Work Text:
The cosmos was beyond comprehension, and that was beautiful.
When Argenti looked into the vast blackness above them, he saw shining stars. He saw the incomprehensible beauty of infinite possibilities that he had never before witnessed – but would certainly one day witness. Naturally, he saw the dangers, too; he knew he had to remain ever vigilant against the twisted monsters masking themselves under the cover of foul deception. Candidly speaking, it was tiring at times. However, for the sake of everything else that was beautiful, for the sake of Idrila, for the sake of The Beauty, he would persevere.
That he was sitting with another Knight of Beauty atop the crumbling ruins of a tower upon a ravaged planet was of no consequence. That they had spent several years locked in battle against evil with only each other’s company was unimportant, too. They took each victory one at a time from one planet to the next, diligently and patiently. And hopefully, they would continue to do so for many years hence.
Indeed, he hardly felt the sting of the new injuries he’d gained earlier that day. Whether they left behind scars or not mattered little to him. They were badges of honor, proof of his undying dedication.
“Hey, Argenti.”
A quiet voice broke the redhead out of his reverie.
“Yes, dear friend?” Argenti smiled softly, turning to look at the speaker.
“Have you ever thought about the future?” His companion stared up at the fathomless night sky – the infinite emptiness, the desolate stars too far away to provide any warmth, the horrors lurking in the dark of the unending unknowns. His soul was sickened by years of wandering through that cold abyss, chasing one monster after another, chasing the faintest shadows of their elusive aeon.
“The future?” A flash of confusion clouded Argenti’s eyes and he straightened up, almost immediately wincing with pain when his injuries reminded him of their presence. The other knight moved forwards as if to help him, but Argenti held up his hand to signal that he was all right. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
“The future,” the other knight repeated, moving back reluctantly. “How long are you going to keep up with this? How long can you keep up with this?”
Argenti turned back to the fire, prodding it gently with a stick to keep the flames high. “Why, as long as it takes, I suppose. Until I see that light once more, I will protect all beauty in the universe, for Idrila – isn’t that our vow?”
“So it is.” His companion’s face hardened and he stared moodily into the fire, the wavering flames throwing strange shadows on his face. “That’s it, then?”
Argenti smiled again, more puzzled than ever by the unusual attitude that possessed the other man. “What is? I must confess, your conversation is singularly perplexing today.”
“You’re resolved to continue on this path until the day you…die,” the man forced the last word out, ignoring the bitter taste it left in his mouth. It was a word that had never passed between them before, despite living among them like an unbidden companion. “You’ve never once thought about surviving, have you?”
Argenti shook his head placatingly. He didn’t fully understand what had earned his companion’s ire to cause his words to be so harsh, but he would try his best to soothe his friend’s concerns. “I intend to take every measure to safeguard myself. I assure you, I would not risk my life without cause. And even if I should lose my life, it would be for the glory of Idrila.”
“For Idrila, again.” There was a tense silence broken only by the crackling of burning wood and then he spoke up again, trying to push the other man just one more time, hoping against hope that there was still a chance to come to an understanding. “And what if we cannot find Idrila?”
Argenti’s brows furrowed momentarily, but he quickly smoothed over his expression. “The words of those Mirror Holders have unsettled you, I see.”
His friend opened his mouth as if to disagree. He couldn’t fully deny that they may have caused his faith to falter, however. The Mirror Holders followed the Path of Beauty, which made him more inclined to believe in their good intentions. Where they differed was in their assertion that Idrila had fallen. He let out a long sigh. “Let us call it that.”
“Their dedication to Idrila is undoubtedly praiseworthy. However, they must be wrong. Idrila cannot have abandoned us.” The knight’s green eyes, normally so gentle, gleamed fiercely with determination. This was what he had been taught, and it was the sole tenet that gave meaning to his childhood years in his war-torn hometown. “We will find THEM, no matter what.”
“Ah, then you refuse even to entertain such a possibility.” The fever of madness he saw in Argenti’s eyes was reflected in his own, although his was for another reason entirely. His gaze traveled over Argenti’s face and his thick, curling red locks that framed it like a nebulous halo in the light of the fire.
The Beauty was unreachable, truly and unjustly. To what end had he toiled all these years, bound to unrelenting asceticism and perpetual trials? Idrila, wherever THEY were – did THEY disdain to toss him even such scraps of mercy?
