584. The Seed of Potential

584. The Seed of Potential

Deiman had never seen anyone like her before.

Not to mention the fact that a human of all people was helping them. He didn’t know what to think of it and simply stared at her with a mute expression.

“Why are you trying to do something useless?” He asked unexpectedly.

“Like I said – I just want to.” Frost said, moving towards a small, empty clearing in the manor that once used to be a banquette hall.

“I don’t get it.” He followed her.

“You don’t have to. It’s something I want to do... no, something I have to do. You have instincts, yeah? What I’m feeling right now is something close to that.”

“... an instinct to help?”

“Yep.” Frost nodded cheerily, only further confusing him.

“That doesn’t make sense. What do you get in return?”

“Haaaah. That’s what I hate about this world.” Frost stopped to turn and face him with a hand scrubbing the back of her head.

“Pardon...?”

“Holding expectations for one’s action. When you help someone, you should never expect something in return. It’s one of the things that you do because it’s normal. But why is it that helping someone here is a gateway to gain favor? Frankly, that kind of thing pisses me off.”

The smile she wore turned into a frown. It was hypocritical of her to say this because earlier she used it as a way to get Autumn’s favor. However, it didn’t change that what she asked was small compared to what else she could have gained.

“I see...”

Frost then elaborated further in a long ramble that was more directed to herself.

“Doing that helps me stay true to myself. You saw how I was. Who I can be if left unchecked. I’m not a good person. To you I am, but to a lot of people I’m a walking nightmare. Is it because I want to atone? Do I need to repent? Am I accumulating good deeds because I’ll be judged one day?”

She deeply sighed and folded her arms.

“Deiman. Can I have a look at your memories?” Frost asked, and the young man complied, allowing her to place Die Agnosis against his bare chest, as well as the Traumatic Clock.

However, no matter how many how many branches appeared or how deeply she tried to look, she could see nothing at all. It was as if his memories had been devoured by something.

All semblance of self was gone, and there was nothing Frost could do to reach out towards it. The spacious void was begging to be filled, and she wondered if there could ever be a chance for his ego – his sense of self – to ever return.

It pained her that even she was powerless to treat them. She had the power to Corrupted and bring people out of their darkest moments. But Shells were different. The darkness was all they knew.

And just when Frost was about to leave his State of Mind...

... she saw something.

It was a small, golden tear drop.

That thing that radiated brightly in the center of his void was a golden droplet of light.

Is it waiting for something?

Frost had seen that thing too. When she spoke to the Vermillion Moons in their prison cell, she found a golden light inside of them. It was not there before but only appeared after she had spoken to them.

Was it something that she caused?

It must be. But what it entailed was not something she or anyone knew.

But she felt like it wasn’t a bad thing.

Otherwise –

“Deiman. I hope you can look fondly towards your future.”

– Such a light wouldn’t be so warm.