127. To Reach Upon A Star

100 Adventurers marched into the ruins of a golden hell home to thousands. The main streets were clogged with outcropping debris and countless golden needles that caught on the gear of the reckless.

None could imagine the events that had led to such devastation. Unquenchable flames illuminated the strange town-like complex. Its heat was unforgiving, and the air they breathed within its proximity seared their lungs.

That flame was far from normal.

It could not even be replicated by even the most powerful of fire mages. Furio, the level 75 Hot Headed Fire Mage, paled in comparison. He was like an ember of a dying campfire, whereas these flames were akin to a firestorm.

The untrained farmers and civilians of the group struggled to breathe. A few Adventurers fanned them with fresh air as blocks of ice cubes were used to create a cooling breeze. Frost was surprised to see that water could be made using magic, but it turned out that water created from magic was unsafe to consume unless the user themselves were significantly skilled.

This water, ironically, caused the drinker to dehydrate. It would take a special kind of iron stomach to be able to survive on this kind of low-grade water. Frost imagined it to be similar to salt water if that was the case.

She confirmed this to be the case with a small sip.

Yeah. Salty.

Unfortunately, Frost was not well versed in magic to begin with to correct their mistakes. Telling them to stop making it salty was like telling a doctor to just fix a sick patient. There was always an underlying cause, naked to the eye of those untrained or ignorant to the field.

Frost was not going to pretend like she knew, but it was interesting how the salt crystals mysterious disappeared higher one’s skill was. Magic was weird, but in the words of Cer – There were stranger things out there.

“We have another one injured!”

“Are you – Hey! They’re not responding! Black Dove! Another one!”

“Here… Squeeze some of the juice onto their tongue!”

“You – And you lads! Get yer’ asses over ‘ere and lift this off ‘em!”

There were still people they had missed after Frost and the Hired Arm’s initial scan of the Triple Paw Complex. Frost spared no time and healed them with Grand Healing. The particles of light that once left her palms were now clad in black and emitted an aura of pale light.

They were like miniature black holes. Or particles that absorbed light itself. It was ominous for a healer, but even so, it did not stop them from referring to her as an Angel… despite the real Angel sleeping cozily right before their eyes.

Additionally, this was a good opportunity to see the overhealing effect in action.

Human Denizen | HP: 125 | 100

Any injuries that damaged the overhealed portion did not directly affect their bodies. It was essentially a shield.

Unfortunately, she could not use this effect on herself. But it meant that the Moons would be able to survive at least two hits from the Heart of Ours so long as they were under the Black Dove’s Commitment effect.

Furthermore, she also had the pleasure of seeing the Scarlet Healer work her magic.

“There there~ Sit still. Sit very still. Don’t move or you might go pop. You don’t want that. I want the best for you. Haah. Haah. Look at your bones reattach~ Why are you looking away?” She panted like an animal in heat as she clasped onto the crushed shin of a woman.

The particles of light she shed were intense. The healing proficiency was almost instantaneous as the bones snapped and cracked straight into place; with the surrounding flesh inflating to normality as if it were a balloon.

She overhealed that woman to nearly two times her HP bar, and in that moment, Res swooped in and snatched her hands away.

“That’s enough.” She firmly said, causing Ponea to pout.

“Then – Then can I feed her an apple? All these delicious nutrients to nurture your wellbeing. Haaah… Get well soon, ok~?”

When a person was overhealed at over 50% they’d experience highly elevated heart rates, hyperactivity, and extreme blood pressures; enough to consistently cause what they called a Blood Rip.

Or in proper medical terminology, an aneurysm. Sometimes blood pooled through the orifices of the body.

At 100% overheal was when the body began to create excess flesh, bone mass and organs. Anymore and the person was effectively crushed by their own weight, that is if they didn’t explode in the first place.

“The Condemned could never die because of me. No matter how hard they tried to die in battle, I was always there tagging along. How rude of them wanting to go out like that.” Ponea cutely growled.

Her method of healing was extremely dangerous in normal use cases. But in battle, it rivalled or even surpassed Frost’s. The problem was that unlike Frost, her magic was limited to a small number of people.

They had to be firmly attached to her, like she was some sort of parasite.

The Triplets sensed Frost’s approving thought and they simultaneously shook their heads in disapproval. Aside from Res, of course.

