Machina Arcanis: Two Worlds Collided
Chapter 108. Unexpected Guest

The cold shower blasted against his skin, brown water dripping into the drain. Zetius took his time, letting the water wash away not just the mud, but the sorrow clouding the back of his mind.

The bathroom was a small rectangular space, tiled in white. There was a toilet and a plain white sink. It was simple, but surprisingly clean. The overhead bulb cast a warm, yellowish glow across the room.

From the look of it, this was probably the live-in quarters behind a shop, the sort of place where the owner kept their slaves to work and guard the properties.

“That makes sense…” he murmured.

He recalled the small table, futon, and a few electronic appliances he saw when he entered through the back. Cintia and May must have both lived and worked here.

“Such gentle hearts.” He couldn’t help but feel grateful.

Suddenly, a flash from his last battle surfaced in his mind. The seething pain when his body was severed into pieces. Zetius clenched his jaw, shutting his eyes.

“I… lost.” He hissed the words under his breath, exhaling sharply as his fingernails scraped against the tiled wall.

“Frain… Aurelia… Friederich… Triss…” His thoughts wandered. Where were they now? Are they safe?

As the water below turned clear, his resolve returned.

“No matter. I’ll gather more information tomorrow.”

A soft knock at the door disrupted his thoughts.

“Ahem! Zeta, I’ll leave you some clothes by the door, okay?” May’s voice rang out from the other side.

“Ah~ Thank you, May,” he replied, letting out a long breath as he turned off the tap.

The cold shower had refreshed him. Still, his entire body ached, a clear sign of mana exhaustion.

He looked at his trembling hands, then closed his eyes, focusing on the image of fire.

“Empyrion,” he whispered.

Instead of flames, only hot steam emerged.

He sighed deeply. “I’m out of mana. Teleportation’s not an option anymore… nor is it a reliable mode of transport. What happened to it? I swear I followed the instructions precisely.”

He stared at his reflection in the mirror, tilting his chin slightly to the side.

What a striking young man he was. His eyes burned red with energy. His straight, silver hair shimmered, neatly framed by a fringe across his forehead.

“This is my face… but younger. It just feels wrong somehow,” he said to himself, slowly accepting it as his new reality.

His gaze shifted to his chest and abdomen. Lean, tight muscles.

He twisted his upper body. No joint pain. His flexibility had returned.

“Woah… feels awesome to be young again.” He grinned without meaning to.

Then his eyes dropped, his grin faltered.

“I swear this wasn’t my size… Was it? Must be an inch or two more. What’s going on?!”

Shaking the thought away, he took the clothes May had left him. A loose linen tunic and brown pants. The rough fabric itched against his smooth skin, but he didn’t mind.

When he stepped out, he saw May fast asleep on a futon.

“She’s already back to sleep. May’s not much of a morning person,” Cintia said, seated at the table. She gestured for him to join her.

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“I see. Thank you again for the clothes,” Zetius said, bowing as he took his seat.

Cintia shook her head. “Here, have some bread. It’s not much—”

Zetius held up a hand. “Please, don’t worry about me. I’m not hungry…”

His stomach betrayed him with a loud growl.

“Please, Zetius. You young ones need it more than I do,” Cintia replied, her voice soft but steady.

He accepted the bread with hesitation. “Thank you, Cintia,” he said quietly. He broke it in half and held out one piece to her.

“Then please share it with me,” he said firmly.

Cintia blinked in surprise before letting out a soft laugh.

“Yes, Zetius. I knew you’d be too kind. I know, I’m good at reading people.”

Zetius returned her smile. Then, they began eating the cornbread in silence.

When they finished, Cintia dabbed her mouth with a cloth.

“Do you want to rest a bit? You can take the futon if you’d like,” she said, clearing the table.

“That’d be great. My body still aches from the fall,” he replied, stretching carefully.

“Then make yourself at home. I need to open the shop for my master. Just stay low for now, alright?”

Zetius nodded. Cintia slipped through the door on the right and disappeared.

He leaned back against the wall, legs stretched out as he settled onto the futon. In the dim light, he watched May sleep peacefully a few metres away. Her small face was barely visible beneath an old blanket.

Their living conditions were harsh.

The slave circlet around May’s neck reminded him of Frain when they first met. He remembered how he’d convinced Lupus to free her.

He had almost forgotten how much he despised the system. Seeing it again only reignited that hatred.

It wasn’t long before exhaustion caught up to him, and his mind began to drift.

***

A few days later…

Zetius had spent the last few days exploring Lilybend, gathering what little intel he could while his body gradually restored his mana. There were whispers on the streets of a full-scale war in Namvie, but no one could confirm the exact details.

He eventually discovered that the apothecary where Cintia and May lived was owned by a man named Master Tien. Despicable, cruel, and greedy. A local businessman had many enterprises in the area.

Tien rarely visited the shop unless he needed to collect credits. Fortunately, he paid no attention to what happened out back, which allowed Zetius to use the space as a temporary hideout.

In the afternoon, Zetius draped a strip of linen over his head to block the sun and covered his face. The streets buzzed with noise, lined with shops and stalls.

People’s voices echoed as they haggled for prices.

“I really need to find them... but how?” he muttered, weighing up his limited options. He had nothing to his name. No money. No clear path forward.

He found a shaded spot beneath a tree and sat down, watching the crowd flutter about and go on with their lives.

“I can’t keep relying on Cintia. What would Jack have done?” Zetius pondered.

“Maybe… get a job, earn some credit, and try to buy a ticket to Poranthis?” he thought, rubbing his chin.

That’s when he spotted them.

Two towering figures cutting through the crowd, clad in dark green armour.

“Armatus knights,” he whispered in disbelief.

“What are they doing here? Isn’t this town under the Osten Empire’s reign?” He narrowed his eyes. “Wait... the Dunkelheit camp to the north — Lilybend must be close to it.”

Curiosity took hold. With no better plan, Zetius followed.

The knights were accompanied by a dark elven man in a royal blue uniform and a human woman in arcanist robes of the same colour.

“Perhaps this is it. I need to find out what they’re up to,” he decided, keeping his distance as he blended in with the crowd.

They walked for about fifteen minutes, descending a long flight of stairs before heading south down a concrete path.

Eventually, they stopped in front of a large estate on the edge of the marketplace.

Three-metre-high metal fences surrounded the property. The double gates were decorated with a lily emblem, and bright flower beds bloomed at their base.

The group stood by the gate, engaged in what looked like a serious discussion. Zetius couldn’t hear from where he was.

“This has to be the magistrate’s estate. I’m sure of it,” he thought, adjusting the cloth on his head.

Just then, a hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

Zetius’s eyes widened in alarm.

Staring back at him, just as shocked, was a familiar face.

“Zetius!?”

“Friederich?!”

Simultaneously, they both gasped in muffled voices.