The night had gotten cold. Turbulent winds stirred the city skies as thick clouds surrounded the Nexus. Repenters were already being deployed to make their wrongs into rights. Soon, Frost would have to anchor their souls and begin her own version of the Replication Cycles.

Infinite Burdens.

She was alone up there atop Carpal Tower, drowning in the light of a million stars as she lost herself in deep thought. Moments like these were plentiful now that she had time for herself.

But she wasn’t here to devour the scenery. A special guest was on their way to finally make her appearance. There were no stairs to descend from the rooftop. Instead, there was an invisible mechanism located in the center.

If one stood there then they’d be teleported into Carpalis’ penthouse floor and vice versa by the discretion of her Head of Security. Using the rare teleportation symbols of course, installed by Justica Arms.

Frost was tempted to take a bite out of the invisible magical circle. Who knows, maybe she could get teleportation powers from it. If she wasn’t so reserved, then half of this rooftop would’ve been missing.

I gotta stop thinking about eating or I’ll get hungry again.

She stood at the edge expecting a guest to arrive at any second now. An imaginary ticking counted down the seconds as she stared at the spot, anticipating her arrival. The world shifted slightly, a blurry ball forming in the center before a figure suddenly emerged, panting as they laid on the floor.

“Haah… Haah… You’re – Thank goodness! I thought… You already… left…!”

A girl with black, short hair struggled to catch their breath. She was barely able to stop her hands from giving in and face planting. The girl looked like she was in her late teens, dressed in a yellow gown that resembled pajamas a noble would wear. If Frost didn’t know any better, she’d believe that this was some sort of high-class lady.

However, the blue, red, and golden lights that sparkled along her hair like a tiny Christmas tree told Frost that she was someone else. Her eyes were the color of the cosmos, stirring endlessly as they shifted to all kinds of colors like a kaleidoscope.

She didn’t even need to check her status as she approached the girl, holding out a hand to her.

“Aster? Did you run up 52 flights of stars?” Frost chuckled warmly, the girl climbing onto Frost’s arms for support as she finally stood on both legs.

“T-That’s… Me… alright… I’m… So out of shape now. That’s what staying in bed for a month straight does to you. Ugh… I ran as soon as I heard you were here!” She exclaimed, staring up at Frost with sore eyes. “I heard all about what happened in our… home. What you did for us. So I came running up to thank you! W-Were you waiting for me to wake up too?”

Aster spoke quickly, like she was trying to make up for lost time. She then knocked on the side of her head as she said:

“A voice kept telling me to see you. I thought I was going crazy when I first woke up because no one else could hear it. But color me surprised. That voice was actually a friend of yours. Nav…” She then cradled one of her eyes, straining them from having stared unblinkly at Frost for too long.

Her only visible eye then shimmered, casting a bright light before it turned into a dark, starless void.

“Is something the matter?” Frost asked.

“You’re so bright. What the heck is that? S-Sorry! That’s just me muttering now. I’m still getting used to this body. My hairs gone black and looks like the night sky now, if you can believe that… Miss Frost… Was I really a Corrupted before this? All of us?”

Aster’s voice became soft, as if trying to discern what she had become. She had only woken up three days ago, so she was still inexperienced with her body, and didn’t seem to be able to control it well. Her stamina was near nonexistent, and she even questioned if she was mentally sound because of Nav’s voice.

But aside from that, Aster was recovering well. Frost could sense this by the colors in her heart, even though she grimaced to a pain Frost recognized as loss. Aster and Stella were the only survivors of their group. Getting over their deaths would take time, because for her, it only happened yesterday.

“You were. All of you were. But you’re back now. You’re what we call an Original. Someone that’s been brought back from Corruption.” Frost softly explained, the girl’s hands clutching onto the herms of her shirt. “I’m sorry. You were the only one that came back.”

“So… they’re really gone… Is that it? I was the only one? That’s… too much…” She lamented but refused to break down.

What Stella came here for was to lay this to rest. She was the mother of the group, and Frost could only imagine the burden she bore, and the guilt of losing them all. None of it was her fault. They both knew that. But guilt had a way to worm itself into people’s hearts, regardless of logic or evidence.

