200. A Fragment of Ber’s Past

“What does an Atelier mean to you all? Just a pack of wolves with a fake alpha and their little tool that makes them the big shot? Or is it a sense of belonging? An identity?”

A wise Ber spoke as she lifted her chin towards the moon. They climbed the vast hill that stretched for kilometers across. Fallen stumps and shriveled flora littered every step of the way, as did half-buried homes and ruins of a not-so-distant past.

“We could’ve joined Justica Arms when Galia extended her hands out to the handless me. To the Strand Deacons who offered us the way of the strings and become a Neophyte, like we were lost Postulates seeking purpose or admission to the Scripts.”

She was sentimental, and spoke as if reliving the moments. Her emotions were contrived and controlled, but her voice was pure and resonated from deep within her heart. Ber was a proud wolf who never used to speak much, just like Ignis.

But now that she had trusted them after battling through thick and thin, she offered to tell her piece of her past. Not theirs. Her’s. This was an important distinction because even though they were triplets, they had their own separate stories that made them who they were.

Cer and Res leaned against one another, gazing off into the distance as Ber and Ignis sat closely.

“But that’s not the tale you wanna hear. You wanna know the reason. That’s why you’re listening… nah, who am I kidding? You’re all kind enough that you’ll let a wolf like me yap her mouth.” She said, slowly removing her gauntlets for the first time since they met. “Scarlet Logic promised us vengeance and power. Then there was ImpulseWorks who fixed us up after D-13’s Serum S. We had options. A lot of options now that I think about it. There wasn’t an Atelier that didn’t at least offer us an invitation.”

The immediate lands surrounding them were inhospitable. Yet there was a subtle glow similar to that of the city skies at the summit of the vast hill. Silhouettes of trees lined its peak, and beyond life was expected to go on despite the devastation.

“Don’t want to brag, but we really were a big deal. Serum S survivors. After all the sacrifices made by Inflow Direct and the Wandering Healers they finally found a rag-tag bunch of survivors, shivering somewhere in a half-burnt shack after getting nearly mauled to death by a giant teddy bear.” Ber reminisced.

So that’s why they reacted so strongly towards the Stuffed Teddy Bear...

“It appears like it troubled them before they became Moons. Ber does not appear to wish to continue with that tale. Ignis senses that Cer and Res are becoming agitated as well.” Nav was able to tell how much the triplets despised the Stuffed Teddy Bear.

To be robbed of the opportunity to make things right would have been unbearable for Frost. Getting the order to Suppress it would’ve been akin to Frost sparing the Bloody Herring.

“That doesn’t answer anything, does it? I get it, I get it. We had opportunities, but we didn’t want them. Call it a pride thing, but we were already content with being with each other. Joining one would have been easier than being a regular Moon. But it also meant that we wouldn’t have to live under the rule of someone else. We had enough of that already. I knew what I wanted, and what I wanted to fight for. That’s what mattered the most to me.” Ber continued as they finally climbed to the peak, and they were greeted by a colossal sinkhole.

They were immediately taken aback. A city of shanty dwellings made from wood surrounded the lip of the sinkhole, suspended by beams and chains. Life truly did go on in the ground zero of H6. Beautiful waterfalls cascaded from terminating rivers and disappeared into a fine mist far below, where a giant, vibrant pool glowed.

The water was crystal clear, and they could see all kinds of glowing plants far underneath, and just how deep the sinkhole went. A mysterious mist rose from its depths, which was used as a source of water. Glowing bottles filled with a small, blue crystal collected the mist, and also served to cool it down for consumption.

They couldn’t believe people still lived here despite everything their lands had endured. The scars of the Big Red Heart were ever prevalent no matter where they looked, and a forest of heart-shaped tombstones could be found along one of the sides of the hill.

Deep below, the pool casted a reflection of the moon and the Nexus.

It looked trapped down there.

Ber soon found herself inching towards Frost and Jury. She leaned against Jury’s back and stared back up into the skies.

“Some semblance of self-discretion was one thing… but we also just hated them. Galia was a weird Beholder. She was a human. The first human who tried to reach out for us, and we bit and bit that hand. But she never gave up on us. We were just so tired that the Ateliers began to label us as Jesters. Fools. Made worse by Raoul who hopped from a big Syndicate called the Solemn Paw to all sorts of Ateliers. They used to trade wishes in exchange for 3 severed human hands. It caught up to him and we ultimately paid the price.”

