The First Night was a phenomenon tied to the existence of the White Horseman.

Frost had seen those creatures before. They were weaker versions of the monsters who accompanied the White Horseman through her portals. But there was no portal to be found, and the creatures currently swarming the City of Strings had a defined place of origin.

"Nocturnal monsters. Werewolves. Harpies. Goblins. Giant non-humanoid insects. Feral Arachnids and Orcs." Frost only listed the monsters she recognized.

Everything else was a homogenous blur of claws and gnashing teeth. They came unarmed and lacked any semblance of intelligence.

Jury threw Feral Arachnids, Orcs and creatures that were supposed to have sapience. Their bones shattered, but Frost had caught them and preserved their life with [Prolonged Stasis].

Their rage quelled the moment they were within 30 meters of Frost. Incoherent ramblings sputtered with phlegm. White foam bubbled from their mouths as they lay before Frost like beached fish.

"[Curse Disease IV]. Strange. I thought we'd be dealing with rabies or a disease that's causing them to become 'feral'. But [Analyze Target] is telling me a different story."

Indeed. It was not wrong for her to believe a disease was the culprit. After all, Healers were exceedingly rare outside of Brandar, and there were Tier 5 Diseases such as the Mycelli Infection that could cause this behavior.

< Target Analyzed >

Nocturnals

< Basic Observation >

< Generic term for monsters of Emvita's nights. They are compelled by the absence of daylight to conquer the night. The moon is their sigil. Let them reclaim what was taken from them >

Ferals

< Basic Observation >

< Non-Sapient, but fully sentient humanoid counterparts. It is believed that they come from a common ancestor born from deep underground >

"Did they lose their sapience from being born underground?" Frost questioned and used the Traumatic Clock to peer into their minds.

All she could find were memories, but no explicit sense of self. They were only driven by instinct and urges.

Frost struggled to peer into their minds as a result. Their eyes widened with recognition, but that was the extent of it. It was closer to attempting to pry into the mind of a Shell.

< They lack a comprehensive Ego. You're not incorrect for comparing them to Shells. But I view them as beings closer to the Homunculi. Ferals can eventually gain self-awareness, however long that may take >

It also meant that she couldn't Corrupt them. They had no personal wants, no shadows, let alone desires outside of biological needs.

They existed solely to hunt, eat, reproduce, and sleep.

"Let them rupture then." Frost, after Analyzing them each individually, burst them like overfilled balloons. "Jury, throw up any unique creatures you find."

This was a prime opportunity to power level [Analyze Target].

< Analyze Target Has Gained a Level >

< Analyze Target Has Gained a Level >

< Analyze Target Has Gained a Level >

< ACTIVE: (E) Analyze Target [8/10] >

All else was reduced to a liquid paste.

Gore showered along the canals. An aura of graceful malevolence radiated from Frost's body like a flame. Those who dared to approach were torn from the seams by an invisible force. And then, with the Stage 3 Absolution [Rupture], the effect propagated through the swarm like a plague.

An hour soon passed, and a meter-deep river ran though the canals. It wasn't long before Cer, Res and Jury had entirely stopped fighting and let Frost deal with it. By now Frost had analyzed every monster that was a part of the swarm. None had caught her eye or were particularly interesting to make a note of.

"[Analyze Target] is [9/10] now. We can kiss 'basic observations' goodbye." Frost made a sigh of relief.

A combination of [Progenitor Art: Sanguine Rupture] and the Amplified [Starlight Barrier] paved the way forward for the Leviathan. It was heading down a single highway southward to the inner city.

The path cut through the underbelly of the City of Strings, passing under impossibly large overpasses and foundations.

A faint blue glow of a giant 'X' barely shined through the urban canopy. It was different from the light of the Fate Mechanism, resembling a star rather than a diffused mist.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

That light belonged to the headquarters of Act X. She couldn't make out what made that star, or if it had any anomalous properties. They were still too far and their line of sight was broken by the structures overhead.

"Beholder Marionette's sending out her invitation by the looks of it." Cer shrugged as she dutifully assessed the situation. "We'll arrive there in a few hours at this speed. Gotta love being us. Managed to strong arm a Division to send us straight through the heart of an Atelier. They could be doing better things. For themselves. At least they can say they did it for the Nexus."

