[ChicletPrime]

okay, in the interests of getting at least something in the kitty for lore on Xavier before his third myth drops, I will hustle through Shooting Stars (Lightseeking Shadowrend / Lightseeking Obsession).  If you see me on the forum for hours at a time, its because I'm updating this thread with commentary while I watch the video in the background.

[ChicletPrime]

Chapter 1:

• Okay starting off on Philos, naturally. "The old tale... for hundreds of years an empty throne. Now the crownless queen regains her scepter. A new spring.. shall bring the dying Philos a chance to regain light and glory."
  
• i don't think anywhere has outright said yet why immortality is such a burden for Philos - i mean, whatever Ever is doing to bring it about is pretty monstrous, and the anecdote where something in the planet is eating people to keep itself alive (or at least that was my takeaway on it) is pretty horrific in its implications, but the way this is starting, its like... everything is doomed to slowly decay and sink? because nobody can die? or something? 
  
• hiiii Xavier! you look as beautiful as always.  okay, so girlfriend is the "crownless queen" on her throne and sunshine boy is her Grandis Knight. hang on, i thought he was the prince or at least royalty? no wait, think...  in this timeline, he's my vassal. /shuffles mental notes 
  
• oh, its my coronation but he's.. leaving me? eh? 
  
• woah woah woah
  
• "Are you not afraid the Backtrackers suspect you betrayed them for a private audience?"
  
• i feel a brain collision happening. what?
  
• "The spaceship is ready." 
  
• He addresses me with cool indifference.
  
• /squints
  
• Xavier, are you lying (by omission?) again? although i have no idea yet what you might be trying to conceal, there is no goddamned way that "indifference" is your dominant emotion. 
  
• so this IS the timeline where Xavier goes back in time, the Backtrackers exist so this means Traceback I has to have already happened and this is setting up for Traceback II.  
  
• if she's asking if the Backtrackers think he might have betrayed them in order to talk to her/the queen, then... the Backtrackers and the queen are at odds with each other? whatever Traceback II is meant to do, it's a rebellious act? 
  

Yeah, this is not going to be a brief recap of this myth, I already have five different and competing questions.

• Xavier hasn't addressed me by name in years.  nani? 
  
• what is GOING ON. 
  
• "I will tell the citizens the Grandis Knight perished in battle. I shall give him the highest honor." so they're not expecting him back, this is a one way trip. do they have to pick a new Grandis Knight then? how can he leave the queen to do this (whatever this is) if he's tasked to protect her specifically? 
  
• tiny detail: he has a star shaped charm and tassel on his sword. d'awwww.
  
• oh. the charm is significant? "You still have that."
  
• i'd asked him about it long ago when we were students together at "Astria Knyght Academy".  boy, do i want to take a red edit pencil that the terrible misspelling.
  
• flashback to their Academy days!
  
• specific mention of "wavyleaf sea lavenders" -- did those things appear in some of Rafayel's stories too? it just seems super familiar. They sprout around a statue of "The Holy Sword of the Goddess".
  
• okay, this is a wild mix of medievalism and scifi - the "starhunters" have returned from their "space expedition" and she runs down "astroscience avenue" to the monument. yet, also swords and knights and crowns and thrones?
  
• Vice Captain Jeremiah! woooo!
  
• aww, we are friends! and Xavier is hiding and of course i know where that is so off I charge in a different direction while Jeremiah shouts at me.
  
• i am.. i am not liking this dynamic one bit but its very intriguing as a reader. Xavier returns from this space expedition, talks to Jeremiah, yet when I excitedly track him down in his hiding place he's dismissive (and annoyed?) that i sought him out as he made no effort to contact me when he got back, yet here i am.
  
• this past Xavier "re-attaches" the charm to his sword hilt while I take a seat near him.  something he couldn't take with him on the ship? 
  
• apparently a month ago, Wanderer attacks become more frequent on Philos and students had to check in with the Academy.  so... Wanderers are still a thing, but its not a desperate situation? nobody is panicking even if there is an uptick in frequency.
  
• Xavier left at that time for this expedition that he's just come back from. 
  
• "The Academy and your family were relentless when they lost contact with you." Oh ho, he just LEFT. you rebellious youth, you. and we covered for him! well, go us. Xavier, why are you treating me so nonchanlantly when i am this good a friend to you? 
  
• yeah, I'm getting angrier and he's just laughing. yeah, he's playing off this whole thing as unimportant in some manner. 
  
• also fashion note: he's got some sort of translucent pink-chromatic overlay running down the front/lapels of his long coat and its So Beautiful. 
  

there doesn't seem to be specific chapter notations on this video. it fades out right here so I'm going to guess this is the next chapter break.

