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1086. A Black Bird's Reunion
🕑 Added 2025-10-10 10:48:16 +0000 UTCThe floating landmass split into two halves.
The half they were on started to tilt to the side, sending chunks of rock rolling down into the sea. They were so far up that it was impossible to witness the surface of the sea break. It simply vanished, swallowed by the sea.
Frost used [Shortform Warp] with Jury still cradled in her arms. They reached the top of the sliding half and leaped to the other side. Cracks formed beneath her feet, and she came to realize that they were breaking no matter where she went.
[Thermal Propagation], and any Skills that increased her mobility were useless. Her [Starlight Barrier] on the other hand gave her the ability to hop in place by repeatedly activating and deactivating the barrier. Barriers had a tendency to break when either too much weight was applied, or when it was used as a platform.
The reason behind this was ill understood, but a way to circumvent it was to do exactly what Frost did. That way they only had to worry about falling debris.
“The rocks are making a high-pitched sound as they pass. They’re made from silk, huh. Must be carrying a resonance. Like a vibration.” Frost noticed.
Jury could not help but wince.
“So loud…” Her ears folded tightly against her head.
“Is it? Lemme try to make a blood-crystalized earmuff for you… Huh? It’s messing with my blood manipulation. I can’t get it to crystalize properly.”
Blood was thicker than air, meaning it was a better medium for transmitting sound waves.
As a result, any blood she tried to manipulate was left to the whims of the vibrations in the air. She held her hand out and attempted to create a crystal earmuff, only for the blood to constantly tremble.
What formed was a crown of thorns, and it quickly returned to blood due to its instability.
On the bright side, she became aware of a weakness of her Progenitor Arts. It could be interrupted in its liquid form. She made a mental note to invest in a vacuum shell in case her enemies utilized vibrations in the future.
The Director
< You may be wondering why I find it important >
The second half of the landmass followed the first, plunging into the sea in slow motion. It vanished, leaving not even seafoam behind. Nothing but air surrounded them now, and the contraption of gears above disappeared into the azure light. They were left in the presence of distant stars and that same light.
Looking at it closely, she could faintly make out two points of light. She blinked and the clouds began to part, revealing the light in all their glory.
They orbited each other like a binary star as a beautiful cosmic trail followed, creating a spectacular cross in the shape of an X. Her mind failed to comprehend the scale. She could not tell if it was enormous because it was much closer than she thought or was larger than her mind was willing to accept.
The trails were strings, and they flowed into the world like blank music sheets.
Star Sigil
< The Faint Star of the ??? ??? ??? >
< EFFECT: A domain belonging to the ??? ??? ??? and partially the Director. The Star Sigil serves as the core of one’s Zone of Arbitration. Direct Commandments made by the ??? ??? ??? can be granted to its Actors. May extend its Strings to create Actors >
“The last time we saw a Star Sigil was under G-Y0. It was Lammy’s. Hers was called the ‘Faint Glimmer of the Orange Requiem.’ That empowered the Sins. I think it’s what allowed them to spawn in the first place…”
“Doesn’t it look like a Luminaire?” Jury squeaked.
“With them wanting to be Stars… Yeah. I can see where their inspiration must have come from. Does that mean Uriel’s ability atop Mount Saris was another Star Sigil?”
Michaela
< It was. They are but nodes that extend or amplify one’s power. Think of it as a router, or in your case, an Unlying Tablet. They represent our presence >
“Marionette uses this to create her Actors. Her Gift must be insanely powerful. I thought she was one of the weaker Beholders. Then again, I’ve never seen her fight outside of my first Corruption. Also, [Web of the Moirai] is what Iscario stole. It let him look 15 seconds into the future so long as the events occur in his web.”
Frost wondered how Marionette was connected to this nameless being. Her reign over it was likely due to her Gift and status as a Living Loom. To use what she suspected to be a Star to do her bidding was a feat she couldn’t help but be impressed by.
The Director spoke again, his tone becoming solemn.
The Director
< To be bound by purpose alone is a cruel fate. I wish to learn, rather than to live through the experiences of the tethered. That counterpart of mine is what you likely already suspect. A Star. Weakened and unmade. We had split into two >
“… So you’re like Magus and Michaela. You were a Star.”
