A fine, red mist hovered in the air. Crystalized blood grew along the other side of the colossal door. A loud hiss emitted from just above the doors, arriving from a deflating organ that flickered red like a malfunctioning, biological alarm.

They moved swiftly. Between the splashing sounds of their footsteps, and the sizzling of the liquid, there existed a guttural whine in the center of this place. Frost hurriedly scooped the fleeting liquid into her palms, watching it bubble and boil as she tried to analyze it.

It could not be identified.

But this was a good sign.

“Is this blood their technology?” Frost had to ask Carpalis, her Touch of Golds exploring the vast reddish blackness.

They were in what appeared to be the bottom of a vast well, with chutes that connected to other sections of the nest. Soon, as Frost’s flame painted the world with light they realized they were atop one of hundreds of platforms. The one they were on was by far the largest, with the others appearing like floating islands, held up by only a thin rocky spire.

Battlefields best described them. Weaponry littered their surfaces. She recalled how those revived firstly needed to defeat their past selves before they could properly be reinstated. Upon one platform she saw the fresh cadaver of the same slain individuals they had just passed, their blood dripping into the unknown space beneath them.

The sprawl was as endless as the caverns of the Derma Layer. Nav had yet to confirm that they were anywhere else besides the Epiderma.

Now that she thought it about, why was the world named after layers of the skin? What a bizarre naming scheme. Considering all she knew; it may very well be alive, and that still wouldn’t be the strangest thing in this world.

Frost lingered on these meager thoughts to suppress her emotions.

Carpalis then spoke, leading the way into the bloody lake.

“A supplementary component. Much like the Golden Tickets to my Faustian Bargain. You cannot feel it, but I can sense it. Oh Jury. Can you detect it too?”

“Is that what the tingling is?” Jury whispered, perplexed by the strange sensation. “Somehow. It’s like having pins and needles in your belly. Is this what happens when Beholders approach a technology?”

“It’s how we recognize one another, and aspects of each other’s powers. Have you been to the Nexus? Hehe… what am I saying? You haven’t, else you wouldn’t have appeared to surprised.” Carpalis said, walking casually into the red lake as Frost slurped on the liquid, gaining nothing much to her anguish. “The technology we seek lays further ahead. Would you like to track it for us, Angel~?”

“Into the pool of blood…” Jury nodded, awed by the weird sensation as she approached the technology, which laid hidden underneath the draining pool which Frost slurped regardless of its properties.

And before long, as she scooped gallons of boiling fluids with her Touch of Golds, she suddenly gained something.

“… I knew it.” Frost hissed; her voice somewhat exhausted.

< Unique Ability Gained >

< ABILITY: Nascent Fluids >

< EFFECT: Your blood becomes the basis of reconstitution. A soul is required to replicate your blood into its shape. Your body unnaturally regenerates the higher your vascularity is. Consuming biomass will replenish HP >

< ADDITIONAL EFFECT: The Alter Frost’s may be created. Maximum limit of 1 each >

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Frost alerted them of the finding, causing the triplets to quietly celebrate, all the while Carpalis was left stunned by her ability to absorb the technologies.

“Hehe… Amalgamation. Fitting~” She chuckled.

“Nascent Fluids. Nascent meaning beginning to develop. To come into existence. It’s fitting for what the hell this fluid is. So this… allows them to form, huh?” Frost sliced into her forearm with a tooth, investigating her blood closely. “It doesn’t look any different to me. But it says it requires a soul?”

“As an aspect, its full potential is untapped until it’s used in conjunction with a major offshoot. If the original technology is the plant, then whatever’s here is a branch. The red lake are its leaves. Galia used the trees, apples, and birds quite a lot to convey her thoughts. And despite being quite old myself, she has taught me valuable lessons as much as I have shared recounts of my misadventures.”

Soon, they were knee deep into the lake, rushing towards its center as they kicked strange mounds hidden underneath. Scooping them up with the Touch of Golds, they came to realize that there were countless desiccated bodies within the lake. But they were not dead. Rather, they were in the process of becoming alive, their bodies reconstructing themselves thanks to the fluid.

