Machina Arcanis: Two Worlds Collided-Chapter 262. Soaring

262. Soaring 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The hull shuddered as the thrusters roared to life, propelling tonnes of metal frame into the sky.

Zetius found himself sweating, despite the cockpit’s perfect air-conditioning. Soft blue light illuminated his angelic visage, but his expression remained imperceptible. Anxiety? Excitement? Thrills? He couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

For all these months, not a day had passed that he didn’t feel the creeping darkness. A slight discomfort stirred inside him; he could ignore it at times, but it was always there, lurking.

Now, he understood what it was. The impending doom. The knowledge that his former master still roamed free, orchestrating malice. The crafty old man had been hunkering in the dark, plotting and manipulating events as though he were a master puppeteer.

And now…

Now is the first time I feel like I’m in the lead.

Thanks to Cartier and her web of intelligent scribes, the board had changed. A smirk touched his face, widening until—

A sudden ring of an incoming comm interrupted his thoughts.

“Zetius, I’ve got a hold of Mama and the others!” Cubie chirped, part playful, part serious.

Zetius shuffled in his seat, finding the sweet spot as he leaned back, his forearms resting on the cushioned armrests. “Ahem! Patch them through.”

“Is this thing on?” Astrid’s face filled the screen before she backed up to reveal the rest of the party. Friederich, clad in his white arc coat, sat behind a desk next to Aurelia.

“Hey, everyone!” Cubie greeted. Zetius simply followed with a wave, an amiable smile on his lips.

“Zetius, Cubie!” Aurelia chirped back, energetic in her tone.

Friederich and Astrid returned the wave, falling into their usual nonchalant stances. In terms of stoicism, those two were cut from the same cloth.

In the far corner of the feed, Willhelm had his back turned toward them, glancing out of a balcony and into the bright summer sky of Solis Aeternum. The man wore his brown cloak and signature wizard hat. As the party exchanged their affable greetings and pleasantries, he joined them with a charismatic grin.

Here were the people. The former disciples of Aries, of Ignius.

And today, they assembled to right their master’s wrongs.

“My disciple!” Willhelm bellowed enthusiastically. The elf didn't look a day older; he appeared exactly as he had the last day he left Borealis Castle.

“You look amazing,” Zetius couldn’t help but speak his mind.

“So do you, Zetius,” Willhelm countered, his words dripping with wit and charm.

“Except for the dark eye bags,” Astrid sneered, crossing her arms.

“Really?” Zetius touched his face gingerly.

“You look good, Zeta,” Astrid conceded with a smug look, causing Aurelia to giggle.

After a few minutes of casual conversation between friends who hadn’t spoken in months, the atmosphere warmed. It was like a homecoming — jovial and nostalgic. It surely took them back to the days when they were training together, trying to master the dual-casting technique.

There was a sudden pause as the party awkwardly glanced at one another.

“So… we heard…” Willhelm took the lead, while the others shuffled around uncomfortably. They were curious, yet no one dared to ask explicitly.

Zetius’s gaze fell to the metal deck. He took a brief moment to fill them in on the situation: the Battle of Britainia, the dawn of York, and finally, Aurora’s journey to the Underworld.

“She’ll return… She promised,” Zetius said, forcing the sorrow from his tone.

“She single-handedly destroyed whole battalions of demons in a matter of hours,” Astrid said, awe-struck, covering her mouth and nose. “Painting purple light on the walls across the town? Incredible!” She was clearly fascinated by his words and her own imagination.

“Definitely…” Friederich brushed his brow with a thumb. “The living blade of death, who can talk?” His blue eyes glimmered, an odd combination of disbelief and faith swelling in his chest.

“Right? I bet she’s got even more secret power under her Epopteia circle!” Aurelia jolted, clasping her hands, beaming fully with her eyes closed.

“If anyone could walk out of the Underworld, it’s her,” Willhelm announced firmly.

The rest nodded along in unison.

Zetius waited a few heartbeats for his friends to settle down. “Everyone, there’s a reason I called you today.” He cleared his throat, his tone shifting to solemnity.

He spent half an hour recapping Cartier’s findings, explaining what eventually led to his ongoing journey to a small town near the Alps: Valsorda.

