There was a belief that the worst crime one can commit is treachery. Justica Arms saw the sin of pride as an inarguable one-way ticket into the Lament Cycle. Frost believed it was a loutish decision.
It still did not change that the Blood Moons, the Red Giants, Marduk and Iscario fell into this category of sin. Frost was not the kind of person to catalogue a person’s wrong doings. What mattered to her the most was the degree of it and their state of mind at the time.
However, there were hideous acts that did not need a state of mind to be proven. The principles she followed were cultivated from Earth; the Actus Reus – the Act; and the Mens Rea – the person’s state of mind during the time of the act.
In rare cases, the person’s state of mind can justify the act committed. Justica Arms followed a similar principle and were extremely lenient on those that were able to have their sins rationalized. The ones convicted on the other hand were treated like unwanted filth and were exiled into the City of Spades or became the Condemned.
But if they truly desired to change – then they were given a chance of redemption.
That chance was of course processed via the Lament Cycle.
If they could not overcome their trials, then they could never properly repent?
“Galia always said it was a shame that people can only die once.” Carpalis giggled. “She’s a believer in change. But that change can only be achieved in the depths of the same despair they caused others. Hehe. Isn’t she so kind?”
“Has she always been like that? Scary to think that she used to come from Earth.” Frost agreed with Galia’s approach, although of course, this was only so long as it concerned the worst of the worst. “We’re heading to the lowest level, I presume?”
“The last catwalk holds all the traitorous Stars and Moons.” Acedia eagerly responded, like a dog slobbering by the ringing of Pavlov’s Bell.
They descended the steel walkways, their weight causing it to groan. It seemed like it would fall off at any moment, unnerving Abigail as she stuck close to Carpalis.
“That reminds me. Abigail.” The girl jolted in response to Frost’s voice as they neared the bottom.
“Y-Yes!” Her bright voice echoed throughout the miserable pit, rousing groans from the damned.
“Are you sure you’re comfortable in this kind of environment? I can think of a thousand different places you can be here.”
“T-To be honest with you – I’m like this because you’re here.” Abigail confessed, causing Frost to make a silent ‘huh’ as she pointed at her face.
“I’m not that scary, am I?” She genuinely asked, slightly wounded by her.
“I don’t know what it is, but you’ve become much scarier than last time.”
I don’t have Beyond the Threshold active, right Nav?
“You do not. It must be her instincts and intuition at play.”
You say that like I’m some kind of blood thirsty monster.
“I can’t disagree with that description.” Nav jabbed.
“You’re terrifying!” Acedia complemented. “But to me you’re everything I yearn to become. Living beings will fear you because you are what they cannot be. There isn’t anything to fear Abigail. The Amalgam sees us as useful.”
“I don’t keep people alive just because they’re useful. I hope you can learn to understand that yourself.” Frost sighed.
“I will. One day! Someday! Any day!” Acedia spoke as if possessed by multiple personalities, trying to figure which one matched her ghastly yet stunning appearance.
None of them did. What matched her the best was her dreary, borderline emotionless tone and the empty smile that came so naturally to her.
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“Abigail. People will be routinely checking up on you soon.” Frost continued as they finally reached the bottom of the pit. “Give them the word and you’ll be taken out from this kind of world.”
The acrid liquid should have heated the surroundings to a near unbearable temperature. But to her shock she was met with a terrible chill.
The bottom of this hell was frozen like a well built in the middle of the arctic.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Abigail did not sound interested in leaving Acedia’s side. There was certainly more to it than just that. When she asked the girl only responded with: “I have to find it myself. The thing that I want the most.”
“Hehehe. When you word it like that it sounds like a threat.” Carpalis teasingly hummed. “You’ve become accustomed to the vocabulary of our kind. Here we are. The traitors that sought to claim my life.”
They finally reached the cells of the Blood Moons and Red Giants. The Stars were kept in individual cells, but the Blood Moons on the other hand were kept as a collective.
Their cells were illuminated by only an apparatus that was clamped around their throats. A mechanical stalk connected the neck-shackle to a box-like device hooked into their spine. It was like a backpack, and various tongs were lodged into the base of their brain stems.
