The figure before them made their presence known by taking a step forward. Res’ defenses disappeared, for she recognized this scent. She was stuck in a quandary state of confusion and clarity.

“So why… is she standing in front of me now?” Res asked no one in particular, staring at the figure as though she could see. “That’s… that’s…”

“Impressive. It’s no wonder they wanted your eyes.” The figure spoke in an all too familiar tone, but carried a will that Res was not familiar with. Hearing it rattled her. It compelled her to tear away the clot and clumps between her eyes just to catch a glimpse of this person.

And through the red-tinted lens of her slashed eyes, she saw a pair of blue eyes gazing at her through the veil of black hair. Her heart sunk, and she dropped to her knees, unable to believe her eyes.

She reached towards her.

“Mo… ther…”

But she only clasped at the air.

“So that was where she fled to. It was no wonder the 13th Order fancied such a rundown shanty town in the middle of nowhere. The Blue Dahlia. To think an Incandescent Color believed she could host a family of her own.”

Indeed.

Res’ mother was the Blue Dahlia.

“It was an interesting construct. Her consciousness was immaculately preserved. This whole time she’s been the one shielding your eyes. Truly, nothing is more beautiful than a mother’s instinct.”

Her mother was the old Blue Incandescent Color. And she was the reason why they were able to survive the Stuffed Teddy Bear’s attack. But she gave up her own life in exchange for theirs.

The memory flashed before her eyes as they widened.

“… You’re right…” Res spoke to someone invisible again, scaring Stella. “The world isn’t blue, even if mother intended it. It’s always been red. So… so red.”

The red-tinted world was engulfed in flames. The flowers were dyed red. For the first time in thirty years, she was exposed to the world again, and it was exactly how she left it. Her eyelids drooped as her body sunk further to the ground.

“The world has always been that way. The colors I remember were so vibrant. But what does it matter if it all comes back to red?”

Res could no longer hear Stella. The world around her was muted. But even so, she heard the voice of her mother.

“How much longer are you going to torment me? Isn’t it your fault? That there is no rest for me in death?” Her pained voice further twisted the blade in Res’ chest.

Res gripped it and tried to pry it free, but the moment she had leverage on her mind – She was met with the gruesome death of her mother. The Stuffed Teddy Bear returned. Despair overwhelmed her as she watched her mother’s head spin on her shoulders.

“No… Mo… ther… I… Why… is always…?”

“It all slips away through your fingers. Because you haven’t learned how to grasp them with two hands. Your aspiration for perfection was futile. Nothing has changed.” Her mother continued to speak. Her instincts knew that wasn’t truly her, but her emotions overwhelmed her as a voice accompanied by a ticking whispered:

 

“For thirty years you’ve convinced yourself that the world is colorless.”

 

“For thirty years you have lived normalcy.”

 

“For thirty years the pain of the world has been shielded away.”

 

“You did all that you could.”

 

“Isn’t it time to give in?”

 

The voice was neither the White Rabbit’s nor Jury’s. It was someone more ethereal. They knew everything about her. They said precisely what she wanted to hear. Their words became her only source of comfort now.

In her deluded thoughts, Res looked down at her hands to find a lifeless Stella.

“… I don’t like the sight of death. I became a Moon to stop it. I did everything that I could, but nothing changed.”

Res recalled moments of her life as a Moon.

Even as a Jester, she was an outstanding Moon who never once failed outside of the Stuffed Teddy Bear. But perfection wasn’t enough. Her efforts to quell the blasphemous colors of the world were fruitless.

“I lived life like it was my last. Because I thought that one day I could make a change. All my friends are dead. Even in a world without color, there is nothing worth seeing if they’re all just going to disappear.”

She remembered the twins. Her mother. Raoul, and now Stella.

Then, she remembered Frost’s face as tears fell down her cheeks.

“She’ll soon turn into a flower. Like everyone else that’s passed.”

 

“The world is colorless. If red is what you fear, then you shall hide it. If blue is what you adore, then you shall hide it.”

 

“Cast away all sight.”

 

< “Cast it away…” >

 

Res’ body suddenly began to tremble. At the same time, her mother’s figure disappeared just as other familiar faces arrived. She could barely hear their screams anymore.

 

“Kill the senses inside of you.”

 

< “Kill it all. It’s always been my eyes. Why was I born with them if I was going to blind myself for the rest of my life?” >

 

A black band covered Res’ eyes as the world itself began to shift. Blades of grass were replaced with black bars with the words ‘CENSORED’ written on them. The petals, the bodies, the colors – everything became one homogenous darkness, covered by black bars repeating the only word that made sense to her anymore.

 

< “I have to… Ah… I should’ve just done this from the start.” >

 

Her voice was twisted now. Another band wrapped her mouth, and her ears were covered. She wore a squirming suit that offended the eyes to the point where she too was covered in censor bars.

The arrangement hinted at a hideous transformation, but the general shape was like that of a flower. Tentacles spat from her censored form, wriggling in the air until what was left of Res was no longer recognizable.

 

“There is nothing you can do anymore.”

 

 < “I’ve failed enough. Let me rest now. Let me hide my sorrows away. So please –” >

 

Suddenly, colossal censor bars erupted from the ground, towering over the world. Censored entities were born from incomprehensible arrangements, and they made their way towards the group that had unfortunately stumbled into her domain.

The equivalent of a Corrupted Zone accompanied her due to the rules of this world. It reflected her state of mind. What was undoubtedly already an Eternal Night Corrupted was elevated further.

And with a hideous roar that belonged to a younger, more innocent version of Res:

 

< “– Stay away and let me live in normalcy again!” >

 

Cer screamed out at the top of her lungs as an electric fang was sent her way.

“REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!”

Revy then received the harrowing prompt.

 

//////// < WARNING > ////////

 

RES’ CORRUPTION EVENT HAS BEGUN

 

< ETERNAL NIGHT >

< THE ARBITER’S TRUMPET RESONATES >