“You must not give in,” Argenti said, leaning forwards and clasping their gloved hands together.
The situation was ironic. Farcical, really. It was so perfectly wrong, but Argenti would never know. The other knight wanted to laugh. It was impossible for him to know; that simply wouldn’t be Argenti, now, would it?
“These doubts are merely another trial from THEM,” Argenti said earnestly. “Pray with me. Surely together we will find guidance from The Eternal Beauty.”
“Perhaps you are correct.” His companion could only yield, though his heart had already long deserted those prayers. Agreeing was a sweet poison that only delayed the inevitable, for each step he yielded was a step closer to despair.
“May your faith remain unshaken,” Argenti breathed softly, his eyes closed in pious devotion.
***
And yet, even Argenti realized something was no longer the same. His dear friend was irrational, angry – not at all the serene knight with whom he’d once crossed paths before deciding to continue on this journey together. The path of the Honorclad was not an easy one, and gradually Argenti could not deny the toll on his friend’s mind. They continued to fight evil, but the further they waded through the blood of their slaughtered foes, the further the other knight’s thoughts seemed to drift towards all-consuming darkness.
Perhaps underneath it all, Argenti understood that fate had led them onto the same road, but that road would eventually diverge. If that was the case, then it was by Idrila’s design. Nevertheless, it grieved him. He wished he could hold onto his companion just a while longer. It was so rare to encounter a kindred soul in the cosmos, and Argenti knew what outsiders said.
Those freaks!...The Knights of Beauty are a bunch of freaks!
Yes. Perhaps it was true, after all.
His thoughts were thus distracted as they fought off a group of those cursed offspring of The Swarm. He struck at them with his spear, but his strike glanced off their resilient plated shells and the maddened insects buzzed angrily.
“Argenti!” The other knight cried out in alarm as the insects rose up into the air.
There was nothing either of them could do as The Swarm dived down onto Argenti, goring him through his armor with their horns.
“A…A test, nothing more,” Argenti gasped out, mostly to himself as he struggled to withstand their attack. Just as he’d thought many times before, he wondered: would it end like this? Would it end before he could see Idrila’s light once more?
He summoned his remaining energy and his friend did the same, both acting simultaneously to finish off those monstrous creatures. Their vitality depleted, the creatures began to burst one after another, and Argenti’s friend rushed to carry him away, shielding him from the chain of explosions.
Argenti was faint from blood loss, his long red hair damp with sweat and clinging to his ashen skin in stark contrast. Somehow or another, though, they made it back to the makeshift camp they’d established as their base.
The other knight carefully laid Argenti down and removed his armor. “You had better hold still,” he said sternly as Argenti moved as if to try to help him.
“A mere flesh wound, I am certain,” Argenti tried his best to be reassuring as if his current state wasn’t bad enough.
His friend worked with an inexorable, quiet rage as he treated Argenti’s injuries and bandaged them as best he could with their limited supplies. It was almost a little frightening but Argenti tried to bite back every groan and complaint that threatened to spill from his colorless lips. He knew that the pain he felt was temporary, and he instinctively felt that showing any signs of pain would only invoke his companion’s wrath all the more.
How unexpected it was that he could hardly have been further from the truth. Argenti had almost lost his life, and yet here he was, pretending that these bleeding gashes were only scratches. All for what? For the glory of their aeon who had never once deigned to show them THEIR light.
“What Idrila gives to me, in the same breath THEY take from me,” Argenti’s companion hissed between gritted teeth.
Argenti’s eyes widened in shock and he sat up, hand pressed against his chest to staunch the wound. “Y-You must not speak so,” he said hastily. “Is this for my sake? We have braved far worse together. Come, let us pray–”
Braved? No. Fruitlessly, blindly, pathetically they had labored. The time to pray to Idrila was over.
“I will not allow The Beauty to be taken from me.”
And with those simple, cryptic words, Argenti’s companion left him.
Argenti was stunned and for a few days, he was paralyzed by indecision and prayers for guidance. But time continued to pass. His wounds closed and he returned to hunting monsters across the galaxies. He was unaccustomed to traveling alone at first. No matter – he learned enough about spacecrafts to put together his own machine, which he fondly dubbed his One and Only. He had built it with one seat as he intended to start with the barest mechanics that he could easily maintain. He only needed one seat for himself, anyway. Some day, should the need arise, he’d expand it.
