"Any change?" Calypso asked Xiara as she stared vigilantly at Xopil.

"No, he's still unconscious. His breathing is even and relaxed, he's just asleep." Xiara replied.

"Maybe you can explain a few things?" Felicyta asked, "About yourself, Xopil and that cloud being."

"...What do you want to know?" Xiara sighed without taking her eyes of Xopil.

"Do you have a soul or a core?" Lexi asked bluntly, "What kind of person turns their self into a cloud... and what did you two do when you seemingly turned into a single cloud?"

"What is your role in all this?" Beda asked, "What do you get out of it?"

"Are there others like you? Can we become like you? Where did we come from? What does the future hold for us?" Calypso asked, to which everyone just shook their heads.

"We are what we are. The 'cloud' and 'Xopil' are one and the same. They're currently separate entities, forcefully split apart by the cloud. The cloud cut part of himself off, sent it off into a completely random world. Then forced himself into it to fall asleep, a silent guardian you could say. He found a man and woman who loved eachother dearly. They were a King and Queen of the Wragnaith clan..." Xiara began.

"So, he implanted himself inside the Queen?" asked Felicyta. "The couple had been trying for years to have a child but it never happened until..."

"The Queen was a barren woman even if no one knew it, even so, what better way to enter the world than as a miracle?" explained Xiara, "He does share the royal family's blood line. I don't really want to get into the details on how he pulled that off though."

"Xopil's purpose is to struggle," Xiara pointed at the unconscious male in the room, "while the true Xopil's purpose is to maintain balance. I don't know what all he's said to you, he's been around for a very long time. His immortal memory, he views it as a curse."

"Who wants to live forever?" asked Xiara, "Knowing full well you'll spend the overwhelmingly vast majority of your life in boredom. When you've done everything there is to do, said everything there is to say... What do you do? What lengths do you go through to find something fresh and new?"

"So, you become an immortal villain at some point?" Felicyta asked.

"..." Xiara thought about that for a moment, "He's not far off, huh?"

"True 'gods' if you can call them that, are able to create new from nothing. Xopil doesn't have that capability."

"Then, what happens when they merge back into one? It'd be a bit sad never to see Xopil again." inquired Beda.

"Sad indeed... The Xopil you know would disappear, becoming nothing more than a memory." Xiara stated. "...Odd... I think I'll miss this one."

"This one?" they all echoed.

"...This is the..." Xiara paused a few seconds to count on her fingers, "Twelve-thousand eight-hundred twenty-first incarnation."

"None were memorable before?" Lexi asked.

"Not really... they were just empty husks of their true self. This one seems to be a bit more... well more." Xiara replied.

"As for myself..." Xiara changed the subject, "I...don't have a soul. Nor do I have a core."

"What?"

"I was created without either. You might say I was initially created as an observation ornament. I always observed Xopil, he used to talk and I could only listen. He would move around, and I could only watch. He changed that." Xiara explained, "My soul is artificial. A second rate knockoff. But, I'm grateful to have it. And it was Xopil who gave it to me. When he touches it to make changes, like when he removed fatigue from me..." Xiara blushed, "...I can't even begin to describe how intimate it feels, its like having a connection at the deepest most pround level. Its truly amazing."

"And so what does that mean? You will never get tired anymore?" asked Felicyta.

"I still need to sleep. But I can no longer overexert myself, as though I'm fed by an endless supply of energy." Xiara replied.

"That sounds convenient." Lexi muttered.

"...You think so?" Xiara asked, "I'm scared of myself now."

"What do you mean?" Lexi asked.

"Imagine Calypso, but without a limit on how destructive she can be." Xiara explained.

"I see your point." Lexi stated, "We're lucky you have some self control."

"Can you not use me as a measuring tool?" Calypso asked.

"...That was rude of me, sorry." Xiara stated.

"He should be waking up soon right?" Lexi asked. Xiara cast a glance at Xopil.

"That cloud said something about a gift, I wonder what it could be?" Beda asked.

"That cloud didn't sound like someone I'd bet on. He was too... nonchalant about everything, as though nothing matters to him. This 'gift' may not be beneficial either." Felicyta stated.

"We'll see." Xiara stated and fell into thought. "You do have to understand though... he's a guardian of balance. Think of the universe as a scale and it's his job to keep everything equal. He has to be impartial to fill that role."

"Meaning?" Lexi asked.

"While this is a game to him, there are serious repurcussions that go along with it, if he saves a world from destruction, so long as everything stays in balance all is well." Xiara paused. "Think about this, it's not a pleasant thought though. Order. Chaos. Good. Evil. Life. Death. This is a shortened list, but it is enough to explain. If anything threatens the balance between these forces, Xopil will be forced to intervene. At times he restores order. There's been times he's spread chaos. All to keep harmony. Does he enjoy doing it? I can't say; he's always impartial, never showing emotion."

Xiara sighed, "I'd wager he doesn't like it. He created systems to balance each of these forces. Life and death now more or less keep eachother at bay. Have you ever wondered how honest people get mixed up with dishonest people? Balance. For every ten hardworking people, there will be ten thieves. This town we're in... you'd consider them all low-life scum of the world, and you've wiped them out...in doing so, this world is now out of balance in that regard, it will eventually right itself. hopefully before Xopil has to intervene and destroy a city of honest folk. Also consider, this 'bad' town might recover, keeping all these 'bad' people from mingling from the 'good' people. What happens when places suddenly get an influx of these 'bad' people?"

"You're saying we shouldn't have done it?" asked Felicyta, her face turning into a scowl.

"Everyone has a role to fill. I'm not saying I disagree with your actions, I'd have been right there with you. Xopil though, he would have prevented the slaughter. Consider this. You destroyed a monster den of a city. If this doesn't right itself naturally, Xopil will either have to rebuild it somehow, or... destroy a righteous city. If the reverse happened, where a town of good people was wiped off the map, he'd either rebuild that town, or destroy a town like this one. Indiscriminate, impartial, efficient."

"Regardless how he personally feels, he's always preserving balance. And then there's this." Xiara pointed to Xopil's unconscious body, "This is a form of release for him. An escape from his duties, a way to be who he wants to be, what he wants to be. In order to live a life free from control, even if it's only a temporary illusion."

"So what does that mean about his rant about a single path to the future?" Felicyta asked.

"That was... That struck a nerve inside him. Imagine giving yourself a chance to make choices only to have another entity strip it all away. It resonated with his true self... which was why he woke up." Xiara explained, then continued, "I'd say he's affected on a personal level, and this 'gift' he's getting... the ultimate target of that gift will be the mastermind controlling everyone's fate."

Xiara shrugged, "But then the gift might also be a hotdog or something else equally ludicrous."

"Really, a hotdog?" Lexi was skeptical.

"It's one of his favorite junk foods, wouldn't surprise me." Xiara sighed while shaking her head, "But I'm inclined it's something more substantial."

"Why's that?" Beda asked.

"He's still unconscious." Xiara replied.