“And we need your support!” Cubie concluded in a mock automated voice.

Simultaneously, Zetius extended an inviting palm and lowered his head slightly. “It’s an open invitation.”

Willhelm grinned, standing upright in his full grace. “It’s the perfect time for our rematch. Count me in.” He chuckled softly.

“We can’t let you lose again,” Astrid rolled her eyes at Willhelm and jumped to her feet. Her armour rattled, and her crimson cloak whipped to the side. “I can’t miss this one.” She already massaged her fists in anticipation.

Friederich reluctantly stood up, hesitation in his eyes as he looked at Zetius, then at Aurelia, and back at Zetius. He was torn between his duty as a prime guardian and the finale to end his master’s terror once and for all.

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“We’ll go!” Aurelia clapped her hands onto the table, pulling herself upward, resolved. Passion burned in her eyes. “Zetius, last time, you forbade me from joining the fight, and see how bad it turned out? You don’t get to decide—”

Zetius chuckled, which sent her into pure bafflement. She flustered, sweeping her eyes around, wondering what she had done wrong.

“You’re not objecting?” Aurelia asked sheepishly. Even Friederich frowned at his reaction.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Zetius said, his smile softening. “I need all of you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have called this meeting.”

The burning fire in his red eyes seared with passion. Raw. Intense.

“I have a plan. But for now, can I ask you to believe in me?” he asked in his husky voice.

There was no objection. Soon, the meeting was adjourned, and their destination was set to converge at Valsorda.

***

Cubie had calculated her optimal flight path based on her overly exaggerated impression of self-proclaimed ingenuity.

The coastline, a jagged stretch of dark rock beaches, loomed over the horizon. Zetius gazed further inland at the outline of the towering mountain ranges. Their white peaks pierced the clouds.

To the far west, city lights glowed amber, dotting the fortress's light port. It must have been massive to be visible from this distance. Even from here, their attention was captured by the sheer monstrosity of its impenetrable naval warfare capabilities and its aesthetically pleasing curves.

Cubie hummed. “The Fortress of Acropolis, the citadel of Montelia.”

The largest, most prestigious port in the world.

“So, this is where the Celestius of Aquarius resides. The place does match his radiance,” Zetius mused aloud, his hands lifting from his crossed arms to touch the stubble on his face. He chuckled to himself; he could already imagine Astrid’s lighthearted jabs about his grooming.

Soon, the Armatus Celer entered the inland airspace, flying over dense, dark green forests. Primarily spruce and larch trees alternated with flat grass terrains, spotted occasionally by small villages with houses located far apart. There weren't many main roads here, but he could spot the dirt routes threading throughout.

It was quite a peaceful, innocuous place. He felt a sense of tranquillity. He was at ease.

Or perhaps, this was the calm before the storm.

It was late afternoon when they arrived at Valsorda, a small town nestled at the bottom of the valley. The two-storey houses and buildings were arranged in an almost circular formation, with farming animals at the outer rim. The backdrop of the village was even more breathtaking; the towering mountain range of the Alps rose on either side.

In the distance, a silvery waterfall spilled out from the crevices covered in perpetual snow. Even the Armatus felt small in comparison.

It was utterly stunning. Although the waterfall wasn’t as grand as the riverfall of Hasenwald, it invoked a deep stir within his heart. Zetius found himself lingering on this scenic view as the Armatus lowered its altitude.

There was a jerk in his gut, though it didn’t bother him as a seasoned pilot.

“So, Ignius is hiding somewhere in the mountain ranges,” Zetius murmured, shifting his focus to the mission at hand.

“That’s correct. I’ve got some coordinates; it should be easy for us to do a flyby,” Cubie noted flatly.

“Sounds like as good a plan as any.” He twisted his neck back and forth to loosen up.

The Armatus Celer shifted. Mechanical parts whirred as hydraulic joints moved in and out, the wings retracting into its back compartment to form two long ionised blades. The mechanised giant executed a soft landing protocol on the empty ground.

A gust of wind blasted the blades of grass away.

The bleating of grazing animals, mostly sheep, echoed from the distance. The noise of the Arcanite engine had unavoidably stirred their peace.

