Chapter 7: Collapse (II)

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–6:20 am–

The door flung open as Arthur came inside his room. His room was fairly big, around 350 square feet. It was a rather simple room in aesthetic, however, just a single step inside relaxed his nerves, simplicity marrying comfort in a perfect harmony. 

The room was bathed in a palette of soft neutrals, the walls painted in warm tones of cream and accented by subtle hints of taupe. The flooring was dark in colour and rich in exposure, adding a touch of sophistication, coupled with a plush area filled with rugs in shades of ivory and charcoal.

Minimalist artwork adorned the walls, each piece carefully chosen to add visual interest without overwhelming the space. 

A pair of floor-to-ceiling windows lined one side of the room, while sheer curtains in a soft linen fabric draped over it. 

The giant grey sofa just in front of the window was accentuated further due to the one sitting on it. It was Astrid, wearing a white comfy night pyjama that covered her whole body. Atop her dress, she was wearing a purple-coloured open sweater. 

A small laptop rested on her thighs as she had placed her legs on the table in front of her, her fingers rapidly tapping against the keyboard. Her forehead had a deep frown on it and her eyes focused as her feet juddered left and right anxiously. 

Arthur glanced over in her direction, and the look in his eyes softened. "Astrid."

"Ehh–Huh?! Arthur—" Panicking, she looked up and stood immediately. The laptop resting on her thighs fell down and landed to the side on the carpet. "Oh for fuc— Sorry, sorry. Just let me pick it up. I will be back with you in a sec!" Awkwardly, she stooped down and picked it up, inspecting each and every inch of it. 

Arthur smiled slightly, shaking his head. His gaze then flicked towards his bed. "I see you've been making good use of my bed." He spoke, his tone amused. 

"Well—" Astrid started to speak, quickly tapping a few keys on her laptop before closing the lid with a loud thud. "—I was waiting for you to come back and let me know where I could stay. You didn't return the whole night so I just slept on your bed." She spoke and raised her arms. "I mean, you don't expect me to stay up all night waiting for you, right?"

"Yeah. Not really." Arthur replied, a playful look on his face as he walked over to her. His hair was still damp from the water sprinkled all over him after his training. "I was a bit busy. A few things came up." He continued and stood in front of her. 

She was a tall girl for her age, standing at just 2 inches shorter than him at 172 cm. As she looked up, Arthur let his body fall to the side, landing into the plush embrace of the warm sofa. As his body plopped up and down, Astrid turned around and looked back at him. 

"God— Arthur. What happened to you? Your arm isn't supposed to look like this." Astrid suddenly took notice, his one arm visibly longer than the other. Sitting down on the floor, just beside him, she grabbed his arm with both her hands. 

"'Tis but a scratch." Arthur smirked at her. 

"Not funny." She snapped angrily, and poked her finger into his collarbone. 

"Oww–" 

Arcanum flickered to life inside her body. 

The human body had multiple 「Nodes」 that acted as Checkpoints for the 「Magic Activation」

In simpler terms, the entirety of the human body was a 「Magic Circuit」 . And Arcanum flowed inside this magic circuit just like the electrochemical signals in the nervous system. The Heart was literally the "The Heart of Magic Circuit" as a person's mana supply originated from the main node that was located inside the heart. 

Although a person's technique or magic type was engraved inside the brain, the fuel needed to manifest that magic or in more relevant terms, Arcane Arts, came from the heart. This also leads to the fact that a naturally gifted person would be faster in casting their Arcane Arts, since cognitive abilities are closely related to neural impulses. 

And this electrochemical signal from one Node to another is—in most cases—directly proportional to one's inherent neural impulse speed. 

「Phase 1 — Reconstruct— Variation: Ossiculum 」

Astrid's hands glowed in a dull white light as she placed one over Arthur's arm and the other over his collarbone. Her touch was warm against the oddly frigid surface of his skin. 

The barely visible tendrils of white energy hummed with a subdued tone, as if whispering to itself. Like a parasite, it clung on to Arthur's arm and then dug its way into it. Arthur's brows creased for a fraction of an inch as it stuck to the node inside his arm and then increased in speed, shooting upwards like a torpedo. 

With a sharp snap, his arm jolted back into alignment, almost as if it were being guided by an unseen hand. At the same time, the shards of fractured bone appeared to be attracted back together, fitting snugly into their original positions like pieces of jigsaw. 

As the bones realigned, a faint sheen of light enveloped the injured area, forming a protective barrier. 

Like a forbidden seal in myths, a circle aligned upwards from Astrid's hands before shrinking and entering inside his arm. The following moment, with a loud crack and pop, his arm had returned to its former glory. Completely unscathed. 

Looking up, Arthur saw the beads of sweat lining Astrid's face as she fell back on her bum, heaving out heavy breaths. "Ooof— that was hard." She exclaimed, the subtle light enveloping her hands flickering out of life. Arthur tilted forward, pulling his sleeve upwards until it covered half of his palm. Extending his hand forward, he wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Wha—"

"Sorry for overworking you." Arthur spoke, his voice as soft as a calming lullaby. 

Astrid shifted, "Eh-hehe. No worries." She smiled, the corner of her eyes crinkling. "Even if it wasn't my duty, I would've done it regardless." She spoke and then lowered her head, the heavy volume of her hair falling down and obscuring her features. "For you."

"What was that?"

"Should've heard it the first time, haha." She replied with a glee, flashing her pearls as Arthur groaned before sinking into the couch. 

His eyes traced along the wooden bookshelves that extended from the door to the other end of the room, completely filled with books. Astrid stood up and sat a seat away from Arthur.

"Oh, by the way, what about your exams?" Arthur asked, pressing his fingers against his eyes. 

"Online." Astrid replied nonchalantly. "I was happy I didn't have to give it. But it turns out due to some emergency in the area around where our school was, the exams are now online." She complained, her pale blue eyes carrying a look of pure horror as she messed her hair with both her hands, disheveling them. "I only have a week to prepare for that."

Arthur looked to the side, over his shoulder. "You'll be fine." He spoke, Astrid's complaints oddly amusing him. "You have me."

Astrid stared at him for a while, dumbfounded, before letting out a laugh. Slapping his shoulder, she spoke. "Of course, I do." A bright look formed on her face. "I always do."

"Orrrr- you can just cheat on it."

"Come on!" Astrid groaned. "Don't say this stuff right after when I was thinking you said something sweet."

"Sorry." 

"Hmph." She looked the other way. Arthur kept looking at her for a brief moment, visibly amused. 

"Hmm." Humming to himself, Arthur looked away from her and then at the window that was on the backside. Using his two fingers he pinched the soft fabric and pulled it to the side. It was 8 in the morning and pitch-black outside. Since it was the end of November, the duration of nights had extended to 18 hours. Coupled with the clouds covering the sky, it made it nigh impossible to look without any artificial light. 

"Uhh, Arthur?"

"Yeah?"

"I have a request."

Peeling his eyes away from the clouds, Arthur looked at Astrid. 

"Speak away."

"Well, you know— it's my first time in Bergen and such, sooooooooooo~" She fiddled with her thumbs, squirming as she tried to formulate her words. "Can you show me around? I really want to explore this place."

Arthur raised a brow and then both of them, finally understanding what was going on. "Oh. I forgot you like adventuring around in new places." 

"Grrrr—" She growled. Rolling her eyes, she took a deep breath and then shrugged it off. "Yeah, basically that. So? Can you?" 

"Yeah." He replied, grabbing a hold of his foot and pulling it back, stretching it. "We can leave in an hour or two. The sun would be up by then." He spoke as he looked from the small gap in the curtains, "If it doesn't rain that is."