Ars Nelli Gerendis

I open my eyes to see that I am in that black room from so long ago. In front of me once more are those two orbs that sent me through that torment of endless blood and gore. When I saw them my mind seemed to break.

“Why, Why didst thee subject me to that torment for millions of years? Why didst thee not just kill me and send my soul to the fires of hell?!” I shouted at the glowing orbs.

The red one started to glow bright and began to shout.

“Be quiet boy and listen!”

The blue one cut of the red one before it could yell anything more.

“Just what child and we will explain all to you.”

I had already fell silent having collected myself after being put in my place by the red orb. It was true that at the moment I knew nothing and it would probably help not to anger the things that had made me live in endless war.

“First let us introduce ourselves. You may go first.”

I don’t know how but I felt as if the blue orb was nodding towards the red orb as if trying to pressure it into being polite.

“I am known by many names. Ares, Mars, Mixcoatl, Chiyou, Anhur, Thor, Mangala, Hittite, Takemikazuchi, and Winalagalis are just a few of my titles. I am the spirit of war and battle. I give soldiers the bloodlust they need to end the life of another man and conquer empires for themselves.” The red one said in a voice that commanded respect.

The blue orb then began to speak.

“I am also known by many names. Athena, Minerva, Baduhenna, Neith, Chamunda, Qamaits, Anat, Badb, Ifri, and Macha. I am the spirit of strategy and victory. I inspire great general and soldiers to victory through strategy and tactics.”

When they both finished speaking I decided that I should also give a self introduction just to antagonize them.

“My name has been forgotten through the ages. I have held many a title such as soldier, Man at Arms, Samurai, Knight, General's aid, General, Sergeant, Strategist, and Tactician. I would like to knoweth why thou has't hath brought me hither after so many years of war?”

The blue orb’s lights seemed to dim slightly before it spoke.

“I am sorry for the pain you have had to suffer but it was necessary.”

My rage boiled over at that. What gave these orbs the right to decide what was necessary or not.

“Damn thee and thy necessary. What wast necessary about millions of years of bloodshed? What wast I to doth? No matter what I didst war nev'r ended it just hath kept going and going. No matter what I didst I could not changeth the outcome that wast already determined by history. No matter what I didst I could not save the lives around me and thee telleth me that all of this wast necessary!”

I was in tears at this point remembering the deaths of all my comrades and how many times I had tried to change the outcome of a battle to save their lives only for it to be for not and have them die anyway. I remembered every life I took on and off the field of battle every act of evil I had committed was forever carved into my mind and these orbs where telling me it was all necessary. It was at this time that the red orb shined brightly and exploded into a shout to match my own.

“Be quiet you whelp and listen well. You are just a cog in a much larger machine. You do not have to know why it was necessary for you to face all of this you just need to know that it was necessary!”

The blue orb began to glow in a calming way and the red orbs lights dimmed ever so slightly.

“Now will you listen to us for just a moment before you make any more hasty decisions?” The blue orb asked me.

“I wilt Listen to thee for now, and wilt not maketh mine decision until thou has't spoken thy piece.” I said as I calmed myself down.

“Very good. First I will tell you what you are.” The blue orb said as she began a lengthy speech.

“You see spirits can not act upon the physical world themselves so we must choose a champion from among the many mortals. Of all the mortals we have seen you where the greatest candidate for what we needed. You fulfilled not just my needs of having a clear mind and high intelligence but you fulfilled the spirit of wars needs of having a strong spirit and courage.”

“Wait thee must beest mistaken, wouldn't a most wondrous general fit thy needs much better than I?” I asked interrupting the blue orb.

“No child they would not, You see our champion needs to be someone who could work in the shadows of history to change the course of battle without anyone knowing. This way they could go to different battles without anyone noticing them.” The blue orb explained.

“I see.”

“Now that you know what you are we must speak of why you were brought here. It is time to give you the choice of  remaining the champion of battle or to return to the chain of reincarnation.”

“If I chooseth to remain as thy champion what wilt befall to me.?”

“You will do what you have been doing, but you will have two wishes one from me and one from the spirit of war.”

“And what if I chooseth to returneth to the cycle of reincarnation what wilt occur then?”

