Chapter 17: Alexander; Shauran 23rd 344SR; 13:50

"Are you sure you don't feel any pain Alexander?" A female doctor from house pendragon asked.

"Same as yesterday Irene... after I had awoken in Logos I was fine. In fact I felt better if anything," Alexander assessed.

The room was lit by the sunlight that flooded through the window, one half of the room was illuminated. Alexander sat in the corner outside of the light, right next to a small bed with white sheets neatly set. Around the walls we're various posters that described various things. One of a skeleton, each bone had a label with its respective name. Next to it was a report written by an angel by the name of Liam Fost. In the light of the room, the doctor sat with her back to Alexander, she wrote some notes on a piece of paper. A letter on the desk from house Lightbringer had Alexanders attention from the moment he arrived, but as the doctor turned to him he looked away.

Irene had straight brown hair down to her shoulders, the front of her bangs were cut flat, it was a hairstyle Alexander didn't find attractive. She took a seat at her desk and began writing down notes in regards to the nobles recovery. She wore a white coat with the red insignia of house Pendragon on the back. Her eyes were surrounded by wrinkles despite her fair skin, 'Has she been staying up?'

"Alright... still no changes, that's good. I'd like to do some quick tests, unbutton your shirt please," Irene asked as she stood up.

The doctor had her head turned as Alexander unbuttoned his shirt. He leaned forward to get a better view of the letter from house Lightbringer. The subject read 'Extension of Treatment.' The doctor stood with her arms crossed, she looked out the window as she held the report. Alexander saw what she had written down so far.

'Arid Lightbringer requested the treatment of Alexander be extended until the object in his chest can either be removed or confirmed to be non-threatening.' 'Non-threatening?' Alexander looked at that line closely, however he looked away as the doctor turned.

"Okay... If I touch the stone here, do you feel anything?" Irene tapped her pen against the green crystal under his chest.

"No."

"What about here," Irene tapped the skin around the gem.

"Yes."

"But not... this?" Irene pushed the pen into the gem.

"I know you're poking me with the pen, but I don't feel the pen."

"You weren't- near the mines right? The thing in your chest looks like a mass of logorite, but we can't even take a sample. Try using your gift..."

Alexander raised his arm, a green flame engulfed his palm in front of Irene. She walked around him to see any change. The greatsword conjured in his palm, the stone seemed to glow the moment he did. She pressed her hand into the skin on his back, the gem didn't protrude out that side.

"You're saying... you don't feel anything different? I'll have to look into your record to see if you have a history of injuries to that area... Are you sure you don't feel any different?" Irene persisted.

"I promise you, I am fine."

"Even so, Lord Lightbringer has asked us to make sure your in top shape, please check in later today. Please make sure you visit regularly so we can make sure everything's fine. We still don't know for certain what that thing is," Irene instructed.

"Right..." Alexander replied as he stood up and pulled his black coat off the backrest of the seat.

Alexander looked at her desk, with a pen in hand she wrote something down on a sheet. 'No signs of increased aggression, no knowledge of the object, no physical response to the object. As per Arid Lightbringer, we will continue observing Alexander Rael for the next five weeks.'

'Five weeks?!'

"Have you had a chance to have lunch yet, Irene?" Alexander asked.

"Huh, oh... no not yet, I'm gonna finish my report and then go."

"Alright... don't overwork yourself, the actual medical professionals of house pendragon are irreplaceable," Alexander walked out of the room.

"Oh... why thank you," Irene rubbed her eye as she thanked him.

"You look tired."

"Yeah, I've been back and forth with house Lightbringer for the past two days, it's exhausting..."

"Make sure you rest. By the way, how is Vivian and Bruno?" Alexander asked.

"Vivian is doing fine, she was more worried about you to be honest. Bruno had a few fractured ribs but he should be okay by the end of the week."

"I see, thank you Irene. I'll be leaving now," Alexander sighed.

Alexander walked out of the room, immediately took a right, and proceeded down the hall, the floor, walls and ceiling were painted white, on both sides of the hall were other rooms. Even more posters or signs decorated the walls, a few of them we're the same one in Irene's office. Alexander clenched his fist tightly as he made his way down the hall.

'Bruno encountered that man as well... but he stood no chance, neither did Rolo or Avery. I have to slay that monster. It has to be me. Lord Lightbringer... Why are you going so far to stop me from doing what's right...' Alexander quickly walked through the hallway, focused solely on his current objective. He made it to the stairwell where he had asked Lector to wait, to his surprise he found Yami instead.

