Xeno: "..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Rem: "Xeno-kun, are... Are you okay?" She asked, extremely worried about her hero's prolonged silence as his empty eyes stared at Felix.
Xeno: "...Rem, stop the earth dragon."
Rem: "What—?"
Xeno: "Just stop it."
Rem: "Alright." She reluctantly nodded. Pulling the reins of the earth dragon they were riding, the dragon came to an abrupt stop.
Seeing Xeno's actions, both Felix and Julius also stopped their earth dragons. Watching Xeno wordlessly get off, Julius spoke up.
Julius: "Xeno, what happened? Who is this Crusch person? Are they the reason why Felix is feeling unusual?"
Ignoring the question, Xeno walked over to the nearby forest. The three could only stare at him as he disappeared into the trees. All of them wondered what had gotten into him and what he was going to do.
They didn't need to wait long to get their answer.
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!!!!!?"
Xeno screamed at the top of his lungs, followed by a distant explosion.
Julius: "..."
Rem: "..."
Felix: "..."
...
After that little distraction, the group safely made it to Arlam Village. The evacuation was already underway as the group saw one carriage pulling away.
Xeno breathed out a sigh of relief. From the looks of things, everything was going smoothly. Some part of him was afraid that maybe the villagers wouldn't trust their words.
But that wasn't an issue. They might not believe Emilia, but when Ainavol's people came in and told the villagers they were in danger, the villagers didn't argue and instantly believed them, given Ainavol's reputation as a whole.
The men Xeno had sent were competent as well. They bought the villagers' cooperation by telling them that if any of them incurred losses or damages during the evacuation, Ainavol would take responsibility and compensate them accordingly.
Getting off, Xeno and Rem went to find Emilia and Ram, while Julius and Felix went to execute the next phase of their plan. It didn't take Xeno long to find Emilia.
The half-elf was alone, having tried her best to help the others. Once again, however, her efforts had ended in failure. One of Ainavol's men had harshly told Emilia that she was getting in the way and should just take a carriage and leave.
It was certainly a blow to her confidence, but no matter how hurt her feelings were, she didn't leave. Having promised herself that everything Xeno worked hard for went smoothly, she opted to keep watch instead, in case any witch cultists showed up.
This led to her being alone with her thoughts. There wasn't much she could do on her own, with everyone distrusting her. She wondered to herself what Xeno would have done in this situation.
The white-haired man wasn't the smartest person, being childish, impulsive, and reckless with his life, something that worried her deeply. But in her heart, she knew that if he were here, he could've handled it because he never gave up.
He was fighting hard. He had done so much to save everyone here, so if he hadn't given up, why should she?
Emilia: "...Xeno..." She called out his name unknowingly.
"You know, Emilia, I think a smile suits you better."
The half-elf's eyes widened upon hearing that familiar voice. She turned around as swiftly as she could. For a moment, her memories flashed back to the last time she had seen him.
Leaning heavily on his crutch, he had worn a bright smile on his face. Despite missing a right pupil, he had winked at her, waving her goodbye with two of his fingers.
Yet here he was, with the scar over his right eye gone. No longer was he limping on a crutch; instead, he was walking casually on his own two legs. He gave her the same wink as when he had left. He had come along with Rem.
Emilia: "Xeno!!"
She rushed towards him with bright eyes, only to stop herself after a few steps. Hesitating over whether she should hug him, she instead eyed his features in great detail.
Emilia: "Xeno... You're okay." She said more to herself, glad that he was no longer crippled.
Xeno: "Heh, what can I say? Felix's water magic did wonders on me. How about you? How are you holding up?" Both he and Rem stood beside her, with Xeno ruffling Emilia's hair.
Emilia was embarrassed by his action but didn't pull away. Instead, she focused on his question.
Emilia: "I'm doing well, Xeno." A smile formed on her face.
Xeno: "That's great to hear, Emilia. I was worried that Ram might have overworked you to death."
Rem: "Xeno-kun, sister would never do something like that." She chimed in, defending her sister.
Xeno: "Ram, a heartless woman who takes advantage of others just because she doesn't want to lift a finger. She didn't even spare me when I was a cripple, forcing me to do actual work. I actually had to get up and do my job when I could've been slacking off. Can you believe that! So, no, I fully believe Ram would bully Emilia if given the chance."
Rem: "..."
Emilia: "..."
Xeno: "Ahem, moving past my morally correct argument, where is Ram anyway? Shouldn't she be with you?"
Emilia: "Ram... She left with half of the villagers."
Xeno: "She did what?" He blinked, confused.
Emilia: "Yes, she said that evacuating everyone to the capital would be difficult and suggested taking half to the Sanctuary. With Roswaal also heading there, they would be in safe hands."
