Damnatio Memoriae

**Damnatio Memoriae** is a tale in *The Demon's Light*, taking place after "Safe Haven."

## Synopsis

Melissa Devlin returns to the Ackerman Militia and receives an unexpected welcome.

## Narrative

Carrying a pistol she had stolen during her time at Remnant Rock, as well as various supplies, Melissa hiked through the forests surrounding Silivia. As hard as she tried to forget about them, her mind rested on the Port City Eight and her last conversation with Blossom Cane.

*Standing in the middle of her room, Melissa looked down at the wheelchair-confined Blossom.*

*"So, what did you leave in here that was so important?"*

*Melissa placed a finger to her lips. "I just said that to get you alone," she said, feeling nervous about what she was about to attempt. "I need you to do something for me, promise that you will, okay?"*

*Confused, Blossom tried to question her, but Melissa continued speaking. "I am leaving the group. So... I want you to tell the others that I will be gone. But there is something I would like to do first."*

*"What? You're leaving?" Blossom asked, before launching into a series of questions. "You won't understand," Melissa said as she bent down on one knee. Finishing her sentence, she raised her hand and pressed it against Blossom's leg. Her hand lit up in tiny gold particles that wrapped themselves around her fingers and she held it in place. Once finished, she asked Blossom to stand. The girl tried to fight her, but eventually gave in and discovered that she could walk again. Melissa used the moment to send Blossom back to the others, before leaving the hotel herself.*

After regaining her memories at Remnant Rock, Melissa had decided to go back to the Ackerman Militia. She knew that she would face a lot of criticism for having disappeared many months before, but returning to her life before the events at the barn seemed to be the best option, even if she was abandoning her new friends.

She remembered the headquarters of the militia was located in a city called Skipton, northwest of Silivia. Her stomach turned with doubt as she hiked through the thick forest alone, keeping her eyes and ears alert for any unwanted visitors. Deep in her mind, a part of her regretted her choice to leave the Port City Eight behind, but she was useless to them in this state. She had to return and become her old self again, if not stronger than before.

Ten days later, Melissa tiredly hiked through another forest. Since her journey started, she made sure to keep contact with anybody else as seldom as possible. After all, she was still wanted.

With a sigh of relief, she saw an old, but familiar sight. Skipton had once been a beautifully built small industrial town. Taking in the view around her and spotting all the ruined and damaged buildings, Melissa remembered when she first came here:

*Seventeen-year-old Melissa Devlin stood at the entrance of Skipton next to the recruiter. "What happened here?" She asked him, staring at the destroyed city. The recruiter looked at her and sighed. "You wanted to be a part of our militia? Well, this is your first look at the aftermath of war. Skipton used to be a productive city, now it's just a shell of what it used to be. We have our base here because it was one of the hardest hit locations after the Great War began."*

She walked along the quiet streets of the town. In the distance, she could see a tall building with the dark red logo of Ackerman Militia built into the center — the building was in much better shape than all the ones surrounding it. She used to consider that place her home.

Ackerman Militia's headquarters was divided into two primary levels — the upper level was a well-designed warehouse painted in metallic blue. It was also the war room where most of the militia's serious discussions took place. Down the hall from this was the officers' quarters. Then the living quarters for the trainees and soldiers stationed at the base.

The lower level of the building was used as both the armory and boiler room. It was painted a brass color to match the pipes going to the machinery. At the end of the boiler room it turned off into a prison-like area, with jail cells lining the walls used to keep their prisoners of war.

Melissa slowly walked through the entrance as butterflies filled her stomach and she headed for the front desk. A recruiter sitting at the small dark oak desk looked up and smiled. "Hello, Miss, how may I help you?" Melissa took a deep breath before replying. "I'm Melissa Devlin, I was a soldier with the militia once."

The recruiter opened her mouth to speak before a door to her left creaked open. The man that entered the room was tall and had a muscular build. His arms were riddled with scars that were dealt in many battles. His brown eyes had a kind, protective aura to them, but also held a fierce look that said he wasn't afraid to fight, his hair was a short messy brown that looked as if he had repeatedly ran his fingers through it.

"Devlin?" A mixture of disbelief and awe spread across the man's face, who Melissa instantly recognized as her former commander, Aeron Valez. "I didn't believe it when I saw it on the news, We all thought you died but… Here you are standing in front of me. Where have you been?"

"I've been in Silivia for a while, it was a whole ordeal and a very long story, but can we get into that later? I just walked for two weeks straight, and would like to rest before I get into why I've been gone."

Valez's demeanor instantly changed and became more harsh.