It really didn’t seem like that day would ever come.
Years passed and Argenti accepted his solitude as yet another trial to overcome. He continued to fight monsters and never stopped trying to ensure that the universe did not forget Idrila.
If only their paths had diverged forever.
Thinking back on that day, Argenti could almost smell the fire and blood, the acrid stench of death. Such was the carnage that laid in the wake of a savage beast that massacred all it encountered. It was said that over the past few years, it sought out all the most powerful relics of the planet, acquiring them through brutal violence and leaving behind only devastation. That was the very news that had drawn Argenti to this place, to hunt this monster in the name of Idrila.
But in front of him…
“My friend, is that you?” Argenti called out. Would that he might be mistaken.
“Come with me, Argenti,” that grating voice said, simultaneously so familiar yet so foreign. “You need not suffer injuries ever again. Come, and I will defend you from all that would dare to harm you.”
“What have you done?” Argenti demanded, aghast. “Why did you abandon the Path of Beauty? You, of all people–”
“Everything I’ve done is for The Beauty,” his former friend insisted. “Now, no one can take The Beauty from me. Neither The Swarm nor Idrila.”
No. No! It was impossible. Had Argenti not been clutching his bloodstained spear firmly in his grasp, he would have covered his ears to shield them from such blasphemy.
“What do you mean? What of all the innocents you slew in your blind quest for power? This is…this is not for Beauty!” Argenti protested. His friend – his closest comrade – had become a monster, a raving fanatic who knew only slaughter. Those kind and serene eyes he’d once known so well now glowed with savage delirium.
“Argenti, Argenti–”
Argenti could not bear to listen to this anymore. Whatever had been his friend was long gone; may his mind now be reshaped to see the truth clearly. This voice was not his friend’s voice. It was a monster’s hiss full of malice. This body was not his friend’s body. His friend had been a peerless hero whose deeds deserved to be remembered for ages to come. This was a beast whose armor was more like a repulsive, scaly hide. The legendary weapon he’d wielded for Idrila’s glory was nothing more than the claws and fangs of that beast. This was a manifestation of the Omen of Evil and he knew what he had to do.
He tightened his grip on his spear and rushed forward.
“Farewell, dear friend.”
***
When it was all over, Argenti simply…moved on. It was not as if there was no more joy in life. As a Knight of Beauty, he could only continue searching for signs of the Beauty all around him. Beauty was the only joy that remained, yet beauty was eternal.
Every once in a while, he thought of his companion wistfully. To honor him as he had once been was only right. He had not been the same man in his final days, but even if Argenti was the only person in the cosmos who preserved that glorious version of his fellow knight in his memories, that was the least he could do. So Argenti contemplated the beauty that had existed. And then he straightaway set new coordinates for The One and Only.
He met others on his wanderings through space. Unsurprisingly, their time together was never for long. Nevertheless, each unique encounter delighted him with its sense of shimmering transience – a sort of ungraspable beauty in its own right. He glanced at his control panel, hand poised over it as he thought about whether he needed to adjust his course. His spaceship was due for some small maintenance work…
A sudden warning sign flashed on his dashboard and he frowned. “A distress signal from an IPC spacecraft?” he murmured in faint surprise. It was coming from a nearby planet, albeit not a dangerous one. At least that probably meant there was less urgency in this rescue. Argenti changed his course and The One and Only descended through the planet’s atmosphere.
Ah, he saw the problem now. As he landed, he could see that the IPC spacecraft had crashed onto an island. Now, where might the sender of the distress signal be? He circled slowly while keeping an eye out for any inhabitable structures. Before long, he deduced that the most likely place was a cave.
The knight landed gently next to the cave and pressed a button to unlock the door, gracefully jumping down onto the soil. His feet had barely touched the ground when a blond man in a disheveled IPC uniform jumped out at him.
“Thank Qlipoth!” the man exclaimed. “Get me out of here – just somewhere, anywhere with an IPC office and I’ll be all set. I’ll make sure to compensate you, just…get me out of this hellhole! Be reasonable about it, though, because my expense report needs to get approved by another department and it’s a whole hassle.”