Ber could go and on. Raoul was the reason why Ber had lost her hands in the first place, but Res always seemed to blame herself for this. Cer and Res only listened with sunken ears of their sister’s sweetening voice.

“Res and Cer were popular among the Ateliers. Me? Who would want a shaggy foul-tempered wolf on their side? I wish I had longer hair and could wear a dress, you know? I’m a girl after all. Always dismissed like some sort of ugly duckling. If they didn’t want me, then they didn’t want us.”

The triplets were inseparable, and by the way she spoke, she seemingly longed for their elder brother. But circumstances and an uncontrollable hatred kept them separated. Raoul was their only other family left, and they cherished familiar bonds more than anything in this world.

Ber’s tail began to wag as she stared at her siblings, her eyes sunken and narrowed. She was exhausted, but content that she could get this off her chest, and her siblings were happy to see her so talkative.

“We’re like phases of the moon. Never gonna know which side of us you’re going to get.” Cer said, rubbing her eyes. “Ber. How is it? Feeling better?”

“You bet I am. The ticking’s nice.” She pulled out a glistening, onyx hairclip from her Dimensional Storage. This hairclip was a gift given to her by Frost after her shopping trip for clothes in the City of Diamonds.

She tried putting it on, but her hands began to tremble as they passed through the beautiful scenery of H6. Beyond the peak they found the rebuilt settlements afar. H6 was considerably sparse with life compared to the other Sectors, but that did not detract from its beauty.

Frost lamented as the winds played a howling dirge. She was about to help Ber out with the hairclip but much to her surprise, everyone else had the same idea. It was Ignis who took it into her hands and fitted it onto her short, shaggy hair, pushing her bangs aside to reveal her ruby eyes.

“… Cute.” Ignis simply said.

“You think so? It doesn’t look weird?” Ber was a little flustered to hear this, but happy nonetheless.

Ignis shook her head and suddenly smiled.

“I mean it. I wouldn’t lie to a friend.”

“Daaaaawwwww~! Ignis~!” Ber sheepishly squealed, lightly punching Ignis in the shoulder before suddenly embracing her, her tail wagging like a window wiper. “You’re about the only feline Demi-human I can stick my neck out for!”

“… Mm. I’m happy you think so.” Ignis lightly embraced her back, her hands clutching onto Ber’s suit.

The mood lightened again, and before long, everyone crowded around Frost and Jury. Jury’s fuzzy tail wrapped them all together like a giant nest. They all had the pleasure of enjoying both Jury’s ticking heart, and Frost’s ever healing warmth.

“Ber. I’m happy you opened up.” Frost began, her head suddenly finding itself in a pit of fluff. The triplets offered their knees for her this time as Jury rested her head along Frost’s belly, hugging her like a pillow. “I remember when we first met. You were like a cross between Cer and Ignis. You hardly spoke and glared all the time. Dresses, huh? So we have skewers and dresses to look out for along the way.”

Ignis only watched, but Frost invited her with a small, motherly smile. She shuffled forward and placed her tail just above her head, patting her almost timidly.

“I’m not that selfish to want to play dress up now. We have a mission to finish.” Ber spoke with surprising professionalism. “It’s important we get you back in one piece. Galia… As much as we hate her, she’d probably be thankful for our work.”

“Must be weird having us change personalities on you, huh? Ever heard of the term ‘the phases of the moon’?” Cer pointed up at the creascent shaped moon as she spoke. “It means that we have multiple facets that make us. We just choose to show what we want.”

“Really? That’s a wonderful saying. But it’s like you’re admitting you have a lot more hidden underneath that smirk of yours.” Frost said half-jokingly, staring up at a sky filled with red stars.

They were all the eyes of her precious friends.

“Interpret it how you want.” Cer slapped Frost’s face with her tail, and soon, everyone began doing the same –

“A-Ahaha. Wait – Stop –!”

“Get her Ignis! Use the strangle attack!” Ber urged with a battle cry.

“Eh?” Ignis meekly uttered.

– Except for Jury. She was already fast asleep… somehow.

On this fine night Frost couldn’t help but to long for the future. Unfortunately, Ber did not dabble in the complexity of her past. But she was happy to at least understand it better now.

She one day hoped to understand the ins and outs of them all.