There were many secrets of the Nexus still yet to be uncovered. One was how the Subfloors were created, and how the system recognized Justica Arms as a partner of the Arbiter, exactly like how Carpalis was to Magus.
She didn’t know if Jury was her System-recognized Beholder just yet, but she figured that would change as soon as she established her Workshop beside the Floor of Amalgamation. None of these, however, compared to the mystery that was the System itself.
It was unclear if the Nexus was the one responsible for its inception, and looking deeper into the status of the Nexus itself revealed that there was only one Advent officially attached to it: The Eternal Library.
< Status of the Nexus >
Upper Sanctum | Stable
Middle Sanctum | Stable
Lower Sanctum | Stable
< Advents of the Nexus >
Eternal Library | Stable
Stable referred to the state of the Nexus. So long as there were no intruders or complications then the Nexus was considered stable. The closest example of an unstable state would be a Floor’s Awakening, or the Librarians invading the Eternal Library. Thankfully, neither had yet to occur.
The lower floors of the Nexus blared with a high-pitched buzz. A message was broadcasted from the Reception to announce that the Blessed would not have to spend Nex to remain within for the next few months. Their small price of this paradise would be covered by the Beholders for the time being. Due to the bottleneck that was the sole Hyperlink Relay Site in H10, the Blessed could not feasibly leave and return without at least a 24 hour wait.
The reason for this was because there was a chance that people could teleport inside of another person. With how crowded the 6th Branch had become, the last thing they wanted was to clean up another few hundred bodies, and deal with another few thousand bereaved family and friends.
The Reception was one of the ways Frost could communicate directly with the Blessed. So long as they were within the Nexus, of course. It was also where raids were conducted. It was unknown how the Reception came to be as it was a structure unlike anything else in the Nexus, for it was not made by the hands of the living.
The Stars insisted that it had existed for as long as the Nexus has been around. Anna could not confirm or deny this. After all, she had only known the bookshelves of her library for the last 300 years.
Frost winced, refusing to scratch the itch of frustration behind her head as she strode down the pale halls. The clopping of her leather soles echoed thoroughly along the walls, making her presence known.
Various Stars stood on the edges of the hallowed halls like statues, each wearing uniquely designed pale and blue robes. Each were decorated with a hint of gold as they wore trinkets in the form of bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and elegant headpieces.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Unlike the Moons who were primarily made up of women, the Stars mostly consisted of men. Humans, Elves, Dragonkin, Avians and even Mycelli were amongst the races of the Stars. There was one in particular who wore a red scarf to hide her mouth. This person was a vampire as revealed by her status.
Star of the Nexus
Vampyria
< Nexus Devoted >
Soul Rank : Incandescent
LEVEL : 200 ORIGIN : Vampire
HP : 30,000
ATT : 2,000 MAG ATT : 1,800 ATT DEF : 2,000 MAG DEF : 2,000
MP : 7,800
RESIST : 350 AGI : 65
The stats of all 35 Stars of the Nexus fell into a similar range, varying at most by a 1,000 difference. As one can tell, they were not as powerful as the Moons or their Red Giant counterparts. But they were fast, and most importantly, devoted to the Nexus if the little quip underneath their names was anything to go by.
Their heads were lowered, but their eyes never left Frost’s body. They were inseparable as she passed by with her head raised, her ribbons flowing behind her like a serpent swimming in the air. It never touched the ground, and its fluttering seemed to wave at the Stars she passed.
She smiled at them, nodding, and waving at every single one of them as elegantly as her body allowed. However, she was suspicious of them. Stars were the only members of the Nexus she had little experience in dealing with. To see them all collectively approach her caused her instincts to instantly hone.
And as a result, she exerted Scrutiny upon those that fell into her line of sight.
After all, it was a Star that had betrayed her in the first place. It was not like they could harm her to begin with, but the unease she felt gnawing at her chest did more damage than they ever could.
Suffice it to say, she was surprised to see them here. None dared to speak a word, respecting her silence as she found herself in the center of them all. She came to an abrupt stop, wondering if the Stars were envious of her personal meeting with the Moons just in the Arbiter’s Council ahead.
So, she asked them directly with a voice that reverberated through their bones.
“Have you come to introduce yourselves before I meet with the Moons?” She suddenly asked, turning her head to formally greet them.
One shuddered to the sound of her voice. Another’s hands slithered over their shoulders as they embraced themselves. Frost was held in total awe, for in their eyes she was the very personification of the Nexus they worshipped. An entity not only born from it, but one that owned it.
To be spoken to by her was an honor that Frost couldn’t begin to understand how highly venerated it was in their eyes. It was almost creepy to the point where it felt like it was all just an act, but having seen the loyalty of the Workers to ImpulseWorks that threw them to the wolves – she quickly knew that their veins coursed with euphoria.
“O Amalgam… Was it not by your will that we have assembled before your grace?” An Avian man whose hands were replaced with beautiful wings spoke, causing Frost to internally question what he meant.