"Huh? I don't know what the Stars you want from me lady, but I ain't interested in your dumb vision. There's always people like you poppin' up every now and then, thinkin' they'll save all us poorer folk with fancy words and hollow tears, but trust me when I say that all you'll manage to do is make things worse for the rest of us. Sure, it isn't luxury living working as a forgehand, but I get by. I'm satisfied with that, and I don't need a smog-brained girl like you to ruin everything I've worked towards. Save your pipe-dreams for someone else and leave me alone."

Xeros Nox, Apprentice Engineer of Lux Caelum

———

Xeros

The Star of Insatiable Greed whisks Xeros away in an instant, mind overcome with incomprehensible bile as his body tears through the boundary of space, until the black ceiling of the spire's summit unfurls before his eyes. He trembles and convulses, staggering onto his feet with whatever remnant of energy remains within his withered body and collapses atop the marble slab of his work-table, heaving disgruntled bemoans all-the-whilst.

The world has never felt so barren. So empty. The stench of oil and smog once plagued upon his every waking moment has disappeared, replaced by a stale, numbing odor that leaves a perpetual feeling of congestion. His hands rugged with blisters and shallow scrapes are but vapid appendages now, all sensation of warmth, chill, touch, and texture absent from his body, leaving only an unfeeling carcass to remain. And his mouth...well, it is the least vexing of his afflictions: dry, callous, and accompanied by a middling aftertaste of dust.

Xeros no longer feels human, rather a shade mimicking his erstwhile self. He is but a stranger in his own body. It is an uncomfortable sensation, but perhaps this is for the better. He has always wanted to silence the vices that may threaten to dull his resolve, unpleasant though it is to call upon the thing's influence. Such is the price of power. Such is the cost of failure.

He hoisters himself with a grunt onto his once-familiar lounge and gazes outside the glass pane. A towering wall of nonsensical structure and material surrounds the entirety of the capital, entrapping all who call themselves citizens of Caelum within Xeros's confines and blocking off the would-be invaders for however long The Star of Greed is satiated. It will not last for long, for that thing's hunger is bottomless, but it shall be enough.

As long as the core defense array is rendered functional once more, he will be able to stall the Polus into a war of attrition. Ascalon is soft, heart beating with love for his people, and though it shall lead to his victory if he continues to persist and pressure the Xeros, weakened as he is, The Grand General knows that fool will relent and spare his knights from the prolonged ordeal. That is his nature. That is his conviction, and whomsoever is guiding his movements in the shadows will never be able to waver that resolve.

There is much to do, but he cannot allow himself to be seen like this. A Ruler's appearance is their authority, and to display his shriveled visage before the masses shall only invite havoc and disorder. He must always be powerful. He must always remain a symbol of control, of dominance, and of awe, especially when rebellious rats still scurry amongst the populace.

For now, he shall rest for a period. It is a shame that he must endure this crippling fatigue, but emotions, wretched though they may be, are necessary if he is to smolder this ambition within. Emotions are the one vice The Star of Insatiable Greed shall never take from him, ever. No matter what.

He closes his eyes, and lets his mind gently recede into the dusk.

"XEROS!" Libevich smashes through the abode's entrance and sends the door flying, crashing into the glass pane and shattering it into thousands of tiny bits before falling off the spire and tumbling into heavens knows what.

Emotions. They are necessary. He must remember that, no matter how much the flames of rage consume his being.

Libevich enters the room, appearance unkempt and wild as usual, and exudes a look of triumph before her expression quickly turns into disgust.

"Ah... there you are," she says hesitantly, flopping onto a nearby seat with nary a hint of decorum. "At least, that is you right? I can't tell what with you looking like a walking corpse and everything."

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"Yes. I am me," he sighs, abandoning any plans of rest for the future.

"Fufu, to think you'd lose to Ascalon even after bringing that old thing out again," Libevich chortles, clearly enjoying the sight of Xeros's suffering. "Luxmi would cry if she were here to see you now, failing like a wench after using her corpse and everything."

