310. Our Place In This World

The Nex Megalopolis survived to see another day. A fortress built on the blood and bones of countless stood at the brink of total devastation. The sanctuary that promised to be the final frontier against all evil revealed a rot that gouged it from the inside out.

The City of Diamonds and the City of Hearts had their own fair share of chaos. By now, the Golden Index and Adventurers had vanquished what was left of the Dungeons. Buildings were still burning. The City of Spades was annihilated. The City of Clubs lost countless innocent lives, as well as their precious healers.

As for the City of Strings, or Pages depending on who you asked, also saw Impuritas attempt an invasion of their own. But they were considerably less successful. Either way, it did not change that the entirety of the Nex Megalopolis faced an unprecedented threat over the course of nearly a week straight.

Tonight, the flaming illusion of a foreign city disappeared. The ashes followed, returning the stars to their night sky. The world seemingly returned to normal, as the Nexus reinstated its pale luster.

Fragments of pale dust fell into the city. The Nexus trembled for the world to see during what many believed to be an eternal night. Shavings of its exterior dusted the lands far and wide. Whatever occurred within had damaged the Nexus. Occasionally, fragments varying from as small as a tooth to as large as a fist fell from the skies, landing in obscure parts of the world, including the Nex Megalopolis itself.

Genesis Stones showered the world, marking the dawn of many new beginnings.

And with them fell several streaks of light. They flung from the Nexus itself as the light of the Advent of Desire began to fade. Each of these lights fell somewhere beyond the walls of the Nex Megalopolis, deep into the plains of Brandar.

They illuminated the skies. Those who failed to make their wishes prior made them now under the presence of those lights. The Piece of the Fallen Star was a blip in comparison. A meager star amongst the billions that sparkled above.

It twinkled, yearning to return to the skies. The mountains of slain Impuritas remained. No matter how high they reached they could not touch its light. The world fell silent. The city left behind by the Crowned remained, hiding many secrets in its complicated expanse.

The corpse of the Blood of the Covenant remained, its Corrupted Items waiting to be harvested. But in light of all this misery, the inhabitants of the Nex Megalopolis collectively breathed a sigh of relief as their skies turned a subtle pink.

Their night was over.

But the grief would carry on for many nights more.

Regardless, it did not change that they survived what they believed to be the end of the world. And for that alone, they were grateful. Throughout these few days the name of the Black Dove had spread far and wide thanks to Ber. A Color that rivalled the power of their deities was born when the world needed them the most.

And not to mention the arrival of a 12-winged entity who did not destroy their city, but rather, tried to save it.

Those stories, however, would be heard in full at another time, stored in the precious library in the paradise the world revered. Right now, there was one person who narrated this in her head as she watched the skies change, hoping for a certain someone to listen in.

Sitting beneath the only tree in the distant plains of Brandar, surrounded by a field of flowers was a certain woman wearing her black, feathered coat, watching over a soundly sleeping silver-eyed girl.

It was Frost.

A golden eyed Frost, whose appearance was slightly worse for wear. The feathers that protruded from her shoulders were trimmed by the flames.

The tights she wore were worn off, revealing the gentle color of her legs to the world. She leaned against the bark of the old oak tree, taking in the scent of the world as she watched those streaks of light fall.

She and the Archivist were the first to have fallen, landing precisely in this strangely tranquil place. There were no Impuritas in sight. Just a calm breeze that washed them both with a floral scent.

Frost’s eyes were strained, like she had been crying for a while now. Guilt, lament, and regret tore at her heart as she watched over the Archivist. Each gust of wind caused the girl to wince before suddenly, her eyes fluttered open.

“H… huh…? Where… am I now…?”

“Good morning.” Frost casually answered in a manner to keep her spirits up.

“Sind – I mean, Frost!? U-Um… This place is – outside of the city!?” The Archivist quickly rose to her feet, but she quickly tumbled onto her knees beside Frost.

It was why Frost was seated in the first place. Earlier, she had tried standing up, but her legs gave in. She had been awake for several minutes now, but Frost felt like she had been awake for weeks, having witnessed everything she did as a Corrupted.

She slightly hesitated when she tried to point up to the stars with a faint, yet caring smile.

“The Nex Megalopolis. We’re in Elysia. Our home. Our world.” Frost softly spoke, directing the girl’s eyes out to a world filled with stars.

“No black hole or accretion disk… And so many stars… I’ve… never seen the sky before. H-Hey! U-um! Frost! A-are you – A-alright!?” The Archivist quickly snapped her attention back onto Frost, staring deeply into those golden eyes glistened with moisture.

Frost didn’t nod or shake her head.

Instead, she simply raised a hand to fix the peaked cap the Archivist wore.

