251. The Voice of a Common Flame

Reaching it now was impossible. Its speed was inconceivable. But as they tumbled and rolled, Frost took rein of the situation and ordered Nav to manifest the Iron Candle. If there was anything that was going to give them an edge, however small it was, it would be this.

“Jury! Do you know if Retrocausality has a range limit!?” Frost asked as wax wings sprouted from her left arm, her heat suddenly intensifying to the point where Jury winced, her tail trembling at the mere touch.

But she refused to let go. The others on the other hand could not get anywhere near Frost as her flames reached a new level of heat.

“This is too far! We need to get closer!” She screamed. “Get to the False Heart! Frost – We’re counting on you now!”

As ordered, the others rushed to the False Heart; the only thing that wasn’t set alight. Frost had specifically manifested the Iron Candle for two reasons. The first was Fuel Are Memories.

PASSIVE: Fuel Are Memories

< They all perish with the heat as our candles dwindle, and our eyes masked by its elusive haze >

< Emotions heighten in tandem with self-inflicted Burn stacks. The higher your Burn stacks, the higher your emotional state becomes. Iron Candle becomes stronger at higher emotional state >

And the second was Final Onrush.

ACTIVE: Final Onrush

< My wrath. My vow to protect. Spearheading my heart into the unfairness of the world to show my strength >

< Your AGI incrementally increases the longer you run in a single cardinal direction. You may lock an enemy into your grasp. The longer they are pinned, the more damage the final explosion will deal. Up to a maximum of 5x your ATT damage >

The former was to further increase her emotional state, which had an immediate effect. It felt like she had taken a shot of adrenaline straight into the heart as her body roared with flames.

The second was for the speed. Whilst her AGI was only 90, the stretch before them was vast enough where she was confident in its power. And besides – it was not like they had any other choice.

With the False Heart dealing with Scarlet Logic directly, they had their sights set onto the Masterpiece. And as she assumed a runner’s stance, however crude it was, she gave one warning just seconds before she dashed onwards.

“HOLD ON TIGHT!”

A blazing afterimage followed. The world went by like a blur, her Touch of Golds fluttering behind her like an extension of her hair. Scarlet Logic may as well no longer exist in the Nex Megaloplis, for the City of Spades suddenly caught alight. The fallen spires spontaneously combusted moments after she passed, the ground sizzling as the stench of burning meat filled her lungs.

AGI : 120

Frost averted her gaze from the deceased Collected individuals. In her mind she never truly understood the intricacies of a war waged against Scarlet Logic. She thought it would be as simple as her side verses theirs. But she was naïve. Whilst she expected innocent people to become tangled up, she did not expect that even the opposition would be plagued with victims.

AGI : 170

Frost fell into a valley of questionable morality as her eyes brimmed with a heat she could not fathom. The sadness wrenched her heart as she had come to understand the might of strength, and the weakness of language. Violence replaced the voice. The sword replaced the pen. The battlefield replaced the pages, and blood spilled rather than ink.

What agonized her the most was that it was never those responsible who bled. The Beholders remained in the Nexus and allowed this to unfold. For this corpse flower to bloom and finally release its stench, attracting all manners of depravity like flies.

AGI : 200

Her AGI was rapidly rising. But it all occurred in the span of several minutes, which passed like hours in her mind. Everything moved in slow motion. Walls of fire surrounded them as she wondered how things would be after this all subsided. How the people who lived through her wrath would move on.

Then, she heard a voice. It did not come from the others. The flames drowned all.

“The egg is the world.”

A ticking accompanied it. All she could do was listen to those words which strangely sparked deep resentment within her. And in that moment, the flames that had risen to her shoulders now engulfed her legs and lower torso.

< The Will of the Amalgam Has Reached the Fourth State >

< The Fourth State Has Manifested as Wrath >

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

< Any possessed Corrupted with the matching Affinity may have their skillset and abilities manifested as a Corrupted Zone >

< Iron Candle’s Corrupted Zone Has Manifested >

Frost had become fire itself. Suddenly, the city skies turned red. The grey fog disappeared, revealing the untouched world beyond, and the true scale of the spire. Frost’s wrath, caused by the wrongings of civilization, had caused her mind to block out all as she focused on one thing, and one thing only.