"If she were here, this nation would have already long fallen," he responds with a gravelly drone. "And I do not wish to hear such words from one who failed to slay even a single Throne. Your inane tendency to toy around with your prey instead of killing them outright is your greatest vice, and look what it has brought you. Sarathiel still walks upon the earth."

Libevich groans and reclines further into the depths of the cushion. "You're as miserable as ever, always caring only about results. What's the point of war if you don't take pleasure in it? If I killed Sarathiel immediately, then all I would've been left with is boredom, and that's a 'vice' I don't particularly care for, ol' raven boy."

Xeros languishes his frustration within the embrace of his weary hands. "Nevermind this nonsense. What is the current state of affairs?"

"Hm? Oh, I didn't really pay attention to that. I just wanted to find you after seeing that disgusting thing outside." She points to Greed's wall pulsating in the background. "I assume that's your doing? Don't know what the Stars that is, but I get a bad feeling just from looking at it. The same's for everyone else as well; I heard a lot of screaming while coming up here. Those poor officials of yours were running around like a beast without its head! It was quite amusing to see."

Panic is to be expected, but at least it appears his personnel are competent enough to maintain a level-head. "That thing is what's currently protecting us from annihilation. Someone like you does not need to understand the details, only that it should not be interacted with."

"Oh, but I think I do. If I'd known you were capable of such things, I would've tested your patience sooner!"

"You already have, and that wall is a last resort that can never be brought out again lest it result in mine undoing."

"Oya? That's a shame." Libevich stands back up and lets out a loud bellow of relief. "I suppose all that's left for me to do is prepare for my final waltz with Lorelai. Don't look for me until that wall's finally gone."

"...Fine," he sighs. "Before you depart, send Luxanne up to mine office. I need her to act as my proxy until I have recovered." It may be a bit dangerous to reveal himself before Luxanne in his current state, but Xeros has confidence she won't attempt to slay him whilst the nation is still under threat. No other officer has either the authorization nor the wit to enter the spire's summit; she is the only one he can trust now.

"I don't think she's here. Well, at least anywhere within the spire. Those same officials I was talking about were muttering something about her being missing. I figured she was still dealing with the rebels down below."

"What!?" Xeros roars at her. "Why does such grave information only now leave your paltry lips?"

"Oh, be silent raven boy. Luxanne is not so weak as to perish to a measly group of insurgents."

"I do not doubt the validity of her strength, but it is unlike her to mask her presence when the nation is currently wrought with turmoil. Where are her last reported whereabouts? I'll search for the girl myself."

Xeros attempts to stand up from his seat, but his withered legs immediately crumble under the weight and he collapses pitifully onto the floor, voice grunting with frustration and wrath.

"You're not going anywhere. It's almost sad seeing you like this," she says with a shake of her head, walking over and picking up the feeble Grand General by the scruff of his neck. "Calm yourself and just stay here for a while."

"Do not block my path, Libevich."

"I don't need to." She tosses him back to his seat and wanders over towards the exit. "I doubt you'll even reach the end of this room by the time she comes back."

"How are you so sure?"

"Because I trust in her, Xeros. I trust in her will and ability to survive. I don't care about her simply because she's Luxmi's girl, but because she has the same determination and light within her eyes that she once did. If she perishes because of a little something like that, then that would mean I'm wrong and that is simply her fate."

Libevich turns her head around one last time to face him, face warped into a rare expression of sincerity. "But I don't think I am. And you should feel the same as well."

With that, she disappears, leaving Xeros to wallow within an empty, stifling silence.

Though he loathes to admit it, Libevich is right. There's nothing he can do currently but to rest, recover, and wait for her return. It's especially important to regain his strength if, by some low measure of probability, she has decided to join the rebels and their efforts. Unlikely considering Luxanne's nature, but hate has ever so warped the characters of man.

Well, the truth shall be revealed eventually. The Star of Insatiable Greed, Ascalon's inevitable assault, Luxanne's disappearance...so many matters to attend to, and so little time to address them. But, for as long as he still draws breath, he shall struggle. He shall writhe. And he shall stop at nothing until his duty is finally complete.

Until he can be finally put to rest.