“How long have I known Lorelai? Pretty much since the start of our academy days. I think we first entered the Principality branch when we were both around ten years old, and we’ve been best friends since. Hehe, well, not actually. We didn’t really start off on the best of terms.

“See, I got in through an academic merit. I studied really damned hard and spent many a night slaving away at my desk, only to be admitted in the end through a random selection. I was lucky - just one of countless other kids with the same smarts as me.

“Still, I was proud of it. I was the only one in my year from outside the capital unlike the others who got in through family connections, which is why I wasn’t particularly too fond of Lorelai since she was from the main Principality royal line. I figured her to be a typical posh aristocrat, but as time went on, I realized just how wrong I was. It was as if she was born to succeed. To be our hope. I, on the other hand, was struggling to keep up with the new environment.

“I couldn’t even go near her. She just had this intimidating kind of aura to her, but not in a bad way! She was graceful, elegant, and the very symbol of noble prestige. But then, one day, she came up to me. She asked a bunch of questions on what life was like outside of the capital. It irritated me a bit at the time since I only wanted to focus on my grades, but she kept coming back. Again and again, until eventually I started to look forward to our little meet-ups.

“What was our relationship? Classmates? Study partners? I didn’t really understand. We were from different worlds after all. That is, until the day she protected me from being harassed by those damn Power highborns. I just couldn’t understand. Why risk worsening your status by going against the other nobles? I asked her that, and she only replied with a smile: ‘Because you’re my friend.’

“Friend… yeah, she was my friend. Someone who I knew would have my back no matter what. I decided to stop giving a crap about her origin and treated her like anyone else. We’ve been butting heads since, and we’ve had some particularly nasty fights, but y’know what? We heal. We forgive. And we learn. That’s what friends are: comrades for life.”

- Celia Chaplet , Chief Instructor for the Order of the Unfettered Seraph

———

Lorelai

The inner workings of the Alexandria are not too dissimilar to the structure of the human body. A constant vein of lifeblood - created in due thanks to the constant efforts of the Astrologians - must be supplied all throughout the fortress in order to animate its movement. Exhaust rooms located in the bottom quarter are dedicated to expelling the waste produced by the construct’s rumbling, and a core situated at the very center serves as the main heart—regulating the energy levels and ensuring Creation’s influence remains satiated.

Humans in this instance would be akin to one's bodily attendants. A thousand strong work tirelessly around the hour to maintain the fortress’s condition, hammering the dents into shape and cooling the chambers to prevent the limbs from overheating. What isn’t spent on maintenance is delegated towards cleaning, supplies, equipment, and various other sections required to ensure a faultless operation. Every working second must not be wasted, and so an overseer is required to uphold steady procedure: a brain.

Thus has been Lorelai’s routine since the Alexandria’s first step into the rotting forest. By the light of the dawn, she arises - making her way into the kitchens where the day’s meals are prepped and ensures quality control is being carefully managed by the staff. Sanitation is no insignificance; all it takes is a singular oversight to contaminate the crew with a long-lasting affliction.

Once the bell tolls signifying the morning meal, the knights awaken and begin to prepare for their daily tasks. When they depart, she inspects the living quarters for proper cleanliness and potential contraband before making her way towards the core. Any irregularities, complications, or even slight changes in the fortress’s heart must be thoroughly scrutinized; pressure and concentration levels are quickly noted before being handed to the attending Astrologians. They’re a rather prideful bunch, dogged in their endless pursuit to explore the depths of Creation’s influence, but they are first and foremost scholars - not engineers. And so they must, with begrudging grunts, require assistance from Lorelai in order to properly spread the barrier enchantment to the entire fortress.

After one last quick inspection, she departs to the rest of the departments and conducts basic checks for all of their affairs.

Armory: checked and polished. Training : administered. Storage: recorded. Infirmary: examined. Scouting: mapped.

By the time of her final visit, night has fallen. The veteran knights and section chiefs gather at the main control room where Lorelai holds a conference to discuss their reports and address any concerns about future developments or present inquiries. Drafts are planned, reports are written, and when they leave, the rest of the evening is spent on signing documents needing her attention.

In the morrow, everything repeats once again. A day passes, and another, until an entire week has come and gone without any clue of the Comet’s location.

Hah… this cannot continue for long. The knights are growing restless, and our supplies are starting to dwindle. If we are unable to retrieve the Comet by the month’s end, then we shall be forced to return back home empty-handed.

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It is not a complete loss; thanks to Celia’s efforts, a large section of the Aeternum has been charted for future expeditions. There is no need to put her crew at risk when they can simply resupply at the capital and depart once again. Better to live another day than to perish a reckless fool. Still, it leaves a bitter taste in her mouth—especially after her grand proclamation of success to Ascalon and the other officials. A harsh scolding likely awaits her upon their return.

Let us view this as a learning opportunity rather than failure. The crew has grown much in familiarity with the Alexandria’s workings. Even if the Comet is never discovered, at the very least, we will have gained control over a powerful weapon.

