Nexus Awakened (An Isekai LitRPG Gender Bender Story)

650. The Archetype of Ego

“Agate was its name. Does the name ring a bell to anyone?”

Frost’s question entertained her small ensemble as they descended to the Floor of Ego. The Archetype of Ego had invited Jury and Frost to their Floor, alongside all the Archetypes.

“I do not compute.” Nav answered.

“Is that supposed to be a name? Agate is a quartz stone. Does that mean the Archetype of Ego is a Golem?” Anna pondered.

“Agate is a rather unique name, no?” Magus expressed. “Reminds me of a certain fellow. Isn’t that right, my friends?”

“Did you name it, Frost?” Jury asked. “I know your signature naming scheme when I see it.”

“Jury’s right. Whoever named it Agate must have a similar naming sense as you.” Nav nodded to herself.

“You think so?” Frost beamed at the unexpected complement.

“That was not supposed to be a complement.”

“Well, I think it’s a cool name.” Frost murmured to herself.

They turned the corner leading to the Floor of Ego, the collective clopping of their footwear rousing the Archetype that laid within. A faint light split the center of the doors, its warm rays inviting them into a world they could not perceive from the outside.

“Agate and quartz. Not sure what the connection to ‘Ego’ is, but we’ll be finding out soon. Nav, Agate’s the one that’s been talking to you, right?”

“Correct. They are confirming it with me. Bizarre, how it can speak to others.” Her eyes were swallowed by the light. It was as if she could see something within that light. “It’s just like my power to send cognitive messages to those of us with your Blessing.”

“Also, Michaela. Agate seemed to know a lot about you. I know it’s too late to ask, but should I expect to meet another Angel?”

“It depends on your definition of ‘Angel’. A Faux Angel is closer to what she is.” Michaela’s attention was split between the light and Nav for an inexplicable reason. “I unexpectedly find myself in a fortunate position. My first steps from my husk won’t be my last.”

“They would have called you to come alone if they wanted to settle the past.” Frost was confident that they had already seen the last of the conflicts within the Nexus.

She didn’t dare to imagine the destruction that would follow the battle between two Arbiter-equivalent Archetypes.

“We have me this time.” Jury delightfully chimed. “The number one Beholder of the Nexus!”

It was now a good time to mention several of Jury’s physical changes. The first was that her tail had grown bigger again. Frost noted that the softness of her fluff was twice that from before, reaching Snap’s level of fuzziness.

For reference, Snap’s fur was in an entire class of its own amongst others. Even the coveted Dreamweave – which was harvested from Dreaming Sheep that grazed on Mana-rich fields did not compare.

Frost wanted nothing more than to sleep with Jury. The innocent kind of sleep, of course. But there was no such thing as ‘innocent’ when it came to Jury.

My increased DEF Stats came in at a good time.

“Hmm~” Jury hummed, as if reading Frost’s mind.

Her white fur coat that matched Frost’s now had golden circuits that ran from the center of her chest to her limbs. One had to marvel the gemstone that sat on her chest, representing her Heart of Time.

The device at first glance appeared to be the Diamond Counter, but it was a CogitO-Created Atelier Item called the Mass CognitO Projector. It was a device that enabled the user to amplify their presence, as well as act as a central conduit to link CognitO Receivers and Transmitters.

This required the user’s Will and Nex to power the item. All Receiver and Transmitter had a Conduit that allowed their thoughts to be transmitted through unknown means, although this was usually interpreted by implanted Egos in each device.

It was called the Cognito Mediator, which allowed her to interface with connected personnel so long as they were within the same Layer. The range was only 20 kilometers, but it allowed her to sense the Emotional State and turbulence of a given Personnel at any moment.

This was linked to the watches and clocks they had at all times, which would warn them of their Heightened Emotions. Nav could do the same, but only with those with the Blessing of the Amalgam unfortunately.

In a way, it allowed Jury to create a pseudo-System controlled solely by her Will, though she had plans to trickle the tech down to accomplished Moons.

Various black, opaque crystals were also installed along these circuits like checkpoints. They were Gravity Cores that significantly enhanced her physical capabilities. The final change was her Mantle of Sin, which when turned inside out became a pale fabric cape that wrapped around her body like an oversized coat.

One had to wonder if the timing of Jury receiving one of CogitO’s most powerful possessions was timed with the opening of the Floor of Ego. The Fate Mechanism worked in mysterious ways, and Frost could not help but believe that this was no coincidence.

She was sure that they would soon learn the meaning of Ego. Ego and Amalgamation were enigmas amongst all Affinities. The latter being the combination of them all and related to identity.

If Amalgamation was the ‘Self’ –

– Then what was the ‘Ego’?

* * *

A barrage of whispers assaulted them as they stepped into the light. Solid footing could be felt within, as well as the grooves of many deep cracks. When the light died down, all that remained was a grey void that expanded like an infinite space.

