1170. Cherished By A Flame
Frost brought her hands to cup Snap’s head before moving to her knees.
Then, she placed her forehead against theirs.
“Thank you for your hard work, Snap. I still remember when you were small enough to fit in the palm of my hand. How much you’ve grown.”
She nuzzled affectionately against Snap. A pair of bunny ears appeared on Frost’s head, as well as a long, fluffy tail which coiled around Snap’s body. Various gasps of awe came from the crowd. This was the first time they had witnessed Frost’s [Zodiac Sign] Ability.
Snap purred as its sole eye seemed to spiral by the sudden affection it was receiving. Frost then raised a hand, quelling the voices from the crowd as well as silencing Snap’s scattered thoughts.
“Many of you may not know this, but Snap has been part of my journey since my first skirmish with Scarlet Logic. They were a curious creature who I thought had ulterior motives.”
Frost didn’t go into detail about why she believed this. Jury and one of the Moons – Rudy – the cat-eared Girl who was rescued by Frost long ago, giggled to herself.
Jury wore a faint smile. Snap had been hiding in the corner of the women’s bathroom when they first crossed paths. It had caused quite the commotion, but curiously, it had left Rudy a precious polaroid that likely had saved her when she received a dose of Serum S.
Furthermore…
“Mn…” Ignis suppressed her voice. She desperately wanted to add to what was already said about Snap.
After all, Snap was one of the reasons why Ignis was able to achieve Realization… as well as get her father to remember her in his final moments, thanks to the polaroids.
“But Snap was anything but a schemer. They became a companion. A friend, and now, an inseparable part of our lives. I’m sure there is not one person in the Nexus who can imagine a Floor of Amalgamation without Snap. Let us celebrate our golden friend and give them a memory to commemorate as one of their happiest moments.”
“Brrrrr…”
“For Snap!” Cer applauded, inciting the crowd to do the same.
“Snap!”
“Yeah! Fluffy Snap!”
“Snappy!”
“Always helping me bring my flowers! Now we gotta give you your flowers!”
Healers cheered for their fuzzy friend. The White Doves raised their hands and threw flower wreaths onto the stage. For a moment, it was as if people had forgotten that Ignis was supposed to be the guest of honor.
But Ignis was fine with this. She silently clapped for Snap with her head raised high. After all, who could hate Snap? They were universally loved by the Healers. Even the Moons adored Snap.
Black Wings remained stoic, but few – such as the Ravens – took a swig of silver canisters containing liquor. Since Healers could not get drunk, this liquor was pure acid to replicate the burning effect of high-purity brews.
The Blood Angels were indifferent to Snap. They had not been around to fathom Snap’s contributions. Still, they applauded out of consideration. As for the Sanguine Doves, few bit their lips as they stifled a pained sound. Snap was one of contributors to ending the War in Grandis. Had Snap failed to deliver the Piece of Paradise to the Arbiter, then it was possible that the war would have ended in more Moon casualties.
Indeed, Frost still would have either died or been locked in months-long combat with Iscario. The Arbiter would have died, and Ilya would have remained dead with her soul trapped in Guf.
However, the same could be said about Frost, Cer, Jury… Even Demian and his crew played a pivotal role in winning the war.
“We cherish you more than you can imagine, Snap. I hope this coat can keep you safe.”
“Bzzzzt~!”
Snap dismissed itself to the audience seats after enveloping Frost with four of its eight arms. The golden coat was indistinguishable from its natural fur. Tiny hands searched through Snap’s fur, wondering where the coat had disappeared to. Suddenly, the one dozen Healers that claimed Snap’s back were swallowed whole into the fur, as though an invisible trap door had opened beneath them.
Now, one would expect someone who witnessed this to become immediately cautious. However, as soon as those Healers disappeared, another dozen rushed to claim Snap’s back. And then another…
Before long, fifty-seven Healers had disappeared into Snap’s pocket dimension.
“Anna.”
“Me? Ah! Yes!”
Anna’s role was to scribe every spoken word down into a book on special occasions. Nav tilted her head in a way that said: “I’ll keep track of what’s said.” While she couldn’t write in the book with Anna’s quill, Nav had near perfect memory as a living machine.
Anna mustered the courage to climb the staircase. And there, she was presented with a beautiful revolver.
“Gentle Ire. It will help you defend the Eternal Library.”
“I… I’ve never used a um – I’ll take it!”
“It’s fine. This gun never misses. Every eight bullet will release a heatwave that’ll only hurt those who you deem enemies.”
Hearing this, Anna’s eyes softened as she cautiously reached for the gun.
“… Like your flames.”
“It’s from the Crowned. Not… exactly, though. The Crowned only lets you inflict [Cinder Stacks]. But, while it’s based on your blueprint, I was told that there was an interference.”
“Interference?”
“Rarely will a blueprint contain two different hearts for one reason or another. Yours had a veil. Enoch said that their desire was strong enough to act as a shield.”
Anna’s eyes wavered before she recomposed herself. Her posture straightened, and her eyes focused on something deeper within the revolver. A faint, mellow voice left her lips as she cupped it like it would break if she gripped it too hard.
“In the heart of the heat that tore my world apart was the desire to protect… I never believed Sinder wanted to hurt anyone. We all have our circumstances. Life… is so… unfair like that.”
Just when it seemed like Anna would cry, she shook her head and cradled the revolver against her chest.
“You know what Sinder would say if he saw me with a gun? He did everything he could to keep my hands clean. It took his death to realize that he probably didn’t want me to end up like him.”
“That’s why you have us to do the dirty work.”
“… It would be nice, wouldn’t it? To not have to anymore?”
“The goal is to create a world where the people who come after us will not have to bear our burden.”
Frost could not outright say she wanted to take a step back. At least not yet, and certainly not in front of people who believed in her cause. She could only dress her words rather than express how she felt.
There had been moments where Frost wished she could live a normal life as a human. But so long as the Impuritas existed, and until every Floor of the Nexus Awakened – she could not rest.
It was also to facilitate a world where she could comfortably conceive of a child.
“We have a long road ahead of us, don’t we? That is why we are here to celebrate the coronation of the newest Beholder of the Nexus.”
Anna dashed back to her place as soon as Frost began to announce this. The segmented platforms that made up the staircase flattened until the soles of Frost’s boots kissed the stage.
She raised a hand into the air and drew a circle. A golden trail followed her hand until it became a static ring. She drew a column of them until there were exactly eleven rings of light.
Each ring represented the Floors of the Nexus, the Affinities, the Ateliers, and the Archetypes.