142. Beholder Jury

Books!

So many wonderful books spilled from thousands upon thousands of shelves. Enormous walls rising further than the eye could see offered their knowledge for a fleeting figure that rushed through countless ever-changing stairwells and shuffling floors in search of their one perfect book.

Trailing shortly behind was a timid girl who clutched onto a comedically large book by her chest. She followed Jury along, her mouth uttering soundless words as they were engulfed in a mesmerizing sea of text.

“Your one perfect book is somewhere amongst them!” The Archivist cried in a muted voice, translated only by the passing text that was highlighted amongst the open books. “U-Um! Good luck! Please keep reading the texts as they come!”

It was also through these texts that the contents of the Archivist’s dearest book were communicated to her. However random and jumbled the words were on every page of every conceivable book; the odds of creating a coherent passage that matched the contents of that book were never zero.

Frost’s story is about a lost world. Both the Archivist and Frost came from that world. She even used to be a mercenary… I think. At least that’s what the Archivist thinks. But why does it all sound so familiar? Her… or his story.

The Archivist gently pried the pages open and desperately kept her eyes sealed shut to prevent herself from reading a single word. In the meantime, Jury picked up the pace and dashed up and down beautiful wooden staircases and ran across balconies that hung kilometers above.

And that was only from the nearest floor beneath. The Eternal Library was a near endless space, and while it theoretically had its limit, one would have to spend an eternity to reach one end to the other.

Where civilization was on its last few bastions. A world of magic that suddenly came to the brink after some unforeseen event occurred. It reads just like a diary. A recollection of the past. Not the future… I don’t think.

The lighting was warm and somehow felt encouraging as Jury’s heart ticked with each second spent scouring the library for a book that resonated with her. A blue light steadily formed in what appeared to be the center of the library as Jury spent what felt like days on end running as fast as she could.

On occasion a floating book would deliver warm tea, cookies, and a fluffy blanket for Jury to rest. The passage of time had no meaning here, but Jury never stopped counting the ticks of her beating heart.

Because each tick was a second that passed without Frost by her side.

Time is weird. The timeline of Frost’s story and the Archivist doesn’t make any sense. Frost was alive on Earth. So why does the Archivist remember that version of Frost? Why does Frost also remember that strange world? How did they meet in the first place?

The Library never experienced nights or days.

Its ever-changing nature only made it increasingly difficult to understand which way was up or down, left, or right. At some point Jury and the Archivist were running on a plane that ran upside down to the rest of the world, and other times they traversed a floor that ran parallel to the rising shelves.

… And why do ‘I’ also know about that world. Is it because of the Black Forest? A starless sky matches the Black Forest. But at the same time… I can’t help but remember the warmth associated with this text.

Magical could not even begin to describe this place. The books that had nourished Jury with knowledge failed to explain the non-Euclidean spaces present within the Library.

Surely, any normal person would have had their mind rendered from the unfolding scenery alone as the Library became increasingly disordered with each passing day.

“Of a world fallen. I asked her who could be forgiven, and who could come along. They struggled against the greed. The heartache. The wars, and they repeated the same mistakes over and over until it all bubbled up. I can’t believe they sent me to fix it. I, who came from another world as their equivalent of a healer, became the most violent out of necessity.”

But at the same time, a structure was being formed. The central column was hollowed out, revealing nothing but a dark abyss underneath and far above. Books swam around this boundless column where rushing winds struck howled and struck hard enough to deal damage to Jury.

It was akin to tanking a head on collision with a train. Before long only this column existed as the entirety of the library. Jury sprinted around its inner rims, following the staircases as countless books spun as if stuck in a colossal whirlpool.

Why… does reading it make me so sad? Nav… Archivist. I feel like I’ve heard someone tell me this before. Jury’s heart continued to make ticking noises as the Archivist eventually caught up with her.

They came to what seemed like the edge of the world, and the only thing that separated them from the abyss a step ahead was a single, black, and white book. The search felt anticlimactic, but Jury remembered every hour spent within. It had been easily over hundreds of hours since they began their search, and since she left Frost behind to deal with the Corrupted…

Without being by her side again.

