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The temple was in ruins, as it always was. Frozen in place, not even slowly withering away with wind or erosion. Time lost all meaning here. The cold tended to do that.
ASPX breathed out, watching the puff of air form from the condensation through their helmet. XPSA immediately elbowed their ribs.
“Quit that,” they scolded, voice hushed. The vibration of sound felt like a sin in the quiet, piercing and uncomfortable.
“Sorry,” ASPX apologized. “I’ve simply been… thinking.”
XPSA made a face, and looked around. Nobody was there, it was just them, as always. But there was always a chance…
They were always present anyways, it wouldn’t matter if they were secretive or not.
“Tell me,” they offered, their words still slow and careful. “Hurry up before it festers.”
One time, maybe long ago but ASPX could never be sure, 1×1×1×1 came with a proposal.
It was planning another attack on Robloxia, as it always was. It was gathering many hackers, many myths, and all the power it had stored away. It wanted Noli’s help.
Obviously this wasn't the first time, it had visited some time even further back. Time was meaningless to Noli, but important to 1×1×1×1. It was looking for someone after all, and that meant it had to be done swiftly. Did it find who it was looking for yet?
“Of course not, nobody can ever find them,” 1×1×1×1 immediately scoffed. “Your intel was useless.”
How disrespectful. Noli told it to check the HQ, and they never lied. What use would it be to lie?
“You know damn well I can’t check the HQ”
Noli laughed, the feeling echoing through the air. Was that why it was here? To have Noli serve as a replacement?
It was trick question, clearly. It was a shame when 1×1×1×1 dodged the answer.
“I know you have destructive capabilities,” it had said instead, speaking to the space between the air. It looked slightly uncomfortable, unused to the itch in the back of its mind. XPSA barely held back a giggle at how ridiculous it looked.
“You came from Roblox, but you independent from it. You want its destruction, right? Why not use your abilities to aid me?”
The proposal was simple, almost childish in nature. It didn't do much to convince Noli, but it did amuse them. They were easy to amuse, actually, but always hard to sway. The guardians doubted that Noli even accepted the proposal until several days later, when their lord draped lost textures over themself and herded the guardians out of The Tempest.
They had a new assignment, one that meant they had to abandon the serenity of The Tempest for the disorder of Robloxia.
The group received odd looks, if course, but it wasn’t important. Noli apparently thought It would be best if the guardians followed along their god, and saw what happened when order fell into chaos.
And chaos it was.
Everything was breaking apart, studs unachoring as it pleased and code sparking in the air. Hackers, exploiters, and myths from all over were everywhere, tormenting and having fun. Noli laughed along with C00lkidd like they were estranged friends, sharing code together and ripping apart the fabric of the world.
Of course, Roblox didn’t take it easy. For every exploiter there was another Admin. For a hacker? Two admins. Even Builderman himself came down from his tower to pull the world back together, accompanied by his beloved testers and guests.
It was horrible. It was stunning.
Noli was a spirit of chaos, unable to be bottled. They were having fun, never letting another person outshine them. The guardians took to a supportive role quickly, hurrying after their god and wishing fitfully that they had practiced more. Code crackled at XPSA’s fingertips, while ASPX relearned how go wield their spear.
So when the fight started to turn sour, the last thing ASPX expected was to be pulled into swirling nothing, then safely deposited back at their post like nothing had happened.
That was enough of a demonstration. Really, it was more than enough, Noli could admit that about 1×1×1×1 at least. The world was full of mirth as their presence started to dissipate once more.
“Wha— my lord!” ASPX called out, confused and still high strung from the fight. They reached out impulsively, fingers wrapping around the closest tangible evidence left before it all faded away. Numbness shot up ASPX’s nerves from every point of contact, but they didn’t let go.
And Noli didn’t leave.
What made ASPX react so strongly?
“You— we were so close! We were right there!” They remembered it vividly. They weren’t that close, 1×1×1×1 was powerful but their execution was lacking. But they were convinced that surely, if anyone could bring back victory, it would be their lord.
They saw their power in action. They saw everything crumbling to dust. Their goal was coming faster than it ever had once Noli took action. They could have won.
Noli tilted their head, regarding ASPX in a new angle.
Then they huffed a laugh, and ruffled the top of their helm.
ASPX needed a reminder: Noli could wait. They could always wait. Everything will fall into their hands eventually.
“… how can you be so sure?”
XPSA’s voice was quiet, as they spoke, and they hunched inwards even more once Noli turned to look at them. “I apologize— my lord. But how… how exactly does will everything fall into your hands? We rely on the others to speed up the process.”
The guardians were answering their own question. Yes, they use the destruction and chaos of the others to speed things up, but they did not have to.
Entropy is natural. Things in order tend to become disorganized over time. Besides, they weren't the god of chaos. It was fun, an inevitable part of the process, but the end goal has always been static serenity.
Noli waved a hand vaguely to gesture around them, a motion XPSA could only catch due to how the air moved around their limbs. Robloxia keeps expanding and changing, everyone knew that. But one day, Robloxia will stop expanding. It will stop changing.
One day, it will crumble to dust.
Noli nodded in the direction of the nearby tomb. That's just the way of the world. Even the guardians’ old flesh was gone.
XPSA didn’t turn to look behind them. They knew better by now.
ASPX didn’t. “So what? We just… wait?”
They were understanding so well, and Noli pat their head again proudly. From dust it all began, and to dust it shall return. It was all a waiting game in the end. They simply had to be patient. Surely ASPX knew that after spending their time guarding their temple?
“O-of course, my lord!”
Noli was only teasing, they didn’t have to be so skittish.
“Our lord loves a tease,” XPSA reminded them, “That’s nothing to think so hard about.”
“I was thinking about the waiting,” ASPX clarified. “Everything will fall into their hands, right? Then why are we here?”
Two guardians protecting a Tempest, but reassured that failure was impossible. What was the use of a guardian with nothing to protect?
“… we’re here because we want to be,” XPSA answered slowly. “Because we choose to guard The Tempest and keep the order of our lord’s home.”
And it’s an honor.
“Yes, it’s an honor.”