234. Ber’s Salvation

The Black Swan returned to the center of the lake. All feathered claws and dark accessories were swallowed into her body as she brazenly stared at Frost, her arms folded across her chest and shoulders in the shape of an ‘X’.

A sudden chill ran down Frost spine. Her instincts forced her body to twist into the opposite direction mid-rush as she created space between her and the Black Swan. With her HP having dropped to 125,000 thanks to the additional damage dealt by the Severe Burn Condition; The Black Swan’s hair finally touched her shoulders.

“Nav! I’ve got a bad fucking feeling about this!” Frost exclaimed, weaving through the vibrant orbs that littered their battlefield.

A Starry Field

ATT DEF : 0 HP: 10,000 MAG DEF : 0

The exact number was unknown, but it was easily in the high 50s, if not a hundred.

“Care to describe your predicament?” Nav asked, albeit with some sass.

“I can’t put my finger on it, but I’ve fought enough fucking things to know that a big windup like that means trouble!” Frost exclaimed, obeying her body’s demands to retreat as the Black Swan slipped her hands over her shoulders, as if drawing a pair of blades.

Then, a pair of feathered wings extended from both hands. The blades were easily over ten meters in length. The beautiful, reflective feathers glistened in the light of the encompassing moon and the stars beneath.

The water broke underneath her, and with a single slash, an ‘X’ shaped projectile spanning Frost’s entire vision gave chase. Thankfully, because of its shape, Frost was able to avoid being struck by it as a wall of water burst into their air, blocking her line of sight.

“CLOSE! HOW MANY FUCKING ATTACKS DOES SHE HAVE!? If Eternal Night Corrupted have 6, then what else is she hiding from us –!?” Before Frost could even finish speaking, the waves split into two as a horizonal arc of darkness struck her in the chest. “TCH – NGH! AAAAAAAGHH!”

She was dragged like a cloth stuck to a clothesline across the lake, her feet skidding along the water as jets flew from her heels like sparks. The sheer speed rendered her helpless as she tried to fight it, her HP draining rapidly the longer she held on.

< “The wingspan of a swan is so beautiful. On the lake at midnight, or noon, the swan’s beauty remains unsullied.” >

Frost | MP: 16,947

With one final crash, she collided with the lake’s edge and received the combined total ATT and MAG ATT of the Black Swan. The total damage after taking into account her DEF was a staggering 1,976.

< “My reach has grown. My hands are longer. My arms are thicker. And my blood now richer than ever before” >

Frost | MP: 14,971

Staggering… With my kind of HP, it’s fucking staggering alright. Tch – Ack –!

Frost, dragging herself free from the dent made by her collision, spluttered out blood as her heartbeat raced. Vital organs had absolutely been destroyed. The only thing that kept her alive was the fact that these organs mattered little to her as the Amalgam.

“Substantial internal injury. The body functions differently here regardless of their importance. Please do not break anything auxiliary. Your limbs matter more than your innards.”

“Never thought I’d ever hear that… Shit. SHIT!” Frost saw it happen again, and this time, as she pushed forward combating the pain in her chest, she dove into the shallow waters to avoid both the ‘X’ shaped slash and the following horizonal one.

As water pelted her from above, the blood-soaked Frost made haste, avoiding Ber’s Singing Wingslash at all costs.

< “Unchained by the past I am given the choice to fly. But flight was a luxury I was given even as an ugly duckling. Flight… is the purpose of the bird. I just want to do things on my own accord. Unjudged… without ridicule…” >

Frost, now within meters of making contact with Ber once again, struck first and resumed the beatdown. Due to the additional ATT her Dream Shatterers granted, coupled with her Passive Skill: Severe Combo, it was far greater to pummel the Black Swan rather than to focus on devouring her.

[Liquid Fire].

“THAT’S GOOD FOR YOU BER!” Frost shouted, dousing her in the gelatinous flames as superheated steam concealed one another. “Isn’t that empowering!? Realizing that there’s much more you can do with your life than to just let things happen all around you!?”