“Jury. I know who, or… er… vaguely who Frost is. But you are also somehow familiar to me. Since we first met. Are you surprised?”

The Archivist’s leather shoes gently tapped on the wooden floors as she approached Jury’s side and stared up at the towering woman. She pulled out a hand and brought it to her head, as if measuring their heights.

“Well… I do remember how tall you were. I’m sorry if it’s sudden… But the reason why I’m bringing it up now is because your heart’s weird. I meant the technology! Um… The onset of receiving a technology should be separate from the body. It shouldn’t be integral, like an organ. That only happens to Beholders after decades of exposure and attachment.”

The Archivist explained the oddity of Jury’s ticking heart, causing her to clasp onto her chest. Jury tilted her head in confusion, but a part of her understood what exactly the Archivist was implying.

“Carpalis’ Faustian Bargain was just a hair clip until it fused with her body. It takes time.”

“… Do you mean that I’ve maybe been exposed to this technology before?” Jury verbally asked.

“Not maybe. You must have. I don’t know what it is yet, or what it will be but –! I think if it’s you, then it’s ok! So open your arms out and hug that book!”

Jury spread her arms wide, and, after a small moment of thought, she embraced the book. Her body instinctively tensed up, expecting something substantial to occur.

But nothing happened. Nothing changed at all. In fact, the Archivist could almost be heard giggling to herself as she gently placed a hand onto the brooch Jury wore.

Then, she spoke for the very first time:

“Please don’t lose that precious gift. And… Good luck, Jury.”

Suddenly, the world fast forwarded until the darkness from above and below consumed her vision. When all went black she found herself floating in an empty void, feeling nothing but rushing air.

She couldn’t tell if she was falling or not. The air seemed to blow from every direction at once. Clutched in her arms was the book that promised to grant her the technology she wished.

This was her one perfect book.

< Book of Elysia >

< Excerpt >

< “Time will always be the final frontier. Whether it’s make belief or as tangible as the world we love, ruling over its powers will forever be the only way we can all remain together.” >

< Technology Gained >

<||||> Heart of Time <||||>

* * *

Jury suddenly found herself in a pale forest. Giant trees reached for a pale sky as her vision tumbled. The panicked breaths of a child were all that left her lips as she travelled through the forest.

She was running away from something.

“Run! Run! There’s a big scary monster in our forest!” She tried to warn whoever dared to tread within this forest, which was home to nearly a thousand Angels like herself.

Her body was near identical to that of her Corrupted self, and she confirmed it as she tripped into a puddle of freezing water. It turned out that the reason why her forest was so white was because it was caked in thick snow.

Jury never knew what snow was but hearing the scrunches and feeling the coldness bite through her skin made her realize that this was a memory. A sealed memory of a time so distant that she could not accurately decipher just what this memory meant, or if it even was hers to begin with.

Nevertheless, Jury kept calling out at the top of her lungs that a monster was here. Her home was located in a remote place, somewhere far away from the rest of the world. She remembered that much. Her voice called and called as her body bled and shivered to the cruel conditions of her home.

Hanging from translucent threads by the treetops were her Angel brothers and sisters. The monster had already taken their lives and Jury knew that she was next. She ran and ran, stumbling over twigs and rocks, and slipped onto the mud of an animal path before she eventually could run no more and keeled over in despair.

She remembered the giant creature. A giant, black, fuzzy ball that took the eyes of her closest friends. Jury never wondered why it was them, the innocent Angels, who were targeted by this monster when they did nothing wrong.

Hatching from their bodies were more of these monsters, and they spat poisonous thorns that withered the trees all around her. Jury didn’t sob or cry, instead, she only continued to blare a warning, caring little of her own life.

Frost was right.

Since the start… since the very begging, Jury was a selfless person. She didn’t know if she was going to die here, but the thought of Frost warmed her in this dreaded cold.

And then – Flames scorched the miniature black, spider-like monsters. It was a comforting flame that injured the bad, and warmed the bodies of the innocent.

Jury looked up from the mud and found a familiar back standing before her.

That person wore the same clothes as Frost’s Hired Arm, and their body was wider. Bulkier. Bigger and masculine. She couldn’t see their face as he turned around and took her hand.

