1138. May We Meet Again Where It First Began (Arc 9 Finale)

Frost held her breath.

This person was living reflection of herself, only she was shorter, possessed white hair, and wore an outfit befitting that of a traveler. She wore a white, oversized scarf, and smiled with radiant, golden eyes.

They were brighter than Frost’s. Merely gazing into them caused the stars in the skies to disappear, as though staring into an unfathomably bright light.

“They’re not roses, nor like the first flower I planted here. But, despite that, shouldn’t we cherish them all the same?”

She wore a whimsical smile, almost childlike. Despite this, Frost sensed ancient wisdom beneath that childish exterior.

“Who are you?”

“A wanderer. A traveler. Everything and anything in between, across all worlds. There used to be many of us. Maybe there still are? Well. As far as I know it’s just me~”

“A God of Cognition?”

“Not really. Like I said, I’m just a wanderer.”

“… Of where? What is this place? How are you in my head?”

“Oh, sorry. I’m not in your head. I called you here!”

“To where?” Frost took as step forward, desperate to understand what was happening.

The girl also took a step forward and smiled jubilantly.

“The Expanse. Bordering the Veil of the Beyond. Just out there is the Beyond. If you head that way.” They pointed in a seemingly random direction.

Her eyes focused on something impossible far. Frost, with her excellent vision, could not see anything beyond the horizon.

“You might come across where the Good Doctor came from. Might take you a long, long time.”

“… How long are we talking?” Frost asked out of curiosity.

Stars gleamed in the girl’s eyes and she snapped her fingers, causing an artefact of some mysterious make to appear in her hand. It was glassy, like a marble. Inside of it was a miniature universe with an organic needle in the center.

She whispered a name: “Adam.”, and it pointed towards where she had pointed earlier.

[Analyze Object].

Point of Origin

Gift from a Star

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Divination of faith

>

ORIGIN :

Starscourge Compass

< EFFECT:

It points to the original location of where the first namesake, concept or thought propagated. If no such thought exists, then the compass will point towards the nearest stream of the Collective Unconsciousness

>

“A couple billion light years. Not that far away.”

“Billions…? Sorry. Wait… Is that… A Gift…?”

Frost had never seen a Gift like this before. It was exceptionally powerful. With a Gift like that, any secret could be found by merely uttering a single name.

The girl slowly put it away, maintaining her smile. She didn’t seem to want to share much about this Gift, how it was created, or how it was in her possession.

“Frost. Do you know why you’re here?”

“I don’t.”

“You are very special. Special enough where I’d hate it if you were to succumb to Qliphoth Corrosion. So I brought you here.”

“I… was Corroding…?”

The girl’s smile softened, bordering a saddened frown.

“Unfortunately. I don’t know if it’s the right term to use for you, since you’re also part Qliphoth. These flowers are called Restitute. Flowers of Restitute only grow here, closest to the epicenter. It’s a natural deterrent of Qliphoth. But, it can’t rid you of it all. Nor can it do the same for humans. Qliphoth and Sins are intertwined with human experiences, as are Light and Virtues.”

She plucked a flower and offered it to Frost.

“You’re even stranger. A body of P-Factor. A bearer of primordial Light, and of Qliphoth. Makes you as special as me!”

“… What will this flower do to me?” Frost reached for it, but the girl pulled away.

“It’ll stabilize you. I can’t always call you here, because the more I glow, the more people will start to notice this place. Unfortunately, this flower isn’t strong enough for you.”

A halo appeared above the flower.

Absolution. This girl could use Absolution flawlessly. The halo was complete, meaning she had reached Stage Five Tempering.

However, it was not just one halo.

Two, three, four – twenty-six fully-formed halos encased the flower. Her version of Absolution did not cause the halo to appear over her own head, strangely enough.

“Plenty. Just to be sure.”

“What…? How…?” Frost was rendered speechless.

First, she encountered a Star, and now, whatever this being was. The girl giggled and held the flower out to Frost again. Her fingers grazed against its stem, checking if it was safe. Then, she gently clasped it and brought it close.

“Frost. This world is very big. Elysia is just one place. A huge and important place, but still just one. Absolution takes many forms. It’s the Light, after all. The flower is temporary. Don’t be surprised if it disappears when you return.”