Zetius stepped out from the open cockpit and landed after an eight-metre drop effortlessly.

“It’s cold!” Cubie floated down, her teeth chattering as she hugged herself.

The weather was chilly, and the occasional wind made it worse. Zetius’s arc coat provided some warmth, enough as long as it wasn’t sub-zero degrees Celsius.

“You don’t have to feel cold, you know,” Zetius eyed her. She was helpless — made herself helpless — by staying in humanoid form rather than her cube form.

“But what’s the point of not fully experiencing this? It’s such a beautiful place! It’s not like you take me on a trip very often, is it?” She pouted, knuckles pinning her hips.

“You seem to forget that we were confined… by the Empress’s order.” Zetius’s voice was a low groan. He shook his head as he walked toward the town, his boots ruffling the grass, undulating on the gently rolling nature of the floor. It looked flat, but not quite.

“Even when you got permission, you never brought me to Solis Aeternum.”

That jab really hurt. Zetius grimaced as if he had been sucker-punched in the gut.

“It’s…” Zetius sighed. “We were about to… After the Dreamless Realm’s journey.”

“Everything is a priority except my feelings.”

“The mission—” Zetius exhaled a long, long breath. He paused, hanging his head before turning to see Cubie’s defensive stance. She crossed her arms tight, crossed her legs, and simply floated behind him.

He knew he hadn’t been rich in availability since the Empress’s departure. His mission always came first, but he had lost sight of his humanity, something humane overlooked. Even when the world was on fire, he didn’t know if he would live to see tomorrow. He should have at least made some time for her, his daughter. He should’ve known the value of it; even one minute counted.

“I’m sorry.” His voice softened. “We haven’t been talking much recently, right?”

“Yes…” Her voice was smaller. There was guilt in her eyes, indicating she wanted time despite feeling awful about pecking him. “Sorry for nagging you about useless stuff—I’m just lonely…”

“Don’t be,” Zetius said softly, gently stroking her floating strand of hair, comforting her.

“I understand…” She hummed. “Triss’s intensive care. Cartier shut herself in the library while you’re working extra to hone your ability. I never felt so useless…”

“It’s not useless, Cubie. I’m sorry for missing out on you.” His apology was earnest.

Trauma affected those around us in a wide range of ways, more than he realised. And worst of all, it affected the one he thought was fine because of her cheerful front. He was wrong again. Cubie truly had a heart that was just as human as his, and it could bleed.

“Thanks for reminding me of this.” He said, a faint smile tugged at his lips.

“Um!” She hummed, radiant again.

“After this,” Zetius brushed his hand over hers, his voice firm and committed, “let’s do whatever you want to do. Everywhere you want to go.”

She wobbled her head, eagerness sparking in her glowing eyes like starlight. Reflective. Glassy.

“Let’s!” She clipped, lifting both fists up, her full, blue-toothed smile returning.

Their soft chuckles and chit-chat drifted through the wind as they entered through the gap between the two-storey houses. They were alpine-style wooden buildings with sloping roofs and overhanging eaves. Their upper floors were painted orange, which made the colour pop.

“Like a fairy tale!” Cubie chirped, her mood sunny now.

A few villagers in thick, warm wool dresses came out to wave at them. They were lovely, peaceful folks. Untouched by the threats around the world, it seemed.

Either the Fortress of Acropolis was as impeccable as they said, or Ignius really hid here and forbade the demons around this place to attract eyes. Zetius wanted to believe it was the latter. Cartier couldn’t be wrong. He trusted her with all his heart.

“Hello! Yellow!” Cubie greeted the villagers, affable and lovely.

Some drew close to study him before giggling sheepishly and running away like cute adolescents. Zetius noticed they were all goat Wildren, with very creamy-white hair. Under the right angle, their fur turned pinkish in the late afternoon light.

The pink-haired goat Wildren. There was one he knew — Lampi Capella, the Stellius of Capricorn under the tutelage of Lunarius Canis. He wondered if she was related to these villagers somehow.

I wonder where she is right now. She’s really lovely. His mind drifted again.

They journeyed further south to the town square at the centre, where Vivian said the magistrate would be welcoming their arrival.