So my first duty here is to rescue the fools who jumped into action without thinking, eh? I thought to myself in disgust. What I was hoping to do was to get more familiar with the layout of Castle Oblivion so as to avoid unnecessary trouble, but their damn leader had to spoil my plans.
Speaking of that leader…when I first confronted him I thought I held the advantage. Looking back on it I can see that I was clearly missing something that, sometime in the near future, could mean the difference between life and death. Whatever it is, I better find out about it as soon as possible; the last thing I need is a puppeteer who has a never ending supply of string.
While we were in the realm of Betwixt and Between one of my new cohorts—whose name I have not yet learned—summoned Cerberus to help us out. It’s been a while since I came across that adorable hell-hound so I was rather excited to see him again, but I still can’t fathom as to how Hades—ahh…now it comes to me. It’s not that Hades didn’t let him: it’s that Hades isn’t in the position to protest otherwise right now. As this revelation came over me I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself, which caused a few awkward glances shot in my direction. As usual, their stares didn’t faze me at all.
Fortunately my talents weren’t required much for the mission: the only thing I was asked to do was help maintain the passageway. The events surrounding this motley cast of characters—as I previously anticipated—got interesting for a while due to some events and references from their past rearing their ugly heads. Normally I would have just stayed back and let the fun continue, but such a luxury doesn’t exist within the walls of Citadel Abyss, especially with its conniving natives wandering around everywhere. And it was for that very reason that I walked right past the quarrelling lovebirds. Even though he wasn’t anywhere near us I could tell by the dancing of the shadows on the wall adjacent to us that he was watching our every movement.
That idiot… What does he want now? I didn’t want to involve the fools around me in this: the matter was solely my own to deal with, and I’d be damned to let anyone else interfere.
I waited for the others to recover the one they call Nyx. I watched them have their version of a reunion (hehe…amusing…) and held on to the passage back to Castle Oblivion open for them. The moment we returned to Betwixt and Between I split off from them to enter a different section of that world—one in which only masters of the shadows can enter.
As I predicted, it didn’t take long for my annoyingly humble host to arrive.
“Lady Xakiah, so you did understand my subtle message to you.”
“Of course I did…anyone with eyes would have been able to see it.” Well…anyone with eyes that can see past illusions could, that is, I thought immediately afterwards.
“Lady Xakiah, now is not the time to be acting that way with me.” he said in a rather frustrated tone. I said what I did with full knowledge that it would upset him; you could call it…my way of making certain that my target is paying attention. “Now give me a straight answer when I ask you this: why are you siding with the enemy?”
The seriousness of his question, combined with the fact that he honestly expected a straight answer from me, made me explode in a loud and obnoxious guffaw. This in turn, made him ask in dismay, “What is so funny about this?”
“I’m so sorry, Sir Etxel, but I can’t help but wonder why you would ask such a question from me?”
“Why? Is it not obvious: they go against everything you stand for! They are oblivious to our grand plans and intentions—“
My laughter cut him off. “What ‘intentions?’ Bringing back the original thirteen has-beens so as to better rule the universe or something?”
“You dare call them has-beens?!”
“Why of course! Why wouldn’t I?”
“I thought you worshipped them?”
“Of course I didn’t, you idiot! Why would I waste my time glorifying the names of thirteen Nobodies who were just screaming for attention and whatever else they couldn’t have?”
His body became rigid. “You insult the name of every Nobody with a comment like that, Lady Xakiah. Including your own.”
“And I should care…why?” I’ve always found Etxel both a fun individual to converse with, as well as one of the greatest thorns in my side. This conversation was only reflecting that more and more as we dove deeper into the conversation.
“Because, Lady Xakiah,” he began, “it is only natural for us to go after what has been denied to us.”
My turn to be philosophical. “Hmm…do you say that because you honestly believe that, or do you say that because you’ve yet to accept yourself as what you are?”
His voice became softer with his next response. “You know what I mean.”
Unfortunately, I did. Moaning heavily, my smile vanished as I asked him, “So you’re still holding on to that, even after all this time?”
