They were closer now.

The bottom of the floating fortress blanketed the skies like a giant storm cloud. It stretched as far as the eye could see and plunged the world into darkness.

Yet, the faint light of the star shone through the structure. It guided them deeper into the concrete plains, and before long, they were plunged into near total darkness. The blue hue of the fog surrounded them till they could no longer see past 50 meters, and within the fog they noticed passing humanoid silhouettes.

The sound of slashing, and clashing steel accompanied the figures. Frost could see their souls and Light, meaning they were not Impuritas.

Additionally, the strings overhead gave them away.

"Act X Personnel. They don't seem to be concerned about us. Wait, there are still monsters here?" Frost was surprised that monsters were able to reach this far into the Nex Megalopolis. "What's Act X doing with a purgatory this deep inside of their territory?"

"Training." Orth answered somberly, and Thras continued: "As per the Script requires. Acolytes surround us in the Waiting Room. The place you call Sector String J – Jack and the expanse we traverse is the Waiting Room."

"… Never heard of it." Res said. "Nav doesn't know either. Must not be a common term."

Indeed. Nav didn't have any information about it. Act X had somehow managed to keep the name and function of this place a secret, even to the Nexus.

Raoul lit a cigarette and answered for them.

"Purgatory is the same way we put it." He deeply inhaled. "The Scripts decide how long you wander for till it's your turn. Never been here personally. But I've heard of it from a Construct Herald. Wandered, got taken up, and came out admitting he didn't want to be human anymore."

"Then the purpose of this place is to wear people out?" Frost asked.

"Act X uses it as a training ground for Acolytes, soon-to-be Heralds, and people wanting to get into the better parts of the City of Strings. From what I know, past this is a whole sprawling city. The most devout to the String live there. Must look like hell."

"Any idea how long we'll be waiting for?" Frost approached him.

"No idea. I'm telling you everything I've heard. It's our turn when it's our turn. Not sure for what, but Act X is smart. They'll bring us straight to their Grand Reception. Different from the Stage Narrators. These big wigs will be close to the Living Loom. Not sure if they're the only big wigs they have. Makes you appreciate the simplicity of Justica Arm's hierarchy."

Their obfuscated operations irritated Frost. But then again, Act X was a pillar of the Nexus, and their secrecy was likely what had kept them in majority control over the Fate Mechanism until she arrived.

Frost wanted to believe there was a better way to operate Act X and the Fate Mechanism. If possible, bringing the Fate Mechanism into the Nexus could perhaps solve everything. It was optimistic, but she had always wondered why the Fate Mechanism hadn't been brought in when it was right next to the Nexus.

"I don't believe anyone knows who to move an Advent. The Eternal Library happened to be at the same site as the Nexus."

Yeah. That's true. It doesn't help that it can also be accessed outside of the Nex Megalopolis.

More and more Act X personnel passed by. The groans of monsters subsided, and they were replaced with the murmurs and recited lines of stories that were vaguely familiar to Frost.

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"Romeo! Romeo! Where art thou Romeo!" A woman called from what seemed to be a window judging from the shape of the silhouette.

Are there buildings behind the mist?

"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." A man said. Following him were multiple Missionaries dragging their colossal swords over their shoulders, the tip scraping along the concrete.

"Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns, driven time and time again off course!" The sound of thunder broke out, and they could feel the sprays of water coming from the direction of the reciter.

Suddenly, the silhouette of a ship five times larger than the Leviathan – spanning easily nearly a kilometer in length alone – groaned with a whale-like cry as it sped ahead.

"What the– we're on dry land, aren't we!?" Cer shouted.

"We absolutely are! There's no lake or coast within the next few hundred kilometers from the Nex Megalopolis! The coastline is nowhere near where we are!"

It reeled its front up as it crashed into imaginary waves before slamming down.

"JOY! HOLD ONTO JURY! GRAB THE TRIPLETS AND ALCINA!" Frost called out at the top of her lungs.

"JOY! Hold onto mama!"

"Juwy!?

"Alcina! Orth! Thras! Some bones might break, so you better hold onto me like your life depends on it!" Cer shouted.

"Orth. Thras. Please wear this." Res spoke to them calmly and provided jackets made of paint. "It'll keep you safe."

Invisible waves rocked the Leviathan, causing its front to rise until it was nearly vertical. Frost slammed her fist into the deck to anchor herself as she formed a [Starlight Barrier] to prevent the others from falling. It wasn't necessary, since they all had the same idea.

"Raoul! Did your friends tell you about this part!?"

"Never heard of this! Tsk. Act X…"

"Acedia! Will the Leviathan be ok!?" Frost shouted at an Acedia who had spread her body thinly across the deck and now resembled a giant fungal growth with thousands of eyes and teeth.

She replied with many distinct voices.

"Yes (partially) (Inevitably) (Surely). Your blood (Sacred) (Untainted) (Beloved) will help us fuel a miniature Reality Replicator (Impure) (Thief) (Material) to repair. Icara (Icaraus) (Wingless) (Witch) is an expert in this regard!"

The Leviathan, after twenty seconds of remaining vertical, slammed down and they suddenly found themselves sailing across an ocean.

"W-w-w-w-w-w-w– WHERE THE HELL ARE WE!?" Cer exclaimed. "Frost! Permission to scout ahead!?"

"Stay here! I think reality is warping around us. There's no guarantee you'll be able find your way back!" Frost dashed to the side of the train and doused the ocean with a stream of flames.

It vaporized the water, forming a hole that was tens of meters deep. It was well beyond the height of the Leviathan, yet it did not reach the bottom.

"We're… floating? But this isn't a ship. How on Earth…?"

Frost was stumped. They hadn't received a message to tell them whether this was the effect of a Corrupted Zone, or Beholder Marionette's powers. Nor did it seem like it was the effect of the Fate Mechanism itself.

Something else was at play here.

"Waves! Breaking them down!" Cer sent out an [Electric Fang], only for it to phase through. "… What…? Hey, Frost–!"

"It can't be… Nav… If this isn't a Corrupted Zone, or anything like that…!"

"I believe that is what is happening currently."

These were Nav's last words before water phased through the Leviathan. Frost attempted to burn through it like last time.

It did not work again.

"Why– Gah! JOY! JURY!"

It swallowed them whole, and they were plunged into total darkness.

The only light Frost could see as she desperately thrashed to find Joy and Jury's hands was a warning.

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

< You are approaching a Gift of a Star >

* * *

???

< "Apologies, Amalgam. The Fate Mechanism and the Moirai aren't directable per say. But, fear not, what you see will not physically affect you!" >

< "I must say! It was a surprise that you arrived through the Waiting Room! You should be able to hear me now that you're close to the Fate Mechanism!" >

< "Ahem. Amalgam?" >

< (Aside) "Oh dear." >

< "Your group was taken into the Audition, weren't they?" >

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