"Libevich, come over here. You can’t keep doing this. I understand that you don’t agree with the peace treaty between us and Polus, but I can’t believe you actually tried to assault the diplomat! And don’t you dare try to use being ‘bored’ as an excuse! I get it, you want to fight. You want to go back to the old days where Lux Caelum was enemies with every nation on the map, but that’s not what I want. Haaah...I know logic or reasoning won’t get through to you so how about this: every time you get bored, come find me. I’ll beat you and pummel you and maim you however so much you wish. I’ll take care of your bloodlust, so please…stop picking random fights with people. If you won’t do it for me, at least do it for Luxanne. I’ll die of shame if I have to lock my baby’s godmother in the gaol.”

Grand General Luxmi, former Ruler of Nox Caelum

———

Libevich

Libevich can only stand in shock before the supposed wraith brought manifest. A whirlwind of thoughts pass through her head, emotions threatening to burst out of her chest, and in this very moment, there only exists the two of them. Nothing else matters. No one else matters. Nox Caelum, Polus, the city, her duties, and even that prickly old man Xeros...there is no need for them anymore. Lorelai is here, her shining visage covering every corner of Libevich's sight. Lorelai is here, her rigid breaths gently traveling through the air and caressing the soft interior of Libevich's ear.

In an instant, the once dreary world around her becomes flooded with a wave of ecstasy. Fire burns in her veins and her heart thumps with such force as if it carries the weight of a legion's mighty beat.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump...

Libevich collapses on her knees and tentatively reaches out to Lorelai. "All this time...do you know how much I suffered without you, Lorelai? Oh, I spent endless nights wailing in my room, lamenting your death and our conclusion that never came to be. I thought you abandoned me, leaving me alone to wither away while you and Gravitas celebrated in that endless battlefield amongst the Stars. The mere thought of it enrages me. I was supposed to be your soulmate! I was supposed to endure your assault for all of eternity, your blade forever tearing into my flesh and staining the celestial heavens above with my blood forevermore, and I...I felt so betrayed."

Lorelai watches Libevich's blubbering with a steady eye and a firm stance, never revealing any openings or gaps in her defense. She merely observes, waiting for the slightest hint of movement.

"But...it doesn't matter anymore. The past doesn't matter anymore," Libevich says with a teary croak. "You're here, and now we can finally head off to that wondrous paradise above. We can finally die a warrior's death, together."

"I don't know what illusions you may have about us, but I do not plan on dying here today." She unsheathes a hulking blade from behind her back. The twin swords of gold and silver are gone, now replaced by a grumbling void of darkness surrounded by a ring of glowing white light. "There is no paradise up there. All that awaits us in death is oblivion."

"Oya? Lorelai my dear, it seems your blade isn't the only thing that's been sharpened. Speaking of which, just what is that beauty in your hands?" The power exuding from the greatsword is unlike any Libevich has ever felt before. It feels so cold, so desolate, as if a single touch is all it would take to rend her being from existence. It's utterly seductive. Just being in its mere presence is enough to cover her body goosebumps. "How could you keep such a thing hidden from me until now? Fufu, you're going to shatter this old woman's mind if you keep surprising me any further."

Silence. How cold of her after all they've been through together, but something also seems..odd. It's subtle, but Libevich can't help but sense something different with Lorelai. Her armor has the same design, although she can tell that it's much more fortified with incantations than before. Her battle stance is the same, albeit with a more antiquated aura. Her tone is more rigid and stiff unlike the Lorelai of the past, but Libevich supposes that's more due to their current, well, situation. Just what exactly is giving off that strange feeling of discomfort? The only part left is...

...the wings. Yes, it's those wings of hers. They're no longer a pure, gleaming white like that of a dove. Instead, it's as if the night sky itself is draped around her back. Concentrated starlight springs outward to the heavens above with clouds of blue and purple and black dancing across the span with innumerous little sparkles blanketing the expanse. It's beautiful. It's magnificent. But it's not Lorelai.

Libevich has fought, and slayed, many Seraph in the past, and if there's one thing she's learned, it's that their wings are a pathway into their soul. Their deepest desires, their innate nature...everything about themselves are bared for all to see, hidden in the design and patterns of their fervent manifestation.

Lorelai's wings are simple and clear, symbolizing her straightforward resolve and desire to protect. She's an earnest girl, but that's exactly what makes her so strong. Her every swing swung with conviction, each slash filled with nary a hint of hesitation nor weakness. There's no possibility Libevich could ever forget it, for the memories of the years they spent together locked in such beautiful conflict has been permanently engraved onto the most treasured pits of her soul.

But then what's this? That simplicity has disappeared, replaced by a woven galaxy of color and space. It's boundless, endless, encompassing every corner of creation with a stifling authority that demands reverence from all. And yet, there's a hint of innocence hidden amongst Cosmos's realm. The light sparkles uncorrupted by the emotions of humanity. It's indifferent and aloof, almost as if it belongs to a child.

Those wings do not belong to Lorelai. No, those wings do not belong to anyone amongst humanity. The closest being Libevich can possibly compare it to...is a Star.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Lorelai..." Libevich murmurs. "Is that truly your name?"

No movement. Nary a sound. Yet, Libevich can sense something changing in the air around her. There's curiosity, puzzlement, and amusement. "Does it matter?"

"...Fufu, I suppose it doesn't." It truly doesn't. After all, it's not the person herself she cares about, rather her strength and skill. "I love Lorelai because she is the strongest. If there exists someone in the world that can surpass her beauty with the blade, then I shall love them more. Whether you are Lorelai or some being donning her skin, I care not as long as you can give me what I desire: a wondrous end that shall echo amongst the annals of history, forever."

"Then let there be no more words amongst us." Lorelai's blade begins to vibrate, humming a haunting, ethereal melody from beyond this world.