The girl pranced behind Frost before suddenly plopping herself against Frost’s back.

“I’d like it if you could come here again. Sadly, I’ll just bring more attention to myself. Let’s meet again, somewhere in the Expanse. The place where it first began. Until then… Hah… I’m going to miss having company. You know who I am, don’t you?”

“I’m still so lost. Are you… a Fragment of the Captured Star? An iteration… ‘Her’.”

The girl’s smile only broadened in response.

“Isn’t that the best part about a journey? The end isn’t defined by the destination, but by a transformation of the self.”

With one last nod, the petals of the flower Frost held fizzled away. A dark liquid dripped from her forehead. It dissolved along the remaining petals. As the landscape morphed into a blinding light, the girl’s voice echoed in her mind.

“Goodbye, Frost.”

“May we meet again where it first began.”

* * *

“Fro…”

“… ost!”

“Frost…”

“FROST!”

“Huh…?”

Frost gasped. She found herself being held by many figures. Cer, Ber, Res, Jury and Joy surrounded her as she stood, hunched over with a hand clasping the air.

“The flower…”

“What flower?” Cer barked. “Hey, Frost. We’ve been calling your name for a while. Are you back?”

“Malgam…”

“Frost, does it still hurt?” Jury squeezed her other hand in assurance.

Frost nodded slowly. It became rapid, and she answered shakily with:

“… Yeah… I mean, sorry. No. It doesn’t hurt. I’m still shaken. But I feel alright now. Was I just standing here?”

“You were. We practically collapsed onto you when this dark liquid dripped from your head.” Res answered, tapping a spot on Frost’s head. “Right here. Does it feel weird?”

“No, it’s fine. I don’t have any wounds I can sense.” Frost blankly blinked, wondering why they were all engrossed on a certain spot on her head. “What’s wrong?”

“Frost… How stressed were you to gain grey hair?” Ber asked, half-jokingly.

“It’s white, not grey. Just at the back of your head. There’s a white gradient. You sure you’re not manifesting the One Thousand Eyed Bird right now?” Jury inquired, brushing a thumb through each individual strand.

“… No, I’m not. It’s not a lot. Is that where the dark goo came from?”

Thanks to her omnidirectional vision, she could see herself in third person. The white hair was mostly confined to her back, with a few stray white strands near her red and golden bangs between her eyes.

Other than that, it was minimal.

“Frost, hit me if you’re still Frost.” Cer demanded, and Frost flicked her forehead mercilessly. “Hey! That… oh hey, so you’re still capable of violence. Awesome.”

“A few strands isn’t going to suppress me… Apparently, I underwent a form of Qliphoth Corrosion.”

“Did you? Nav didn’t say anything.” Jury pecked Frost’s white strands of hair, becoming the first to claim this new part of Frost.

Nav

<

Because that didn’t occur. Unless it was somehow prevented before it could take place? I doubt it

>

“… I have on hell of a story to tell you. You too, Michaela. I think…

I think

I met ‘Her’.”

Michaela’s brows furrowed. She knew Frost was not the type to lie, let alone make a joke about this. Thus, she could only assume either Frost was deluded due to this ordeal.

Or…

“Implying that she is alive, despite you being here? I don’t find it possible. However… Elysia brought this world into a state of reset. I did not expect that to apply to living beings.”

She wore a complicated expression that said: “There is much work to be done.”

Frost leaned against Jury for support; a tail wrapped around her waist to help her stand.

“Can you stand? Let’s get you somewhere you can rest.”

“Barely… Thanks. My body seems fine. I don’t taste any residual sweetness, which is good. Lachesis. How about you?”

“Splendid.”

“Perfect… And Marionette…”

“I am aware of what must be done. Lachesis. Do you mind accompanying me to the Long Balcony? I wish to take one last look at the seal of the Fate Mechanism.”

“Yes, O’ Marionette.”

“… By the way…” Frost croaked, causing Marionette to turn to pause just as she was beginning to depart.

“Yes, Amalgam?”

“When does the Tenth Act start?”

Marionette’s hollow smile spanned from ear to ear.

“Why Amalgam, and her companions, why not accompany us to the Long Balcony. We can witness its final countdown together.”

* * *

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New

Unique Category

has been granted

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< Annihilation Skills >

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Of Qliphoth

>

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Your status is pending

>