“Haha, honestly I do feel a bit out of place next to the other captains. They’re very, um, how should I say it…straightforward. Yeah, straightforward. They’re so pure and honest and innocent that I can’t help but feel a bit self-conscious sometimes. Me? Well, let’s just say that I’m not really against using some less than savory methods to get what I want. Heck, my whole power is based on deception so who am I to judge others? Only reason I’m where I am right now is because you’re more realistic than others Ascalon, but just because you approve doesn’t mean the others will. Eh, I’m not really that bothered. Give it a few weeks and they’ll probably be all smiles again. For better or worse, the people of Polus don’t tend to hold grudges for very long.”

Joshua of the Seraph

———

Xeros

Curious. The knight captain Joshua has been clearly impaled by Xeros's talon, leaving a gaping hole in his abdomen that would fell a greater man, yet here he is. Still alive. Still breathing. The wound where the talon struck him has completely disappeared and in its stead is a crystalline casing sparkling a rainbow of hues and pigments just like the wings upon his back, or rather, the singular wing. The boy now floats in the air with only half of his crystalline wing manifested, flapping crudely whilst attempting to correct his lopsided body.

Joshua's friendly facade has vanished. Only a cold, indifferent air surrounds him now, body tense and frigid with anticipation.

"...Haha, how did you find out?" he says with a sneer. "Well, not like you'll answer me anyway. I know exactly who you are now."

His voice is sharp and pointed, cruel and mocking. It's hard to believe such a person exists within that honor-obsessed nation called Polus, but after being caught vulnerable in Ascalon's scheme, perhaps Xeros should forego his prior biases.

Awkward his flight may be, Joshua's speed remains unhindered and he quickly darts away to safety. "Ah, crap. Flying like this is really, really uncomfortable no thanks to you. Only a half of the Primocrystal is left and now I have to somehow survive against The Grand General of all people alone. Oh woe is me, woe upon my past self for accepting this mission...you can't possibly imagine the pain I feel now you smokey, wispy cloud of darkness."

He giggles like a raving madman and points his rapier up towards the sky. "Well, it's not all bad. My duty's complete: all that's left is to administer some punishment."

He's gathering something. Xeros springs forward and attempts to interrupt the unknown spell with a razorwind of feathers, but the boy only laughs and laughs, staying motionless as his body is gashed at by the assault. With a final cackle of glee, a ray of light erupts into the sky and showers the expanse in glittering sparkles of color.

An attack? Do the sparkles have a hidden enfeeblement hidden within? No...nothing appears to be wrong with the surroundings and that feeling of unease from before has not reappeared. The light is exactly that: a harmless ray of light with its only purpose being to bathe the world in a glimmering shower. Surely he would not endure such wounds for a mere show, so that means...

It is a signal. Xeros's location has been alerted to the Polus army.

This is not good.

"Haha, honestly I thought you'd be a bit more apathetic," a bloodied Joshua teases. "Although there was a possibility, I didn't expect you to actually come out so soon. Figured you would just send some poor schmuck out to be sacrificed while you remained hiding within that big ol' spire, but you actually went out and protected the city yourself! Wow, d-do you actually care about your citizens? That can't be right..."

"Silence your yelps already you miserable wretch," Xeros barks. There's no point in hiding his identity anymore, and though he knows this whole exchange is but a ploy to infuriate him, his patience can only last so long. This cur shall not dirty his ears any longer.

"So that's what your voice sounds like! Gotta say, it's actually quite sultry-"

Red lightning surges at Joshua's hand and almost manages to trap him within the energy, but the awkward jittering of the knight captain's body only makes it more difficult to land an attack. It doesn't help that his control is limited as well: maintaining The Corvid's Eye whilst moving is akin to directing oneself's actions from afar, mind and body separated from each other as if he is in two locations at once. However, he cannot cancel the manifestation lest he be subjected to Joshua's illusion once more.

More annoyingly, the boy is making no attempts at retaliating. If they clashed then perhaps he would be able to find an opening, but Joshua's sole intention appears to be evading The Grand General as much as he can. There is not a single thought of resistance in his body, only a bitter, mocking sneer. Xeros is only wasting his time dealing with the imp-like boy, time he could've spent better fortifying the city, and with every moment that passes he becomes gradually more haggard.

This fruitless encounter must come to an end, and if Xeros must exhaust himself to do so, then so be it.

"I know your goal you winged rat," he spits out. "But this game shall not continue. I cannot call myself a Ruler if a pathetic little thing like you is allowed to insult me so without due consequence."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Joshua giggles to himself and mimics a mock gesture of pain. "Hmm~ looks like somebody's getting very mad. What're you gonna do about it, old man? I was careless before, but I'm not going to make the same mistake again."

"And neither shall I. Congratulate yourself if you so wish; not many have ever forced my hand to this extent, but I cannot allow someone like you to exist within the ranks of Polus."

Xeros gathers a current of red lightning, shaping and molding it until it is the shape of a big, bright orb, and sends it crashing down directly into his chest. He squirms and writhes upon impact, voice grating with agony, and begins to manifest a large, fleshy substance directly above himself. All it takes is a singular glance at the unsettling manifestation for Joshua's demeanor to change into one of panic.

