“Heh. Hehe. Hehehe…”

An evil chuckle left a certain smug wolfwoman. Standing in the middle of the crowded streets of the Common Hub was Cer. The thoughtless woman didn’t stand off to the side, but instead planted herself in the center as people walked around her like an obstacle.

Receptionists just across the black-bricked road at the Reception stared at the wolfwoman with blank eyes, wondering just what the hell she was doing. They remembered her as a Moon that was temporarily stationed with them a few months back. She wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, and that was putting it lightly.

Not to mention that she was the source for 90% of all Receptionist-related complaints at the time.

“Is she ok?” An Avian Receptionist, whose arms were wings and decorated with colorful feathers tilted her head.

“Best not to get involved. She has those weird stripes on her. I heard that she’s become the security for the Nexus.” A fox-eared Demi-Human answered, fanning her fabulously fuzzy tail with a paper fan. “Red and gold on a black suit, and an armband with the picture of a blue fang. That’s how you can tell them apart.”

“Yeah, but how many people actually know that?” Another Demi-Human with the horns of a ram and patches of wool growing in various exposed parts of her body, such as her neck, wondered with a sweet voice. “The Stars told us. I don’t think the Blessed are aware of the shakeup yet.”

“Well if she keeps that up then people are going to associate anyone wearing that suit and armband as mentally deranged.” The fox-eared woman sighed, wincing as Cer’s grin stretched from ear to ear.

The woman folded her arms, immersing herself in the voices of the ignorant as she smugly said:

“Heh. They don’t know I’m the Fang of the Head.”

“That’s because they think something’s wrong with your head.” A voice suddenly interjected from the sidewalk. Standing beside a magical signpost lit up with cursive writing was Res.

Her disappointed look failed to faze Cer as the she held her ground, reveling in her newfound title as the masses idly walked by. The faces of the Common Hub were no longer filled with smiles and happy conversations. Tales of suffering came to light as Receptionists worked hard to receive them as they entered, many in tattered apparel as tears dripped from their cheeks.

The 6th Branch had begun receiving Blessed at a steady stream. They sent them directly into the Central Relay where stationed Stars warmly welcomed them before they were directed into the Common Hub. Due to the climate of the Nexus, many stores either cut down their prices or offered food, water, clothing, and access to all sorts of amenities until things calmed down.

What made Res angry was that Cer did not seem to take the situation seriously. Ber on the other hand could be seen in the background proactively helping various Receptionists distribute cooked meals, made by her, and a small team of cooks from the same café that hosted the first meeting between Frost and the Arbiter.

Although, it wasn’t Ber that sought to help them. Rather, she was the one that people came to. Her height made her appear more reliable than her sisters. Not that they were aware they were sisters to begin with. Ber usually stuck by with Cer and her antics, but a core part of her had changed ever since she overcame her Corruption.

She was vocal. Far more than she had ever been, shouting and delegating commands to volunteers. Her actions didn’t fit the story of her being one of Heads of Security for the Nexus, but it was an act that many cherished.

Ber wore a serious face, however. As much as she wanted to smile, there was an air of awkwardness that surrounded her when it came to dealing with so many people. But the way her tail wagged side by side like a waving flag made it clear that she was happy.

Patties of meat were formed in the blink of an eye. Meat was butchered before anyone could even blink. Stock was sieved, stews were tended with, and seasoning showered from the skies in a magical display that caused weeping children to smile in awe.

Her method of cooking was rustic and quite primitive, but explosive and highly entertaining. Any advanced methods were left to the cooks. It was out of her scope, and Ber seemed to trust them.

Only because they were Blessed, however.

Cer couldn’t help but to wonder how they’d react if they knew just who they were cooking with.

“Hey. Cer. Don’t let the title get to your head.” Res firmly warned, still speaking from the sidelines. “You’ve let it happen once when you become a Moon. And once before that when Raoul was still around.”

Cer didn’t turn to face Res. She was fixated on something beyond the light at the end of the tunnel ahead. Something stirred in her mind for what felt like minutes on end before she answered.

“Well, that’s my phase of the Moon. It’s hard to not feel anything when you’re a part of something big.” Cer shrugged. “This time it’s different. I know it is. Cause look at where we are now. We’re at the top. The pinnacle. Who the hell can say otherwise?”

She said this as a sea of the faceless many passed by, intruding on the light at the end of the tunnel as it dwindled like a struggling candleflame. She was dwarfed by everything around her. Even the incinerator bins – which were found on every street in the form of cylindrical tubes – were large enough for her to fall right into.

“There are so few of us Blessed. But there’s so many more people in this world. We made it Res. Let me cherish this for as long as I can.” Cer then threw both hands onto her hips, grinning to herself.

