220. Escalating Emotions

Ber was the first to reunite with Frost whose underside of her hair shone blue, evident that she had manifested the Greed Counter. Similarly, one hundred golden arms extended out from Frost’s back like the wings, each brimming with a flame at the tip.

She was a living bonfire.

The flames burning on her arms could not be quenched, and they burnt strictly up to her elbows. Miraculously her apparel was left unscathed as she watched the swarm of a hundred bear-pawed Bers approach with uncontrollable violence.

Whether it was concrete, wood, the street or a speck of dust the Fragment of Bers would swipe with endless anguish, wailing like the child they took after. The paw they possessed was twice the size of their head, bearing three long claws and appeared like that of a toy bear.

Frost immediately recognized that it was linked to their trauma of the Stuffed Teddy Bear, and when Ber came to stand idly by her side, she clasped her gauntlets as if to properly fit them.

“No one’s supposed to know.” Ber’s demeanor remained unchanged, but she could not understand how the Librarians had managed to delve deeper into her past. Judging by her words one could tell that this was perhaps a recessed memory, paraded with no other purpose than torment her.

“How did they know?” She asked again, fitting her other gauntlet before she clasped onto Frost’s forearm, burning herself with the flames. “HOW DID THEY KNOW!?”

An electric field suddenly expanded from her body. A high-pitched whine somewhere within her body ejected bolts of electricity like a plasma ball. Strands of electricity ran through the ground like blades, splitting it apart as she demanded the world for an answer.

The dance of red and blue caused Ber to take miniscule damage, all the while Frost was left there in the epicenter of her rage entirely unscathed. The approaching Fragment of Bers were eliminated seconds upon entering this 25-meter zone of death.

Frost grabbed Ber’s arms and shook her lightly, trying to snap her out of it as she cried at the top of her lungs to contest with the shattering world.

“THAT’S NOT SOMETHING WE KNOW EITHER! DON’T LET THEM GET TO YOUR HEAD! That’s exactly what they want!”

“Is that how they try to hurt us because they can’t reach up and fight with us!? Why does everyone gotta stoop so low and scoop out all the thing we wanna forget!?” Ber shouted, shoving Frost unexpectedly. “Quit holding onto me and start fighting already! You’re caring for the wrong damned Moon!”

Without any warning, she launched herself forward and charged straight for the horde, clambering on all fours like an animal. Her electrified claws were not enough to eliminate them in a single hit due to their HP pool, however, she more than made up for it with the sheer speed of her attacks.

A storm swept far ahead. Each swing of her hand caused structures to instantly vaporize as they were either destroyed by her claws or the following shockwaves. Her attacks reverberated throughout the area, and nothing could dare to enter her Electric Field.

“Tch – BER!” Frost gave chase, swiftly joining her in the brawl. “Nav! Any idea where they’re coming from!?”

Her flames licked the air. Even a thousand of the Fragment of Bers would be a pushover compared to their unparalleled might. But what she feared the most was Ber’s mental state. This was the first time she had seen Ber reach her boiling point. Ber, despite her antics with Cer, was the most ‘tame’ in a way compared to her sisters.

Seeing her fight with her full power on display was equally as beautiful as it was harrowing. With each swing there was a look of both sadness and frustration in her eyes, and her teeth clashed so tightly that her gums began to draw blood.

“A Heart without a doubt. The environmental Nex is now quantifiable again. Significantly less compared to the Derma Layer, but I can begin calculations. There does not appear to be a Seed nearby.”

“What about Ber!? ANY INSIGHT WITH BER!?”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP FROST! YOU WORRY TOO MUCH! JUST FOCUS ON KILLING THESE – THESE UGLY WASTES OF LIFE! I’m just fine tearing them up!”

“None. Her emotions have not reached a significant shift. As a matter of fact, it is identical to our visit to the Derma Layer.”

You’re telling me this has been brewing inside of her while we were there!? While she was fighting the Speechless Paw!?

“That is what I can only assume.”

Blow after blow, the surroundings were flattened. Shockwaves propelled all ash and dust as the grey clouds tore themselves apart. The skies mended their wounds with haste as if they were alive.

Then, all that was left was a wretched, blistering crater.

Unlying Tablets enchanted with [Liquid Fire] and [Inferno] warded the Fragments of Ber away. Not a single drop of blood spilled. Tears did from the eyes of the tiny Bers, who wailed, screaming hysterically in their futile assault.

“WHY CAN’T ANYONE FEEL MY HURT!?”

