Where is the Tsunderjudge taking us?
Cenna sighed. "I bet he's gonna use one of his tricks again."
Tricks? You wondered if he's someone like Sans. What are his colours anyway?
"Red, Yellow, Cyan. But, don't let the similarities fool ya. Expect zero jokes from the old man. I think I can count the number of times he made me laugh with my ten fingers."
Mezil waved his cane once without looking back. "I'm not so morbid that I'm devoid of humour. Not my fault my jokes are not to your taste."
"It's to nobody's taste!"
"False. My wife appreciates them."
"I thought she facepalms half the time or something."
Maybe he's right, Cenna. Papyrus screams about Sans' routines all the time. But, he's popular enough to have his own timeslot with MTT.
Cenna sighed harder. "You have to see it to get it, Frisky."
The Tsunderjudge stopped in front of a janitor's closet.
…We're really going to have a meeting in a room of dirty mops and cleaning agent?
"Watch," he so said.
First, he showed you the contents. It's about as janitorial as you'd expect: brooms, mops, and assorted other trash-collecting dirt-busting tools.
Then he planted his fancy butterfly Mark on the door.
Opened again and it became… a fancy gothic-themed living room.
Oh my god he has the taste of a real vampire.
"Tell me about it, Frisky."
Mister Tsundervamp, what's with choosing a janitor's closet for a Spirit Gate?
In his no nonsense tone and the straightest of faces, he replied: "We have a cleanup to do. Starting with you."
…
Your sister is right.
This wasn't funny at all!
It's scary as fuck! How is this considered humour?!
"Told ya," said Cenna.
Why is his mark not a bat? Why a butterfly?
There are so many levels of wrong with this!
Mezil huffed. "There IS such a thing as a vampire butterfly."
That's not the point!
He tapped his cane on the ground, irritated by your outbursts. "Why are you a star and not a sun? In scientific terms they're the exact same thing. Yet their symbolism is different."
"I'm a butterfly and not a bat for a reason. Go ask Mettaton if you want to know more. That is, if he still remembers."
You hoped that he does.
Mezil stepped into the otherworldly mansion and beckoned you to follow. "Come in. I've set it so that time will freeze once the door shuts."
Okay…
His initial presentation added a humongous heaping of wariness to your decision-making. But, your sister assured you that she'll be there for you if anything happens.
You thus pushed the wheelchair into the strange room.
The door vanished behind your back. There goes your exit out into the living world.
"Welcome to my Hub," said Mezil. "This is where I rest, strategize, and LOAD my checkpoints."
Cool. This is a ton more decorative than your 'Main Menu'.
"That's what you call it?"
Yup.
You walked about, awed by the sheer detail of this 'vampire's estate' outside of time.
The floor tiles looked like real marble. You jumped a few times to test their hardness, and also the kind of sound they produce. Each detail screamed legit 'metamorphic stone' to you. The support pillars were the same way, plus carved reliefs to add further elegance to the design.
Then there were the rooms. Lots and lots of rooms.
There's a ballroom.
A kitchen and a dining area.
A bath, with both a pool and a shower.
A garden.
An entire arcade?! Computers?!
All the latest consoles and their games?!
You sparkled from anticipation. Could you try them? Yes? Pretty please?
Cenna grabbed your hand. She squeezed it tight, warning: "Frisky, pay attention. Mez won't invite you here for a simple hangout."
"That's correct, Judge Caraway." He said, "It appears you've also noticed that I kept you in your injured state. With your hot-blooded attitude, I must take precautions whenever I can."
A gun materialized in his left hand. He turned around and pointed it straight towards your face.
W-wha…
What's going on?
The room's temperature dropped a few degrees. You're not sure if that's literal or figurative anymore.
Mezil Thyme glared at you, hard. "Answer the truth. Did you use an HVM?"
Your jaw dropped. What in the blazes is an HVM?!
That reaction was enough to make him shift his attention. "Tsk. Judge Caraway, you didn't tell them anything about the Levels of Volition?"
Cenna crossed her arms. "Oi, that happens AFTER the Trial. Did you forget or what?"
"Hmph. Fine. I'll make it simpler. What exactly did Frisk command to 'destroy'? The machine, or their opponent's will to live?"
Huh what wha?
You told Mezil that you planted your Mark on the Trap Harvester itself. The electronics. The object. Nothing to do with other people's DT.
Once that went kaboom, the rest of the Seraph System poofed along with it. Also Persona wouldn't have anything to left to steal!
"Are you absolutely certain you didn't think of damning the source?"
You have no clue what he's trying to say. Is there anything wrong with smashing the battery?
Cenna pointed to your confused face. "See Mez? Look at this. This is the face of innocence. That Mark was absolutely NOT an HVM at all! I'm the one with Demontology IV here and that's my expert verdict."