"No, it can't wait. Do you have a legitimate reason for abandoning your duties to the militia? Your entire troop was found dead, and there was no trace of you. Give me one good reason I shouldn't bring you in on abandonment charges. Hell, if I didn't know any better, I'd have half a mind to bring you in for murder."

"Murder?! We were outside of Gladea when Amelia and I heard the sound of fighting - the squad and I rushed towards the commotion. Civilians were being attacked by a group of demons, we did our job and intervened, trying to protect the civilians. During this ambush, three of the civilians, plus my five squad members were killed. I managed to escape with one of the injured civilians but later came to my injuries and ended up passing out in an abandoned building. When I woke up. I didn't remember where I was or what had happened, not until months later. And that turned into a whole other story ending with my brother getting killed."

"I see."

The man reached behind him and pulled out a pair of cuffs. "I'm sorry, Miss Devlin, but it's not me you have to explain your story to. I won't file murder charges, but regardless, you did abandon your mission. Please turn around, don't make this harder than it needs to be."

"Fine, do what you must."

After placing the cuffs on her, Commander Valez led Melissa to a cell in the lower area of the building. "Devlin, this is where you will be held until your trial. I will come and get you when the time comes." With that, he locked the door to her cell and exited the prison area, leaving Melissa to look around the dark space, nothing but her memories to keep her company.

Melissa covered her face with her hands, giving out a small sigh. Looking at the bed next to her, she briefly caught a glimpse of a young, blond male sitting next to her. Images of the last day she saw her brother alive flooded to the surface of her mind, memories she had been working hard to forget. She winched painfully as she remembered the fight she and Steven had before they left their cell. She had been such an idiot and it cost her brother his life, "Steven, I'm so sorry for this mess I’ve caused."

She stood as tears started to escape from her eyes and kicked the wall with a frustrated scream, as two guards walked down the halls each carrying bullpup shotguns.

"Quiet in there!" one shouted as they reached her cell. The other looked at her and asked, "Are you, Melissa Devlin?"

She walked over to the bars and answered.

"Yes?"

"Your trial starts in three days, so I suggest getting some rest, deserter." The men then continued marching down the hall.

Melissa sighed, walking over to her bed. The thin plastic mattress made crumbling sounds as she made herself comfortable. Within a few seconds, she felt springs pop up from under the mattress and press uncomfortably against her ribs. *This is going to be such a long few days.'*

The sound of footsteps in the dark corridor caused Melissa to wake up. She looked to see a soldier that she did not recognize, holding a plate of food. "The commander wanted me to bring you this and check on you," he said, with an expression that showed he wished to be elsewhere.

Melissa took the plate and watched as the soldier left without saying another word, leaving her alone in the dark cell again. As she ate, she thought about trying to escape this desolate cell and running from her problems again. *I can't do that though, otherwise the council will just order my arrest again, and I doubt I will get a trial after the second time.* With a sigh, she started picking at her food. She started to think about the time when she was getting ready to join the Militia.

*No, Melissa, I will not have you joining that ragtag group of vigilantes that call themselves a militia," her brother, Steven said with another sour expression. He felt that it was more important that they stay safe with their uncle, and if she joined, she would just get herself in trouble, and possibly killed. "You won't be able to survive out there, I hope you know that." Steven said with a slightly softer tone.*

*Melissa had enough of her brother, despite being the same age he always acted like he was in charge of her. "I am not a kid, Steven, I can take care of myself!" she shot back with a glare. She had a tendency of being stubborn, so she was not going to back down from this. Deep down, she knew that her brother was more concerned for her safety, but this was something that she had dreamed of. She wanted to see the world, not be cooped up in a laboratory helping with unknown beings the rest of her life. She wanted to make a difference in this world.*

*That was when her uncle, Richard, decided it was time to chime in. "You aren't a kid anymore, Melissa. I can't have you put your life at risk, this family has already lost enough as it is. And you know that," he sighed.*

Later that evening, she packed up some things. Just the essentials to get her to the headquarters of the Ackerman Militia. She would sneak out at midnight, when both her brother and uncle went to bed. As soon as the time was right, she snuck out the window and started making her way to the Ackerman Militia.

She never knew her father, he had been killed when she was a small child, she had little to no memories of him or her mother, she grew up with pictures of him around the house, but there was none of her mother, she knew only that Richard had made statements before that she resembled her mother quite a bit.

Melissa looked up to see Commander Valez standing over her, his eyes never leaving hers as he unlocked her cell. "Devlin, it is time for your trial with the council. We need to get to the bottom of what you have been doing in your extended absence." As he said this, his face contorted into a more hostile frown than usual. He put Melissa in handcuffs and then escorted her out of the prison.