It was impossible to tell if her grin was fake or genuine. But Res knew which one it was and glared at her in response, her tail moving back and forth between her legs like a pendulum. She sensed Res’ gaze and deeply sighed, bringing a hand to her head where she pushed away the stray strands of hair.

“Sis. I get why you’re concerned, but you should be more worried about yourself. The Renewal starts soon. You should be preparing the most. I’m just a stray dog basking in the glory days when I could bark and boast that our ‘oh, big brother!’ was a Syndicate leader.

Cer unexpectedly muttered.

“Serum G’s running out of our body with every flower we pick and piss we take. Don’t forget, Sis – This is just one of the phases of the moon. Remember when Raoul used to tear away the forget me not flowers? Go get mad at him.”

“I hate that you can admit it now.” Res hissed.

“Serum G made us shake uncontrollably. Back in the Derma Layer it refused to let us remember. The fog’s clearing up now. I want to be the first to overcome it. That way…”

Cer trailed off, her eyes widening as her voice betrayed her. There was more she wanted to say, but something deep down prevented her as she knocked on the side of her head, bringing herself back. Her crimson eyes mellowed, and she looked down at her hands as she counted her fingers, then stroked her jaw.

“… Hah. Heh. Nothing’s going to get through him.” Res watched as the light at the end of the tunnel disappeared, and with it so did the luster in her eyes. “Still gotta try… I almost don’t want to go to Atlas.”

“It’ll be good for you. I’m dragging you there whether you like it or not. You can’t keep substituting things forever.” Res threatened, pardoning herself as she turned her back to Cer.

“And you can’t keep pretending to keep that façade up. Sooner or later those lenses are going to fail on you, and you’ll see what the world is really like.” Cer warned, tapping the floor unmelodically with a foot. “No rest for us. But the low lives down there can rest all they want. If it were up to me, then I’d come crashing down onto them right here and now.”

“We are expected to uphold standards. Frost’s eyes are on us. Everyone will be looking at us as an example. It’s our chance to get rid of the Jester stigma.” These were Res’ parting words before Cer poked around at her status screen, her eyes falling down at the bottom where a single Ability sat.

“Even though we still have it.”

 

ABILITY: Jester

< The true laughingstock of those who remain untrue to themselves >

 

Cer then turned to Ber, who no longer possessed that ability. Her eyes turned into one of envy, but it wasn’t the hostile kind. It was one of thankfulness and longing. She was happy to see that Ber had at least broken free from her shackles.

Where does mine begin, and where does it end?

Cer couldn’t see anything on her wrists or ankles, and yet she could feel their weight clamp down on her. Unbeknownst to all was that the reason why Cer stood in the center of everyone was not because of her idiocy, but because of these very chains.

And even so, she was invisible to eyes of those that walked by her. Not a single person seemed to notice her. Her eyes stood proud and taut as she listened to the voices of hundreds. But to her, the words they spoke were incomprehensible.

It was like the electrical buzz of a machine.

She closed her eyes as if to sleep on the spot. The droning sounds lulled her to rest until suddenly –

“You’re Cer right!?”

– Someone suddenly grabbed onto her arms and attempted to shake her awake, but to no avail. The voice was feminine, with a strange masculine accent that threw her off as she opened her eyes and was met with a pair of vibrant, green ones.

“I remember those eyes! You’re the Lyre – Er, wait – the Moon from F-H5! One of the Amalgam’s buddies that helped me!”

This person was Ara, and she presented herself with baggy, long pants that were far to large for her. The shirt underneath her green, leather coat could barely contain her massive chest, never mind the coat that was impossible to button up.

Underneath one could see bandages wrapped around her chest to hide its size. If one ever felt useless, then they just needed to see the bandages to instantly feel better. That was how useless they were.

Cer could barely even see her through her chests as she looked up at the eccentric Ara.

“You do remember me, right? Right!? I’m the musician! A new Blessed! I’m practically one of you now! By the way, do you know where the restrooms are? I’ve been looking around in that Central Relay place until a Star told me that there’s nothing past the white walls. Can you believe it? I thought it was one giant expanse!”

“Listen. Bongo drums.” Cer began, causing Ara to rapidly nod. “… how did you not see the giant opening? It’s the only one.”

“Well… I was kinda disoriented. But hey! Nice to see a familiar face up here! So this is the Nexus! I didn’t know you were a Receptionist by the way!”

A sudden idea came to Cer’s mind, curing her of her boredom.

“Hehe. You came to the right place. As a matter of fact, I was waiting for you. Moons can see anyone that uses the Hyperlink Relays. Makes us practically omnipotent.”

“Really!?”

“Heh. You wouldn’t know the end of it. Stars? *Spits* What are they to one of us?”

“Hey – No, Cer – There is no way I’m letting you take him around!” Res exclaimed, briskly rushing towards them before Cer suddenly took her hand and began moving through the crowd.

“Tch. Quick! She’s the Nex tax collector! Move – MOVE!”