The Director
< Indeed. A Star bound to purpose and purpose alone. I am free now to an extent you shall come to understand. First… >
CAAAAAWWWW!
A bird screeched from somewhere beneath Frost. Something dark moved beneath the still surface of the sea. Then, a giant black bird shot out of the water and flew towards them.
“The Mother Black Bird!”
CAAAWWWW!
“Friend?” Jury’s fists tightened defensively.
Frost didn’t for sure. It had fed her early when it mistook her for one of its chicks. But now that she was back to normal, she expected the bird to turn its talons on them. It hovered several tens of meters away, crooking its head as golden eyes stared back into hers.
“Are you here to help us, or are you sizing us up? If you’re smart, then you’ll leave… wait, familiar face? You’re our pickup?”
CAAAAAW! The bird screeched before suddenly making swift passes at them. Its wings brushed against Frost’s shoulder with each pass. She curled inwards to protect Jury, just in time for the bird to hover in front of her and tap her head with its beak.
While it was a light, insignificant tap for Frost, it would have crushed the head of an ordinary person. The bird seemed delighted to find that Frost’s head had not disappeared which seemed to calm it.
It began smacking her head repeatedly, as if to test a theory. Then, without warning, the bird wrapped its wings around them for a split second.
CAAAAAW!
“… It’s happy. I kinda understand it.” Jury’s ears wiggled. “She thinks you’re one of hers.”
“You can talk bird? Since when?”
“I’m part bird aren’t I? Caw! Caw!”
The attempt did nothing but cause the bird to become guarded all of a sudden, as though Jury had uttered a forbidden word in its language. Frost’s blood ran cold. Not because Jury had potentially angered their only way out, but because she was oddly enraptured by Jury’s voice.
“… Can you do that again?”
“What, chirp?”
“Y-Yeah.”
“Frost… Did that awaken something inside of you?”
“No. We have an important theory to test.”
“So it did.” Jury teased. “Caw. Caw. Caw.”
Frost’s heart skipped exactly three beats, and she had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from gushing in front of this bird.
Nav
< Frost. You’re a human. At least you believe yourself to be. It does not help your cause when your mating call is in avian >
Frost had to mentally reset herself. After a long breath, she exhaled and finally addressed the Mother Black Bird.
“… Ahem. You’re that bird, huh. Hello!”
CAAAAW!
Jury quickly translated it: “She’s saying ‘you’re alive!’ It’s a celebratory caw! Did something happen between you two? She sounds really traumatized.”
“I didn’t really do anything aside from eat… No, wait. I disappeared.” Frost dug deep into the recesses of her mind, trying to figure out what could have caused the bird to look so relieved to see her again.
Suddenly, she remembered why.
“… I fell… Right in front of her.”
“Fell?”
“Out of her nest. She must have thought one of her chicks died. I’m so sorry. Have you been looking for me this entire time?” A black feathered tail protruded from behind her and used it to gently stroke the side of the bird’s beak. “I didn’t mean to traumatize you. Sorry to say this, but I’m not your child.”
CAAAAAW!
“She knows. But she says you’re close enough. Flock of a feather. Is she really a Phenom of Contempt?”
< Mother Black Birds are known to feed humans to their chicks, typically by first feeding them to an Anid to have them liquified. They are the natural predators of Anids >
< Would you like to know how they ensure they have a stable supply of food using Anids and humans? >
“Please don’t. I have an idea on how they do it… So you’re not as innocent as I thought.”
CAAAAAW!
“I don’t understand that one. Oh, she’s right under us. Should we?”
“Yeah. She seems to know where to go. Do you?”
CAAAAAAW!
“She said yes~!”
The Mother Black Bird repositioned herself beneath them. It screeched again, making its intentions clear. The barrier disappeared and they fell onto its back. The feathers were coarse, and the fine hairs that made up the feathers were replaced with tiny needles.
The bird soared with a destination in mind. They were headed for the exit, and then, they’d have to reunite with the others.
Now that they were comfortable and had some time on their hands, the Director cleared his throat and finally revealed what he knew.
