Nexus Awakened (An Isekai LitRPG Gender Bender Story)

Special Anniversary Chapter: Fox Frost!

Warm rays of sunlight peered through the curtains. The light painted the walls of a small, humble room that did not match the air of majesty of whom it belonged to. Neither did the sprawled-out limbs of a certain lightly dressed, white-haired Beholder.

If people could see just a fraction of this side of the Beholders, then there would not be so much fear and reverence surrounding them. But alas, such a sight was only meant for those who held the keys to their hearts.

A rousing Frost rolled in Jury’s arm, which she used as a pillow. It had been a day since the fluctuations of the Light had caused them to swap bodies. In Frost’s mind, it was all just a bad dream. The morning rays were proof of the nightmare.

Fluctuations of light? Cer in her body? Yeah. No way.

“Mngh…”

An unusual moan slipped through her lips as she tried to find a more comfortable angle on Jury’s arm but to no avail. It felt like her arms were steeper, and it caused her to begrudgingly awaken.

Something felt off, but she shrugged it off as morning blindness. Frost was in no way a morning person, and she rarely had the time to sleep. Her shirt felt looser than usual, and Jury’s ticking heart seemed louder today.

“Mwaaaa….” Frost stretched harder than she ever had in all 20+ years of living, and perhaps the eons spent as Sinder.

In a daze, she flipped her legs off to the side of the bed. The moans of the floorboards were non-existent, and her steps were like tiny patters. She left the bedroom and entered a great hall to take a better look at herself in the mirror, completely ignoring the large-standing mirror beside her bed.

Her pants hung loosely by her hips, teetering on falling to her ankles as she rubbed her eyes with oversized sleeves. They covered her hands and flopped around like the ears of a bunny.

She had to reach higher than usual to open the bathroom door. Once inside, she took a stool that the likes of Cer and visiting Healers would use to reach the weirdly high mirror.

Once atop, she took a good look at herself, glaring at her reflection like she had forgotten to wear her glasses.

… Eh?

She must be imagining it. Her consciousness hadn’t fully kicked in yet, and she was still dreaming of being in a different body. Atop her head were a pair of pointy, fox-like ears.

They were black and fuzzy, melding well with her messy hair and cowlicks. Partial strands of golden fur were sprinkled around it. A white ball of fuzz akin to a giant cotton ball sat within her ears.

“Jury… did you tie them down to my head?”

She tried to touch them, but upon just gently brushing against the ball of fuzz found in her inner ear –

“Nngh –!?”

– Frost clasped her mouth to silence an inadvertent squeal. An electric shock equivalent to the pleasures of an erogenous zone caused her to nearly slip from the stool.

Still, she tried again, holding her voice in her throat.

But no matter how many times she ran her hands through her hair, the pointy ears would not disappear. Furthermore, her human ears were gone. Vanished.

They were no longer with her, and Frost could feel herself panicking when she realized that not only was she a Demi-Human, but her precious height had also slipped through her fingers.

“N-No way… I thought I could only go up since the Crowned incident…”

She needed to alert someone. Jury! Jury needed to know as soon as possible. But before she could begin scurring off to her lover, a black, fuzzy snake with a golden tip caused her heart to drop.

*Bang* *Crash*

“A tail… too? Is this another damned fluctuation of the Light!?” Frost pouted as she laid on the pale tiles of the bathroom, staring up at her tail that flailed around uncontrollably like a flag in the wind. “That can’t be right. Aren’t physical forms supposed to take the shape of a person’s soul? What the hell does that say about me?”

She became weirdly philosophical. For a second anyway. In her mind she was more concerned about the others. There was a strong possibility that Jury was also affected in some way by these fluctuations.

Once up, she bolted out of the room, nearly throwing the doors off its hinges. Her physical strength remained, although she imagined that her intimidation factor plummeted by 90%. Somewhere along the way, her pants fell to her feet, and she had to run with just a buttoned shirt and her unzipped coat of Prejudice.

Indeed, her upper apparel acted as a dress, much like how it did in her early life in Elysia.

“Jury! Wake up! The Nexus is acting up again, and they’ve turned me into a fox Demi-Human! Jury!” Tiny, sleeved hands tried to shake Jury awake.

“Hmm?” Jury turned to face Frost, her eyes hazy with the same morning sickness. She stared absentmindedly at Frost with bubbles and question marks floating above her head as she laid on her side.

“Great! You’re ok! Alright! Listen to this – The Nexus is going awol! Quickly get dressed. We have a Nexus to fix!”

“… Hehehe…” Jury giggled in response.

“Huh? Jury, are you even listening?” Frost squeezed her cheeks to try to rouse her awake.

In response, Jury’s suddenly clasped onto Frost’s hand.

“Eh?”

And before she knew it, Jury’s tail slithered behind her, wrapping her waist in two loops before Frost was swallowed into the covers with Jury. Her arms smothered her as Jury’s chest pressed against her face. All of Jury surrounded Frost as the scent of roses assaulted her, causing her mind to spiral.