“We don’t need to be slowed down. But I’m also willing to let her tag along if you’re unavailable. We don’t have much of a choice on our allies.” Res was reluctant, but she was at least open to the proposition.

“Huh? I like keeping my insides inside.” Cer flat out refused.

“Exactly Sis! Why do you think they’re called innards and not outards?” Ber added as the two stuck their faces up at Frost in defiance.

She took the two by the collar using her tentacles, hanging them ever so slightly off their feet.

“Listen to me. I don’t give a fuck if you hate Ponea as much as I hate the Impuritas. If you two have the time to argue, then you have the time to get along.” Frost understood how hypocritical she appeared considering her rough start with L.S, and her suspicions over Ayel.

But that didn’t mean that they couldn’t work together towards a common goal.

“Grr. Alright, Amalgam.” Ber growled in annoyance, but she eventually obeyed. “Just don’t expect us to protect that thing.”

“Ponea.” Frost corrected.

“Scarlet Healer.” Spat Ber. “Say something Cer!”

Cer was too dazed by Frost’s intense glare to say anything. She surrendered wholeheartedly to the all-devouring eyes. Her nullified RESIST stat made her even more susceptible to whatever that condition was.

“T-This is fine.” Cer uttered before they were placed aside. “I mean, huh? You think you can just tell what you want without considering how we feel–!”

And then, just as she was about to settle her dispute with Frost; she bumped into the belly of an even bigger Frost. All forms of resistance were abruptly forfeited as she stared up into the glorious gaze of the Hired Arm.

“A-As I was saying… I don’t have any problems working with Ponea.” Cer rectified, melting like a popsicle before those brilliant eyes.

Ber was, once again, baffled by Cer. Res on the other hand was already used to her sisters’… fetish? Whatever it was, it made taming arguably the hardest of the triplets a nonissue.

* * *

Over half of the Triple Paw Complex was deemed unusable.

If the surrounding structures weren’t already burnt or destroyed, then they were on the cusp of it. The last remaining bastions were positioned within the compound of the central castle and the sector closest to the City of Vocals.

The first step was to settle in and bolster their defenses. The layout needed to be etched into their minds, and every escape route memorized better than their own mother tongue.

The Triple Paw Complex was a maze towards the central section, but elsewhere it was no different to navigating through a normal war-torn town.

L.S and Broker took the planning as seriously as Frost. Broker, being a Golden Index Captain, had direct experience handling his own men against the Heart of Ours. In fact, the reason he became a Captain in the first place was because of the decade-old event.

Frost held an esteemed meeting with all relevant members within one of the golden chambers of the estate. It was the highest point and oversaw each street of the Triple Paw Complex and the false gardens within its compound, as well as the towering spire.

The news of the Corrupted had broken and spread like wildfire amongst every survivor on board. Few were met with disbelief, whilst others were left unable to comprehend the scale of danger that the Woe of the Fallen Stars possesses.

But everyone instantly understood just how grave the situation was at the mere mention of the Big Red Heart.

Within this glorious chamber was Frost, all three Impuritas, the Moons, Ignis, and the Scarlet Healer.

Each stood around a marvelous glass table as slowly rousing Jury was made to remain seated beside Frost. She was not fully conscious, but she could still hear and understand whatever was spoken according to Nav.

Directly beyond a pair of monolithic, sealed doors was the Big Frost and Perla who tended to the children. Beyond the castle were the Golden Middle personnel, who were tasked with maintaining order in their brief absence until they figured out just how to deal with their seemingly impossible mission.

Frost cleared her throat. Her presence alone demanded the attention of all from the table. When all eyes firmly fell onto her, she erected her posture and began the meeting with a formal introduction.

“You’ve heard me say this before, but I’ll say it again for anyone that’s either forgotten or refused to believe me. I am only the Black Dove in name. My true identity is the Amalgam, the Archetype of Amalgamation from the Floor of Amalgamation within the Nexus.

Her introduction was hardly shocking. In a way, it was still difficult for L.S and Broker to believe her, or at least understand just what the Amalgam amounted to. But judging by her abnormal strength and Corrupted-like abilities; they were quick to draw similarities to her and the Arbiter.

