Nexus Awakened (An Isekai LitRPG Gender Bender Story)

873. Longing For The Future (Arc 8 Epilogue Beginning)

873. Longing For The Future (Arc 8 Epilogue Beginning)

“I’m not the biggest believer in true love.”

Snap panned the camera to shoot a close-up of Cer minutes after Frost and Jury sealed their vows. She sat at the foot of a hill overlooking the celebration with a cathartic look.

“About a million ways it can go wrong. Hah. I wonder if mom and that bastard Typhon were ever in love in the first place. Mom passed the baton over to Frost. Who would’ve guessed that the weird human we had to recover would take us in as her own.”

She purposefully immersed herself in a bed of blue dahlias. Fragments of the past flashed in Snap’s camera. Old, shriveled and malnourished Cers surrounded her, as did Cer’s of a not-so-distant past. They disappeared into fine, golden particles as she pulled her hair back and smiled into Snap’s camera.

“Snap, I never got to thank you for showing mom that photo, did I? Don’t move, or I’ll bite you.”

Snap did not avoid Cer’s hand.

The adverse reactions that people used to have towards Cer were long gone. Though in the first place, it was never out of spite but more of as a running gag. At least not by the people close to her.

“I’m kidding.”

Like Ber, she wasn’t often surrounded by people. The twins and Galia were really the only people she considered close. Now, there were Healers who approached her with a carefree attitude, some offering her plates of food, skewers, or flowers.

Healers couldn’t hide their innate curiosity. Awestruck eyes looked up at her. Hands fiddled with the hems of their clothes. They argued innocently amongst each other, vying for Cer’s attention.

In the past, these would have been hurling stones at her.

“I’ve been thinking about what I want to do now. I’m practically a wolf without a moon to howl at. But I’ll find something soon. Love is in the air, huh? Did I ever tell anyone that I had someone I liked?”

“Brrr!?”

“Huh? What’s with that reaction!?”

* * *

“Expression is a beautiful thing, isn’t it Snap?”

Rows of meaty sausages and skewers sizzled atop a roaring grill. Ber expertly manned the outdoor kitchen with a brigade of Healers and several Moons. The Healers took on easy roles, such as food preparation, tasting, or occasionally stirring the cauldron of delicious, meaty or vegetable stews. Moons on the other hand helped Ber with everything else. She delegated as sweat dripped from her forehead.

Seeing how worked up Ber was over cooking caused the Moons to often stop and stare at her, admiring her passion for a role outside of fighting. The way she conducted the kitchen was not out of duty, but because of her love for cooking.

“Bzzt~!”

“Did you want to play with me as well?”

The young girl had cultivated an immense level of trust between her and the Healers. For a person who wasn’t a Healer, she had the gift to cure what was beyond the scope of even the most powerful Healers.

Naturally, the Sanguine Doves – who were Healers that could control blood – flocked to Ignis. Frost was still new to how blood manipulation worked, so Ignis was the next best person. Enoch was undoubtedly the best choice, but not many knew just how powerful Enoch’s blood manipulation was.

“Hm. Frost is always happy as can be. I read mama’s diary once. She said marrying papa was the happiest day of her life. But papa says that having me was her happiest moment. I won’t be sad for mama’s sake. Papa...”

Her life as a lone child made her dependent on people around her. But after Corrupting she felt like she had become distant. Her cold demeanor was an artificial wall that she couldn’t help but keep up.

She placed a hand on her chest and fondly looked inwards where her father resided.

“He wouldn’t want to see me cry again.”

The Ignis who once believed that she was the root cause of people’s suffering became a person who people flocked to for help. Pieces of her were used to create her items. They didn’t hurt the people who wielded it. Instead, it granted them a quality of life that couldn’t be found anywhere else.

Healers didn’t have to be afraid of being hurt so long as they had her tailormade backpacks. Right now, she had found success in creating a functional heart, lungs, and various organs. The brain and eyes were still out of reach, but she had hope.

“Lots of Repenters and Impuritas can be used to discover more things about the body. It sounds cruel, but they did crueler things to us. The red Healers want to help... People die too easily. People lose what makes them a person before they realize it. I was a slime once.”

Slimes followed her wherever she went. One appeared from behind her shoulder and snuggled against her cheek.

“I didn’t have eyes. It’ll take some more time before I can help Stella. Did you hear? She wants to go to school at the Academy. It’ll be hard for her, but I’ll do my best to grant her wish. Like Frost did for me. Does Dr. Ignis sound weird?”

“Zzzzt!”

“No? Mn. I want to make it a reality. I’m still young, but people listen to me like a teacher. I like teaching too. It’s fun. Wanna come with me? I was about to get a glass of milk. I like milk.”

Ignis’ cold demeanor broke into a warm, childish smile.

“It reminds me that I never was hated.”