Destroy that Masterpiece, and then the Heart of this damned City.

Ignis was left speechless as she felt the ever familiar flames wash over her, singing her hair as a permanent red haze filled the world. Spires in the distance combusted. Flames were all that manifested in Frost’s Corrupted Zone; an inferno that reduced all to ashes.

< CONDTION: Everything within a 5km radius will be set alight. Inflict 300 Burn stacks onto all enemies within 1km. Those that perish in the flames will become Common Flames >

< SUPPRESSION REQUIREMENT: Allow the Iron Candle to die off >

< SUBJUGATION REQUIREMENT: Collapse the wick that holds the common fire >

< “In us all resides a flame. Even those as weak as I hold the key to such a strength.” >

This voice belonged to Calfasio. Frost couldn’t begin to bring herself to speak. Her wrath pushed her until her AGI hit 300. The highspeed winds only bellowed her flames, as those that perished to the flames became embers, who rolled and bounced around, seeking to set whatever they could alight.

It was utter chaos.

Calfasio’s voice was as panicked as she remembered. But in it resided a similar conviction to when he had become Corrupted. Ignis seemed to sense his voice. Or more specifically, Nav was relaying them to her. Ignis became wide eyed, her mouth opening but no words ever came out.

Until she uttered:

“Do you still remember me, papa?”

Calfasio did not respond.

“Do you remember Ignis?” Nav suddenly asked.

Still no response.

Frost, as they finally neared the crawling To Reach a Star, shouted out at the top of her lungs.

“DON’T YOU DARE FORGET YOUR OWN DAUGHTER!” Her rage was reflected by the way the flames moved in the city, dancing like a blade of grass in the wind. “DON’T FORGET WHO YOU SACRIFICED EVERYTHING FOR! DON’T FORGET THE LITTLE GIRL YOU TRIED TO PROTECT! DON’T YOU DARE STAY SILENT WHEN SHE’S TALKING TO YOU CALFASIO!”

The miracle of speaking with the collected Corrupted occurred only when they were manifested at this particular point of the Will of the Amalgam. After all this time, and after everything that had gone through her ears, Frost answered Ignis’ woes as though they were her own.

Ignis clutched at her chest, her size shrinking slightly. She wanted to make herself appear like her old self as if her father could see her. But there was no need.

< “… How do you think I myself feel in a world without my dear Ignis?” >

< “She was the flame to my wick. Ignis was my world. But I have already accepted this fate. This wrath. This flame of commonality that we all possess. Dear Ignis. I hope you are doing well. My memories are fleeting. But I still remember that voice.” >

Ignis’ eyes widened. Tears dried up by her cheeks as they struggled to fall due to the heat. In only mere moments they’d reach the central spire and the Masterpiece. Ignis had silently suffered herself. Seeing all this bloodshed brought back unwanted memories. But hearing her father’s voice again, even if it was in the form of Nav’s cold, monotone voice, rekindled the flame of vengeance in her heart as she wept in Jury’s arms, happy to at least have this level of closure.

Or if anything… it gave her hope that there was perhaps a chance to fix this. To see him again. But it didn’t change what she strove to do.

To strike back at Scarlet Logic and the Crimson Hunger.

Finally, they reached the base of the spire, and they were greeted by two flanking, bunker-like doors at its footsteps. They were connected to nothing and were merely doors in the middle of nowhere. But what made them so special were the chains that had wrapped them shut.

These doors were the same ones used to traverse from City to City using a rail line. The rails here were buried beneath concrete and flesh, with the trains nowhere to be found. This presumed train station was as barren as the desolate lands of S4.

Now, latching onto the colossal beast of hands, Frost slammed it into the great spire, and they began a mad dash towards the top, tearing it apart piece by piece.

< Entering the Central Apiary for the First Time >

< Welcome to the Central Apiary >