"They were willing." Jury corrected. "Acedia was~"

"Not the Repenters by any stretch." Res added. "But they're used to it. We got Frost over here to wave off any disciplinary action they might receive from Oboros Infinitas. You can't even see the skies from down here. How do people live like this?"

"By only wanting to live." Frost answered, but Cer thought otherwise.

"Wrong. But it's also true. At least here in the deep outskirts. I guarantee you'll hear a different tune the closer we get to that."

She fired an [Electric Fang] in the direction of Act X's star, and it exploded like fireworks.

"Acolytes. Heralds. Missionaries. Bunch of idiots that can't think for themselves." Cer smugly barked. "Script this, Script that. What's the plan once we get close? Slaughter?"

"Nope." Jury shook her head and held her arms in a giant 'x'. "No way. I am not going to let us kill Atelier personnel when we can squash this by talking."

"Riiiiight. Because Act X isn't totally going to be hellbent in trying to kill the twins?" Cer positioned her arms to form a giant tick.

"Enough. Let's hear what Frost thinks." Res sighed.

There was no question that they were going to be attacked. It was a matter of when and how.

But the crux of Frost's own problems with Act X – aside from the twins – stemmed from the sudden omittance and short sights of their predictions as of recent. These were the result of the restrictions she placed upon Act X.

Killing even one Atelier personnel could cause complications, especially since Frost wasn't considered by the Fate Mechanism at all. It would be like removing a single, miniscule gear from a watch. One wouldn't notice its effects immediately.

But come days later, and they would find that it was now seconds or even minutes behind the current time. The Act X's predictions were only as strong as the Actors, the type of Commandments they enacted, and the Living Loom who interpreted the Fate Mechanism.

Frost's brows furrowed lightly. It was rare that she'd be taking a pacifist route. Even the Assembly was hardly a pacifist option. Although, her definition of 'pacifist' was heavily skewed, because this did not mean blood wouldn't be shed.

"Aim to pacify any Act X personnel who intend to take the twins. They'll let us into Sector String J, Q and K if needed. I have an appointment with Beholder Marionette, after all. But whether they'd let the rest of us in… Now that's debatable."

"So why are we bringing everyone in?" Cer asked the elephant in the room. "No point bringing the twins along. Or anyone from the Leviathan for that matter. What gives?"

The Leviathan began to climb a steep slope. Metallic groans and gratings drowned the nightmarish howls. They were steadily ascending to the regular streets of the City of Strings.

As the urban structures peeled apart to reveal more of Act X's distant star, Frost answered Cer.

"We're bringing the twins, Raoul and Joy. No one else is coming with us. Before you start asking, I'm looking for a way to help the twins. Might as well try since we're dealing with the same Atelier that gave them the Scripts. I don't want to let this fester and have Act X send Heralds and Missionaries to make assassination attempts in the Nexus."

"Fucking hell we will Frost… Your barriers aren't gonna do shit when they can just snip their strings. We're gonna let another friend get killed!" Cer stormed up to Frost and thrust a finger against her chest. "Is what I'd say if we were anyone else. We're plenty capable. Act X is Act X. Big deal."

She flicked Frost's face with her tail and grinned.

"Did I getcha?"

"Don't do that." Jury flicked Cer's face with the tip of her tail, suddenly causing the woman to jolt away and start swatting at the bulbous tip.

"Oi! Don't touch me with that gross thing! Who knows where you've been putting it!"

"… It's gross? Because of the shape or…?" Res wore a slightly wounded look as she cradled her tail. Its paint-brush tip looked vaguely similar to Jury's, only that it was bigger and didn't have various interesting properties.

"It's lovely Res." Frost assured, instantly causing her to beam with a soft smile.

"Right~" She began wiggling slightly. Her jelly-like ears looked like squishable seaweed.

It was an invitation to grant her headpats. But the moment she reached in, Jury's and Cer's warring tails whacked her hand away.

"I'll have you know that it's very clean! Frost! Prove them wrong! Drink up, darling~" Jury's tail opened up, revealing a fleshy tube that instantly made Cer gag.

