Nexus Awakened (An Isekai LitRPG Gender Bender Story)-Chapter 1135. The Hardest Choice

The Atelier War concluded.

Roughly four hours had elapsed, making it the shortest Atelier War ever recorded, and the first to not result in widespread havoc.

Frost was proud of these statistics as Nav went over them. With the number of Moons deployed, and the involvement of multiple Beholders, it was a miracle that Act X was still standing. Additionally, the war did not spill over to the civilian population which was common in large-scale conflicts.

The Isolation Sphere containing the twins fizzled away, revealing Frost and her companions. Because she was still using Silence of the Stars, the Actors did not recognize the people standing beside Frost, nor were they able to take their eye off her.

The Corrupted Zone of the Silence of the Stars was called [Silence of a Thousand Shadows]. It caused the temperature of the Grand Stage to sharply drop. Indeed, this was not caused by Frost unmanifesting her Main Sequence Corrupted, such as the Crowned.

None could pry their attention from Frost. The world in their peripheral vision went black. She became their sole light. Eventually, they could no longer feel their bodies, nor hear any sounds except for the faint murmurs that came from behind the veil of darkness surrounding them.

“Will the Milinid remove the healed Actors?” Frost asked Marionette, who replied with:

“If you allow them to, then the Milinid will graciously extract them to the lower levels. There is much work to be done. Beholder Jury, yourself, and the Moons of the Nexus…” She vaguely gestured to the immense damage caused along the Grand Stage. “… have shifted priorities. I must ask you, Amalgam. If it is fine to speak now?”

Lachesis’ eyes wandered from the sleeping twins to Beholder Marionette. Her mannerisms were different from what she remembered. At no point in the past did Marionette ask for permission. Never as a Beholder. The strings were absolute. As a being beholden to its commands, she could not understand what had caused this change.

It was one thing to defeat Marionette.

But, what about the Star?

This one interaction alone caused Lachesis to realize that the Star that controlled Marionette was not entirely in control anymore. Her eyes then moved to the strings that tethered her, and she brought a hand to rest on her nearly filled spool.

“If your actors can’t hear us, then I’m willing to talk before I start healing them.” Frost permitted, wearing a professional persona. Her voice deepened, and her eyes radiated a subtle glow to remind them of their position.

“Excellent. The Headquarters of Act X, as you know, is my Nest. It forms one part of the bulk that is my power to interpret the strings. I can interpret them without this Nest, but that puts me in a vulnerable position. Our enemies are plentiful, and I share the borders with Scarlet Logic. I’d also have to abandon this shell, but as you are aware, I cannot live for long on oxygen alone.”

“If I may add?” Lachesis suddenly spoke, bowing since it was her first time meeting Frost. Anything less was considered an insult to Frost in her mind. “Lachesis, the Allotter of the Strings. The damage across the Nest will interfere with our ability to make accurate predictions in the short term.”

“How quickly can it be repaired?”

“A month will suffice. But we must first speak with Caldera Industries and acquire a new deal with ImpulseWorks for Liquid Nex.”

“Perish the thought. I’m the middleman. If you require materials, then I can’t see why they can provide it free of cost when we’re all benefiting from your predictions.”

The reply surprised Lachesis. She expected Frost to leave them to sort it out on their own, or worse, dismantle them. Her idea of the Head came from the monarchs that ruled the Insectid race, and even the Grandmother Moth who ruled the Mothlinen as a god in her world.

Frost was not naïve to leave things as they were, however. The root cause of this was because she had left Act X to their own devices. But, given that the Director has now controlled a part of Act X, it wouldn’t be a bad idea.

“One month is enough time to roll out new policies for your Atelier. One more thing. I’ve witnessed Marionette repair the platform we fought on. Repairing the Grand Stage should not take more than a day.”

“But Amalgam, the damage here isn’t the issue.” Lachesis began, and she was about to continue, Marionette raised a hand and finished for her.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“The Radial Lines of my Nest have been breached by a certain Light-bearing wolf. I will not state names, as I believe they wish to be anonymous.”

Cer folded her arms and looked off, whistling to herself. She uttered a “What?” to Joy when the little girl pointed at her, murmuring. “Mal. Gam.”

Needless to say, Cer caused significant damage to Act X’s territory during her fight with Atropos. Speaking of Atropos, he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Frost suspected that he may have been severely injured, but Nav quickly corrected this.

Nav

< Atropos stopped fighting the moment the Director attached himself to Marionette. That didn’t stop Cer from taking an arm or three >

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Isn’t Atropos made of a thousand hands?

< … Three hundred, I mean >

Meaning he’s injured. Haaaah. I wonder if I can heal an Anid.

