blueteamnovel 263. Elysia, One of Seven Angels
263. Elysia, One of Seven Angels
263. Elysia, One of Seven Angels
Elysia.
When those words left the past Jury’s lips, Frost and the Archivist stiffened like statues. The air rushed from their lungs as their minds went blank. Seconds later, as Jury wondered what was wrong with the two, a plethora of interpretations filled the void of their mind like Pandora’s Box had just opened.
“Elysia... That’s your name?” Frost blurted out loud, causing Jury to blink, pouting slightly. “How come... wait no, that was the name of your Corrupted self. Jury’s name never changed.”
“I thought Jury was called an Unhung Jury.” The Archivist pondered, flickering through the pages of her notebook, expecting to find valuable information. “Uuhhh... Nothing?”
“That was her title. Her name was just Jury when I realized her. It didn’t come up as Elysia. But then again, you remember the book she gained from your library?”
“... The Book of Elysia...” The Archivist gasped as Jury... no, Elysia cocked her head, her tail wagging left and right like an excited dog.
The bulbous tip was nowhere in sight. It was thin towards the end unlike Jury’s which contained an organ, needle, and... maybe a sexual organ? In short, the current Jury’s tail was more robust compared to Elysia’s simple one.
She wondered if Realizing Jury caused this unique growth to occur.
That being said, Frost then added:
“Elysia. I thought it might have had something to do with the truth or nature of our world. It never occurred to me that it was her book.”
“Maybe it’s both?” The Archivist suggested. “I... haven’t read through it. But I remember Jury! She was bubbly. Kind. But also kinda scary, I think? She looks different – H-hey-!? U-um –! Down! It’s showing! Don’t look up, Frost!”
Elysia snatched the Archivist off her feet. Her tail coiled around her waist as she held her overhead, the girl desperately concealing her undergarments with little resistance.
“Are you two done speaking retrospectively? Reciting a eulogy about me? Here. Come close. Take some healing!”
She pouted, placing both hands on her hips as she leaned close to Frost’s face, suddenly grinning to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth. Then, much to their shock, pale particles of light bounced off their bodies as Elysia casted healing magic of all things.
“And what’s this about a Corrupted!? You think an Angel like me is like one of those synthetic ones? Or a Demon? I thought you thought higher of me! Well, I guess you can’t have everything. Did you bring anything to eat by the way~?”
That gluttonous side of her never left. A-ahaha. Why am I mentally cracking up at that?
“Nothing. Sorry. We ended up getting caught up in some trouble.” Frost said, concealing his laughter, finding comfort in this version of Jury.
“Trouble tends to find you. Nothing’s changed about that! Bet negotiations failed again. Even when backed by the Pillar. Kind of sad that we aren’t deployed with you. But I guess that’s because you get to do your own thing.” Elysia complaint, squeezing the cheeks of the Archivist.
“Stawwp...”
“Mmm! Glad you’re also here to help! Recoding things still? Have you got something written down about me? Anything about the steaks – I mean, stars!?” Elysia drooled at the thought, her eyes glistening like stars. “Real meat is hard to come by for an Angel. Everything tastes the same. But I guess that’s what our teeth are designed for. Cutting through synthetic angels. Or Faux Angels. Whatever you want to call them!”
Aside from her tail, it felt like the Jury they always knew was standing right here. He was curious about their relationship. Were they close? Were they lovers? Even though it was a memory, he was a little wary to ask.
That didn’t stop him, however.
Because if there was a time to gather answers, it would be now. Such a prime opportunity could not be ignored.
“Ahem. Elysia.” Frost began as the woman dragged them up the flight of stairs, her pale-military-eqsue garbs blending with the world of white.
“Why is that?” Frost asked.
“We’re not exactly good in urban areas. Any time we’re deployed means a few hundred thousand were already erased. If we arrive early, then that’s a hundred thousand gone from the impact alone. Another few tens more when the cartridge falls.”
“... that’s normal to you?” Frost asked as he stooped in his tracks, causing Elysia to solemly turn her head, her gaze falling off to the side.
“The world is too big to be in two places at once. I’m not thrilled to admit it. You know why as well. We pick the lesser of two evils. Arms can get out of hand. People can get wrapped up with wishes. Those that believe in the stars can have miracles happen thanks to one of the Bodies. Then there’s Faux Angels.”
As she said this, one of the colossal, sealed hatches opened, revealing a semi-pale gargantuan egg-shaped object labeled ANG-03. Steam violently cascaded along the floor, as a low rumble and whine eerily emitted from somewhere within. It was not quite like the egg Ber had found herself in, but it was similar enough that again, Frost couldn’t help but to make a note of.
As soon as the hatches locked open with a crunchy snap, the roaring sound of a broken chain blared. This alarm was identical to the one used in the ImpulseWorks Sites. People fled its immediate vicinity after going through various checks. When all seemed well, golden strip lights appeared along the ground as the ‘canister’ was suddenly ejected with a deafening explosion.
“It’s the three-tailed Angel. She’ll save a million more lives. I bet it’s another Faux Angel attack. Hey! I’m happy to report that I’ve been using my wings to get around instead of those!”
Elysia’s pale, fluffy wings sprouted from her back. There were exactly 12 in total, each casting an exalted light that banished shadows. They ranged from as small as a finger to three times as large as themselves.
Jury did not have this ability. Yet at least. Suffice to say, both Frost and the Archivist were enthralled by Elysia’s beauty. Delighted, Elysia concealed her wings and began walking off, humming to herself.
“Why do they look like eggs?” The Archivist asked.
“A bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy an egg... It’s symbolic of where we came from. How we’re born. How things work. It’s a saying with Angels, because... we’re not born normally. Put it like this, what came first? The chicken or the egg?”
“Chicken?” The Archivist uttered.
“Egg.” Frost said. “Eggs were around longer than the chicken even existed.”
“Mhm. The egg. Or more like from the eggshells. It’s an unnatural birth, but that’s what makes us unique, yet when we bleed, we’re reminded that we’re all the same! The egg serves as a metaphorical point of origin, or a person’s world. Soul. Whatever you want to call it.” Elysia spoke cryptically with enthusiasm. “You get it, right?”
“Sort of. Can you elaborate?” Frost corrected himself.
“At this point I wonder if it’s even you in there!” Elysia laughed.
Frost moved to several heavy hitting questions as vehicles and crews of dozens moved to the steaming hatch left behind. The spherical object soared through the skies unnaturally. It was certainly fast. So fast in fact that its exterior caught alight, but the metal itself remained untouched.
“What are Faux Angels? What about people turning into monsters? The Corrupted? Advents? The Nexus?”
“S-Slow down! You’re speaking all kinds of weird things now. Well, people have been using a piece of GEN-03’s power to wish things. I’ve never seen it for myself, but they say that deep inside the ruins underneath the Pillar of the World lays a dormant star. You should know, since you’re one of the only people allowed in there.”
“Why is that? What about the Faux Angels?”
“Faux Angels are just big monsters looking to snag a Body. Angels. Demons. Those things – we’re actually forbidden from entering that place.” Elysia stared at the rising Pillar.
She didn’t elaborate or entertain any following questions, as if this one order given to her by some higher figure was absolute.
They were alone all of a sudden in this vacant field of concrete and metal. The closer they approached the Pillar, the more the floors morphed into a similar material. During this silence Frost then asked another small array of questions, the world seemingly... distorting along the way.
One was the Genesis Stones.