“Greed and desire are but kindred indulges, wholly alike yet entirely different within the same breath. Whilst desire thrives in the pursuit of lofty ambitions, a vice protected by the innocence of youthful hearts, greed is malevolent in nature. Greed is for the corrupt. There can be no goodwill in greed, nor can there be salvation for those consumed by it. Perhaps that is why The Thing discovered Luxmi, in the end. It could not accept her, soul flowing with such benevolence despite the endless desire smoldering within, and so it tortured her spirit, latched onto her buried sorrows, until naught remained but a shadow of her former self.”

Grand General Xeros, Ruler of Nox Caelum

———

The Knight

The Knight stares at the wall of everything, desperately wishing for it to be a mere illusion, but it never disappears. It towers above the world as a constant reminder of the revolting being's authority, its defilement against the sanctity of Creation and Cosmos's wish. It should have been impossible for that filthy thing to invade upon this realm, it should have been impossible for it to discover this prison of man, and yet there its power stands: an affront against the very essence of the world itself.

The Knight collapses on its knees, eyes shaking in disbelief, and pounds the earth with its gauntlet. The Stars have never discovered this place in all of its years of eternity, so why do they appear now? Just after its decision to pass onto the realm of the dead once and for all? It's as if the universe's mechanism has been slowly waiting in delight for the moment it bares weakness, bares resolution, to plague upon it endless woe once more.

It doesn't want to move. It doesn't want to think. All it wants to do is rest and to forget about the living. It just wants to hide away and welcome the embrace of nothingness, forever.

But relief shall never be granted upon its soul. Such is the nature of its duty. Such is the core of its curse.

"Lorelai!" a frantic voice says from behind. Ascalon rushes to its side and quickly entraps it within a firm hold. "Please...please stop. I know you are frustrated, as well as I, but I cannot allow you to harm yourself for such reasons."

The Knight stays its fist and lets it fall limp onto Ascalon's body. "We failed, Ascalon."

"So we did."

"Xeros is still alive."

"So he is."

"And you bore witness to that thing."

"Indeed."

"So, what do we do now?" The Knight has always had an answer, a pathway through every obstacle, and yet its mind now slows to a halt. What should it do now? Even if Xeros is to perish here, Greed's existence remains constant. And if one Star has discovered this realm, then many will soon follow. It no longer has the power to drive them out. Humanity's destruction is inevitable.

Ascalon pauses for a moment before pulling The Knight's head onto his chest. Its warm and, despite all they've witnessed, beating with a valiant roar.

"We do what we are able," he responds, pulling his helm off to reveal a tender smile. His snow-white hair and fair skin have been darkened by the grime of battle, yet he appears more radiant than ever.

"...Not the most elaborate of plans, I must say."

"Hahah, I suppose it pales in comparison before your usual wit."

Ascalon takes The Knight's hand within his and lays it atop his heart. "But even so, there are times when such actions must be simple. You have always been the center of authority, Lorelai, leading the others as our icon of hope and directing them with your stalwart command, but you are still a child of Cosmos like us. Even the most resolute of hearts shall falter eventually, and I fear that your duty has pressured you into being an infallible symbol of might. Always full of strength. Always full of wisdom. But, in the end, I know the laments of your heart desire to be released like any other. I know you desire to lay your weary burdens aside, and to lean on another even if just for a short moment."

The Knight chuckles a bit and wraps its arms around his back. "And just where did you learn to speak words?"

"Why, from the wisest woman I know and love." He grins. "You are the one that taught me the very same, Lorelai. When I still harbored doubts of my own competency and of the burden that comes with leadership, you came before me and showed that there is more to Kingship than simply being strong. It is ok to bare weakness, to relinquish responsibility, for there exists too much in life for any one person to handle. A true leader knows when to rely on others, and when to rise up in their defense. To serve at times as a sword, and others as a companion."

"My, you've grown wiser than me," The Knight says, slowly getting up and facing the wall of Greed with a lightened heart. "Then I suppose I should cease wallowing in despair lest you usurp my status."

"Oh I'm not quite there just yet," he chuckles, following from behind. "I still have a lot to learn from you, my dear. A lifetime's worth of lessons await us yet."

A chorus of shouts alert the two from the capital's direction. Sarathiel, the Captains, and the rest of the Polus legions all rush to their location, foots' a flurry with relief and vigor despite their haggard appearances.

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"Ah, thank Cosmos's will!" Ascalon exclaims, arms outstretched as he welcomes the weary captains each with a fond embrace. "Thank you. Thank you all for your safe return. I grew worried of your entrapment upon witnessing that peculiar wall."

The Captains also seek The Knight's embrace before collapsing onto the dirt one by one. The Polus knights follow suit, and soon, the entirety of the Nox's yard is filled with the gruntled bemoans and thankful sighs of all who desire a period of respite.

"Honestly, I'm not really sure what happened," Surasha groans, winding her aching shoulders back. "After Lorelai woke me up from that horrid melody and treating Sarathiel, I broke the daze on the other Captains and went to treat everyone suffering from the sound when, all of a sudden, I was transported back outside the gates and saw that...whatever that thing is blocking off the entrance."