< Not possible unless you were well versed with Anids. I believe getting to know your new Anid Abilities better will help with that >

Oh! Right! I have a bunch of new Abilities I need to check out after this…

Jury waved her tail in front of Frost’s face, saving her from losing track of the situation at hand. It wasn’t normal for Frost to get lost in her thoughts, especially in pivotal moments. Only Jury, and Cer to an extent, understood why Frost’s mind had drifted.

“We’ll hold an Arbiter’s Council and an Amalgam’s Summit to figure out how we’ll deal with you before the repairs finish. Michaela. I’ll leave the Council to you. Jury. If possible, are you able to collaborate with Act X and the other Ateliers?”

“Certainly, yes. They wouldn’t say no in the first place. I’ll get it done.” Jury promised, and Michaela softly nodded with the tips of her wings. “… Marionette. I don’t know your full story, or how Act X works, but I hope you’ll be willing to collaborate with us moving forward.”

Marionette bowed, her back creaking.

“I would be a fool not to.”

Jury, much like the triplets, and even Horus, did not trust Beholder Marionette entirely. No amount of assurance from Nav could change this. The only reason they believed her was because she had Crystalized an Ego, and because she was now affiliated with an Archetype of the Nexus.

Other than that, Jury remained vigilant. A person driven by purpose rather than their heart was bound to stray from Nexus. While Frost disliked conflict within the Nexus, she thought of it as insurance. If her judgement was wrong, then Jury and the triplets would be able to react if something went awry.

“They don’t call us the Three Heads of Security of nothing, huh.” Cer scoffed. “You fucked the twins with the Scripts. Then you sent this Moth lady to fight our Jury. And then, you had the balls to send that thing to fight us. If I didn’t intervene, then I’d be holding the bodies of my sisters begging Frost to bring them back.”

Cer could have easily avoided destroying most of Act X’s infrastructure. However, even if their deaths were not fated, Cer could not forgive how closely they brushed with death. It would take a monumental effort for Act X to fall into her good graces.

Marionette’s unchanging expression would have made apologizing akin to throwing fuel into an open flame. Thus, she simply lowered her head further.

“There won't be a next time.” Frost assured. “Clothina has my blood coursing through her veins.”

“Who is Clothina by the way?” Res wondered, looking around for a third person.

“The real Marionette.” Jury announced. “Marionette is the persona.”

“This shell. Ber. Res. Is there anything you wish to add?” Frost concluded.

“I’m clear over here. Just gonna get my Moons briefed in.” Ber shrugged before gravitating towards the Moons.

“Nothing. I’ll check on the Leviathan. Horus. Alcina. Abigail. You’re with me. Raoul… You stay here with the twins. That’s all you have to do.”

“I understand.” Raoul softly spoke, still in her female form.

None dared to argue. They departed as quickly as their legs could take them. Frost dismissed her Corrupted Persona, returning the light to the Grand Stage. Motes of dark particles then floated from her hands stowed her Dream Shatterers into her [Dimensional Storage].

“Lachesis. You can save the twins. Am I mistaken?”

“You are not.”

“Will you do it?”

“I will. I trust that you will erase the memories from my Soul in return. Marionette has stated that you possess that capability. However, I will not hold it against you if you refuse. I am, after all, not in a position to make demands. The laws are written by the victors.”

This was why Frost’s mind had trailed off earlier. She was mentally preparing herself for this. Devouring a memory was not easy for her, because it awakened a hideous primal hunger. The more she ate and became accustomed to the flavor of memories, the more she would crave it.

Hence why she limited the use of this power.

I’m not alone in this regard. Lachesis is also suppressing her instincts as a Mothlinen. I made the choice to save the twins. Nav.

“Yes?”

Doesn’t that mean it’s my responsibility to bear?

“It doesn’t have to be.”

It would have been easier to let the twins die than to go through an Atelier War, and then having to use the Blue Dahlia’s power… Tch. I hate it.

“Then don’t eat her memories.”

It’s not that, Nav… It’s that I can weigh my options. A part of me would rather let the twins die than go through this. I don’t expect you to understand it yet but…

Frost clasped her chest. She felt ill, and mentally screamed that she formed such a vile thought.

Suddenly, a tail looped around her waist, and the urge to vomit disappeared. Jury didn’t utter a word. The touch alone, and the faint, warm breath on the back of her nape was enough to calm her down, and eventually, cause her to strengthen her resolve.

“Lachesis. Get yourself ready. Do what is necessary. I vow, by my namesake as the Amalgam, I will not betray your trust. So please–

–Save the twins.”