Basillius watched the Amaryllis leave the formation and let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad that Ashley girl seems competent. She will be a great help to Cath. Well... I suppose I should hurry it up, myself. Time to go make a speech."

He smiled back at Amaranth who had simply listened and nodded along with his monologue before turning and opening a rift to Earth. As they walked through the veil, Amaranth started speaking. "You know... When I first woke up from that spell. When I saw you for the first time, you were tiny, haggard, covered in my deathly flames, and you looked like you had just been used as my scratching post... Yet, you were still standing tall, staring at me as if your gaze alone could kill me."

She chuckled and continued, "You didn't even know our magiks, and yet you were out here fighting everything. Even the goddess of death... You were completely oblivious to it, but I'd already fallen in love with you. Gazing at your form, that was so small, yet so sturdy... A body that was seemingly frail, yet you gave off the air of an immovable king. That's why I named you Basillius. John was just too... inadequate for you."

Basillius' face was flushed red in embarrassment as she told him the story. "I... Thank you, Amaranth. I had always wondered if you chose that name because you knew I was going to end up as the Emperor of my people somehow. I... I'm sorry I never realized how you felt in all those millennia. Honestly, the only things that had been in my mind at the time were vengeance, deep-seated hatred for Mael, and plans for genociding his whole species. I'm sorry for that. You truly did deserve better," he said with an apologetic look.

She smiled and shook her head. "Nonsense. That's who you are, and I fell in love with you, faults and all. Just the same, you accepted me with all of my flaws."

Basillius locked eyes with Amaranth and gave her an assured smile, "Indeed... I suppose we were made for each other eh? You're the only one who understands me, and I am the only one who understands you. Two lost souls steeped in millions of years or more of pure hatred. Yet, we met in this infinite expanse at the perfect time... I am glad to have met you, Amaranth. I'm glad that I finally found someone to love."

He wrapped his arm around her neck and brought her close, resting their heads together as they made their way to the end of their rift. They opened the exit and stepped into a brightly lit courtyard with an imposing gothic palace overlooking it. The courtyard was dotted with statues and murals all depicting one of Basillius's victories. He stared at the black and gold marble with disdain.

"Been a long time since I've had to see these things... They're so embarrassing..."

Amaranth raised her eyebrows at him, and a sly grin crossed her features. "How can you say that? They are simply extolling your glorious and selfless deeds. Besides, who could blame them? If I didn't have a perfect memory I probably would have made a statue of you too."

Basillius just rolled his eyes at her and walked through the forest of statues. Amaranth eyed each one carefully as they walked through taking in every detail. As they neared the palace, she spotted a mural with a somewhat familiar face.

It was a mural of Basillius before his body was changed by the veil. He stood before an Azarian Warlord with his feeble equipment, protecting a transport ship that was evacuating civilians. A young blonde-haired girl stared out at the large back of her protector, clutching at her teddy as the police loaded her into the vehicle.

Basillius followed her gaze to the very first mural. His eyes which were just filled with disdain softened. "That's the only one that isn't at all embarrassing. I was simply doing my best to save lives. That was before I lost myself to hatred."

He sighed and looked around at all the various murals and statues, "All of these... They were all at a time when I was more focused on killing Azarians... More focused on using the godlike powers you gave me to commit genocide against those disgusting cretins... I may have saved people still, but that's not where my heart was. When I look at these, I'm reminded that I could've saved more lives had I made that my focus. They called it the garden of glory when it was made... But for me, it's a reminder. A reminder that I can't afford to lose myself again."

Amaranth frowned, "Would you really have been able to save more? The longer you took saving one family from a burning building, the longer my brothers' hordes had to scour other cities and towns. I believe that you ended up saving more lives the way you handled things before."

Basillius gave her a weak smile and looked up at the blue sky with a somber gaze, "Perhaps... But I can't see it that way. I can't get the sounds of screaming people out of my head. People that I watched get pulped in the crossfire between my fights, people that accidentally touched one of your ever-burning flames, or the people that I simply watched get eaten by the Azarians as I took the larger hordes and left the stragglers. In my eyes, I failed them all."

Amaranth sighed, "So, you're deadset on punishing yourself for nothing then... Well, if you ever want to talk about it... Maybe get some closure? I'll be by your side."

"Sure... I'll take you up on that one day, I'm sure. Perhaps after we defeat this whole existential crisis that seems to never end." With that said, he walked up the black-gold marble steps to the palace.