A few tensed seconds later, Mezil dispelled the gun. You could see his body language relax.
"Looks like I can still call you a Crimson Keeper," he said. "I thought I had to execute you as a Fallen right here."
B-but this is not the Crimson Hall!
"That is but a fancy stage. Living Victories can unleash their full potential anywhere in The Void. That's how Hubs exist in the first place."
"Come back to the lounge with me."
As you wheeled Cenna along, she continued her coarse objection. "Seriously Mez, what the fuck was that for? You already announced Frisky's election to the world and you pull that gun shit?"
"It's more of a test. Also, a confirmation. Yesterday, I couldn't finish the ceremony proper due Sans Serif's interference."
Cenna tried to look at you from her seat. "How did Mez Claim ya anyway? Was it by force? Or you volunteered?"
Um, he didn't do anything? Everyone rushed out for the hospital.
Mezil stopped midway. "Allow me to rectify that."
He reached a hand over your head and… patted you. It's much gentler than you expected.
Your chest flashed red. A crimson butterfly emerged, fluttering around in a circle before flying upwards towards the Void's black sky.
Hey… There's no ceiling at all!
Here you thought that the raw blackness was another choice of interior design.
"Hmm, you can't see anything either?" Mezil remarked.
Yup. But you know there's more than it meets the eye.
Sans said that he saw an entire map of rainbow pathways. What about Papyrus and Lady Lucidia?
"Papyrus described them as fireflies. On the other hand, my wife sees them as floating crystal lanterns."
Wow, it's different for each Seer?
"Only if they can perceive it to begin with. For example, Doctor Gaster saw nothing but darkness. His colours were unfit for the job."
Mezil sure knows a lot about the skelepeople.
"Of course. Only those with the Fire of Humanity have the potential to become Chronographers. Each Supreme Judge had at least one Chronographer as a partner. Otherwise the sheer amount of logistics becomes overwhelming."
"Crimson Keepers exist for a similar reason." he said. "The Claimed are sorted into three main categories to declare their helpfulness. I presume you're not familiar with the terminology?"
Not really…
You heard some of it here and there. But, you don't know what they mean.
"I'll start from the lowest. Category 3: The Fallen. DEMONS. The scum of the earth. The verdict for any Living Victory that succumbs to corruption is death: too powerful to be kept alive. Not even Supreme Judges are exempt from this."
"Category 2: The Suppressed. You were once at this level. They're those drained to the point where they can no longer cast a Mark unless I allow it. It sounds ghastly, but under normal circumstances this limit doesn't affect their daily lives."
"Then there's the Crimson Keepers, Category 1: Living Victories who retain their Marks, but share their power with the Supreme Judge. They will have all their magic except for the Keys of Fate."
"In the days of old, the Crimson Keepers ran Trials in the Supreme Judge's stead. The reasons are many: minor illnesses, missions abroad, and so forth."
Hmm… you understand. Before the modern era, it took days, weeks, months, or even years to travel from one place to another. Then there was that annoying language barrier. There's no way one person can manage it all.
"You were at a precarious edge," Mezil commented. "Zig-zagging between each of the three categories. It wasn't until minutes ago that I knew where you stand."
S-sorry about that. Um. You're a growing kid after all.
Your attempt at being cheeky didn't work out.
"Just watch your heart from now on."
Okay. Uh, so… what is he going to be using your DT for anyway?
"Keeping The World and Persona in check. The incident had drained my reserves. It'll take a while for the other butterflies to recover."
"Once they have, we can discuss about the ownership of the Keys. That will take place in a later date."
You went back to where you started. In your excitement, you didn't notice that it had sofas and tea tables.
The Tsunderva- Tsunderjudge settled down on the nearest seat. Even that casual action still retained a certain level of dignity.
You and Cenna sat on the opposite side. A holographic menu spawned before you, showing all the possible drinks and food the system could generate.
You flicked through the options.
And flicked.
And flicked.
And flicked some more.
Is it endless?!
"My wife and I appreciate good cuisine. Try the search function to narrow down your specifics."
You immediately keyed in 'Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie'.
Not found?!
"Odd. She did taste Queen Toriel's famous pie. I suppose Lucidia didn't have time to update her database."
Disappointed, you pushed the screen aside.
"Not having anything?" Mezil asked.
Nope. All you really want is your mom's star dish… and he doesn't have it.
"Very well. You can call it back anytime. How about you, Cenna?"
First name basis? Whoa. Now that's 'relaxed'.
She smirked. "Heh, you know my fav."
Lo and behold, she ordered three cans of milk coffee. Not just any old cans either: they're of the most famous top-tier brand in the Far East!
"C'mon Frisky, try one." She shifted it to you. "Back in the real world, you gotta pay quite a pretty penny for that."