“WHY CAN’T I JUST BE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!?”

“WHY WAS I NEVER HELD IN HER ARMS!?”

“WHY DIDN’T I CRY!?”

“I JUST WANNA BE –”

Ber took one of the encroaching Fragments, grasping onto both arms as they attempted to slice her into ribbons. She dragged them through the scalding mud, tearing them apart as their flesh exploded like shredded, burnt paper.

“What a fucked up manifestation of whatever the fuck they think I am! Blabbering your mouth like you know everything I’ve gone thought – everything I’ve endured just to reach my heights as a Moon!” With a rapid twist that would snap every bone of an ordinary man, she threw the Fragment into the air slashed repeatedly with her electric claws.

The overlapping aberrations created an artificial moon, rendering the Fragment entirely. Not a single shred of paper was left. Their immediate proximity had collapsed entirely. A Moon’s full power, combined with Frost’s flames was equally as dangerous as the Hearts themselves.

An exclusion zone of over a hundred meters surrounded them. The perfect sphere saw nothing but a red haze due to the immense heat as the assault finally succumbed. Ber laboriously breathed the superheated air as Frost rushed to her, calling out her name.

In her free hand was a burning pale stethoscope.

“BER! HEALING!?” Frost shouted, realizing how much of a beating Ber had taken, no thanks to her flames.

Ber | HP: 39,000 | 50,000

“Do whatever you want… Tch. What the hell do they take me for?” Ber floundered in malice, as she allowed Frost to reach out for her.

Despite her flaming hands, Ber did not react to the pain as though she was used to it.

Her mind was entirely elsewhere.

“[Cleanse]. [Grand Healing]. [Cure Disease] for good measure… Ber. Look at me… Don’t let them rile you up –!”

“Rile me up!? I’m just getting started! After I though I could maybe start going back, this happens!?” Ber argued, her heart engulfed with a flame rivaling that of Frost’s.

“I’m fucking worried that if this goes on, you might end becoming a Corrupted!” Frost shook Ber by the shoulders, planting the end of her Die Agnosis against Ber’s body.

But nothing happened.

How the fuck does this thing even work!?

Frost too was frustrated by all this, and to Ber, she appeared like the greatest hypocrite for trying to calm her down. Unlike them, she did not have to worry about her emotions devouring her. They only made her stronger.

“I KNOW what they’re mocking me for! No one… No one besides me knows! What’s a secret anymore if it can all just be snatched away by one mistake!? I just wanted to… know my fortune. What was so wrong about that!? Am I wrong for wanting to be curious like everyone else!?”

Ber suddenly grasped at Frost’s collar with unquenchable bloodlust. Frost swiftly took Ber’s hands and dragged them down, pulling her face to face as flames licked at their hairs, and electricity to course through their bodies.

All the while they could hear the mocking symphony of the Hearts all around them.

“Pull yourself together! You’re not wrong at all, but right now the last thing you should do is feed into it!”

“Then you got an idea on how to stop them –!?”

A quaking thud, followed by an explosion of red mist instantly captivated them. In the distance one of the Hearts had suddenly burst, spilling its gore into the sky as it rained mangled body parts and the ‘slimes’ that were once the denizens of this place.

“While you two continue to argue, Jury’s taken the initiative to eliminate the Hearts with Ignis in tow. We have confirmed we are up against Complex Hearts, and they are periodically producing the twisted Fragments of Ber.” Nav explained, and in the distance, she saw a giant skeletal structure following a fleeting figure.

It was Ignis in her Musculo-Skeletal form, albeit much smaller than the one she used in City of Vocals. Towering over the landscape, Ignis was able to act as their eyes in the sky.

For a moment she saw Jury turn to her, gesturing with her eyes as though to tell them that they had no time to waste.

“S4 is huge Frost! The Archivist is telling us that the ‘Masterpiece’ is somewhere in S4! It’ll be where the strongest heartbeat is!” This was Jury speaking now. “Is everything ok over there!?”

Frost, despite her rising emotions, could not help but smile, relieved to see that the others were faring much better than them.

For now. Just keep a close eye on Ignis and the triplets. And be careful. I think they’re trying to Corrupt Ber, so there’s no telling if we’re also in their crosshairs.

“Right! Tell Ber that no one’s going to touch her! That’s a promise!”

“Yeah. There is no way in hell I’m letting take any of us.” Frost vowed before her gaze fell onto the little Ber. The woman didn’t move. Her hair completely concealed her eyes, and through those short strands she watched as the red mist was syphoned into Ignis’ body like a giant vacuum. “Calmed down yet?”

