137. Change of Heart

Nothing could stop them now. A kilometer climb was all that separated them from the brimming star. Leitmotif’s woes fell on deaf ears as Frost propelled everyone across the final stretch.

< [Shattered Dreams] >

< [Beaten Desires] >

< [Gushing!] >

The Dark clouds, the dreaded shockwaves, and the heart-manipulating attack only bolstered Frost’s drive. Involuntary spouts of shouted desires echoed along the cavern’s heights. Their voices were chaotic, but the passion they possessed drove their hearts forward.

“This is the end of your paradise! Climb, climb, CLIMB!” Cer shouted from within the safety of Frost’s nest, accompanied by Ber who followed with:

“Just like when Paradise was lost! Make this another Paradise Lost event! Make them pay!”

“No one deserves to keep suffering like this. Sana. The blind girl – Everyone – This underground complex of Hearts has no right to rob people of their own hearts!” Res clasped onto Sana’s hands, comforting the healer as the woman sobbed:

“I wanted to help them, but I couldn’t! I’m sorry! All my serums were gone! I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough!”

“Tch… 700 meters! EVERYONE! HIT THE STAR WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE!” Res led the charge as a brilliant array of magical attacks cut through the clouds.

Her beams drilled into the faraway ceiling, hailing them with debris as the meatballs of [Collective Leap] began to shoot upwards at them.

“NOT A CHANCE! WATCH US! YOU JUST KEEP DOING YOUR OWN THING AND LET US HANDLE THE FRONT!” Cer maniacally yelled, drunk on both the effects of [Gushing!] and the adrenaline of battle.

As deranged as her shout was, it managed to encourage Frost, causing her to break into a small grin.

The Touch of Golds wrapped them tightly, defending them from the hailing rock. A dozen were dedicated to the climb, which saw them thrust them forth with immeasurable speed whilst the rest created an umbrella on both polar ends.

One was to punch through the shadows and to block out the intensifying light, and the bottom was to prevent the meaty clumps from reaching them.

Particles of gold and black engulfed Sana to protect her from all forms of the Heart of Ours attacks. How she managed to make it this far was a miracle, and the triplets could not be any happier to see the healer alive.

But they were still not out of it yet.

“JURY! HOLD ONTO YOUR LOVER OR I’LL TAKE THAT LIBERTY FOR MYSELF!” Cer randomly exclaimed, causing Jury to suddenly latch onto Frost, embracing her from behind.

“No one is going to take your heart away from me! No one is allowed to interfere with our hearts! I’ll always be with you no matter what happens!” Jury gushed with her heart’s brimming desires.

I’m not the only thing you can gush about, you know?

“Her heart must be filled only with you. 400 meters left!”

“You do not know what you’re doing! Is this what you want!? This city won’t be the only one that will fall! You will shatter empires! Regions will become poisoned by your touch! It will all crumble because of YOU!”

Frost did not give him the privilege of hearing her voice. His desperation was unbelievably disgusting. By now the star had become so bright that the umbrella ahead caused the Touch of Golds to become slightly transparent, and her shaded hands to reveal the bones and veins hidden beneath.

Not even her eyelids could prevent the light from searing her eyes.

< [Aspirating Aspirations] >

Suddenly, their bodies convulsed. Frost’s heart rattled in her chest as their collective heartbeats pummeled her tentacles. A combined scream of anguish filled the air as Frost’s Touch of Golds subconsciously climbed, all the while they grasped at their hearts, battling their deepest, constricting desires.

Frost… Did not know what this compulsion was, however. No one screamed out theirs, but Jury and Res once again were affected the strongest judging by their highly unstable heartbeat. She held onto Jury’s slipping hands and kept her close.

Jury struggled to keep herself conscious.

“300 meters!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! STOP ALREADY! YOU MUST KNOW THAT… That We’ve already been seeded into the greatest civilizations across Elysia! To protect them from you! That city at the borders of Grandis and Brandar was destroyed because of you–!”

“THAT’S NOT TRUE!” Ignis suddenly hissed, her gentle voice hardly matching her enraged face.

The violent battles seemingly ceased, as if paying respect to Ignis. She never really spoke to begin with. Her heart was always sealed and only very small portions of it ever came to light. Frost knew little about Ignis as well, despite how close they seemed.

She even feared that Ignis held a grudge against her for failing to save her father.

However...

“They helped us… They helped me! I lost everything and hurt everyone around me in my despair! But she still stuck out her hand to try to save me and papa when no one else would!”

Ignis clutched onto Frost’s Touch of Golds, then, she reached for Frost’s hand and clasped it with all her might.

“The Impuritas – You monster – You took it all away! The people I watched from my window… The people who were turned to blobs and walls… The parents couldn’t recognize their children because of you! I became a blob and cried that papa would never take a monster into his arms! But he did… Papa… Papa was always the kindest!”

Frost saw a glimpse of what Ignis aspired. She was taken back to their train trip on the way to the Golden Index. That night where Ignis questioned her about her future. Her purpose after having lost everything.

“No one has to lose everything because of your selfish wish! I promise I’ll find every single one of your nests in every kingdom and uproot you! No one… NO ONE… No one…”

Ignis began shedding tears, her voice becoming bitterly hoarse as the memories of her lost home came washed over her.

“No one deserves to lose everything. What did they do to deserve it? What did papa do to deserve becoming a Corrupted?”

Ignis’ words were relinquishing. She was the first to emerge free from the effects of [Aspirating Aspirations], followed by the triplets save for Res, then Ponea. Sana was hardly affected in the first place. Her aspirations were cemented firmly as a healer.

