blueteamnovel 777. The Howl of A Lonely Moon
777. The Howl of A Lonely Moon
777. The Howl of A Lonely Moon
“We’re the last pieces to make a move now. Aside from Michaela. But she’s already departed from the Nexus. I wonder just what those red wings look like.” Frost declared in the same tone as one would use for a silent prayer.
It felt odd hoping or praying to an existence beyond comprehension when Frost was, for all intents and purposes, the same thing herself. As was Michaela to a much greater extent, though it wasn’t like either of them could answer the wishes of people.
< Silly Frost. Your Will says otherwise. Your Will will willingly help Will-less people find their own Will >
The sudden tongue twister made Frost smirk at a most inappropriate moment. She had already heard that Jury and Galia were up against an Apocalypse-level Corrupted, no less the Third Chapter of the Price of Paradise.
Nav’s cheerful voice was fabricated since it was difficult for Nav to avoid sounding monotone, but it didn’t make it any less genuine. It was her way of trying to soothe her aching heart as she always had with her puns.
It wasn’t the right moment. They were in the midst of the biggest battle in their lives. The City of Spades paled in comparison. Frost peered out into the distance with half-lidded eyes. Beams of light hailed across the skies; a sight that would no doubt be written in history.
[Retrocausality – Smite], [Retrocausality – Angel’s Touch], [Heaven’s Fall], and the ornaments of Justica Arms smothered the skies. Joining them were familiar capsules that bombarded the desolate lands. They were fired from across the sea. According to Nav, they came from Inflow Direct’s navy.
Inflow Direct had many facets unknown to the world, but once upon a time, they were known throughout Elysia. The fact that so few knew about the existence of the Charybdis – their Infusion-carrying warships – was not because of confidentiality.
Rather, their existence... no, their very concept was erased thanks to the power of the Blue Dahlia. If an item or object was erased by her, then it would be removed from every mind that inhaled the scent of a blue dahlia flower.
This flower did not exist in the first place but was instead a creation of the Blue Dahlia’s power.
The golden light ahead shimmered with a faint blue. Something ethereal glowed beyond the wuthering storm at Primus Ramus. They had travelled far enough into the north where they were certainly in enemy territory.
But it was undefended. The lands were plucked clean of all life. The north was as prosperous as the Bellum Empire until just months ago. Barely any ruins were left behind here to remind the world of the people who lived here, nor the way they lived. It was barren, and the blackened soil made it seem like they were wandering through an endless desert.
Miniature explosions in the distance contrasted the morbid serenity of the far north. Those explosions came from the capsules containing what they believed to be Infusion C.
The large, violent fireballs were comparable to what Cer blurted out as:
“A miniature sun.”
But Frost recognized it as something else.
“A nuclear bomb. Or at least... what I think it looks like. Infusion C uses a fraction of a Star’s power, kind of like how nuclear weapons works. But that’s not fusion. That’s pure magic. How would you even stop those canisters in the first place?”
“Beats me.” Cer replied before the Hired Arm answered with:
“Interception. The Old World had millions of intercepting weapons installed along the walls. Weapons of that caliber were called ‘equalizers’. A small, insignificant group could levy the power of the sun. But... the city was enormous. Far more than you can imagine. A single detonation rarely lifted an eyebrow.”
“Were they easy to make?” Frost questioned.
“Thinking of porting them over into this world?”
“Nothing like that. I don’t want to deal with radiation poisoning again. I was just wondering, since nuclear tech was a big thing in my world for a while. But you make it sound like it was outdated.”
“It was considered ancient technology. Most of the armaments were found in cold storages. Countries must have abandoned them for other prospects. I imagine it was the advent of the Stars that caused them to rot in sarcophaguses. Hm.”
The Hired Arm chuckled scornfully, adding:
“Funny how dependent civilization was on ‘stars.’ First, we used the sun’s light, then stars for navigation, to fission energy, to fusion, then – to fallen ‘Stars’ until there were no stars left in the sky.”
Frost’s gaze was drawn to the golden light in the sky as she followed with:
“That’s when the Captured Star was created. You know, I thought the story of the Captured Star would’ve been related to the Price of Paradise knowing what we know. But I’m just a blip in that book. I’m kind of glad in a way. You remember what happened last time?”
Making trouble... all so that you could be remembered...
“My mom can erase people’s memories. After looking back at everything in my life now, I still wonder if maybe her disease was caused by her magic. One small, tiny strand of me understands why Raoul didn’t want me to chase him. I... really could’ve become a monster, but I didn’t. I just never had someone to properly tell me what was wrong or right. And when I did something wrong...!”
Frost shed tears for Cer, for Cer could not shed tears of her own. Till this day, no one had ever seen Cer cry. It was like she was running for all her life with no room to stop and feel sorry for herself.
“... Tch. I was just ignored... That changes tonight. How dare you... Raoul. How dare you...? It was the one thing that I had that was constant... The one night that belonged to me...!”
Cer refrained from lashing out. The time to settle this with Raoul was approaching. Only then could she unbottle her heart and finally, finally...
... Carve her own path rather than chasing the footsteps of someone who didn’t even...
Love her. That’s what Cer’s thinking right now, huh... I’m sure she’ll figure it out. But for now.
Frost wrapped both hands around Cer.
I’ll give her what she needs, so Cer doesn’t forget the people who love her.
The sadness in her heart caused a tail to sprout out from behind Frost. It wasn’t directly connected to her and hovered just inches away from her tailbone, but since it was anchored securely it may as well be a part of her.
The tail was thick and covered in beautiful black feathers. Streaks of white feathers ran vertically down the tail. At the end were feathers furled like cowlicks. What Frost grew was a fluffy, prehensile version of a duck’s tail.
The Tail of the Black Dove
< Despite how full the crowded nest was, some space was cleared. The Black Dove patted the small patch with her tail for the unwanted duckling. With enough care, perhaps it would become prettier than a swan >
ORIGIN : Folklore
EFFECT: Provides additional comfort in tandem with the Touch of the Black Dove. Greatly increases the chance of fulfilling the Realization Criteria for Despair-Attribute Corrupted. Slightly increases the chance of fulfilling the Awakening Criteria
HP : 5,000,000
Awakening. Asterism’s Corrupted Zone said the same thing.
Frost continued stroking Cer’s hair as her tears dried.
Eventually, Snap slowed to a crawl, allowing Frost to dismount in an empty patch of land. They were not too far off now, but stopping anywhere closer to the light was risky. Far ahead were the Impuritas Hearts belonging to the Memento Mori.
They were not Frost’s targets.
“Alright. Caldera Industries can start right here.”
A portal to the Derma Layer split open, revealing the attack force that would be leading the charge. Knalzark could be seen further within, far away from his personnel. It was finally time to let Caldera Industries loose. They would provide an adequate distraction while Frost headed straight for the light.
That way, she could be sure there’d be nothing left in their way.
“Cer. My Hired Arm. Snap.”
“Yeah!”
“I hear you.”
“Bzzt!”
“It’s time to hit the heart of their operations.”