315. Amalgam, Arbiter, Beholder and a Machine

As fate would have it, Frost’s first official meeting with the Arbiter was held at a random café along the streets of the Common Hub. It was surreal to have the world’s major powers crammed around a small table. Certainly not the round table Frost expected, but the location managed to cut back the tension between them.

There were no golden statues or pearlescent pillars in a marble hall fit for an empress. What would be statues of Angels were none other than still-life paintings of apple trees and picnics. The warmth and the scent of freshly brewed coffee and steaming pancakes threw Frost off as she wondered why these two were here in the first place.

Regardless, she kept these arbitrary questions to herself.

“The Archetype of Amalgamation. And the voice, I take? You may be unfamiliar with me, but I know quite a bit about you. Your scent has the same foundation, but it’s much sweeter this time.” The Arbiter spoke with a voice carrying a deep resonance, enough for it to shake her chest. “Oh. I must apologize. I’m fumbling ahead of myself. It’s quite nostalgic for me to be sitting alongside you. Pardon me. I did not introduce myself.”

The Arbiter took the lead like she held the flow of their conversation on a leash.

This was the first time Frost was in the presence of someone she could confidently call a deity.

“It’s fine. I’d rather we keep things informal. Please. Call me Frost.” Frost began with an indomitable voice. “This is Nav. A very close friend of mine. You seem familiar with her.”

The Arbiter’s gaze was transfixed onto them, and Frost deployed a matching gaze to solidify her position as an equal, if not someone above her. If there was a time where she couldn’t afford to appear weak, then it was now before the people who had summoned her to the Floor of Judgement from the very beginning.

“Then you must call me Michaela. This is my Beholder partner. Galia, of Justica Arms.” The Arbiter politely introduced herself, her tails subtly wriggling in the air behind her.

“You’re too kind. O Arbiter. O Amalgam. And a voice reminiscent of the one we hear as Blessed. Could this be the strings of fate at play, or just more mere coincidences?” Galia spoke in her philosophical tongue as she hesitated from sipping from her mug of coffee. “My apologies. How churlish of me to prepare a batch for only ourselves. There is no place for gluttony or greed in the presence of our light. May I?”

Galia asked the Arbiter. A tail slipped onto Galia’s arm, and another brushed along her face, and then on her lips before the Arbiter gently smiled.

“Please do.”

It was not confirmation, but a command. The relationship between the two seemed more complex than what met the eye, and their manner of speech was nothing short of suffocating.

Galia didn’t utter a word after their briefest of introductions. Her head was tilted down in a conscious display of passiveness. Or what seemed like it. Galia and the Arbiter were impossible for Frost to read. And despite how withdrawn Galia presented herself as; the presence she wielded rivalled all on the table.

Then, after a moment of silent deliberation, she excused herself from the table and moved to a room behind the café’s counter. A soft buzz could be heard from within, as well as the clinking of tableware.

“I assume Beholder Galia is the Arbiter’s Beholder in the same vein that Carpalis is to Magus.” Nav pointed out, breaking through the tension for she could not sense it. “You look vastly different from Jury. 7 tails must be a sign of ranking in a biological hierarchy.”

“Ahhhh. Is that so? I personally don’t know the intricacies of our race. It’s been a long time since I’ve cared.”

A pleased look formed on the Arbiter’s face, her golden eyes seemingly twinkingly with a mysterious power as she shared a small stare with an unblinking Nav.

“That voice is a familiar one to me. Nav however, is not a name I recognize.”

“Does Lailah ring a bell?” Frost asked, having heard a summary of Jury and Nav’s past during their trip here to the Nexus.

As shocking as it was of a realization that their world was looped several thousands of times, it did not change the fact that this world was their home. What surprised Frost the most however, was that Nav was an Angel in the past life considering what was written on the plague regarding who could interact with the light…

… And that ‘light’ was undoubtedly Frost herself.

Frost brought her attention to the finest of body movements the Arbiter made. They had fought before, and she vividly remembered how powerful she was. The tales of her might were no exaggeration.

Rather, they were, if anything, watered down.

However, Frost did not sense any animosity in her, and that alone allowed her to remain mostly at ease in her presence. Additionally, there was an unconscious level of trust she had in the Arbiter as fellow Archetype, and as someone she knew in the distant past.

The Arbiter seemingly turned to Frost, as if sensing her unease and pushed her plate of pancakes forward.

“That does sound more familiar. But as you can see, my memories are fragmented. Though I am sure we are both not here to discuss our pasts. Rather, we seek to build the future.” She began. “The past is not something that should be brought up. But it can enhance our relationship moving forward. Although my name remains unchanged, like yourself, I wish to separate myself from what I was. Because I was not a particularly good Angel in retrospect.”

She admitted, pushing the plate closer to Frost until it touched her chest.

“You’re not hungry? Oh. I apologize. We’re not animals. A fork.” The Arbiter picked up a spoon and offered it to her.

“Total blindness. Frost and I accept the offer. May I take a bite?” Nav asked, her eyes twinklingly unexpectedly. It was a total contrast to her expressionless face, and it caused Frost to smile, suddenly feeling like a mother of them both as the tension collapsed entirely.

She wondered if that was the Arbiter’s intention.

“Please. Take as many as you want.” Frost allowed. “Do what you like, Nav.”

With Frost’s confirmation, Nav began what the living called ‘eating’. She did not know how to use a fork, and she stabbed the plate like she was trying to kill it. It shattered unsurprisingly.

“… porcelain plates are disturbing fragile. Civilization has evolved through countless years, and they have not upgraded their wears to steel.” Nav complained, not willing to admit that it was her fault.

She looked down at the mangled fork with dim eyes.

“A weak alloy too. This Nexus needs bigger change than we could have imagined.” She said, causing Frost to desperately hold back a laugh.

But to her surprise, the Arbiter began to softly laugh.

“A handful. Quite a pure thing. A construct of steel, but with sapience rivaling that of ours. I suspect our friend Nav may be more than a machine.” The Arbiter mentioned. “For instance, do you know who where the information we receive in the Blessing is derived from?”

Frost was taken aback by this sudden question.

“The Eternal Library, right?”

“That too was my belief at first. But what if I was something else completely beyond our control? The voice Blessed hear is reminiscent of Nav’s. However, since we are finally here and there will be much time to discuss other matters, I should immediately tell you about the other voice.” The Arbiter’s tone sharply shifted as they heard footsteps and faint voices from outside.

“Whose voice are you talking about?” Frost had a vague idea, but she wanted to know if it was exactly who she thought it was.

And as the others appeared at the entrance, Jury swung the door open, wearing a vibrant smile. The Arbiter’s tails stopped moving as her ‘gaze’ suddenly moved onto the one tailed Angel.

“Elysia. The One Who Corrupts.” She uttered. “I’m afraid that while I left the Nexus to recover you, her influence has sept into the Nexus. Truth be told. Archetype to Archetype: the reason we are here is to identify what influence it will have, and how we must mitigate it as we ascend through the fabric of the Nexus.”