Thanks. Her positivity livened you up a tad.
You opened the can and took a sip.
…Dang, that's good. It's aromatic, not too sweet, and super duper refreshing. The perfect balance!
She tossed the second can to the old man. "YOU need to chillax big time."
You watched it fly. Judging from that angle, there's a 99% chance that it's going to overshoot the grip of Mezil's hand and hit his head.
And, Cenna already had the 'oh crap' look written all over her face. She KNEW she had messed up.
But the offending object just froze in mid air.
"Goodness," said Mezil. "Can't you just hand over the drink?"
Your sister clapped her hands together and bowed her head in apology. "S-sorry! I forgot I'm in the crap version of myself."
"Lucky for me, this is my Hub. Therefore everything here is subjected to my will."
Mezil plucked it out of suspension. You heard the pop of the seal, and the drinking ceremony continued as if nothing ever happened.
You wonder…
This Hub is his territory. In addition to that, non-living objects have no will to resist his time-bending powers.
…Can you still focus on Mezil and bring up the shop interface? Your view narrowed, and your most pressing questions appeared in your mind's eye.
It worked!
He noticed your attempts right away. You can't tell if he's amused or not.
"Go on," he said. "This is why we're here after all."
Man, he really has an attitude.
HVM
The Ocean Abomination
Sans
eSports League
Tsundere
Okay Frisk. Choose carefully. Starting with the 'eSports League' topic might net you a smack on the wrist and no real answer.
You're not in the mood to jump straight into the big talks yet, so you picked the last option.
Tsundere
You tell him that he wears the tsundereness on his sleeve. Is he like this 100% of the time?
Cenna laughed so hard, she strained her stitches. Oops.
As for the man named Mezil Thyme, he bit his lower lip. Huh. Interesting. He DOES have more emotions than the stone-cold serious-business mode!
"W-what's wrong with you people? Even Papyrus…" he grumbled. "Am I that amusing to you?"
Yes.
"Nice to know that you've kept your childlike honesty. Here I wondered if it's forever lost from Sans Serif's bad influence. You're both charmers. Not my favourite kind to deal with."
"As for your question…" he continued. "This is not an act. I've always been the serious sort. Furthermore, I'm aware that it intimidates the majority."
Why won't he lighten up?
"And pretend? I'm not an assassin. I'm a judge. The Supreme Judge even. Nothing detests me more than malicious fakers who put up pleasant fronts to hide their evil."
He did mention that in the Trial. It's the key to his Ascension.
How… did he not shoot himself in the foot over diplomacy missions? You're sure that there are some incidents where he had to lie to survive.
Mezil Thyme didn't reply. Or rather, he couldn't.
You sensed there's a big lock on his heart.
It doesn't look like you're making progress with this line of questioning.
So…
HVM
The Ocean Abomination
Sans
eSports League
Your options hovered over the eSports topic for a while…
Nah. It doesn't seem appropriate.
HVM
What exactly is an HVM? And why would that warrant a kill post-Trial?
"HVM stands for 'High Volition Mark'," he replied. "Marks come in three different levels of volitions depending on the following factors: the amount of Determination, the nature of the command, and the intended target."
"Would you agree that the more you force your will on a person, the more violent the nature of that imposement would be?"
Like, a pat versus a play-push versus an all-out-fighting-push?
"Yes. Simple, but effective imagery."
"A Low Volition Mark is the least invasive and safest to use. The bulk of its effects concentrate on the Psychia. Or, SOUL as you are more familiar with."
"The easiest and most useful example: memory-retention. It links the target's consciousness to the caster's linear sense of time. That's how Papyrus became my proxy."
Wow. That's… a crazy simple answer! This is so cool!
"On the other hand, a Medium Volition Mark tempers with bodily functions. Blindness. Vertigo. Immobility. A host of other plays of the nerves and senses. They require more force than a mere preservation of states."
So the stunt he pulled on Mom was an MVM.
"Correct. Now… a High Volition Mark, as the name states, is the most violating of them all."
"The examples include the following: mind-alterations, mind control, body takeovers, forcing out secrets, imposement of identity, disabling of vital instinctive functions-"
Whoa whoa whoa! Hold it right there! He can't just go spouting off a giant list out of the blue!
"Well then, Frisk. If you think the explanation alone is enough to solve your puzzle: Tell me, what do all those actions have in common?"
…Eh?
Another test-
For some reason, the image of Sans' back popped up in your head.
That's strange.
After your first release from the Underground, you were fixated on Asriel: to give him a happy ending.
Over the repeated timelines, you had grown tired, cynical. And you wanted to end it all. When you became bitter, Chara replaced him.
So what's with Sans? What is he supposed to reflect?