Argenti frowned slightly. He knew the IPC’s materialistic reputation, of course, but he felt faintly affronted at such a vulgar entreaty. “I assure you that is unnecessary,” he said reproachfully, “but you must first pledge to acknowledge Idrila, the Beauty, as the most peerless beauty of all.”
The IPC employee drew back, bewildered but not really displeased; no compensation meant less paperwork. But what was this weirdo’s problem? Who was Adrila? He could hold that thought for later. This was a matter of life and death. “Sure, yeah, I’ll even marry her if you like, as long as you get me out of this stinking cave first!”
Argenti’s frown deepened in response to the man’s irreverent tone. “That is not what I meant,” he said sternly. “In that case, I refuse.”
He turned to go, but the IPC employee lunged at him, fully intending to tackle him to the ground but instead only managing to be a large and unwieldy weight clutching onto his arm. In any case, it was enough to detain the knight temporarily as he looked down at the IPC lackey in bewilderment.
“Hey, hey! No need to be petty about it. Okay, uh…” The blond tried to recall the words. “I pledge to acknowledge Adrila as the most peerless beauty of all.”
Argenti tilted his head, gazing at the man with mild disapproval. “It’s Idrila, not Adrila.”
The man swallowed down his indignation. They were on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere, and this religious nutjob was arguing semantics with him. “Fine, fine, whatever you say. Idrila, the Beauty, is the most peerless beauty of them all!”
Argenti sighed softly, deciding to accept this for what it was. “Very well, then. Come with me.”
It was something new, indeed, to be crammed into The One and Only with this hapless corporate employee pressed against his armor. He complained profusely – oh, goodness, he complained just about as much as Argenti talked about Idrila. Along the way, however, Argenti learned that his name was Velite and that he’d once dreamed of becoming a pilot. He was an interesting companion, certainly, and Argenti’s interest was piqued when Velite suggested advocating for The Beauty as an IPC spokesperson, adopting currency as a notion of beauty. Argenti didn’t fully understand Velite’s plan, but perhaps he’d understood the IPC too narrowly. Perhaps his own understanding of beauty was too narrow, too. He wasn’t sure.
After crashing into the Astral Express, he made a few more fascinating acquaintances – all of them honorable and gallant souls. They fought The Swarm together, and when he left with Velite, they stayed together for only a few more brief days. When they finally parted ways, Velite seemed greatly changed. He was quieter and preoccupied. Argenti had been concerned at first, but it seemed that Velite had come to his own important decision about his future. Inevitably, their time together came to an end when Argenti escorted him to their agreed-upon destination.
“Well…So long, I guess. I have to start my resignation paperwork,” Velite said, holding out his hand to the knight.
The knight hesitated and then grasped the other man’s hand firmly, giving him a warm smile. “I wish you the best of luck. Should you achieve your dreams, I would be honored to race you.”
“Oh, yeah, that space race you talked about. Biggest one in the cosmos, right?” Velite still remembered Argenti’s excitement when he spoke of it.
“Precisely. I can make introductions for you to join the competition, whenever you feel ready. You have my number, so do let me know if you would find that agreeable.”
Velite’s cheeks flushed pink. “Y-Yeah. I’m going to brush up on my piloting skills. I was pretty good back in the day, so you’d better prepare yourself, too.”
Argenti chuckled. “Indeed I shall.”
Velite let go of Argenti’s hand. “Don’t die before then. Got that?” His eyes burned stubbornly, but he wasn’t going to cry, not in front of his oblivious and brainless hero who seemed to exist almost in an entirely different dimension.
Argenti’s gaze softened. “Truly, you have a noble soul. I pray that we may meet again soon.”
With that, they went their separate paths. He occasionally wondered whether Velite had succeeded in pursuing his dream, or whether he’d continued his life at the IPC. Either way, the man was likely quite busy. There was no reason to suspect anything had gone amiss.
***
Somehow or another, Argenti found himself heading to Penacony to attend the Charmony Festival. It was unusual, but it was beautiful, too. A land where all guests could enjoy a period blissfully asleep in a wondrous dream? It sounded too incredible to be true. It was a longer trip than originally intended, since he encountered approximately thirty people on his journey who required assistance from the various hazards that threatened travelers. Never mind, though; all of them reached Penacony safely, wholeheartedly prepared to revel in the delights of the Harmony.