Moons and Stars were nearly impossible to imprison. The only practical method was therefore to completely disable them. Since they lacked magic, the only measure required was to physically incapacitate them.
White tubes were hooked throughout their body, pumping them with healing Serums.
Frost approached the very first cell and peered within, seeing the dreadful state of a Blood Moon who sat in the center with her limbs twisted like that of a branch. Within each limb was a rod to ensure they could not move an inch. Each carpal had a scaled down version of the rod, and even their spines were not spared. The tongs at the base of their skull were connected to one of Inflow Direct’s most dangerous Serum; Serum X – Xpulsion. It acted like thermite and would burn bright enough to damage even a Moon.
This was to sever their brain stem and spinal cord as a final counter measure.
They were left in a pitiful, agonizing state, kept perpetually awake by various Serums and the threat of CogitO’s mind-scraping technology. Life could not be found in their eyes that blankly stared back as Frost entered the cell, crouching before the Blood Moon with judging eyes.
“Try speaking to them. I’ve routinely tried but I couldn’t get a response out of them.” Acedia proudly said, like it was a good thing. Abigail hushed her with a finger right before Carpalis added:
“Neither of us can speak to their hearts. You are the only one that possesses that ability. Can you sense their contempt as I can? Even in that body their blood desires to violate mine… But for what purpose other than for a heart not belonging to theirs?” Carpalis treaded on two sides.
The first was that they were still evil at heart.
But the second hinted at a broken compass that they had been following all this time.
“Carpalis. Why do you want me to forgive them?” Frost desperately wanted to understand what was going through her mind.
There was a few Blood Moons that still had the colors in their eyes. They locked up in fear when they noticed Frost. It was an instinctual response. They did not know who or what she was, but even so, their bodies could not help but tremble, their shackles clanking in a cacophony of terror.
The arrogance that once defined them was nowhere to be seen.
They were almost like children that had their powers stripped away.
“Because they are Moons.” Carpalis stated, her voice echoing throughout the pit.
“Is that it?” Frost didn’t understand. It was as though Carpalis expected her to. Instead, it only caused her eyes to sharpen as she scrutinized these Blood Moons, peering into their hearts as she took out a certain pocket watch.
“Carpalis. These people tried to take your life. They tried to kill my friends. They followed the orders to invade a territory that had nothing to do with me. Hundreds of thousands died in that war. Do you think I can forgive them? Just like that? Even now they’re only afraid because of death. I don’t sense a semblance of regret on them.”
Indeed. None of them spoke up to defend themselves. One tried but their mouth quickly shut. Just like Frost, they too were confused by why they were being punished. Their hearts burned with the color red.
But strangely, the color of their intentions was white. Carpalis claimed that they still sought to kill her, but in truth they had no desire left within their hearts. The revelation was surprising to Frost.
Did destroying the Monarch change something?
“Scarlet Logic operates like a eusocial society with an unbending hierarchy of command. What you have destroyed is the very core of their meaning. Without the Monarch then what other purpose do they serve?”
Are you telling me that Blood Moons can’t think for themselves? That all they’re good at is fighting?
“The same can be said for all Moons.”
Nav had a point. Frost wanted to feel empathy towards them. She truly did, but everything they had done quelled what little pity she had left inside of her. But even so, she recalled the themes of the Blood of the Covenant.
… A Collective Illusion. Betrayal for going against one another. They lived in constant terror. Moons wanted nothing than to belong to something even if it meant joining Scarlet Logic. To continue to belong meant to conform.
Frost fell into deep thought. What were only minutes felt like years as she used the Traumatic Clock to glimpse into their past. She placed a hand onto the cheek of the Blood Moon directly beneath her as her surroundings began to slowly shift.
Before that, she placed the pale diaphragm of Die Agnosis against this person’s chest in the case that she Corrupted. Her physical body was still present, and her eyes were sealed shut. But, in an unexpected twist, she mentally entered the collective memories of the Blood Moons.