144. What is a Star to a Beholder?

144. What is a Star to a Beholder?

“Y-You’ve realized it now! Smile while you can, Amalgam! Have you broken down after realizing that it’s over –!?” The Bloody Herring was then suddenly silenced by a gentlemanly voice.

“Oh~! The Director was a few seconds off with the prediction. I suppose adlibbing the script should be fine.” The spoken voice undoubtably belonged to Magus.

Slits along her cocoon opened, revealing the golden-suited magician who stood there with his diamond cane in hand. Beside him was her precious companion, Snap and the Little Frost who sat atop its head with a brimming smile.

They had somehow found themselves within a treasury of some kind. The cylindrical room housed countless stacks of coins that acted as pillars to support the grand, dome-like ceiling. It was a world of endless riches and gold.

Her Corrupted Zone had also carried over to what she assumed was the Golden Index. The ceiling was quickly covered by various stars and a night sky that awed Magus, Snap, and the Little Frost.

The Bloody Herring was left confused. Who were these people? Or better yet, where exactly were they? Frost read him like an open book as Magus then added:

“Ahem! A fish will arrive at the end of a stream, he said. Such nonsensical directions! My Amalgam friend!” Magus bowed, paying his deepest respect to a familiar face. “It sounds like you’re having the time of your life in there! Lots of hope shared with your company, there, I presume!?”

Frost didn’t know how to respond. She only dragged the body of the Bloody Herring into view as the sound of knuckles meeting flesh played once again.

“Right!? T-That’s not the sound of you punching someone, is it!?” Magus exclaimed in shock.

“Brrr. Brrrrr. Brrrrrr. Bzzzzt!” Snap waved its hand left and right, somehow managing to get its message across to Magus.

“Ah...! Well, my condolences fish-man!” Magus tipped his top hat and promptly departed. “Hope itself will be taking its leave now! Have at it my friend! I shall pretend I saw nothing!”

“Hope...?” The Bloody Herring managed to utter. He was about to laugh, but in the absence of Magus arrived a certain figure that instantly caused his complexion to go completely pale.

“Hehe... Oh... It’s occupied. I’d hate to prematurely hatch this egg.”

Carpalis visage entered their vision as the Touch of Golds slowly peeled away, allowing them to now rest on the red carpets of this esteemed treasury. Her presence introduced an overwhelming pressure that caused Frost to lock up in place, like she was now within the maw of an even greater monster than herself.

“Ahahaha... hah... Don’t mind me. Keep talking. Imagine I’m not here. I’m used to it. Hehe. You should know already, right Mr. Fisher? You look like you need a hand~”

“... What’s the matter? You’re so pale? What happened to your talk about killing Carpalis?” Frost growled, hoisting him up high as Carpalis giggled, as if flattered. “You spoke so fucking mighty in front of me, but why can’t you do the same in front of Carpalis? Betraying her wasn’t enough for you. So you betrayed Leitmotif hoping to kill me. Then what?”

The Herring trembled uncontrollably; his attention focused entirely on Carpalis. None of Frost’s words reached him.

“I guarantee that a coward like you wouldn’t have followed through with whatever plan you had. Look at you tremble. You said that hope can only exist in the presence of another’s despair?” Frost tormented him, drawing her mouth close enough to snap a piece of its neck clean off. “I think I understand that now.”

“... Oww...” Carpalis tilted her head. “He’s a pain in the neck. Hehe, get it? Sorry. Frost. You certainly don’t know how to pull back your punches. I’ve been treated as plenty of things in my life.... A punching bag makes the majority of it. Heh.”

Frost, realizing that she had also been hurting Carpalis this entire time, instantly healed the Bloody Herring. But she never allowed him to leave her grasp. No matter how many times he attacked with [Beaten Desires] or [Aspirating Aspirations] he was already marked for death.

“Remorseful Amalgam~ Have you come to release your catch back into my sea? Hehe... I can see it in your eyes. Mr. Fisher must have been a slippery catch.” Carpalis outwardly took it all so casually.

If Frost was in her shoes and was pitted before a betrayer, then she would have destroyed them where they stood. It became impossible to tell just what ran through Carpalis’ mind.

But there was certainly an air of impending death surrounding her.CHeCk for new stories on no/v/el/bin(.)c0m

“T-This seed... Leitmotif’s seed... The seed he took from that Star... It-It should make me strong enough... A true aspiring star like myself t-to...” The Bloody Herring clutched at his chest, gaining some form of strength to gaze back into Carpalis’ pitch-black eyes.

He nearly frothed at the mouth, as if consumed by them.

“Liars speak in the same tongue. An Aspiring Star? To take down a Beholder? Hehehe... Oh Mr. Fisher. You would think that a liar would be able to tell other liars apart.” Carpalis did not belittle him.

Rather, she pitied him. Her tone was motherly, almost forgiving.

Then, Carpalis extended a hand to the Bloody Herring.

“You wish to become a star. Beautiful, are they not?” She uttered, never looking up to see the stars. “But an aspiring star will always keep looking up. You wish to take on a Beholder? Hehe. Good choice. I am the weakest. I wonder who set you up to kill me with that Big Red Heart of yours~”

Suddenly, the surroundings began to shift as Carpalis’ body instantly slid away as if the world around them was stretching in every conceivable direction.

“Fear not Frost~ I am aware of the blessing... or could it be a curse? I wonder. Hehe... That immortality I place upon them because I keep a fragment of their soul has been very... very painful for me.”

