“Among Cosmos’s scattered Wills, Nox Caelum has inherited a rather puzzling aspect of our mother: the Will of Desire. Unlike the others which grant a set blessing, Desire molds its boon to match the inner, well, desires of its inheritor.

“Luxmi desired to see her nation rid of disparity, and so she was given the strength to render one’s bond with Creation void. In Lux Caelum, there were none that could abuse the divinity’s compassion.

“On the other hand, the current Grand General remains ever mysterious despite this year marking the twentieth of his rule. The only demonstrations of his might are through the occasional usage of the Corvid’s Eye and none else. He is a careful man, that Xeros. Very careful indeed… but he will soon face a most dangerous predicament. Ascalon has confided in me his plans of invasion; it shall not be long now before the Polus army arrives at his doorstep.

“When that time comes, perhaps the world will finally see the true depths of Xeros’s power.”

- Arch Magus Faust, Ruler of the Augurium Thaumaturgy

———

Xeros

Luxanne hesitantly emerges from her hideaway and bows before the monstrous woman. “Commander Libevich. I am… relieved to see you in good health.”

“Oh, you don’t need to use that stuffy talk with me darling,” Libevich croons, charging forward and smothering Luxanne in a rugged embrace. “Bitter men like Xeros may be stuck to the past, but we should be wild and free like the young souls we are.”

Her words are ever the same: crass and infantile. But Xeros must endure. The woman will be very useful in the upcoming conquest of Polus. Although she is a reckless, bloodthirsty, crazed, and demeaning old hag, there are none in the nation with Libevich’s experience. He shall hold his tongue for now; there is no use in frustrating over this creature masquerading as human.

“If you are finished with your disrespect, I suggest you release your grip on Luxanne,” he says. Any longer and the girl will be crushed.

“Oop, I apologize dear! My fault, I know. You must be tired after dealing with this boor for so long.”

Luxanne quickly breaks free and rushes over to Xeros’s side. It would appear her disgust of Libevich is even greater than the hatred she bears against the Grand General. He does not blame her.

“Please follow the proper procedures next time instead of causing a scene,” she says with a subdued snarl. “I know this city is dull to you, but… at least try to have a little restraint.”

“Fufu, how can I refuse my favorite goddaughter’s request? Never mind me, deary. I don’t want to make Xeros’s hair any more grey than it already is. Can you believe it? A runt like him already looking so old.”

What you ever saw in this wretch to make her your daughter’s second mother, I will never know. But I suppose you always did have the uncanny disposition to attract freaks.

“Oh silly me, I almost forgot!” Libevich abruptly shouts. “I have a surprise for you, Luxanne.”

“A… surprise?” the girl says, wincing. Whatever this sub-human being has in mind, it cannot be good.

“Right you are! I expected the old boy here to get a little heated, so I stored your presents in a very special place.”

“And where would that be?”

To that, the woman replies with a hideous smile. “Just a moment. It should be here any second now…”

The three stand together in silence, waiting for what is far too long a period for this nonsense. Xeros is about to lose his patience when—he hears it. A faint squelch. It is a horrid sound, and as he turns around to look behind, the Grand General spots something approaching them from the distance: something soft and… wet. It drags itself across the ground, leaving behind a trail of red slime.

Ah. It appears to be a heart.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“There it is!” Libevich giggles. “I was wondering when the bleeding thing would show up. Dear me, my chest has been just so stuffy without it.”

Xeros is surprised to see she still has one, even more so that it is not pitch black like her soul. But who is he to judge? His own has been stained dark long ago.

Nonetheless, the display is a distasteful one.

“W-What?” she mumbles.

“Hm? What’s there to be confused about? I put the gifts in my heart to show how much I love you dear~”

Libevich walks over to the squirming little eyesore and rips it open with not a care. Two objects fall out, and she slams the heart into her chest before gleefully skipping towards Luxanne like a child, only this child is a full-grown, demented spawn of the very worst humanity has to offer.