Rem: "Sister is truly brilliant." She clapped her hands at her sister's thoughtfulness.
Xeno: "Hmmm, with Ram and Roswaal, I guess they'll be safe." He rubbed his chin. Though, evacuating everyone to one location could make the carriages an easy target, so splitting up could work.
'Why does something feel off about this?' He couldn't put his finger on it, but something didn't sit right with him. Eventually, he cast aside his suspicions. He didn't have time to doubt Ram.
Xeno: "Alright, Emilia, as much as I would love to keep talking with you, we still have work to do."
Emilia: "O-Of course." She reluctantly nodded.
...
They all moved on, with Rem leading them to their new destination while Emilia and Xeno talked about a few things, mostly about what the other had been up to lately.
The topic naturally shifted towards the mansion's resident loli librarian, Beatrice. Xeno asked what she was doing in all this. At that moment, the one to answer him was Puck.
Coming out of the crystal, Puck greeted Xeno and congratulated him on his recovery before going on to explain that Beatrice had said she would be staying at the mansion.
The great spirit explained that the Forbidden Library was actually the safest place for Beatrice, especially since she couldn't leave the mansion due to her contract. Xeno wondered what kind of contract would restrict her to the mansion, but he didn't ask, as it was probably personal information.
After explaining this, the spirit simply flew back into Emilia's hair, disappearing from sight.
A while later, they finally reached a carriage for Emilia to take.
Rem: "Xeno-kun, Emilia-sama, we have arrived." She informed the two.
Nodding her head, Emilia began to walk towards the vehicle but briefly stopped in her tracks when she noticed the group she was going to ride in the carriage with.
Her eyes widened in shock as she saw that the group consisted of Petra, Meili, and the other children in the village.
Emilia: "Um, I think there has been some kind of mistake."
Rem: "No, given the number of people and carriages, we must ask you to ride in this carriage with the children. It's a necessary measure, Emilia-sama."
A brief look of conflict flickered within Emilia's eyes. She could understand the logic behind why this needed to happen. However, she began to wonder if the children could take another carriage instead.
Due to her appearance and how much trouble it brought, Emilia felt it would be best for the children not to ride in the same carriage as her. Soon, she turned her gaze towards Xenophanes, looking uncomfortable.
Xeno: "Sigh, Emilia, you sure are a handful sometimes." In response, he shook his head, disapprovingly.
"You think no one wants to ride with you. You really need to stop overthinking things."
He flicked her forehead lightly. Emilia yelped in surprise. Lowering her head, she rubbed the spot where Xeno had flicked her, speaking quietly.
Emilia: "That's not... I just... I just know it's for the best for all of us."
Xeno: '... Oh, Emilia.' He thought softly, worrying about her low self-esteem.
"Emilia, you shouldn't assume something like that, not when you haven't even asked the children about their options. So, how about it, kiddos? Will sharing a ride with her make you uncomfortable?"
He addressed Petra and the others. Hearing his question, Emilia stiffened. Her heart ached as the question fell upon her ears. It was a question with a readily apparent answer, and that pained her to no end.
Even if you knew something would hurt, that didn't mean you got used to the pain. Whatever form a wound might take, the only thing a new wound carried was a fresh helping of pain. Emilia soon closed her eyes, ready for the rejection, but was taken aback by Petra's next words.
"That's not true at all. I don't think riding with her would be a problem at all. You're that lady who comes with Xeno every day to play with us, right?"
Emilia: "W-well..."
"We couldn't see your face, but we saw you having a good time when talking to Xeno-kun. And Meili told us a lot of nice things about you. That's why I'm not afraid of you, either, miss. So, come ride with us!"
Emilia felt heat welling up deep within her eyes, and her throat suddenly tightened. Her face reddened, and her ears burned so fiercely that they were hot to the touch. That innocent, pure, genuine gaze was completely disconnected from malice.
Soon, the other children stood beside Petra as they all reached their hands towards Emilia. All of them greeted her with smiles on their faces, ready to take the carriage with her.
Without her realizing it, a soft smile formed on the half-elf's face as she took Petra's hand and was escorted towards the carriage, with almost all the children chatting with her. As she looked to the side, she saw both Xeno and Rem smiling at her situation.
Xeno: "Take care, everyone." He called out.
Emilia: "I will... Rem, please take care of Xeno for me."
Rem: "Leave it to me, Emilia-sama." She bowed.
With that reassurance, she turned back towards the carriages. The children and Emilia began preparing to leave. Xeno and Rem were also preparing to check on Julius's side of things, but they stopped when he felt someone tug on his clothes.
