Chapter 73: A Glimpse Of Ruin Part Two

Arthur’s vision seemed glitchy as his body slammed into the sand.

He dropped to his knees, both hands sinking into the warm grains as his breathing became ragged, eyes widened in shock.

"What...?"

He looked down.

Someone was lying in his arms.

Long dark green hair spilled across his forearm.

A familiar face rested against his chest.

Lyra.

Her eyes were open and lifeless.

Her body was completely limp.

There was blood across her combat suit, her skin, and her hair. Her face was pale, and there was no sign that she was breathing.

Arthur froze.

"...Lyra?"

His voice came out barely above a whisper.

He stared at her face.

"No."

His hands immediately moved to her shoulders.

"Lyra?"

Nothing.

Arthur shook her gently.

"Lyra, wake up."

Nothing.

His breathing became faster.

"Come on..."

He shook her again, harder this time.

"Wake up."

Still nothing.

Arthur’s hands began trembling.

"No, no, no..."

He pulled her closer against his chest.

"Lyra, please."

His voice cracked.

"Please wake up."

Tears began forming in his eyes.

"You can’t die."

His grip tightened around her.

"You can’t..."

Arthur lowered his head until his forehead touched hers.

"Please..."

His voice trembled violently.

"Don’t leave me."

Nothing.

Arthur’s breathing hitched.

"LYRAAAA!"

Then the world around him suddenly distorted.

VSHHHHHHHHH!

The entire scene disappeared.

Arthur found himself somewhere else.

He was sitting inside a large metallic chamber.

His body was restrained against a massive machine, several cables connected directly to the Neural Link at the base of his neck.

Arthur looked around.

Before he could understand what was happening, footsteps echoed through the chamber.

An Iron Angel officer walked toward him.

She stopped in front of Arthur.

"You have been deemed a dangerous threat to the Empire."

Her voice was completely emotionless, her red eyes glowing.

"As such, you will be executed... Han Seo-jun."

Arthur’s eyes widened.

Everything went black.

VSHHHHHHH!

Arthur suddenly gasped.

His eyes snapped open.

He was back in his room.

Arthur lurched forward, one hand gripping the edge of his bed as he struggled to breathe.

Sweat covered his face.

His entire body was trembling.

Genesis immediately flew toward him.

?Master! Are you alright?!?

Eclipsion hovered beside her, his mechanical eye rapidly scanning Arthur.

?Neural activity is extremely elevated.?

?Heart rate is significantly elevated.?

Arthur didn’t respond.

He simply stared at the floor, breathing heavily.

Genesis moved closer.

?Master??

Arthur finally looked up.

His face was pale.

"...I’m fine."

But even as he said it, his trembling hands told a different story.

Arthur slowly forced himself to breathe.

In.

Out.

He placed one hand against his chest and concentrated on his breathing, deliberately slowing it down as he tried to calm himself.

It took several moments, but the trembling in his hands gradually subsided.

Arthur lowered his head and remained silent for a while.

His mind kept replaying fragments of what he had seen.

The Iron Angel cadets screaming as they ran for their lives.

Lyra lying lifeless in his arms.

The blood.

The fear.

The metallic chamber.

And that name.

Han Seo-jun.

Arthur slowly looked up.

"Genesis."

She hovered in front of him.

?Yes, Master??

Arthur hesitated for a moment.

"You saw everything I saw, right?"

Genesis nodded.

?Affirmative. I observed the entire vision.?

Arthur’s expression became slightly more serious.

"You recorded it?"

?Affirmative. A complete recording of the vision has been saved. Do you wish to review it??

Arthur immediately shook his head.

"I don’t want to watch it again right now."

?Understood.?

Arthur leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes for a moment.

There was no point in forcing himself to watch it again while he was still shaken.

After a few seconds, he opened his eyes.

"But you saw everything clearly."

?Correct.?

Arthur rubbed his chin.

"Then can you figure out the context behind what I saw?"

Genesis tilted her head slightly.

?I can attempt to analyze the information contained within the vision.?

Arthur nodded.

"Do that."

He paused.

"Try to figure out when those events could happen. And if possible..."

Arthur’s expression became more focused.

"...where they could happen."

Genesis remained silent for a moment as her eyes glowed faintly.

?Understood, Master. I will analyze the available information and attempt to determine the likely context, location, and temporal relationship of the observed events.?

Arthur nodded.

"Good."

For several seconds, Genesis remained silent.

Arthur sat on the edge of his bed, his breathing finally beginning to settle. The trembling in his hands had mostly stopped, though the memory of what he had seen was still fresh in his mind.

Then Genesis spoke.

?Master, I have completed my preliminary analysis.?

Arthur looked toward her.

"Already?"

?The vision contained several identifiable details that significantly narrow down the possible circumstances.?

Arthur straightened slightly.

"Then tell me what you found."

Genesis’s expression remained serious.

?First, I was able to determine approximately when the events in the vision occurred.?

Arthur’s eyes narrowed.

"When?"

?During your second year at the Imperial Academy.?

Arthur froze for a moment.

"...My second year?"

?Affirmative.?

Genesis raised one small hand, and a holographic image appeared beside her.

It showed the inside of Agis’s cockpit from the vision.

Near the edge of the image, a small silver emblem was visible, faintly reflecting the cockpit’s interior lighting.

?The silver medal visible inside Agis’s cockpit is the primary indicator.?

Arthur stared at it.

He remembered seeing the same silver marking on the uniforms and equipment of second-year cadets.

?The Imperial Academy uses the silver medal to identify second-year cadets. Since the marking was visible on your equipment during the vision, it provides a reliable temporal reference.?

Arthur slowly nodded.

"So at some point during my second year..."

?Correct.?

Arthur leaned forward slightly.

"What about the others? The Iron Angels."

?Your connection with them provides another important clue.?

Genesis brought up another image.

?You were maintaining a telepathic connection with the Iron Angels throughout the engagement. This strongly suggests that you had been assigned as their Riki Handler.?

Arthur’s expression changed slightly.

"A rookie Riki Handler."

?Most likely.?

She paused briefly.

?However, the deployment itself presents several inconsistencies.?

Arthur frowned.

"What kind?"

?The forces visible in the vision did not appear to constitute a full-scale fleet deployment. There were too few vessels, too few personnel, and no visible superior officers commanding the operation.?

Arthur’s eyes narrowed.

"So either it was a test..."

?Or a small-scale mission.?

"Neither sounds particularly unusual for cadets."

?Correct. The unusual part is what happened afterward.?