“I always wondered how my life would come to an end, when my time would finally run out, but never would I have imagined it to be snuffed out so pathetically. My life, my work, my efforts, my suffering—all for naught. And yet, I feel peace like never before. Ah, to think my final moments would be filled with such blissful serenity. A fitting conclusion to the life of Nokron Siofra, an existence defined by futile struggle. Doomed, from the very start. But even if I were to go back, I wouldn’t change a single second of it. No, I regret nothing. Hahahah…”

Nokron, former Commander of Nox Caelum

———

The Knight

Silence, a faint twitch, and with a gentle breath, Ascalon’s eyes flutter open—illuminated by a shower of light from above. His face is wrought with exhaustion, but nonetheless he manages to form a grin towards the body of warmth before him.

“…I dreamt for so long,” he whispers. “Of the past. Of what could have been.”

“Was it a good dream?” The Knight says, carefully pulling him out from the bed of flowers.

“Not really.” His voice is hoarse, but it also carries a rare hint of mischief. The amber hues of his irises shine with such radiance now, face flushed with a wave of color, and the shadow beneath his eyes look ever so lighter. He seems more relaxed now. More at ease.

The Knight can’t help but smile. “Oh? And why is that?”

He looks thoughtful for a moment. “I went back and fixed my regrets. I thought it would give me a sense of peace, cast off the phantoms born of my failures, but strangely enough…It didn’t.”

Ascalon gently wraps his hand around The Knight’s. The touch tingles a bit; it’s a nice feeling. “I achieved my dream and brought forth the ending I always thought I wanted, but—in those final moments—I thought about you.” He leans in close and rests his face on its shoulders. “I thought about Surasha, of Sarathiel, of Annalay, of everyone back home that I’ve come to love with all my heart.

“If I had taken a different path all those years ago, I would have saved so many people. But…I would have been alone. No one would know of my sacrifice. No one would comfort me in my final moments.”

He looks up, a sad smile tugging at his lips. “Even so, shouldn’t I be happy that I saved so many people? That I became a hero in the end? I wanted to believe that, but…I couldn’t. Not after experiencing this life in the present. Not after meeting you and the rest of the kingdom.

“No, these memories of mine are far too precious to me now. The days spent with just the two of us soaring through the sky, or the endless nights dragging Annalay out of the taverns, and even the moments where I thought I would lose my mind from some commotion Sarathiel caused…they’re all so dearly cherished. The good, the bad, and everything in-between.”

Ascalon presses his forehead against The Knights. His eyes are closed, and his breath delicately tickles its face. “Even I want to be selfish sometimes, and this life of mine? I wouldn’t give it up for anything, not if it means parting with you.”

The Knight knows it shouldn’t go any further than this. It must back away now before its affection grows into something much harder to dull. If it doesn’t maintain the distance, only suffering awaits it in the future. It knows this, with all its heart, but…

“…And we never shall,” it murmurs. In the end, it can't let this dream go. Suffering has defined its existence for far too long; it wants to bask in this joy even if it’s only for a fleeting moment.

This bliss shall pass eventually—as it always has, as it always will—but, short as it may be, it cannot restrain these feelings any longer. Love truly is a curse, for there can be no resistance once it takes root. And without a moment's rest, it shall bloom, transforming into a wondrous meadow filled with sweet promises. Promises that will eventually be broken.

“Do you swear it?” he asks, lips ever so close to brushing against its own.

“I do.” Until the end.

They lean in close, and-

“LORELAI!” a voice suddenly screams in its mind. “How’s Ascalon!? Is he ok? Are you ok?”

The two jump away from each other, faces flushed with embarrassment, and The Knight quickly responds to the frantic voice being transmitted to it. “Yes, we’re both ok Surasha. I’m bringing Ascalon out right now. How’s everyone else?”

“Oh, thank the Stars above! We’re all gathered and ready to depart on the other side of the fortress. Hurry up already if you’re both fine, I’ve got a lot I want to say to Ascalon once the two of you come back.”

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“Will do. We’ll see you all soon.”

The Knight faces Ascalon once more and gives him a sly smile. “I hope you cherished the memory of Surasha’s rage as well, because you’ll have to face the full brunt of it once we leave.”

“I shall welcome it with open arms.” He chuckles. “Although, I do hope I can ask for your aid with quelling her anger.”

“Oh Ascalon, there are some promises that just can’t be kept.”

“Cosmos help me…”

The two erupt into laughter and grasp the other’s hands. Wings burst forth from their bodies, entwining into each other and creating a mesmerizing cluster of starlight and amber, and with a final, tender gaze, they soar off into the light of the setting sun.