They walked along the main building of the headquarters until they came to a long hallway that served to separate the meeting hall from the rest of the building. At the end of the hall were a pair of old double doors, each sporting the symbol of the Ackerman Militia. Melissa had only been in the meeting hall a few instances during her time as a soldier. Most of the meetings were to discuss changes to the headquarters or promotions, as well as discuss what to do with prisoners that had been captured. It was kind of unsettling to her that she would be the target of this process now.

When they walked in the doors, all eyes turned to them. Melissa once again recognized a few of her former squad mates, as well as the leader of the Ackerman Militia himself. Anax Crutius was sitting at the front of the court, looking down at her with the glare he always had when he was about to impose justice on anyone who fell from grace. A few loose strands of his hair were hanging near his face, framing his strong, rectangular jaw. Deep scars were noticeable on the left side of his face: one across his lips, under his eye, and down his jaw. The sight caused Melissa to internally flinch imagining how painful those injuries were. He had a medium stubble around his chin and jawline as well as his mouth which concealed his scars slightly. He had a very stressed appearance with wrinkles on his forehead. "Ah, so the traitor finally decides to come back after going missing for so long," he said in a cold and calculating voice before turning to the other members of the room.

"Well, now that everyone is accounted for, we can start the trial. Now, I do not know about anyone else in this room, but I for one would like to hear about what Melissa has been up to in her extended leave," Anax said with a commanding voice. The effect was instantaneous, as Melissa felt all the eyes in the room on her at that moment. "Why don't you enlighten us?"

Melissa sat down in a chair that was directly in front of the desks. "Where would you like me to begin? It’s a long story."

"Well, you already told Commander Valez what supposedly happened to your team, and that you woke up with some sort of amnesia, how about telling us what happened during your time at Silivia. Ending with explaining what the hell happened at Remnant Rock," Anax stated.

She took a deep breath before going into a long explanation of the events that lead up to their actions on Remnant Rock, including the treatment she received from Steven that helped her recall events from her time in the militia. She finishes it off claiming her memories came back during her capture at Remnant Rock even going into detail on how her own twin brother died during the attack, and that she started her journey back, neglecting to mention her last encounter with Blossom.

"As you can see, despite not knowing who I was or what I was supposed to do, I never really abandoned my mission, one of our top enemies is Alchemilia Corporation and with the help of my friends, we managed to launch a successful attack on it's headquarters and topple the company."

The room fell silent as the leader, generals and commanders listened to her describe each event, with Commander Valez shooting her a look of sympathy when she explained how her brother died.

Clearing his throat, Anax began to speak, "My condolences for your brother, Devlin. Regarding your claims, they seem to line up with what was broadcast over the news." He turned and faced the council. "I think this young soldier shouldn't face any disciplinary actions - the tragic deaths of her squad seems to have been as she states, she performed heroic actions trying to save the Silivian civilians and she, along with the rest of the Port City Eight according to the news, did cause great damage to one of our enemies. Does anyone disagree?"

One by one, the council members looked around and nodded in agreement with Anax.

"Well, uncuff her. I suggest we give her a few days to relax and have her see our therapist to make sure she is not suffering from some form of PTSD or anything else that will prevent her from continuing her duties." Anax walked from behind the desk and approached Melissa as the guards removed her cuffs. "You did good work, soldier, keep it up. You have what it takes to move up the ranks of our Militia. For now, we should probably make you disappear for a while, I'm sure people will be looking for you, so how about an alias?"

"An alias? Do you really think that is necessary, sir?" Melissa replied, clearly uncomfortable by the sudden change in her superior's tone.

"Yes. I do. I'm sure Alchemilia and the Global Union are searching for you and your friends, who I hope have also thought about disguising themselves for a while."

"Okay, I'll do it. When do we start?"

"For now, you will be escorted to the bunkhouse. When we prepare your alias, including forged documents, someone will come help you get ready.

It was a couple weeks later after she had completed the exam from Ackerman Militia's Medical team, as well as their therapist, when Melissa was given a new uniform with the militia's logo branded on across the chest and left shoulder, Following the instructions given to her by Commander Valez, she had dyed her once light chestnut hair to a dark auburn and she was told from now on she would be using light green contacts to hide her natural eye color.

She came out of her room after buttoning her vest and looked at Valez. "So, what is going to be my new name?"

Valez smiled. "You aren't just getting a new name, but a new rank as well. Welcome to the militia, Captain Vanessa Collin, You'll start receiving special training, and then you'll be given your own troop to lead." He handed over her new identification documents as well as her badge.