Nexus Awakened (An Isekai LitRPG Gender Bender Story)

866. The Child Who Saved The World

Ilya stood in the open field like a deer in headlights. Her eyes bulged with disbelief as she stared back at the carried Frost. Tiny hands gripped onto the hems of the coat, her parted lips struggling to piece her words.

Frost asked Jury to stop moving. She didn’t want to startle the girl who had not yet come to terms with her new environment. Isolation tended to eat away at people. This paired with Ilya being used by the brother who was supposed to be there for her made it hard for her to easily approach others.

15 years of being tucked away in a lightless world stripped Ilya of her common sense. She second guessed herself like an abused animal, not knowing whether to trust her or to shrink back into her shell.

It was impossible for a child to return to normal after everything that happened to them. As a result, Ilya became afraid to take the first steps towards Frost. She was no different from a child who had forgotten their lines whilst in the limelight.

In that case, I’ll be the one to do it for you!

“ILYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” Frost roared at the top of her lungs with enthusiasm.

The girl snapped out of her debilitating trance.

“WELCOME BACK!”

“Eh? I… Huh?” She meekly squeaked.

Did that do the trick?

The tension that caused her to move rigidly disappeared. Ilya released a long, contemplative sigh before taking a deep breath. Afterwards, she fondly looked back at Frost with eyes that dazzled in the light of the sun.

“Hehe… I was overthinking it after all.” She began. “I didn’t know what to say. My feet just started moving before I could think of something. It’s rude not to say hello, so I was trying to think of a better way to introduce myself to you. I just… forgot how to talk to people.”

Ilya was hyperconscious of her mannerisms. Her life as a princess and Iscario’s ‘doll’ revolved around perfectionism.

“I used to be punished for the smallest mishaps. A chair pulled an inch too far was enough for them to board the windows and take away my books. That’s why I took so long to acknowledge you…”

It was one thing to act freely in the face of her mother, but it was an entirely other ordeal in front of who was the face of the Nexus. Not only that, but she was still the daughter of an exceptionally important person.

Ilya still couldn’t let go of the chains of the past.

There was a dark flame in her heart. How desperately the pale flames fought to stay in control. Even now, Ilya was trying to find her place in this world.

Frost tapped Jury’s hand. She gestured to her with a small smile. Somehow, Jury was able to interpret this. She placed Frost onto her feet, supporting her with only her tail.

“Ilya. I don’t want you to feel like you need to explain yourself.” Frost began as she took her own small, weak step forward.

It was painful even with Jury’s help, but she could feel her blood hardening within her blood vessels to compensate for her physical weakness.

“Not to me, nor anyone. Look around you. Past these mountains are cities full of people. Beyond the boundaries of Grandis are Regions teeming with life. The grass is greener out there.”

“Grass is green?” Ilya said.

It was a genuine question. The grass of her garden was always white. Ilya had no idea that grass was green, let alone supposed to be this color.

“It is. Your mother should show you it. The grass, the people, the animals, the food… this world has so much to offer. You don’t have to try to justify your place in this world or find it.”

Ilya understood this. Her mother was kind enough to accept her wholeheartedly. But Ilya was afraid of being rejected by this world.

After all, she had already died once.

But Frost reminded her of the one thing that caused her eyes to water with acceptance.

“This is the world you saved. You have the right to live however you want. No one can take it away from you.”

Ilya’s hands clasped at the hems of her makeshift dress. The tears grew into large blobs as they desperately hung on for dear life.

Frost couldn’t stand straight. But to Ilya, her presence was larger than the pale Nexus behind her. Her eyes radiated with a light rivalling that of the sun as she declared:

“By my namesake as the Amalgam – no one will be able to revoke it.”

Ilya trembled. A part of her wanted to refute, but a warm hand landed on her head.

“By my namesake as the Arbiter – the world owes itself to accept my daughter.” Michaela announced formally, patting her daughter’s hair.

Jury then chimed in, “By my namesake as a Beholder of the Nexus and the Amalgam’s soon-to-be wife – we’ll cherish you~!”

Ilya’s trembling turned into a laugh. Droplets of tears spilled. They were not tears of sadness or relief, but of joy. Jury’s ecstatic tone was nothing like the servants, Lady Colorless or those who were in a position of power.

She spoke like a free spirit…

… An uncaged bird.

There were no wings on her back, but even so, Ilya silently wept, knowing that even birds without wings could still find their own place in this world.

“Ah, what the hell.” Cer folded her arms, shouting from the top of the crater. “By my namesake as the Fang of the Head – don’t you dare stop making problems!”

Ilya didn’t know what that wolfwoman meant. Problems? Ilya’s life revolved around perfection. Why would she…?

“You’re still a kid. Run wild. Make memories. Your happiness is your mother’s happiness. Don’t you ever forget that, kid.” Cer grinned.

“Bzzzzt~! Brr! (Exactly~! What Cer said!)” A giant, adorable spider waved its arms next to her.

Ilya couldn’t believe the spectacle. It was absurd. So absurd that she believed that it had to be a dream.

Could such people exist in this world?

“By my namesake as an Aberration of Elysia who governs the Rewound – I declare that you have done nothing wrong.” Dark Memoria was the last to make her vow.

Ilya crumpled forward, slowly lowering her head with gratitude.

“Accept it as how it is. Do not reject it. We’re all bound to the past in some way. I still believe our shackles are necessary to restrain us. However, I have seen the value of being freed from these painful comforts. Be free, little dove. Embrace the warmth.”

Finally, Ilya spoke through her whimpers.