“Are you telling me that you have let it go?”
“Yes, you idiot.”
Shaking his head, Etxel demanded, “How can you be so crass?! There was a time when—“
“If you finish that statement Etxel, I SWEAR that it’ll be your last!!!” I knew what he had on his mind. I also knew what he was trying to do with that bit of information. There was no way I was going to let him have his way.
An intense silence befell upon the both of us as we locked each other into a stare-down. I obviously didn’t know what he was thinking, but I could tell by looking into his emerald eyes that he figured himself “holier-than-thou,” which was usually the case with him. I can’t even begin to describe how much I despise those kinds of looks, and I didn’t bother to hold myself from expressing it through my own pair of eyes.
Etxel was the first to break the silence. “You hate me, don’t you?”
Typical; A small incident between the two of us and he immediately links it to petty emotions. Despite this thought, I resumed my usual composure—complete with grin—anyway. “Oh? What makes…you think that?”
He didn’t give me an answer. Instead he slowly shook his head and let out a defeated sigh.
I pressed him further. “Going back to an earlier comment…you said that the Organization goes against everything I stand for. Tell me…why would you say something like that?”
Looking up at me he said, “Because they are out to conquer the worlds.” I was about to interrupt him again by stating that the organization he’s in was basically doing the same thing when he made a hand notion not to. “I know what you are thinking, but we have separate intentions altogether. We want to restore the ones that are lost, but they…they are out for their own personal gains.”
This talk of morals was getting on my nerves, and I really wanted to get that last comment out of my mind. “Really? And…the organization you’re in isn’t?”
“We have noble intentions in mind.”
That last comment was just too much for me to handle; as soon as those words escaped his lips I had to hold onto my gut from the pain of my own cackling. “Is that what they told you to say, or is that what you truly believe in?”
“It’s the truth!”
“It’s hypocritical nonsense! You and everyone else—especially Xerebus—fails to see the irony in what you do. hehehe…you even fail to see the irony of this conversation.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“‘What do I mean by that?’ You ask ‘what do I mean by that?’ You idiot, you and I are of completely separate mindsets. Whilst you waste your time with ‘what was’ I look forward into ‘what will.’ You are also gullible enough to believe that what you’re doing void of error and sin (which, by hte way, is totally lacking in originality). As for my intentions…well…I’ll leave that to your limited sense of perception, though I seriously doubt you’d understand.”
“With the way you talk,” he snarled, “one would think that you thought yourself to be a god…”
“Hah! You mean you only now realize that? Tsk…tsk…tsk…how juvenile of you…”
Even though his continence carried the song of rage his eyes sang a melody of despair that I found quite unnerving. As I’ve learned in my time as an assassin, people with those types of eyes generally become unpredictable, becoming a hazard to both them and yourself. “That may be so, but that does not exclude the fact that you have been running away from my question.”
“Why are you so interested in knowing why I left?”
“Because I do not relish the thought of becoming your enemy.”
That idiot…how did such a simpleton like him become a knight anyway? “Etxel…you are not becoming my enemy.”
“What? So does that mean—“
“No. I won’t be doing anything for your side anymore. In fact, the next time we see each other, it won’t be for a ‘heart to heart’ chat either (if you catch my drift). The only reason why you’re not becoming my enemy is because you aren’t standing in my way of obtaining what I want.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, there are certain people back at Castle Oblivion that are asking to get antagonized by yours truly.”
I was just about to be on my way when Etxel stopped me by shouting this last response, “Lady Xakiah! Do not be led to think that matters between us are resolved; by the time this is over you WILL have your memories back, rather you like it or not!”
“Etxel, how many times do I have to tell you—“
“Camelot! Think back to the days of Camelot, after Mordred ransacked it!”
By the time he finished saying it, my mind began to work into overdrive processing this unwarranted information. In ten years not once had I had any major flashbacks and preferred it that way, but thanks to this king of idiots it looks like my existence is going to become more complicated…
~Xakiah
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Sorry this is in so late...my laptop has been acting sckrewy at school lately...
Other than that, I hope you enjoyed this little segment! ^_^