< [Futile Galvanism] >

Within the smoke, Ber slashed rabidly with her enlarged claws. But due to the nature of their size, she had difficulty striking Frost who at this point began shoving Ber across the lake punch after punch. Tethered to her with steel strings, Frost did not allow her combo to end as Ber’s HP ticked down with every passing second.

The Black Swan | HP: 89,200

And with it, Ber’s hair continued to grow out. It had passed by her shoulder blades, and it danced like ribbons as droplets of water refracted the light. The Ber she fought was perhaps the most beautiful person she had ever seen, and her mind could not put her beauty into words. Despite this, the same crude Ber existed, evident by her bared fangs and increasingly animalistic swings.

It was as if the real Ber was beginning to crack from this shell of a persona.

< “They asked me: Why do birds fly? It was a nonsensical question…” >

[Inferno].

Frost bestowed over 20 Cinder Stacks, which caused various, orange cracks to burn across Ber’s body. They were marked along her like chains, and unlike Severe Burn, Cinder dealt a consistent rate of 200 damage, which bypassed all forms of DEF stats, for it burned the soul itself.

“Every 10 stacks is a hundred damage per second. Far more insidious than Burn Stacks.”

“You make it sound like I’m torturing her! This is for her own good! So long as she reaches 0 HP THEN WHAT DOES IT MATTER WHAT I USE NAV!?” Frost roared.

“Agreed. In this context, you are unmistakably correct.”

“This context. You make it sound like I believe in the mindset of a ‘means to an end’. Tch. There’s no other way in this case!”

Frost | MP: 24,300

The Black Swan | HP: 50,000

With one last clash, The Black Swan severed all metal strands as it retreated several steps backwards, just out of reach from Frost. Then, she heard an audible growl from the entity.

This voice belonged to Ber. The uncorrupted Ber underneath.

< “I believed it was because flight was their purpose. But I then realized that it was a choice. A mode of movement. A blessing that allowed them to reach that paradise above. But if the birds knew the nature of that paradise, then would they ever wish to fly again?” >

< [Roost of the Knowledgeable Swan] >

< Armed with this knowledge, I no longer wish to follow that paradise. I now seek to build one anew with my new flock! >

Great wings then sprouted from the Black Swan’s back. The wingbeats carved the lake as Frost struggled to compete against it. She expected her to take flight but much to her surprise, it wrapped itself into a feathery cocoon.

Black spines began to hail from the skies, bombarding the stars that Frost had erected as she looked around, confused by this.

“Aren’t I supposed to be her target!?”

“Nature’s Compass. Those stars are drawing, in your terminology, her ‘aggro’.

Shackles Removed

ATT DEF : 0 HP : 10 MAG DEF : 0

They practically perished upon impact. However, as more and more of Frost’s stars began to die and explode with vibrant gases, the spines remained stuck into the ground. Before long nearly a hundred black spines littered the field, all with 0 HP.

Her Star Cycle Passive Skill prevented death entirely. The lake became a small-scale cosmic body. No longer did the sky carry the universe. Ber’s lake was the universe for all they knew, and it made perfect sense considering this was her mind.

Everything revolved around Ber in this world.

< “There is so much in this world I want to see! So much more I want to discover! Berries to pick!” >

Frost took this opportunity to strike the vulnerable Ber. Her DEF stats, once again, were infinite, but it was nothing her maw could not crack. Bite after bite, feather after feather, Frost swallowed mouthfuls of the gelatinous mana as she heard Ber’s cries.

The Black Swan | HP: 38,800

< “Dresses to wear! Things to cook! Cloth to weave! I want to make friends! I want my flock… my ‘pack’ to keep growing!” >

The Black Swan | HP: 33,200

< “When I met that feline Demi-human, I always thought she was deplorable just like me with her silent voice! But I never knew anything about her!” >

The Black Swan | HP: 27,600

< “Or the ‘Angel’ who let the Black Dove speak her mind. Little by little, she grew a voice of her own! As did… AS DID IGNIS!” >

The Black Swan | HP: 19,200

Bite after bite, the Black Swan’s voice became enriched as she felt something warm begin to permeate through the wings. This voice undoubtedly belonged to the real Ber within. Not only was Frost trying to combat her Corrupted persona, but so was a desperate Ber who Frost knew was crying within.

