Machina Arcanis: Two Worlds Collided-Chapter 185. S.O.S.

In the shade of a tree, Zetius grappled with the fundamentals of electromagnetics. The textbook was dense, detailing the complex physics of Maxwell's equations, but it was essential. He understood that elemental power wasn't just an act of will; it was a force of nature bound by rigid laws. To command lightning, he had to master those laws first. But knowledge was only the foundation. The true spark of an arcanist was creativity, the ability to innovate beyond the textbook. That was how he would command the Astrapyrion without inflicting damage on himself.

“Wind turbines?” Zetius squinted, frowning at an image of a large fan, tens of metres tall, which claimed it could generate free electrical power as the wind blew. “Have you ever seen one of these?” he asked Aurelia, who was sipping hot cocoa beside him. The two were sharing a large picnic blanket with a variety of snacks laid out between them.

Aurelia scrambled closer. “Let me see,” she beamed, inspecting the diagram.

“Nope. I think that was an old sham from, like, five hundred years ago,” Aurelia said, lightly tapping her cheek. “Since brilliant scientists discovered the Arcanite power, we’ve surpassed that inefficient phase of clean energy,” she clarified happily.

“Hm, I see,” Zetius nodded.

“You got a question written all over your face, Zeta?” Aurelia asked, tilting her head, her eyes wide with curiosity.

“Well, how do I explain this?” Zetius pondered, folding his arms. “Coils of metal rotate within an array of magnets. It’s called the principle of electromagnetic induction. We learned about this somewhere when we were kids, right?”

“Correct! I remember his name… um… It was Michael Faraday! That’s ancient history, maybe somewhere in the 1800s,” Aurelia exclaimed excitedly.

Zetius watched her in awe. “Oh. So you did pay attention in class, Aurelia.”

“And you did not!” Aurelia chuckled, and her laugh was contagious enough to make Zetius chuckle too.

“I never thought I had to, to be honest…” Zetius muttered under his breath, a subtle hint of loss colouring his expression. His gaze grew distant, settling on the park, made into a training range. Over there, Frain, Cubie, and Astrid were engaged in intense training. Astrid barked a command, her voice deep and military-like.

***

“Hemileos!” Frain summoned a single-bevelled axe, its blade roughly the size of her head, unlike the oversized battle axe she used to wield. Yet, Frain’s expression lit up as she admired her new weapon.

Astrid gave her a look of satisfied approval. “Great work. See how quickly you summon it?”

“Yes, Lunarius”, Frain replied, dismissing her axe before re-summoning it again. The arc weapon materialised, its handle falling neatly into her palm.

“Way to go, Frain! Hemileos seems to be bonding well with you!” Cubie chirped, rolling around in the air near her. Frain shot a toothy smile at Cubie, lifting her axe into a throwing stance with a loose grip.

“Now, Cubie, cast a target at roughly one hundred metres,” Astrid commanded.

“Yes~sir, Drill Sergeant!” Cubie responded.

“Frain, are you ready?” Astrid asked.

“Yes, Drill Sergeant!” Frain replied, her tone crisp and clear.

“Focus now, Sister Frain!” Cubie chirped, floating away to create some distance before she began to buzz.

“Cubie!” she chanted, shooting multiple beams of light out from her form. Circular plates, identical to the exterior of an Armatus unit, manifested in thin air, their surfaces glowing with the same faint blue light as Cubie.

“YAAAA!” Frain yelled, aiming and throwing her axe. It spun through the air at incredible speed and struck one of the targets dead centre.

“Woooo! Bulleye!” Cubie cheered, bumping her metallic form against Frain’s offered fist.

“More targets remain! Keep practising!” Astrid bellowed, her voice deep. It seemed her training regimen had borne fruit. Cubie was mastering her manifestation of machine parts, and Frain's integration of her innate lioness strength, ‘Leontokratía’, was excelling further with the Hemileos axe.

Pleased with their progress, Astrid stepped away to rejoin the others at the picnic.

***

A small hand fell on his shoulder. “Zeta…” Aurelia whispered, concerned.

“It’s nothing. I just need to learn to wield this power effectively,” Zetius vowed, his voice resolute.

“And I’ll be here cheering you on, always!” Aurelia beamed, adjusting his upturned collar. Her hands brushed against his neck, and he flinched slightly.

“Th~thank you,” Zetius returned with an awkward smile.

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“Ahem!” Astrid cleared her throat loudly, hinting at her presence. Before they could turn to acknowledge her, the large, burly warrior had already scooted between the couple.

“Hey! We were sitting here,” Aurelia groaned with a hostile hiss.

“It’s cold. Better to stay cosy,” Astrid replied nonchalantly. “Is that a chocolate cookie?” Her hand reached out intrusively for the prize. It was the last one on the plate.

Slap!

Aurelia slapped her hand away, but Astrid only grunted, unfazed.

“Not for you! I was keeping that for Zetius!” Aurelia scolded, her eyes wide with sternness.

“Zeta, you don’t want it, right?” Astrid asked, grinning.

“Nah, take it if you want,” Zetius replied, already resuming his reading.

“Zeta!” Aurelia exclaimed, utterly dismayed as Astrid gobbled up the coveted prize, ignoring her opponent's tearful glare.