The light blue haired boy sat on the steps with his head rested against his right fist and his back turned to Alexander. He hadn't worn his coat, just a simple white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Alexander walked down the steps, he noticed Yami looking at mark on his wrist. A white rhombus, a black heart, a blue spade, and a red clover all lined up along his forearm. As Alexander walked by, he looked up and left the dazed state he was in.

"Sir! My deepest apologies! I should've been there for the battle! Please allow me to make up for this!" Yami stood up and shouted with his head down.

Alexander stared at the tall boy's head, he looked around expecting to see someone else, 'Where is Lector?'

"Yes, you should've been there. If you want to make up for your failure, inform me of where that lazy fool went," Alexander asked.

"Lector? I found him here and he told me to wait, then he followed two girls from the house pendragon," said Yami.

"Not again," Alexander kissed his teeth.

He quickly walked down the flight of stairs, Yami followed. 'If only he focused... he'd be an exemplary lieutenant and spy...' As the noble and his newest lieutenant reached the bottom of the stairs, they entered a lobby, banners with the insignia of house pendragon were decorated around the walls. Alexander looked up as he descended down the last few stairs, the ceiling was made of glass, the sky was blue and devoid of clouds. The Celestial could be seen through the glass, as well as the grey stone brick wall which surrounded it. Across the stairs was the front desk, the path to the left led further into the hospital, Alexander turned right and proceeded to exit the building.

The front of the hospital was a vast open courtyard, a stone path encircled by a square field of fresh green grass, its vibrant hue unparalleled amongst the scenery of white and grey stones. To the left was a large building which connected to the inner wall of Helios that surrounded the Celestial, this was house Pendragon. Each corner of the inner wall possessed one of the four noble houses, house Rael was located on the opposite side of the city.

Alexander scanned the field from left to right, across the field of grass was a staircase which turned and went to the upper levels of Helios's inner city. To the right of the field, across from house Pendragon were various shops in a plaza, a bakery and a café at the end of the plaza. Citizens of the inner city occupied the white chairs and tables that stood on elegantly curved legs, conversing with friends or reading a large paper.

Freiya of house Pendragon was speaking with a woman who was seated, she held her black coat in her arms to cool off as she stood nearby the table. Her hair swayed with the wind as she let out a sigh. She looked around, said something to the other woman she was with, then looked away as she returned to waiting patiently.

Alexander suddenly felt nostalgic as he saw a familiar blonde exit the café with the same gleeful expression he always had when he was around women. 'Ugh...' Alexander cringed.

"Sorry for making you wait ladies!" said Lector.

He flew through the door and approached both women with three glasses of lemonade, two in his hands, and one held between his elbow and chest. He had been wearing his coat, inside a white shirt and black pants covered his legs. Alexander couldn't tell if he was walking with his eyes closed or if he could still see as he approached the table with cold beverages.

"Oh great celestial, Why is he like this...." Alexander spoke into his hand as he covered his face. 'He's too casual after suffering a defeat like that, all three of them are!'

Lector hadn't noticed Yami and Alexander, he was completely unaware as he did what he loved most. He handed one to Freiya who looked at it with confusion and a hint of disgust. The other to the pink haired woman who was seated, she thanked Lector with a bright smile.

"Who is she?" Yami pointed at the seated woman.

"Hana Blume, a skilled warrior from house Pendragon," Alexander answered.

"Really? Wow... she must be good if you think she's skilled."

Hana had bright pink hair, her twin tails spiraled at the ends which reached past her neck, and her red eyes glowed in shade. The buttons on her white shirt were only done just up to her chest, revealing her cleavage. At her waist, a thin blade she had received from the Celestial, the guard of the sword was made of vines elegantly weaved together with pink flowers growing off of it. She sat back with her arms and legs crossed, a confident smile on her face as she basked in the light, she seemed to enjoy Lector's attention and generosity.

"Thanks Lector, you're too kind," Hana sipped the lemonade.

"Too kind..." Freiya said with added emphasis as she sipped the lemonade.

"Please, kindness is being a blessing to the eyes," Lector replied with a smooth tone as he stared at Hana, her eyes remained closed as she sipped the lemonade.

Alexander cringed.

"This weather is awful. Lemonade really does the trick," Hana sighed.

"Awful?" Yami whispered to himself as he looked up at the clear blue skies and bright sun.

Freiya looked around as she tried to ignore the two of them, her lazy and disappointed eyes lingered around the setting before she took notice of Alexander and Yami. She stared at Lector and back to Alexander, then back to Lector, and then back to Alexander. Freiya stared at the sky as she considered how awkward this scene might become.

