ONE FAILED SALVATION

The Emperor

A/N: I'm on a writing spree, it's 1 am but I will not stop. I have already gone trough my playlist (I listen to music while writing) so I'll start it again, because I am late! Now time to make you sad!

Azura paced back and forth trough the room. With Victor'spermission, Stella had performed a spell to switch places between him and Hurricane, as he claimed that it would be dangerous to leave them in their hands, and that he could convince them to let him go. Hurricane was currently sitting in a chair, being cuddled by Stella, and Azura was relieved that they were okay, even tough the relief couldn't surpass her worry for her husband.

Then Victor appeared.

He was wearing a more formal dress than when he'd gone to talk to the Brothers, and he even had a cape, but Azura couldn't care any less about his clothing: her husband was back, somehow alive too. She jumped in his arms, and he held her tightly.

"I was worried about you" She said in a sweet tone "Please don't do that again."

"I won't" Victor promised. Azura felt something oddly cold in his tone "But I have a question for you"

"Ask away"

"Why do you love me?"

Azura tried to move out of the hug to look him in the eyes, but he didn't let her. She didn't mind: she enjoyed his embrace "Because you're smart, beautiful, absolutely dumb at times-"

"That's not what I was asking" Victor replied "Why do you feel love towards me? What do you hope to achieve with this love?"

"What?" Azura was confused now.

"Love is what we call our attachment to things and people that exist" Victor explained "But everything that exists is doomed to end eventually. Only that which doesn't exist can be truly preserved. Could you love something which doesn't exist?"

"You mean a concept?" Victor's words were making little to no sense to Azura. She tried moving out of the hug, but in response he held her tightier. A bit too tight for her comfort.

"No, concepts do exist" Victor said "I mean something that isn't part of Creation. Could you love something that doesn't exist?"

"No..." Azura said after thinking a bit "Can you let me go now?"

Victor ignored her request "Then if all we can love is volatile and temporary, why love at all?"

"Victor, let me go please" Azura tried to move out of the hug again, as he was beginning to hold her so tight she could barely breathe.

"All my life, all the decisions I've made, I've made them out of love. Even the first correct and important decision I've made, I made it out of love. Thankfully that showed me how pointless love truly is."

"Victor... Please..." At this point, Azura couldn't breathe at all.

"If I loved you, I would say I'm sorry you don't understand my vision of the future. If I loved you, I would say that I'm sorry you won't be by my side in it. If I loved you, I would say I'm sorry you won't see the peace that will be in the dark. But what's the point of love, when that which exists can end as quickly as this?"

And in that very moment Victor hugged Azura so tight, her ribs broke and stabbed her lungs. He held her until she passed, the screams of horror of the presents filling his ears. Then, he stood up and prepared for the task at hand. Those who were there feared him, but that fear wouldn't last long.

They'd be next.

A/N: So if this wasn't clear by now, this is a variant of the timeline with the Empress of Universe 3, tough here it's Victor that becomes an Unbeing serving the Brothers. It was interesting to portray a loveless Victor when Love is the main motive between most of his actions. That's another reason why Lord Knowledge is so interesting to write and place in various contexts. Now it's almost 2 am and I'm going to go to sleep. Thank God Wattpad has a function to set a story to release at a certain time.