Frost eliminated them before they could spawn. The process was slower than she thought. At the rate of their regeneration, she estimated it would take a full day to recover, which was still incredibly impressive. The size of the pool could accommodate many thousands at once.

She couldn’t help but to wonder how many fragments of people had never left this pool. From Usa’s ear, to Cara’s arm and the Scarlet Fodder, it had robbed countless. Soon, they were submerged to the chest, Jury making a bizarre face all of a sudden, like she couldn’t quite understand something.

“But how come I don’t feel the tingling from you?”

“Technologies from the Eternal Library are strange in their own ways. It hasn’t taken grip on me yet… hehe. Well, not as hard as it needs to before it becomes a true part of my being. I, Galia, and Marionette don’t emit it. But that does not mean we cannot sense it either… I, for one, despise it.”

“Another reason you don’t visit the Nexus?” Ber asked.

Carpalis only sealed her eyes shut.

“A prominent reason. That sensation… feels horribly wrong.”

“I guess the Beholders hate the stench of another.” Cer said.

It was minor, but Capralis’ perpetual, creepy smile turned into a saddened frown.

Finally, after reaching the center of the lake, Jury dove beneath the liquid and retrieved a grey stone in the shape of a sphere. Vibrant red and white lines ran through it like cracks along the surface of a glass bead. It appeared like an eye, but its actual form was difficult to describe in detail.

The object was roughly the size of Jury’s torso but was surprisingly lightweight. Various vein-like roots still held onto it, anchoring it to the ground as she passed it over to Frost, nodding with a grin.

“Think of it as a giant grape.”

“A grape that produces liquid and holds onto souls of angry people. What a fucked up turn of events…” Frost uttered. “Thank you. This thing holds the souls of how many people, Carpalis?”

“150,000 people. 90,000 are currently circulating within. Intriguing~ To think Marduk’s technology is closer to mine. But it is still inferior. What will you do, Frost? Will you condemn them?”

Carpalis spoke expectantly as the fluids drained further.

“So long as this thing is still active, then the Scarlet Logic will have a place to come back to. I don’t want that.” Frost began. “Every choice I’ve made up till now meant trampling on people. I kind of understand what Calfasio means now, about living in the footsteps of giants.”

She brushed a thumb against its glistening shell, digging her fingers through as it began to groan under her immense grip.

“What happens to a soul that has no body? Where does it go, Carpalis?”

“To me. I shall absorb them. There is no cycle I am aware of. Souls are a sacred thing. They should never be tampered with. They are irreparable. Those that do have their bodies will have theirs returned in their broken forms.”

“The Nexus doesn’t take them huh. I had a feeling that it would.”

“If my technology was combined with it, then it may be possible.” Carpalis softly spoke. “… But I cannot stand such a thought. It is a flaw of mine, wishing to expand my golden family. Break it before you bite.”

She split it in half, and to her surprise, she saw… nothing. She expected a gush of bright whisps to fly around but they were only met with the echoes of the snap. Carpalis seemed satisfied with Frost’s action, and like two halves of a giant melon, Frost began to eat at them.

By now, the blood had nearly been drained. The holes made underneath were caused by massive falling debris, evident by the wounds of this platform. The only other place to go now was down where the heart endlessly beat.

And with their resolve steeled, they made their final descent into the nightmare that was Scarlet Logic.

< Unique Ability Gained >

< ABILITY: Soul Anchor >

< EFFECT: You may create objects capable of tethering souls. Souls must be transferred with an appropriate method >

< REQUIREMENTS: Unspecified. Nex will undoubtably be required >

//////// < WARNING > ////////

< Souls tethered will immediately forfeit a piece of themselves >

< Please do not use this with people important to you >

< While you do not have the power to tinker with souls, Carpalis may be able to lend you a hand when the time comes >

Reading through the prompts was the last thing Frost remembered before all went black.

Nothing could have prepared her for the sight underneath.