747. At Another Front

747. At Another Front

Meanwhile, as Frost pushed onwards to the northern front –

“Light? You mean the spark we can create? It’s easy! So easy! But um... how do I explain it to someone who doesn’t feel like they can understand it?”

– Jury and Galia were in the middle of trying to decipher how the Black Moons could use Light. This was during their last stages of preparation. Frost would be ready in the coming hours. She was already clashing with the Memento Mori Heart of the City according to a recent broadcast just 30 minutes ago.

The youthful Black Moon tapped her shoulder with an oversized nail, tipping her head left and right as she wondered how to explain her powers to them.

“A little bit of chaos and control is how I see it.” The Black Moon continued, but paused abruptly as she stared up at the two Beholders.

“Intriguing. Chaos and control. That hardly makes empirical sense as there is no way to test this, neither is there an appropriate theory behind the power of Light.” Galia fell into deep thought as she stuck out a hand, offering what one would assume to be a sacred item to the Black Moon.

However, the item in her palm was too small to be a weapon, and too colorful to be taken seriously. What she offered to the girl, whose eyes sparkled like a child’s, was a piece of chewy candy.

“Now you’re speaking our language!” The Black Moon hummed delightfully, gulping the candy like how a doe would feed from one’s hand. “Mmmm! Sweets! Tasty sweets!”

“Black Moons enjoy sweets as much as the Iron Stars do. I presume it comes from their lack of access to standard food. Beholder Jury.”

“Mhmph?” Jury muffledly spoke. Her mouth was stuffed with plain baguette, and she licked her fingers as crumbs ran down her hands. “I’m here.”

“Finish that unseasoned baguette and pay attention.”

All three of them were currently overseeing the burials of various Isolation Spheres and the Infusion Capsules. Each were separated about a kilometer apart, covering vast spaces of land that were guarded by black-coat Peace Flocks and the infamous, grey-cloaked war mongers of the 2nd Branch.

“The Head hasn’t taught you about the Light yet, has she?” Galia questioned. It was the nth time she had asked this over the course of their stay, and she did so whenever she witnessed the Black Moons conjuring that light at the tip of their fingers. “It looks like a broken halo. One fifth of it.”

“No clue at all.” Jury said. “The Black Moons don’t know much about it too, other than that they can use it. Maybe it’s like an ingrained thing that they don’t understand. Like how an animal breathes but can’t explain the process.” She suggested, causing the tiny Black Moon to happily nod.

“We don’t get it. We just know how to use it.” She giggled before pointing at Galia.

Galia was supposed to be overseeing the work done by her personnel, but she was far more intrigued by the light the Moon was able to produce. The same power that allowed them to form a piece of a halo above their heads or their fingertips could also be used by the Iron Stars.

But there was no explanation. The phenomenon allowed them to augment their powers, making them capable of dealing more damage than typical Moons.

“It’s futile asking us, Beholder Galia.” The Black Moon stood on her toes, staring deeply into Galia’s eyes with deep, dark orbs that held not even the faintest hint of light.

They were like cutouts in reality – a dark swirl of nothingness.

“We only know because we do. It’s something we can feel because of the nothingness we were imprisoned in. But we’re not the only ones who can do this. You’re the Colorless Incandescent. Wasn’t the Blue Dahlia able to do something similar? Isn’t that why she was so strong?”

“Will it be served hot today? The beans are freshly grounded by yours truly.” Simonia, the First Apostle of Galia, asked. Her eyes were as bleak as the Black Moon’s, but they held just a tiny ounce of light if one searched hard enough.

Her voice was baritone, and like Galia, she spoke archaically.

“Today is much too warm for something hot. A cold brew can help ease your mind before we head into war. A warm beverage contrasts their cold blood far too much. Take this instead, O’ Galia. It will soothe your soul well.”

Another woman appeared and held an identical item. Steam did not emanate from the top of the object unlike the other one, and the woman in question wore the same coat as Simonia, except that it was grey.

Her grey, long, shaggy hair was like the fur of a beast. Despite it looking so unkempt, it was smooth to the touch, but it did not bounce freely like normal hair. She was tall, and staring from those silver strands were crimson eyes. Her brown skin seemed to enhance the light of her eyes as she scathingly stared at the 1st Apostle.

Instead of a plethora of ear piercings, she wore many rings on both hands. They were not decorated with jewels, but were instead enhanced by Demonic, Elven, Human, Dwarven and Dragonian glyphs – all separated on each carpal.

Despite appearing human, her hair made it seem like she had horns, giving her the immediate impression of a Demon.

The one sole earring she did wear, however, was in the shape of an ‘X’.

This was the Second Apostle of Galia, Andra, and she was a blood-related sister of the 1st Apostle.

Galia smiled at them both and spoke:

“Pour both. I’ll enjoy both brews to pass the time. How are the arrangements?”

“The mountain path is unoccupied. One third of the 1st Branch is prepared to descend as needed. The other two thirds consist of my Justicers and our Peace Flocks. We’ll be assaulting through the western entry and on the shores.” The 1st Apostle answered, detailing her numbers which were only a thousand strong.

“We’re embarking on a similar path, but we intend to push and assist the Moons in any way we can. The Hyperlink is connected to the Nexus and the 6th Branch. Reinforcements will be able to stream in without issue. The 6th Branch and the Nexus is prepared to receive the injured as they arrive.”

The 2nd Apostle grinned at Jury. It was the first time they had met, but the Apostle looked at her like they had seen each other before.

“Hora Therapeutics will be ready to treat the injured.” Jury confirmed. The Hyperlink Crystal was stationed far behind the front lines and was sealed in a heavily constructed pyramid. “Hundreds of Healers will gain a lot of experience this way too.”

The pyramid was made from the same dark grey, slate-like materials used to create the walls that contained the Corrupted in the Sites, which meant that they could easily prevent up to Monsoon Corrupted from damaging them.

“Many levels can be gained this way. I’m considering sending my platoon to their deaths.” The 2nd Apostle said, laughing immediately afterwards. “Don’t take me so seriously. The only ones that’ll be dying are our enemies. A pure, blanket of grey, followed by droplets of red. So beautiful.”

She pointed at her eyes and smiled again at Jury.

“Have we met before?” Jury wondered why she was so interested in her. It was not just her, but the 1st Apostle was also oddly infatuated with her.