"Frost, you actually gonna… I mean, I've seen you do it before, but like…"

"But like what?" Frost tilted her head.

"It's Jury. Nuff said. Look at her scheming. You think that smile is because she thinks you're thirsty? It's the other way around!"

"How can I be thirsty if I want to fill Frost's mouth?"

Somehow, Res was the only one who reacted viscerally in response to this. Frost didn't really care, since she actually liked drinking the stuff Jury produced. Besides, she didn't see it as anything sexual.

But I can definitely see how it looks wrong.

"Hear that Frost? She wants to stuff you! Again!"

"C-Cer!" Res called out, her face blanching as her cheeks burned red. "What on Elysia are you talking about!?"

"Hold on. Roll it back. Since when were you so worried about me?" Frost on the other hand, was more interested in Cer's sudden shift in behavior. "And 'Again'? Huh?"

"Don't play dumb. I know Jury's practically a rabbit in heat under there."

"Not really. Frost can vouch with her unbiased opinion." Jury poked Frost's cheek with the tip of her meaty tail. "Say 'Aaaah'~"

"… Cer, what's gotten into you?" Frost pushed it aside for now.

It was an odd conversation to have whilst in the middle of a bloodbath. But it was a testament to the level of strength they possessed. Holding such a casual conversation in this situation was unheard of.

"Joy! You're telling me you happened to come across a Corrupted that looks just like you two? Yeah, no. Good one. Nav even confirmed it with me."

… Nav?

"She may have taken my joke a little too literally. Tehe." Frost couldn't tell if Nav was genuine or not. Her monotone delivery made it rife with sarcasm.

"So my big question is– how much did it hurt to pass her? Did you give birth to her on the last mission? I know you two were having a date, but isn't that a bit too much?"

Something snapped in Frost. Slowly, quietly, she reached out to gently cup Cer's cheeks.

"Frost? Hey. Your hands are nice and all but– Oi, you're pinching. It hurts. Hey, Frost? Frost!? FROST!? WHY AREN'T YOU SAYING ANYTHING!? MY FACE CAN'T STRETCH THAT FAAAAAAAAAAAAR! SHUT UP NAV! DON'T ASK ME WHY THE LONG FACE!"

Her howl muted the derelict screams of the night.

* * *

< Leaving String A | A 05 – 01 >

< Entering The City of Strings for the First Time >

< Welcome to Sector String 3 >

And before long, they had finally reached the surface of the City of Strings. It was barely different from the world beneath, and there were still monsters patrolling its suspended streets.

But they now had a clear view of the sky, and finally…

"I can't tell if I'm looking at a mountain or a castle." Awe washed over Frost like a tidal wave. She was hit by an overwhelming sense of vertigo as well. Even rearing her head back was not enough to view just how tall Act X's headquarters were.

Nor how absurdly large it was. Her field of view couldn't take in its sheer enormity.

The entire base of the pale, gothic-inspired, yet brutalist structure spanned Sector J, Q and K all together. It resembled a cross between a mountain and a fairytale palace, save that it did not boast numerous spires and towers. The structure had a vibrant ice-blue exterior, with white filaments resembling cracks.

It was one large spiraling ascent, and to top it all off, it was floating exactly one kilometer off the ground. Millions, no– billions of strings held it up towards the star overhead. The headquarters possessed a fractal-like pattern, the kind one would see in a shattered crystal.

But upon closer inspection, Frost realized that it was because that entire structure was made of strings.

"… I have a question. How come we weren't able to see it? At all? A structure like that can be seen from even Grandis." Frost said with bated breath.

"Looks like we'll be finding out." Jury stood beside her. "Doesn't it look like a nest to you?"

"A nest? Oh, yeah. This is their Nest. Inflow Direct uses that term to describe their inner Sectors too. Right. There are two kinds of Nests. Birds…"

Frost gazed upwards, spotting various enormous, yet thin shadows within the mist.

"… and spiders." She continued. "Beholder Marionette is an Anid, huh. A Nilhinid. We can't take the Leviathan up there after all. But the question is–

–how do we even get up there?"

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