Aquadale Solitude.

image [https://i.imgur.com/9yTXQeM.png]

A city that once housed criminals of the Kingdom of Puritas. Deplorable souls used to fill the many hundreds of cells until they were bursting to the brim, but now those same souls were mixed with the city’s populace after the incursions following the Decade of Darkness.

The 10 years after Paradise’s destruction was a time filled with endless wars wages by the remaining Kingdoms, the segmented 13th Order of Puritas, and all minor factions who struggled to claim the now vacated land of Puritas.

Aquadale Solitude played a pivotal role in preventing a push from the south by the Diavola Kingdom. The 2nd Order – The Knights of the Pale – promised the freedom of the criminals should they aid them in the bloody battle over Solitude’s Watch with forces of the North.

It was battle of one hundred Knights of the Pale and over several hundred criminals against an army number easily in the ten thousand. And yet, as if blessed by the divine, those few hundreds emerged victorious with the aid of a bird that could only punish evil doers.

Frost and Autumn passed through a field of unbothered blades and shields of the legendary skirmish. Hilts of blades rose from the ground like stubborn tree trunks. Sheilds and steel armor were reclaimed by nature as grass and weeds grew through were limbs once stuck out through.

“The 2nd Order were Puritas’ hounds.” Autumn recited. “The Knights of the Pale employed the strongest humans in Grandis. Legends say they were blessed by a bird-like deity that would bring down absolute judgement on whoever opposed them. You would’ve seen it too, I think. I only heard of it but never got to see it myself. Then again, anyone that’s seen that bird other than them don’t live to tell the tale.”

What Autumn spoke of was highly likely to be the third Chapter of the Price of Paradise. Unfortunately, knowing of its whereabouts was not something anyone knew. Like all tales, they had been passed along to have their original details lost in repeated translations.

“Wait here for a moment.”

“Huh? You’re not going to disappear on me now, are you?” Autumn was about to follow her, but Frost only needed to slightly narrow her gaze to cast an accidental Scrutiny.

“I still need you. I just need to see if there’s anything worth salvaging.”

“T-Trust me, there’s nothing worth taking from there –!”

“Just stay here.” She coldly said.

Autumn remained in a secluded area within the utterly ruined fortress that was Solitude’s Watch. Every brick was cracked, and the walls that surrounded what remained of a castle teetered on the edge of total collapse.

Frost moved towards the nearest pile of half-buried equipment. Standing before her was a sea of thousands of blades that were left in memoriam for a time that people ironically wished to forget.

A pale pocket watch was taken from her Dimensional Storage – the Interrogating Clock. She held it just below her chest and pressed a button with her thumb.

The environmental Nex here was ripe for the picking, and she could not pass on an opportunity to gather clues on this speculated Corrupted.

A bird that punishes. Can the Triplets confirm anything?

“Nothing that they know of.”

And the Arbiter?

“You know she is unfortunately. Her mouth is sealed. I can try to ask her to reveal more but…”

It’s fine. Don’t feel pressured to chase after her. Would be nice to get some information since I’m finally asking.

“No. It’s not that. The Arbiter is wearing a troubled expression. It’s my first time seeing it. Perhaps the mention of it has brought back some painful memories. She certainly knows the origin of it, but perhaps does not know of the Corrupted that has manifested from it.”

Frost sighed. It wasn’t like she didn’t understand the Arbiter’s sentiments, but it was frustrating that someone so close had vital answers but was so unwilling to hand it over. The excuse of “In due time,” or “Only time will tell,” were frankly bullshit excuses.

Her biggest hurdle with the Arbiter was that she could not tell if she was being truthful or not. Not only that, but it was impossible to strongarm her like the Beholders.

< Your Emotional State is rising… >

“Forget it. Leave it up to us to figure things out again. Besides, there isn’t much she knows about this world anyway, so we’ll leave it at that. I’m more curious if we’ll see what that thing was through the Interrogating Clock.”

It was frustrating, but at least she had other ways of gaining that information now. The clock began to tick off tune. It was delayed by a half second behind the moving second arm. Light split her world into two like the trunk of a tree as the ticking ramped up.

The Nex formed a picture between the branches of the tree of golden light like a fractured window revealing pieces of this place’s dreaded past. But unlike the Traumatic Clock which allowed one to simply view a person’s mind like this, the windows formed into one before they transformed Frost’s world in an amalgamation of all fractured windows.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

The issue with the Interrogating Clock was that events and experiences could overlap. The number was determined by the number of fractures found between the branches. This complicated the order of which the events had occurred, which was especially troublesome for the Minu Auditors.

But in this instance, it allowed Frost to have an omniscient view of the events that day.

However, depending on the Nex concentration and what occurred in the past would also have in impact on how dangerous peering into the past can be.

The reason?

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

< You have entered a Reminiscence >

A Reminiscence had similarities that made it close to a Corrupted Zone. Depending on factors outside of one’s control, there could also be Conditions required for one to dig deeper.

These are usually presented as Corrupted.

*Bwooooooom* A war horn blared as the skies were darkened by a cloud of arrows.