***

“Begone!” Frain roared, swinging Hemileos with full force.

Instantaneously, Cubie shouted, “Nerf this!” and shot out a beam of energy, creating a giant, convex-shaped barrier.

The handle of the spinning axe collided with the outwardly curved surface, causing a thunderous bang.

CLANGGG!

The axe ricocheted and spun wildly toward a group of people walking nearby, namely Triss, Cartier, and Friederich. They seemed to be immersed in their conversation, completely unaware of the sharp projectile hurtling towards them.

“Holy moly!” Cubie exclaimed.

“Watch out!” Frain called out in a panic.

“Ahhh!?” Triss yelped, but Friederich had already moved in front of her, the Lampos blade appearing in his hands.

SHINNNGGGG!

Masterfully, Friederich angled his blade overhead, parrying the axe perfectly and knocking it down to lodge, quivering, in the dirt.

“Who threw this!?” Friederich yelled angrily, his usual calm demeanour gone. Triss and Cartier clung to his clothes, clearly freaked out.

The ruckus turned Zetius’s head toward the source. He grinned mischievously. “Well, well, well. Looks like Friederich has found his own little family,” he quipped, causing Astrid to chuckle under her breath. Meanwhile, Aurelia was already jogging towards Friederich with a concerned look.

Slowly, shamefaced, Frain raised her hand. “I did…”

“But Cubie, you made that curvy target! Don't go anywhere!” she shouted, attempting to shift some of the blame to Cubie, who was already zipping back toward the picnic spot.

“Frain's about to bully me!” Cubie claimed dishonestly, hiding behind Zetius.

Frain outstretched her hands and called for Hemileos. The axe vibrated with mystical energy before dislodging itself from the ground and snapping back into her palm. Then, she stomped over to confront Cubie.

Zetius slipped between them, playing the role of de-escalator for their banter. “Hey, hey! Don’t fight, you two!” he ordered in his husky tone. One arm pushed gently against Frain’s collarbone, the other held up against Cubie’s cube-shaped form.

After a moment, Cartier approached Frain, studying the outline of the axe. Its surface had a dull, silver appearance, engraved with an intricate vine pattern. A jade-like crystal was emblazoned at the connection point between the handle and the axe head. The haft itself was made from Phantom Wood, its deep crimson hue a dead giveaway.

“Whoa… This is a unique artefact!” she exclaimed, her earlier fear replaced by a surge of academic curiosity.

Frain raised her axe high. “This is Hemileos! The axe favoured by Artemis, the goddess of the hunt!” she roared in a mock-serious tone.

Cartier chuckled at the theatrical performance. “That's not completely factual. It seems you only have half of the axe.”

Studying the side profile of the axe, Frain blinked. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, the goddess Artemis was often depicted using a double-bevelled axe called a Labrys. In your case, 'Hemi' translates to 'half'. So you've only got half of the power!” Cartier enlightened the lioness with a grin.

“Oh, man…” Frain’s shoulders slumped.

“It’s alright, Frain,” Astrid said solemnly, squeezing Frain’s shoulder. “The real power comes from you. The axe is merely a tool.”

“Stand proud. You are strong, sister,” Cubie cheered, mimicking the famous quote as she perched on her head.

“Little Cartier,” Triss said with a nudge, signalling for her to continue.

“Miss Frain! I didn’t mean to offend you! Half of a divine power is plenty!” she blurted, taking the hint. “I apologise for my intrusion!” She bowed apologetically.

“I accept your apology, Cartier!” Frain beamed, dismissing her axe. It disintegrated into specks of light.

The reverberating stomp of marching boots announced the arrival of a group of fully armoured arcanists, almost thirty strong.

What’s going on? Zetius thought. The sigil of an amber flame on their capes gave away their identity.

“The Flame of Aries,” Zetius muttered, recalling them from the arena.

“Lunarius Astrid!” they bellowed sharply, quickening their pace as they spotted their leader. One of them shouted, relaying the message back through their ranks, “We've found her! The Prime Guardian is here, too!”

“Hey!” Astrid waved, appearing more nonchalant than the situation seemed to warrant.

“Lunarius Astrid! Listen, we've got a big problem!” one of the Flames blurted out, panting.

“Okay… What in Gaia's name is going on?” Astrid eyed them questioningly. Aurelia and the others gathered around, intrigued.

“The Umbral Dunkelheit has launched a full assault on the nation of Thylin!” a voice rang out from the side, unmistakably that of Lunarius Severan.

A collective gasp echoed through the group, and dread spread across their faces like wildfire.

“I'll take it from here, boys,” the man with the moustache said to the Flame of Aries, who bowed in response.

Lunarius Severan stepped off his floating platform, flanked by two flying constructs.

“Lunarius Severan, what did you just say?” Aurelia asked, her expression confused.

“I just got off the comms with your father. The Zeigerlich battlecruiser is stationed at the northern border, and soon it will engage in direct battle.” He clarified, raising three fingers. “Three massive enemy battlecruisers, to be exact.”

The air grew thick. Aurelia stumbled back, her face drained of all colour. She had always known this day might come, but she never thought it would be so soon, or so aggressive. Especially not after the Umbral had just conquered Tabit.

Zetius felt dazed, his gut twisting and churning. “Sandria… Oh, no…”