Clementia stood atop a ruined building, jaw visibly shivering. Weeks had passed since the original demon incident, and they had drained their fair share of colour from her face. Earth now resembled nothing short of a wasteland, brought about by the descending hordes, greed and ultimately, the launching of weapons of mass destruction. In mere days, the world's population decreased from twelve billion to a couple hundred thousand.
In spite of the warm embrace of an oversized, puffy jacket, the girl couldn't stop the involuntary shaking of her body. Together with the population, global temperatures had also dropped considerably in the aftermath of Humanity's futile war. No longer did the Sun's rays penetrate through a web of debris, for the whole sky became hidden under soot, fire and ash. The rich evacuated to their top-notch survival bunkers, the rest were left to starve in the cold.
Cold, that was the best way to describe the new order. Being the demon's favourite habitat to prowl, not even the ruins of the past offered any shelter or respite. The dying conservations, the ancient mountains and underground cavern systems served as the last hubs of organised civilisation, whereas everywhere else people huddled aimlessly together for warmth. Those who pressed on often prayed to their gods, were kept alive by a fear of death, or in the case of Clementia...
Desired revenge.
This pure, sheer drive for vengeance led her pushing ever onwards. Though she had laid her mother to rest under a wilted oak, she kept her memory alive as a burning flame of determination. Though the gods still hadn't paid her a visit, she fought on in their name to save those in need. Her methods were crude, her moves yet inelegant, but every battle left a dent in her mind. Each day and every night--
She was learning.
Kicking up a cloud of dust, she carefully slid down a toppled pillar. Upon reaching the ground, her eyes scanned her surroundings attentively, having partially grown accustomed to the dim darkness of day. The whimpers of an older man occasionally broke the silence, followed by scrambling and the ground-fall of rock. Unfortunately, echoes made it impossible to pin-point the precise location of the source.
"He--Help! Help me!!" The unknown stranger cried, much more violently than before. This time, he was accompanied by a familiar growl and the scraping of teeth, raising the situation's urgency tenfold. Clementia's attention quickly snapped in the apparent direction of the noise, breaking into a sprint and dashing deep into the steel frame of a withered skyscraper.
Inside, whirling nebulas of particles irritated and stung the senses. Mounds of crushed concrete and glass piled against the steel pillars, looking almost like ramps at every corner. Vitally, a demon occupied the middle of the bottom floor, closing in on an obscured figure.
"Hey, you," the ALICE called as she drew her sword. "You'll regret ever lifting a finger against Humanity!" She cried, immediately charging forward with a lunge. The beast met her head on, parrying the attack using three of its many long limbs. Instead of talons, the demon's appendages ended in large hooks and hammer-like growths, something that struck Clementia as rather unusual.
Thud! Whoosh! The oncoming blow threw her entirely off balance, which her enemy utilised to its full advantage. Instead of retaliating, the fiend grabbed hold of the terrified bystander, engulfing him behind its foul extremities. Just before the girl could fully recover, it hastily scrambled up the ruined construction, leaving behind a trail of muffled screams.
"Don't you dare!" Clementia roared, blindly launching herself up a ramp of debris and climbing after. In terms of speed, she couldn't hope to catch up to the amorphous blob, a fact that irritated her thoroughly. As the demon steadily vanished past a veil of blackness, she cursed herself out, unrelenting. No clever solution presented itself, so she kept scaling the rusty frame.
"If only there was something I could do--to prevent another loss!" She thought to herself, only to be interrupted upon nearly reaching a platform suspended by wire. The creature stood there, facing the man it had abducted.
"Is it speaking..? Argh, who cares, this is my chance to strike!"
The divine warrior stabbed her rapier into a hole in the metal framing, holding onto it with both hands. Her legs found a ledge beneath them, and she let the blade bend to the point of almost breaking.
"Rrraaargh!" The built up force let her lance fiercely upwards, sword's tip aiming straight for the demon's maw. However, her scream had betrayed her intention. Instead of her target, she was met by a mocking laugh and a wave of heavy debris, completely reversing her momentum. In moments, she laid buried under it.
Darkness.
Was that it? Had her beginner's luck finally ran out? She couldn't even think such thoughts, in the absence of consciousness.
"ALICE, about time you wake up," a voice broke the silence that reigned over her head. Her eyelids parted, revealing a golden meadow of dancing sand. In place of trees, giant tufts of coral dotted the landscape. The sky shone a brilliant blue, Sun fully visible.
"Am... Am I dead? Is this what Heaven looks like?" Clementia stuttered. She took a deep breath, weirdly at peace considering her situation. "Almost," the ethereal voice boomed tenderly, "but not yet. Welcome to divine realm, hand of our kind, you've formally been recognized."
"Recognized? Didn't I fail?" The girl sighed, lowering her gaze to the shifting ground. For the first time, a point of origin to the second voice materialized itself in the shape of a crimson flash, harmless to the eyes. At its end stood a tall, magnificent figure, clothed in burning flame. Just like their voice, they appeared elegant and androgynous, introducing themselves as Sarrafiel.
"Do not question the recognition of the gods, nor yourself," they spoke, letting their arms flow in dance-like motions. "Your ambition burns true, you are worthy of being our weapon. What you lack in ability shall be rectified."
"So, this must be one of the visions that Merrigod mentioned... I thought I would never get one, that perhaps he was a liar, mocking me..."
"Not quite. You will have much to learn from him. Indeed, you were called to be informed of your assignment to a teacher. The path to true ALICEdom is an arduous one, but we believe you will stand true at its end."
Clementia shook her head, chuckling to herself. She took a wide-eyed look all around, absorbing the full sight of sandy Heaven. "It's truly beautiful here, but please..! I can't afford to spend time learning here, when an innocent life is in danger down below!"
"Here? You misunderstand." The figure clapped its hands, releasing forth an all-enveloping, red light. The girl's sight again faded to black, waking in the real world with a sudden pained gasp. She didn't hesitate to break free of her prison of rubble, a voice still ringing at the back of her head.
"Phoenix ALICE, fly on the wings of fire."
Silently, Clementia assumed a stable leaping position. Feeling a heat beating strong within her chest, she flung herself upward once again, jet streams of fire erupting from her feet. Blade drawn at the ready, her ascent came to a close just above the demon's head. Still chattering some lie of evil, its speech was ended abruptly to the sound of a clean slice.
The beheaded body rolled off the platform, crashing into the dust below. Landing in its place, Clementia exhaled in relief, smiling at the man she had rescued.
"Don't worry, it's over now."