There was a lot to take in. The battlefield felt like an extension of Frost’s mind. So many scattered thoughts fought for her attention, each desperately yearning to be unraveled. Normally, Frost was a focused person. But the curveball the Arbiter threw at her regarding the layers underneath their world made her wonder how powerful the Genesis Stones truly were.
GEN-00 related to the ‘light’, which was at this point undoubtedly Frost. Implications aside, GEN-00 had two additional components that stemmed from the ‘captured light’. Frost separated her present identity from whatever that was. Even if they were mostly one and the same, Frost considered herself as exactly that. Herself. Not some light from the past.
Frankly speaking, it was difficult to put into words. But that being said, the Arbiter revealed the two components: GEN-00-01, and GEN-00-02.
GEN-00-01 were biological fluids, masses or beings made from the ‘light’, whereas GEN-00-02 were the Genesis Stones. The Arbiter knew this much thanks to the Archiving of the Icon of Judgement, which she promised to show them once they reached her Floor of Judgement.
This meant that Angels were considered GEN-00-01s. The processes were unknown at this point and were a relic of the past that neither the Arbiter nor the other Angels knew of. This likely included the White Wing, who when was mentioned by Jury –
“There are people in this world whose sins cannot be punished in our wildest senses of justice. Few crimes are so severe that we conclude them unfit to be Condemned or a to become a Repenter. One such person is the White Wing.”
“What did she do?” Jury wondered as the Arbiter’s wings expanded, brushing away to create a clear path.
“She wishes to awaken Elysia and claim her life with her own hands. Her methods are unknown to us but is has been destructive.” The Arbiter added.
The most recent transgression was the City of Spades massacre. Galia had direct involvement in sending her personnel to eliminate them, however, it was not her who turned them away.
That was the doing of the White Wing.
Galia had committed a grave sin, but Frost saw it as a force of good considering what they now knew about Scarlet Logic. Where the Beholders condemned her for breaking the peace; Frost was happily surprised by her boldness.
The triplets compounded further incriminating evidence against the White Wing. They claimed that she likely worked with or was at least in direct communication with the Impuritas. Frost didn’t dismiss their concerns, and Jury couldn’t help but to wonder what was the end goal.
“A wish.” Nav suddenly spoke. “There was not enough Nex for a major wish to be granted. Mine was, but it’s incomplete.”
“In what way?” Frost questioned as the Star Child pointed to Nav’s lips.
“Taste. I cannot taste anything. And underneath this fabricated flesh is a clever arrangement of bolts and nuts, my mind composed of zeroes and ones. It is difficult for me to understand myself.” Nav stared off into the light, her eyes shimmering with an unknown desire, if she could even call it that.
So that was why Nav put so much sugar in her coffee. She couldn’t taste it…
Suddenly, Frost brought out a familiar pink, strawberry cupcake from her Dimensional Storage and placed it into Nav’s palms.
“Here. Maybe this can help.”
“The Taste of Mortality…” Nav brought it to her emotionless face, thanking Frost with a small nod. “It has no scent. What does ‘strawberries’ smell like in the first place? Don’t you find language bizarre when information can only be described with one’s experiences?”
“Like how you can’t tell a blind person what a star is.” Ignis said, remembering Stella and the children of the City of Vocals.
“Precisely. I don’t recognize the smell of ‘strawberries’ because I have never sensed it. I only know that a strawberry smells like a strawberry. Odd… May I take a bite?”
“Go ahead! It your Atelier Item.” Jury hummed.
Nav opened her mouth and was about to take a bit before she had a sudden change of heart.
“No. I shall wait for a more appropriate time before I take my bite. Preferably in a place more comfortable.” She said, offering it back to Frost. “Please keep it safe for me until I request it again.”
Another topic of interest was the Genesis Stones. The Nexus itself had no noticeable effect on the Moons and Stars as a whole. With Beholders, apparently that was an entirely different can of worms that Galia promised to unravel at the next Arbiter’s Council when all Beholders would gather to answer.
Genesis Stones had the ability to change its surroundings based on a person’s state of mind and was determined by the quality of said person’s soul, or otherwise known as their ‘level’ and emotional state.
It had the power to create a Corrupted Zone to reflect the mentality of said person, and even go as far to manifest nightmares and aspirations.
In rare instances, that person transformed into a Corrupted.
This was not always true, as Moons have handled it in the past. But the risk of a Moon with a Corrupted Zone could not be overlooked, and Frost agreed with that argument after having fought with an insane Ber.
“That explains why that city appeared huh. The Corrupted Zone I formed was linked to my Corrupted. But the Nexus projected that city in the skies to reflect my state of mind…” Frost connected the dots as they approached the end of the battlefield.
The matrix of pale architecture was impossible to navigate through. They were in a chamber surrounding the Pillar of light with no means of going anywhere but up. Snap prepared itself to carry everyone, but the Arbiter and Galia simply walked ahead.
They raised their legs and to their surprise, a platform appeared underneath their feet.
“The laws of physics don’t apply here.” Galia stated. “No laws from whatever world matters in this place.”
“Frost. Non-Euclidian Interpretation may help.” Nav reminded.
“Right… And – Galia. What do you know about the laws of physics?” Frost suddenly questioned her, finding the use of that phrase odd for someone who lived in Elysia.
She simply turned back as Frost saw what this chamber was. A labyrinth of stairs and geometry that intersected with one another. Shapes with dimensions that made little sense existed in this place, and whenever one took a step upwards those shapes would move to support one’s footing.
Upside down stairs, doors that led to nowhere, pathways that ran vertically along the walls – this place did not operate in the usual 3 dimensions. Tesseracts and all manners of bizarre geometry floated in the air like specks of light.
“That this was only in the realms of theory in my world. That there exists the possibility of additional dimensions. To many, our theories and methods of rationalizing our world seemed crazy in the eyes of the theocracies. Likewise, I considered them lunatics for believing things they could not see.” Galia said, taking another step up as if she could see where to place her feet.
In truth, Galia had memorized the pathway, as have all Beholders.
“Perhaps you understand or were there at the time. Do you know what those firearms are called?”
“The Victorian Era ones?” Frost answered, leading the others carefully ahead as she created a threat of string to act as a handguard.
Galia’s eyes illuminated like a lantern. Her lips curved into a devilish smile as she summoned a Justica Arm; one with a barrel bored through its center.
“’Victorian Era’ doesn’t ring a bell. How about a more precise date.” Galia’s words caused Frost’s eyes to widen as she realized that this Beholder was not from Elysia.
“… Earth…? You’re from Earth too?”
“That I am. 1835. On the tail end of our greatest era of scientific rationalism. Ironic, is it not?”
Galia then pointed at what appeared to be an opening halfway up the chamber.
“I, who advocated for scientific reason against Earth’s theocracies, now command the largest theocracy in Elysia. There is merit in holding faith in the things you cannot see. Otherwise, who else shall take that step first?”
With that said, she proudly walked backwards up the flight of invisible stairs as if to prove her point.
Suddenly, the aesthetics of the Justica Arms made so much more sense to Frost. They were indeed inspired by their Earthly counterparts not because of a book, but because of someone who lived in that era.
Speechless, Frost followed the Arbiter and Beholder Galia, wondering the story of how that woman rose to become a Beholder in the first place.