Argenti checked into his room at The Reverie, admiring the sumptuous surroundings. Guests wouldn’t even be awake to enjoy the extravagant decor, so he had to appreciate the care invested in these furnishings. Having spent what he deemed to be sufficient time appreciating his room, he entered the Dreampool and shut his eyes. He heard the faint sound of bubbles rushing past him as he fell asleep.
When he “opened” his eyes in the dream, he was thrilled. It was splendid, no question about it. There were bright colors and lights everywhere, and all manner of entertainment. As he waited for the festival to begin, he found himself participating in the Charmony Festival auditions at the SoulGlad Scorchsand Audition Venue.
He couldn’t begin to fathom why, but for some reason, the spectators appeared to enjoy his presence and it was a perfect opportunity to spread the word of Idrila. Though he appreciated the fans cheering his name, he appreciated it even more when they remembered that he was a Knight of Beauty. There were all sorts of diverting competitions, from recreating classic scenes from Penaconian films to combat trials, and in between, Argenti patiently interacted with enthusiastic members of the press.
“Mr. Argenti, sir, this way please!”
Argenti barely had time to react when a camera flashed, momentarily blinding him. Still, his smile was as calm and unfazed as ever.
“Thank you!” The photographer managed to shout out his appreciation before his place was taken by another.
Argenti turned back towards the journalist. “I beg your pardon. Would you repeat the question?”
“Certainly. So, many of our readers have been intrigued by your deeds, and, well, if we’re being totally honest here, your manners and appearance, too!” The journalist picked up the thread of her questioning with impeccable professionalism, providing some context again before she asked the question once more.
Argenti shook his head self-deprecatingly. “Those are lovely sentiments, but I fear I cannot be worthy of them.”
“Ever the modest one!” the journalist laughed. “Anyway, our readers wanted to know: what is the ideal type of their favorite Knight of Beauty?”
The curve of Argenti’s lips froze in place. “The ideal…type? The ideal type for what?”
She laughed, finding his perplexity as charming as everything else about him. “Whatever shall we do with you! Ideal type, er…for romance, for love! Surely a chivalrous knight like you is familiar with that notion! So what would it take to catch your eye?”
Argenti didn’t often find himself at a loss for words. If anything, it was more common for people to complain that he had far too much to say. And yet this question found him speechless for reasons unknown…It was truly baffling, truly an alien concept. The journalist was waiting attentively for his answer, however – as were the others in the crowd.
“Love is a beautiful thing indeed,” Argenti began uncomfortably. “As a Knight of Beauty, of course I recognize this and I appreciate the sentiments of your readers.”
Once he started to speak, the words flowed more easily, despite the fact that he couldn’t fully explain whence these words came. “Regrettably, I believe I would be an undesirable partner.”
Here the journalist cut in with a laugh, “Oh, excuse me – I think some of your fans might disagree with that!”
Argenti chuckled indulgently, although underneath his armor, his heart pounded wildly in agitation. “Be that as it may, as one of the Honorclad, I have pledged to devote my life to The Beauty. I am determined to seek out and battle all monsters in the universe, until one of us has fallen. So these romantic ideals expressed by your readers, beautiful as they are, nevertheless are not ones upon which I am qualified to comment. But I would dare to take this opportunity and assure them that their affections are a beautiful thing – a thing that anyone would be honored to receive, and I shall pray ardently to Idrila that they may find someone more worthy than I.”
The journalist didn’t really care about the answer. Anything he said would have been of intense interest to the newspaper’s readers; this eccentric wanderer was all the rage at the moment, and any journalist worth their salt would do well to pounce on this opportunity. All that was required of her was to record his words faithfully and then proceed to publish them as sensationally as possible.
Something about Argenti’s expression had changed, and one of the event coordinators noticed it – a certain Elizabeth, if memory served, although the intellitron was more commonly known as “Miss Red Whistle.” There was a shrill, piercing shriek of a whistle as she firmly pushed back the crowds of reporters and made her way towards the knight.
“Okay, okay, everyone, that’s enough for one day! Argenti may be a knight, but he needs his rest, too!”