“And your relationship with the Moons is also curious.” Broker slowly spoke. “Besides…”

“… Benevolent Carpalis wouldn’t trust a Color on a whim. Those tentacles. Your hypocritical existence as a healer… Amalgam~ You’re a combination of many things, ahaha.” L.S finished with a small laugh. “You don’t doubt she’s an Archetype, do you painter?”

“That word means… What exactly? But the Amalgam? No doubt in my mind. The annoying fish wouldn’t shut up about it. Not to mention that those flames are exactly like what was recited in their fanatic belief of that Prophecy.” Ayel couldn’t see Frost as anything other than the supposed ‘destroyer’. “Moons of the Nexus are present as well. I have also yet to formally introduce myself!”

“Introductions don’t matter. Can we plan this out already?” Cer shrugged him off.

“Frost needs to set the stage. She has knowledge about certain conditions and requirements surrounding the Heart of Ours because she’s the Amalgam. The more they know, the better the chance we’ll all have at getting out of this.” Res reprimanded Cer with a rational train of thought. “Broker. L.S. As a Moon of the Nexus, it’d be in all our best interest if you trusted Frost… and you too, Frost. Trust goes both ways.”

“I understand. That’s why I’m revealing this to you all. Including you, Ayel. You’re an Impuritas. But you’re also an enemy of theirs.” Frost tapped the table. “No secrets will be spared on this table. Mine included. If you ask, then I will answer. But in return, I want you all to be honest. Any lies, and you’ll not only be our enemy, but the Nexus itself.”

She warned, leveraging the Nexus into this since they understood what it meant to be an enemy of the Nexus.

“Bold words~ As an Archetype that would put you in the realms of the Arbiter. Can you not simply banish the Corrupted?” L.S hummed, wrapping her arms around her back.

“I devour Corrupted and living creatures for strength. I have yet to devour something on that scale, so I’m unfortunately too weak to handle it. But – I’ll be at the forefront of this operation at every single step of the way. None of you need to fight. I won’t force you if you can’t, and neither will I blame you. I know how unreasonable that’d be. That’s why all I want is information.” Frost sincerely spoke.

She, Ignis, Jury and the Moons were the only ones that could even stand up against a Woe of the Fallen Star, however marginally their chances were. It was a suicide mission for the others. No amount of bravery or heroics could detract from that. If anything, survival should be their focus.

“You’re different from the monster they depict you as.” Ayel stated suddenly. His canvas then painted a picture of a burning city. “Frightening as your eyes may be, it does not change that you have yet to rob me of my organs or my calling in life. You see, I am a tortured artist. Whether or not there is a Corrupted blockading our path matters only so much by people driven by emotional desires like us.”

“Us? There are others like you?” Res asked.

“Too many. If the people here won’t fight for you, then those artists sure will. Nothing like a good dose of vengeance to drive the heart!” Ponea hummed. “Buuut. You’ll find a lot of Instruments surrounding them. They’re pretty strong! Level 120, but they’re nothing like the level 150 Leitmotif!”

“150!?” Cer exclaimed. “Do you even hear what you’re even saying!? A person can’t fucking go over level 140 without the Blessing!”

Level 150 creatures were not unheard of. In fact, whilst people were limited to levels 140 and under, there were very few instances that saw beings reach as high as 180. There were only three known entities in Elysia; the one thousand limbed Millinid, Dragons, and the super colonies of the Mycelli fungal race.

They were denoted as Monsoon to borderline Eternal Night despite their high levels, for they compared little to the unpredictable horrors of the Corrupted.

A level 150 Leitmotif raised a few brows, but in the end, it was not something they couldn’t handle. The issue that suddenly arose was the number of level 120 creatures that needed to be defeated if they wished to damage Leitmotif in the first place.

“There was a Condition that prevented the Maestros of Flesh from taking damage so long as they had Instruments.” Frost noted, causing Ayel to draw a question mark.

“By ‘maestro’, you are perhaps referring to Leitmotif? That nails on canvas singer. I believe the last time we crossed paths was 10 years ago. Believe it or not, but he was ensnared inside of a giant red heart!” Ayel exclaimed.

“The Big Red Heart…” Broker uttered. “That thing – It was the source of that heart-bursting disease. So many of my comrades fell when we tried to quarantine H7, no thanks to the Scarlet Logic’s incompetence.” He spat.

