Nexus Awakened (An Isekai LitRPG Gender Bender Story)-Chapter 1137. The Pale Garden

“Amalgam.”

“Lachesis.”

Frost joined her.

They were separated by only the twins. Conversations died as they became the focal point of the Grand Stage. The only people who remained here were those closest to both Frost and Marionette. The likes of Horus and Alcina were nowhere to be found, nor were the Actors of Act X, as they had already been evacuated.

Lachesis brought her eyes to Frost. She knew nothing about this Mothlinen. Much less her life. But she did not need to know anything about her. What mattered the most was that Frost saw a reflection of her own terror in those eyes.

They were both slaves to an instinct they yearned to suppress. The act they were about to commit would cause its resurgence. But only one of them would bear it. Lachesis knew that Frost did not need to keep her word. It was because of this she stared intently into Frost’s eyes, hoping that she would not back away at the last second.

The floor beneath Frost cracked as her ankles sank into the marble. Merely flexing her body was enough to cause it to break. It was her silent sign of commitment, and after a deep breath, her eyes glowed with unbreakable resilience.

“Before we begin, I want to ask you a question.” Frost began in a solemn tone.

“By all means.”

“The only memory I need to erase is of you devouring the Commandment. Is this correct?”

“That is all I require. But that memory will be deeply rooted in instinct. Instinct is a directive more than it is a memory. Will you still proceed?”

An azure magical circle appeared beneath them. It spiraled like a vortex with Frost at its center.

“I will. I made my vow. It was my choice to save them. Lachesis. Free them from the Scripts.”

Lachesis’ many hands each plucked at different points of the strings. Then, she thread it through her lips from one side to the other, whetting the strand with her saliva. A white shimmer dripped from the strings, and once they were furled into a ball the size of a bead, she placed it onto her tongue, swallowed, and then–

“May they be free.”

–Her eyes flashed with an ominous blue glow. The harmless glitter that rose from her fur became razor sharp as they descended like knives. Precognition revealed Lachesis entering a feral state, which would lead her to indiscriminately devouring the Strings.

But before this could take place, a blue bead of light appeared in front of her forehead. She took a deep breath, felt her heart pound, and focused on the sensation of her lover’s tail wrapped around her waist.

“Jury…”

She uttered her name like a prayer, and at once, the bead exploded.

Darkness invaded her vision. Sharp, stabbing pain manifested in her chest. Rubble exploded beneath her as her muscles tightened. Yet to the others, it was as though she did not move.

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Her mouth could not move, preventing her from screaming at the top of her lungs. Nor could her fingers contract to signal that something was terribly wrong. Her mind was flooded with nothing but the desire to devour.

Hunger. Insatiable hunger. The flavor of the memory lingered on her tongue. It refused to disappear, as though the aftertaste became permanently ingrained into her mind.

Nothing she ever ate again would compare to the memory. Every food she ate from here on out would be compared to its flavor.

Frost’s eyes widened as her hair shielded her face. The anchor around her waist could no longer be felt. Her mind rapidly deteriorated as nothing but hunger filled her thoughts.

In one final last-ditch effort, she thought back to the meadow.

* * *

Red flowers surrounded her.

A faint, rosy fragrance blew past.

She instinctively turned, hoping to find Jury. Evidently, this scent came from the roses rather than her wife.

A hand rose to tap her face, and then, various parts of her body.

Somehow, Frost could no longer sense the real world. Every touch felt real, despite this being an illusion. The irrational hunger, the pain, and the aftertaste disappeared.

Curious, she called out to Nav but received no reply. She tried again.

Nav? Jury…? Anyone?

Not a single soul was present. Hands roamed around her body again.

Nothing hurts. My mind feels fine. What happened to me? I doubt I’m fine in the real world. Is this a vision of some kind? That can’t be. We didn’t face a Main Sequence Corrupted.

After confirming her status, she wandered through the meadow. Her strides were aimless. Everywhere she looked was the same. Surrounding her were snow-capped mountains, and the skies were permanently dimmed to a state of twilight.

There was no sun or moon to illuminate the world. The stars were more than enough. Only one direction was not blocked by mountains. It was also where the breeze blew towards, and where a river streamed from.

She walked along the riverbank with her eyes glued to the stars.

At least it’s calm. I should probably hurry up. Good chance I’m causing problems in the real world. Worse, I might have Corrupted. But I’ve never been allowed to keep my thoughts when I Corrupted.

She had every reason to be warry. Thinking back, she recalled how she had a vision of the Old World while she transformed into the Crowned. It was possible that she had reached the Fifth State by devouring Lachesis’ memories. In fact, this was the most likely outcome.

Petals exploded behind her as she increased her pace. She needed to return as soon as possible. Joy was present, and the twins were right beneath her. If she Corrupted, then there was no telling what could have happened to them.

Eventually, the skies darkened, yet the light that illuminated the world did not disappear. Streaks of light shot across the skies like shooting stars. They were moving in the direction she was running towards.

“I’ve seen those lights before… When I first Awakened as the Amalgam.”

Indeed. The same, wonderous sense of belonging also overcame her as she followed these lights. Somehow, like when she first witnessed these lights, she felt as though everything in this illusion was connected to those lights.

Faint echoes filled small pockets in her mind. It was information, but she could not decipher it. Despite this, she felt as though she understood its meaning.

“It’s calling for me… The lights look like they’re converging over there. Where exactly is this place?”

The meadow continued endlessly. Before long, the red along the roses faded, becoming silver, and then white. The flowers reached up to her knees, and in the center of each of these flowers was a faint, bead of light. This caused them to emit golden particles that floated into the air, creating the illusion of a million fireflies.

Then, her legs stopped as she reached where the lights converged. She held her gaze high, noticing various moving stars in the distance, alongside fantastical nebulas and galaxies.

*Shuffling*

A footstep approached from behind.

It was airy, like this person weighed nothing at all. When she turned, she first noticed how the plants parted before the figure’s boots could trample them. The second feature she noticed immediately was her beautiful white, short-cut hair.

“Hello. Do you like the flowers?”