"O-Oni-chan?"
Looking down, Xeno was surprised to see Meili staring at him wide-eyed, trembling with emotion.
"Oni-chan, you're... You're not—"
Xeno continued smiling, then bent down, picking Meili up and holding her under his arm. He looked her in the eyes.
Xeno: "Heh, how is my little troublemaker doing?"
Meili: "You're okay! I... I'm sorry." She lowered her head, unable to meet his gaze.
Xeno: "I told you many times, Meili. I forgive you. I always have. Now I'm feeling better than ever, so let's put this behind us."
Meili: "...Okay."
Xeno: "Good girl."
Suddenly, Meili looked towards the right side of his face, raising a hand towards it.
Meili: "Oni-chan, c-can I?"
Xeno: "Go ahead." He leaned in.
With a shaking hand, Meili felt the area around his right eye. No longer could she feel the claw scar she had inflicted on her Oni-chan's face. The skin was smooth, with no sign of the former scar, as if it had never existed.
Then she stared at the purple pupil that had been blind and gone for months, with no sign of its return. Now it was back, glowing just like his other pupil. Xeno decided to take it further. His right pupil morphed into different shapes: first a four-pointed star, then an exclamation mark, a tear, and finally a cross, before returning to normal.
Xeno: "I'm A-okay, Meili. I know it's hard for you to just forgive what you did to me. But that's okay with me. Moving on, we'll have plenty of time to bond together. For right now, why don't you go with the others, kiddo?"
Meili: "...Okay, Oni-chan." She nodded.
Xeno put her down, with Meili not moving for a few seconds before running off towards the carriage. But not before turning to look at Xeno one last time, who waved goodbye to her.
Xeno: "Ah, children. Alright, Rem, let's... go?" He turned to his trusty maid, only to find her wearing a thoughtful look on her face.
"Ummm, Rem?"
Rem: "Huh? Yes, Xeno-kun. Let's move."
Xeno: "...Do I even want to know what you were thinking about?" He said, exasperated.
Rem: "It's nothing strange, Xeno-kun. Rem just thinks Xeno-kun's relationship with Meili is wonderful." She praised him, her heart warming at how he treated her, played with her, held her, spoke to her, and comforted her. It truly did feel as though her hero was Meili's...
Xeno: "Thaaaanks?" He scratched the back of his head. Once again, he felt something was wrong, but chose not to dwell on it.
...
"Did things go well on your end?"
Xeno questioned Felix. While the evacuation was going smoothly, they naturally went on with their plan to deal with the Fingers.
Felix: "Yes... I fed Ketty false information. With Julius watching his every step, after he's outlived his usefulness, Julius will execute him on the spot." He spoke completely cynically. It was creepy seeing him not being his playful self.
Moving past that, Xeno nodded, asking Felix if they had checked all of that traitorous merchant's belongings, or if he had messed with the carriages.
To his surprise, Ketty had stashed a massive amount of fire magic stones inside his carriage. There were enough fire stones in there to blow up a small village. Felix theorised that the cultist had probably intended to use them as a hidden bomb.
Worse yet, the carriage that Emilia and the children were taking just happened to be the one that housed that load of fire magic stones. If they happened to make it outside Roswaal's territory and onto Lifaus Highway, saving them might have been nearly impossible.
Talk about giving someone a heart attack, cause damn! Xeno was left counting his blessings for having the idea to check both Ketty's possessions and the carriages. He didn't want to imagine the consequences if he hadn't.
With that knowledge, while he wasn't a violent person, he felt a twisted sense of satisfaction knowing that the traitor was about to get what he deserved.
With Julius having tied up Petelgeuse at the spot where they planned to ambush the Fingers using the Sin Archbishop, and Rem already there, Xeno could hardly wait to finish things up.
Xeno: "Alright, then take care, Felix. See you soon, when this farce is over." He turned away, intending to move.
Felix: "W-Wait, Xeno!" He suddenly called out, stopping him in his tracks.
Something that had been happening a lot lately. Still, he faced the healer. The cat remained uncertain for only a moment before speaking about the topic weighing heavily on his mind.
"Xeno-kyun, I want to know... Who is Crusch? Why did you mention her? Was she important to me enough that I feel empty without her? I realise that this isn't the time for this, but I can't handle it anymore! Why do I feel this way?!"
He desperately pleaded, the sense of emptiness eating away at him from the inside. His heart could feel that something was terribly wrong. Why was he wearing feminine clothes? Why was he working for the Karsten estate? Felix's mind had automatically filled in the blanks, but it all felt horribly wrong, like something important was missing from it all.
Xeno: "..."