———

Aegis

For some peculiar reason, during The Knight and Ascalon’s intimate moment, Aegis feels like he probably should leave the two alone for a little bit. The little baby doesn’t quite understand the concept of love just yet, but it does recognize that The Knight is happy. It’s usually so sad, so he doesn’t want to interrupt its rare moment of joy.

Instead, he decides to take a nap. Nap’s are great; sleep is great. Aegis would nap all day if he could, but that would mean missing out on all the fun out there in this world. Fun, or sleep? A puzzling conundrum, but in this moment where there’s no fun at all, sleep reigns supreme.

He dozes off into his little dreamworld. It’s no longer filled with the cold darkness of the void like before, rather the expanse is blanketed in a sea of sparkling lights, blue waves, and webs of purple clusters and orange clouds. Aegis usually enjoys gliding through the space by himself, but this time, it seems like there’s a visitor.

It’s the same motherly being from before! Same galaxy-braided hair, same pristine white skin…oh, Aegis is so happy to see them again. He thought they disappeared forever when he left the portal, but here they are! Now he can tell them all about his adventures and all the auras he’s embraced.

He swims on over and greets the massive, celestial being with a loud babble. It turns around and nearly jumps out of their own skin! They look really perplexed, confused, but also really happy as well.

“Huh!?” they cry out. “Aegis? Uh, this is a first. I usually don’t see my children a second time. Haha, I’m a bit embarrassed now.”

Aegis flails his body and demands for the being to pick him up. They smile a warm smile and scoop him up, bringing him close to their chest.

“Still, I’m glad to see you again.” They laugh a booming laugh. It echoes throughout the entire expanse and fills the air with a soft, twinkling ring.

“Nauh!” Aegis gurgles.

“Oh, my name? Come to think of it, I never did tell you huh.” It smacks itself and lets out an embarrassed smile. “Um, I do have a name, but I don’t really like to use it. What should I do…”

They ponder for a moment. “Hmmm, oh I know! How about you call me Mom?”

“Mom?”

“Yep, Mom! One of my children called me that a long time ago and I really like the sound of it.”

“Mom!”

“Gosh, Aegis, you are such a cutie!” They squish his face with their own and carry him high into the air. “I wanted to find a way for my children to create their own children, so my beloved thought up the idea of a receiver and a sender. Apparently I’m more of a receiver, and ‘mom’ just kinda popped up naturally from that.”

“Oah?”

“Why is it called receiver and sender? u-um…” Mom hesitates, face becoming flushed with a wave of black color. “W-We should wait until you’re older before we talk about that. Instead-”

Mom creates a small pillow made of clouds below them and plops into its soft, snug embrace.

“Tell me about your adventures! What is it like out there? Is my beloved ok?”

Aegis proudly tells them about his journey ever since their last meeting. Embracing the yucky aura, growing wings, The Knight’s sadness, and even the weird atmosphere around it whenever it meets Ascalon. Its caretaker’s feelings are a weird combination of longing, regret, sadness, and happiness.

“Oh, I see…so, what is this Ascalon person like?” Mom’s words are a bit sharper now.

“Nice!” Aegis gurgles. He does seem pretty nice, and oddly enough, Mom and Ascalon have a pretty similar air to them. It’s the way they smile, faces so full of kindness and warmth.

“Heh, I get it now.” A smug grin envelopes their face. “I’m glad that my beloved can finally have a moment of happiness, but…”

Now, instead of a radiant white, a somber blue replaces the color of their skin. “If they continue this path of theirs, then that happiness will soon turn into despair. I-I don’t want them to experience that. They’ve been heartbroken for far too long already.”

“Ooh…”

“I’m sure my beloved already knows what awaits them at the end, but love, true love, is so precious Aegis. I can’t blame them for wanting to wrap themselves in that love, but when the time comes, please be there for them.”

“Whao?”

“Because they’ll be sad. Really, really sad. The bliss we feel when love takes its course…only becomes that much more painful when it’s taken away from us. Embrace them Aegis, for you are the only one that can.”

The space around them begins to crack and distort. The dream is ending; Aegis is waking up.

“Oh! Looks like our time is up for now.”

Mom opens up another portal back to reality. This time though their parting is a lot happier. After all, this won’t be the final time they see each other.

“Ooah!”

“Goodbye Aegis! I’m looking forward to your stories next time we meet!”

And with that, Aegis disappears into the portal. Hopefully Ascalon and its caretaker are done with…whatever by now.

He opens his eyes and lets out a silent yawn, rubbing them with his tiny hands, before being greeted by the sight of a knight charging straight at them.