A leader must not be distracted by the mistakes of the past. There is an opportunity in every corner for as long as one doesn’t blind themself with disappointment. Yes, the expedition hasn’t been a waste after all—

“LORELAI!”

Celia bursts into the control room with a crazed welp and quickly rushes over to the startled Throne’s side. Her excitement is apparent, body practically steeped in exhilarated delight. That can only mean one thing:

“Y-You’ve found them?” Lorelai mutters with a hopeful drawl.

But her friend only lets out a sly chuckle and tugs on her arm. “Why don’t you see for yourself?”

The two rush through the fortress and slam their way past the deck’s entrance. The Aeternum is a revolting sight as always, but now there’s something different. Something foreign of decay hidden far out in the distance: a glow. White, lustrous, and pure. Barely distinguishable amongst the darkness and gloom, but it is there. It is real.

“Ah,” she says, mind still not fully believing in the light before her. “Truly, I… I know not what to say.”

Their hopes. Their dreams. Their fervent desires for a world filled with peace. It’s right there in front of her, shining ever so bright, and Lorelai can't help but fall onto her knees. It’s as if a colossal weight has been lifted from her shoulders; she has never felt so free, so light, so vulnerable and exposed in her entire life, but strangely enough, it feels liberating. All of her effort hasn’t been for nothing.

Celia drops right next to her and stares out to the white light. “I’m not really sure how we’re supposed to go pick them up, but I figure you probably have a plan.”

“…The Solga and Lunas will protect me from the miasma. Only for a little bit, mind, but it shall be enough.”

“Then what’re you waiting for?” Celia says, delivering a hearty slap to Lorelai’s back. “Go on, don’t keep me waiting.”

“Hehe, by your order.”

With a slow, concentrated breath, Creation’s benevolence begins to coalesce behind her, forming and taking shape until a pair of gold and silver wings are affixed onto her being. The left is jagged with veins of burning sunlight flowing throughout, while the right is slender and covered in a pale aura. It has been a while since Lorelai’s stretched her wings; no matter how long she stays confined within, it is a Seraph’s fate to yearn for yonder skies.

She takes off and soars up high, basking in the daytime’s warmth and letting it spread to every corner of her body, before plummeting in a dash towards the source of the light. She breaks through the surface of the miasma - dark tendrils attempting to latch onto her body - but the twin celestial blades repel the murky influence, surrounding her body in a layer of crystal.

Lorelai lands with a crash upon the corrupted soul. Darkness lurks around every corner, but the white glow serves as her beacon, leading her farther and farther into the obscurity of the forest until: green. A meadow. Untainted and sprawling with vigorous fawns and colorful blooms. Lorelai can hardly believe her eyes, for the patch of land looks akin to paradise amongst the loathsome forest. The wary Throne takes a tentative step forward, body tense and ready to lash out at whatever may be hidden within this deceitful delicateness, but nothing appears. The world is still here, frozen in a time before the Aeternum’s transformation.

At the very center of the garden, a stone towers with pride and illuminates the very light which guided her to safety. It is a majestic sight, but something else captures her attention. A knight, or rather, what is left of one - hidden from view by tangled vines and leaves. The engravings etched onto the armor suggests their origin as a Polus knight from the days of the first King Arthur and the Comet Ladislava, but the ornate patterns have long since lost its sheen. The silver armor is now covered in rust and dulled bronze while the horns on the helm are hidden within a red, fuzzy moss. They must have been a remnant from The Night of Crimson Tears.

She approaches the lostward knight and descends onto a knee, clasping her hands together and uttering a prayer of gratitude. “I give thanks to mine kin of the past. Rest now, slumbering one, and let thy soul be handed deliverance to the great Mother above.”

It relieves me knowing one of my ancestors avoided a dreadful fate of being consumed by the darkness. I pray their death was swift and without suffering.

Suddenly, a loud cry startles her from her piety. An animal? No, that sound is… human. And it’s coming from the knight’s side.

Lorelai pulls away at the vines. The sound is getting louder. More frantic. It’s burrowing into her mind, evoking a strange motherly instinct from within. It’s calling out to her, demanding to protect it. To safeguard it. To abandon her everything to it.

As the last bits of nature part way, the source of the sound is finally revealed.

So small. So fragile. A baby boy, innocent and bright. He looks up and reaches out with his pudgy arms, beckoning her closer. Lorelai’s body moves faster than her mind and gently scoops the child up into her arms.

He smiles and lets out a little coo. How precious. How adorable.

But his eyes are what captivate her the most. It’s as if the boundless nebula above is contained within his star-speckled irises, tints of blue and purple and white all swirling together into a cosmic cloud of endless space. Of the heavenly firmament up high. The longer she stares into them, the more she feels herself being entranced by the soft embrace. The baby is captivating her. Enrapturing her. And yet, she musters not a shred of resistance, as if this has always been her destiny.

It doesn’t matter anymore. Her only wish is to gaze into those celestial eyes for all of eternity.