You slapped your cheeks together. He's right. You've come this far. Just because you passed a crisis, doesn't mean you'll stop learning.
There will always be more lessons for you. Slack off and another Sans might catch you off guard.
You know that Mezil is watching your every move. He's trying to see if you have grown, or regressed to your pre-Trial state.
Hmm… each the actions Mezil listed had one thing in common.
You answered: they overpower another person's well-being.
"You could say so," he answered.
Bingo!
The Tsunderjudge's tsun levels magnified. "To be more accurate, they're the ultimate violation of life."
Life? Is it any life…? Like, even using it on a plant will be counted as a HVM?
"No. That's the sole reason why you escaped with the skin between your teeth. Although your Mark was filled to the brim with destructive intent, your aim was on an object without a mind. Therefore, it would be counted as an MVM at most."
"But if you had applied that to The World, you would have bloodied your hands with the irreversible deaths of many."
D-d-d-death…?! What?! Why?!
"Determination is Willpower. Imagine what would have happened if you had destroyed their will to live. That's not counting the possibility of physical trauma, direct or otherwise. If an HVM is inflicted on the body, internal functions will fail. Inflicted on the mind, insanity follows soon after."
"I have seen the effects first-hand. At best, the victims become vegetables on life support. At worst, their organs liquefy from the inside. Mind you, they're still conscious in their last seconds."
"…There's simply no clean death from an HVM. At that point, a swift end is mercy in itself."
You shivered. If you had done what Mezil feared… It'd make headlines in a bad, bad way.
Cenna patted you on the shoulder. "But you didn't! Celebrate that, Frisky."
Y-yeah…
You wonder, if a human Marked by an HVM is doomed to die, will the same happen to a monster?
Mezil said, "That depends."
Depends?
HVM on a Monster.
You're afraid to select that option. Because, you had already seen one effect of Determination overdose.
They're the Amalgamates. And those were the results of a direct injection without any specified commands.
You selected it anyway.
"Well, considering some of your residents… you're aware of the liquefaction of monster matter, though merger will only happen if more than one monster is present. Otherwise they too will expire."
You remember the 'fallen down' patients. And there's the matter with Goopdoc and his friends.
Is that why Mezil arrested Doctor Alphys? You told him that it was an accident. She was trying to salvage monster SOULS.
W-what? Hang on a moment. What's with the ominous glare?
"I knew the Amalgamation itself was an accident. The townsfolk were not secretive about it. But… none of them mentioned anything about the 'salvaging' of SOULS. They expected medical treatment, and that alone."
You covered your mouth. Dammit! You mentioned too much!
Your first instinct was to turn to Cenna for help. But… she's staring back at you with shocked horror.
"Doctor Alphys tried WHAT?!" she asked. "Frisky, please tell me that you just misunderstood the whole deal! I thought flower boy was bad enough!"
You muttered a soft 'Sorry'.
Your sister planted her face into both palms. "Aw maaaan… Now I can't ignore her either. This is totally under Vanquisher jurisdiction."
M-may you know why?
"Ever heard of 'The Philosopher's Stone'?"
You nodded. Of course! It captured the imagination of many fantasy based media since forever. It's the stuff that transmutes lead to gold, right?
"What if I told ya the creation of such is banned on the Surface?"
Do you dare ask why?
Is… is it because of economics…?
Cenna grabbed your head and turned it towards Mezil. Nevermind the room temperature dropping any further now. It's already at absolute zero. He's that serious.
She then said: "All yours, old man. You're the one who know this the most."
Mezil planted his cane before him, mimicking the pose of a stalwart knight.
So he began:
"It takes a human and monster Psychia to ascend to godhood. That means access to at least two lives. But what if you're in a situation where one side is impossible to obtain?"
"Boss Monsters are difficult to kill. Their Psychia, fragile. And in modern days, only few remain. Meanwhile humans have multiplied to the billions. It's far easier for a monster to obtain a human's than the reverse. A conundrum with only one answer: the creation of a tool to replace a Boss Monster's power… As for the how?"
Mezil summoned a diagram of a complex yet familiar Arcanagram. It had… lots of points. Maybe over 40.
You began your count.
49 points.
The Soul Stealer.
"Correct. The heretics' answer was to condense mass multitudes of lesser monsters into a united entity. The more, the better."
So the Ocean Amalgamate is an enormous Philosopher's Stone…
You… You felt sick.
This was a concept that should have stayed in anime. Why must it be real? The implications are horrific.
"Imagine how powerful an HVM is required to subdue a product made from the lives of millions. The bigger the Philosopher's Stone, the more Determination must be overcome to plant the Mark. A Living Victory that strong might as well bear the Keys of Fate… and the Supreme Judge title."
"That is the Magi's darkest secret."