Then much to her surprise, he began to work on her injuries with unconventional methods.

This man did not use healing magic, but an assortment of tool, cloths and devices.

“Tch… Look what they did to you…” He… No. Frost painfully spoke.

Jury’s eyes widened.

Those were the exact same words Frost shared with her when they first met.

Far, far back when the children of that village tormented her on that fateful day. She couldn’t believe it. If it was a dream, then she didn’t want it to end.

Her heart ached happily to the nostalgic warmth of his hands, and the voice that comforted her in her time of despair. Moreover, she was elated to know for certain that she did know Frost from a time that predated their own.

This person couldn’t be anyone else.

No one could be this kind.

Frost allowed her to climb onto his back, and from there he began to carry her out of the desolate forest. Few words were shared, but she was certain that just like their first encounter… there might have been a communication problem.

It made Jury laugh.

And it made her cry harder.

This warmth permeated through her cheek, body, and arms as she found herself being lulled to sleep on the back of her savior.

Maybe this was why she was so ready to defend Frost.

Perhaps to repay a favor from long ago.

* * *

< Jury. It’s Nav. How are you feeling? >

< As I thought… there’s many things to take in >

< Even for myself >

< … There is good news. You’ve finally become a Beholder >

< Or more specifically, a Junior Beholder >

< Allow me to show you your base stats >

LEVEL : 200     < Junior Beholder >
NAME : Jury     HP : 250,000 ^500/Min     MP : 40,000 ^50/Min     AGI : 85     RESIST : 160 (+45) AGE : 26     ATT : 8,000     ATT DEF : 6,500 (+300)     O : 160     D : 80
ORIGIN : Original     MAG ATT : 9,000     MAG DEF : 5,500 (+300)     S : 0     E : 0

< With your additional buffs, including the Diamond Counter, the False Diamond, Determined, and all other buffs thanks to Frost: your ATT and MAG ATT are as follows >

ATT: 68,000

MAG ATT : 76,000

< It puts into perspective just how powerful a full-fledged Beholder is >

< Your strength will grow in time. The maximum level cap has been raised to 250 >

< The rest of your Abilities, Skills and Stats will be granted the next time you are in sight of the Nexus >

< As for now; you have gained one Active Skill >

< Your Heart of Time requires Nex to function >

< I unfortunately cannot see anything more. Something prevents me from prying. But I believe you will know how to use it >

< I’ve let Frost know in advance, but she hasn’t responded to me yet >

< She’s been keeping you alive for days. There is no telling just what her condition is like >

< Therefore… I ask you, friend to friend – Please help her >

* * *

The warmth returned suddenly as she gripped at her heart, awakened by the intense pain that throbbed deep within. But this pain was not due to some Condition that threatened to tear it apart. Rather, it was because the warmth she was pressed against was slightly lukewarm.

She found herself against the exact same back as the one from her dream. Except this one was feathery, drenched in blood and tattered beyond repair.

This person was Frost. The Frost she knew, and a Frost that could barely keep herself on her two feet. Various Touch of Golds wrapped Jury against her back. With how cold Frost’s body had become she realized that it must have been for warmth.

Her body shivered, and her hair so soaked in blood that it changed to a light red.

But her voice was ever bright as she greeted Jury with what she believed to be a smile on the other side of that face.

“Welcome… Back… Aha… Thank goodness you’re ok… You’re Determined now, huh. Good… Good.” Frost’s voice wavered.

“How… How long have you and Res been fighting for?” She asked, still clutching at her heart as the ticking grew exponentially harsher with each passing second.

“5 days. The Big Red Heart hasn’t moved much… but it’s getting close. Take a look… It’s so close to reaching the False Diamond.” Frost pointed out.

Jury looked up and witnessed two titans of red and blue on a collision course. The Big Red Heart had already breeched into the Triple Paw Complex, and the Aspirators flooded through in the thousands without end.

Res relentlessly fought them on, utilizing her wide-scale electrical attacks to keep them at bay whilst those that managed to sneak through were dealt with by the immune Painters far behind, as well as the Hired Arm and Ignis.