He didn't answer. Not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't know. How could he? Even with Gluttony, he wasn't omniscient. He couldn't give Felix or himself a satisfactory answer.
Because... He didn't know.
Xeno: "..."
For a moment, he simply stared at the cat. He wanted to give Felix an answer. He really did.
Unfortunately, wanting to answer a question and actually having an answer were two entirely different things.
Xeno: "I don't know, Felix." The words came out quietly.
The answer made Felix's heart ache with despair, and his ears drooped.
Xeno: "But I'll find out."
The cat looked up at him in shock.
Xeno: "I promise. I'll figure out what happened to Crusch and tell you everything I learn. I can't tell you why you feel this way right now, because I don't have an answer that'll satisfy you. But I'm not going to pretend there's nothing wrong, either."
He paused, carefully thinking out his next words, not wanting to resort to this. But what choice did he have right now in THIS situation?
Xeno: "So, for now, let me handle this. We've got a battle to finish, and I don't want you going into it with this eating away at you. Once this is over, we'll figure it out together."
Felix remained silent for a moment. Then, slowly, he nodded in quiet understanding. The promise was able to give him some hope.
Felix: "...You promise, Xeno-kyun?"
Xeno: "Yeah. I promise."
He offered the cat a small smile before turning away. He waved the healer off, pretending to be casual. Xeno hoped in his heart that he had bought enough time, for Felix's sake.
...
Deep inside the forest, Xeno, Rem, and Julius stood in front of a tree, to which the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, Petelgeuse, was chained, seemingly unconscious.
While Xeno had made sure his chains were stronger, that didn't make them lower their guard in the slightest.
Still, the plan was set. After Ketty had fed the Fingers information about Petelgeuse's whereabouts, the Fingers would surely come here, disrupting the Witch Cult's plan and making Wilhelm and Ricardo's group's job of exterminating them even easier.
And the Fingers wouldn't keep the three waiting for long. Due to their extreme loyalty to Petelgeuse, they simply had to rescue him, even at the cost of their lives.
It wasn't a surprise when the entire area turned silent, as feelings of animosity were directed at the three. One, two, three, and more began creeping out from the shadows. From what they could see, around thirty of them were present, circling them.
Wasting no time, they immediately charged in, brandishing their cross-shaped blades. Rem and Julius didn't waste any words on these cultists either, jumping straight into action.
Rem manifested her horn. It glowed with power, enhancing her strength as she swung her mace with full force. Upon contact, it smashed through the body of a cultist, yet she wasn't done. Rem leaped high into the air and grabbed her spiked ball midair, redirecting it with a spin toward a second cultist, smashing their head like a balloon.
Julius, on the other hand, was far more elegant in his disposal of these cultists. He would precisely cut them down with the help of his blade and spirits. With the casual use of his fire and wind spirits, he cast a spell, burning a group of cultists to ash.
Despite their efforts, one still managed to make it through and went directly toward Petelgeuse. Standing in the cultists' way was Xenophanes. With a deep sigh, he raised his left arm, and from his palm, a dark purple chain shot forth.
The cultists tried to block the chain with their blades, being too slow to dodge, but it was pointless. It simply pierced through both the blades and the cultists' bodies. Xeno whipped his hand upward, and his chain responded by breaking free from the cultist by ripping through his shoulder, leaving the cultist split apart.
Rem, having watched the entire thing, became more ferocious in her assault. Sorrow went through her heart. She despised these cultists, not only for what they had done to her and Ram, but also because of them, her hero was forced to kill.
Her hero, despite all his flaws and bravado, was a gentle soul who doesn't want to kill, if he can help it. She wished he didn't have to, but that was impossible, so she took it upon herself to spare her hero from taking more lives.
Just in that exchange alone, two of the seven Fingers were killed. But the death of their fellow members didn't slow the rest down in the slightest. Xeno sensed more coming, and while they might have seemed unending, the truth was far simpler.
Counting the Fingers and the ones here, the total number of Cultists coming to their location barely numbered 50. A number the three of them were more than able to handle.
The battle didn't last long. The Cultists were simply too outmatched here, and the main targets of their attacks were struck down mostly by Rem and Julius.
Rem fought with unchecked aggression. Anywhere her flail went, a body would drop. She twisted her body to kick a Cultist in the chest, sending him flying away. She followed it up by sending a barrage of ice shards to finish him off.
Julius, on his side, was enchanting his sword with his spirits, cutting through his enemies like they were butter, not even needing to use his full power. Though he kept a keen eye on the battlefield to ensure nothing unexpected happened.
As he was doing this, he also kept an eye on Xenophanes's fight, watching as Emilia's appointed knight slammed his hand into the ground. Moments later, chains burst out from the earth, ripping through a group of five Cultists.
