A Very Late Halloween 2025: Tricks And Treats Pt. 2
3:00 AM, the Witching Hour.
There was no equivalent concept in Elysia outside of the First and Second Nights. Earth also did not have an equivalent to the aforementioned Nights since they did not need to worry about hordes of monsters sweeping across the world on a daily basis.
When one put that way, Elysia truly was a hellscape. Earth wasn’t perfect by any means, but the fact that it could celebrate a day of horror spoke volumes of the type of world it was. Elysia by comparison was Halloween every day.
For many, horror was ingrained into their life.
Acknowledging this, Frost hung pumpkins from the second floor of the atrium, which were carved with silly faces. There was a blend of skillfully carved pumpkins, and those that appeared like they were gnawed by a dog.
Joy’s claws were sharp enough to pierce steel. But her ability to manipulate them finely was unfortunately lacking. This could be attributed to her using a claw rather than a knife, meaning she was using one muscle whereas Frost was able to skillfully use her entire hand.
Frost snacked on the pumpkin innards as they prepared the atrium for the Halloween gathering. They didn’t have much planned aside from eating their spoils from trick or treating, as well as telling horror stories.
In one corner of the room was a cauldron brimming with a bubbling liquid. Beside it was a basket of yellow apples, which would be dipped into the cauldron to make fast-setting candied apples.
They were for the Healers should they visit. On the porch was another setup for Healers who were too shy to knock on her door or simply did not want to bother her. Frost was always welcoming of the Healers. They were, in essence, her children.
However, a small headache formed as she thought about having several hundred Healers asking for a hug. She wouldn’t have any time for her immediate friends and family. Besides, tonight was a special occasion, and the Healers knew how to read between the lines.
That said, a flurry of knocks rattled the door. Their first guest was none other than Ignis who had finished up in the Emergency Room. At least it appeared that way. She was dressed in a doctor’s outfit, with fake blood staining her apparel.
“Ignis! You didn’t have to come through front door. Isn’t your room just down the hall?” Frost patted her head, before pulling her into a welcoming hug.
“Mn. This way is faster.”
“Ignis~ Come in, come in!” Jury harped from deep within the atrium, her tail playfully slapping a leather couch.
Ignis reached into her [Dimensional Storage] and retrieved a bucket of crimson popcorn.
“I thought about engineering molars into candy. But they were too savory. Mn. Sweets are better. Strawberry-coated popcorn. No biological matter.” She lowered her head lightly, as if to say: “Praise me.”
Frost pat her head again.
“So smart~ That’s our Ignis.” She then noticed several more figures appearing from the pathway. “Just in time. Who else is coming?”
Nav was the first to appear into the warm light that the carved pumpkins emitted along the porch. She brought a tray of cups, which were stacked like a pyramid. Inside each cup was a perfect blend of coffee and tea; a truly horrific combination for a certain Beholder.
“Look Frost. My motor skills allow me to hold exactly seventy-two cups of cofftea. Not a single droplet has spilled.” She said with a blank expression and with sealed eyes.
Yet, Frost could not help but sense an air of superiority coming from her.
Following Nav was Anna, who carried a large teapot with the same liquid.
“So why did Anna bring more if you have enough for us?”
The person who asked was Cer. Frost didn’t want to ask this, since she already knew the answer, and wanted Nav to have this small victory. However, Nav’s body froze, and she let out a scornful exhale.
“Tch. I may have encountered an unprecedented, sudden elevation along the way. This caused an unexpected pivoting of my body, which altered my center mass until…”
“You fell.” Cer snickered. “Again. Heh.”
“… This body still has much work to be done.” Nav sighed before her eyes suddenly narrowed dangerously thin. “My calculations were off. Pray that they do not continue the next time you find yourself in a life-or-death situation, Cer.”
“Hey… I was kidding. Banter, you know?”
“Mh. So was I.” Nav gave her a deadpan look. It was impossible to sense her sincerity. Demi-Humans like Cer were experts at reading emotions due to their half-animal biology. However, Nav was a machine sewn in human skin. Not even Frost could tell what Nav was thinking.
