The trumpets of the Augurists reverberated throughout the City of Clubs. It began within C3, and it spread to C4 and finally reached C5 where all eyes returned to the skies. No one knew what was wrong, but it was clear that a Corrupted was amongst them.

Jury wondered if it was the doing of Mimicry. The others believed that maybe Frost was the cause for concern. Her column of flames had already reached the escarpment separating the City of Spades and the City of Clubs by now, nearly elapsing Carpalis.

Ber on the other hand speculated that it was herself that caused it. She possessed the powers of the Corrupted after all, so it would not be a surprise.

However, the sheer number of trumpets blown was overkill for a mere Eternal Night Corrupted like herself. Something greater was detected.

One. Two. Three… The trumpets heralded the approach of an unknown Corrupted of at least the Monsoon Risk. Silence dragged on as Jury’s group burst through the forests, shredding shrubbery like a typhoon. These lands were relatively untouched by the Infusions, but sooner or later this would become a barren waste, riddled with craters like that of the moon.

Riding along in the darkness of the Nexus’ shadow, the group gazed upon the light and began to speculate the newest threat thrown into the putrid blend of chaos.

“Monsoon doesn’t sound right. That many Augurists blowing their trumpets from that far away spells trouble!” Cer claimed, immediately spotting a discrepancy. “You think it’s Frost!? She’s already at the edge of S10 and C4! You can’t even see the City of Spades anymore!”

Indeed. The spires that once stood above the grey fog had long collapsed, felled like redwood trees. One could not truly fathom the sheer scale of devastation that was left behind in Frost’s wake.

“Carpalis can’t get close. Beholders are going to lose their credibility after this debacle.” Res said.

“Like they had any to start off with.” Ber sneered. “I wonder how things would have gone if we just took Frost up to the Floor of Judgement.”

“Don’t dabble in ‘What ifs’ now of all times. Get your head straight. We have a mountain of Impuritas to clear out. Just hope they aren’t armed with the Unstable Capturers. Those things… they were designed against Moons and Stars.” Res growled.

“I’m just thinking. Relax.” Ber responded. “I don’t regret anything because I feel freer now more than ever. I doubt any of us would feel like this in any other timeline. If that kind of stuff even exists. It… doesn’t, right Jury?”

“… Time… is an ever… marching force…” Jury panted. “… there can’t be… multiple… only one… that’s what I understand. Auugh. Kah. It’s called the ‘Arrow… of Time’…”

“The ticking has gotten a lot worse. Hang in there!” Ignis comforted her, brushing several fluffy wolf tails against Jury’s back. They were mimicked and connected at the ends of a bundle of tentacles. “Time doesn’t sound forgiving. But I think you can do something special with it! I’m sure of it!”

“Me too.” Jury whimpered. “The Heart of Time… it’s this technology that’s responding to the Advent. It feels like when we approached Scarlet Logic’s technology. My body’s tingling all over.”

“Didn’t Carpalis say something about that? The sensation she feels whenever she’s close to other Beholders? And the Nexus!?” Ber suddenly brought up.

“Galia looked way too comfortable. Never heard of a Beholder losing it in the Nexus. Then again, we wouldn’t have heard it. It has to be because Jury’s an Angel! I think!” Cer concluded right before a sudden, deep tune caused her ears to perk up.

“… another trumpet.” Cer uttered with deep dread. “That’s the fourth one. Eternal Night. Where the hell is that voice when you need it!? Ignis! Ber! Got a clue!?”

“N-Nav’s getting louder, but no! Nothing!” Ignis shook her head.

“Elysia this, Elysia that. Light here. Light there. The voice isn’t making any sense. Oi, little Frost!” Ber called for the little girl, who popped right out of Jury’s bosom like a meerkat. “You can hear it too! Can you make sense of it!?”

She showered them with floating symbols depicting a brain, clouds, a crescent-shaped moon, and electric sheep jumping over a fence. Cer interpreted it as someone with brain fog, and Ber could not for the life of her understand it.

Res however, realized that Nav must be dreaming. Or at least in a similar state. Her answer caused the little Frost to vigorously nod.

“… can a machine sleep?”

“You’ve heard the saying that machines dream of electric sheep. Caldera Industries has machines that might as well be living things. Unlike outdated golems. Keep your eyes in the sky for any Corrupted!”

“Not like it’ll be a problem. I’m an Eternal Night Class myself!” Ber boasted. “Hehe. A New Moon!”

“I get it! It’s because you hatched from the egg! Like a rebirth! Heh. You know, I’m starting to think the Blessing of the Nexus has a sense of humor –!”

“Please shut up!” Ignis suddenly shouted, irritated by their nonsensical conversation. “Now is not the time! I’m sorry… but I can’t laugh when Frost, Jury, and our friend Nav’s lives are on the line!”

“… I’ll be ok. Aren’t you sweet~” Jury motherly hummed.

“FOCUS!” Res also exclaimed, bringing the pair of misfits back right one final array of trumpets blew.

Disbelief swept through the group as the forests in the distance trembled to an invisible wind. Birds immediately began to migrate as if they too understood the meaning of the fifth trumpet.