She had never been so overwhelmed by Jury’s love, to the point where she nearly surrendered on the spot. The bliss could not cloud her judgement. Not now!

“H-Hey!? Jury, this isn’t the –!”

“Fluffy-Frost…” Jury said dreamily, clearly still in the land of dreams. “So cute~ Pet, pet, pet, pet~”

Frost’s head was patted, and her tail was wrapped by the end of Jury’s tail. There was nothing Frost could do as Jury possessively claimed her like a body pillow, her legs, tail and arms overwhelming her tiny frame.

“I’ll take care of you. But you have to do something in exchange for me~ Can you wear a maid or a butler outfit? Maybe a sundress or a suit? I bet you’ll look good in anything. Can I feed you? Or, can I nibble on that ear? Sit still, Frost. Nooooommmmm~”

“Aaaaah~!”

“Hm…?” Jury blankly blinked when she heard Frost’s squeal. Like Frost, she needed some time to adjust herself to reality as she stared down at a madly blushing Frost, who held a hand to the bottom of her lip with swollen eyes.

“J-Jury… Not right now… ok?”

“… Frost? Eh? Frost!?”

Finally, Jury became lucid enough to realize that this was not a dream, and the Frost in her arms was indeed real.

“You’ve become a fox-eared… Alter you?”

“I dunno about an Alter-Me, but it looks like it’s shenanigans with the Light again. I haven’t asked Nav yet because you know how the others are. If they see Nav walking in strides, then they’ll know something is up. The last thing I want is for an entourage to burst through our doors.”

Just as she said this, a series of knocks rattled the door. Frost kept her mouth shut as she hid beneath the covers, laying flat on Jury’s stomach to blend in. The knocks became more frantic as more hands joined in. Muffled voices then spoke from the other side.

“You heard that squeak earlier, right? My ears aren’t playing tricks on me this time.” Cer was undoubtedly responsible for shaking the door.

“Is this really alright?” Ignis questioned.

“Probably not, but we can excuse it on the grounds of concern.” Ber brushed the thought aside. “Besides, aren’t you curious about what Nav said?”

“Yeah, what was that about Nav? A Demi-Human Frost?” Res inquired.

Nav sold me out!?

“Precisely. My calculations led me to believe that Frost had undergone a slight alteration that may make her far more attractive as a motherly figure. I imagine she must have ample bosoms, and a height greater than Jury’s. After all, all interactions with the Light have only caused Frost to grow to varying capacity.”

“From mother to mommy.” Cer rattled the door twice as hard now. “Let me in. LET ME IN!”

“Keep Cer on a leash Ber.” Res hissed.

“On it, Sis.”

Eventually, the doors flung open, revealing various interested faces that swarmed in, scanning the entirety of the room in search for a motherly Frost.

“Where is she!?” Cer exclaimed, shouting like a parched traveler searching for water.

“Frost!? Jury – Where are you hiding her!?” Ber was also hungry for an older Frost, and like the wolves they were, their huffed at the air, hoping to catch her scent.

“Check the cabinets! Under the bed – the window –!”

“Can you idiots knock it off!?” Res growled. “Frost isn’t here, and even if she was, we should’ve at least waited for them to open it for us –!”

“Personal space be damned.” Cer shoved her aside. “Where’s our Frost!?”

“… I think she left just before you came.” Jury tried to say with a straight face as something beneath the covers squirmed.

“Uh huh.” Ber raised a brow.

“The jury says that you’re guilty.” Nav jabbed. “Frost. I shall tribute myself as a sacrifice to your embrace.”

Jury was a terrible liar, and one could say that Jury was perhaps even incapable of lying. As a result, all eyes fell upon her and the weird bulge on her belly that strangely had a pair of animal ears. Cer was, as expected, the only one who was nearly fooled by this.

A pair of tiny hands tried to keep the blanket atop Frost’s head, but with so many eyes on her now, it was impossible to hide her new form any longer.

“Haaaaaaaah. Look, I didn’t want to show anyone this because there’s a high chance, I’ll be swarmed by you all, so just… observe, alright?”

Her warning was specifically pointed at Cer, and when she revealed her form from under the covers, everyone’s eyes sparkled like jewels. An array of ‘awws’ and ‘ahs’ filled the room as they gushed over the tiny, fox-eared Frost from the sides.

Frost peered with one eye at Cer, half-expeting her to be salivating.

However, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

“No way… where’s my promised big Frost? Where… No. NO. No…” Cer fell to her knees, clasping at her head as she prayed to an unknown deity. “The Nexus – The Light – How could you do this to Frost!? It’s over…”

“Cer?” Frost murmured with concern.