[Coldsaturn]

I'll wait for you to play a few more chapters before I start commenting because you'll make the puzzle pieces fall on their own. But I'll just give you a little nudge toward Xavier's third anecdote, When Shooting Stars Fall. It's very very very very very important! You already mentioned it as a frame of reference, which is good because there are details in there that are vital in this myth as well (like the tassel!).
Here if you want a quick reminder https://loveanddeepspace.fandom.com/wiki...Stars_Fall

[ChicletPrime]

Chapter 2??

• we're on a roof in the sunset and the golden light is wreaking havoc in Xavier's hair.  he's got his physical sword (not his lightblade)
  
• ahhh. okay, so his family has been visiting the Academy a lot and maybe something is happening. 
  
• Xavier .. deflects? the "Lightseekers" will start recruiting next month and Xav asks why I'm not training. they are looking for "one new face".  they... only take on a single recruit at a time or something? 
  
• go me! i call him out for avoiding talking about his family. not that it seems to help or anything.  we play with the charm on his sword and make a backhanded observation about it meaning somebody must be on his mind, but he says its not what i think.  (brief mention that he's never told me its story)
  
• aaaand he avoids talking about it again.  Xavier is a really closed book, isn't he? for all that he comes across as personable and warm with his soft voice and smile, he's as tightly closed up as Zayne.
  
• is that why Infold gave us Sylus? just so that, for once, we could have a boyfriend that speaks his mind at every possible moment because he doesn't give a crap what anybody else thinks and secrets outside of business dealings are for the weak? 
  
• also, i get the vague impression that sword tassels are "a thing". maybe its the only thing they're allowed to customize on their Academy uniforms.
  
• oh, that is a BEAUTIFUL screenshot I cannot take .. the birds startle and Xavier turns the girlfriend back to him and he's half leaning over her on this honey colored roof and ah.. such a romantic look. kiss her! tell her what you're holding back! don't let Jeremiah beat you to it!
  
• aaaand it's over.  "Now that you've returned, you're on your own when your family comes knocking."
  
• are we going to storm off the room because he won't talk about anything important? 
  
• ooooh looks like we tried to roll away, but he grabbed our arm and we can't.  what's that, Xavier? don't leave? what could we possibly even say to each other at this point that isn't platitudes and weather? 
  
• oh, he wants a favour but... he'll tell me what it is later. 
  
• THIS GUY
  
• okay, so we'll meet up noon tomorrow at the Goddess statue. he can buy me that drink he owes and maybe whatever this favor is. 
  

oh hey, maybe THIS is the chapter break!  well, close enough.  THE NEXT DAY.

• so the Academy trains swordsmen and Grandis Knights, so GK's are a group and Xavier is/will be one of them. it sounded more at the beginning that he was my/the queen's particular Knight? maybe its a rotating assignment.
  
• oh, no wait. okay, its the Order of Lightseekers, bound to the royal family and i guess Grandis Knight is the highest title inside of that Order. mention of various sub-classes of fighting style. 
  
• how did i end up as the 'crownless queen' then at the start of this with Xavier as my Knight, instead of my King, and me as the Knight? what the hell is going to happen here?!
  
• oh, technically we're at school rivalry odds -- I am the prefect of the Moonchaser (support) style and Xavier is the prefect of the Starhunter (strength) style. but we aren't because we totally liiiiike each other, right?
  
• guess: third style Rainbowrunner (defense) will be what Jeremiah specializes in.
  
• oh, great! i meet up at noon with Xavier asked, and his favor is to have a public duel with me? why?
  
• speculation from students that i'm 'pestering' Xavier and he's specifically mentioned as His Highness so he IS royalty and i am back to being confused again about the hierarchy here and whether this timeline is the one in the anecdote where I met, befriended and died in Xavier's arms, or one that's just similar?  
  
• speculation that we're fighting in order to establish sword rank and who gets to gun for the Lightseeker position that's opening up.
  
• back to me before the duel starts, I accuse Xavier of starting this public beatdown (one of many apparently) just so he can avoid talking to His Majesty the king, which is also why he left on that expedition.
  
• "I wish he never was my father."
  
• wow, okay. don't hold back Your Highness, tell me how you really feel.
  
• i am a very cocky swordswoman, i intend to beat Xavier before 30 moves have passed and I guess his Ultimate comes online.
  
• oh GOD the terrible side NPC voice acting strikes again! augh. 
  
• apparently we are fooling everybody with how much we must hate each other with how aggressively we fight. why does Xavier do this? why are we supposed to appear to be at odds with each other? except i'm too impatient and fail to connect well. Xavier is counting off the moves.
  