“Here, show me your palms.”

She reluctantly complies, and the old woman reaches down, wipes away the gunk covering one of the objects, and reveals… a necklace laden with a shining white pearl. “I know your mother used to make these back when she still walked with us, so I wanted to give you something special to remember her by. I’m no craftsman, mind—just a little something I personally picked out at the store. But I do hope you like it.”

“O-Oh,” Luxanne says, her voice low with a surprising hint of gratitude. Xeros himself is astonished: that crone, considerate? What madness has this world come to?

“But that’s not all! I saved the best for last!”

Following the beautiful pearl, Libevich takes out another necklace. Except this one is much different. Very, very different.

It is a necklace of human body parts. Broken teeth, a ripped ear, pieces of a liver, and two brown eyes are strewn along a bloody rim.

“Oh.”

Ah, that is more like it. Xeros feels foolish for ever believing Libevich could be capable of replicating normal human behavior. This time is rather particularly revolting.

“Do you like it?” Libevich asks with a wide, eerie grin.

“… These eyes. I—I know them.” Luxanne clenches her fist, voice overcome with a boiling rage. “This is Rogier, isn’t it? From the second division.”

“Was that the boy’s name? I forgot to ask.”

Luxanne appears moments away from lunging at the woman’s neck, but she stays herself just long enough to spew out a single word. “Why?” That word holds many questions in it, but of course Libevich does not seem to recognize the fury contained within.

“Hm? Well, the boy said that you treasured people, so I thought you’d be delighted to always have one of them near you. Fufu, my own genius frightens me sometimes.”

The girl is silent.

Control it, Luxanne. Xeros shakes his head. He knows more than anyone how disgusting Libevich’s nature can be, but lashing out now will only result in complications. It is not worth the trouble; the best course of action is to humor her.

“… I thank you for the gifts, Commander Libevich. I shall treasure them always.”

Yes, that is correct. Good, very good. You must not let emotion control you, Luxanne. There will be many more cruelties you shall need witness in the future.

“Hah, I knew I was right!” Libevich says, fastening the fleshy garment to Luxanne’s neck. The girl is not amused. “Let me know anytime if you ever want another gift, darling.”

“I will… consider it.”

Xeros coughs with a force and directs the madwoman’s attention to him. “You’ve had your fun, Libevich. Now, let us make for the spire’s summit, and we shall organize the war you so crave.”

“Hohoh?” She smiles. “Now that’s music to my ears. I’ve been waiting a long, long time for this you little brat. I was starting to think there wasn’t a need for me to follow you around anymore. How unfortunate, it would’ve been fun to go after your neck.”

He scoffs. “You can never kill me, Libevich. You know this.”

“I can still try. Maybe it’ll lighten up that dreary old face of yours.”

“This face will change the day you finally decide to behave as someone of your stature.”

Libevich cackles and smacks the Grand General’s shoulder. “What a shame. I’ll probably never see you smile then.”

He grimaces, but shrugs off her taunts nonetheless. It is nothing he has not experienced from her before.

For too long has this ill-fated relationship of theirs persisted. He cannot escape her incessant antics: not in his childhood, not back in their days of blood and rebellion, and not even now. Xeros cannot even gather the strength to be angry. Years upon years, decade after decade… and yet through it all, his only constant has ever been this brutish lump of violence.

I really must devise a method to kill her. He has tried many times, more than he count, but every attempt shall always end the same: with her inevitable revival.

At times he wonders whether she truly is of human origin. Libevich has not aged a day since as long as Xeros can remember, always so mockingly youthful.

Never the matter. If all else fails, I can simply have her buried somewhere far from where human hands can interfere. Hrm, an amusing thought. A world where that woman must suffer for eternity would not be horrid at all.

And with that, the three of them set off, leaving the panic-stricken district behind. It is of no concern; there are much more important matters to attend to.

By the end of this day, perhaps Xeros can finally indulge in a long, peaceful rest.