"Damn shame, too." Cain sighs and lets his warhammer drop with a thud. "Abel and I were just about to reach the spire's entrance when it happened. It was too big to send tumbling down, but I'm sure we could have done something to disrupt those weapons of theirs inside."

"Now, now Abel, perhaps this is a blessing in disguise." Abel comforts him from behind. "I told you going too far in would be risky. If the spire collapsed on top of us...well, I'm sure you understand that would not be ideal. For us, nor the other knights."

"Eh, we would've been fine," Deborah grunts while leaning on her greatbow. "Dismas has that shadow thing and Simon has his sorcery. If we were actually in danger, I trust those two to pull us out no problem!"

"My 'shadow thing' ain't big 'nuff for entire divisions, ya daft musclebrain," Dismas sighs, twirling his dagger around. "At best I could grab a couple of people, but I would haft'a be near ya in order for it to work. And I was busy infiltrating their central command! How in the Star's arse was I supposed to get to ya in time?"

"I concur with Dismas, Deborah," Simon says whilst attending to the other knights. "In such a frantic situation, my capabilities would only allow the protection of a few lest such an event be brought forth. Creation is accommodating, but even with a division of magi would we still suffer grave injuries."

"Alright, alright. No use arguing about the past," Sarathiel grunts. "What matters now is what exactly we're supposed to do about that over there."

He points to the Greed's wall which, to none's surprise, still covers the entirety of the capital. "I have no idea what in Cosmos's name that thing is, but I tried to break it. And, well, it didn't turn out really great."

Sarathiel showcases a metal axe that has been grotesquely transfigured into a nonsensical pile of varying substances. A strange coating of unknown flesh pulses around the handle while mangled fruit and gnarled roots make up the base, topped by a suspended matter of cloud and water making up the axe's handle.

"If you try to touch it, you'll turn into something like that," he grimaces, throwing it away from the others as they recoil back. "Nothing'll work against it, and I don't think we should risk Ascalon's safety even if he is invulnerable. I'm getting a bad feeling from it, as if it doesn't even belong in this world."

"It most likely is not..." Ascalon mutters to himself, his voice only audible to The Knight. "Everyone, did you see that being up in the sky when you were transported? Or experience an odd shift in reality such as the ground being replaced by water?"

They all shake their heads, oblivious to Greed's true appearance. It is for the better they never gaze upon its visage, for its only in due thanks to Ascalon's invulnerability that he still remains sane.

"No, nothing like that," Surasha says, voice dripping with worry. "I, and everyone else, assumed it was due to something Xeros did. Are you ok, Ascalon? Did he subject you to some kind of illusion?"

"No, he...summoned something," Ascalon says. "What, I know not. But whatever it is poses a threat to the entire continent much less our individual nations. Do you perhaps have an idea to its origin, Lorelai?"

"No, nothing of the sort is even mentioned in the textbooks." For good reason: if the populace who've depicted the Stars as beings of divinity discover their true appearances, panic would only spread in an uncontrollable wave. Cosmos is the only Star it could ever bear the presence of. After all, humanity is born of her image.

Ascalon paces back and forth, attempting to decipher the origin of the being much to The Knight's hesitation, but he eventually surrenders to the unknown and turns around to face the rest of the captains.

"Well, we shall discuss the matter another date," he declares. "For now, let us all prepare to make camp and rest. The night's luminescence has shone upon us for quite a while now, and there's no use in pondering such matters over a weary mind. That wall cannot last forever with Xeros weakened as he is. We will reconvene at the dawn's peak and prepare for our next course of action then."

Ascalon raises The Mattatron up high with pride. His body trembles no less than the others around him, but he stands tall with conviction nonetheless. "Everyone, For Polus!"

"FOR POLUS!" A rancorous roar thunders from the sea of knights, their spirits igniting with valor and spreading across the midnight expanse.

Everyone separates and heads towards their quarters. It is a joyous atmosphere, but even though Ascalon's words have calmed its quaking heart, The Knight is still feeling conflicted.

It can not rest peacefully until it knows how Xeros managed to summon a Star. If he dies here, then his secrets pass on alongside him. It must know how he found it, or rather, it found him. But will Ascalon spare him if it attempts to plead for his life? Maybe so, but the others will not allow it after all he's wrought upon them over the years.

Aegis...the baby is its only hope to prevent the descent of the Stars. Humanity's hope. But, in order to do so, The Knight must say goodbye to this blissful happiness. To this joy it may never experience ever again.

Must it truly be stolen of love once again?

"Lorelai?" Ascalon's voice murmurs next to her, carefully wiping away at the tears dripping down The Knight's cheek. Ah, tears. How long has it been since it's wept so freely? It has almost forgotten the feeling, but despite the pain in its heart, it feels nice. It feels soothing to let it free. "I'm here, if you need me. I always am."

"Ascalon," it says, savoring his name within the depths of its bosom. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"And I shall carry this love for the rest of my existence, no matter the eternity in-between."

"And I, the same," he chuckles. "No, I shall do so even after my body has long since turned to dust and ash, and my spirit returned to Cosmos's embrace. I will always seek you out, no matter the distance between us there may be in that boundless realm above."

The two embrace each other once more, but this time, it savors every second, every bit of warmth, they share together, locking it forever into the depths of its memory.

"May I stay the night with you?" The Knight whispers.

"Of course," he replies. "Now, and forevermore."