The journalists grumbled and some of the cameras flashed to try to get a few final pictures. Still, at least the throng began to thin out and the intellitron reached the knight’s side.
“Hey, everything okay, Argenti? Were you annoyed by their questions? I bet it’d be a lot for you, even though you looked like you were handling it pretty well.” The employee scanned Argenti’s face with concern.
“I believe I am quite all right,” Argenti said after a moment of reflection. “Forgive me. Did it appear to be otherwise?”
“Well, you looked a bit rattled, that’s all.” Elizabeth sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “You know, it’s fine. I bet it’s all new to you, and you’ll need time to adjust. You did a good job today, okay?”
“I appreciate your kind words,” Argenti bowed, unbothered by the other’s sharp tone. “I think you may be right, however… Perhaps I ought to return to my lodgings to relax.” Lodgings in the dream world, that is.
“Huh? Yeah…sure. You know the way, right?” The event coordinator took a step back, somewhat surprised by this unusual behavior from the redhead.
“I believe so, thank you.” It was unlike the knight to be so terse, but he found himself feeling preoccupied with unfamiliar emotions. There was a gentle clink of metal as Argenti stood up and left the room.
Once outside, he took a deep breath. This was better. He didn’t dislike the reporters; oh, no, he found them quite charming in their own way. They simply didn’t seem interested in what he had to say about Idrila, though. Of course, he would never allow that to discourage him from his path. This was nothing new.
Rather, it was all the peculiar questions they asked. Questions about – goodness, his favorite food, his favorite book, his favorite relaxation activities, and…love. Nothing about The Beauty interested them in the least.
Yes, he reflected as he crossed a courtyard on his way outside of the audition venue. Those were strange fixations that could never apply to one such as himself. The Honorclad tended to work in solitude, and that suited him much better.
It wasn’t that love was not beautiful. After all, he’d said to the reporter that it was, and he did not lie. Ultimately, it simply wasn’t for him.
He briefly recollected his companion, and when he remembered their last moments together, his heart again fluttered wildly, painfully. Argenti rested his gloved hand over his breastplate, although it was impossible to feel anything through the ornate yet sturdy sheet of metal. It was a pain so real it should have come from some injury, though he knew logically that this was impossible.
Never mind. It was best not to think of things that could have been.
The Beauty existed all around him, he reminded himself. The expanse of countless stars in the innumerable galaxies that would surely one day receive him once again – that was The Beauty.
It was difficult to say how much time passed in the Dreamscape. There were new adventures there, too. Once again, he encountered his Astral Express friends who seemed to be in a rush to save the world from a Stellaron as usual. All those events went by as if in a haze. He meant to aid them, as well, but something prevented him; he could not recall what it was. One thing led to another and then…
“Is that you, Argenti?”
The redhead froze. He turned around slowly, knowing in his heart of hearts that it was impossible.
Impossible, and yet there he was. Smiling gently, eyes full of tranquil wisdom, as if he had just stepped out of Argenti’s memories.
“My friend…but how…” Argenti hesitated, catching himself before he could take a step closer.
“How long has it been since we last spoke?” That voice was calm and comforting. It was not the ragged hiss that Argenti recalled when it had tried to tempt him from the path of Beauty, when he had withstood that trial. A trial, yes.
“This is a trial from Idrila. It must be,” Argenti whispered. There was something else he'd intended to do, something from which he should not be distracted.
The other man walked up to him, resting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Trial? There are no more trials, not in this land. Here, there is only beauty. Look around; do you not sense Idrila’s presence everywhere?”
Argenti looked around as if in a daze. He was supposed to do something else, but surely he could take a moment to do as he'd been told. It was just as his friend said. The bright, hypnotic lights dazzled his eyes with a confusing swirl of lavish exuberance. This was…beautiful. With trembling fingers, he touched the other knight’s face – unmarred by the Omen of Evil and unscarred from countless battles, just like they’d never happened. As for that other matter…what was it? Perhaps it didn't matter.
Years of indistinct yearning crystallized into a single desire that felt so unbearably real.
***
So the knight remained, slumbering in Ena's dream. And in his room in The Reverie, his phone buzzed – safely stowed away to prevent it from falling in the Dreampool. Four simple words appeared on his screen before it faded back to black once more.
“Argenti? It’s me, Velite.”