Dia looked around the warehouse, which was empty save for an odd setup in the middle. There was a very intricate circle of black paint drawn there, and four mirrors — the extravagant, full-length ones that nobles used — had been placed on the edge of the circle, with one mirror placed at every quarter of the circle. The reflective side was facing outwards, and as she glanced at the setup again, a mist rippled into view.

“What?” Dia rubbed her eyes. “When was there mist here? And why?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Nero replied. “I’m not sure how this works either. I’m told that this is a field that is very…esoteric. Mysticism.”

“Mysticism?” Risti asked. “Wait, was this entire thing set-up by my aunt?”

“Your aunt?” Nero looked at her.

“Norn.” Risti replied. “You might know her by her title instead, the Verdant Interrogator. She’s the leader of the Seekers of Truth.”

Dia rubbed her nose. Now, who was it that suggested the Seekers of Life as the replacement name for the Moon Lords? Was it Farah? Or was it Risti? She snuck another glance at her buddy, and then rubbed her nose. Clearly, someone had been slacking off back then when it came to name generation…but she did have a rather good justification.

“Ah!” Nero bobbed his head. “Yes, I remember. So, Norn, huh…how old is she, by the way?”

“Never asked. Why?” Risti glanced at the setup of four mirrors.

“N-nothing.” Nero cleared his throat. “Anyway, I don’t think it’s her. If she’s here, she would have taken command in the Istrel Sovereignty instead. It wouldn’t be me, that’s for sure. I’m too young.”

“You really don’t act your age, though,” Dia pointed out. “You’re like an old, stoic man who was stuck in a young body or something…but again, mana-users don’t really age physically either.”

“Stop making me sound like a monster,” Nero replied, before the smile faded. “Anyway, this setup is probably made by the support network I mentioned earlier. While not many are aware of Limbo itself, there are organisations dedicated to getting rid of Aberrations, and I think the people responsible for everything see now belong to the Verdant Interrogator. After all, knowledge of mysticism has to come from somewhere.”

“How does that even work?” Dia muttered. “You’re telling me that an organisation, presumably made out of normal people, caught something like this?”

“They’re called Aberrations, by the way. Or the Logia-touched,” Nero replied, before extending a hand towards the set-up. “Hmm. It seems that this set-up was made with the power of either the Blue God or the Indigo God. I can sense a disjunction between the space enclosed and everywhere else.”

“…Mind explaining the whole thing?”

“The Indigo God, the God of Perpetuity, governs a part of time. The Blue God, the God of Inevitability, governs part of fate. Both of their domains overlap slightly, which is why I’m having trouble determining which god the creator of this set-up prayed to,” Nero replied. “Essentially, there is a temporal disjunct between that space enclosed by the mirrors and everywhere else.”

“Why does it matter?”

“If it’s the God of Perpetuity, it means that the captured Aberration is frozen in time, at the condition of its capture,” Nero answered, before approaching the mirrors. “You can see the symbolism in the four outward-facing mirrors. They are repelling the mundane world, but what is being repelled depends on the god they were praying to.”

“What happens if it’s the Blue God?” Nightfall asked, mimicking Nero’s actions.

“Then the Aberration has already met its inevitable end,” Nero replied, before looking around. “I think we’ll be fine, though. There’s a secondary ritual above the cage.”

“Ritual?” Dia asked.

“Yeah, this is a form of ritual magic,” Nero replied. “What’s wrong? You look very confused. You and Nightfall both.”

“Isn’t ritual magic, you know, one where you grab a bunch of mana-users and mages and get them to chant long-winded phrases to create miracles?” Nightfall asked. “Seems that way to me. Caroline has her own mage battalion, and I see them chanting long, long phrases that result in something after a while.”

“That’s the layman view of ritual magic,” Nero replied. “It seems a lot more striking because of its evocative aspect. You chant something and something happens. True. However, ritual magic and working mana is, at its core, something you…”

He paused. “I’ll try to package it so that no one’s head explodes. It’s based around your will, your thoughts. Chanting together with other people gives rise to a mental image. Wills resonate and give rise to a grand performance. The ritual magic you see right now, makes use of props. Subconscious and conscious meanings assigned to props help to create a firm mental image, but it just lacks the flashy aspect.”