"Hoho, I couldn't agree more." Libevich leans forward and anchors herself like a beast ready to pounce.

The world slows to a crawl. All of creation freezes in a singular moment. There is no sound. There is no movement, no vibration, no trembling.

Everything is still.

The two explode into life, speeding forth and unleashing a deafening shockwave that toppels both ally and enemy alike throughout the entire battlefield. Libevich winds up a fist, face spread into an exhilarated grin, and hurls it straight at Lorelai's face with no regard to the slashing blade directly in her path. Fist and void connect, and the blade slices directly through her attack and splits her arm in half, bone and all. Two twisted, fleshy remains are all that's left, muscles severed as blood pools onto the ground below.

She doesn't even feel the impact. Rather, her fist never actually hit anything at all. Her skin and bones, down to the very cells, are sundered the very instant it gets near the physical manifestation of twilight, filling her with an indescribable amount of pleasure. Unlike being slashed with blades of steel, the greatsword obliterates every fiber and molecule in its path, delivering the pinnacle of suffering onto those caught in its path. Libevich is left breathless from the pain, mind filled with a boundless high.

Libevich falls onto her knees and lets out a manic cackle, face blushed with patches of red.

"A-Ah~" Libevich moans. "T-That was...extraordinary. I've never felt such bliss in my life. It's overwhelming, such pure euphoria. H-Hahaha!"

Libevich leaps up and attempts to grab Lorelai by the throat, but she suddenly disappears, leaving the giddy commander to grasp at empty air before being cleaved from behind. The void slices through her head, splintering her brain into tiny pieces while it continues downwards and cuts straight through her bosom. It severs her body in twain with one, swift motion, leaving Libevich lifeless on the ground.

Lorelai looks confused for a moment, eyes expecting for something else to happen before eventually starting to fly away. Now Libevich knows that this being isn't Lorelai. The real Lorelai would have hacked and slashed at her until the ground is littered with pieces of her mangled flesh. The real Lorelai would know that something like this isn't enough to kill her.

But Lorelai doesn't matter anymore. The memories of their battles together will always remain precious in her heart, but Libevich has found a new soulmate. Yes, this thing, this imposter, is her new savior. That pain, that agony, oh how delicious it is. That sensation of her very existence being severed is now permanently etched onto her soul. Her very identity. She has become enraptured.

"Gehahaha, where do you think you're going?" Libevich pants, her two halves slowly recombining in a twisted, grotesque display. "I'm not done with you yet. No no no no no, this is just the beginning. You still have so much left to show me. Hack at me more. Slash at me more! RIP AND TEAR AT ME UNTIL THIS LAND IS BATHED IN MY FLESH!"

Lorelai jerks around and gazes at the convergence with a look of bafflement. "What are-"

Libevich plunges her hand into her chest and digs out a rib bone, sending it hurdling into the air and forcing Lorelai to dodge before jumping after her and grabbing onto her waist. Lorelai cuts through Libevich's arms and sends her falling below, but the leftover remnants of the hands tighten their grip despite their severance from the main body and throws her back to the ground as well.

The two smash into the earth and leave behind a cradle of collapsed dirt and debris. Libevich rises up, hands crawling back to her body while Lorelai emerges from the cloud and quickly resumes her assault, slashing and teleporting from every direction and causing explosions of sundered space to ripple throughout the land. However, for every bit of blood lost, for every piece of limb or tissue maimed and destroyed, they all regrow eventually. Creation will not allow her to die. Creation will continue to rebuild her body time and time again. For Libevich, there can be no better paradise than this moment where every slash of Lorelai's blade sends her into a state of carnal pleasure.

Lorelai stops her assault and begins to slash at odd positions in the air with dance-like movements that feel both familiar and foreign. Libevich could try to stop her, but whatever she's planning looks very entertaining so she plops herself down on the ground and waits in place like an obedient little child.

As her sword dance reaches completion, light itself seems to bend and turn from every angle. Pieces of the sky blur into a messy pile while the red-hued tint in the air combines with the dull, brown dirt to create a jumbled portrait. A massive round orb of void grows larger and larger from the epicenter of the dance, roaring to life as it unleashes an unearthly wail into the world.

"This is it," Libevich murmurs as the black hole reaches its singularity. "I can feel it. I won't be coming back from this. Not even that despicable curse called Creation can bring me back if I'm sucked into that wondrous realm of destruction. I can finally die a warrior's death."

Libevich stands up and throws her arms out, ready to embrace her coming doom. "Thank you, whoever you are. If there truly is nothing that awaits us in death, then I'm glad that these last moments of mine are able to be spent with you."

"...May your rest be peaceful. Goodbye." Lorelai raises her blade up high, aura enveloped in a wave of finality, and-

A large hook pierces straight through Libevich's chest. The two look at each other in confusion and Libevich looks behind herself to find a long rope from the hook leading straight back to the city.

"What?" she says. "What just-"

Spikes erupt from the hook's end and dig into her flesh, latching on until every corner of her body is caught within its hold. In an instant, she's hoisted away from the battlefield and is sent reeling straight back towards the spire.

"NO!" she wails, Lorelai's body slowly disappearing from sight. "NO NO NO NO, SEND ME BACK! SEND ME BACK YOU WRETCHED, LOWLY THINGS! SEND ME BACK NOW! I'LL KILL WHOEVER DID THIS. I'LL SLAUGHTER EVERYONE IN THIS CITY UNTIL EVERY PIECE OF STONE IS DRENCHED IN YOUR MISERABLE LITTLE BLOOD!"

But her words fall on deaf ears. Not even cutting the rope will do anything for the force of her body has already been set in motion. Whoever is the cause for this, she will make sure they know true agony.