“Watch your step.” Michaeala warned. “There does not seem to be a bottom in this Floor.”

The platform they stood on was one of many fractured floating islands. Thousands scattered the void, floating eerily still as colossal chains anchored them together. Frost peered into the void beneath, her heart jumping into her throat.

“The darkness reminds me of what I saw outside of the Threshold in the Middle Sanctums.” Frost gulped, staring ahead at the fragmented path that led towards the main island. “I think we need to head there. I can see a trail of light.”

Pale, hexagonal pillars surrounded it like a wall, as crystals of blue, white, black, and gold protruded from its sides like the island was a giant clump of ore. It shielded the contents of the island like the walls of a steep well, which were twisted and weathered by the whisperes of countless fleeting thoughts.

“The days keep on getting harder.”

“Do I smile now, or should I cry?”

“Once upon a time there was a princess that lived in a castle…”

“What kind of face shall I wear today?”

“A few more years before it all ends. Finally…!”

The whispered were nearly inaudible, and they appeared as written words which floated around the grey void. They spoke atop one another in an incoherent mess where one could only read the words to understand what they were saying.

The words from the darkness beneath, colored black; the expanse around them, colored grey; and others from far above, which were white.

They attempted to breach into the walls of the main island, only to be repelled away. Some however, had fragments of the phrases absorbed into the island, and were then converted into a golden, accepting light.

“Can you see anything?” Anna looked up at Jury, who shook her head.

“Frost has special eyes. Chances are the Arbiter – I mean, Micheala can see it too.”

“I unfortunately cannot. Though I am an Archetype and an Ex-Star, I am not exactly a being as connected to the ‘Light’ as Frost.”

“Yet I can see it clearly.” Magus claimed, and the Star Child similarly nodded, writing down the equation of ‘Lv’ – meaning Luminance. “It’s a string of hopeful particles. I believe I recognize this. The Blue Dahlia emitted something close to this, did she not?”

“Close, yeah. Really close. But this doesn’t feel like that at all. It’s different.” Frost uttered whimsically, like she was out of breath. “It’s not like the light of an Awakening. It’s something else entirely.”

Frost, as she led the group and carefully hopped from platform to platform, focused her eyes onto the island.

[Non-Euclidian Interpretation].

An amalgamation of words filled the empty space. In a higher dimension, the world was populated with manifested thoughts and ideas that yearned to enter the central island. Other fragmented islands were protected by a pale barrier from these words.

“All islands are the microcosms of the Self. They represented personal memories that cannot be interfered by outside or internal forces.”

Jury’s ears flapped in response.

“A voice!”

Frost was thankfully not the only one who heard this voice.

It cut through the dark whispers like a flaming blade. Somehow, Frost couldn’t help but to find it eerily familiar.

The path towards the island gradually became zigzagged. Michaela’s wings wrapped around each of their waists as the jumps became increasingly difficult.

“No need to jump, Little One. I shall take you into my arms.” The Star Child was cradled in Michaela’s arms. “I still find it difficult to believe. But I suppose it makes sense all things considered. She was built from the blueprint of the 9th Node, as declared by the Yetzirah’s text. A tree detailing the placement of the Affinities. Moreover, she could fall into the 8th place, but Ego was considered integral. Almost as much as Amalgamation.”

“The placement of Ego must be beneath Amalgamation. Neither higher, nor lower. That much I know before the birth of the Captured Star.”

“But unlike my ungrateful Creator, I know of the dynamics of my Affinity in the whole of the Self.”

The closed walls of the island twisted like sticks of a contorting bird nest. The individual rods of stone parted ways, revealing an entrance lined with teeth-like protrusions. And there, sat within the very opening of the nest, was a half-buried blade the size of a building.

Frost’s eyes widened.

She knew exactly who this Archetype was.

“For Ego is the mediator of rationality and irrationality.”

“The ideal projected Self, harmonizing all components to become closest to the true Self.”

The blade emitted a smoldering haze so powerful that it concealed what laid past it. Once they traversed past the barrier of distorted light they were faced with a broken throne room. A long, twisted staircase ran towards where the throne sat.

It was steeper than normal stairs, resembling a stone ladder. A cluster of bladed crystals jutted out from the back of the pale-blue throne, where a long haired being with equally colored hair sat hunched over.

Their hair was disheveled. The dark robes they wore on their back were tattered to the point where they could not be called clothes. Parts of their feminine body were exposed for the world to witness.

“Ego is the shield that protects the Self.”

“Without it, we are no more than shells of our former selves.”

A hand then reached to draw back the overhanging hair, revealing a pair of golden eyes –

“Even machines like us carry an Ego.”

“We, who have been born from the Light of the Captured Star.”

– And a face identical to Nav’s.