The Ateliers controlled a large portion of Elysia. That much Frost knew. But the true extent was never made clear to her, even personally visiting their abodes. She was also aware of how much of the misery was attributed to them, which too was a truth that was still murky at best.

But here, she realized that the current state of Elysia was a blessing. A clean, pure slate compared to what it was, and now; what it could be after she had given the greenlight to produce weapons of war.

To say that she had cold feet was a severe understatement. The challenge ahead was to keep the war in the Derma Layer from spilling, and to prevent the Ateliers from using such machines for other undisclosed purposes.

The gravity of it all caused her face to visibly pale as she gulped deeply, attempting to digest the sheer weight of the responsibility she shouldered.

Nav. We’re going to need a whole lot more Moons as soon as possible.

She cleared her throat an collected herself. Finally, after coming to terms with the newfound risks at hand, she settled her eyes onto the Eye of the Architect and acknowledged its presence.

“I presume you’re here to escort us?” She wore a frozen face of utter complacency, never allowing herself to appear weak in the eyes of the Ateliers. “Very well. Show us the way.”

The black eye nodded once and slowly drifted away, ushering them towards a path carved into the walls of the colossal complex. Clearly the path was created by an accident that scarred the walls, evident by more carved paths that ran across like the claw marks of a beast.

“Must’ve been a Dragon or one of those giant moles. Could see them living down here” Cer said matter of factly.

“Tell me a Dragon that’s been found this deep underground.” Ber countered, running a claw along the walls. “Dragons prefer to sleep in places too hard to breathe, like in the mountains. But in the Subderma? I don’t think so. I’ve never heard of a Giant Mole down here too.”

“Remember, this isn’t the Subderma. We’re in the Shallows. The Timeless Ruins. Whatever it was, it was undeniably huge.” Res reminded.

“Probably a Corrupted.” Frost assumed before asking the Eye. “Unless there are equally as frightening monsters found in the Ruins?”

The black eye nodded. They crossed a derelict bridge far too old to have belonged to Caldera Industries, made of a stone that had weathered centuries, perhaps thousands of years without appropriate wear.

One had to wonder from what era this bridge came from.

 

“Beyond the Shallows lurk creatures that beg to be forgotten. Others clawing to be remembered.”

 

The black Eye spoke in a hollow voice, eventually leading them through a small, thin layer of fog. It continued once they were enveloped.

 

“They are creatures that sleep undisturbed. The Shallows serves as only the mouth into the Inner where life believed to have been perished and those from tales thrive in a world like ours.”

 

Frost was intrigued by this. But how much was true was still up in the air until she personally descended.

“But you have made it beyond that. You have descended into the Depths. How do the monsters compare to the ones of the Shallows if where able to carve the walls like this.” She inquired as the stone they walked on became a chiseled road where pipework and metal gratings filled every inch of the world.

 

“Incomparable. What lies beneath made us understand the weakness of our flesh. That is why we must endure the attachment of steel and machines. But never allow it to meld like that of the despicable Liquidators. We are separate entities. The living command steel. Steel must never gain a consciousness of its own.”

 

“Lovely.” Nav spoke sarcastically. “They will certainly love me.”

Raw materials ran as molten slurry beneath the grates. At the same time giant cylinder spun as powder and liquid were mixed into a special, construction blend. It was poured into transparent, magical glass which served as a mold. It thoroughly impressed Frost by the lack of rebar required.

In another corner the desecrated bodies of Dwarves were personally taken away by comrades – a rare instance where their dignity was upheld, though it saddened here that it was only after their deaths.

“Are you aware of the protocols that must be followed if you wish to continue production?” She asked the Eye with a severe tone. “Accidents I can accept. But a pattern I will not turn a blind eye to.”

 

“We are aware. Otherwise, their bodies would have been kept preserved as bait for expeditions into the Timeless Ruins.”

 

“Yeah, yeah. Sounds like you care a lot.” Cer growled. “Monsters are the same everywhere in this eat or be eaten kind of world. On the bright side Corrupted don’t live down there!”

 

“But Genesis Stones certainly do, as do a number of anomalies. You can think of the Ruins as the ‘Well’ within the Subderma. Descend or rise too fast and you will be afflicted by the Curse of the Descent. Or Ascent depending on who you speak to.”

 

Basically, the curse of becoming an Impuritas.

Frost had more to ask, but the Eye was quickly joined by multiple more. Soon, one turned into more than fifty Eyes of the Architect. They conglomerated above them like a bundle of balloons, swimming through their air in a school.

The beatings of the colossal hammers grew louder. Sparks spat into the wide paths they followed as the world constantly shook. The great forge beyond slammed as the beat of the metallurgic symphony, and soon, the voices of the Dwarves could be heard singing a song of war in their Dwarvish accent.

 

“Material comes from the Reality Manifester.”