“A giant red heart… It might be something similar to the Greed Counter’s Big Blue Diamond. That phase was by far the most difficult. But we should be able to see it out there. Unless…”

“We have to drag it out, just like the Big Blue Diamond. It sounds too simple.” Cer said.

“Simple is good. No need to overcomplicate things. But I think there’s an easier alternative. One of the Conditions allows us to kill the host of the Heart of Ours directly.” Frost mentioned, gathering their attention.

She explained that if Leitmotif was the host then it was possible to defeat the Heart of Ours by killing him. Of course, that was easier said than done. And the Instruments needed to be dealt with beforehand; but it was infinitely better than taking the Corrupted head on.

Also, it wasn’t like anyone else had a better plan.

“But that disease – Aspirating Aspirations, was it? We are all destined to die if we are afflicted by it. We run the risk of total annihilation if we advance alongside you.” Broker brought up perhaps the single most important detail. “Few could withstand the attack. But we were never under the impression that it caused our resistances to falter. It makes sense now looking back… the easiest to sway or those of uncertain aspirations were the first to perish. The stronger ones had bigger hearts jump out of them.”

Indeed. That thing could very well wipe everyone out if it wished. The question now was why didn’t the Corrupted use it again? Was there some kind of limit? Or, if the Bloody Herring was anything to go by, was it because it wasn’t part of their ‘plan’?

“However, that thing cannot sway our hearts. My fellow friends will be of great use to you, provided you aren’t an enemy of our world.” Ayel stated, also having suspicions of Frost’s motives. “You can devour the Corrupted. Who is to say that your good intentions won’t lead to a path of annihilation? Ooh! A brilliant source of inspiration has suddenly struck me like lightning!”

He pulled out a brush from his sleeves and began to physically paint along the air.

“What you want is a guarantee, correct?” Frost asked.

“Not at all. I just want good people to live and understand the passion and soul that goes into our craft. To inspire people from the bottom of my heart. The people down here always wondered what the stars were like. Did you know Amalgam? Of the Prophecy that spoke of a burning world with little stars in their night sky?” Ayel spoke as he depicted a concrete cityscape.

But its night skies were devoid of any stars, and beneath one could find children pointing to the artificial lights of the city, as if mistaking them for stars.

“The tales of such existences were the lullabies of children. In time, everyone had forgotten what a star is. And I am afraid to admit that neither do I know what stars are in a ‘sky’ without moons down here beneath our world.”

Frost was taken aback. Something about that picture caused her heart to jump into her throat. She wanted to say something, but the words refused to spill from her lips. She felt Ayel’s emotion surge through the painting itself, cascading over her body as she silently studied it.

Although the topic was supposed to be how they were going to overcome the Woe of the Fallen Star, Frost suddenly found herself describing just what a star was. The details were brief and succinct, but the others couldn’t help but to find it odd that she knew so much about an object so far away.

Then, she said it out loud as Ayel painted swirls of stars along the night sky.

“I’m not from this world. I come from a different world. Far away with a sky studied far more than our oceans. We had no magic or Corrupted. Just ourselves to fight over. Whether you believe me or doesn’t matter. Because this world has already become my home. And right now…” Frost glanced down at the sleeping Jury, smiling ever so gently at her lover. “I want to protect it. No matter what. Besides, my friends are also in this world.”

Cer grinned mischievously at Frost’s cheesy speech. Normally she’d laugh, but the comfort of Frost’s words caused a rare warmth to envelop her body.

Ber folded her arms and puffed out her chest, happy to be called a friend of an Archetype.

Res’ face didn’t change the slightest, but one glance at her tail, ears and her fidgeting arms told an entirely different tale.

Ignis on the other hand warmly smiled for the second time ever.

“I find it difficult to believe you’d tell a lie like that out of nowhere. Finally warming up to us~?” L.S chuckled, before apologizing immediately afterwards. “Our world, hm. Surprising. There have been stories of people claiming to have arrived from different worlds. Hard to believe! Believe me! But hearing that from you… I think I’ll accept it. As a token of our friendship!”

“Trust. Friendship. Comradery. It forms in many ways. For warriors like us, it’s through covenants. They say that the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb, after all.” Broker stated, acknowledging that trust will be forged regardless of their separated views.

Their united goal in battle will pummel them into one.