5 days was an incredibly long time, and Frost felt every second of it. Jury could tell by the way she spoke that she suffered tremendously… far more than she ever had. Now that she noticed it, Frost wasn’t even standing. Her toes were dangling just an inch off the floor as her dull Touch of Golds hung her in place.

“… I guess… it’s your turn now. Hey… Are you ok?” Frost suddenly asked, surprising her as she clutched onto Frost’s body, begging her to rest now. “Your heart’s beating… no, it’s ticking like crazy. Are you feeling alright? Oh, right… Did you manage to gain your technology?”

“I did… I did. Please Frost. Stop talking. Just leave it all to me. You’ve already done enough…” Jury urged, plucking Frost from her place.

She cradled her in her arms like a princess. The lightness of Frost was unordinary, and she thanked it all to her newfound strength.

She had never seen Frost’s face look so tired. There were visible bags beneath her eyes, and she could barely keep them open as well. She was not on the brink of death, but she’d be damned to believe otherwise. Her exhaustion could not be described in words.

“You don’t sound like you’re in a good shape either… Is your heart ok?” Frost asked as Jury strode forward with Frost clutched close, her head nestled deeply by her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I feel like if I stop talking then I’ll actually die. I wonder… how much worse would it have been if you never saved me in the Black Forest.”

Jury shook her head.

“That’s… That’s what I want to say. You don’t remember, do you? A white forest with monsters? A crying angel that you saved with fire?” It probably sounded odd to Frost, but her lover wasn’t a person who would judge her.

She just softly smiled and turned her gaze to her own small hands.

“I don’t remember that much. But… I wouldn’t put it past me. Sounds cheesy to say it out loud… honestly… I think I’m a bit of an idiot. Well, a big idiot. I ran straight towards a child that told me to run away… Talked to a Corrupted after being told they were enemies of this world… Hell, I went straight into adventuring as a healer that only knew how to punch.”

Frost then raised a hand and cupped Jury’s cheeks.

“But I don’t regret any of it. Jury… Let’s end this. Then…”

< Your Heart of Time requires Nex >

< 100 Nex to function per day >

< 1,000,000 to utilize your Active Skill >

< Receiving Nex from Frost >

< NEX: 200,000 >

“Let’s go get some skewers.” Frost flashed her a tiny grin.

The pain in her heart began to ease as Frost transferred her Nex. The warmth in her palm returned the longer it rested on her face. Surrounding them was a storm of electricity that ravaged everything on sight.

Res fought with everything she had, and by now the Triple Paw Complex was nothing but a flattened wasteland. It was sad to think that the homes of thousands once stood there. Even if it was their hell, she imagined that it still would be sad for the innocent lives who knew nothing but their small world to see it all fall apart.

That’s why…

< NEX: 500,000 >

“JUUUUUURRRRRRYYYYY! WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG!?” Res shouted ecstatically. Somehow, that big wolf was still full of vigor.

Jury smiled to herself, amused by her still lacking vocabulary despite the knowledge she had accumulated from the Eternal Library. One such knowledge was the concept of time. It was strange to her. A completely bizarre concept that somehow clicked with her the moment she peered into the countless scrambled texts of the Eternal Library.

There existed the concept of the arrow of time; a singular direction of events dictated by entropy. She learned that things could not happen in reverse because of this. But as it turned out, healers, and other things in this world defied it.

That concept from Earth had no place in this world.

But even so, it provided the foundation of her heart.

< NEX: 700,000 >

“I’m so sorry! Big Wolf –!”

“IT’S RES! Beholder or not, you WILL call me by my name! That’s punishment for leaving Frost alone! She’s been waiting there all this time just for YOU!”

“Hey… I had to wait for you too, Res…” Frost seemed to have at least enough energy to make one last joking remark.

Thankfully, that optimistic side of her was still intact.

< NEX: 900,000 >

Then, after taking in a deep breath, Jury cried out at the top of her lungs:

“RES! RES! GET OUT OF THE WAY! I’M… I’M GOING TO ATTACK IT!”

“HUH!? WITH WHAT!?”