Time slows to a crawl; the air becomes filled with an aura of dread. Something twisted is coming. Something evil. Joshua quickly forgoes his prior nonresistance and attempts to lunge at Xeros, but the closer he gets to his body, the more the world itself seems to freeze over. Seconds turn into minutes, minutes into hours. An eternity of nothing passes, Joshua's mind locked in a singular moment of horror as he's forced to bear witness to the malignant creation's birth.

It is a heart. It is The Corvid's Heart. Black ooze flows through the pumps and valves of the withered tissue while a layer of pus coats the outside within a sickly-yellow slime.

All color has disappeared, warmth long transformed into a bitter cold, and the entire world is encased in a monotonous grey. Joshua is freed from his prison, but it is too late. The heart has already begun beating.

Thump-thump.

He clutches his chest and lets out a cry of agony, tears dripping down his helm's sockets as he struggles to breathe.

Thump-thump.

There is no escaping the rhythm. The heart beats, and the world follows.

Thump-thump.

Xeros briskly glides over to Joshua's side and grabs him by the neck. The knight captain is unable to resist; his body belongs to the heart's melody.

Thump-thump.

"I wonder, if I slit your neck here, will that final wing of yours disappear?" Xeros says, tightening his grip on Joshua and taking delight in his warbled croaks. "And what then? For a Seraph without their wings, only a singular fate awaits you. You shall plunge, dropping from the very sky you so cherish until you smash into a bloodied smear on the pavement. Hehehe, death by falling. There is no greater shame than that for your ilk, a fitting end don't you think?"

Thump-thump.

Joshua struggles in Xeros's grasp and attempts to lift his rapier, but his body refuses to move. The flowing of his blood, the cries of his soul, and even the thoughts in his head...all of it conforms to the heartbeats' rhythm.

Thump-

"Goodbye, Joshua. Whoever it is you sought for help, I shall ensure they bear witness to the sight of your corpse. Sullied, mangled, and disgraced."

Thump.

Xeros lets go and impales Joshua's head with a singular stab of his talon. The final, crystal wing disappears, and all that is left is a look of grim acceptance as he plummets down into the city below.

"H-Haha, figured my end would be a pathetic one," he mutters. "Can't say I didn't expect this, but wow that Xeros really is quite powerful. I...I tired him out at the very least. That's good enough right?"

He looks up at Xeros, The Grand General quickly vanishing from sight.

"Ah, I really didn't want my last moments to be of that bastard's face. I'm sorry Ascalon, but I think this is for the better. I never did fit in with those lovable, righteous bunch of idiots. It's only fitting that a wicked person like me meets a wicked end. Haha...you better not fail here or else my sacrifice will look quite silly. Stay safe, my King."

Joshua closes his eyes and prepares for the inevitable. It is quite the shame for such a skilled orator to perish, one with a rather useful ability to incite, but that is the fate for those who dare to raise their blades at him. A Ruler must not allow one's image to be ridiculed. A Ruler must stand above all.

It's almost time now. The Corvid's Heart and Eye have returned to nothingness, and though the cost has been taxing, at least The Grand General will have the satisfaction of watching Joshua be-

A streak of light suddenly flashes past Xeros's eyes. A soothing wind blows through the once-stifled air, and color once again returns to the monochrome world.

Xeros looks down and finds the knight captain nowhere to be seen. He's gone.

"I'm sorry for taking so long, Joshua. Thank you for holding out so long. Thank you for staying alive."

A voice. It is one he has never heard before. It's soft, each word conveyed with endless love and compassion, yet holds a sharp air of power and authority to it. There's no mistaking that aura. Only a fellow Ruler is able to exude such pressure.

Xeros turns around and is met face to face with King Ascalon, Joshua softly held within his arms.

The leader of the winged rats has finally deigned to make an appearance. The Grand General's frustration, this invasion, and Nokron's death...herein lies the source of it all right in front of him.

"I've always wanted to ask you this," Ascalon says, his wings bathing all within its amber glow. "Why? Why are you so obsessed with conquering our nation? Why are you so obsessed with spreading misery and war throughout the land?"

Fool. "...It is not your nation in particular that holds mine obsession. Polus is a mere stepping stone, an obstacle to be overcome. I hold no feelings of resentment or hatred towards your kind: It is strictly for my own ambition. My dream of uniting this world under a singular banner. In this world, one's worth shall be entirely dependent on their own passion and desire to succeed. There will be no inequality, no unfairness derived from corruption. Everyone will be given a chance to thrive no matter their background, and if I need be cruel in order to achieve that dream, then so be it. I will raze this land, and from the ashes shall rise a new beginning."

Ascalon pauses. Perhaps he is finally beginning to see reason?

"...I see," he finally musters out. "You truly think that what you're doing is right. That all the suffering you've brought forth is for the betterment of a renewed world. I can't rebuke your resolve, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with it."

Ah, it seems stupidity is not so easily cast aside. So be it.

Ascalon entrusts Joshua with another knight of the Seraph and sends them off, leaving the two to be by themselves. Alone.

He unsheathes a massive zweihander from his back, the astral weapon known as The Mattatron, and points it directly at Xeros's chest. "If you believe your cause just, I call upon you to defend it with your life!"