324. The Power of an Awakened Archetype and Floor

Nav suddenly asked a question in the middle of their bizarre tea party.

“May I eat the cupcake now? I feel like now is a good time to pair it with the tea, even though I cannot taste it. I’ve heard confectionary is commonly eaten at such times.”

“Now you’re making much more sense to me.” Galia hummed, although: “But such things do not pair well with tea.”

“U-Um… I think you’re wrong.” Anna unexpectedly rebutted. “Tea goes good with everything. Biscuits especially.”

“Hoh?” Galia lurched forward from her seat, drilling her eyes into Anna’s to test her resolve.

And surprisingly, Anna did not break.

“To each their own. But – and may I be tried for saying this – there are right opinions, and less right ones.” Galia mischievously swirled her cup of coffee.

Tension rose in the air. A war over coffee and tea was about to break loose until suddenly:

“Just drink water?” Ber blurted out, breaking the stalemate. “Caffeine doesn’t even work on a Beholder, so what’s the point? And where do you even get the tea from in the first place?”

… I should’ve seen this coming. Frost sighed but found it funny. The triplets, as usual, were walking comedy shows.

“Getting bigger meant getting a bigger brain, huh! So, while we’re struggling with all these secrets, an Archetype of all people wants to hide more away from us!?” Cer howled, bouncing off Ber’s antics before they were both struck in the head.

“Shut up and enjoy the tea.” Res growled. “Do you want to break the Jester stigma or what?”

“Urgh… leafy water…” Cer licked the tea, only to shiver in disgust, greatly pleasing Galia.

“Mud water. It always the lunatics that like coffee.” Ber said aloud, despising both drinks.

“I think tea’s just fine.” Ignis said as Gallia began distributing coffee to everyone, sliding them across the table with impeccable accuracy. “But coffee was papa’s favorite…”

Just how many cups of steaming coffee did she store in her Dimensional Storage!?

“I kinda like coffee better if I’m being honest.” Frost admitted, taking a sip from her mug. “Bitter… I still have a sweet tooth, huh.”

“You don’t like tea?” Jury tilted her head. “What if I fed you directly?”

“Then I’ll consider it.” Frost beamed as Jury dragged her chair a little closer with her tail.

Sooner or later, all eyes fell onto Nav.

She’d be the one to break the stalemate.

How it came down to this only brought smiles across everyone’s faces. The devilish Galia seemed to enjoy seeing the bright faces of the triplets. At least that was what Frost thought when Galia unexpectedly smiled to herself as she sipped away at her coffee, pretending that she had nothing to do with the argument.

Nav held her Taste of Mortality in one hand.

And after a small bite, her eyes instantly widened in shock.

“S-So this… is what strawberries taste like…”

Nav never gave them a verdict.

But maybe that was for the best. She finished the cupcake, scoffing it down like a starving cat. Imaginary cat ears drooped on her head when she realized that all that was left were crumbs and a bit of icing.

And for the first time, Nav understood what it was like to desire.

* * *

Later on, as they meddled in the Eternal Library, something of great importance was brought to their attention. Nav slowly regained her powers to control the Blessing of the Amalgam. Not enough to influence others, but just enough to begin making sense of things.

For instance, Corrupted Personas could now be Archived within the Eternal Library. This was always the case, but after the Awakening of the Floor of Civilization…

“Like this?” Frost wondered as Anna brought the books of the Iron Candle and Asterism onto the table.

She hovered a hand over them as Nav instructed her to touch them with the intention of ‘returning’ them. The process of borrowing and returning books from a library took center stage in Frost’s mind and made the process easier.

Suddenly, particles of light left her body and entered these books. They then began to emit an elusive glow, enough to burn the unprotected eyes of a normal human. When the light died down, the symbols found on the front of the books animated as though they were alive.

“What does this mean?” Frost asked as Nav observed the books before slowly sliding the Iron Candle towards the Archivist, who then took it into her hands and exchanged a determined gaze with a confused Ignis.

Then, she revealed the true power of the Awakened Archivist, her Library, and her Floor of Civilization.

“Corrupted Personas can now be equipped and unequipped by those directed by the Archivist. All Corrupted Personas that are subjugated in the Floor of Civilization will have their books stored in the Eternal Library. This means we are incentives to capture them alive and bring them here unless Frost is present to absorb them directly.”

The implications were incredible.

But in the future, it would make the lives of those that wished to clean up the Nex Megalopolis all that much harder. Similarly, it would also mean that trusted individuals could wield the powers of a Corrupted.

Ignis’ heart dropped as the Archivist handed the book of her father into her hands.

“… Does that mean… Papa will… papa will finally…” Tears fell onto the cover of the book as she felt its warmth travel up her arms. She slowly brought it to her chest and embraced it. It felt like she was being hugged by her father again. “Finally… be next to me again?”

She sobbed. Ignis cried for what felt like hours as she collapsed to her knees.

Even if it wasn’t really her father, there was no greater happiness than to be in the presence of his warmth. Not the heat or flames that defined his Corrupted self.

Just his kind warmth that only Ignis and so few remembered.

< The Iron Candle Has Been Added to Ignis’ Collection >