“Usually, I’d say ‘yeah, I’m fine’. But right now, it’s a bit hard to tell.” She began, unable to put how exactly she felt into words. “I hurt a lot of people in my rampage. I rationalized it somewhere along the way. Half of it wasn’t my fault. The other half was my sense of morality getting caught up in the pace of everything around me…”

Frost deeply regretted everything, but she did not allow herself to break down or to be swept by it. Not in front of the Archivist, who managed to overcome her flaws. Who Awakened and hatched from her egg of isolation and attachment.

An Awakening was a strange thing. It was like the opposite of the Corruption in a way. Where the worst qualities were made to cause a Corruption, the best that were drawn out allowed one to Awaken.

At least Frost thought. She thought hard, but her head also felt empty. She simply wanted to stay there for a while to let everything digest. But she couldn’t, because she had more to say to this little bundle of courage that managed to save her.

“… I’m sorry. And thank you. From the bottom of my heart. I can see why Snap. Ignis. Jury and Ber felt so relieved after I brought them out of their Corruption. It feels like you’ve brought me back from a nightmare. As much as I wish it was, there’s no changing the past.” Frost came to terms with it.

Not perfectly, but just enough to struggle through. She knew she’d need all the help she could get. The trauma of the ordeal made her realize just how flawed she was, and to think she had the audacity to lecture others…

It made her chuckle.

“Mm… And I learned the hard way that we can’t keep holding onto it either.” The Archivist said, holding onto Frost’s hand above her head. “I’m glad that you’re still here. I lost a precious friend to the same thing you went through… so I’m glad… I’m so glad…”

The Archivist choked on her words, tears falling down her cheeks as Frost drew her in for an embrace, placing the girl’s head by her chest like a loving mother.

“Here… your book might be gone, but if you ever need someone or something to talk or hug, then I’m always here. Thanks to you. And everyone. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’d be happy to embrace you. The one thing you can’t get from your books is experience. This world will happily offer all the things you missed.”

“… Mm…”

“There’s not a single black hole in the sky. Our stars are young. You know, I had a look at them for what they were with Carpalis a while back. Turns out this universe is really young. We have a future worth looking forward to.”

“Mm…” The Archivist couldn’t say much else. Frost’s voice was tenderly. Her touch was motherly. Everything about her brought peace to her heart and soul. Eventually, the Archivist rolled and rested her head atop Frost’s lap as they stared into the same break of dawn.

For the first time, Frost felt at peace, the wind throwing her hair aside, revealing that they had grown slightly longer in length. Her eyes were pristine. Not a cloud was found in their amber glow. She fondly stared at the walls of the Nex Megalopolis and uttered as the wind died out:

“We firstly shape the city. Then, the city shapes us. I ended up being shaped by this world. I still don’t get why nothing about my Earth self was ever brought up. Or what the hell I actually am. It’s annoying, but I’m just happy that I’m still here.” Frost spoke in a philosophical tone, the world falling silent as if to listen to her words.

“Sorry. I’m getting lost in my thoughts. Well, what’s left of them. Hey… Has anyone ever told you that you did a good job? You did your best. And look where it took you. To a better place and a better you.” Frost praised the Archivist as she slowly covered her face with her hat.

“By… you… only you…” She trembled.

Frost brushed her head and smiled.

“Then I’ll say it again. You made it. So be proud of it. Archivist… no. Anna. Thank you. You really did save the world, huh.”

The Archivist hugged the peaked cap.

“Kind of like a video game save. Sorry if that sounds dumb, but I can’t think of a better analogy. Our old world is now in your library. Plus, you saved this one. Even if it’s gone, anyone can find its story somewhere and peek into our world. Nothing’s lost. All thanks to you.”

“Mm… *Sniffle*.”

Frost kept her company. Or rather, it was the other way around. In an ironic twist of fate, the Archivist had become her huggable courage for this one instance. The warmth of another person was a beautiful thing, and she thoroughly enjoyed their moment before suddenly, she heard something in the distance.

“… oooost…”

“Heeeeeey!”

“You’re baaaaaaaack!”

“Frost!”

“We found you!”

“Bzzzzt! Brrrrr!”

The voices of her closest friends cried out for her as a number of figures rode along the back of a certain Observer of Hope.

Jury.

Ignis.

Cer.

Ber.

Res.

Carpalis.

Magus.

Her little Frost.

Her Hired Arm.

And strangely enough, a girl with pale hair and golden eyes – The Archetype of Desire; the Star Child was oddly present as well. The light of the Piece of the Fallen Star faded into obscurity as the light of an emerging sun replaced it. Its light followed Snap as the world was enveloped in its warmth.

Frost, with a heavy heart, rose as the Archivist gave her space.

But her legs couldn’t hold her up for long as she hoarsely called out at the top of her lungs with tears streaming down her face.

“I’M HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE!”

At the same time, one last flash of light fell from the skies, landing somewhere further north from their location.

And within that light was none other than…

< … Green…? >

… everyone’s favorite electronic GPS!