It began with an illustrious hail of bullets.
Black and white bullet trails and the endless crack of thunder claimed the world. Trees were ripped from the earth by the vacuum created by the bullets. However, shortly after the upheaved trees froze in midair as if time had ceased moving.
Even the leaves and blades of grass that violently twirled eventually cascaded down with grace before they abruptly froze.
//////// < WARNING > ////////
< CONDITION OF THE REWOUND >
< CONDITION: Those untethered to an object or a being able to interrogate Time will be left behind by its passage >
< ADDITIONAL CONDITION: You may not escape the Rewound until the source of the Wound is sealed or broken to gush >
/////// < WARNING > ////////
< All objects and entities will otherwise be afflicted with Absolute Stasis >
Even though Frost could not speak with Nav, she was still able to deliver these important prompts. Surprisingly fast too considering Nav tended to take time the more difficult the enemy was.
Did this mean that this Aberration of Elysia was weak? Her stats were a far cry from what she had expected. But even so, a single bullet from her weapon could maim a Star or Moon with a single bullet.
Furthermore, there was no telling just what the extent of this Aberration of Elysia’s power was.
Wound? Rewound? And what the hell does the second condition even mean?
Frost used the scattered shrubbery as she fired back at the shadowy Galia, loading bullet after bullet which never seemed to reach its target. Not only that, but the thermal explosions caused by [Thermal Propagation] remained precisely where she fired, leaving blobs of fireballs that soon turned greyscale.
“It’s all ineffective here. You seem to be holding onto peculiar items. Even without them it would’ve been troublesome to detach you from the flow of my time.”
She spoke with Galia’s voice but possessed the sinister mannerisms of an entirely different entity. Every word was spoken tantalizingly with a powerful, crazed inflection. Small, hideous giggles and laughter followed without fail, like she was playing with Frost.
But something about that voice caused hairs to rise all over Frost’s body.
The form Dark Memoria took was closer to a Corrupted version of Galia; similar to something Frost would find in a State of Mind.
Frost’s emotions hadn’t fully latched its claws into her head to prevent her from thinking clearly, so she divided half of her attention onto further studying this abnormally hostile Aberration of Elysia, whilst the other desperately tried to make sense of the Conditions.
“Did it cross your mind to start a conversation before you opened fire! Stay out of this! I have no idea what you want or what you’re trying to gain from holding this information away from me, but I am not going to stand here and die for something like you!”
Frost roared, enveloping herself in flames to mask her body as they two danced in a bullet storm.
So long as the flames were attached to her body, then they could not be snapshotted in time. Frost contorted her body as she flung herself backwards, avoiding the direct advance of the Dark Memoria.
Thanks to her precognition, she was able to see the bullet trajectories and move out of their range whilst baiting the Dark Memoria to enter hers. However, just like herself –
“You were always one to jump to such abstract conclusions. Really, it would all be so much easier if you would just stop thinking. Stop running… and just let me do it all for you.”
– Dark Memoria could see the bullets ahead of time, prancing around the bullets which plagued her path like a line of defensive pikes.
Like her, the bullets that left Dark Memoria’s pallid firearm could only travel so far, leaving behind a floating bullet with its tail like someone had drawn a pale line in reality. They spanned the garden in seconds, the bullet trails becoming a hedge of black and white thorns as Dark Memoria relentlessly chased Frost around the perimeter of the pallid palace.
“Don’t make me laugh. Don’t make me despise you as much as I already do!”
Frost only had so many bullets on hand, so she quickly switched to using Infinite Hatred – the crystal bullet.
The color of the bullet trails didn’t change. Surprisingly, even though time froze the bullet in place only roughly twenty meters after firing it, the bullet still returned to the palm of her left hand.
“Oh? Have you already figured it out? That it was I who denied you access to the past near Solitude’s Watch? Or…”
Dark Memoria attempted to close the gap. There were no descriptions of her attacks whatsoever, leaving Frost to rely solely on her sight and instincts. Frost threw herself against the Markers of the inner walls.
“… That I’ve been actively interfering with ‘that’ one’s interrogation of the past? Jury, was it? A name so abhorrently fitting that I can’t help but to feel envious.”
An ocean of blood gushed from the open cavity as they entered the streets of the inner circle. The gushing blood froze as it turned grey. The ticking of the Interrogating Clock seemed to grow louder as Dark Memoria’s assault intensified.
“Is this because of Jury!?”
“No. This is because of your meddling with time. You’ve interacted with something that was supposed to remain untouched. The past is sacred. Lost wounds of this world shouldn’t be opened by hands like yours. You’re aware of the influence it can exert on an individual.”
“The only people here are you and me! This is the Nex of Paradise that I’m interrogating! Don’t twist it like I’m going to force someone to Corrupt!”
“But even so, and even without my intervention, it does not change that the countdown has begun.”
Frost had no openings against her. Likewise, Dark Memoria had openings to truly follow through and deal with Frost. It unsettled Frost.
Just what are you hiding… An Aberration of Elysia shouldn’t be this weak.
“Forty-five minutes to midnight.”
As she said this, a pale magical circle appeared over Dark Memoria’s head. The ticking intensified once again.
In that moment Frost saw all outcomes and realized that she’d be struck by a barrage of more than thirty bullets.
So, she did the next best thing and ran straight towards the bullets before she could even fire them off.
“I hate vague answers… I – did not come this far after harrowing through hell –!”
Bullets riddled her body, lightly piercing through her flesh and garbs as she pushed through and enacted a counterattack. Dark Memoria could not avoid a direct impact as Frost swung her fist past the hail of bullets. Rather than a punch, it was as though Dark Memoria had thrown herself straight into her fist.
“– ONLY FOR YOU TO DENY IT ALL!”
[Solemn Counter] and her [Fine Line] Passive Skill.
It came in handy as Frost weaved herself into a narrow window of opportunity. A dark cloud plumed from her fist upon impact thanks to her Dream Shatterer.
“NO MATTER THE RISK –!”
Frost had Dark Memoria right where she wanted. The wounds on her body healed over the pale, crystal bullets. Her body devoured them shortly afterwards, releasing a terrible torrent of steam, confirming to Frost that anything that entered her body would be destroyed.
“NO MATTER MY INTENTIONS –!”
A flurry of fists connected with her enemy’s dark visage, some fists phasing through the dark coat whilst others brutally caused parts of the being’s body to distort. With one last punch, Frost thrust her fist straight into her stomach, dealing significant damage that she unfortunately could not visualize.
“– WHAT RIGHT DO YOU HAVE TO STOP ME!?”
Dark Memoria skidded backwards; her body relaxed as Frost pushed forward to give her no openings to recover. However, it seemed like Dark Memoria had allowed Frost to attack her head on earlier.
“Every right when it concerns my domain. Every right when it encroaches on my territory. And every right when it concerns you.”