You can't grieve...
Lament will taint your soul...
The butterflies will guide your w[A]y...
Fleur, Luciel, and I sat inside the ruined church, waiting for Fleur's Squad to arrive with their airship. Luciel leaned against my shoulder for comfort, her hand holding onto my sleeve as she tried her hardest to keep her tears inside.
I glanced down at Luciel, watching her tears of sadness stream down her face. I gently wiped away her tears with my thumb and gently brushed her face, moving strands of her hair away from her eyes. My gentle action caused her to wrap her arms around me, my presence now her safety in this grim world.
"Nox, my squad will be here in thirty minutes. They have to fly from St. Meishi to get to us. In the meantime, can I ask you about...your origins, I suppose?" Fleur asked, her voice filled with genuine curiosity.
I let out a soft exhale at her question, hoping my identity remained secret from all who weren't from the kingdom. "I suppose since it's only us here...my real name is Noxius Exzodia, but I go by Nox Winters as I was being taken care of by a foster family."
"My brother, Zachary, he...he was to be the heir of the throne of Exzodia, but now he's dead. I have to carry his legacy," I continued, my voice beginning to break as the truth of Zachary remained reality.
Luciel held onto me tightly, sniffling heavily and buried her face into my side. "Please, Nox...be strong. Be strong for me...I'm trying to not cry..."
I took a soft, shaky breath to regulate my emotions once more, my heart still weighing heavy in my stomach with grief. I cleared my throat and wiped away my tears, taking a moment to breath before talking once again.
"What will happen with Exzodia..? There's no way you can go to the castle, it's infested with Daemons left and right. This entire captial is in calamity right now," Fleur warned as she made her way toward me, leaning against the back of the bench with intrigue.
"Yeah, I know... I've been fighting these things since the day that Dark Lord showed up from the abyss. The other Dark Lords couldn't defeat her, Lament killed the current Zodiac Knights and sealed the Rulers...not only that, Lament managed to defeat the Nexus," I explained, giving my testimony upon everything I witnessed up leading to this point.
"What..? A Dark Lord defeated the Nexus? We are talking about...The Messiah Type Hero correct? THE Nexus?" Fleur asked, using her pinky to clean her ear as if she misheard me.
"You heard me...she defeated the Nexus. Managed to seal him away in a seal only she can undo. This Dark Lord is beyond a Chaos Level Threat. Lament is one of the very Essences of Terminus, his very will. She is an Anti-Sovereign Level Threat," I answered, letting out a deep sigh from the horrors I witnessed around my kingdom, my home.
"Zachary and I were on the run from Lament...and we happened to run into this church seeking refuge from the chaos, but...we didn't know the Priest was also a Daemon seeking us," I added, wiping my eyes from the unshed tears.
"Why is Lament looking for you?" Fleur asked curiously and fixed her sunglasses, her shades hiding the gentle meddling in her eyes.
Just as I was about to give her my answer, a ghoulish groan echoed throughout the building, catching all three of our attentions. We all looked back at the entrance, noticing the same Undead Nuns we defeated before had begun to swarm the church once more.
Vince's primal roar echoed through the skies, his battle cry leading the Nuns into a dangerous frenzy. Each of the Undead Nuns began to emit a furious red energy, each of them enhanced with Fury and Acceleration.
"Shit...I was hoping Squad V would show up before they rose back up," Fleur softly exasperated, letting off the bench and generating her white butterflies around her body.
I stood up as well and laid Luciel down gently on the bench, hiding her from the view of the Undead Nuns and Vince. I grabbed Anduril from the seat, light blue butterflies slowly shimmering into view around my body, one butterfly landing upon Luciel's shoulder.
"Nox, we have to kill Vince now! If we don't, we will be trapped in this wasteland!" Fleur called out, combining three of her butterflies into a Gatling Gauntlet and equipped it on her right arm.
I nodded then dashed forward with my blade ready to strike down the Undead Troop ahead, using my butterfly to warp strike each of the Undead Nuns and incapacitating them. Vince looked down at me with vengeance, his eyes flashing with a monstrous will.
He flew down toward me with his bladed arm and swung it with furious intent, but I slid under his attack then warped above him with a spiralling downward slash. Vince roared powerfully, releasing a burst of corrupt energy around his body to repel me away.
Fleur sprinted out of the church with her Gatling Gauntlet aimed at Vince, the barrel rotating rapidly as she fired a barrage of Holy Bullets at Vince, but couldn't land any of her shots due to Vince flying maniacally in the air. "I can't get a clear shot on him!"
