The Emissary of the Flame

The Eleventh Chapter: The Troubled Lady

Am I in heaven?

It was the first question she asked herself when her eyes opened because of the loud sound of roaring thunder. She was clearing her vision when she saw a very unfamiliar wall around her. It was covered by a maroon painting.

Where am I?

Julia lifted her torso to have a better view of her surroundings. Her eyes were caught by the view outside a vast window. The curtains were rolled beside it, good enough for her to see that it was stormy outside. The room was like part of a mansion. Every piece of furniture was made out of wood.

She then observed the people standing at the entrance of the room; one was a lady wearing a white dress, whom she assumed was a nurse talking to another person who was wearing a black and white coat with lots of printed marks on it.

"Once Zen finished his last mission here in Manchester, we will immediately return to the headquarters in London."

"General Percival, the other members of the Knights of the Round Table have requested the presence of the Emissary for the assembly tomorrow."

She heard how the young man sighed in frustration, "It has only been three days since the lady had arrived in this temporary shelter and now they are asking for her presence? She hasn't even met Graal Santel, how could they bid her to attend such a vast assembly when she hasn't been prepared for the destiny she has been called for?"

"But General Bors had pursued this idea together with General Kay and General Gareth."

"I, Seven Percival, the son of George Percival, descendant of Sir Percival, and the chief general of the European Headquarters of the White Order, forbid this assembly to continue unless Graal Santel meets the Emissary of the Flame and determines her future. Send my word to all the generals, especially to General Elmer Lancelot. He would understand my decision."

"I will relay your message, sire."

"Ugh, they are really testing my patience."

She did not continue listening to their conversation because she could not understand a thing. But then, there was this specific symbol, her eyes were caught off guard, particularly the crest printed on the upper right chest of the person who was called a general.

It was the same as the image of a flame that is encircled with unknown numbers, she kept on seeing from a person's chest.

"It's called the Flame of Soul." She heard the voice of the young general approaching her.

She lifted her eyes and saw that the man who was wearing that familiar coat was the one who spoke to her. "You might have seen this before."

The young lady wanted to respond but she was too weak to even spend her energy on speaking, "It's alright, if you still need to take a rest, you can sleep again."

"Who---who are you?" Now she had finally uttered words. "Where am I? What am I doing here?"

The young general sighed at the sight of the weak and confused lady, "You are inside a private room of the White Order's temporary headquarters here in Manchester."

A string was thug on her mind when she heard the term, White Order. Suddenly, scenarios started flooding her mind, the incident she wished to forget. Bradley...

Her heart became heavy again and she could feel tears were threatening to fall out from her orbs. "Now I remember..."

Seven witnessed how the young lady had become distressed because of what he said. Then he remembered his good friend, Zen, had told him, "My wounds would eventually heal with the help of my Grail, but Julia's wounds may take time to heal."

He almost forgot, the Unknown that Zen had destroyed was a good friend of this lady. "Lady Julia of Manchester, daughter of Clara and Julio Ainsworth, am I right?"

Her distress shifted when the person in front of her called her by her name. How did he even know her foster father's name when even her Aunt Clara did not speak about her deceased husband anymore? "How did you---"

"I apologize for the late introduction." The young general smiled at her. "I am General Seven Carlton Percival, your temporary guardian here in this shelter."

Apparently, it was obvious that Julia did not understand what he said. He sighed, "I mean, you are under my provision as long as you are staying here under the White Order's supervision. You can call me Seven, by the way. Our ages aren't that too far from each other. Well, if our intel is correct."

He reached his hand to her but the latter did not return the gesture. Well, he understood why. Zen was like this before, when he first arrived at the White Order.

"What am I doing in this place?" Her voice was still cracked because of too much sobbing she had been doing.

He did not stop her from crying but only responded with a smile, "You are inside the temporary shelter of the White Order, here in Manchester. Well, it is temporary because this place will disappear once the order is done using it." He politely responded.

"Huh?"

"Back to the topic, you were brought here by Zen three days ago after you became unconscious after witnessing the battle between my friend and your good friend."

Julia snapped when she heard the word, friend. She almost felt the stinging pain in her fist when she unconsciously clenched it, much to her chagrin. "Yes, your friend... Loryzen Bradford killed Bradley."

"Hmmm, rather kill, the right term shall be destroyed." Seven took a seat on the sofa chair beside Julia's bed. "Your aunt's newly hired kitchen servant ended the life of your friend not because Zen just wanted to finish him, but it was for this Bradley's sake that my good friend destroyed him."

For Bradley's sake? Really? How could this man say such a thing when he did not even have the slightest idea of what she had witnessed that night?

"Are you psychologically incapacitated to tell me that it is ethical to finish a person's life just to save him?! The last time I know, Euthanasia in our country is not even legal!"

"It wasn't Bradley anymore---"

"Bradley or not, Mr. Bradford had killed him!"

The polite tone of Seven's voice suddenly disappeared, and it was replaced by a rather dangerous tone. "Lady Julia Ainsworth, I know you have witnessed how your good friend transformed into a hideous creature and tried to take your own life. Wasn't that enough for you to realize that the young man wasn't your friend anymore?"

Julia's orbs blinked when Seven's words hit her. Memories of how Bradley tried to take her life suddenly appeared right in front of her very eyes; how his body had transformed into that monster-like weaponized body. Her body was shaking when she remembered the horror of learning how her friend died, agonizingly.

She had a vision of Bradley dying but she was not able to do anything to stop it. She did not even realize she was not talking to her friend anymore, rather the Bradley who greeted her with those unreadable gazes was not her lover anymore...but a soul who sold himself to the evil ones.

It was enough to trigger another tear to flood out of her precious crystal orbs. "Bradley..."

Seven sighed, was he too harsh with the young lady? "I am sorry for your loss, but Bradley was long dead the moment he signed the contract offered by the Prime Millennium."

Now it was her time to understand what had taken place during the time of Bradley's death. "Can you explain to me what happened to him? And who is this Prime Millennium? Please enlighten me so I may justify all the guilt I have for myself." She was hoping that this man had also the answer she was looking for as to why she was having peculiar visions for the last entire days of her existence.

Seven sheepishly grinned, now Julia had opened her ears, "My pleasure, my lady."