“ANNIHILATE ALL WHO OPPOSES THE KING!” A knight in a full suit of pale armor led the charge of hundreds against an arm of many thousands who were cloaked in shadows.

The environment within was as real as the world outside. Mana also replaced HP inside of here, meaning Healing Magic was rendered useless. Furthermore, any damage incurred within translated to reality.

Luckily, these people phased through her as if she didn’t exist.

They were mere phantoms of the past. Machinations of the Nex that lingered here like miasma. The few hundreds that fought the thousands of shadowy soldiers fought impressively with abnormal strength.

They were clearly higher levelled than their opposition, which highlighted the utter supremacy of the levels – no, of P-Factor Augmentation.

Ergo, the Soul Ranks.

Blood was shed by only the weak. Prejudice was served by the tip of discriminatory blades. Where the forces of the North fought with all their might, the Knights of the Pale swung their blades effortless as though they were reaping through fields of matured wheat.

Mages from the backlines of the Northern army moved quickly on their feet. Mobile magical artillery was a doctrine used heavily in all wars of Elysia which made anything resembling trench warfare utterly impossible.

Mobility was valued on the battlefield. Holding defensive positions was too risky due to sudden and immediate heavy bombardment. The spectacle left Frost speechless as she looked out into the distant sea, only barely able to picture what the Eternal War in South Emvita must look like in comparison.

Magical circles depicting a language that Frost still could not read formed in the skies and the tips of battle staves. The Northern army’s firepower was incredible. When they managed to hit their targets; limbs would come flying off.

If they were lucky then they’d be reduced to red mist.

The magical circles that illuminated the red skies of sunrise were like eyes of otherworldly spectators. At some point during the fight both sides had equalized their numbers, and the Southern side seemed to have reached their last foot.

Frost was waiting for the fabled ‘Bird’ to arrive with folded arms. She had watched this battle for what she perceived as three days straight. A sleeve was pulsed aside, revealing a pale analogue wristwatch said that the time outside had only passed by three minutes.

She was no stranger to enduring lengthy endeavors. Standing still for several days was incomparable to the time she had her heart ripped repeatedly from her chest for the same amount of time.

It was also not like her perception of time was skewed either. She experienced every second as if they were real, her mind retaining unwavering focus.

*Bwoooooooom!*

The war horn blew once again. Books that were strapped to the side of the Knights of the Pale were taken out.

“Glory to the king. Blood of our brethren. Punish those that defy the absolute order of His word!”

The books were written in blood. Squeezing them caused the pages to bleed as they flicked open, revealing an unrecognizable passage. But… Somehow, Frost felt sadness from it. That book was not a holy book as these people must have believed.

It was a memoriam.

This book was burned by the tallest remaining member of the Knights of the Pale. A tortured scream bellowed from the book instead of the cackling of its burning pages. The scream was like that of a thousand tortured souls crying out for something.

And that something emerged in the skies as it turned white.

But little did they know was that it was not that the skies had turned white.

“… Nav… What the fuck… am I looking at…?”

“Frost? What’s happening?”

“… I’ve seen the Icon of Judgment in person already. So what the fuck… is that?”

That pale sky was in fact the body of a being so large that it encompassed the skies. And yet Frost could not help but imagine that it was only a part of a much larger entity.

Slits formed along its body like invisible blades had cut into its flesh. Those same slits opened to reveal dozens of colossal eyes that were comparable to the moon. Golden eyes gazed down at them all with judging contempt.

Frost’s heart froze as reality shattered. The branches of the golden tree forcefully tore Frost out as a ticking exceeding that of the Interrogating Clock intercepted her.

< "The guilt eats us all the same." >

“Elysia…?”

Frost only assumed that this voice belonged to this enigmatic entity. It, after all, had the same voice as Jury.

And not only that – but amongst the scent of blood she smelt the fragrance of roses.

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

< Elysia has intercepted the Reminiscence >

< You have been forcefully removed from the Reminiscence >

Reality returned all at once. Frost found herself back in the desolate battlefield with eyes wider than they had ever been before. Her hands trembled as she brought them up to cup her cheeks.

“It wasn’t an Aberration of Elysia that approached me this time. That was Elysia herself. Why…”

Flames surrounded her again, melting the leather straps that wrapped the hilts of ancient blades like candlewax.

“… are you and the Arbiter trying to hide things from me? Tch.”

Frost deeply sighed, extinguishing her flames before stuffing her Interrogating Clock away into her Dimensional Storage.

Elysia’s purpose was still unclear to Frost. But to throw her out of that Reminiscence was highly suspicious. Did that tale revolve around her and the Arbiter? What was so damning about that that Frost was not allowed to see?

It annoyed her to no end that even after becoming the Amalgam there were still forces outside of her control.

She fixed her sleeves and brushed of any dirt that had clung to her during her short daze. After turning on her heels she marched back towards Autumn with eyes scorching with bitterness.

Nav. Let Jury know what just happened. The sooner she grows her magic the better off we’ll be.

“Does this mean Elysia is an enemy?”

I don’t know her intentions yet. It could be for my sake for all I know. Haaaaaaah. To Aquagale now. I’ve seen more than enough to know that the third Chapter is something impossible to miss.

And if we don’t find it, then so be it.