• the Royal Messenger, having arrived with a decree involving 'the future of Philos', gets the duel interrupted.
  
• eh? "Panic finally appeared on the Prince's face. He rushed forward, putting himself in the path of the girl's sword."  Xavier is trying THAT hard to get himself injured so he doesn't have to face his dad or something? he is TRYING to get me in trouble?  but... no clear winner. he's escorted off and i got a sprained ankle out of turning my blow so i didn't hit the intervening guard(s).
  
• and Jeremiah (and everybody else no doubt) think that Xavier called in the guards because he was going to lose and thus not be in contention for the Lightseeker position.
  
• ooooooh, Jeremiah with the tea. apparently there's been talk of "an arranged marriage". no wonder Xavier's making himself as scarce as possible within the confines of having to attend classes where they can find him.
  
• i really like Jeremiah's voice actor. 
  
• ooh Xavier is back after a suspiciously short chat with the Messenger and he's side eyeing Jeremiah's arm around my shoulders and then Jeremiah himself. that's right, my prince of light. you are about to be cold cuts on the side if you don't shape up pretty quick.
  
• oooooh, that fanfic you just recommended for Xavier where I thought for sure I knew Jeremiah (and didn't recognize Xavier at all) stems from this. he's always been jealous of Jeremiah's friendship with me. 
  
• wow, he just pushes the arm off me. hey, i was using that for moral and emotional support! injured ankle here. i might cry. 
  
• oh, okay. i am apparently Xavier's junior (he is my senior) and Jeremiah should be taking care of his own junior if he wants to be compassionate over somebody. its mentioned earlier that Xav and me are both being specifically taught by the current Grandis Knight, so... senpai, notice me? 
  

okay another break, this must be chapter three coming up. i'll go read When Shooting Stars Fall again real quick before I dive back into the myth as I am at this point assuming this is all talking about the same timeline somehow, although some of these specifics are not lining up well (ie, if i died in his arms then, too late to be saved with my weak heart, how am i back in school with him and doing fine as I am for one of the highest positions in the land?)

[Coldsaturn]

I can nudge you toward the answer to your last question: Philosian people are immortal, what in normal human years is 10-20 years, they will absolutely stretch it into 200 because they don't have anything better to do.
In the anecdote they were in what looked like high school, here it's an academy. Time has passed.

[ChicletPrime]

ouch, my heart. oh, that is so fucking tragic. he found the protocore that would cure us and it was just too late. will he always be too late? is that his doom? 

but okay, i forgot the detail that we gave him the shooting star charm so this is absolutely confirmed that this is the same timeline, but i do NOT get how this works. unless i don't get born and grow up like a normal person, and just appear incarnate and fully formed like Athena. which... would be wrong because I definitely grew up like a normal person with Caleb, suspicious medical lab experimentation aside. 

how did i die when we were in the Academy together, only to be in the Academy together again?

oh bloody, bloody hell. i am a DOOFUS. why do I always forget that Xavier is immortal? 214 years after Philos was born, a girl with a dying heart loves and is loved by the Prince of the land. and now its some unknown assed time later as Xavier looks/waits for us and here we are, again, stronger and no longer dying  (i hope) and his rival / friend / future queen. but... why is he still in the Academy? it has to be at least 20 more years later and he cannot possibly still be going to school. 

brain bender. did he find us again, and rearranged everything to re-attend? to be that friend once more as he couldn't be the first time? or maybe immortals just take forever at everything, i don't know.

what chapter do we think we're on again?

Chapter Probably 3:

• ".. I knew I had a classmate named Xavier .. who's swordsmanship was top notch. But I didn't see him for many years. My teacher said it would be my duty to protect him in the future, because he would be the future king of Philos."
  
• ".. to become his trustiest Grandis Knight."  i am six years old and scrawling my dreams in my diary with my brightest glitter pen.
  
• i... get a piggyback ride to the teacher's place. we are SOOO school rivals, I can't stand it. and awww, he's teasing me! how did we go from here to whatever was happening at the start of the myth.
  
• nice. Jeremiah is a "hooligan" because he approached me for no reason and (*gasp*) touched me.  okay, he's no Caleb but its nice to feel treasured, thank you Xavier for confirming your feelings without saying anything about your feelings.
  
• aaand he's got us in a clinch on the floor of the teacher's house because he refused to dodge when i tried to do a fancy move on him in retaliation. this is so grade school, i love it.
  
• ohhhh i recognize that from the Fallen Crown trailer! "The Grandis Knight is to be the King's steady blade. Where his Majesty points, your sword must follow."
  