Julius was heavily curious about what Xeno could do. The knight would admit that their first encounter... wasn't favourable. But since his actions at the Royal Castle, his interest in him had only grown. He especially wanted to know how someone like him was able to hold off the likes of Elsa.
Now that he was seeing it for himself, he perfectly understood how Xeno had been able to achieve that feat. Xeno's ability was simply too versatile. The sheer number of options he had, alongside his strange ability to gain information on people, made him a difficult opponent to face.
As interesting as this was, Julius focused on what was currently happening. Before he or anyone else knew it, the battle was over.
The surrounding forest was littered with corpses, some more brutalized than others. The thick stench of blood emanated through the area, making it clear that a massacre had occurred here.
One done by the good guys.
Still, the battle was officially over. And Xeno couldn't be any happier about it. This entire ordeal was about to be done.
With that in mind, he let out a deep breath, Rem approaching closer to him to check up on him.
Rem: "Xeno-kun, are you doing well? Rem hopes this wasn't too difficult for you." She said, dusting off his clothes.
Xeno: "I didn't like it one bit." He gave her a straight answer, with a frown.
Rem: "In that case, Xeno-kun, allow Rem to take proper care of you when this is over." Feeling his stressed mood, she offered to dote on him extra.
Xeno: "I'll take you up on that offer. I expected many things, Rem. I want a lot of cuddles, food being fed to me, I want lap pillows, and I want to be coddled for a week, and—" He didn't hold back at all, listing all his demands like the child he was.
Rem: "Worry not, Xeno-kun. Rem will make sure to fulfill each and every wish you possess." Being the enabler she was, she nodded at each one.
Julius: "I must say, each time I find myself respecting you, you always find some way to ruin it."
Their little moment was once again ruined by a certain purple-haired knight. Rem looked away in a fluster, while Xeno glared at him.
Xeno: "You just had to ruin our moment."
Julius: "Believe me, I'd rather not have to see such a display either. It's embarrassing for someone like me as well."
Xeno: "Then stop butting in, then!" He snapped at him, a tick mark appearing on his head.
Julius: "If you're done, shall we move on to the finale?" He said smoothly, turning his gaze to the side.
Xeno: "What...? Oh, right." His confusion turned to realization as he mirrored the direction Julius was looking in.
That being the still-unmoving Petelgeuse. In no time, the Fingers had all been dealt with, something like this was... a bit anticlimactic, given how easy it was. Then again, this was "real life," so not every battle ended with a cinematic fight.
Meaning Petelgeuse no longer had any spare bodies. If they killed him now, that would be the absolute end of him.
Xeno: "So... who wants to do the honours?" He turned to Julius and Rem.
Julius: "It's only because of you that we've made it this far. I leave the decision in your hands."
Rem: "Rem agrees."
Xeno: "...Sigh, whatever... Let me make one thing clear: I don't want to. I'm tired, like, really tired. I don't want his death on my hands."
Julius: "There is no shame in that." He nodded, accepting Xeno's reasoning.
Xeno: "In that case, Rem, I'll have to trouble you with this responsibility."
Rem: "I'm honoured that you picked me, Xeno-kun." She bowed, glad that her hero hadn't forced himself to take another life.
Rem stepped forward with her mace in hand. She intended to finish this quickly. She spun her weapon, building up momentum, and swung it at full force.
In just a few moments, the Sin Archbishop of Sloth would be no more. Xeno preemptively closed his eyes, not wanting to see the gore.
"You should never have let your guard down, Pride!!!"
Xeno's eyes snapped open in horror. Petelgeuse's voice—he heard him speak. And when he opened his eyes, it felt as if time itself had slowed down.
Julius was in the midst of pulling out his swords and jumping forward to save them. Rem was in a much worse position. Her morning star had been devoured by a swarm of black arms rushing towards her. With the speed at which they were moving and how close they were, dodging was not possible.
But that didn't mean nothing could be done. In that split second, Xeno's purple pupils glowed intensely as a dark purple barrier surrounded Rem. He dumped nearly a hundred points of Envy into it, ensuring Rem's safety.
But that, within itself, was a mistake.
"Xeno!!!!" Both Julius and Rem shouted.
Xeno: "Eh!?"
That was the last sound he made. A large black hand, bigger than his torso, impacted his chest. The sickening sound of bone breaking echoed through the surroundings as Xeno's body was sent flying.
His body smashed through everything in its trajectory, dust kicking into the air as he crashed through tree after tree, disappearing into the forest.
The only sign of him remaining was a massive dust cloud rising high into the sky in the distance.