“Iscario… used me to kill people. I was trapped… always stuck… in a cage… I was scared… I didn’t want to die… I just wanted to help mom… I thought something was wrong with me. Iscario. The servants. The Angel with the red wings… I’m happy… that I was fine… all along…”

Ilya lifted her head as she cried with all her heart.

“It’s all thanks to you!”

Her reunion with her mother was not enough to unchain her from the past. But as always, Frost found herself at the center of their hope. She was the guiding star for many, drawing people out from the dark.

But unlike those stars that merely shone in the skies, she had descended into their hell and pulled them out with her bare hands.

That same hand that pulled Ilya out gently brushed her hair. Frost’s touch, which should have soothed her cries, only caused Ilya to weep harder. She gushed a lifetime’s worth of hardship. Before long, Jury, Cer and Snap surrounded the girl who saved their world 15 years ago and gave her the only thing her tiny heart had ever wished for.

Love.

“I’m back...” Ilya whimpered.

* * *

It took a long time before Ilya was able to calm down. When her tears subsided, she thanked Frost once again before moving to thank the others. They loaded themselves onto Snap’s back.

Dark Memoria on the other hand remained. She had tasked herself to check on the other groups directly. Since she could find her way back to Frost in minutes, she had the potential to become an incredibly powerful messenger.

“How much could have been avoided if we acted like civilized humans? The departure from attachment… I suppose it’s worth looking into.”

She vanished without a trace. Frost remembered how strongly opposed she was of Frost changing the past, and how she vehemently believed that people should allow themselves to be shackled by them rather than to veer away from their shadows.

That aside –

“Careful. Our friend Snap is fast.” Michaela warned.

“Snap is a funny name.” Ilya smiled, patting the soft fur beneath her. “Where did it get its name from?”

*Snap*

The sound of a camera shutter startled the girl.

“Check under you.” Frost said. “There should be a picture.”

“There is!” Ilya hastily grabbed a polaroid that emerged from the fur. “… Ahaha… you took this picture of us?”

Their group hug was immortalized on the polaroid.

“I’ll cherish this.” She hugged it. “My most happiest moment…”

“Brrrrr~! (It’s yours~!)”

“S-Should I give it back?” Ilya was worried that Snap was trying to warn her that it did not belong to her.

“Snap says its yours.” Frost translated.

“Oh. Thank you, Snap~”

Snap buzzed happily before zipping off. It did not move as fast as usual. They did not want to risk injuring Ilya. Frost wasn’t confident she could heal her either in her current state.

That said –n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

– It seemed like Ilya had that covered.

Indeed. Ilya had become a Healer. Her Origin remained and her stats had completely reset. She was reborn into this world with a fresh slate, and this time, Ilya hoped to make the most out of it.

“Frost… can I call you that?” She wondered, glancing over at a Frost cradled in Jury’s arms.

“I’d love it if you did. Despite how I look, I’m not really into formalities. Whew… ahhh~ the breeze is so good~”

“I know.” Jury hummed. “Your scent is washing all over me~”

“Time and place, people.” Cer sighed. “Yeah, yeah, I can already hear you two complaining about ‘Oh, that’s not the Cer I know’. Well too bad. I’ll get my fill later. Frost got the green light from my mom, so I’m still entitled to free recharges.”

She flashed a small grin.

There she is.

“Recharges?” Ilya tilted her head.

“There is a physiological need to be embraced.” Michaela began. “It’s best seen in rabbits. Dear, they can die of loneliness.”

“Then –!” Ilya hugged her mother. “I’ll be plenty charged! Always!”

“As will I.” She whispered motherly, returning the embrace.

Finally, Ilya asked: “Where are we headed.”

Frost pointed towards the Nexus with her tail.

“Home. You’ve never had a friend your age, right? There’ll be plenty of people waiting for you. Don’t worry, you’ll get along with them fine. Alot of them are Healers too. They’ll love to have you.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“That’s the spirit.” Frost laughed encouragingly. “Ilya. Wanna play a game?”

“A game?”

“A word game. We’ll take turns calling out the names of things we can see. But they’ll have to start with the last letter of the other person’s word. Mountain.”

“T-That’s not an easy one. Um…”

“Nest.” Jury interjected. “I got your back Ilya. Frost!”

A sudden jolt of electricity ran through Frost’s body. Jury had pinched her thigh in a way that said: “Don’t forget that you’re at my mercy.”

I sometimes wonder if something’s wrong with me. Why the hell is my heart beating so fast? It was just a pinch. But that face… ugh… Sometime tells me that tonight’s going to be one hell of a night…

“Sorry.” Frost wryly smiled.

“Trees.” Ilya answered. “I get it now!”

“Sea.” Michaela joined in.

“Apple.” Even Cer couldn’t help but include herself as she lazed around, gazing up at the Nexus. “Go ahead Snap. Answer.”

“Bzzt. (Evergreen trees).”

“Snap loses.” Cer smugly teased. “C’mon. You can’t buzz your way out everything.”

Her antics caused Ilya to laugh until her belly ached. She had never laughed to the point of tears before. Cer’s antics remained, but it was done in a tasteful manner.

Not even Snap could hate her for it.

The Nexus was within reach now. Their job in Grandis was over, but it was also only beginning. Gerina, the Bellum Empire, Grandis as a whole – they’d all be tied to the Nexus. Now more than ever with the existence of the Virtues.

The road to reparation would not be easy, nor would it be quick.

But with the help of the Nexus and a princess willing to take the reins of an empire…

… then Grandis had a bright future ahead of it.

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