Chapter 35: Book 2 Embers of War – Chapter 33

Marie helped Arlan walk back into Fort Sugan's southern gate. She held him up from under his right arm. The young lion was barely conscious. Cecil's reflective counters had now finally taken a toll on the young lion. Around them were Banner of the Claw soldiers rushing to carry the other wounded soldiers back into the Infirmary.

Both Arlan and Marie were exhausted from the battle. Arlan was still wearing his blacksteel armor which made him extremely heavy. Marie struggled to carry her injured lord as he lost consciousness. As the Embercaller made it halfway through the courtyard, she noticed Arlan got incredibly light. She turned to see Roderic was now holding Arlan up from under his left arm.

Roderic greeted her, "M'lady, allow me to help you."

Marie accepted the help and Roderic lifted Arlan up. The trio made it into the infirmary room where the other wounded soldiers were being treated by Chrysta and Fiala. For such a bloody battle, there weren't any major injuries except for Arlan, who was the most injured. Fiala looked up to see Marie and Roderic carrying Arlan in.

Without hesitation, the cleric rushed over and instructed them, "Lay him down on that bed and remove his armor."

Marie and Roderic complied with the orders. Marie removed Arlan's blacksteel armor piece by piece after Roderic had laid him down on the bed. Fiala then scanned his body and noticed that there was deep bruising all over and excessive blunt damage to his tissue. Marie grew impatient and asked, "Will he be alright? He was fine just moments ago until the end of the battle."

Fiala replied, "His essence lanes are overloaded. If it weren't for his armor and mana lanes, he probably would've died."

Marie worriedly inquired once more, "Will you be able to heal him?"

"Yes," answered Fiala, "But I can only heal his internal bleeding. My spells will not be able to completely heal his concussion. He'll be fine."

Roderic was relieved and added, "He's a tough sonuva. I heard he took on the Sentinel, is that true?"

"I saw it with my own eyes," answered Marie, "That was the first time I've ever seen a Sentinel."

"Aye," nodded Roderic, "I've never seen a Sentinel fight but I've seen an Archmage destroy an entire platoon of soldiers. Aspirants can be nasty."

"Aspirants? What are they?" asked Marie.

"Specialized individuals who've transcended beyond their class. Sentinels and Archmages are merely two of the potential ten we may encounter. I remember Count Emile telling me there were thirty Aspirants serving the Sworan Army. But now there is one less to worry about."

Marie thought of her Headmistress from Lancel High Academy and her thoughts returned to Arlan, "I'm glad he's okay."

Fiala channeled her healing spells and agreed, "He's quite a durable boy and has accomplished such incredible feats. I guess that's the future King of Midland for you."

The Hatchets' Commander let out a hearty laugh and said, "Since I'm no longer needed, I have duties to tend to. Ladies, please excuse me."

Roderic then bowed and showed himself out but as he left the room, the Banner of the Claw's leadership rushed through the door. It was JD, Erin, Lem, and Dimitri. Chrysta tried to stop them but they all tripped over each other as they rushed over to their Captain's bedside.

JD spoke first, "He was fine just a bit ago!"

Lem added, "Yeah what hap-"

"Quiet you fucking buffoons!" Marie interrupted Lem and held her fiery gaze, "He lost consciousness as we were coming back inside. But Fiala is taking care of him."

The four boys understood and their worries had been answered. Marie's temperament was actually reassuring to them. They knew she cared for Arlan just as much as they did.

"Let Arlan rest," exclaimed Chrysta, "We can't all be in here right now. The Banner of the Claw needs its leaders."

The Coldheart led the entourage back out the door and returned to assisting Fiala. JD remained and grabbed two chairs from the corner of the large infirmary room. He pulled up next to Arlan's bed and gestured for Marie to sit. Then he placed his chair on the opposite side.

The Tempest Knight and the Embercaller sat across with the Immortal General between them. The right and left hands of the renowned young lion were indirectly connected. Chrysta and Fiala had left them to sit by Arlan's side as they continued to heal the other injured soldiers. Mahari had also came in and was helping her dress the other wounded soldier's light injuries. There was nothing but silence between JD and Marie as they pondered Arlan's health.

After a silent fifteen minutes, Chrysta came by with honey-flower tea and sat at the foot of the bed. JD noticed that everyone had been sufficiently healed or taken care of. JD sipped the relaxing nectar and broke the silence, "When we saw the orphanage and Miss Petrah in her final moments, I finally understood why Arlan had been so focused on his mission. He had likely been harboring fears of such atrocities from the first day."

Chrysta nodded and added, "When I first left the orphanage three years ago, I was naive. Despite the rumors I heard about the unlucky orphans, I chose not to believe them. But ever since my first battle against Hector's Banner, I understand what I must do to defend our way of life so that one day, no one ever has to experience what we have."

"I think we're all beginning to understand a bit more," said Marie as she stared at her tea, "We've all changed and despite the trials we've faced. We've been able to overcome because of the strength we've gained from Arlan. He's just not like anyone I've ever met."

JD sighed, "Arlan is a unique one. Ever since I've met him, he's been nothing but surprises."

As the Adjutant Knight finished his last word, a weak voice emerged, "I have my reasons for being different."

