Chapter Seventeen: Deus lo Vult

Alice and Zirian continued hugging for what felt like minutes.

"Okay, Alice. I have to go to the war room." Zirian pulled her off of him before walking out of the library.

Alice looked at the open door as Cecile ran in to take her to her room. 'The war room?' As she and Cecile walks to her room, she looked out the large window in the corridor to see Zach and Jason fighting.

They were using much more power than when fighting her.

Alice went into her room and grabbed a book from her personal shelf. It's was the same one she took from Zirian's personal collection: "The Seven Human Wars."

She smiled slightly as she jumped onto her bed. Suddenly she heard a voice.

"You aren't acting very much like a man anymore."

Alice shot into an upright position with the book, ready to throw it. As she looked around the room, she saw no one.

"Can you hear me?" The voice said.

"Y-yes. Who are you?" Alice said, confused. 'Who the hell is this?'

"That's wonderful. I knew it was almost time." The voice said cheerfully.

"Who are you?" Alice asked.

"I am..." it stopped. "...let's just say an old friend. Let me give you a warning, Little Angel." The voice sighed before continuing. "The world you know will soon be rife with flames of war." It tried to say something else, but began to fade away. Alice only heard one word.

Tartarus.

The word repeated in Alice's mind. 'Tartarus. Tartarus... Tar...' She grabbed her head as it began to hurt. Scenes of Earth played in her mind, but she was in none of them. The year was after Arthur died. The first year after she died.

Her friend Gabriel stood at a gravestone with her sister.

"Do you still miss him, Gabriel?" Isabella asked. "We all do. He would've done so much."

Gabriel shook his head. "I was there. The night he died..." Gabriel pulled out a red pendant. "This was found in place of his heart, you know? It makes me wonder if he was human."

Isabella's long, silky white hair blew in the sudden wind as the sun cast light overhead. "I believe it isn't anatomy that makes you human, Gabriel. It's your soul. My brother...he had a good soul, a great one. Always helping those around him, even living with knowing the one he loved didn't reciprocate the feelings."

"He carried on. Burden after burden, he never stopped." Gabriel laughed. "Yeah, I know. The guy was my best friend after all. Even the Nine Fallen Greats couldn't come back together without him." Gabriel looked at the pendant once more as he put it around his neck.

"That's my brother's heart." Isabella judged him. "It suits you though. Like you gained it from a fallen comrade in battle."

Gabriel smiled. "Well, I have to go. Without me, Principal Drew won't be able to finish constructing the Z-6."

The scenes ended and Alice was back in her room, lying on the floor in a pool of sweat. 'That pendant...'

———

A knight stood in the middle of a burning battlefield. People around him screamed as footmen were cut down by his own.

A fellow knight ran up to him as he pulled his sword from an enemy's chest. "Commander Xander, Princess Maria has called you back to the camp."

"Thank you, Arthur." Xander smiled saying that name. "Deus lo Vult." He placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Deus lo Vult, Commander." The boy knight said.

Xander turned to his men. "All of you clean up here. Only take the enemy commanders alive."

"Deus lo Vult, Commander!" They all responded.

The giant commander walked back to camp as the sun set. His figure stood at seven feet tall, he had a muscular build and tanned skin. Xander's hair was dark brown and he had a beard that gave him a refined look. His light blue eyes were filled with dress as he saw men and women laid out and em being treated for their wounds.

His armor worked perfectly with his body, allowing him to move flexibly as he walked. He walked to the central tent and walked inside, bending low enough to fit under the small door.

"You called for me, Princess?" Xander kneeled in front of a fragile looking girl. Her pale skin matched her dreary green eyes and long light green hair.

"Yes, Commander Xander. You may stand." The Princess smiled as her weak voice entered Xander's ears. "My Father said he was happy with the deal struck with Lucifina, and will be sending us there to set up a treaty for the coming war."

"That is great to hear Princess, but..." he looked at her with sad eyes. "...are your siblings busy once again? He has you working to death, Princess!"

"It's fine, Xander. Besides I-" she was interrupted by a violent cough. "I've heard the some Demons possess the ability to heal my condition."

"Princess Maria, the last Demon known to have that magic existed over a hundred years ago. The chances-"

"I know they are slim, but let me have some hope." She got off her chair and walked over to him. He bent down a bit and she rubbed his beard. "We leave tomorrow. Leave Arthur in charge of the things going on here."

"Is he ready?"

"I believe so." The Princess walked over to her chair and sat back down. "Also, please don't challenge the royalty to a fight again."

Xander laughed as he bowed. "Of course, Princess."

Xander walked out of the tent and sighed. 'Her condition gets worse by the day. How could this world allow such a thing to befall a ruler?"