Machina Arcanis: Two Worlds Collided
Chapter 147. Dreamless Night

The white-haired boy awoke in a room, dressed in his signature black arc coat.

Zetius didn’t know how he had arrived here, nor did he recognise the place. The ceiling above was strange and blurry, shifting as though it had a will of its own.

He sat up, instinctively trying to get his bearings. The room was cryptic and unfamiliar. Oddly, he couldn’t feel anything, neither heat nor cold on his skin. It was... neutral.

Strange. Where exactly was he? It felt like one of those vivid dreams where one retained the ability to interact.

Yet, unlike the dream he had experienced as Jack, the one he had merely been shown, here, he could act.

The dark room held only the bare necessities: a bedside cabinet, a vanity with a mirror, and a desk. Their muted wooden tones and antique aesthetic resembled the Victorian era, something he had seen only in history books. A history long past.

To the right, the translucent curtain fluttered in a wind that did not exist. Zetius’s brows furrowed.

“That’s not normal,” he muttered, swinging his legs off the side of the bed and rising to his feet.

A wave of vertigo washed over him. He wobbled, steadying himself with a hand on the nearby desk.

“You’re awake...” A voice chimed from the balcony. Siren-like, it rang with divine clarity, delicate yet resonant, like the toll of a church bell. It was oddly familiar.

Zetius stepped cautiously toward the balcony and poked his head outside. A female figure stood with her back to him, glowing softly in a blue hue, the same faint light that Cube once had.

Impossible.

“Cubellina?” he murmured, stunned.

She looked nothing like the childish Cube he used to picture, of course, if she were human at all. Before him now stood a fully grown woman, elegant in form and sculpted in poise.

She turned and nodded. Her hair floated weightlessly, the same monochrome hue extended across her skin and flowing dress. Only her eyes and the gem on her chest radiated brighter than the rest.

“Aren’t you supposed to be a kid?” Zetius asked, confused.

Her smile faded into a playful pout.

“Hmmmmm...” she buzzed, just as she used to. “That’s so rude, Zetius.” She placed a hand on her hip, sass reminiscent of Ziyue in her tone.

He chuckled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. “Oh, well.”

“You see, I don’t grow like you. I’m far from organic,” Cubie explained, admiring her dress. Even she seemed fascinated by her current form.

Zetius rubbed his chin in thought and nodded. Then, the memory surged, Friederich’s Iai strike cleaving through him.

“Wait! Where are we? And why aren’t you a cube?” His words rushed out, then halted as grim understanding crept into his tone. “Are we dead?!”

Cubie rolled her eyes with an exaggerated sigh. “This is far from Hades’s domain,” she said sharply.

“Then where are we?” Zetius asked, arms folded as he peered over the balcony. Nothing but dark, jagged mountain ridges greeted him. The sky above was pitch black, starless and without the split moons.

Clap... Clap... Clap...

A slow, deliberate clap echoed behind them. A dark silhouette emerged, silver eyes gleaming faintly.

Zetius’s body tensed instinctively. He stepped in front of Cubie protectively.

“We finally meet properly,” the figure said.

The woman stepped into the dim light. Silver hair floated gently above her midnight skin, unmistakably a dark elf.

There was something both regal and flirtatious in the way she carried herself.

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“Celestius Nyrethein Vale…” Zetius muttered, eyes narrowed with caution. She wore the mage’s robe, which accentuated her voluptuous figure. The dark fabric flowed to her ankles, and her bare feet revealed white-painted toenails and ornamental ankle chains. Bold and stylish.

She bowed theatrically, rising with elegance.

“Tell me, Zetius,” she began. “How much do you know of the Dreamless Realm?”

Zetius paused, briefly stunned. Then he gathered himself. “Not much. I’ve heard of its existence, but never understood what it is.”

A pleased smile curled on her lips.

“Then you’re already grasping at its concept. Dreamless is ever-changing,” she said, gesturing toward the horizon. Her finger moved like flowing water, mesmerising in its motion.

“Trying to understand it through the lens of our reality would break even the greatest minds of the Zodiac Council.”

Zetius frowned. “Are you the master of this realm?”

The air grew thick, and tension crackled. It was almost suffocating.

She burst out laughing, clearly amused. Then she looked down her nose at them, eyes gleaming with malice.

