Extra's Descent-Chapter 162: Brandon Locke [4]
On the day of the calamity.
September 9, 2148.
Rumble… Rumble…
The building shook intensely. Debris fell from the ceiling.
Passed out on the ground, and unable to conjure any mana, small debris grazed all over Brandon's body. His uniform had tears and with light cuts underneath.
Whiii—
All of a sudden, a portal materialized in the room. A figure emerged, with wheat blonde hair, and hazel-brown eyes, adorning a black dress that seemed to accentuate her curves.
"Whew."
Ciel breathed out a sigh of relief.
"The coordinates are correct."
She used a device that was given to her by Jin.
A dimensional ring.
A ring that activates a portal, with set coordinates. Once used, it won't be available for use for 240 hours.
Ciel had a special skill.
[Tracking]
She could find anyone she sets her mind to. Just as long as she had already met the person.
Partnered with the dimensional ring, she could open up a portal that's set in the same location as the person she's looking for.
"Uh…?"
Glancing down, what greeted her sight was the familiar figure of the man with pale-white hair, laying on the ground.
Rumble… Rumble…
Despite the intense tremors, Ciel remained calm. The quaking wasn't enough to ring her danger alarms.
"...Why is he here?"
For some reason, she was in the changing room.
She hadn't expected this at all.
But what she did expect was for Brandon to be passed out.
After all, from what she knew, the mana influx would permeate the air.
For this reason, any person capable of harnessing mana would slowly integrate the mana within their cores.
Yes, gradually, mages and duelists all over the world would get stronger at an astonishing rate.
But for system users—
"Sovereigns."
But for Sovereign's they would instantly integrate all of the mana into their core. This meant that their body would enhance itself in that instant.
With such a reason, the system would unravel itself, unveiling its true self.
The Sovereign's Will.
Fixing her attention on the passed out Brandon, it seemed like the integration process had started.
"...Is he an idiot?"
She tilted her head.
It wasn't the right time to start the integration process. Especially so, due to the chaos happening around them.
If she hadn't made it on time, Brandon would get buried under all the debris.
…Ultimately leading to his death.
But she couldn't blame him. He didn't know what an integration process entailed.
He must've thought it was a powerup or some sort.
But truth be told, Ciel didn't have the Sovereign's Will.
Just that, she was Jin's most trusted person. His right hand, and the person he had entrusted to lead the Primordials.
According to Jin, Brandon should be well aware of who she was.
And for Ciel, she knew the boy quite well.
Just…
"Not the current one."
She shook her head.
She was tasked to find him.
Seeing Jin's reaction to the sudden mana influx, Ciel knew she had to hurry up and find Brandon.
If someone as strong as Jin had reacted that way, then how bad was Brandon's state?
It seemed like things weren't looking good for him as he passed out on the ground.
"For the other one…"
She shook her head.
Jin had told her to leave him alone. At the moment, Brandon was alone. She was the only one who could save him.
"...!"
All of a sudden, a blinding light emitted from Brandon. His mana started leaking out.
Boom—! Boom—!
The mana around him thrashed around the room. Cracks expanded, and holes etched on the wall.
"His mana is unstable."
With such thoughts, Ciel crouched down. Extending her hand, she traced the unconscious Brandon's nape, slowly maneuvering her way down his back.
Mana started pouring out from Ciel, and coalesced with Brandon.
She didn't have the Sovereign's Fragment. Nor did she have the Sovereign's Will.
But what she did have was a fraction of Jin's power.
And thus, her mana was purer than most mages. But not as pure as a Sovereign Fragment's mana.
Realizing that she had managed to stabilize Brandon's mana, Ciel pulled her hand away.
"Haaa…"
She took a deep breath.
Just that act alone strained her mana core.
But at the moment, the stabilization process was a success.
Clearly, Brandon was unstable at the moment. If he were around other people…
They would most likely suffer from mana poisoning.
He was a hazard to regular mages at the moment.
For that reason, Ciel lifted Brandon's body, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
Then, she returned to the portal with the unconscious Brandon, and emerged on the other side.
"Haaa…"
He was heavy. And so, she immediately set his arms free.
Thump!
But with the lack of care, Brandon forcefully laid on the ground.
"Oh no."
She covered her mouth in shock, realizing what she had just done.
