285. Beholder Jury’s Upgrades

Jury’s affirmative shout caused the world to resume. The ticking in her heart stabilized as a subtle throb could be heard playing like a deep bass. It reverberated throughout her body, her world, and it traveled up the hands of the White Wing who stared down into those vibrant eyes.

The White Wing’s face expressed subtle surprise. But considering everything Jury knew about her past, those small creases conveyed everything she needed to know. Although it was only for that one instance, Jury was greeted with a sincere smile as the Angel’s unctuous demeanor faded.

A hand brushed along Jury’s head, pushing the hair aside so she could further drill her eyes into hers.

“So that’s who you are. Jury is a weird name. It could be worse. So much more worse. If there was one thing Elysia did right, then it was sparing you. Oh. And don’t look at me with such eyes. Sympathy should be shared by close friends.”

The White Wing stated before setting her gaze elsewhere, almost longingly before they reverted to their original, insincere hue.

“Elysia did everything wrong. She tried to shoulder the weight of the world and its sins on her shoulders, forgetting that she was only one girl.” The White Wing stated, storing the spear into a tear in space as she moved her head out of Jury’s field of view.

Frost’s flames were close now.

So close that the moisture in the grass began to steam. Snap was forced to move further ahead, playing tug of war with the Blood of the Covenant for Ber. Cer and Res held onto Ignis, begging her and Ber to wake up. An unknown amount of time had passed due to Jury’s influence on time, and when she finally gained her bearings, she noticed a prompt suddenly appear before her eyes.

< Jury. Can you… hear me!? >

“Nav? NAV!? Is – is that you!? Are you ok!?” Jury gleefully shouted.

< Going by the general definition of ‘fine’ in this context, I would say I’m doing well. I had a strange trip down memory lane. I can only faintly sense you all, so these prompts are my only means of communication until further notice >

< Until then, know that I am currently inside of the Advent of Desire with the little Frost! Please save your questions for me later. There is something calling for me ahead >

< But for now, you have gained several unique Beholder Active and Passive Skills. The beat of your heart is reverberating throughout your body. I will list them shortly >

She melted at the news of Nav’s state, elated that they hadn’t lost their precious friend. Nav’s manner of speech was different. She could not hear it, but somehow, she felt like she could through its prompts.

“As long as you’re ok. Nav. Is Ignis and Ber alright!? Can we do anything to help them!?”

“Asking the right questions! That White Wing isn’t as assuring as the real deal!” Cer exclaimed. “There’s only one Angel in this world for all I care!”

Ignis and Ber were chained by red tentacles and black ribbons, mummified as the cloth was draped over their eyes. Jury lifted an arm, reaching out for Ignis only to have her heart rapidly tick once again.

But it was not an unpleasant ticking. Quite the opposite in fact. Her uncertain expression prompted the White Wing to explain the phenomenon.

“You’re a Beholder exposed to an Advent. The same can happen with Nex. They tend to accelerate the melding process. That heart was probably never yours to begin with. But now… what you’re feeling might be akin to an acceptance. A budding seed. Not bad. Certainly nothing like Elysia’s, but…”

The White Wing suddenly placed a glove on one of her tails and brushed it against the tails of the triplets.

“You have more shoulders at your disposal.”

“Nrgh! I’ll take all these complaints to Frost! See how you like it when you’re violated by the Amalgam’s teeth!” Cer snapped.

A Demi-human’s tail was one of their most sacred places, and to have it touched by an already despised Angel caused her to bare her fangs.

Meanwhile, Res glared at the Angel, wishing she could pluck out her last wing. The White Wing did not discard these gloves. Rather, she stowed them away into her back pocket.

“I’d be honored. Now, be a good Demi-human and watch closely. Can you feel it?”

“Fuck off with the rhetorics already!” Cer spat.

“What do you see!?” Jury tried viewing the world in the same lenses.

“The fluctuations of Nex. It’s a shame that we can’t visualize it like a certain Color. Your friend Ber is about to manifest something exhilarating.”

The battle had finally reached its final phase. It was now just a matter of waiting for Ber and Res to attain their special temporary passives. In the meantime, the twister of flames finally engulfed the Blood of the Covenant. They burst through dense urban lands again, leaving nothing but ruin and broken dreams behind.

Suddenly, Jury’s vision shifted from a shade of red to a vibrant blue as Nav listed her newly acquired skills.

< The Heart of Time Reverberates >

< Book of Elysia >

< Excerpt >

< “What was will be what will be was. Time could not move all. It was never the perfect remedy for all ailments as I believed. Please use it with caution.” >

< Beholder Skills Gained >

< ACTIVE: (S) Isolation Sphere >

< What was used to keep dire evil trapped within mechanical amalgamative orbs >

< EFFECT: Construct an invisible, spherical barrier capable of altering the lapse of time compared to the external world. Timescale may be increased or decreased >

< LIMIT: 10x slower than real time, or 10x faster than real time >

< COST: 10,000,000 NEX per 1km3 >

//////// < WARNING > ////////

< Isolation Sphere is susceptible to proliferating Corrupted Zones or hijacking by the Corrupted, or those with significant NEX generation >

< Please treat the Isolation Spheres as Corrupted Zones >

< Isolation Spheres may be entered freely, but there may be only one established exit >

< Owners may freely manipulate it >

< ACTIVE: (S) Angelic Kiss >

< Bless them with your love. Who could ever reject it? >

< EFFECT: Grant the Invulnerability Condition to anything you kiss whilst invoking the effect. A thin layer of their Time will make them impervious to all. Does not remove preexisting conditions. The Soul is unaffected >

< DURATION: 1 second >

< COST: 12,000,000 NEX >

This caused Jury’s jaws to hang in disbelief. She could use the unfair Invulnerability Condition at will. Although, she wondered what it meant by affecting one’s time as opposed to the soul. Whatever the case was, she required a substantial amount of NEX to make it anywhere near worthwhile.

She wondered if NEX generation would have to be a focus for her moving forward to utilize her abilities to their maximum strength.

< ACTIVE: (S) Turn Back the Clock >

< The wish to turn back time. The ultimate healing mechanism >

< EFFECT: Reverse the time of selected entities to a previous state. Seconds as infallible healing magic >

< RESTORATION LENGTH: 1 hour >

< COST: 50,000,000 NEX >

//////// < WARNING > ////////

< Cannot bring the dead back >

< Does not alter memories >

< Lost NEX and Mana cannot be restored >

< Cannot prevent Corruption Events or similar >

< PASSIVE: (E) Time Seer >

< If the world is a story, then time travelling is just a matter of turning back a few pages, no? >

< EFFECT: Able to see the physical origin of Nex. Traumas may be unveiled, and recent sites of accidents can have its past unraveled. Further use cases cannot be listed. Please experiment. May be used in conjunction with Isolation Sphere >

< DURATION: Unlimited so long as NEX is available >

< COST: 25,000,000 NEX per minute >

//////// < WARNING > ////////

< Wrongful uncovering of trauma may inadvertently begin a Corruption Event >

< Aberrations of Elysia may intervene >

The mouthful of information was delicious. Jury was slowly shaping up to become a powerful Beholder. And, just as Ignis began to utter words to herself, Nav suddenly released a prompt for her feline friend.

< Ignis Has Reached Level 200 >

Not to forget about Ber either.

< Ber Has Reached the Fifth State >

It was time to end this.