“Uh…so everyday items can accidentally result in a ritual spell?” Dia asked, confused.

“That sounds off,” Risti added. “I’m also not sure about mysticism, so don’t look at me like this.”

“I’m also not that sure, but I do know the theory. For items to actually have an effect, they need to be consecrated with mana, lifeforce or divinity first,” Nero replied. “So normal items won’t do anything.”

“Good, because I don’t really want to wake up trapped in a ritual like this,” Dia replied. “I wonder if there’s a guide or something. ‘Top One Hundred Ritual Setups!’ or something like that.”

“Dream on. Anyway, I’m going to pause the ritual now.” Nero pulled out a letter, glanced through it, and then took a deep breath. “You guys take up positions around the circle too. Prepare to strike, just in case that thing tries to retaliate. Dia, Nightfall, take out those bags. You’re definitely going to need it.”

Everyone else nodded.

After everyone got into position, Nero held up the letter, and his body began to blaze with azure light. With a single swift tear, he ripped the letter into two, which began to burn. Something seemed to pop, and the mist vanished. A cage appeared in its stead, revealing—

Dia’s mind went blank, and the urge to vomit overcame her. Her stomach churned, and a searing sensation surged through her throat. A pungent stench filled her nose a moment later as she threw up over and over again into the bag that she had taken out.

How long did it last? Dia wasn’t sure, but the sight of a person made up purely by maggots, insect parts and white shells was so repulsive, so…unnatural that her body intuitively rejected the concept in such a visceral way. The little maggots that were called Logia squirmed around in a way so wrong that she wanted to stop breathing.

Only a part of her mind remained calm as she continued to throw up over and over again, and an unprecedented weakness ran through her frame, gripping it tightly. The sole thing keeping her aware and awake was her years of long training, and before long, she had adapted to the…unsettling sight of the maggots.

Her eyes were stinging by the time she got used to it.

“Done?” Nero called out. “Hurry up. Nightfall’s probably going to take some time, though, but you need to inoculate yourself with the…wrong-ness of an Aberration.”

Dia sealed the bag full of vomit and forced herself to straighten her back. At the corner of her eyes, she could see Nightfall still vomiting, but the bulk of her focus was placed on the repulsive sight of the Aberration. She didn’t quite know how to describe it, however. Calling it a man-sized mass of maggots and insect innards didn’t quite do its unnaturalness justice.

Swallowing once to assuage the burning sensation in her throat, Dia took a deep breath and observed the Aberration. She could vaguely notice the body structure of a woman, but her flesh and skin had been turned into insects that were somehow melded together in grotesque ways. Her organs, her bones, her body…all had turned into that unnatural being that should, by all accounts, never be able to exist. The mass of insects was something that shouldn’t have existed in the first place, and yet…

“That is the outcome of those who take in the unadulterated power of Limbo,” Nero murmured. “This is a fate worse than death. No body. No mind. No self. Her existence has been nearly overwritten. If we left this…thing to its own devices, it would probably attempt to consume more people. Once it reaches a certain critical mass, the Moons will detect and annihilate it, along with everything in its vicinity.”

“Why would the Moons need to wait for it to reach a critical mass?” Dia asked. “I thought they responded quite well earlier.”

“Only because the target was a tetra-folder that had already drawn attention,” Nero replied. “And when a tetra-folder is fully corrupted, the resulting energy of Limbo that is released is incredible. If he had turned into an Aberration in Licencia, half the city would probably be contaminated.

Nightfall let out a soul-shuddering cough, and then stood up, his body shaking. “What?”

“That’s why we had to drive him away. I’m glad you’re feeling better, by the way,” Nero replied. “Ready?”

“…I’ll ask for more details later.”

“Excellent.” Nero turned to the Aberration. “Let us begin the formal proceedings of the execution. Risti, you can begin.”