“You’re asking me? What about you, hot-head? It must be nice being able to forget everything like you… I didn’t… want to be reminded of that ever again.” Ber had sobered enough where she could finally hold a conversation with her, but her words were riled with a façade of controlled fury.

Frost didn’t dare to dig any further at the risk of further uncovering whatever repressed emotions and memories the Fragments of Ber had resurfaced. It was clear that her past was being weaponized against her, likely to turn her into a Corrupted.

If they wished to extract the most violent reaction from Frost, then watching one of her friends become a Corrupted was the perfect method. Frost wanted to scream and yell her heart out upon realizing this, but for Ber’s sake and for her own, she adorned a calm façade all the while her innards boiled.

“Neither do I want to be reminded about the things I’ve forgotten. But we’re going to figure things out whether I like it or not. Ber. Hey. We’re all in this together. Whether for you or anyone, all of us are willing to go through hell and back just so we can all make it out. You’re a Moon, aren’t you?”

“They used to tell me that. Everyone used to tell me that. Frost…” Ber suddenly punched Frost’s shoulder and locked eyes. She wanted to say something, but Ber’s lips only trembled before she bit her tongue and pulled herself away.

Then, after much silence, she turned her back to Frost, punched at the air and shouted:

“Hearts…? All of it… ALL OF IT! We’re destroying all of it, you hear me!?” It was as if Ber had returned by transforming her anger into conviction to fell her perpetrators. She spun on her heels with furrowed brows and continued staring into Frost’s eyes, as if trying to discern something.

“That’s the plan. This ‘masterpiece’ thing we’re after comes before we hit Scarlet Logic… Ber. If anything, I think it might be for the best if you head back to H10 –!”

“I can’t!” Ber stubbornly proclaimed.

“Because of your sisters?”

“So you do know! I can’t stop myself thinking about what’ll happen to them if I’m not around!”

“Then what about you –!?”

“FORGET ABOUT ME ALREADY!”

Frost watched as Ber struck her along the chest with full power. Her electric claws phased through Frost, ruffling her feathers as scars were carved along the ground behind. It did zero damage, but that did not mean she could not feel any pain.

Injury and pain were two different things. But a core part of her was shocked by Ber’s burst of violence. To the point where she was rendered speechless for a moment as Ber’s ears instantly dropped, and she began patting Frost’s chest with wide eyes.

“… Ugh… Tch… I’m so… so sorry…” Ber clasped onto her feathers, relieved that she didn’t hurt her. “I – I didn’t mean to –!”

“BEEEEEEEEEERRR!”

“BACK UP IS HERE!”

The voices of Cer and Res caused Ber to suddenly shake, right before she mellowed and broke into a lovely smile. It was as if all her problems had been washed away. The two swiftly made their way down through the fault line, both drenched in blood after thoroughly dealing with the Blood Filters.

Before they could arrive –

“It’s ok to be selfless. Think about yourself more. Please.”

– Frost offered her these words of comfort. She tried reaching out to pat her, but her flaming hands prevented her from doing so. She would have loved to stroke her head like how a mother would.

“… I’ll think about it.” Ber forced a smile right as her sisters tackled her away.

“What’s with this weird moment!? Didn’t you see how many hearts are waiting to get incinerated – Ouch – HOT – Get rid of those flames already!” Cer shouted, patting her hair as it caught alight.

“Ber?” Res whispered, holding her sister’s head in between her palms. “Are you ok?”

“Never been better.” Ber grinned. “Should’ve seen how we took them all out. They’ve got a piece of me again.”

“… is that really how you feel?”

“If I really had a problem in the first place –” Ber began as she pointed her nose ahead.

Yet another horde of her Fragments arrived, this time in double the numbers.

Behind them, like a rising sunset, was a Heart that sprouted from the ruins. It churned the little Bers out through pores, and it took the appearance of an egg more than anything else much to Frost’s surprise.

It was significantly less gory and fleshy compared to the Plague Heart in Divas Pass, but this did not change its sheer size. 30 meters of nothing but pure, molded, pulsating flesh was one of several dozens more needed to slay in order to find this mysterious heartbeat.

“– Then I would have said something 30 years ago. I’m not that speechless, you know!”

Nav. Keep me updated on Ber. Don’t stop talking… Hearts. The Peace Flock. Fingers. Lovers. The Masterpiece and Scarlet Logic… I don’t know what concoction they’re cooking up –

– but there is no way in hell we’re letting anything go their way.