April Fools 2025: Future Awakened! (Part 1)

< Elysia – The Nex Megalopolis >

< ??? PA >

*Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock…*

“Mn…?”

*Rinnnnng*

A hand slammed the stop button of an alarm clock. A figure squirmed beneath a mound of pillowy fluff as they groaned: “Already…?”.

Thin rays of the morning sun peered through parted blinds, painting the messy room with warm light. The room was decorated with various trinkets and posters of Offices, Associations and the 26 Ateliers of the Nexus, each with distinct signatures and pictures of blurred out faces.

A teenage figure emerged from the covers with a long yawn and an exaggerated stretch. Long, messy, black hair tumbled down her shoulders as she kicked off the bed with surprising morning vigor.

“Hmhm. Hmm. Today’s the day!”

She tapped on a calendar marked for the 1st day of the 1st month of the year. The occasion was the new year’s, naturally. Or the Last Solstice. However, with the number of years she had lived through, such celebrations had become rather dull.

Indeed. Her cosmic-colored eyes sparked with a hint of gold for a different reason.

She threw on a black dress, a belt buckle, dark thighhighs, and applied a coat of Luminal Moisturizer along her dark skin. This was from the Atelier Alkaderma – an Atelier specializing in skin products to replace the need for cosmetic Healers.

Plus, it was a good way to passively accumulate Nex – since this was their primary use of technology after partnering with Oboros Infinitas.

That said, once she had finished brushing her hair, which remained messy due no matter how many times she tried to pat it down, she ran a finger along her razor-sharp teeth and smiled in the mirror.

“Heh. Off to pick her up from school~!”

She promptly left her cozy house and found herself in a suburban area with white-bricked pathways. Waiting for her was a large, red slime with a racoon tail and checkered stripes.

“Did ‘she’ leave a taxi for me?”

The slime nodded, urging her to hop on. Once she was sat atop its head, and its body had morphed to safely encase her, the slime began to drive along the shared streets of the Nex Meglalopolis.

There were no cars in the Nex Megalopolis. Though there were other Kingdoms who did employ magical combustion-engine-based vehicles to traverse their territories.

The Nex Megalopolis chose a method that would balance the gauge of safety, affordability, accessibility and – above all else – the experience.

Dozens of slimes roamed around, carrying families, Adventurer parties, long slimes ferrying children to school and in some cases, patrolling Public Defenders – whose slimes were pale, fluffy and had a ring of many eyes surround it.

The girl vividly remembered someone calling it a biblically accurate slime.

The Atelier who owned these slimes was part of the ever-growing Head. And due to the nature of the Head, the Atelier was introduced as a civil service.

“But they can be scary sometimes. Actually. All the time.” The girl murmured, seeing a warning flash above her head as distant trumpets played.

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

< BLACK WING INCURSION >

A one-kilometer machine in the sky fizzled into reality. It was an Eye.

Massive pale rods fell. These were colossal Isolation Spheres which engulfed anywhere between a few meters to a few hundred kilometers.

Then, a seemingly endless wave of black-wearing Healers entered the invisible dome, no doubt to eradicate any and all signs of heresy to Head (typically Syndicates).

“Lucky she doesn’t have to see that.” The girl hummed. “Nav. She’s finishing now, right?”

Very soon. Be sure to let her know I said hello

She gets quite frightened when I speak to her like this

“Like me! I used to be afraid too~!”

The girl remembered the first time she heard Nav’s voice deep in ‘that’ place, far below the world of nothing but walls and monsters just like her.

“That said – To the Academy of Magic!”

* * *

There wasn’t one sole Academy of Magic, or a few lesser ones sprung between the Atelier cities.

Every Sector had their own Academy as part of the partnership between the Golden Index and the Golden Dawn.

It became mandatory for children to attend these schools. Those who could not were able to attend classes at sections of a Guild that catered to those who did not live near a school.

“Hehe. Oh? Aren’t you quite the adorable thing?”

A decrepit laugh greeted the black-haired girl the moment she set foot into the glorious courtyard of the Nex Megalopolis’ largest Academy.

“After all these years you still look like a bundle of

joy.

Hehe. Get it?”

A certain green-hair and grey-haired duo were found roaming the gardens of the courtyard, hand in hand.

“Because that’s my name?”

Joy

said, pointing at herself with a wry, forced smile. “But – Miss Carpalis! You’re here to see her too!?”

She’d always force herself to laugh at Carpalis’ jokes, even after…

How many years has it been?

Joy began flicking her fingers up, counting them. She didn’t have enough fingers to count it all.

“Dear – Ahem, Carpalis! Don’t go scaring off children again. And don’t forget about me too, little… numbskull.”

Evergreen, the Underboss of the Golden Thumb grumbled before her face morphed back into a pleased expression.

“We’re here to see her take her first steps. As a big girl, you should be ashamed for coming two minutes late.”

“I had to get a slime-oil check along the way! My slime almost got a ticket by the smile police! Too.” Joy argued, drumming on the air as her face made (>_<) expression.

“Beholder Ignis should look into it when the time comes. Although…” Carpalis plucked a petal from Evergreen’s hair with her

right

hand before cupping her face with her left.

She didn’t wear gloves. Her real, supple flesh was revealed for the world to see.

“We wouldn’t mind stepping in. She’s become quite busy with the whole Advent of the Stars.”

“Stars…”

Joy whispered, looking past the blushing Evergreen to spot golden strands of hair amongst the grey. They weren’t the same as the Faustian Bargain, which was now gently holding her waist rather than crushing her.

Those strands could also be found on a number of people present with the great courtyard. In fact,

everyone

here had those strands – aside from the people who brought alongside them, such as Evergreen.

“Heh. Know what that little runt called me? ‘Aunty’. Me, a

wolf

, being called by a human aunty. Just like her older sister.”