“Some warriors prefer the taste of water over blood.” Ponea shrugged. “Or blood instead of red paint~ Let’s hope for the best!”

“Heh. At this point hope is all we have left. And this devourer from a different world right here!” Cer rocked right up to Frost and playfully slapped her back.

“You make it sound like I’m a black hole or something.” Frost sighed.

“A black what!?” Cer sounded shocked, but her eyes screamed curiosity.

“Forget I even opened my mouth.”

* * *

The preparations were set. The very first phase of combat was set to revolve around the removal of the Instruments. That way, Leitmotif would be rendered vulnerable.

Naturally, this was far easier said than done. Numerous issues were bound to arise, and if things looked too good to be true, then she could always count on Murphy’s Law to take effect.

The doors to the chamber suddenly burst open unexpectedly. A rush of children flooded through, chirping as Perla desperately tried to stop them from interfering.

“I’m so sorry!” She exclaimed, lowering her head at almost every step of the way.

“It’s ok. We’ve just finished up. Perfect timing if anything.” Frost assured, watching a warry Stella be dragged around by her fellow friends.

“U-Um! Are we not supposed to be here? I- I can hear the others here!” Stella worriedly said.

“She said it’s ok! C’mon, let’s look at the light from the balcony! You can see the light through your eyelids, right!?” Aster exclaimed, pointing at the blinding light of the lonely star perched at the tip of the green spire.

They huddled up at one of the few balconies. Stella unfortunately couldn’t see anything no matter how hard she tried as the children squealed in delight, finally being just that much closer to the very thing they aspired to reach.

“It’s beautiful… See! See!? Look Stella!”

“You can feel the warmth too, can’t you!?”

These children bared no malice, but one could certainly see how it’d appear cruel. Frost glanced over at Ayel who suddenly began brushing over his painting with ravenous speed.

Curious, she moved over to his side and wondered just what he was trying to correct, only to find that he was repainting over the stars for some reason.

“Oh look! The mister painter is painting a painting of stars!” One of the girls cutely exclaimed, pointing over as the children turned and immediately rushed to see.

“W-We’re moving again?” Stella spoke as if perpetually reluctant.

Not that anyone could blame her. She was blind, and the sudden movement of everything must’ve been frightening for her.

“Mhm! C’mon!” Aster hummed, dragging her along to Ayel’s beautiful painting.

One by one, hands rose as they bombarded both him and Frost with questions regarding the stars.

“Why are there so many stars?” One asked.

“It’s a mystery, but there’s supposed to be billions. Not just one.” Frost stated, causing the children to unanimously chirp “Ooooh!?”.

“What about the swirling colors!”

“When a star explodes they turn into a bunch of colorful gas. Sometimes they shrink, sometimes they grow, and sometimes they even change colors.” Frost made it fun and easy for the children to understand, adoring their curiosity.

“Does that mean the fishy man will explode into a bunch of gas? Isn’t he a star, like that singer?” Another asked, causing Frost to nod.

“Yeah… he’ll definitely explode.” She sinisterly muttered beneath her breath before sharply mellowing her tone. “I mean, who knows~?”

“He’s a different kind of star. A bad star.” Ayel stated, swiping his floating painting with one final, dramatic brushstroke. “Perfecto~! Where’s the blind one?”

“U-Um… Wait, isn’t he supposed to be evil? Painters a-are –!”

“Aww. Won’t you at least see the hard work I’ve put into my painting?” Ayel faked his sadness, causing Stella to reach out for Frost’s sleeve, following her voice.

“It’s ok Stella. I think… Hey. Wait…” She was about to say something until she finally noticed the changes he had made to the painting.

“So you’ve noticed!” He applauded her sharp eye.

“You gave the stars texture…” Frost constantly found herself being taken aback by the unaffiliated Impuritas. “Stella. It’s ok. Here. You’re not alone. Everyone, help her touch the painting, ok!”

… Nav. There’s a lot of things I’ve seen in this world. More bad than good. But the good that does come around…

Stella, Aster and all the children reached out for the painting. Their tiny hands brushed over the swirling stars as Stella’s face instantly blossomed.

And then, she froze. Her body trembled and before long, tears began to drip from her cheeks.

… Makes me feel like it was all worth it in the end.

“So that… that’s… a star…” Stella sobbed.