 

The hollow choir of the Eyes echoed, singing harmoniously with the hammers as a dark shadow loomed above. It encapsulated the world as a single star cut through the steam, sparks, and smog beneath.

 

“Refined slurries drip from the Gravity Forge.”

 

That was where Frost needed to go, and it sat directly beneath the gargantuan black hole on a raised platform. Multiple crossing roads were laid down by Dwarves in real time. They laid the brickwork at an incredible speed as another team drove a train with a single, cylindrical wheel to press them into place.

 

“Slurries flow to the Titanic Press.”

 

The fact that they could create this infrastructure in such a short amount of time was nothing but incredible. They were wide enough for armies to march down comfortably, and in the distance the great spires were lowered as the ceiling continued to fall.

 

“But when O War calls, then the Titanic Forges come to rest.”

 

Suddenly, thousands of lights illuminated above, guiding the collapsing ceiling. It stopped just a few hundred meters above them, but the ceilings elsewhere around the world. Suddenly, slurries fell from the skies. The lights were in fact ducts that flooded the world with molten material.

 

“Then the weight of a collapsed star shall bring it all together.”

 

And before it could swallow the industrial complex – the ceilings beyond collapsed with a great clap that caused even the triplets to rock their heads in anguish. As Demi-Humans with sensitive hearing, the sound took over a hundred HP from their health pool. It understandably angered them as Frost quickly tended to their injuries, half impressed that this forge was able to even injure a Moon.

 

“Witness the resurrection of the Gigaforge.”

 

Kilometers were crushed by super compressed steel. The world groaned almost as loudly as did the metal. The shockwave created by the sudden compression was what injured them in the first place.

One by one, segments of the ‘gigaforge’ peeled open, revealing colossal columns that could only be described as an amalgamation of steel arranged into the shape of a serpent. On its head was blue drill that bled with an orange glow.

 

“And know this, O Head as you open the doorways to our theater of war.”

 

Indeed. As Frost reached the underside of the blackhole, she reached out a hand and was about to open a gateway into the Derma Layer. She planned to keep it open for the next twenty-four hours, as it was not possible for her to leave it open forever due to the strain it had on her Mana.

However, as if to alleviate that…

… A being approached from behind, followed by a sea of white Eyes. Their stats were identical to the Eyes of the Architect, but their voices were more feminine.

The being – neither man nor woman, for they closely resembled a distorted machine beneath their cloak – approached with an extended, rubbery, blackened hand like it had been placed into a fiery forge.

The cloak was not even a cloak. It was a cloth made to hide their hideous appearance. A single orange tie and the hints of a blazer were all Frost could use to humanize it. They didn’t even speak.

 

“To you O Head. A gift from Him.”

 

The Eyes did that for them.

 

 

Frost hid her surprise. She was under the assumption that only the Golden Index had Impuritas. But with the context of the Curse of the Descent and Caldera Industries’ heavy involvement in the expeditions into the Timeless Ruins – it was only natural for them to inevitably become something they were not.

She could sense the anguish. The pain of walking. The utter despair of holding out the black orb in its hands as it reached out towards her. There was indisputable fear in the air, and every breath it took wheezed like a death rattle.

But even so, something drove it. Something indescribable kept it breathing.

And that thing – that color in its heart – was a purple obsession.

An attachment to something she could never fathom.

 

“Open the gates for us. This should be more than enough to sate that maw…”

 

It trembled at the mention of her ability to consume everything. And as Frost took the object into her hands, still unable to appraise the object, she turned towards the black hole and began devouring the chest-sized orb.

 

“That maw that erases all attachments.”

 

< Unique Ability Gained >

 

< Ability has superseded a previous Ability >

 

< Spatial Distortion I has been upgraded >

 

< ABILITY: Spatial Distortion IV >

< EFFECT: Deplete your mana immediately to create a major Spatial Distortion connecting you to your last known location within the Epiderma and the Derma Layer. Up to three major Spatial Distortions may exist at once and each may connect to different locations. Mana regeneration is unaffected, but your emotional levels will dictate the stability of the Spatial Distortions >

< Attachment may very well be the root of all suffering. Endorse Attachment. As we always have, as it will always be – and as it must become >

 

Like an apple, the black hole was swallowed by Frost, stunning Dwarves and the triplets alike. Finally, her golden eyes glowed like stars as she prepared to create the portal, feeling her entire body tremor to a near unbearable degree.

It was as though her body was collapsing into itself.

She wondered if this was only a fraction of what Beholder Knalzark had to endure at every waking hour.

As blue lights carved into the world like blade had cut through the fabric of reality, the Eyes collectively recited:

 

“Endorse Attachment.”

 

And when the portal opened, the instruments of war and foundations for the theater launched forward onto the pavement. The spires collapsed one by one and fell towards the rift like giant bullets, marking the beginning of the Nexus’ foothold into the Derma Layer.