• apparently our teacher is gone for awhile and won't be back... aaaand then he shows up and harumphs at us. tangled on the floor. quoting his teachings with no doubt silly voices.
  
• i just... i know i prefer some of the other boys a tad more, but Xavier is wonderful. like, just imagine this in your mind's eye. A warm room, light glazing through the intricately paned, high ceiling'd windows, a beautiful carpet surrounded by beautiful things. half under, half over a beautiful man who has no problem putting his hands on you in a state of perpetual and teasing struggle, his breath against your ear, the murmur of his voice as he laughs with you as you sprawl together without thinking anything of it. a moment of odd assurance that you are in your place, where you are meant to be. and together. 
  
• aaaand terrible NPC voice, how i missed you.
  
• did... did the teacher just call Xavier the King? 
  
• jesus, he did. what.
  
• and since our duel got interrupted earlier with no clear winner, we are send outside after dinner to give another 1000 strikes and find out who wins at the end. 
  
• aaaand i win! 
  
• let's go back to Xavier being the King, shall we? no? nuts.
  
• "as your prince.... "  are you? are you REALLY? you omitting mr omittison.
  
• if that turns out just to be a dub error, i am going to be so sad.
  
• wow, we trained so hard my hands are bloody. 
  
• .... Holy Sword of the Goddess.  is that... is the little wooden sword in Fallen Crown a cute little replica of it? is Xavier wielding it in the main trailer?!
  
• "You are no knight."   "It's only a matter of time before I am." 
  
• so Xavier confesses the Messenger came to summon him back (like always) and something about a Titulus Ceremony.
  
• "He might not make it this time." which he? to what?  /popcorn   oh, his father might not make it to this ceremony thing. is he sick? and a note that the topic of his father is taboo. 
  
• haaaang on. Xavier, you lying mcliarson. is the reason you don't want to talk about your dad is because he's not actually with us, and every time you have to "go back", its to take on your duties as King? so if i have to be at this ceremony too, but your dad mysteriously isn't there either, well, you already told me he might not which is why you're presiding.
  
• that's what's happening, right? i have got to be in the ballpark.
  
• ye lords, it makes so much SENSE. why he panicked during the duel only when the Messenger showed up. why were are being taught by THE Grandis Knight, who goes where the King points him. why he won't talk about his family.
  
• so much sadness if this is not actually what's happening. Infold, give this to me, I never get anything right ahead of time.
  

probable chapter break!

[ChicletPrime]

can nudge you toward the answer to your last question: Philosian people are immortal, what in normal human years is 10-20 years, they will absolutely stretch it into 200 because they don't have anything better to do.

....or maybe immortals just take forever at everything, i don't know.

HAH! i knew it. sort of.

... can i get through one more chapter before i have to leave....

[Coldsaturn]

"how did i die when we were in the Academy together, only to be in the Academy together again?"
We were in high school, think of the Academy as university. And as I said, everything on Philos is stretched loooooooong because people absolutely lost their sense of time when they became immortal.
Think of the anecdote as being the beginning of high school, and the Academy you're playing now as being basically the last year of college or uni. Then stretch that gap of time because it's Philos and they're slow as fuck.

"unless i don't get born and grow up like a normal person, and just appear incarnate and fully formed like Athena. which... would be wrong because I definitely grew up like a normal person with Caleb, suspicious medical lab experimentation aside."
This is the right question! How does this work?
You were definitely a child with Caleb and grew up. But in the Abysswalker timeline MC says that she has no parents, she literally spawned from the planet's core. And here we have this little conundrum: we definitely died when we were in high school, but are together with Xav again. And our age gap doesn't look like it widened. If he had to wait for us to be born again and grow up again, he would be way older than us. But he isn't.
Our death and our rebirth doesn't seem to include an entire cycle of being born and growing up again, necessarily.

- i know i prefer some of the other boys a tad more, but Xavier is wonderful.
Same. He's a comfort blanket personified. Awfully pretty to look at, but a comfort blanket nonetheless. You know those people that you see and suddenly you sigh and the weight of the day just slips off you? That's Xav.

[ChicletPrime]

is it... wow. okay. so if canon-ocity is wonky which is really apparent in this myth -- is our respawn literally tied to the boyfriend(s)? we were a child because Caleb was a child. because Zayne was a child. maybe we magically appeared as a student in the Academy because that's where Xavier was.

maybe our aether core just makes the world warp around us as needed to make a place where we need to exist, where no place existed before up until that moment.

[Coldsaturn]

That's such a pretty theory, I love it!
(you'll get your answer in one of the World Underneath chapters)