I looked up in the air, watching Vince crazily thrash around in the air to avoid Fleur's bullets, my gaze landing upon the weak points upon his wings. "Keep holding him! I got an idea!"
"You better do this fast!" Fleur called out to me, dodging Vince's lasers of corrupt energy and pumped her arm down to charge her gauntlet.
Quickly, I launched two butterflies toward Vince, both butterflies targeting his wings and landing upon them while he was distracted by Fleur. I warped to the first butterfly and send my sword crashing upon his wing, my blade ripping through his skin to sever off his left wing.
Vince roared in pain and began thrashing about as he descended to the ground, but I quickly evaded his thrashing, allowing him to fall onto the ground stomach first. I warped onto his back then stomped on his head, grabbing a hold of his wing.
"This is for my brother!!" I roared as I entered a primal fury, my entire body surging with furious red energy, my butterflies shifting into a crimson red hue.
I began to rip off his second wing, my nails digging into the flesh of his appendage while tearing it off his very skin. Vince roared in deep pain, clawing the ground to try to fight against my savagery. Unknown to my very rage, grief filled my very soul, a black chain emerging from my lower back and impaling Vince's back.
"You will pay for everything you've done!" I screamed, warping above Vince once more then crashed down with Anduril in my hand, impaling him with a primordial rage, a burst of crimson red energy releasing across the courtyard.
Fleur grunted heavily as the high winds from my blast of energy began pushing her away, soon the winds threw her backwards. One of her butterflies shifted into a clone to catch Fleur's hand, preventing her from flying to far.
The howling winds soon ended, the destruction around us soon calming down, the dust clearing to reveal the aftermath. Fleur looked ahead with caution, her eyes slightly widening as she noticed my new appearance.
I looked up from Vince's dead body, his skin seared from Anduril's holy judgement. My eyes dimly lit with an amber light, the tendril chains from my lower back retracting back into my body and dispersed into black and blue energy particles.
'That...that...was a Dark Lord ability...what the hell..?' Fleur thought to herself, her heart racing with confusion as she stared at me, her body instinctively taking a step backwards.
I glanced at Fleur and noticed her confused expression, a light exhale escaping my lips as I knew she knew my secret. I hopped off Vince's body and began to approach Fleur, but halted as she pointed her Gatling Gauntlet at me with caution.
"W-Wait! Don't shoot him!" Luciel called out to Fleur, her feet urgently beating against the ground to stand in front of me with her arms protectively outstretched. "Please, don't hurt him! He's not like them!"
Fleur rose her eyebrow with slight confliction, her gaze shifting between me and Luciel. Hesitantly, she began to lower her weapon, her heart beginning to calm down yet still tangled with questions. "What do you mean by...'not like them'? Has he already been infected?"
"Fleur, I know we just met...but the truth is, this isn't just something that just happened to me. I've been like this for years...ever since I watched Lament kill my mother. I've been filled with grief, I've had Hateful Thorns since I was a child," I said, my gaze shifting toward the ground as all the grief began to wash over me all at once.
Every terrible memory, every death I've watched, the very lingering sorrow of my brother's death, all hitting me at once... My body couldn't handle being strong anymore, finally weighing me down and forcing me upon my knees.
Luciel looked back at me, listening to my cries of pain and sorrow, her own heart shattering at the sounds of my soft weeps. Her lip began to quiver at the grim sight, the sight of a prince who has lost everything. Soon, she fell to her knees as well and held me tightly, her own tears flowing down her cheeks.
Fleur watched the two of us grief and mourn, listening to our low sobs and soft wishes of a different ending. Expecting for us to become over taken by Lament, ethereal butterflies with wings shimmering in purple and blue began to manifest around us, each one swarming us with protection.
You can cry...
You can grieve...
As long as someone of my Will...is in your presence...
Fleur heard the gentle voice whispering in the wind, as if the butterflies themselves delivered the message. For the first time in forever, Fleur's heart became filled with grief and pain, her body soon dropping onto its knees with us.
The purple ethereal butterflies swarmed around us, protecting us from the threat of Lament that loomed outside, itching to corrupt our time of remembrance. For once, we were all allowed to let our hearts bleed for the loved ones we lost, Genesis's Will allowing us to be sad for once.