“… W-what…?” Res’ pupils contracted.

“Again!?” Ber cried.

“ANOTHER WOE OF THE FALLEN STAR!?” Cer was the most shocked, unable to believe that yet another Woe of the Fallen Star Classed Corrupted had emerged in such a short amount of time.

“More Corrupted… I don’t want to keep seeing the same ruins again.” Ignis despaired having already witnessed the fall of numerous cities. But it only strengthened her resolve; her conviction to make things right.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“Can Beholder Carpalis keep its Corrupted Zone away?” Jury asked.

“Easily! Didn’t Frost say it overtook hers!? And hers was able to overtake the Heart of Ours!” Cer assured them as Carpalis began to swat her Faustian Bargain at a specific target somewhere far behind. “Besides… We have two Beholders to take it out before it can cause some real damage! Plus the Infusions too!”

“Idiot… are you forgetting something!?” Res brought up as Carpalis’ hand clashed with the world, only for her hand to be repelled by a mysterious force. “Until now we’ve been fighting Corrupted with weird rules! Starting with the Greed Counter and the Heart of Ours! None of us could take them down without fulfilling some kind of requirement!”

Indeed. There was a common theme with the Corrupted they had faced until now. The invulnerabilities. Only those enchanted with a certain power could defeat a Corrupted of at least the Civilization Affinity. Cer with the Greed Counter, and Res and Jury with the Heart of Ours.

This was no different. A Beholder’s might was physically deflected, and it caused great concern to sew into their hearts as they confirmed that they were indeed up against a Civilization Corrupted. At first glance the conclusion appeared hasty, but the transformation of the orb into a suit of spades confirmed this.

When the fingers of the Faustian Bargain rose like the curtains of a stage, a gargantuan, black object in the shape of an orb hovered in the sky. It was like a black moon in the shadow of the Nexus, a contrast to the Piece of the Fallen Star. The opaque object spilled blood and water, as if a reservoir was hidden somewhere within.

The suit of spades was the last one out of the four.

“… the fourth… chapter…?” Jury uttered to no one in particular, counting at the hundreds of black ribbons that dragged something along like animals on a leash. “Cinder Civitas… Nav… please. We need you.”

Or to Ber – they looked like chains.

Jury stared at it with shock. Somehow, the entity seemed familiar to her. Its presence dominated the skies. It wasn’t as large as the Big Red Heart, but its aura alone certainly rivalled it. An invisible barrier seemed to surround it, as the trees behind contorted, bending and snapping as something spherically larger than the orb passed by, turning leaves into a bizarre black and white, crystalline form.

All else that were caught inside of this bizarre barrier was absorbed, further increasing its size like a black hole.

Suddenly, the voice spoke to Jury again as pale feathers began to shower them from a blinding light above.

“Do you remember what they fought for? Blood spilled. Bonds of water fell asunder. They were blind. They fought for reasons they didn’t understand. Do you remember it? Like an ever-expanding black hole, all they knew was to consume one another in an eat or be eaten world. Doesn’t that form remind you of ‘him’? Of the beast you skewered over and over, believing things would change.”

When the light faded, they were greeted with a descending one-winged Angel who outstretched a bare hand to Jury.

“I would introduce myself. But I think it’s more polite of me to formally introduce that Corrupted. I presume our old friend Lailah is no longer. Therefore, I will do what they once did for us with the Faux Angels…”

She cupped Jury’s cheeks as she hovered upside down, staring deeply into her golden, spiraling eyes.

“… and the Corruption you damned us with, Elysia.”

Blood of the Covenant

< Blinded by others, we preyed on those with blood like ours. In time blood tasted no different from water. When connections ran as deep as ours, the blood spilled so readily. To this day none of us knew why we fought in the first place… Can you show us what a real bond looks like? >

< AFFINITY : Civilization >

LEVEL : 220 ORIGIN : Disorder

HP : 1

ATT : 0 MAG ATT : 0 ATT DEF : 0 MAG DEF : 0

MP : 450,000

RESIST : 500 AGI : 450

And perhaps due to Carpalis’ influence, the Blood of Covenant had revealed its secondary part.

Big Black Spade

< AFFINITY : Civilization >

LEVEL : 200 ORIGIN : Disorder

HP : 25,000,000

ATT : 30,000 MAG ATT : 20,000 ATT DEF : 26,000 MAG DEF : 26,000

MP: 450,000

RESIST : 600 AGI : 450

< CONDITION: All materials that do not belong to the BONDED that enter the Big Black Spade’s area of effect will be absorbed. A higher DEF on the material will be rejected. All subjects dead or alive of a given warring faction touched by the Blood of the Covenant will become a Blind Arm >

< ADDITIONAL CONDITION: The Big Black Spade will attempt to turn all bonds of blood into water >

< SUPPRESSION REQUIREMENT: The Blood of the Covenant can only be damaged by those BONDED. It seeks to destroy all bonds to control all >

< SUBJUGATION REQUIREMENT: The Blood of the Covenant’s HP must reach 0 >

* * *

< Lailah. I know that name >

< Because… >

< That name belongs to me >