected off the white stone steps in front of the door. Basilica, as the establishment was called, was dedicated to the study and prevention of demonic forces. it was based in the Incorum of Everia and stood Four stories tall, not including the steeple. The arch above the doorway enshrined a massive silver cross that stood thirty-five feet high, inscribed with ancient text that had prevented Basilica's destruction in many instances. The walled courtyard could support the mass gathering of all eight thousand of its students with plenty of room left over for a line of Galleon sized ships around the entire perimeter, which was made up of the same white stone as the steps were, and a good two stories high. The wrought iron gate had holy images woven within its strong beams, and behind was a drawbridge over a clear moat like river. Inside the gate was where the white stone pathway began, flanked by large trees and culminating in a massive nine tier fountain and garden which was fed by the river outside its gates. The path eventually led into the steps, and up to the doors of the church. The structure was much older than any of the students realized, and many did not know its true history.

"So, you know, I'm still wondering what your planning to do about doing those chapter reports, Lilly."

"Well, I'll do what I always do. I'll procrastinate until the last minute and manage to churn out a set of papers that will somehow be great."

"I hate you." Thats when he realized she was not following him like normal. Lilly had slid down to her knees on the grass, her skirt hiking up and showing a nice bit of creamy thigh in the process. Tears fell down her cheeks, her hands gripping her stomach in pain, clear green eyes shut tight behind her eyelids.

"Um..Lilly..you know I didn't mean that, so what wrong-"

"God it hurts! I don't..I don't know what the hell is happening to me but its like I'm being eaten from the inside!"

"That hasn't happened in years..not since the demon.." He answered his own question when the lovely fountain exploded in a mass of water and stone like something had punched it with a massive fist from underneath, spewing stone all across the courtyard and sending teachers and students scrambling to get out of the way of the chunks. The ugly hole in the grass and stone became the doorway for the creature to come through into the light.

It was as horrendous as the ones she had seen in textbooks, horns curving around the back of its oblong shaped head, four eyeslits with dots in them that looked in different directions at once. The wings it was supposed to have were shredded and bleeding, a black substance that burned the green grass like acid. Its injured look was due to its surroundings...it was on consecrated ground, therefore it was being slowly destroyed. But the students were in the open, and the demon could get to them, which is exactly what it had in mind. Its mouth opened to display rows of jagged, misshaped teeth that looked like the daggers of an amateur blacksmith, lungs sending a guttural, unholy sound screeching through the air. It's eyes finally lined up on one target, anger seeping through its blackened skin in the form of its own acidic blood.

The demon wasted no time in impaling the nearest student on its clawed hand, the fifteen foot monster lifting her up easily. It opened its fingers and tore her apart, spewing blood and pieces all along the grass and stone courtyard. Heavy steps took it in a straight path...right in Lilly's direction.

Lily watch with unabashed horror as the creature mercilessly tore the poor student apart. She felt bile creep up in her throat while Kyle, who had taken hold of her hand only moments earlier, began dragging the shocked girl back towards Basilica's steps. The demon watched with hatred burning in its four eyes and started off after them in a trot..or whatever the demon version of a trot is. Each step felt like a massive low pitch drum sounding in her head, making her whole body tremble as she forced herself to stay clumsily on her feet and half run half stumble right behind Kyle. Three more students met unlucky ends when they came between the demon and its intended target. Lily was horrified to think this way, but as they slid through one of the large stained glass doors, she realized that those students inadverdently slowed the creature just enough to allow them time to get them.

They fell against the wall some twenty feet away from the door, listening with horrified ears the sounds of the demonic screams, the monsters fists pounding against the door of the Church. She realized as she clutched Kyle tightly, her head buried in his chest, that the mammoth cross was doing its job: protecting them, and keeping the demon outside. Its powerful blows against the building cause it to shudder violently, and she could hear wood creak and start to crack from the backdraft of energy caused by the monsters own demonic energy coming to blows with the holy field of the cross.

The pounding stopped soon as the demon realized that he would never be strong enough to break the protective barrier around the church. The poor students who were still outside were not spared, and she wept bitterly into Kyles chest when the horrible screams started and did not stop. They were being massacred, torn apart and the only thing she could do was cry. Some tough girl she was now.


~1800, Basilica entrance hall


The entrance hall in which everyone crowded into was a massive a grand entrance. The hallway just inside the door was twenty feet wide and lined with plush forest green carpet. Along the walls were old paintings of previous headmasters and students that distinguished themselves, as well as religious icons and tapestries. Smooth white marble walls held the same types of items along them, each different in its own way with its own unique backstory. White staircases with green carpet elevated from the first floor to the second, and after a bit of space, from the second floor to the third, each staircase as wide as the hall which preceded them. A giant crystal chandelier hung in the middle, supported by thick steel cables descended from the ceiling, wide enough for a piece of scaffolding to slide down between them so a man could light each candle on the three tiers thatacted as the seat for the four angels pointing outward to the four corners of Aether, North, South, East and West, each with their own candle held in their clasped together hands on outstretched arms.