Seeing that She couldn't get through Luciel's butterflies, dark particles began to generate near us, dark purple and black mist gathering in a concentrated area. Manifesting from Lamentation itself, a massive humanoid Daemon with a giant blade spawned, his yellow eyes glowing with monstrous rage.
I took a soft breath and exhaled slowly, my heart and soul finally cleansed after my moment of remembrance. Slowly, I began to rise on my feet, wiping away the last of my tears. "Rise up, Luciel...it's time. She found me.."
Luciel sniffled softly and nodded, knowing my fate was inevitable just as I did. She slowly rose up to her feet, transforming one of her butterflies into a Holy Scepter and looked up at the Black Giant in front of us. "I know we can't stop it...but we can still try..."
Fleur looked up as well from her mourning, her eyes locking onto the Black Giant...yet her heart wasn't filled with dread. A sense of hope filled her heart, at the same time a feeling of inevitability crawled down her back. "Nox..."
I took a step forward and took upon my Sovereignty Stance, my dark blue butterflies glowing brightly and shifting into silver ethereal butterflies. "Rise up, Fleur...until your squad arrives...we are in the face of Lament as the Black Giant.."
Fleur's eyes couldn't leave the beast that the Dark Lord spawned in front of us, his black skin oozing with corruption and a dark descent. She slowly rose to her feet, her body instinctively transforming four of her butterflies into an Elementary Gun, the lines along its body shifting in different hues.
The Black Giant marched toward us with his giant sword held above him for a killing slash, his eyes glowing with persecution and fallen judgment. As he slashed down at us, Luciel pointed her specter forward, one of her butterflies shooting forward and expanding into a large ethereal butterfly shield.
"Nox, Fleur! This is your time to attack while I'm holding him still!" Luciel called out with a strained tone, using every bit of her spiritual strength to maintain the shield against the weight of the Black Giant's sword.
Fleur and I nodded at Luciel's call to action, the two of us pushing forward to take down the giant. I sliced at his legs to attempt to get him into his knees while Fleur fired powerful elemental blasts, cycling through elements until one began to pressure him.
The giant tanked through each of our attacks then launched a heavy swing at us, his blade ripping through the air in a wide arc. Taking the charge, I parried his initial swing, my perfect parry causing his arm to recoil backwards.
"I'll make an opening! Both of you, fire when the opening is clear enough!" I ordered, flourishing my blade and preparing for the next swing.
Fleur and Luciel stood on standby, patiently waiting for an opening and charging their attacks while I clashed and parried the Black Giant's heavy swings solo. My technique had to be flawless to counter such a large weapon, one wrong step leading into a grueling downfall.
The Black Giant let out a roar as he slashed downward, Fury Energy flashing around his body to boost his already monstrous strength. I blocked the attack with heavy grunts, the weight of his fury infused blade pressuring me down upon one knee.
Sending one of my butterflies in the air, my body became a silver silhouette, the giant's blade slicing it in two as it slammed into the ground. I reappeared above the Black Giant, my sights set upon his muscular neck as I descended quickly with a downward thrust.
I impaled his neck with my sword, causing him to thrash about in deep pain, my grip tight upon the handle of my blade to reduce the risk for being thrown off. "Now! It's your time!"
"Together, Fleur!" Luciel shouted and pointed her scepter at the Black Giant, an orb of light forming at the tip of the weapon.
Fleur nodded and took aim at the Black Giant, her golden reticle marking the giant with a golden bullseye upon his weak point. "Now! Aim for the core of his body!"
Together, the two released a beam of light and fire energy, the two beams merging together into one as it roared toward the Black Giant. I took my sword from his neck before warping back to the two, my gaze focused upon the massive explosion in front of us.
Luciel used another butterfly to shield us from the debris and high winds, stone and rocks bouncing off the surface of the butterfly shield. The smoke slowly began to clear, revealing a slightly damaged giant, his eyes slowly shining once again with renewed vigor.
"Dammit...that wasn't enough?" Fleur grunted, keeping her weapon ready for anything the giant had to offer.
"It's a Black Giant. The strongest version of the Giant Type Daemons that Lament wields. It's gonna take more than that to kill it," I said knowledgeably, standing back up on my feet and readying my sword.
"You talk as if you've faced one of these things before," Fleur replied, glancing at me with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
I let out a soft hum, flashes of my early childhood appearing in my mind as I stared at the Black Giant. "I have.."
"Well, whatever the case may be...let's just hope my squad arrives in time before this beast decides to kill us," Fleur said, her red eyes glowing with soft clarity.