[Aspirating Aspirations]… This isn’t like the others. It sounds like it’s amplifying their desires.

“It explains Sana’s resistance, since healers lack an aspiration to go beyond what they are, therefore, they cannot be suffocated by it.”

… I’m worried about Jury and Res.

“Perhaps just like Cer and the Greed Counter, this Corrupted must resonate deeply with them. In all likelihood, they will become Determined given enough time.”

I’m hoping for it. But it’ll be better if we can kill Leitmotif and the Heart of Ours in one fell swoop.

“Precisely. 100 meters!”

Lesser Luminare
Maestros of Flesh
< Staging >
HP : 150,000     ORIGIN : Impuritas     ATT DEF : 2,000     MAG DEF : 2,000

This was the name of the false star. Luminare had multiple meanings. The more literal one was that of a bright light, usually in reference to the moon, stars, or sun. The other meaning, however, was to describe a person who excelled in a profession and acted as an inspiration to others.

With everything she knew about this acknowledgement-seeking insect; she could not help but to scoff at that twisted version of inspiration.

Thankfully, it had already taken considerable damage thanks to their prowess.

Lesser Luminare | HP: 30,000

“THE SYMPHONY OF OUR COMBINED EFFORT WILL NOT FALL ONTO YOUR DEAF EARS, AMALGAM! THERE CAN BE NO OTHER WAY! HERRING! HERRING!?”

“If this is the only method that you rulers can take, then neither is there any other way for me to deal with you Impuritas. Violence will be met with violence if you can’t learn –!”

Frost, still stubbornly afflicted by the Corrupted attack, reached the last 50 meters. With a mighty heave that required every ounce of willpower; she thrusted her Touch of Golds as if trying to pierce the heavens.

“– HOW TO BE CIVILIZED!”

Lesser Luminare | HP: 15,000

Its HP was obliterated in half by 3 piecing stabs. The sound of shattering glass broke from its crumbling body.

This was the end.

< [Aspirating Aspirations] >

The final bunch of Touch of Golds seized their prey and devoured the false stellar body. The intense light fizzled into nothingness, plunging the world into total darkness. What replaced the once dazzling light was a free-falling Frost.

She did not gain any abilities from the light, but that mattered little now that the tether between all of Leitmotif’s instruments was now cut.

The ceiling of the grand auditorium had collapsed completely, revealing a groveling Leitmotif who aspirated to his own desires, grasping at his heart in pure torture.

He screamed for his most trusted aid.

“HEEEEEEEERING PLEASE –! You – You’ve finally shown –! GAAAAAGH!?”

However, his aid was none other than a betrayer.

He followed in the footsteps of the fallen star he dearly admired.

“It’s not too late! The Train Core! Where is the Train Core – AAAAAAGH! HERRING!?”

“Silence. A foolish retainer like you is not needed when you cannot see the greater picture. I always thought the Painters were better than you sorrowful Musicians.” A mangled Bloody Herring rolled over to him, using his hands to navigate over the rubble.

Clasped in his hand was one of the red, metal blades belonging to L.S.

Frost instinctively feared for the worse, but they had no way of speeding up their fall. Rather, she had to descend at a steady pace to not instantly kill Sana should they arrive at an abrupt stop.

Her Touch of Golds hooked onto the collapsing spire, dragging down along it to maintain a safe fall rate.

The only person capable of sniping them from this far away was Res, but she was still encumbered by her gnawing heart.

“The Amalgam is here… We cannot afford to miss this chance! That’s why, oh dearest friend, I must take that heart as my own… and that seed that is rightfully mine!” The Bloody Herring exploited his so called friend’s weakness and plunged the blade into their chest.

They sawed away at Leitmotif’s carapace armor. It should not have been possible given their stat differences until Frost realized that this was the work of the Heart of Our’s Additional Suppression Requirement.

Nav! Why would the Bloody Herring kill the host!?

Frost dreaded asking.

< ADDITIONAL SUPPRESSION REQUIREMENT: The Host attached to Heart of Ours forfeits all DEF stats and take 4 times as much damage >

This allowed him to cut away at his chest and fish out the Heart of Ours as Leitmotif was reduced to a gurgling mess. The heart itself was tiny, and no bigger than the size of a fingernail.

How could such a small thing possess so much power?

“Do you remember the second part of that requirement? I must remind you because this battle has not yet ended.” Nav ominously warned.

< Heart of Ours will take equivalent damage scaled to Host’s health. Heart of Ours will perish immediately if the Host is not replaced >

< ‘If’ the host is not replaced >

Frost’s heart sunk into the coldest recesses of her gut. Her eyes were pried, and her pupils contracted to dots. She knew exactly what was going to happen next.

“It will be done… Amalgam… For the sake of my happiness...!”

The Bloody Herring attached the tiny heart onto his mangled body. Tendrils immediately sprouted from the heart, becoming increasingly thicker. Before long, a bulbous mass consumed him, causing the entire city to quake.

“… YOU… MUST… FALL!”

< [False Heart] >

It was as if the world had ended.

A supersized heart suddenly grew from the mass that encased him. It sunk into the city due to its sheer weight, annihilating the entirety of the 6th layer as an immense pressure wave sent Frost and her companions flying outwards in the direction of the barren wastes.

The hardest part had finally arrived, and before she could even gain her bearings; her heart suddenly thrashed against her chest, blurring the lines of life and death as all went dark.

The last thing she heard were the woes of countless…

… And a voice that begged her to wake up.

< “Our hearts were never ours. The rejection of the body, the mind, and the desires of all else resulted in our cities being painted picturesque.” >