“I DON’T KNOW… I don’t know. But I can feel it! Something brimming inside of me! Something calling out to me! That I have to destroy that Big Red Heart! IT HURT FROST AND EVERYONE INDISCRIMINATELY! I HAVE TO JUDGE IT!”

< NEX: 1,100,000 >

Res didn’t know what she was talking about, but she was not so dumb to ignore the warning of an aspirating Beholder. But little did she know was that this aspiring Beholder had already gone above and beyond.

A pale-blue glow shone from within her chest, causing Frost to murmur in awe. Suddenly, it was as if a portal was torn from the fabric of space itself high above Jury as a colossal barrel of a weapon not too dissimilar from the Justica Arm poked through and took aim at the Big Red Heart.

The barrel was made from an enigmatic pale stone that resembled the pearlescent object that the world called the Nexus. It pulsated with an indescribable power, and a low-pitched wine could be heard from within as various slabs of its pale exterior flipped to black.

Jury, with nothing but pure determination to obliterate the fore standing before her, unleashed a skill befitting of only that of a Beholder like herself.

|| RETROCAUSALITY – SMITE ||

< ATT: 2,000,000 >

< MAG ATT: 2,000,000 >

< Call in a predetermined strike. Whether from the past or future is up to you to decide >

< From me to you, me. Don’t let this second chance slip >

A beam of highly condensed energy equivalent to that of a holy smite obliterated the Big Red Heart. The buffs combined with the ATT and MAG ATT of the attack one hit a Woe of the Fallen Star-classed Corrupted.

The beam travelled further past its carcass, which collapsed the skin of a peeled banana as it struck the City of Vocals and evaporated several layers straight from the mound. It tunneled further to inconceivable lengths, and none would be surprised if it travelled around the world and returned for a second strike.

Res, who stood beside them, was left with her mouth agape. Her ears flattened at the sheer power that Jury possessed. However temporarily mattered little. She was now fighting alongside a Beholder, and her hopes bubbled within the depths of her heart.

She fell to her knees, clasping at the soil as if suddenly overcome with exhaustion. Res suddenly began tearing up as she bit her lip and muttered:

“It’s… it’s over… You did it Jury. You defeated the Big Red Heart. You did it… YOU DID IT! YOU DID IT! YOU DID IT JURY! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” She then broke out into a victorious cry.

“It’s gone… All in one attack. Aha… Hahaha… Ahhh… I want to join you as well… but, not yet… Not yet… We still have the Aspirators to deal with. And the Bloody Herring.” Frost, finally relieved from her torment, slid onto her feet as the giant weapon disappeared into the tear in space with a thunderous clap, as if loading yet another round for the next time Jury called upon its aid.

“Jury. Res… I’m going straight for him. I am not… I am not going to let him get away this time. Thank you, Jury… Thank you for clearing up these reddened skies…”

Frost’s tone changed. Even though the Big Red Heart was defeated, she still should have been afflicted by the Aspirating Condition. Yet nothing harmed her. In fact, it felt as though the entire cavern was being illuminated by a false night sky.

Nav then revealed something spectacular.

< Frost’s Will of the Amalgam Has Reached the Fourth State >

< The Fourth State Has Manifested as Hope… All thanks to you, Jury. And tell Res I gave her my thanks >

< All Corrupted Zones from lower than Apocalypse-class are overruled by the Amalgam’s Corrupted Zone >

< Asterism’s Corrupted Zone Has Manifested >

The finale was upon them.

And it was done in a hopeful, spectacular fashion. The heart wrench was over, and in its place, came the soothing light of countless stars and colorful cosmic plumes in their night sky.

“Who would have thought that we’d be surrounded by so many stars so deep underground... Mmmm! That’s it Jury! That’s it Frost! Aaaaahhh… I’m so… So relieved! Fight yeah! Fight!?” The relinquishment that washed over Res must have been incredible.

Frost, having been rejuvenated by the manifestation set her sights to the City of Vocals.

It was time to put an end to this.

“Mhm” Jury nodded.

“Yeah. Fight.” Frost cracked her knuckles.

They’d be getting well acquainted with the Bloody Herring soon enough.