The young lion had just woken up and smiled that he had friends who had waited near his bed. Arlan checked and noticed they were far enough away from anyone else to hear their conversation. He let out a sigh and said, "Chrysta, Marie... I'm going to tell you something that I have only told JD, Lady Dafni, Duke Louis and the King himself."

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The Embercaller and Coldheart exchanged a glance and looked at JD to see him with a serious expression. They both knew how serious this could be. Arlan continued, "This is for your ears only and you are not to tell a soul. I'm only telling you this because I feel you should know and be prepared for what may come of it. Do you accept this responsibility?"

Without hesitation, Marie answered, "Yes, I will carry it to my grave."

"Me too," added Chrysta as she locked eyes with Arlan.

"Alright, what I'm about to tell you may sound very farfetched," stated Arlan, "It isn't a lie or a prank."

The young lion paused for a moment and gathered his thoughts before continuing, "I'm from another world called Terra. This body isn't originally mine. My actual name is Rove and I was a soldier for the Terran Federation."

Marie and Chrysta gasped and asked, "What?"

"I was on a high-risk mission one day that would've ended a long war and as I entered the battle, I blacked out. That's when I woke up at the orphanage three years ago. All I had was this pendant with what I think was the name of this body before."

Marie's expression didn't change but Chrysta was trying to figure out how to react.

The Coldheart asked, "So... do you remember anything about your previous world?"

"Yes," answered Arlan and went on, "I still hold memories of my previous world and as to how I've arrived here in this body is still a mystery. All of my training, my experiences and everything that I'm good at was credited to my previous life."

The Embercaller added to the inquiry as well, "But... does that mean everything you have felt with us is just a front?"

Arlan immediately grabbed both Chrysta and Marie under both arms and reassured them, "No, that was from my heart. My experiences and everything I've done here wasn't for me to go home but to protect you all with the best of my abilities. Even if I found a way home right now, I wouldn't dare leave until I know you can all lead peaceful and happy lives."

Marie fought back her tears but couldn't stop them. Chrysta succumbed to the same fate. It wasn't exactly an easy truth to take in right away but it was reassuring to them that their memories, lives, and experiences they shared weren't a front. They actually felt a bit of happiness and relief that Arlan had entrusted them with such a major secret. They knew their bond was confirmed now.

After a silent moment, Arlan let go of his two friends. Marie wiped her tears away and said, "This changes nothing. Whether you are Rove or Arlan, to me you are still that same boy who saved me from being pursued by that obnoxious noble."

Chrysta added, "To me, you'll always be Arlan that I grew up with. The one who showed me that I can stand against the ugly truths of this world and change it."

JD smiled and was relieved how well Marie and Chrysta took in Arlan's secret. The trio decided to let Arlan rest and bid him goodnight as they went on with their nightly duties. It had been a long day with three different battles. From the morning skirmish to the afternoon attack on the fort and finally the evening defense.

After his friends had left, the young lion closed his eyes and immediately fell asleep. He didn't expect what came about next. Arlan had heard a familiar voice. A voice that had once warmed his heart. He opened his eyes and saw that he was no longer in the infirmary but back at Lancel High Academy in his uniform. He was in the courtyard that he had once frequented with another who was dear to him at that time. Before him was the same red leaf maple tree. The crimson leaves rained down reminding him of the sacrifices that have been made up until then.

The young lion slowly walked toward the bench and he could see an image of himself. A tear streamed down as he noticed that his image wasn't alone. It was the familiar ashen haired girl he had once fallen in love with. He couldn't forget the piercing ruby eyes. His image was laying on her lap. He couldn't stop his heart. He yelled out to her, "Iris! Run away with me! Don't accept your fate like you did, I could've protected you! We could've figured it out!" But it didn't matter, his words could not be heard.

He fell to his knees as the memory before him faded and now he was back to the battle against the Hawkwell Banner. He could see himself letting go of Iris' stiff body. Arlan's legs acted on their own and he tried to run over to catch her. She fell right through his arms like they were a hologram. When he blinked, he was now standing over the lifeless Miss Petrah, watching all his friends cry over her.

He looked around and saw that Noah was the only one not crying... Instead, Noah was staring straight into Arlan's soul. Noah stood up and the scene changed once more to a pure white room with only Arlan and Noah. "Arlan," uttered Noah, "We want you to carry us on."

Arlan's heart slowly came back together and asked, "We?"

Out of nowhere, Trent appeared behind Noah in his uniform and answered, "Yes, all of us actually."

Every single Banner of the Claw soldier who had died appeared with smiles on their faces. Trent continued on, "Don't forget us and carry our names with you. Make our sacrifices worthwhile and change the world."

Noah added on, "We were ready to lay down our lives because we believe in your abilities to end all wars."

"I'm sorry," replied Arlan with a solemn tone, "I'm so sorry that I couldn't keep you all alive."

Trent locked eyes with Arlan and said, "Don't be. Protect my sister, Lanny. Make sure she lives a peaceful life."

Noah continued, "Arlan, can you also protect JD, Chrysta, Wren, and all of our friends?"

A few different soldiers from behind Noah and Trent added on about protecting their loved ones too.

The young lion steeled his resolve and answered, "I'll protect everyone. I'll usher in a new age of peace."

Right as Arlan answered them, they shattered and were replaced by their dead bodies. He slowly opened his eyes to see that he was back at the infirmary.

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