“… Frost, I can’t tell if she’s kidding or not.” Cer cupped her mouth next to Frost’s ear.
“You’ll find out later when you’re back on the field.” Frost dismissed her, much to Cer’s dismay.
Soon, Ber and Res arrived. Held in their hands was a platter of utensils and fresh fruit that had been plucked from the fields. However, the scent they gave off was nothing like fruit. They were the hyper realistic cakes that Cer had mentioned.
“Hey all~!” Ber greeted the group sassily and then bumped her hip against Nav’s. “We brought the cakes!”
“The bakery, more like. Guess who stayed in a 10x RT Isolation Sphere designing realistic cake?” Res sighed, but she wore smile that said she enjoyed every moment of it. “Wish I had time to help decorate the atrium.”
“It’s already a masterpiece.” Cer wagged her tail. “Get in. Who are we still waiting on?”
“Brrrr! (I’m here!)”
Everyone’s favorite fluffy spider emerged from a conspicuous pile of pillows in the corner of the atrium. It scuttled cutely towards the group, raising two of its forward legs in the air before wiggling left and right. It was the same dance jumping spiders used to court potential mates, though since Snap did not – as far as Frost knew – have any reproductive organs, it was simply Snap’s silly way of greeting them.
“Ilya’s not coming?” Frost asked Nav.
She shook her head as the others walked in.
“Ilya’s out with Aster and Stella. Children ought to stay together. Which is why the Star Child and the Little Frost will be accompanying them.”
“Makes sense. Hm. What about the other Archetypes?”
“Michaela does not concern herself with a holiday that celebrates Qliphothic forces. Her words. Lailah sees no merit in it. They are utilitarian, aren’t they? Nav does not compute. I want to experience as much as I can.”
“What about Magus?”
“Magus jumps at the sight of his own shadow. The stories we’ll share will break him.” Nav said matter of factly. “And before you ask, the Hired Arm and the Taleor are discretely escorting the children. They will be visiting the Residential Floors. As will the Healers.”
Indeed. The occasion was being celebrated across the Nexus. Christmas was another celebration that Frost had introduced from Earth.
While the residents of the Residential Floors could not visit the Floor of Amalgamation, the inverse was true. This meant that Healers and Moons were due to walk amongst the Blessed as if they were regular people.
Of course, the identity of the Moons was kept a secret outside of a select few, such as the Three Heads of Security, or the Moons who led each of Time Reverberation’s major Branches. Moons rarely interacted with the Blessed, much less common folk outside of special circumstances, such as when the Nexus Receptionists were understaffed and required Moons to fill their places.
The group entered and set their snacks onto a gargantuan round table. It was made from a single slab of black marble, and it held white spots that were embedded deep beneath its glossy surface, giving it the illusion that stars were trapped inside.
Fifteen seats were arranged around the round table, and they took their spots. Jury, of course, claimed one of the free seats beside Frost. As for who was allowed to sit next to Frost…
Several hands clasped the spine of the chair.
“Huh? Didn’t you get the memo? Golden hair and fur means that I get the privilege to sit right here.” Cer glared at the others and bared her fangs.
“Oh, surely you’ve all mistaken my seat for your own?” Ber’s face darkened as she maintained a poisonous smile. “C’mon.” She rattled the chair. “Off~”
“Knowing you two, aren’t I the best choice here?” Res raised a brow. “Think about for a second.”
“Mn. Annoying.” Ignis was the smartest person in the room.
Since they were fighting over that one chair, she was able to freely claim the one directly across from Frost. Joy hopped into Jury’s lap and peered up at her mother as she wondered why they couldn’t just sit on each other’s lap as well.
“Aaaaah! Please don’t fight! It’s just a chair.” Anna tried to defuse the situation, only to receive murderous intent from the trio. “E-eeek. U-Um…”
“Didn’t you hear me? Awaken first. Heh. If you can.”
“How about you go f–… hmmm… You’re quite lucky Joy’s here~”
“Tch. Look at us, fighting over a chair. We’re better than that. Better than this.” Res tried the diplomatic approach, yet her hand didn’t move from the chair. “So why not give it to me? I don’t want it anyway. But, if it’s to stop you two from fighting then I’ll be the bigger wolf… What?”