“We’re… WE’RE ALMOST THERE! BER! DON’T GIVE UP!” Frost screamed through mouthfuls, gargling on a foul blend of blood and black jelly.

The Black Swan | HP: 13,600

< “Cer and Res are no different to me. We’re all swans. I just wanted… to be freed from this cycle of false complacency. This duty that once shackled me. From birth, to the heights I reached as a Moon.” >

The Black Swan | HP: 8,000

< “AND FROST! Frost… had the biggest voice of them all! But also like me, her voice can only go so far! I am not the only one like this! BUT WE ALL WANT TO MAKE OURSELVES HEARD! SO WE SHOUT OUT AT THE TOP OF OUR LUNGS!” >

The Black Swan | HP: 2,400

< [Resounding Voice] >

< With the fruition of my sense of self, I look to the moon and smirk as I howl in its moonlight >

“I AM A SWAN!”

Before Frost could take the last bite, the prompt-like message and accompanied voice struck her with immense pain as she was flung back by multiple shockwaves. She was skewered by the protruding black spines as her HP instantaneously dropped to less than a hundred. The attack Ber used dealt over 25,000 damage in total, split across various shockwaves.

Frost’s body contorted, her hearing amess as her vision waned. Blood spilled from the protruding spines as several spines jutted out from all angles of her body.

“F-FUCK… No… Ber – No…” Despair settled into Frost in that moment as her hands trembled, struggling to grasp at a stake that had shattered her sternum but to no avail.

Her consciousness was perfectly intact, and when her vision returned, she watched as the cocooned Ber blossomed, revealing a form with hair that reached her waist.

“Nav… NAV! What can I do!? This… This can’t be… how it ends!” She croaked, refusing to admit defeat.

Nav however, spoke with intangible awe rather than shock like Frost. She could not see or understand the reason why, as The Black Swan studied herself briefly before those crimson eyes fell onto her.

Then, she suddenly realized something as those eyes went from awe to dejection. Worried tears formed in the corner of the Black Swan’s eyes as Frost’s heart fluttered.

This was not the Black Swan.

This was Ber.

“Please do not overreact. I assume you are in great pain right now. But rest assured. You have not failed.”

“How… how…” Frost’s hands slumped down beside her as Ber rushed to her side, fumbling and nearly tripping like a newborn fawn. The strange, adult-like body she now possessed was far too difficult for her to maneuver in. “… Ber?”

“FROOOOOST! Frost! Frost…! FROST!” Ber could not stop shouting her name out loud. Her voice was sweet. Feminine. Loud and clear.

But she could still hear a piece of ‘Ber’ still somewhere in there.

Somehow, seeing Ber’s face made her want to smile. But when she tried, she vomited blood again. Her endless supply of blood was a nuisance. A part of her still didn’t believe it. Nav’s confirmation only meant so much. The Condition explicitly stated that Ber’s HP needed to reach 0.

So what did Nav mean that they had already won?

Her mind was in disarray. But, as soon as Ber tripped and scrambled over Frost’s bleeding body, she figured that it was just her making excuses. The adult Ber dropped to her knees, splashing in the water as she climbed onto Frost’s legs, tears streaming down her face.

“Frost…” Ber, now that she was up close to Frost, had no reason to shout. But at the same time, she somehow lost all the words she wanted to say. “I… I’m so…”

Frost, using what was left of her strength, brought her hand up to Ber’s head and patted it, knowing exactly what she was going to say.

“’Sorry’? Ber… how about answering whether you’re… ok or not. I think you know that we… were worried about you more than anything. So don’t apologize. Don’t cry… Or else…” Frost coughing again, wore shimmering tears on her face as she stroked Ber’s head. “You’ll make me cry.”

