Purifying the lake took 3 days in total. Frost was not a good swimmer, but she more than made up for it with raw strength alone. Depending on how hard she thrashed the water would explode and create mini pockets of air.

With the lake cleansed and the vast arrays of fish they had sectioned off to one side decontaminated, their lake was ready to return to its former glory. Swaths of fish dispersed as countless leapt into the morning sun. Rainbows formed along the surface of the lake as the town watched with festive glee.

The remaining boars were served that morning with the help of Ber, all the while Frost found herself surrounded by the curious Adventurers who had caught wind of her being a Color. They were wary at first. Strong Adventurers tended to be arrogant, and usually closed their hearts from others aside from their closest party members. Particularly those that came from foreign lands where every Adventurer they crossed paths with was a potential threat.

But here? The only threats were free-roaming monsters, animals, and the spontaneously forming Dungeons. Frost only smiled. In fact, she had been smiling for the last few days now thanks to a certain night spent with Jury.

The impenetrable aura she exuded was replaced with one that inspired people to approach. She didn’t want her image as the Black Dove to bask in a negative light. Frost loved people, and it was only natural for them to flock to her.

Unlike the attention she garnered from the Golden Guild, she enjoyed being surrounded by the strong Gold Ranked Adventurers, all the way to the beginner Tin Ranked. Aquatid children, the elderly, mothers, and fathers thanked her from the bottom of their hearts for ridding their town of their incurable plague.

She took no payment. Their thoughts were more than enough. The Guildmaster of Wharftow covertly laughed when Frost’s payment was only accommodation. Colors were not cheap to hire, and their presence hadn’t been known to Brandar ever since the Green Conductor passed.

Frost was weird. Taking on low levelled quests was what many considered a waste of time. She had no ties to this place, and the pay was so miniscule that it would be considered an offense to other Colors.

Some saw it as a flaw, others noble. In the end, they all attributed it to Frost being a healer at heart who could not leave people alone. Therefore, her image was perpetually bathed in a positive light.

Healers could do no wrong, and therefore, how could one be bad?

… Aside from the Wandering Healers, of course.

“They’re in for a rude awakening if they ever get on your bad side.” Cer chuckled as they all moved as a single group again, preparing to depart from Wharftow. “A punch here, a bite there. Imagine their shock. Look at them fawning over you. Pretty gross.”

“Have you ever been fawned over?” Jury asked since they were Moons.

“If they knew they’d get on their knees and prostrate.” Res answered before Cer could open her mouth to say something stupid. “There’s the Blessed, and then there’s us. We’re deities in their eyes.”

“From the mighty Celestial Rock! It sounds better than the Nexus. Don’t know why they call it that in the first place.” Ber said.

“Nexus means a central point. Like a conglomeration site, a headquarters, or just the heart of something.” Frost explained.

“It can also encompass a series of connections. Like the Ateliers. Maybe even the Archetypes.” Jury added. “That reminds me! What’s the difference between a Moon and a Star?”

“Huh? Do we look like walking encyclopedias to you? Alright. Whatever. Listen up!” Cer folded her arms as the group wove their way across town, issuing farewells to the countless.

Ber was surprisingly popular thanks to her skillful display of butchery. Hearing her name being called by the Aquatids caused her to make a strange face. Aquatids were a race the triplets disliked, alongside humans. But it made her somewhat happy, and a rare, small smile formed on her face as she only raised a hand.

Moons played the pivotal role of fighting for the sake of the Nexus. They numbered less than a hundred, and most worked in tandem with an Atelier. The remaining Moons such as themselves were devoted entirely to the Nexus in a cult-like manner. Calling them people was inadequate.

They were living weapons.

Moons were not created the same. While many answered the call of the Nexus and were Blessed, few were born within an Atelier. The most notable ones were the Blood Moons. Existing Scarlet Logic personnel have evolved into Moons in the past and were known to fight for the interests of the Scarlet Logic rather than the Nexus itself.

Blood Moons were among the strongest types of Moons, who were skilled in not only Corrupted combat, but with other Moons. They were known to clash with the Eclipses of ImpulseWorks. For what reason was enshrouded with mystery. Such information was classified for regular Moons.

Ultimately, the Moons were highly skilled combatants that thrived in battle.

Stars on the other hand were not normally fighters. They were called the people’s people for the reason of being guides. Teachers better described them, and they were known to be able to teach Atelier Magic and other forms of unique Skills to others.

Highly classified information circulated through them. Stars were amongst the most loyal to the Nexus, and the unaffiliated Stars dedicated most of their free time revering the Nexus with silent fervor.