“How can I call a pipsqueak my own mom? I can’t even take you seriously when you’re that small. They ruined you. And here I thought we’d get a Frost with Jury’s proportions. But no, it’s just a scrawny brat that happens to look like Frost. And with Fox-Ears? Tch. Damned foxes. They’re worst than felines! No offense to you, Ignis. But you’re not really a feline Demi-Human anymore.”

“Watch your mouth, wet dog.” Ignis snapped.

“… You realize I’m not that much smaller than you, right? And could you all stop trying to pet me!?”

Frost tried to swat their hands away but to no avail. Once her ears or tail was touched, her ATT and DEF stats seemed to drop to zero. Jury itched the bottom of her chin, and her foot began to quiver.

“But you’re allowed to pamper us? Let us take care of you this time~” Jury suggested, pulling out various sets of apparel from her Dimensional Storage. “Mhm~ Now would be a good time to ask if you’re interested in some cosplay.”

“Huh?”

“Wait, Jury, if anything – It should be us who gets the most say in this. Frost’s been our pseudo-mother since forever (less than a year). It should be her children that takes care of her when she’s feeling ill (not even blood related at all).” Ber argued, causing Res, Ignis and Nav to nod in unison.

Nav simply wanted to fluff those ears. Merely touching Frost’s head caused vibrant sensations to run through her dull chassis. For an android that could barely experience the world, Frost was like a forbidden fruit ripe for the picking.

“It sounds like you want Frost to cosplay, not Frost herself. But then again…” Res placed a hand on her chin, then stuck a thumb out inquisitively. “Hmm. I could use Frost as an excellent subject matter for the occasion. A seasonal painting starring Frost would be good. The Artists of Objet D’ Art would call it an instant masterpiece. Not that I’d let them keep it in their Galleries.”

“I think it’d be fun if we could bake something together, Frost. I’m not so good as baking as I am at cooking, so this is a good excuse for me to make some sweets. The Healers would go wild too if they saw you.”

“… You have a point. I’m more afraid of the Black Wings if I’m being honest.” Frost sighed, but ended up smiling. It never really bothered her at all in the first place, and she was happy to hear that they didn’t mind this form, aside from Cer.

Although, it seemed that Cer didn’t truly mind either. It was moreso her antics and her phase of the moon that took over.

Transformations for Frost was a strange subject. She was a primordial girl from a distant past, a man from two different worlds, the Captured Star born from the ideality, hopes, dreams, despairs and nightmares of humanity, ‘Frost’, and now, this thing.

There were times when it became hard to differentiate between herself and someone else in a past she couldn’t dream to understand. Others, when she lost sight of herself and became a monster.

Seeing them accept her over and over again and help face her inner demons allowed her to throw the covers off entirely.

She stopped swatting their hands away and allowed their warm hands to pat her head.

It was nothing like the cold hand that began her tragic spiral into madness when she first arrived in this world. And because of that, while she would prefer her body as the human ‘Frost’, in her heart she knew that it would not have destroyed her sense of self.

Never with friends like these.

* * *

It lasted for 32 hours, just like the past fluctuation of the Light. She was made to wear a variety of clothing, ranging from maid outfits, dresses, and cosplays of characters from Earthly media that Jury and Anna had recently discovered in the Eternal Library.

Maid Frost

Receptionist Frost

Delinquent Frost

Mother Frost

No one could leave Frost alone, even during meals. They’d constantly drive spoons into her mouth, feeding her like she was a child. Of all the things that she could have hated, this was the one that irked her the most.

Except when Jury did it, of course.

The Healers decorated Frost with flower wreathes, bouquets, and fruits. Normally, Frost would be able to hold everything at once. But now, she walked like a moving Christmas tree. Fruit dangled from her body, and the flowers became her leaves as she walked the streets, greeted and embraced by the White and Black Doves that she had taken her wing.

Frost couldn’t decide whether it was because they did it out of love, or if it was like how one would send a gift to hospitalized family member. Either way, their intentions were genuine, and it never failed to remind Frost of how many people were on her side no matter what happened to her.

Also, and as strange as it was to say, how many considered her family.

The prophecies lone destroyer of the world; a devourer of light and the stars; the one who will raze the world as they know it – to them, she was a parental figure, whether literally, metaphorically, allegorically, or however they wished to see her.

On that night she baked a batch of thousands of cupcakes with Ber, all the while Res painted the event beneath a cloudless night. Cer could be seen rallying the Healers, trying to determine which version of the Frost was the best, and which potential Frosts they’d love to see.

Jury kept close to Frost, as did Nav and Ignis. They stood shoulder by shoulder, the scent of baked goods in the air and the laughter of Healers and Moons as the ambience of their night.

Indeed, it didn’t matter who or what Frost became. She’d always be Frost, and always be accepted.

And likewise, the Moons and the Black Wings who had been ostracized and could not fit in with others found solace in this perfect paradise.

It was no wonder that they were willing to fight tooth and nail for the sake of protecting this place they could, with all their heart, call home.

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