It was in this room that students and faculty alike gathered for emergencies, and it was so crowded that it was making Lily feel claustrophobic, so she nabbed Kyle and dragged him off into one of the adjacent offices that sat off the east side of the hall. Inside she sat on the plush couch in the office waiting room and stared off at nothing.


"Lily...Come on, snap out of it.Brooding isn't like you."

"Isn't like me? Wh-..I mean, what am I supposed to be like right now, Kyle!? Not two hours ago I saw a girl get torn apart and three others just smashed to the side like flies, and you want me to be normal!?"

"I didn't mean that Lily..It's just..I guess I'm not being too strong about this."

"I don't blame you..that..thing..killed them. All of the ones in the courtyard, like he was killing pests! Killed..It killed them..."

She was suddenly feeling sick, and the sight of her bending sideways over the arm of the couch was enough of an indication to nab the nearest trash can and put it down under her, so when she literally tossed her cookies they didn't end up a sticky mess on the floor. She wiped her mouth with her sleeve and sat back, closing her eyes.

"Thank...you."

"No problem. This seems so surreal...like I'm imagining it, you know?"

"Kyle..I love you to death, but you gotta stop talking for a minute.."

He merely nodded and sat down beside her, lifting an arm as she felt her head begin to nudge underneath it.

~1830, Basilica, 4th floor, Father Olsen's office


"Listen Father, this is the same thing that happened two years ago. The girl knows these things are coming, thats how she survived. The male that was with her was just lucky enough to be next to her when it happened."

"Balthus, while I cannot deny that Lillium was pre warned about this due to her strange circumstance, we cannot blame her for summoning that demon. Even though She is very intelligent and has been with us for some time, she is no where near strong enough to summon a Rage demon of that size, much less pass the mental test it would require for its service."

Father Olsen was the 784th headmaster of Basilica. Just giving him a casual glance gleaned nothing out of the ordinary. He stood an average five foot nine inches tall, and was thin an aged, his once salt and peppery hair now leaning more towards the salt. Behind his crystal blue eyes was a fire few posessed, with most of it focused on the welfare of his students.The clergy was tasked with the mental development of its students, to include academia and clerical.

Deacon Commander Balthus was opposite in almost every way. Six foot three inches and packed with muscle that Lillium never knew existed on the human body, He could be considered the brawn where Father Olsen was the brain. He was head of the Deacons, Basilica's police, guards, fighting instructors, anything to do with combat, wether it be magical or physical went through them. They also had the job of enforcing curfew, one which they relished deeply.

"So, the brat menstruates and a demon shows up. Twice. What are we supposed to do, give her a towel and say pinch it off?"

"Mind your language, Balthus. Your speaking of one of your best students." Olsen explained softly with no lack of annoyance.

"Twenty-Seven students got torn to pieces Olsen, and she is the key to it, I know it."

"Stop with your conspiracy theories, Balthus. I'm getting a headache and we have to prepare a funeral service for the students that died."

"You know Olsen, I wonder if even you missed what happened here. I'm not talking about the demon itself, but where it appeared."

"You mean...?"

"Yeah. Why did a Demon of that level decided to be stupid and come up through consecrated ground? It was after something. Or someone."

"You really think the poor girl could be the cause of this, Balthus?"

"Thats why I'm throwing her in quarantine." He said with a too satisfied grin.

"She's...not goling to like this. I believe one of your men almost became a eunuch when he tried to force her in there." Olsen remarked with a half smile.

"She won't be doing that this time. I'll knock her pretty ass out is that is what it takes."

"You better hope you get her in the first shot."

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The end for now, new chapters to come soon. Review and throw me some feedback so i can make the story better for you! Criticism and helpful hints welcome! Since the story is just on its first legs, i only included things in the glossary that i mentioned in some way just for clarification.

-Apple

Apple.Dragon@hotmail.com



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Glossary of Definitions, Terms, and Places

Aether - The world on which In Nomine Patris takes place

FR - The deeds of the Everto Matris were of such significance to Aether that timelines were named according to her state; before her era of Freedom, thus the abbreviation FR, was the first Era of peace called Slumber

IM - The Imprisonment of the Everto Matris in FR 4110 prompted the people of Aether to start a new timeline, thus, at the confinement of The Matris, the following year became IM; Imprisonment

Incorum - Aetherian version of a country

Seris - Largest country on Aether, roughly the size of North America