This time the red orb answered me.

“You will have choosen the coward’s way. Your soul would go back to your original earth and be reforged into a new child's soul. All you memories will be stripped from you and we will have to find another to be our champion.”

“In the end mine choices art to either continueth with this life of endless conflict or I alloweth another soul to becometh thy plaything  for all eternity?”

The blue orb seemed dimmed almost unnoticeably at what I said but the red orb answered me right away.

“Yes does are your choices, You can either man up or be a coward choose quickly so that I can be rid of you.”

“Then I chooseth to stayeth as thy champion for I would not wish this burden onto any other soul.”

“I guess I was right you did choose the cowar…...Wait what did you say?!” the red orb shouted surprised at my response.

“I hath said that I wilt beest thy champion so that no one else hath to beest thy slave for all time.”

“Good, very good.” The red orb mumbled to itself.

“We thank you for choosing to remain our champion. What is it you wish for?” The blue orb asked me. It did not seem that surprised about my decision.

“I wish for one whole lifetime of peace. Just one life time of peace so that I may has't memories to sustain me for the eternity of war I am about to embark on.”

This did seem to surprise the blue orb. The two orbs both dimmed and became silent but I had a feeling that they were actually arguing or talking to each other about what I just say. Minutes ticked by and they still arguing. Finally they both glowed bright and the blue orb spoke up.

“We can give you one lifetime on a peaceful world, but there can be no promise of war not occurring for we do not control when people go to war. e could give you power or wealth?”

“No all I wanteth is peace for one lifetime.”

“If that is all than what is your second wish?”

“I would like to be able to have every book I’ve ever read on war, strategy, tactics, and weaponry. “

The blue orb flashed for a second before the red orb asked in a confused tone.

“If you hate war why do you want does books?”

“I wanteth these books because I has't resigned myself to this fate. That being so I wilt readeth these books in mine time of peace so that at which hour the horns of war sound again I wilt beest ready. “

The orbs went silent again. I waited hoping that they would approve of these. Even though I hated what I have done I still know that war was something that could not be stopped, and I hoped that by using my time in peace to study it I would be more prepared when I returned to the battlefield. The orbs both lite up and then a necklace appeared in front of them.

“This necklace contains all of the books that you want and a few more all you have to do is think of the book or what subject you want and it will appear. Be warned though that only one of each book is stored in the necklace and if that book is destroyed it is gone until you replace it. Use them wisely.”

The necklace floated towards me and affixed itself onto my neck. The orbs both began to glow brightly and the spoke in in sync.

“You have served us well and deserve this rest from this day forth until your death you shall be known as Miles Ars Belli. Now go forth and enjoy your peace until the day you are once more called upon to serve.”

With that I was covered in a bright light as I felt myself being tugged out of the black room. I wonder where they will send me this time. My mind race as I tried to think of any peaceful world I’d been to but I could think of one I guess that this will be a new experience for me. I thought as I grinned before disappearing from the room.

In the room only the two orbs remained. They flashed and began to form the outline of a man and a women.

“Why did you not tell the boy who he truly was, what he truly is?” The man asked the women.

“It was not yet time. If I had told the child what do you think he would have done?”

“He would have tried to tear down heaven in a glorious battle.” The man replied his voice filled with “And what a glorious battle it would be.”

“If he did that the other spirits would not rest until they destroyed him and us. No it is better for him to find out later.”

“Say what you like but I don’t like all of this dancing around the subject it makes me feel less honorable withholding information from him.” the man spat out.

“That may be so but we have to think logically if we want him to succeed.”  the women replied calmly.

“Baah, you and your logic look where it's gotten him. Did you see him he was almost broken!” The man shouted at the women as he began to glow red.

The woman's face contorted in to rage.

“Do you think it is easy for me to see his mind slowly erode like this? Do you think lying to him makes me proud or happy? Well it does not but it is the only way. For now let him enjoy his peaceful life and hope that he is ready in the end.”

With that the women disappeared in a swirl of blue light. Leaving the man by himself in the black room. The man stared at the spot that Miles had been standing in.

“Well boy good luck with your peace. I hope you find something to fight for, that will be the only way you will keep your sanity.”

With that the man disappeared in an explosion of red flames.