"I'm heading back, don't procrastinate for too long," Freiya turned and walked away with the lemonade.

"Yami... only take away the best from Lector.... Nothing else you hear me. Nothing else." Alexander turned to him as he warned.

"Hm? We have about 20 minutes until-" Hana noticed Alexander and his upset expression. "I've heard about new lieutenants in most squads, ours didn't get one until yesterday. Is he the new recruit for house Rael?" Hana asked.

"New recruit-" Lector's head shot to the left. "Oh crap," he uttered as noticed Alexander's expression.

"I'll leave you to your business, thanks for offering to buy me another drink," Hana stood up and walked off with the lemonade as well.

Alexander approached the table. Lector had a frown on his face as he watched Hana walk away, his chin rested on the white table with his arms outstretched in front of him.

"Isn't the way her hair bounces with each step just nice... and that confident smile. She really is an angel," Lector described.

"I thought I asked you to wait," Alexander asked with squinted eyes.

"But you were taking so long," Lector sobbed.

"I was in the office for 10 minutes!"

"Freiya and Hana weren't gonna be around for 10 minutes," Lector sobbed.

Alexander stood in the shade of the buildings. The scent of freshly baked bread lingered in the air, the sound of Hana's footsteps faded against the sound of other angels in the plaza. Alexander pointed at the hospital he exited.

"The head of the medical division, Irene Walker, will be sending a report to house Lightbringer today," Alexander stated.

"And?" Lector sniffled.

"Bring it to me," Alexander ordered.

"Huh?" Lector stopped sobbing and looked up with a raised eyebrow. "I'm... pretty sure that's... treason? An invasion of privacy?" Lector reasoned.

"If you are caught I'll take the blame, now go, I expect that report before the sun falls. I know you can do it,"

"Yeah but... these are the Lightbringers, and... I'm a spy, it's much worse for me to get caught even if you take the blame..." Lector pointed out.

"You won't get caught," Alexander stated.

"... huh? How would you even know that?"

"You're an excellent spy, I wouldn't ask you unless I knew you could do it," Alexander calmly told him as he walked off towards the staircase to the upper levels.

Lector stared at Alexander with his arms crossed. He had something on his mind as he squinted.

"Dammit..." Lector stood up and scratched his head. "You just want the note?" he asked.

"If you can find more in regards to the Lightbringers current plans, that'd be useful, but don't push yourself, I'd rather not lose a valuable member of my squad."

Alexander turned around and faced Lector, his eyebrows raised when he saw Lector with his head down. 'Is it wise for me to send him for this... he doesn't seem like he's confident.'

"If the mission is too much to handle it's-"

"No... no I got this, I'll get you all of the Lightbringers plans," Lector looked up at Alexander with a determined look. "But... I can't get it here," Lector put his thumb to chin.

"Can't you just intercept the messenger?" Yami asked.

"No... it'll most likely be a low rank from house pendragon so it's not impossible... the problem is that's too obvious," Lector looked down as he continued to plan.

"If we take the report from Yuria before the messenger gets it, the Lightbringers will know something went wrong as the Lightbringers are expecting her reports about your condition. If we take the report from the messenger, both Yuria and the Lightbringers will know something happened, and that plan is just too high variance," Lector rambled.

"High variance?" Yami scratched his head.

"Meaning we'd be depending on how dumb the messenger is, which isn't something you should depend on. The only way this'll work is if we take the message after it's been delivered, but then the Lightbringers will find out when they don't receive the report," Lector explained.

"Wait... then how do you get the report safely?" Yami asked.

"If we had Kiril from House Rover this would be easy..." Lector pondered, "Alexander- Sir, I need you to cause a ruckus at house Lightbringer," Lector gave the noble an order.

Alexander and Yami raised their eyebrows as Lector tapped Yami's shoulder, leaving a golden mark on it before lifting his hand.

"Yami I need you to track the messenger. Stay in the sky, avoid being noticed, use the rooftops," Lector instructed.

"Got it," Yami replied

'It's strange seeing him try... he has so much potential when he does though.'

"Alexander and I will wait for the messenger to get close, that's when Alexander will enter house Lightbringer and cause a ruckus. That's when I'll use the distraction to get inside and get the information."

"What about the report?" Yami asked.

"I'll handle that, we just need the words on it. We have to get to house Lightbringer before the messenger gets there. Alexander can cause a ruckus which will get me time to collect the information," Lector planned.

