Chapter 1012. The City Never Sleeps At H9

The Repenters took their leave alongside with Horus.

The woman had every intention of taking her sweet time in H9. She fanned out a stack of coupons for massage parlors and certain services on the way out, hellbent on using them all tonight.

“Hehehe~ Here I come, my lovely Elves~ Century-old women… Demons, if I’m lucky~” Horus’ tongue dropped down to her chest.

The seams between each segment of her tongue revealed a sliver of steel.

It was a mechanical augmentation courtesy of Inflow Direct.

Did it increase her combat capabilities? Grant her a silver tongue and charisma?

Not at all.

But it did increase the number of contacts she had.

“Usari hates modern Colors. No dignity. No pride. No soul.”

“Don’t lie to me little hare. If you were to become a Color, less a Moon.” Horus glanced over at Cer. “You’d indulge all the same~”

“Usari would rather jump in another fire.”

“Your loss, sweet bun.”

The doors closed with a silent click. Now that the Repenters were gone, Acedia’s attention turned to Joy, then to Jury.

“Do let me know if you had fun. I’d like to hear all about it. Cer. Would you also be attending to your biological needs?”

“Fuuuuuck no.” Cer blurted out in an unruly manner.

Abigail, who looked up to the Three Heads of Security, had a blank look on her face whenever Cer broke her illusion of those prestigious figures.

“I’m not some bunny in heat looking for a lay. Never have been either. Got my own pack to worry about. Not gonna leave them behind and betray them.”

Cer was always fiercely loyal to those she considered close. But now that she had people who were interested in her: not quite lovers like she would admit, but rather ‘admirers’: she abstained from the crude thoughts she once had.

“Seriously, I know you got a good head on you Frost. You always did and still do. But Jury? The lustnana collector? She’s absolutely gonna corrupt you!”

For some reason, Frost wanted to blurt out: “That’s the neat part,” but she refrained.

Instead, she clasped her mouth as if to hold back a sob.

“She’s matured.”

“Cer~”

Jury then wiped an imaginary tear away.

“Huh!? Oi! The hell kinda person did you think I was!? Shut up Nav! Eat this, eat that! Get fucked!”

Jury nodded her head vigorously. She clasped Frost’s chin and made her nod as well.

“Heh. What, Black Wing? Break your precious image of me?”

“N-Not at all!”

“Good. Alright, take your time out there. Especially you, Frost. Looks like you’ve been needing it. And Joy, snitch on them if they do anything weird. I’ll keep watch over the Leviathan. Don’t have

too

much fun. Tell me the details afterwards.”

“Gam…?”

Cer slipped away, pawing at her pendants before she disappeared from the room. As an enigmatic being: by definition of having been Awakened: her behavior went against how one would expect an enlightened soul to act.

But Cer was Cer through and through.

“No one’s normal in the Nexus.” Frost noticed Abigail’s confused demeanor. “I trust Cer with my life. Remember that.”

“I-I didn’t meant to question her capabilities…!”

“I know. I just felt like saying it. We’ll leave for H10 by daybreak. In the meantime, you have orders from the top to take a mandated break.” Frost grinned.

* * *

“Joy! Say ‘Malgam!’”

“Malgam!”

*Snap*

“Awwww! Cute! You’re gonna sit framed on desk when we get home!”

“Home?” She wondered what it meant as Frost scooped her hand. In the other she held tightly onto a copy of a polaroid containing all three of them smiling at a magical camera.

“Yep~! You’ll get to find out soon! It’s kinda like this place! Just less rowdy.”

The Streets of Ardor were on the verge of being overflowed with crowds. They still had two hours before nightfall, and stalls were already changing signs for ‘nighty’ services.

But for now, it was relatively family friendly. Stalls selling steamed buns with delicious fillings lined one section of a black-bricked street. The other side saw a cluster of stores packed with an assortment of keyrings, goods, some with weaponry, and others with clothes.

Frost and Jury wore casual getups, while Joy was still dressed in her coat of black feathers. In her arms were piles of wrapped meat, sandwiches, and other goodies where she munched on as she was taken to see many spectacular sights.

The multi-floor towers held industrial-grade smokers that had been cooking briskets for the last 240 hours. Because this place was frequented by the Blessed, as well as having an active Relay Site, an Isolation Sphere could be used here without fear of having it destroyed.

As a result, dishes that took days to complete could be finished in less than a day.

“The rollout didn’t happen till what, yesterday? They’re already getting crafty with it.” Frost smiled.

“The fwuts of owr labwor (The fruits of our labor).” Jury spoke with puffed cheeks. “Eat as much as you can Joy. Frost can patch your right up if your stomach bursts~!”