Flustered, Ciel crouched down and lifted his body up once again, gently laying him down on the bed.
The location she was in, was none other than the Primordials' base. In particular, where the seated members would gather.
At the moment, it was the safest place Brandon could be.
It was built to withstand all sorts of earthquakes. And with the powerful seated members around, its defenses were impenetrable.
Not like anyone could find the base in the first place.
They operated covertly, under the public's eye.
But truth be told, each Primordials member operated undercover in the government.
Exhausted from giving her mana, Ciel slumped down on the side of the bed.
She had an abundance of mana. But the Sovereign's Will demanded way too much that even Ciel hadn't expected it.
"Haaa… H-haaa…"
Taking heavy breaths, Ciel rested for several minutes before deciding it was time to leave.
Walking towards the door, she took a good look at the resting Brandon.
"Heh. Despite how old you look, you're still the same child from back then."
The same…
With that thought, Ciel's expressions contorted into a sorrowful look.
For how long the integration process would last, she had no idea.
But she was willing to help him whenever he became unstable like earlier.
That being said, Ciel left the room.
*
September 10, 2148.
The next day.
Rumble… Rumble…
Despite the fact that the tremors had already stopped, the building shook.
However, the epicenter of the quaking was obvious to everyone present in the building.
"Ciel, the hell is going on?"
Perplexed, one of the seated members asked Ciel.
"Is it him?"
"Yeah, I'll deal with it."
Ciel nodded and sprinted through the halls of the building.
Clank—!
The door abruptly opened, and the same scenario from yesterday occurred.
A blinding light emitted from Brandon. The room shook intensely. But despite that, there was no damage to the room.
It seemed like Brandon's mana had become unstable again.
Realizing, Ciel neared the unconscious Brandon and started the process.
Rumble… Rumble… Rumb…
After a few minutes, she had finally managed to stabilize him.
"Haa…"
Exhausted, Ciel almost stumbled, but supported her weight with her hand as she leaned on the bed.
"How long is this gonna take?"
It's been a day since she had brought Brandon here.
And not once had he woken up.
But thankfully, he was still alive.
Ciel rested for a few minutes before deciding to leave the room.
Tak. Tak.
Walking around the halls, the sound of her heels clicking on the marbled floors echoed.
"Good afternoon, Ciel."
She had passed by one of the seated members.
"To you as well, Kael."
With red hair and green eyes, Kael. The Sixth Seat.
Gazing ahead, Kael asked.
"Is this going to happen everyday?"
"...I have no idea."
Ciel shook her head at Kael's question.
She really had no idea.
The conversation ended there. Most Primordial members were busy at the moment.
After all, most of them worked for the government. But truthfully, they worked for Jin.
At the moment, the sky was still split apart. And though the tremors had stopped, humanity was in a perilous situation.
Most of the members worked to mitigate the dire affairs of humanity at the moment.
And since Ciel was tasked to look out for Brandon, she couldn't leave the base.
*
September 28, 2148.
Rumble…. Rumble….
The same scenario had occurred everyday. In fact, it seemed like the frequency increased with each passing day.
And whenever Brandon's mana became unstable, Ciel would stabilize him.
Small cracks had already appeared in the room. Evident of the frequency of his instability.
*
October 12, 2148.
Rumble… Rumble…
*
October 29, 2148.
Rumble… Rumble…
The cracks had already expanded. Small holes started appearing all over the walls.
The frequency of Brandon's instability had significantly increased.
Ciel could count that it would happen at least 16 times in a single day.
For this reason, Ciel was severely exhausted. Bags were evident under her eyes.
*
November 22, 2148.
Rumble… Rumble…
And the same scenario occurred.
"Haa… Haaaa…."
Ciel couldn't take it anymore.
"When the hell is he going to wake up?"
*
December 12, 2148.
Rumble… Rumble…
It was the same with each passing day.
"Each… passing… day…. Haaa…."
*
January 6, 2149.
The new year had already passed.
But Brandon had yet to wake up.
Looking at him, his hair had already grown quite long.
The frequency increased even more.
At least, 29 times in a single day.
But Ciel was already used to handling the situation.
But still, she was tired.
Really tired.
*
February 14, 2149.
Rumble… Rumble…
*
March 1, 2149.
"Damn it. Just wake up!"
*
April 22, 2149.
.
.
June 1, 2149.