“How adorable. I do admit, my knowledge of this realm is extensive, far surpassing that of any living scholar in the entire institute. Hence, my title is the grand master of Dreamless. Alas, not even a god has dared to conquer this realm,” she clarified, dragging a fingernail along the wooden table.

Rather than making the usual scraping noise, it let out a mythical chime.

Nothing in this place behaved the way Zetius expected.

“In essence, this realm is entropy given form. Randomness and chaos thrive here. It’s not quite the underworld, nor part of the living. Something in-between, I suppose?” Nyrethein added in a rhetorical tone.

“Huh!” Zetius grunted in frustration. His thoughts churned in agony. “How convenient that I just happened to wake up here… and she just happened to show up. High probability this is her doing. Can I still fight? How does arcane function here? Too many uncertainties.”

“Ze~tius?” Cubie gasped, staring at him without blinking. “Why did you say that out loud?”

“What? I did?” Zetius blinked, startled, realising his internal thoughts had spilled into words. “Hades's hell,” he muttered. A bead of sweat formed on his forehead and evaporated instantly.

“Haha! Such a rookie mistake. Did you know, you certainly can’t scheme here? So be honest with yourself, alright?” Nyrethein drifted closer, elegant and weightless.

Zetius nodded slowly. “Why have you been watching me since the match began?”

Nyrethein’s lips curled as she narrowed her eyes. “So you noticed…”

She bit her lower lip, eyes gleaming with mischief.

Zetius shifted uncomfortably as she traced a finger lightly across his chest.

“I did draw you here,” she admitted softly.

He swallowed hard, the air thick between them. “Why... why me, Celestius?” he asked, his voice barely holding steady.

With a fluid motion, she raised her arms. Her fingers shifted into chaotic patterns, shapes no longer quite human.

“Oh, you’ll find out soon enough,” she ended with a teasing chuckle.

Zetius studied her playful demeanour, sensing a hidden agenda beneath it. She knew far more than she let on. Of that, he was certain.

“She... she’s dangerous,” Cubie whispered, voice trembling as she clutched tightly at his clothes. “So she can interact with me,” Zetius thought inwardly.

He caught a glimpse of her terrified expression in his peripheral vision.

“It’s fine. Stay behind me. We still don’t know if you can be harmed here,” he said firmly.

“How utterly chivalrous of you, Zetius…” Nyrethein teased, spinning lightly on her heels toward the balcony. Her eyes lingered on the mountain ridges in the distance as they began to move.

“I’m not here to hurt you… Am I?” she murmured, almost as if asking herself.

“So, she can’t fully control her behaviour in here either,” Zetius whispered. No point hiding anything now.

Nyrethein’s smile widened. Her dominating gaze shifted to Cubie.

“Oh... You aren’t supposed to be here,” she said sternly. “Although Virtius might geek out if he saw such an advanced construct. Maybe a sentient one?” Her tone was detached, uninterested.

“Virtius Nyra? The Celestius of Aquarius?” Cubie blurted out, exchanging a glance with Zetius. The mention of the grand master of constructs piqued her interest. Perhaps, by consulting with him, they could gain clearer insight into her origin and maybe even her full capabilities.

“Blahhh,” Nyrethein faked a gag, waving them off. “Boring, boring.” She turned her back to them, hands resting on the balcony railing.

“I do have a proposition, dear,” she said suddenly. Her silver locks slithered unnaturally in the stagnant air.

“Then enlighten us, Celestius,” Zetius said, standing firm.

“Epopteia,” she chanted, invoking the inspection spell.

A blinding light radiated from her palms.

Zetius squinted instinctively, his eyes adjusting to the brightness.

In her hands floated an orb, cradled within a golden cage sculpted in the likeness of a sleeping woman. Her face was serene, eyes closed in eternal rest.

But the stillness ended there.

Inside the cage, a furious black storm churned without pause. It clawed at its prison, its winds howling in silence. Most unsettling of all was the glow it cast — a dark radiance, an impossible light born of shadow. It defied nature itself, offering a pitch-black illumination over its surroundings.

Zetius and Cubie stared, unblinking.

Unmistakable. It was a Primordial Essence. Specifically, Zetius's lost essence.

“How about you teach me how to use this?” Nyrethein teased, her tone bewitching, like a succubus steeped in lust.