Episode 9 - Joshua

Sister Kate and the Elder examine the photos. Sister Kate mentions that Rosette has gone to the Seventh Bell, the place where she lost Joshua. At the Seventh Bell, Rosette, Chrno, and Azmaria enter the building. Azmaria is frightened and quickly becomes lost in the dark. She runs into statues of frozen children and their parents and screams. When Rosette comes along, she hits Azmaria to stop her from screaming. They sit on a fence and Rosette tells Azmaria that Aion turned the people to stone, not Joshua.

Chrno then begins to relate the past to Azmaria. He tells her that at the Seventh Bell (orphanage) four years earlier, Rosette and Joshua had lived there. One day, when they are playing outside, Remington comes to see the caregiver about taking Joshua in. Rosette and her brother go into the woods. Rosette tells Joshua that they will not go back to the orphanage until Remington leaves because she thinks Remington will turn him into some kind of experiment.

As they are walking along, they both fall down a hill and into a stream. The stream deposits them on some grass, which quickly gives way underneath them. They fall into a sewer where Rosette scrapes her knee. Joshua heals her and wonders why he cannot heal his own illnesses. They walk through the sewer until they come to a big door. In faded text, they read, "Eternal Saint Magda sleeps". When Joshua touches the door, the seal on it lights up and it opens for them. Joshua then remembers hearing about a tomb in the forest. A voice calls out to them - it is Chrno.

Rosette asks who the being is and Chrno introduces himself. He is weak though, from lack of spiritual energy. Rosette hands him some cookies. Rosette explains to Azmaria that this was how she met Chrno. She tells Azmaria that after she met Chrno, all of her fears disappeared. When Azmaria asks who was in the coffin, Chrno tells her that it was Saint Magdalene. She asks him why he was there, but he does not answer.

Chrno remembers the time shortly after he was freed. He, Rosette, and Joshua went on picnics and played in the forest. Chrno would tell them stories and explained the Astral Line to them. People descend to earth and when their life is up, their spirit shatters and returns to the Astral Line. He explains that the souls of the dead continue to flow through the world. Joshua tells Chrno that it would be great if he and Rosette could find the Astral Line and write a book on it. Later on, when Joshua falls asleep, Rosette tells Chrno that she wants to become a doctor so she can help Josha get better.

One day, Chrno feels that he is being watched by someone. Rosette runs up and tells him that Joshua has decided to leave with Remington in one week. Back at the orphanage, Joshua tells Remington that he has made this decision so Rosette will not worry about him anymore. Outside, as Chrno is talking to Rosette, he sees a crow in his head and Aion begins talking to him.