“… Res, you’re not fooling anyone.” Cer said in a deadpan tone, while Ber placed a finger over her mouth to stifle a mocking laugh.
“How old are you again, sis?”
A vein popped on Res’ forehead. Her eyes glowed with a dangerous blue hue. But the moment she opened her mouth to retort, a figure suddenly fell into the seat.
“You three didn’t have to pull it for me.”
Nav claimed her rightful place beside Frost. She had thought it was an invitation and didn’t recognize that the three were fighting over it. She tilted her head back and gave them an earnest smile, her eyes seemingly saying: “Thank you.”
The triplets were blinded by that pureness, as if they were flashed by a ray of sunlight. They had no choice but to surrender the seat to Nav. A thought came to Cer’s mind as she took another seat. She’d have no problems taking the seat if Joy had tried to claim it.
But Nav? It was worse than taking a seat from a baby.
Somehow, Frost sensed this and shot her a glare from across the table.
“Kinda chilly all of a sudden, huh?” Cer said, oblivious to the fact.
Now that they were all seated, Frost reminded them why they were gathered here in the first place.
* * *
“On the 31st day of the 10th month, my world had a celebration called Halloween. At 3:00 AM we have a period of time called the Witching Hour. Converted to here to Elysian Time, that’s 03:00, till 04:00.”
Frost snapped her fingers, and the lights were snuffed out. An impenetrable darkness surrounded them. Not even Frost’s eyes could cut through the darkness. A groan came from one of the couches, causing few to look at each other for comfort.
Their sole source of light came from a single candle that sat in the center of the table. Frost reached out to munch on one of the hyper realistic cakes before she could continue. There was a metallic taste to it, and it had a satisfying crunch.
Ber’s eyes went wide, and she reached across the table before retracting her hand, since Frost was about to speak again. She didn’t tell Frost that she had just eaten the fork that was supposed to be used to serve the cake.
“Fortunately, the horror stories part wasn’t my idea, but I thought it would be fun.”
Jury then waved, letting them know she was the mastermind behind this gathering.
“We’ll go clockwise. Starting with…”
Frost wanted to go last, so she was about to pick Jury. But the weight of everyone’s eyes, which landed on her, caused her to cave in and sigh.
“Me. Once upon a time–”
“No way Frost. Cut that shit out. Horror stories don’t start like fairytales.” Cer blurted out.
“Well, where do you think fairytales come from?” Frost retorted.
“Frost is right. Half of the fairytales we know about are actually horror stories.”
“Sis has a point.” Ber nodded, and even Nav seemed to agree.
Frost rested her head on a fist and sighed for the nth time.
“Can I speak?”
“No one’s stopping you.” Cer shrugged.
If this had not been a casual gathering, then Cer would have found herself tied up to a block of concrete and thrown into the ocean. Even Frost was not immune to her uncanny ability to get under people’s skin.
“From the start. There’s this urban legend we have on Earth, but I’ve personally seen it here. There’s a playground in H4 near one of the schools, close to the shopping district. It’s in one of the less populated areas. It’s far enough away that you can’t really tell that it’s in the Nex Megalopolis.”
Frost began, capturing their attention.
“There are two swings in that playground. One of them doesn’t move when the wind blows. You ever seen that? I’ve been noticing it around the Nex Megalopolis lately. Aren’t ghosts supposed to be made up?”
“… Not exactly.” Anna answered. “Ghosts are Nex remnants, but I think they can take an ethereal form. The closest comparison we have are the Fractured Nilhim.”
“Frost. Is that it? Your horror story basically amounts to: ‘I witnessed an anomaly.’”
Nav wasn’t impressed by this, neither were the others, aside from Joy who was genuinely unnerved. Ignis was also eerily still, like she was judging Frost.
Indeed. Such tales hardly qualified as horror. They only worked on Earth because these tapped into human imagination and terrors. However, everyone sitting around this table had witnessed worse things than a ghost. For instance, the Heart of Ours, or having their own parent Corrupting.