Chapter 187. The Eeriness in the Stillness - Machina Arcanis: Two Worlds Collided - NovelsTime

Machina Arcanis: Two Worlds Collided

Chapter 187. The Eeriness in the Stillness

Author: Joeing_25
updatedAt: 2025-08-10

187. The Eeriness in the Stillness

A soft rattling occasionally sounded as the X-12 QuiHST speared through the air at an unfathomable speed. Upon reaching its top speed of Mach 10, the Arcanite engine hummed deeply, engaging a barrier to protect its surface against the immense friction and heat.

The cockpit window was blacked out, fully covered by a super-duplex composite. It was like a warp machine in its own right. Once it reached a constant top speed, they could barely feel the acceleration.

Zetius sat in the co-pilot's seat next to Astrid in the cockpit, while the others were strapped into their seats in the passenger section, located in the mid-section of the jet.

Neither of them had their hands on the mechanical glove controllers. In the middle of the front dashboard, Cubie pivoted horizontally, humming a soft melody as she navigated towards the horizon like a sophisticated autopilot.

“You must tell me about this hobby of yours sometime,” Zetius quipped, fidgeting with his fingers. Still impressed by her piloting skills in the recent take-off.

“Ugh… What’s so odd about me being able to pilot an aircraft?” Astrid grumbled, hugging herself defensively. “Arcanists are fighters, scholars, researchers, engineers, and doctors; we're jacks-of-all-trades. Being a pilot is just another skill, especially if you plan on any type of aerial combat maneuver.” She turned it into a lecture.

“Can you pilot an Armatus suit?” Zetius asked with anticipation in his eyes.

“Not really…” Astrid admitted.

“Ha! That’s one thing I’m better at than you. I dominated the sky back in my day,” Zetius boasted, his tone almost condescending.

“Back in your day? Okay, grandpa,” she snorted.

“Jack was an unc,” Cubie interjected and giggled at her own joke.

“Heh,” Astrid chuckled, cupping her lips. “If only we could get an Armatus to pilot.”

“Actually, I detected something when I scanned this jet,” Cubie revealed, her tone monotonic.

Surprised, they both turned their heads towards her. “What did you just say?” Astrid blurted.

“It’s better to show you,” Cubie uttered nonchalantly. A hologram of the datasheet and engineering blueprint for an Armatus appeared in the air.

“Armatus Celer,” Zetius read its codename aloud.

“Celer… a fitting name, now that I think about it. It’s the same root as your house name, Celerius,” Astrid added, her tone suddenly sophisticated.

Zetius narrowed his eyes, studying the drawing. “Wait… It has a transformation function. A flight mode and a battle mode.” He flicked through the other drawings, which showed the general arrangement of the X-12 jet with the Armatus integrated within.

“That’s something else!” Cubie chirped.

“The Armatus Celer is hidden atop the X-12… Amazing,” Zetius noted, bewildered. He had never seen such an intricate design before.

“That explains why the X-12 has an extra pair of thrusters…” he muttered, everything eventually connected.

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“It appears so,” Cubie moved up and down in glee. “In this case, the X-12 and Armatus Celer can separate into two entities while each retains its functionality.”

“Good find, Cubie. That’ll come in pretty handy! We’ve got an ace pilot and an Armatus unit,” Astrid said contentedly. They all nodded at one another.

“Anyway, Astrid. Regarding your hobby, I thought you only punched people during your free time,” Zetius teased, a grin painted on his face.

“And kicked arses!” Cubie chimed in.

“I still do… Maybe I’ll start with you, Cubie!” Astrid threatened lightheartedly.

Suddenly, Cubie glowed and pinged aloud.

[Incoming Message! Incoming Message from the Zeigerlich’s main bridge!]

“Patch her through!” Zetius instructed sharply, shifting in his seat.

Soon, a hologram beamed from the console, revealing Sandria in her crown braid. She stood on the helm of her bridge, hands clasped elegantly behind her back.

“Zetius, Astrid,” Admiral Sandria greeted calmly. “My apologies for not contacting you sooner. It’s been a hectic protocol, triple-checking our combat and defence systems.”

“How’s the situation over there, Sandria?” Zetius asked urgently.

“Do not panic just yet, Zetius. The enemies are still a few hours away from our effective combat zone,” she reassured with a faint smile.

“Admiral Sandria, please be careful. We believe that the Umbral are backed by a powerful arcanist. This might not be just a battle of machines,” Astrid warned sharply.

“Admiral Lume and Prime Minister Ryusei have also warned me about it,” Sandria replied in her usual monotonic tone. “I’ve raised the security alert to Critical High, and drones are patrolling a 100-kilometre range from the ship. We should be able to pick up any disturbance if teleportation occurs. Although it is advised that teleporting onto a moving craft is not feasible, we have taken precautions nonetheless.”

“That’s great to hear, Admiral Sandria,” Astrid replied with a nod.

“Additionally, Admiral Lume is heading toward our location and will arrive in a couple of hours. I would say we have an equivalent or greater combat capability to fend off the Umbral Dunkelheit,” Sandria shared with confidence.

“I still don’t understand why the divided forces…” A question loomed in his mind. “Did you know that the Umbral forces are also targeting Borealis Castle as we speak?”

“Borealis Castle? That’s Astral Empress Aurora’s residence, isn’t it?” Sandria blurted, shocked. Clearly, that piece of intel hadn’t reached her yet.

“Yes. We met the Empress a while back. She told us about it before she hurried back to her castle,” Astrid added calmly.

“Still, that is favourable to us, since we can fight them on equal footing,” Sandria analysed.

“Sandria… please stay safe until we get there,” Zetius spoke up. Anxiety crept into his voice without him realising.

“I will, Zetius,” Sandria replied.

One of her operators stepped to her side, whispering into her ear. Sandria’s brow furrowed, then her eyes widened.

“What’s wrong?” Zetius muttered to himself.

Sandria frantically turned back to the screen. “Zetius, we need to check a few things! Talk—”

CRACK! KRRRAKLE!

A loud blast erupted from the speaker. Sandria gasped as her body was thrown against a railing, and the connection went silent.

“SANDRIA! NO!” Zetius shouted. The haunting sound was unmistakably an energy blast, the same kind fired by an Armatus Lancer.

“Cubie, reconnect now!” he commanded.

“Attempting… Attempting…” Cubie replied. After a few silent moments, her voice returned, soft and apologetic. “Unable to connect… Sorry, Zetius…”

“Zeta…” Astrid extended a hand to pat his shoulder, feeling him tremble. His anguish was evident in his expression.

“Holy Gaia, not again… ” Zetius bit his lip, his eyes fixed on the navigation screen. Only one hour until they reached their destination.

Zetius stared down at his boots, unmoving, as the familiar, chilling tide of fear washed over him. He had already experienced the ultimate losses. His family, his own life. And a cold dread now coiled in his gut, whispering that it was all about to happen again. He didn't surface until a gentle nudge on his shoulder broke the trance.

“Zeta. Let’s talk with the others. We need to come up with a plan,” Astrid proposed, her voice softened.

Burying his anxiety, Zetius gave a firm nod and pushed himself to his feet. “Let’s,” he clipped.

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