Suddenly, one of the golden fingers that were wrapped tightly around her waist pried open with a deafening, metallic screech.

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

< Your Corrupted Zone has been overruled >

|| The Dealer of Hands ||

The stars disappeared. They were swallowed by a great nothing as Carpalis’ figure slowly began to grow in this ever-expanding world.

Frost instinctively gulped.

Nav... I think I now know another reason why the Beholders are forbidden from interacting with the world.

“I have arrived at the same conclusion. Carpalis possesses a zone of influence similar to the Corrupted Zone. But it is not a Corrupted Zone per say.”

Still... It was enough to cancel out my own. Just... Just how powerful are the Beholders?

“Jury will one day reach this level of proficiency. Let’s not forget that the Arbiter is even stronger.”

Man... This world keeps on getting crazier. Shit... How – How big is she going to get!?

“Stars, Mr. Fisher... Are above Moons. Do you think you are above a Moon?” Carpalis genuinely asked as another finger pried itself away.

Each finger was easily the size of a building, and Carpalis had already amassed a size that rivalled the largest mountains known on Earth. The fever dream struck Frost with total awe as the woman pried another finger from her waist.

Her innards rumbled beneath her stomach. They squirmed like worms as blood pooled into her spotless dress from unseen wounds. Her crushed waist expanded like an inflating balloon and returned to normal.

Good... Haah. That’s a relief.

Multiple trains of thought still ran wildly in her mind as she tried to find the strength to stand, but the fuzziness of Snap and the warmth of Carpalis made her want to sleep right then and there. Of course, she possessed the will to resist such temptations and eventually stood on both feet.

“... Is it ok if I open a Spatial Distortion here? A lot of people... are going to be coming through. Er... Carpalis –”

“Another Archetype has mentioned that would be a possibility...” She glanced over at Magus who nodded back. “So we’ve made facilities available to receive them immediately. Hehe... never underestimate hope... and my love for a growing family.”

Frost couldn’t find enough words to thank her. Carpalis was willing to house every single displaced person from the Derma Layer. Her kindness was something else, and she could no longer see this Beholder as anything other than a friend now.

If the Impuritas hated her, then that was all the more reason to trust her.

“Hey... I’m sorry.” Frost ended up uttering out of habit.

“You can be very cute, I’ve found... Amalgam. Hmm. Does your chest feel heavy? Your shoulders are stiff. Stand straight for me... ahaha... Hm?” Carpalis neatly wiped Frost’s face for her and tamed the protruding cowlicks.

Then, she placed a hand onto Frost’s head.

“In times like this... When I was once in your place... no three? Five? Twenty? How many times has it been...? Haha... But do you know what I wish someone said to me every time I reached the end of a grueling journey?” Carpalis suddenly treated her like a child. Frost was certainly one given the disparity between their ages.

She had to wonder just what Carpalis was going to say. The silence was oddly comforting, as was her hand. Somehow, the weakness in her body numbed as she patiently waited for her to speak.

Carpalis gently patted her head and uttered:

“Good job... You made it. You did your best.”

Her words were simple.

So simple that anyone could have said to her.

But Frost found herself slumping forward again. The burden in her chest suddenly disappeared as her shoulders drooped. Her eyes swelled as her throat suddenly clogged up. Why did being praised... make her feel so happy?

Was it the acknowledgement? The sincerity? Or maybe she was just happy that someone understood that despite how she looked, she was also deeply burdned by everything that had happened.

Frost had only been in this world for so long. Despite everything she’s been through; getting used to it all was a tall order. The tears tumbled down her cheeks uncontrollably as she tried to avert her gaze, searching for somewhere to look at as Snap instantly wrapped itself around her.

The Little Frost clutched onto her waist and bawled her eyes out.

She was happy that she could finally cry.

“... A... Ahh.... Ahhh... H...haa... Agh... *Sniff*... A-ah...” Her voice was muffled by Snap’s fuzz. The last time she had to let it all out was all the way back in the Black Forest. She promised herself that she wouldn’t break down again, but Frost, in the end, was still... mostly human.

“Happiness and hope come in many forms. Despair can come from a buildup of bottled emotions. They must be periodically relinquished. That’s what makes us very alive. I learned that the hard way both personally, and from a close friend of mine. Frost. Someone’s heaven must never be the source of another’s torment. They are my words to live by, and another Beholder’s up there.” Carpalis didn’t speak in her usual creepy, drawn-out voice.

It was normal. Motherly. Gentle and beautiful.

Frost didn’t know how long she cried for, or how long she stayed there cuddled with Snap and the Little Frost. As soon as her composure returned, she mustered enough strength to create the Spatial Distortion.

Everything was finally arriving at a closure.

* * *

< Stats from the Bloody Herring gained >

< No abilities unfortunately. But you gained an abnormal number of stats. Could it have been caused by the seed? >

< But there is more >

< Heart of Ours Has Been Subjugated >

< Heart of Ours has been added to your collection >

< You may manifest the Active and Passive Skills of the Heart of Ours when the Will of the Amalgam allows >

< Stats from the Heart of Ours gained >

< Unique Ability Gained >

< All Unique Abilities of the Heart of Ours Have Been Condensed >

< ABILITY: Leader of Hearts >

< EFFECT: Know what strings to tug in their hearts. Whether for good or bad, right or wrong, or for one united drive ultimately depends on you >

< Our desires were spoken through hearts unbelonging to us >

< Also, please do check back with Snap. It has found two distinct Corrupted Items for you to collect >