“Yeah, eat to your heart’s content. The Nexus will be like this too~”

Frost wiped Joy’s cheek with a thumb. It would have been easier to do it with [Cleanse], but Frost believed physical contact was always the best way to convey love. It’s why she liked being embraced…

Although, her first ‘touch’ was also one that brought her immense misery.

“Wait. How don’t you get full? I have no stomach as far I can tell. But you do.” Frost was suddenly curious about Jury’s bottomless maw.

“I’m simply built different. Food is stored in the tail!”

“Ah yes. Different. Wait, are you joking?”

“Hmhm~ Where’s your coat to call me out?” She teased. “Have you ever seen me vomit before?”

“No, never. Why?”

“Ssss! Acid~!” Jury hissed and made a delightful smile as she uttered something dangerous.

“Oh… Your stomach just breaks it all down.”

“Maglam…” Joy patted her belly. “… Acid.”

“You got strong acid too?”

She nodded, but tilted her head as if uncertain.

Her stomach was a little bloated after everything she had eaten.

“Maybe not. Oh yeah, Jury. Why did you vomit?”

“Res tried to make something one time. The plate looked like an artwork! But I wouldn’t call it food. Still ate it thought! Alongside the plate!”

“You ate a plate?” Frost shouldn’t be judging, but she hadn’t seen Jury eat utensils before. Not like her.

“It was too pretty! Can you blame me? She called it freshly fried!”

“I think she meant it was freshly ‘fired’. You know, like how plates are made?”

“Oops~”

“Joy, don’t be like your mo-fath… Like um…”

“Juwy.” Joy whispered.

Jury’s heart stopped beating.

“Aaaaaaaah~ Can you say that again~?” She practically melted.

“Ju… Malgam.” Joy turned a shade of red, embarrassed for some reason.

“Heh. You scared her. I’ve got the monopoly now.”

“Rude! Hmph.” Jury pouted, but her wagging tail said otherwise. “Oh! Joy~! Wanna try something on?”

“… Clothes…” Joy felt the fabric of the clothing displayed at a nearby store.

Then, she compared it with Frost’s and Jury’s before nodding silently. Her gestures were like that of an adopted stray. Careful, not acting too needy, as if in fear of being chased away.

But Frost and Jury’s hands took her along.

No matter how small the request was, or even if she didn’t make any, the two would encourage her, bring her to somewhere new, and show her a world she had never dreamt of experiencing.

A world that no Corrupted could fathom.

“… Different.” She murmured soundlessly, wiping the corners of her eyes. “No… sorrow.”

* * *

What was Frost?

The thought came to Joy as she was brought into a store to put on clingy things called ‘clothes’.

A hoodie. A skirt. Pants. Shorts. A shirt… She was made to dress like the others around her, a warm surprise compared to the chains she had seen used to re-contain Corrupted.

The question lingered in her mind. The smile Frost wore, how warm her hands felt: all in spite of being the Head of the floating rock outside called the Nexus…

She did not have to show Joy any of this. Joy knew in her heart that she wasn’t even related to them.

That all of this was ephemeral.

Still, as Frost wove a ribbon into her hair, and tied up a ponytail for her, she wanted to believe it would last.

“Adorable~” She chirped.

Joy watched in a trance as Frost pulled out coins to pay the lady at the front. Her eyes never left Frost, even as they walked out, or as their fingers pointed to more new scenes.

The sun gradually disappeared. The light of the city drowned out the stars. But there was only one star that mattered to her, and the only star who walked along the world, rather than twinkling up there like an omniscient observer.

So, what did she believe Frost was?

“Sovereign Star.” She spoke underneath her breath.

It was also written in her title as the Enforcer of the Sovereign Star.

But then, what did the Sovereign Star mean?

She didn’t know. But it was ok to not know.

As Frost and Jury had showed her, not knowing meant that she could enjoy the surprise of discovering new things.

No matter what Frost was, or what she became, she swore that she’d never forget the kindness that was shown to her.

“There will never be an eternal night. One of Stella’s friends said that.” Jury spoke. “It true in the Nex Megalopolis. But, for me, it’s because you’re here.”

She pecked Frost’s cheek.

“I can say the same thing for everyone. Maybe to you all, I look like a sole star or a light. But for me? I imagine that when I look in the dark, I’ll find a thousand stars in the sky.”

The meaning was lost to Joy.

But she could tell that it meant a lot to Frost.

Her eyes closed for a moment. A wave of fatigue overcame her as she let out a loud yawn. Suddenly, she was scooped into Frost’s arms.

Worry washed over her.

Why was she suddenly so weak? Why did she feel like she was going to fall?

“Are you tired? Let’s head back. Did you have fun, Joy?”

Tired. Fatigue… What followed meant…

“Yes…”

… Sleep.

For the very first time in her life, for she had always been a puppet to an uncaring observer.