“Corruption begins with the internalized woes. The emotions. The sense of self. Everything you can think of influences the Corruption. But what triggers it infinitely more important.”
That person exploded, the star replacing the drawn form into something indescribable.
“That trigger is an epiphany. When one reaches it in a state of overflow or drought, then an epiphany will induce the Corruption.”
The triplets finally understood what she meant.
Because they remembered that they experienced the same thing before they became Blessed. And not only that, but Frost also knew what she meant by an epiphany. She too had reached one just moments before she succumbed to Corruption.
When she believed that the only way to change things for the better was to burn it all down and start anew.
The ‘Well’ was seen as a person’s ultimate sanctity. A place that could never be interfered with. But Elysia had changed this, allowing for external forces to invade one’s ‘Well’, such as the Hearts.
And not only that, but the Impuritas could also be explained through this.
The Impuritas phenomenon was called the Faux Corruption because it was a Corruption that lacked an epiphany – the vital trigger.
The White Rabbit knew much, but there were still many things she did not know.
“It stirs and waits. It sits and relies on one epiphany to change it. I don’t induce epiphanies. But others may. Elyia… certainly does.” She concluded, leaving the group struggling to digest it all.
In hindsight, Frost should have realized that this was the case. But the fact that Corrupted were also born from stray thoughts meant that coming to the conclusion that epiphanies were the cause was impossible.
“So then how are those external Corrupted made?”
“I am not sure. But they remind me of the Stars. The Glimmers that fell from the skies.”
“That again?” She had heard this from the Disciple as well. “What do you mean by Stars? The Glimmers?”
“It predates our lives. Both you and I. Even Elysia. But I know that the skies became a uniform void when the Stars all fell. That’s why the First Miracle of Cognition… no, The Source was the Captured Star. Because through it those gifts that once came from Stars could be created again.”
The Stars were many things to different people. But unanimously, they were sources of something. Additionally, according to the Disciple, Stars were living entities born from somewhere indescribable.
The beginning of it was what the White Rabbit called The Source.
And that Source was no more than nothing.
“Something created the Stars. A similar something creates the external Corrupted. Places of rich Nex has a strong influence on it. Nex is born from thoughts and emotions, like a ball of uniformed unconsciousness. Its dormant form when accumulated is a liquid.”
She revealed, suddenly setting her sight to the pillar behind her.
“Nearly all children that ever visit my Escape are Abyssal Aquatids. Emotions and thoughts are condensed to a liquid form. One can only imagine what exists in the Ocean Depths. Perhaps a soup of a collective unconsciousness exists, as one does in the form of Nex.”
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It was impossible to tell if all of this was the truth or just merely metaphors to describe the indescribable. In the end, what mattered was that they at least were made aware of how the Corruption could be incited.
Suddenly, the White Rabbit brought up a name that Frost had only ever heard of once.
“Nex has replaced P-Factor, even though it is inside us all.”
“P-Factor…?” Frost uttered, remembering it written on the whiteboard inside of the ancient facility.
“Primordial Factor. I know little of it. But I know enough that it is the power to manifest reality. The miracle of magic, the Stars of the old, the soul, and it is the reason why those with a higher Soul Quality are able to resist blades and powerful acids.” She further explained, revealing the truth of a phenomenon that Frost had never properly questioned.
Her eyes widened in shock, her words stuttering as she uttered:
“S-So… that’s why DEF and ATT stats exist…”
The White Rabbit didn’t nod, for Frost already knew the answer.
“P-Factor Augmentation. The Second known Miracle of The Source… Don’t be so surprised. It changes nothing. We can neither influence nor direct any of these concepts. To begin with, I only know what I have heard whilst within my dark prison.”
She explained, as if it would help them to take the burden of her forbidden knowledge from their shoulders.
“This is the extent of my knowledge. The elaborate speeches I heard of may be no more than metaphors and allegories, but they hold an inherent truth. It’s unchangeable. Unquestionable. Inalienable. They are concepts imposed by Source. Elysia was able to bend those concepts… and from what I have seen –”
She glanced over at Res and Ber, then smiled back at Frost.
“– You also have that kind of influence.”
“… Can I ask you a question?” Frost slowly spoke.
“Please. I’d love to hear your voice.”
“Will you be joining us in the Nexus?”
The White Rabbit paused. She placed a hand on the pillar of light as her tail wrapped around her lower half like a cocoon. Her other hand brushed through the fur of her tail before stopping at a seemingly random place.
“I must find my tail first. Only then will I consider it. It holds a piece of my power. I have offered it to those two who have done well in my Escape. It is my blessing. The piece I am missing will grant the consumer extraordinary power. Therefore, I must find it before it is too late.”
She fondly smiled at them all. Frost could tell that she dearly wanted to join them in the Nexus, but she did not have the time to indulge in such luxury. It reminded Frost that she too had priorities laid elsewhere.
Thankfully, this would not be the last time they’d see each other.
“Birds fly because they have wings. We fly because we want them. We create them so we can soar like the things we want to be. Dinah.” She suddenly addressed someone unknown.
“Yes!” The Cheshire Cat answered.
“Take their invitation in my stead. Someone needs to look after that one until she grows to properly peer into a looking glass.” The White Rabbit referred to Alice, intending on bringing her back to the Escape one day. “I cannot break out of this bird cage until then.”
“… Do you hate Elysia?” Jury wondered.
“I don’t hate her for what she did to the world. Because I too would have done the same to save a friend.” The White Rabbit answered sincerely as she approached Frost. “I despise her for what she did to me.”
Her voice deepened as a thick aura of darkness surrounded her.
“I was killed over and over again to ensure that a second Elysia wouldn’t appear in those cycles. Eventually, I replaced the Captured Star in each subsequent cycle. I was harvested for millions of years, over thousands of cycles, to keep a rotting city’s light awake for what amounted to its inevitable destruction.”
She stopped before Frost and Jury, staring up at them with eyes that had seen countless fates worse than death.
“Contempt does not begin to describe how I feel. You are the lucky one.” She reached up to touch Jury’s ears, whispering: “But the moment you take her side is the moment we become enemies. And that is the same for you all.”
“I still haven’t decided on what to think yet. But…” Frost softly spoke, reaching down to touch the White Rabbit. She flinched, and was about to dodge her touch, but her tail anchored her in place.
“… I really shouldn’t…” She mumbled, feeling guilty all of a sudden.
But Frost didn’t care. She placed her hand onto the girl’s head, stroking her hair as the White Rabbit’s ears flapped pleasantly.
“In any case, please visit us in the Nexus. We’ll welcome you with open arms.”
Her eyes shimmered slightly, right before she moved Frost’s hand away and took several steps back. She did not allow herself to indulge. A bright smile suddenly formed on her face. It was a shame that Frost couldn’t stop her from dragging people into her Escape, but at the very least this storm was now over.
And more than that, it seemed like they had gained an ally.
“You really are the same. Very well. Until we meet again. My journey will take me to Emvita. Brandar is clear. There was a train that crashed somewhere in that Region. It may be the first clue to finding the whereabouts of my tail. Farewell. May your epiphanies be your own.”
With the simple snap of her fingers –
– The world faded to black.