When the world spoke of deities of the Nexus, they usually referred to the Stars who were sometimes seen roaming amongst them, offering guidance in whatever capacity.

This was why Iscario’s betrayal shook the Nexus.

The Stars of Justica Arms had their loyalty honed to astronomical levels.

They practically worshiped the Nexus.

But that brought the Red Giants of the Scarlet Logic into scrutiny. If Stars naturally wished to protect the Nexus, then why did they continue to work for the Scarlet Logic?

The inconsistencies were suspicious, and Frost pinned the blame on three different reasons.

The first was the false prophecy.

The second was the weaponized wrath that Carpalis spoke of.

And the last was fear.

Fear of losing themselves. She remembered the Star she Judged. The sheer number of deaths he would have to re-experience was the most likely reason that they obeyed the Scarlet Logic.

Such was the price of immortality.

“Your emotional levels are rising.” Nav warned as they finally reached the border of the town and bid their final farewells.

I thought of something unpleasant again.

“Iscario. The 12^th Apostle of Justica Arms. We are aware that his motives are driven by his hatred of losing Paradise.”

And with what we know about my destructive prophecy, he probably blames me for it. And the Nexus. I can hardly wait for the day we cross paths again. I want to erase him from this world. The Prince of Puritas working with the Impuritas. That irony makes me want to fucking vomit.

They finally turned their backs, and Snap swooped along to pick them up. Once on its back, the group set their sights to the distant H5.

In less than 2 months we’ll return to the Nexus. Before that, we need to arm ourselves. I don’t need to eat another Corrupted. I just need more tools at my disposal. I hope ImpulseWorks can help us out.

With that being said, Snap disappeared in the blink of an eye.

 

* * *

 

Along the way an important topic sprung up. A debate broke loose as Frost’s group found themselves at odds trying to decipher a certain mystery. Not even the greatest minds were able to come up with a satisfying answer.

“You know what’s weird? Flies. Why do they call them flies?” This was the question Cer asked and caused Res immense misery.

“It’s just a name.” Frost answered, thinking little of it as she laid along Snap’s back, staring up at the clouds with Jury sitting just above her head.

“A fly’s a fly. Like why do you call a book a book? There’s nothing else to it.” Jury gave a reasonable explanation, but Cer and Ber were unsatisfied.

“A fly’s a fly because they can fly, duh.” Ber said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. The group really couldn’t care less, but it was entertaining enough for Frost.

“Then does a book book? A book won’t read itself either. And Frost doesn’t even freeze things.” Cer debated.

“Idiots… With that logic a fly that loses its wings would be called a ‘walk’.” Res sighed as both Cer and Ber stared at her with widened eyes.

“Are you a genius?” Ber snapped her fingers. “A walk!”

“Not bad Res! A walk, heh. I think we just invented a new creature.” Cer said smugly, right before Ber then blurted out:

“But that makes no sense. You’re telling me that a dragonfly becomes a dragonwalk? Or just a dragon?”

“An insect dragon.” Cer revealed. “I bet no one’s ever seen a wingless dragonfly before.”

“Never.” Frost said.

“Nope.” Jury answered.

“No…” Ignis whispered.

“Brrrr.” Snap said ‘no’ as well.

“Please just shut up.” Res finally sighed, having heard enough.

Anyone with a single brain cell would have had their minds rendered by their infallible logic. Once again, this was further proof that Cer and Ber shared the same braincell. Still, Frost found it funny, but also interesting.

Naming schemes can be weird huh.

“You can’t talk with ‘Frost’ as your name.”

… Do I really have that bad of a naming sense?

“Objectively yes.”

Frost murmured something unintelligible beneath her breath and followed it with a sigh. Her eyes devoured the clouds as the others found a rhythm. Chatters, laughter, friendship… There was no overbearing dread in their travels, unlike their trip through Grandis. Everything was so bright that she couldn’t help but to feel like she was dreaming.

Brandar was a completely different world. It fell in line with a more traditional fantasy feeling in a way. She wondered what the rest of the world was like. Elysia was vast. Its horizons stretched on forever, and was only obstructed by distant mountains, hills, and walls.

Soon, she’d finally be able to travel all over Elysia and better understand this world she now called home. The clouds and blue skies were not so different from Earth, and the other world she remembered in her fractured memories.

And as she fell into deep thought, and as they passed through bands of caravans and travelers, they eventually crossed paths with an inconspicuous group. They dressed like any ordinary Adventurer, but their titles revealed something else entirely.