Aster however, didn’t cry or weep. Frost embraced the girl, stroking the back of her head as the girl stared up at something beyond her being, her eyes turning shifting colors again. The mysterious swirls continued as Frost assured her that her friends were with her now, and somehow…

… Aster broke into a teary smile.

Huh? Is she looking at me?

“… I see. They look so happy next to you. I promised them a long time ago that I’m not allowed to cry. Because as soon as I did, they’d all start crying… I’m glad that they’re at least… still here… as the starts we all wanted to become…”

Aster could see them. She could see the faces of her loved ones floating above Frost. There was no way to tell if what she saw were the stars of the night sky, or something else entirely.

Status.

 

 

Her stats were impressive, but they didn’t match the full power of Asterism. Nav theorized that this was because only Aster was Realized, and therefore, only a fragment of its true power was taken.

 Aster’s grateful look turned into one of perplexity as she wondered why Frost looked so shocked.

Frost softly laughed in response.

“Well… I don’t think you realize how strong you are right now.”

“Really? Um… How come I can see them? I tried asking the voice in my head just now, but even they don’t know.”

“See who?” Frost was even more curious now as the girl took a step back and pointed one by one at invisible figures above her.

“My friends. All of them. They’re with you right now. I can tell.” Her eyes glistened again, and at that moment, Frost had a rough idea of what her power was.

 

< I can confirm it too >

 

< What Aster is seeing is Asterism >

 

< But not the Corrupted Persona itself. What she sees is the rawest form of it >

 

< Frost… Aster can see the Corrupted Persona people wear, as well as their origins >

 

< Incredible… >

 

Nav confirmed her thoughts as her jaw dropped. Could Aster really see them right now? Could her eyes see things that not even the Eyes of Judgement can? Frost was in total awe as the hopeful girl wiped her tears away, smiling widely as she then looked up the skies.

“It’s funny. Everyone kept telling me that the stars were white. But all I can see are blue stars and pillars of light around the world.” Aster’s eyes also seemed to have the same ability of the Atelier Item that allowed Frost to see the ‘present’ state of the universe.

Her sight was unbelievable.

“Pillars?”

“Yeah. Pillars. Just like that one!” She then pointed up at the Nexus. “That’s the biggest pillar of light out of all of them! But… there’s so many. Er… you can’t see it, can you?”

Frost squinted into the distance, rubbed her eyes, and even brought her hands to her eyes like binoculars but couldn’t see a single thing. She knew it was futile, but she wanted to get a laugh out of the girl, and as expected:

“Silly…” Aster tried to hide her laugh.

Pillars of light. Nav... are you thinking what I’m thinking?

“Indeed I am. The Pillars of the World. Aster has an invaluable gift. If the Twelve Bodies each represented an Advent –”

– Then twelve of those lights are bound to be where an Advent is hiding! At least we can hope so. If she sees the Nexus as the largest one, then I’m already on board on this crazy theory.

Frost was elated beyond words. Aster had the ability to see these pillars of lights that would undoubtedly be instrumental in finding the other Advents. However, the fact that there were more than twelve pillars of lights made her wonder what else was out there.

She was in deep thought as she placed a thankful hand on Aster’s head. She nearly went to go grab her and spin her around, but she didn’t want to make the poor girl vomit. She was tired as is.

Suddenly, she felt a hand tap her elbow, breaking her free from her trance.

“Sorry… I got way too excited. You’re amazing, Aster! You have no idea how awesome those eyes are!” Frost exclaimed, causing the girl to wryly smile. “Hm? Is something the matter?”

“Er… I’m just curious. I saw Jury on the way up. She looked like a child to me.”

Aster explained, becoming uncomfortable all of a sudden as she stared at Frost intently before suddenly cupping her eye again in pain.

She grimaced.

“… I don’t know how to explain it but, for some people I can see who they were before they became what they are now. Like L.S. She used to be super short. T-The reason I asked if you could see them is because you… remind me of the stars. It’s a bright light. And tiny. But at the same time – I can’t see anything inside of you.”

Frost’s eyes widened as the girl then asked the same question that haunted her mind for the longest time.

“Miss, just what are you?”