A certain Wolf-woman was surrounded by around… thirteen different kinds of Healers. It was Cer, and laid atop a bench as Healer fed her grapes like a roman queen.

She glanced in Joy’s direction, grinning and delivering a devastating wink that caused the Healers to squeal with delight.

Joy couldn’t help but notice that all of those Healers were considerably gifted in areas that Cer wasn’t…

White Dove:

“Ma’am. Say ‘aaaah.”” A regular Healer said, holding a grape.

This Healer was no doubt a Mother.

Fractured Dove/Black Wing:

“Wait, Cer – baby, I’ve got a big, nice

juicy

grape for you here~”

It was a Black Wing with equally split black and white hair… as well as blue and red eyes.

Sanguine Dove:

“*mutters* “Bitches… Are you all trying to start a fight? I was here first…”

She swashed a glass of wine around. Whether it was wine, or blood was not that important to Joy.

Weeping Doves

“C-Cer… Please? Me? Yes? Cer? Notice me…”

Cer did notice her and gave her a head pat.

Affixed Dove:

“Ahaha… My wolf… Breathing the same air… haah… haaaaahhh…”

An obsessive, overly attached grey-eyed Healer rubbed her face against Cer’s tail.

Unstrung Dove:

“Wait time: five minutes. Objective: kidnap.”

An expressionless Healer announced, causing Cer’s face to morph with hunger.

Executive Dove:

“We… can share, no? Aren’t you all supposed to be civilized?”

A well-dressed Dove fixed their glasses. This one snapped their fingers, and a feathery pen appeared in their hand. She used it to write something into a notebook, uttering: “The Head will hear of this…”

Oblivion Dove:

“Huh…? Ahaha… Of course… I’d be left aside… cast away. Chained and shackled… Unloved…”

Despite this, she was the one held the closest to Cer.

Though the reason may be because her assets were the largest of them all.

Catalyst Dove:

“My lover’s lust has no bounds. It’s fortunate that you’ve Awakened. Else, I’d have to wrangle your Ego. But I suppose I can still rewrite that smug face off when find time for ourselves.”

She glared at Cer with a sinister expression.

Stardust Dove:

“How fun~”

A blonde-haired Healer sat on the sidelines, genuinely happy that everyone was getting along. Of all the Healers, she seemed to have wings. These were made of light and made her look like a bird from an entirely different world.

Judgement Dove:

“Tch. To be wracked with sin. A vessel of Light – nay, a being of Light closest to the Amalgam indulging in excess Lust. Heresy. She may open a rift of Lust-ridden Sins from beyond. She must be punished. Thoroughly.”

This Healer joined the Stardust Dove as she scrutinized the others with a deadly gaze.

Wingless Dove:

“… I hope she can give me her Serum Salvation~”

Even Wandering Healers weren’t spared by Cer.

Blood Angel:

“We’d have to make a custom order for such a device. Or organ, depending on how you see it.”

And finally, there was one last Healer.

A Dove that looked inconspicuous. Innocent.

But with entirely black hair like Frost’s, and, uniquely, golden eyes.

Dove of the Sovereign Star:

“#$@@!@##@@!@@!~”

< [Translation:

[Static – Cosmic sounds – Whirling…]

You should know that these Doves speak using the Collective Unconsciousness as a medium

“… Even I didn’t hear that when I was a – uh… thingy.”

Joy shivered, but the smile they made melted her heart.

“Besides, they’re not the Enforcer of the Sovereign Star~ Our precious mom~!”

Indeed. Joy was the daughter of the Amalgam and Jury. She was widely greeted by known and brand-new faces as she went around.

Ber:

“Long time no see~ Perla! You never met Joy before have you?”

Pearla:

“The Amalgam already had a daughter!? Two now!? So you’re the big sis… Congratulations!”

Perla clapped, all the while a tiny version of Ber peered from behind her dress.

Beryl:

“Hello…”

“Beryl~ Are you here to see ‘her’ as well?” Joy crouched and gently patted her head, to which the little Beryl nuzzled and nodded cutely. “Awww. She used to be so small.”

“Time flies after going through back-to-back wars with the Stars. We’re just happy it’s all over.” Perla hummed.

Ber wasn’t the only one who had a little version of them wandering around.

Even Res did! Although Joy couldn’t spot her partner’s face.

A trio of a fox-man, a human and a Puritas demon-looking girl had children – each one carrying the characteristics of their birth mother.

Aster had also managed to find love and had triplets of her own. A blue-eyed Stella held their hands and took them around for a leisurely stroll, as she had done in the past for Aster when she was just a small child.

Magus, and various Archetypes were also present, ready to greet the Amalgam’s child. His hands were ready to clap the loudest.

Amongst them she spotted a strange-looking red-haired girl with a stripe of golden hair. She was the only one allowed to openly carry a weapon.

“Grrr. I’m jealous Snow! When are we gonna have pups of our own!?”

“Y-you realize it’s not easy between girls Red! We’ve had this conversation before!”

“But the mutt Cer’s sisters got their own minions! And now the Amalgam’s getting her own again! I can’t keep losing her! Not to her! How many Stars did I shoot out with that Frost-looking guy too!?”

“I understand… I’ll ask Beholder Ignis if she has something. Lesson 999… I didn’t think it’d have to be ‘that’.”

“Grrr. Oh, that Ignis!? The Ignis who has the cool bone sword!? Who cut an entire Star in half!?”

“Haaah. Yes, yes.

That

Ignis.”

Many legends surrounded every member that was present here. Those legends, if anything, were watered down versions of what really happened during the last war. They were all Awakened, which had given them a tremendous advantage and the capabilities to fight the Stars.

Without it, they would have fallen.