"We have a chance right now," Alexander nodded towards the entrance to the hospital.

Lector turned towards the entrance and noticed what Alexander was looking at. Yuria had walked out of the building. Her brown hair swayed in the light winds as she took a right towards the various shops. The path she walked led towards them.

"She hasn't had lunch yet," Alexander recalled.

A young angel with white hair exited house Pendragon. He immediately turned left towards the hospital and walked straight towards it. A brown bag hung off of his shoulder, he wasn't wearing the coat of house Pendragon, 'He must be a recruit....'

"That would be the messenger... Irene's office is on the second floor... he'll beat us to it... Yami, find a spot out of sight and fly up, then watch the entrance, wait for the white haired kid with a brown bag to leave," Lector ordered.

"White hair?" Alexander remembered something briefly.

"Forget him, we need to get over to house Lightbringer," Lector said as he hurried towards the stairs.

Yami looked left and right and then hurried to an alley between the buildings. Alexander and Lector quickly stepped up the stairs and turned right. Then left as the path curved.

"By the way, if you don't mind me asking, why are you doing this?" Lector asked.

"I refuse to accept defeat at the hands of that off worlder, I won't let the Lightbringers stand in my way of finding both of them and splitting their skulls."

"Both?"

"The off worlder, and Jack, I was right to suspect that non-unified," said Alexander.

House Lightbringer was at the adjacent corner of the city so it was a lengthy walk away. Sunlight slipped between the upper roads and illuminated some parts of the street, Alexander's skin felt cold, as it was embraced by shade instead of the sun. There were various buildings around them, most of them homes for the higher class with stores near the bottom, a lot of startup businesses. Many stores sell clothing, or tools for fishing near the harbor.

"Can't you do that without the note?" Lector asked.

"I need to confirm if I can really trust the Lightbringers. I'd prefer it if I could, but depending on the information you pull, I'll know for sure," Alexander explained.

"It seems like you don't trust them already," Lector commented.

"Lucifer Lightbringer used me for information, and then threw me to the side. I don't take kindly to that, not after the progress I've brought to this country."

"Yeah, I get it... one other question though," Lector asked.

"What is it?"

"What about that guy, Jack?" Lector asked.

"I believe he's with the off worlder, it's just as I feared... if I had killed him before this, things would be far different."

The two walked with a quick pace down the street of Helios, house Lightbringer was at the end of the road. Male angels in grey, black and blue suits walked with briefcases in hand down the urban streets of Helios. Female angels primarily wore dresses of the same color. Heels and top hats we're in fashion so the streets we're filled with the sounds of clicking against the stone sidewalks.

"I found this in his house," Lector lifted up a book out of his pocket and handed it to Alexander.

"The Legend of Ragnarok? Isn't this a children's book?" Alexander asked.

"That's not what's important, that book is exclusively found in the libraries of Helios. No where else."

"What are you implying?"

"Well, its unlikely that Jack came all the way to the inner wall of Helios's library just for a children's book, and I doubt that the off worlder suddenly sought after it. The only plausible explanation is that an angel did it."

"Arthur..."

"Probably... but I don't think he's with the Lightbringers on this one, he may be doing this because of what happened to his father."

"The last noble of house Pendragon? He died a noble death during Arken's Crusade, why would Arthur oppose the angels for that?"

"Who knows, he could believe the crazy conspiracies about that event, or he has a different purpose entirely. Whatever his reason, he kept you away from Jack for a year, and he let Jack get away."

"So you saw that battle as well, I figured you were unconscious."

"Was unconscious, I woke up shortly after everyone left."

"You probably waited for them to leave." Alexander corrected.

"Of course I waited! That off worlder is terrifying! And besides you know how I am... I don't fight, the most I can do is just blast people with a really loud sound up close."

"You aren't my lieutenant to fight, I don't need my lieutenants or anyone doing my job for me. I'd be a failure of a noble if I couldn't even do that. You're the best spy in Helios, don't ever forget that."

The two of them had been walking at a similar pace but the moment Lector heard that he stopped. Alexander kept walking.

"It's weird to hear you say that," Lector mumbled, looking to the side to avoid eye contact as he continued forward.

"Not another word," Alexander calmly warned him.

"Yeah, yeah... but I need to ask," Lectors smile faded, "Didn't it seem like those non-unified who were with the off worlder we're different?"

"Yeah, they were stronger... we don't know what exactly we're dealing with and that's all the more reason we must crush him, Jack, and the rest of the non-unified alliance! Before they can become a greater threat to the celestial."