The blonde-haired Demi-human then approached Frost. Soon, another two joined.

“Chosen. It calls for you.”

“It does. The voice is so loud.”

“It’s angry. Please come so it can stop.”

It was heartbreaking to hear them speak, because she had heard this same exact tone of voice before.

The twins. Orth and Thras. Are they Shells? I wish I could see their Conditions. Fuck…

“Meaning they have undergone Ego Death.”

Nothing in their Status revealed any further information. They were blank canvases with someone else’s Will imposed into them. They followed unspoken commandments like puppets on a string, though they did not possess the ethereal strings like the Actors of Act X.

Shells… This is an opportunity to get a closer look at them. I wanted to help the twins but they weren’t in the Nexus at the time. Maybe through these Demi-humans I’ll be able to find a way to cure it.

Such a sorrowful existence. It was not something even they knew themselves. They were simply sated by the fact that they were given commands. Frost could see this. She sensed it in their eyes, which did not beg her to follow.

So Frost gave them a happy nod.

Because that meant they’d be taken away from here.

“I just have to follow you bunch, right?”

“Just one of them. We need the others to enjoy ourselves. Wouldn’t want to disrupt our small slice of paradise. Even if it’s them, you’re bound to fail anyway. So think twice.” The woman warned, placing a hand underneath the counter where a blade resided.

“In case I wanted a different one, are there any other Pickers I have escort me?” Frost wanted to know how many of them were out there.

Thankfully, she didn’t have to move very far.

“Taverns and inns like this are the only places you’ll find ‘em. The rest are kept up there for God knows what. Granted there ain’t many since they’re so stingy. So. You’re going to look for a different one?”

“No, I’ll take this one with me.” Frost took the arm of the blonde-haired Demi-human. “Right?”

He blinked uncharacteristically in response to her touch. The woman and a few of the vagrants noticed this, but before they could bring it up Frost loudly stretched to draw everyone’s attention.

“But first, I’m starving. I was getting tired of eating scraps along the way. So I thought I could do with a good meal before I head up.”

“Sorry to break it to you, but this place hardly qualifies for a last supper.”

“That’s fine. I’ve already found what I want to eat.”

Frost was a new face. There should not have been any way for her to know what was on the menu. The woman looked around and found nothing of the sort. They couldn’t help but wonder just what Frost was talking about.

“… W-would you like to see the menu?” She asked as the ground began to tremble lightly.

The wooden floorboards began to creak. The supporting beams shivered like they were on the verge of collapse. Suddenly, a man tried to make a break for it towards the exit.

However – thorny brambles sprouted from the doorway, completely trapping them all inside. Frost activated her Scrutiny, silencing them all before anyone could utter a single word so as not to alert those outside.

Even the windows were smothered by the brambles. Furthermore, it was not like they’d be able to shout in time anyway.

“Like I said –”

One by one, the thorny brambles emerged from the cracks of the floorboards. They coiled around the feet of the vagrants and snapped them up with petal-shaped maws. Their bodies were dragged through the floorboards to be kept as nutrition; to be bled and drip fed to Frost.

It all happened in a fraction of a second. Bones violently rattled. Flesh was carved. And the soil of this place was cleansed of Sin. An assortment of flavors danced on Frost’s tongue. She could vaguely taste the bitter notes of envy, the sweetness of gluttony, and the additive savoriness of lust.

“– I’ve already found something I’ll enjoy.”

A simple, quick death was wasted on these people, whose hearts brimmed with a malevolent, crimson flame. It was also clear to her what they had done to these poor Demi-humans, who stood unlikely in the aftermath of her feast.

“I’ll be following you three to the Mad Slippers. But first –”

[Area Heal], [Grand Healing], [Cleanse], [Cure Disease], [Corporeal Restoration].

Frost nearly used her entire arsenal of Healing Magic to bring back their lost features. One of the girls had bunny ears, the other with dog ears and the young, blonde man with fox ears and a brilliant, golden tail.

They were incapable of expressing their thanks, neither did they seem to understand her actions in the first place.

“– I’ll be fetching more of you. You probably don’t understand me now…” Frost placed a hand on each of their heads, their eyes widening again to the strange sensation.

Soon after, they were devoured by her brambles. But they were much gentler compared to those she intended to digest. What she did was create a cocoon to protect them for now, save for the blonde-haired Demi-human who’d act as her Picker.

Also, before they could completely disappear into her brambles, she took out a still steaming loaf sandwich from her Dimensional Storage and handed it to each of them.

“… but if there ever comes a time when you can start to feel again, then I hope you’ll understand that this is for your own good.” Frost smiled at them assuringly. “Eat up. I can wait until you’re ready. I know they haven’t been feeding you well, so don’t feel rushed.”

Frost treated them like comatose patients. Even though the coma patients couldn’t move or react, it was still protocol to speak to them as if they were. Because even they could understand their words even if they couldn’t respond.

Plus, it was only natural to treat a human with dignity no matter what state they were in.

It was likely the same case with the Demi-humans too.

She took a seat and watched blonde-haired man stare at the delicious sandwich in his hands. He tilted his head as if wondering what to do with it.

“Really… Here. Like this.” She took it from his hands and tore it apart, taking a small bite of her own. “Tashty. Ywer mwissin’ mwout (You’re missing out).”

“Food not needed. We eat leftovers… But if you insist.” He spoke in a monotone voice, having low hopes for the sandwich.

But when he took his first bite, and even though his expression remained unchanging –

“See? It’s tasty, right?”

– His tail began to wag back side to side as his sunken ears perked up.

Their instincts are still somewhere in there. CogitO also had major trouble trying to fix Shells. This gives me hope, Nav. That we can help them. Maybe not reverse it, but at least bring back a piece of them that’s lost.

… The twins were their closest friends. I can’t imagine how much it must have hurt to see them like this. It hurt me to even think about it. Ugh…

Returning to Grandis opened many old wounds and thoughts she wished she could forget. There was no rest for wicked here, and the innocent paid the price for the paradise of others.

Frost’s hair began to lengthen, the tips turning grey as red symbols formed across her body.

 

< The Will of the Amalgam Has Been Raised to the First State >

 

< The First State Has Manifested as the Listening Bird >

 

“Haaaaah. At least there’s no Augurists or Blessed around to warn anyone. Well. Alright. What’s your name?”

“… Deiman…”

“Alright, Deiman.”

Frost stood up from her seat as soon as Deiman finished eating. His hands were still messy, and bits of food clung to his cheek. It wasn’t anything [Cleanse] could fix, though.

“Let’s go save your friends. After that, this whole cult’s going to go down in a blaze of flames. Mark my words – Everything is going to burn.”

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