"I know my own status," Celia said quietly, her voice flattening into something calmer, something controlled, as if she had already walked this line in her mind a hundred times before speaking it aloud.
She stepped toward the window, the sunlight brushing against her face as she looked outside, her reflection faintly visible in the glass.
"But you're right about one thing," she added after a pause, her tone softer now, almost distant. "Our worlds are different."
***
Serestia tilted her head, confusion flickering across her expression.
"Huh?"
***
Celia turned back over her shoulder, forcing a small, composed smile, one that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Anyway," she said, brushing the moment aside, "I'm not interested. Okay? He's just a friend."
***
Serestia raised a brow, her lips parting slightly as if she wanted to say something more, but she didn't. Instead, she nodded slowly.
"Okay…"
***
Celia inhaled deeply, steadying herself, then straightened.
"Now," she said, her tone shifting back to something more grounded, "go apologize to him. Right now."
***
Serestia groaned, dragging herself up from the bed.
"Alright, alright… whatever you say, Your Highness."
***
She slipped on a pair of pants over her shorts, tugged on a jacket, and stepped out into the hallway, her earlier embarrassment still lingering like a stubborn shadow.
***
She stopped in front of Arceus's door.
Raised her hand.
***
Knock.
***
Silence.
***
Knock knock.
***
"Arceus, it's Serestia. Can we talk?" she called out, her voice a little softer this time.
***
No response.
***
Her brows furrowed.
***
"Hm…?"
***
"Is he in the shower or something?"
***
***
Meanwhile—
***
Inside the Training Ground—
***
Arceus ran.
***
His legs pumped relentlessly, muscles burning, breath tearing through his chest in ragged bursts as cold air sliced into his lungs. Each inhale felt like swallowing needles, each exhale a cloud of desperation spilling into the frozen air.
***
Behind him—
***
BOOM.
***
The mammoth thundered forward, its massive body shaking the cavern with every step. Its trunk slammed into the ground again, stone cracking under the sheer weight of the impact.
***
[18:16]
[18:15]
***
"Goddammit!" Arceus roared between breaths, his voice hoarse and raw. "It hasn't even dropped a minute?!"
***
His boots slipped against the icy floor as he sprinted through twisting corridors that made no sense.
***
Walls that weren't there before—
Now existed.
***
Paths he swore he had passed—
Vanished.
***
The cave warped.
Shifted.
***
"Where the hell am I going?!" he shouted, panic creeping into his voice. "Is this place changing, or is it messing with me?!"
***
His mind raced.
Too fast.
Too chaotic.
***
But his body—
***
Didn't stop.
***
Because stopping—
Meant death.
***
And then—
***
His foot caught.
***
A jagged stone jutted out from the ground, unseen beneath the thin layer of frost.
***
"Argh—!"
***
He went down hard.
***
Pain exploded through his wrist as he hit the ground, his body rolling instinctively as he twisted to look back—
***
The mammoth was mid-leap.
***
Its massive form rising.
Descending.
***
Time slowed.
***
And then—
***
Click.
***
Something shifted beneath him.
***
The ground vanished.
***
A pit opened.
***
And Arceus dropped.
***
Straight down into darkness.
***
The mammoth's roar echoed above, furious, thunderous—
But distant.
***
THUD.
***
He hit the ground hard.
***
Air burst from his lungs as his back slammed against the surface below, his body bouncing slightly before collapsing flat.
***
For a moment—
He couldn't breathe.
***
Then—
A wheezing gasp.
***
His eyes fluttered open, staring upward as the jagged opening above slowly sealed itself shut, cutting off the faint light.
***
"…The system… saved me?" he muttered weakly, still trying to catch his breath.
***
Ding!
***
[You have escaped the defense entity. Training will resume.]
[Time Remaining: 17:22]
***
"System, you son of a—"
***
He pushed himself up, ready to curse—
***
And paused.
***
"…Huh?"
***
His body felt…
Fine.
***
He had fallen hard.
Hard enough to crack bone.
***
But instead—
Just a dull ache.
***
His brows furrowed.
***
Then—
He looked around.
***
The environment had changed completely.
***
The chamber was warmer.
Not comfortable—
But bearable.
***
Soft moss covered the walls, glowing faintly with a gentle green light. The ground beneath him was no longer jagged stone but sandy, soft enough to cushion his fall.
***
"What is this place…?"
***
Ding!
Ding!
***
[Congratulations. You've discovered a Shelter Zone.]
[You may remain here without incurring sedentary penalties.]
***
Arceus stared at the notification.
***
"…That would've been nice to know earlier," he muttered, dragging himself back against the moss-covered wall.
***
His chest still pounded, heart slamming against his ribs like it wanted out.
***
But—
He was alive.
***
He exhaled slowly, letting the tension drain out of him bit by bit.
***
[12:04]
[11:59]
***
Time ticked down.
***
Minutes passed.
***
Silence wrapped around him, broken only by the faint hum of the moss and the steady rhythm of his breathing gradually returning to normal.
***
He stretched his arms, wincing slightly at the lingering soreness.
***
No analysis.
No strategy.
***
Just—
Waiting.
***
"I'm never coming back here…" he muttered, staring at the countdown like it was a ticking bomb.
***
[01:17]
[01:01]
[00:46]
[00:18]
[00:05]
[00:02]
[00:01]
***
Ding!
***
[Training complete. Returning to the material world.]
***
"Finally…"
***
Relief flooded through him.
***
His body relaxed.
His eyes closed.
***
And the world faded.
***
***
Then—
***
Motion.
***
A gentle sway.
***
Not falling.
Not running.
***
Rocking.
***
Something soft beneath his head.
***
Warm.
***
A faint scent reached him.
Floral.
Light.
***
His brows furrowed.
***
"…Something's wrong…"
***
His eyes fluttered open.
***
"Eh… big—"
***
He froze.
***
His head—
***
Was resting on something soft.
Very soft.
***
He looked up.
***
And found—
***
Serestia.
***
His head was in her lap.
***
The car moved steadily, the faint hum of the engine vibrating through the seat beneath him. Outside, the world blurred past the windows.
***
Celia sat in the driver's seat, her eyes fixed on the road, hands steady on the wheel.
***
Serestia stiffened the moment he stirred, her entire body going rigid, as if she had just been caught doing something she shouldn't.
***
Arceus blinked.
Once.
Twice.
***
"…What the…" he muttered, his voice hoarse from the cold and the shouting.
***
His brain struggled to catch up with reality.
***
"Where are we…?"