“To Time Reverberation!” Cer’s voice ruptured the air, inciting a cheer from many.

She stood atop a rickety, wooden chair, which had been stolen from one of the tables. Surrounding her was a sea of Black Wings, raising their arms as they parroted:

“TO TIME REVERBERATION!” It was mostly the Black Wings, who shared the same reverence as Cer like they were a cult chanting the name of their Goddess.

“To Beholder Jury and our Amalgam!”

“TO BEHODLER JURY AND OUR AMALGAM!”

“To bring order where there is disorder!”

“TO BRING ORDER WHERE THERE IS DISORDER!”

“To bring down the low lives of the Nexus!”

“TO BRING DOWN THE…” Suddenly, the Black Wings trailed off, their energy plummeting off a cliff as they reeled their hands back down, turning to each other with confusion.

“Huh?”

“What?”

“Bring down who?”

“Who is she talking about?”

Cer cleared her throat, rallying the Black Wings again as she stomped on the chair. A small crack formed underneath.

“The Beholders of the Nexus! The Stars that looked down at us!”

“When did they do that?”

“Dunno. Did something happen while we were gone?”

“Surely the Fang of the Head must know something.”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t think so.”

Realizing that her support was waning, Cer then turned her attention to Scarlet Logic, the Impuritas and the bad apples of the Nexus.

“By that I mean that traitor Marduk! Iscario! They betrayed the Nexus and look at all of us who got caught in the crossfire!”

“That’s right…”

“She makes a good point.”

“They’re responsible. Scarlet Logic are evil.”

“That’s right! They’re the reason we’re like this!”

“So we gotta hurt them back as thanks!”

“YEAH!” A unanimous cry broke out, not long before someone asked:

“But what does this have to do with a game of volleyball against the White Doves?”

“Good question!” Cer exclaimed but failed to elaborate.

On the other side, Res could be seen rallying her small team of White Doves, smiling politely at them as they gathered around her.

“Let’s treat them with respect. It’s only a game of volleyball. Ber suggested it to get our spirit high.”

“Don’t worry. We can’t spike it that hard anyway.” A small healer standing at the same height as her sweetly spoke. “We’re all friends here. I’m sure they’ll do the same.”

“Mhm. We’re all sisters~ Like a big family!”

“I might get tired easily but I’ll do my best!”

Happy with their enthusiasm, Res began to herd them towards Cer. They passed through wide, brick paths surrounded by lush greenery, eventually reaching the mouth of a secluded garden where Cer’s voice could be heard in full display.

“We will punish them!” Cer barked. “We will fuck them! We will destroy their entire existence!”

“YEAAAAAH!”

The Black Wings erupted with a deafening roar, causing the faces of the healers to go pale as Cer stomped one last time, collapsing. However, the Black Wings caught her and hoisted the woman above their heads.

“Heh. This is our road to victory! We will leave no survivors!”

“… E-Eye…” A healer timidly tugged on Res’ sleeve. “They don’t mean us, right?”

Sparks emerged along Res’ eyes, turning a slight blue. A vein popped on the side of her head as she turned to the healer, smiling as innocently as possible.

“No. Definitely not. There is no way the Fang of the Amalgam would say anything as despicable as –”

“Cull them! We will bring down that white-haired lunatic and all their accomplices down!”

By white hair, she meant Iscario.

But the healers beside Res didn’t know that. They huddled behind her back, with the taller healers embracing the smaller ones.

“… Give me two minutes. Cer.” Res beckoned her with her tail.

“Oh, hey Res! Hey… why are you looking at me like that? Why are you looking at me like you want to wring my neck around? Res?” Sweat dripped from Cer’s forehead like bullets, realizing that her sister had become fury incarnate.

“Come with me. We need a long talk. Alone.”

Rumors would have it that there were screams from somewhere on the floor. No one paid much attention to it as the peaceful game of volleyball commenced, with Frost taking the helm over the Black Wings and Jury over the White Doves.

At the tail end of the event the Candidate Moons were knighted by Frost. She granted them the greatest gift of all: her Blessing. Bright lights illuminated the stage where she blessed five kneeling figures. Their hard work and trust from the Moons had paid off, and as soon as the lights died, tears began to fall down the cheeks of a young boy.

“From now on you are one of us. You are an Aspiring Moon destined to join the ranks of the Moons. You will become the first generation of Moons with my Blessing. Until then, keep your head high. You still have a lot to learn.” Frost announced to the world. “The Nexus is your home. So please protect it. I’m counting on you now. As the Head of the Nexus; as the Archetype of Amalgamation; and as a neighbor of our humble floor.”

“I can hear them telepathically now. However, like with Revy, it’s not a two-way channel. They can only communicate to me.” Nav immediately informed Frost of the situation.

Manually granting her Blessing did not allow Nav to converse with them. However, she could hear them when they attempted to communicate with her. This at least allowed her to gain intelligence but did not allow her to relay it to relevant personnel aside from those in Frost’s circle.

Regardless, this was still incredibly powerful. The more Blessed there were, the greater Nav’s omniscience would become. This way, Frost could remain well informed of the Nexus’ status beyond the Stars and reports when she was away from the Nexus.

And as insurance, a special guest joined them at the stage. A pink-suited man approached the prostrating Aspiring Moons, the click of his heels alerting them of his indomitable presence.

“An oath must be made.” He began, placing a gloved hand onto the head of one.

A contract materialized before his eyes. She clutched it in his free hand, observing the conditions that would bind this Aspiring Moon for as long as they lived.

“Do you hereby obey the commandments of the Amalgam? That you will strive to become a Moon of the Nexus. That your powers will be put towards the interest of the Nexus in accordance with the laws, codes, ethics, and morals of the Head? That you will become a model to uphold them in public? That you are to remain as a Moon until your declared retirement?”

Promised Oath recited as the words magically appeared on the paper. They were written in the style of copperplate calligraphy by an invisible pen.

“I do.”

The paper was then given to the young boy, alongside a small blade. Promised Oath pointed at a small box where a drop of blood was to be placed.

“Your blood is your signature. You will be held to these conditions for as long as we both live, or until I decide to terminate it.”

There was not a hint of hesitation from the young man as he sliced his thumb open and left a print of his thumb on the box.

“Live well, Aspiring Moon.” Promised Oath was pleased by this, moving onto the rest of the newly formed Aspiring Moons.

This was a test in a way. Refusal would mean the removal of their Blessing. It seemed counter intuitive to give the Blessing first, but Promised Oath mentioned that it could be interpreted as a loophole, as they weren’t Aspiring Moons or Moons yet to be bound to the contract.

It did not work retroactively. It only functioned on who they were, not on who they will become. Aspiring Moons and Moons were one and the same, as the alternate names used was the ‘Blessing of the Amalgam’. Something like ‘Agent of the Nexus’ would not work as in the event of a betrayal they’d no longer be held to the contract.

And with Moons, it was highly unlikely that they’d perish at the breech of the contract. If anything, it would buy them enough time to pinpoint them. But they would certainly disappear without a trace in such an event as they are now.

Frost was satisfied with the conclusion. Celebration erupted as the Aspiring Moons were accepted into Time Reverberation, and subsequently the Head. It has been a while since she had seen so many smiles surrounding her.

She had high hopes for Time Reverberation, as did Jury who received Frost as she left the stage, taking her hand. The day was still early, and they had all the time in the world to let loose to their heart’s content.

Because later they’d be at yet another Amalgam’s Summit.