Arcana

Chapter 7

Everything was white then there was darkness.

The pupils that were once constricted began to dilate in response to the pitch black surrounding.

He couldn't move his body due to an inexplicable fatigue that assailed every part of him.

But still, Seth knew he was alive. His breathing was normal and his heart still beating. It was just his body that refused to obey his commands.

He was probably lying down on the ground, his back pressed on a surface that was both hard and cold.

There was nothing he could do at this point. A lot of questions surfaced in his mind but he didn't have the energy to think.

It was only a matter of time until he succumbed into the darkness and entered deep slumber.

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He opened his eyes, revealing his emerald pupils that were somewhat exhausted.

Rather than the extreme fatigue that he felt before, Seth could feel something coursing through his veins. He felt energized but it was quite different from being energized by a good and long sleep.

Something extraordinary happened to his body but being the realist that he was, Seth dismissed it as something trivial. What he needed to do right now was to find out what happened to them and respond to the situation accordingly.

The interior of the facility was quite dark but the window panes, installed at the topmost part of some of the walls, provided enough lighting that Seth could more or less see what was in front of him.

It was a failure huh...

He sighed dejectedly.

The very first teleportation attempt yielded no results. The machines that were sprawled around the floor, the bundles of wires and cables, the slightly rusted roof, everything was still the same.

It was a 50% chance of success, but still he had high hopes for it.

"I guess, I'm back to zero again."

Seth couldn't help but smile wryly. The line that was uttered for so many times that it may soon become his official catchphrase, escaped from his lips. For him that focused solely on experimental researches, failure in almost every prototype runs were inevitable so he needn't brood over it.

Most importantly, what he needed to do right now was to analyze the situation at hand.

He narrowed his eyes, allowing him to view his surroundings more clearly, and saw the one he was supposed to take care of.

It was Lily lying on the ground in a somewhat awkward position. She was lying face down with her behind, a little bit elevated than the rest of her body.

"Uhmm... Lily are you okay?

Seth inquired as he approached Lily, occasionally snickering. It was quite a weird transition from her original sitting position.

No answer was heard which made him worried but as soon as he was right beside the sprawled Lily, a soft sound of sleeping tickled his ears. A wry smile escaped from his lips amidst that spectacle.

She was sleeping so peacefully even though positioned in an unusual way, nevertheless Seth knew that letting her sleep on the ground wouldn't end well. So without further ado, he princess carried her, careful not to wake her up in the process.