Her ears were fluffy. They were larger. Softer. Squishier. She focuses on these minute details as a way to keep her composure. But of course, it failed as her tears fell uncontested.

“… I’ve always been making trouble, haven’t I? Since the start. Since we became Moons with Serum G. And now…” Ber was in a strange state of denial. Why… Why is the first thing you ask, ‘if I’m ok?’. Frost. Why are you… why would you go so far? I tried to close my heart out but you still tried so hard. For someone like me…”

“Believe it or not… this ‘someone’… is… important to us. Rather than asking why… just… accept it. Aren’t you happy?” Frost comforted the distraught Ber.

“I am… I’m so… So happy. Everything feels so light. There’s no cloud over my head, or a weight on my back. I’m sure there’s still a lot of wrongs with me. Heh… Aha… Hah… *Sniffle* Aaaah… Fuck… Frost. There’s still a lot I don’t get or think I’ve overcome, but I think now I have the courage to stand.”

Ber’s hair spilled onto Frost’s stomach. She didn’t try to hide her face or look away. Her eyes were forever locked with Frost’s as she thanked her from the bottom of her restored heart.

“And it’s all thanks to you. If this is how Ignis and Jury felt, then it’s no wonder they’ve stuck by you through thick and thin, and all the misadventures along the way in this weird place we have no choice but to call home. I’m rambling. I’m rambling so much because I feel like this is all fleeting. Frost… Being a Corrupted… I couldn’t wish that even on the Impuritas.”

She was shaken, and Frost had no method of physically comforting her aside from patting her head. But it was all the warmth in the world to Ber. Minutes seemed to fly by as she allowed Ber to savor this moment. She desperately needed it, and Frost, although impaled and ‘dying’, was selfless enough to allow it.

This ‘selfishness’ of Ber was not seen as such in Frost’s eyes. It felt like Ber’s careful embrace and yearn for warmth was to make up for what she never had. All the time lost. All the time spent on unfulfilling duties… Ber, for the first time, relished in the warmth of a ‘mother’.

“… I… have to be defeated right?” Ber uttered, glancing up at Frost from her lap.

“Yeah. Are you afraid?”

“No. This… isn’t my real body, so why would I? It’s… weird to ask you this but, I can’t think of a better way to go out than this.” Ber couldn’t help but to laugh as she wagged her head, like how a dog does to dry itself. “This kind of pain’s normal for us. But looking at you… I’d hate for you to call that normal.”

“It think it’s a worthy sacrifice if it means that no one has to lose themselves. Ber. Welcome back. Everyone’s waiting for you.” Frost said as Ber brought herself close to Frost, practically embracing her as she avoided the various stakes.

Then, with her arms wrapped around Frost and her nape exposed to her mouth, Ber asked for the only suitable way to lose.

“… Take a bite. I want to know what all this fuss about being eaten is all about.”

Frost lost HP trying to hold back her laughter. The sweet scent of this grown Ber was intoxicating, and with one bite –

“Good job, Ber. I’m sure it was hard. Let’s make some more memories going forward, ok?”

“More memories than anyone’s gonna be able to count!” She cried, and with one bite –

The Black Swan | HP: 0

Her body was reduced to golden, fleeting particles which slipped between her fingers. The world gradually became dark as Frost closed her eyes, silently relishing her victory.

< The Black Swan has Been Subjugated >

< Salvation Criteria Reached >

< Do you wish to grant Ber your Blessing? >

< Yes | Yes >

< … you are unconscious, aren’t you Frost? Very well. As I wish to hear the voice of this fellow myself, I will accept this in your stead >

< Ber has successfully been Blessed >

< No Corrupted Personas Gained >

< However >

< Ber has gained all Abilities and Skills from The Black Swan. They have been added to her Collection >

< At certain emotional states, Ber may manifest aspects of The Black Swan >

< At a certain point, Ber may manifest the full power of The Black Swan >