Chapter Seventy-One

Pria slowly trotted over to Alice, who was leaning up against a wall. She tilted her head and looked up at her. Alice smirked at Pria’s gesture, “There’s an after effect on the body when using a chant such as mine.”

            ‘Exactly, what types of effects?’

            “There can only be one a price for calling upon a God, and that would be one’s life,” Alice winced as she griped her arm tightly. “So apparently I’m going to be torn from the inside, out.”

            Alice clearly remembered the first year Scenario and she went in search for a deeper understanding on the Fallen Angel prophecy. One of their leads, led them to Rome where a hundred year old man lived, his name was Octavian Messenger a.k.a. Messenger of Death. The very first time Alice got acquainted with him, she immediately disliked him. He was this old bald geezer with a long flowing rough white beard and he was rather skinny.

  Scenario wasn’t with her at this moment because he was off in another part of Italy with another lead, so she was the only one of them to met Octavier. One of the very first things Alice seemed to realize about him was that he always kept his eyes shut. This didn’t quite interest her so she didn’t ask him why he did it. Yet somehow he knew she was present before him and that she was barely interested in asking about his eyes, so he explained to her that his eyes held ones death and if one ever comes in contact with his eyes they will die in that instance. Alice rolled her eyes at him and he chuckled, he then offered her a drink, which she refused because she never drank on the job unless it was absolutely needed. He then got himself something to drink, and in the short time they spent around each other she noticed that he indulged in a lot of liquor.

  Finally she got to the reason as to why she was there, but he actually did not seem one bit interested in her reasons, until he realized who she was. He informed her that he had heard various stories about her remarkable skills, and then he spoke more seriously to her and with a more stern face. Octavier questioned Alice on how she came to obtain her powers. Alice told him thoroughly about the burning of her hometown and how on that day something changed in her. She also came to realize the burning incantation engraved on her back, and for half a year of her life she spent deciphering its meaning and origins. Eventually she recited it and this feeling of enormous and grand power came from within her. When Alice was finally finished with her story, Octavian asked her to write down the incantation in its original language. She wrote it done to show him that the words were in Ancient Greek, and he moved his fingers over the paper and he came to show such an upset expression.

            That’s when he told her the true meanings behind the incantation. It seemed that the engraving was more of a curse than a blessing from the Gods. Every time she used it, her body would lose its’ life force and she would die. But none of this mattered to her, as long she was strong, she had no problem with dieing. So although he was warning her, Alice took it very lightly. On her way out she grabbed on of his bottles of Scotch. The very last words he gave to her were, “Be careful,” and “You owe me for the bottle.”

            It wasn’t until now that what he said was really sinking in. Alice shut her eyes and waited for the pain to subside. She felt as if the incantation was taking a s*** load out of her and right now all she wanted to do was rest since she knew she would have to use it again later. Even though it was taking an enormous toll and strain upon her body, she would have to push herself pass her limit. “Alright, let’s head out,” she grunted, Alice pushed herself off the wall and began walking.