Three weeks until the deadline remained. In the real world only seven days had passed. Isolation Spheres were being widely distributed to the Ateliers, kept only behind closed doors to prevent theft from the Impuritas.

The Black Wings were also shaping up to be monsters, and among Jury’s newest Aspects were upgrades to the Talons and equipment dedicated to the Candidate Moons, Aspiring Moons, and the Black Wings.

They oversaw the consolidation of Time Reverberation and the Head during these final three weeks. Candidate Moons and their senior Moons demoed their tech in mock environments, including the domains of the Archived Corrupted.

While they began as only simulations, live-testing was also conducted, most prominently by Hora Therapeutics who began deploying Greater Healers along the Nex Megalopolis where required. Two different types of partners joined them, as they were never allowed to go alone.

The first were 6th Branch Justicers. Two, nearly three-meter-tall men carrying suits of metal were their escorts. Since travelling outside of the Nexus required one to pass through the 6th Branch, a healer could pick one up and they’d happily oblige.

They never spoke for they were the incarnated blade of Galia’s will. Peace flock would drop to their knees in utter reverence whenever they passed. People were split between fear and awe. However, healers tended to be carried on their shoulders or cradled in their arms, instantly dispelling the fear as they looked like a parent and daughter.

The second was the Hora Therapeutics Moons, named the Lunar Haruspex. They were Moons armed with silently ticking pocket watches imbued with the power of [Time Seer]. This pocket watch allowed for the Lunar Haruspex to immerse themselves in the Nex of a person, as though entering a painting.

They were Haruspex that smeared one’s memories and experiences across their senses as opposed to the innards of animals along a stone slate. This allowed them to see the picture of the client’s mind.

They were physically absent and were put in a stasis-like state, as if comatose alongside their client. This meant that they were susceptible to all external forces. It worked like Frost’s Die Agonsis but did not allow them to save one from Corruption.

It was a way to fish out trauma and to pick clues on how to deal with them, which would then be passed onto the healers who would then commence intensive care.

One important detail however was that any damage procured within a person’s ‘Painting’ would physically manifest on both the Moons and the client. The surroundings have also been seen to take damage as well.

Some people were stories rather than paintings depending on the complexity of their problems. Cutting the tree down to the stump was a band aid fix a best. The real issue resided in the roots.

And depending on how far down they were, destroying them could leave the sediment around them unstable, which resulted in a breakdown at best. What felt like second nature to Jury was indescribably difficult for the Moons who had to consider their every action.

They were so used to a lifestyle of destruction that transitioning to a field where they had to treat everything delicately like surgeons seemed too tall of a task. But Frost saw their hearts alight, their eyes impassioned and their conviction promising competency.

Frost adored the pocket watch – named the Traumatic Clock – and kept one for herself. This combined with Die Agnosis made for a perfect pair.

Jury’s experiences with using [Time Seer] on people were different to the Lunar Haruspex. Something lurked within their minds that was indescribable. It was a presence or at times, a ticking noticed in every client. It was a hostile force that demanded them to leave and was responsible for most injuries.

< Aberrations of Elysia may intervene >

It was strange. Why were the Aberrations in seemingly everyone’s mind? Not only that, but why were they so hostile to intruders? Did they believe the mind was a temple? A holy sanctum?

If so, then why were they also there?

Unfortunately, Jury never experienced such a thing. The Lunar Haruspex could never recall specifics when it came to the Aberrations. Rather, it was more like the mind itself was fighting them, like they were within a Corrupted Zone.

Regardless, this was a very rare occurrence.

But it was enough to make Frost consider Elysia’s motives. Time would tell whether she was a force on their side, or an abomination as the Angels depicted her as.

* * *

Minu Auditors suffered the same issues with their Interrogating Clocks; a variation of [Time Seer] that focused only on the environment. It worked much like how Frost was able to view the events of the past in the City of Spades. A retelling of the past would play around them, but if the Nex was at significant levels then they entered a place reminiscent of a Corrupted Zone.

Lunar Inquisitors were the names given to the Moons of Minu Auditors, which was manned solely by Moons. They were far from plentiful which would make investigating the Ateliers a timely endeavor. However, the simple ability to retell the past of a location greatly overshadowed this.

Frost didn’t plan to punish the Ateliers retroactively, so new violations were what they were after. However, she specifically instructed them to investigate the past and report to her directly.

If the Beholders were not going to talk to her, then the Lunar Inquisitors would.

Minu Auditors wore a grey, draped coat over a tightly fitted, light-blue suit. The coat was more of a mantle made from fur, with the image of the minute hand drawn in white fur along their backs.

They possessed incredible swagger compared to Hora and Seci, their suits taking major inspiration from Frost’s Coat of Prejudice. The earring of a clock that dangled from one ear was the Interrogating Clock.

Strangely enough, the tallest of the Moons ended up in Minu Auditor. No amount of pondering could ever answer why this was the case. It did make them look intimidating.

Frost passed by their floor one time. Curiosity got the better of her as she watched them hold a sermon over what rings to wear, and which ones seconded as knuckle dusters.

They were more like dangerous extortionists if anything. Surely no one would be dumb enough to try to prevent them from their work.

Finally, the Seci Response Arm functioned as how the Moons usually did but with additional responsibilities. The first was to prevent as much damage as possible, which was easily achievable with the Isolation Spheres that were mandatory part of their kit, and secondly, to work closely with their soon-to-be Aspiring Moons.

Seven weeks was not a long time, and they were far from strong. Despite this, they were still chosen by the Moons and had proven themselves as useful personnel. Moons were not good at reading between the lines of the Corrupted. All they knew was to fight. Having an outsider’s perspective would be invaluable, more so when they received the Blessing of the Amalgam.

Speaking of the Aspiring Moons; both they and the healers were specially armed to make up for their weaknesses. Healers had Ignis’ badges, and now a backpack that could store their serums.

The backpack was a multilegged entity with blades for limbs disguised as a backpack. Because of its reddish color the entity was either kept beneath their coats, or had clothes knitted for them to lessen their intimidating appearance.

They latched onto the backs of the healers, ready to pounce at any threat that dared to confront them.

Aspiring Moons were given a short blade infused with [Doppler Strike], and grenades with [Localized Entropy]. The blade swung faster than any other, resulting in multiple strikes with a single slash. The grenade was self-explanatory. Anything caught within was expected to disintegrate.

Black Wings were also gifted the same items, and their Talons saw an upgrade with special bullets infused with [Doppler Strike] and [Localized Entropy]. They were expensive and timely to make and weren’t expected to be used extensively.

But one could expect total carnage when they were brought into play.

The only Skill Jury refused to use was [Angelic Kiss]. The fact that it granted invulnerability made it too dangerous to give out, even if she trusted the Moons to keep it safe.

Time Reverberation’s internal structure and workings reached its completion at the dawn of the ninth week. And on the second day of the tenth week, a graduation ceremony was to be held.

It was the same day as the next Amalgam’s Summit.

And the same day that the children would be out on their excursion into H5.