“-leted. Would you like anything else?”

Sera’s mind heard the words, but it was like reading a paragraph then forgetting what she had just read.

The words were heard, but not comprehended.

Sera continued to listen to the metallic distant echo as her head clung back to the hull, and just as she began fading out, a small tickling sensation came from below her.

“Shit.”

Her arm was hanging freely from its socket and the bone-well, it may have decided that it needed some fresh salt water, normally this would mean a ton of blood and minutes if not seconds before she fainted and promptly died.

Blood loss was a well-known threat when considering large wounds underwater. If I didn’t take the fix-all our supplier handed out, the trail I’d left would’ve brought him right to me.

Keira banged into one of the tight turns in the long corridor and nearly simultaneously screamed and lost consciousness, the only thing that made it so that she could hold on was the blood pooling in her mouth.

The alertness that came from her race’s blood made her body douse itself with the last of its adrenaline as she began racing to one of the storerooms she had passed.

Dammit why here? The academy shouldn’t have had him in it today-I made sure to triple check with Wined. The thought of her rebellious brother becoming more of a cu-nuisance by the day, made her shrivel her eyebrows with a rage that could only materialise with pain, adrenaline and when staring at the white of a bone.

Kicking off the walls, Keira saw her foot make a mark, but it didn’t matter, none of it did if she was caught, especially the day after the hei-

There! Keira felt her arms begin to shake with her legs, as the amount of pressure they were put under to keep up the Mark III swimming technique came to an all-time high.

Dodging open windows and coming down to the chisled floor, her arm limp behind her as she slithered up and into the small storeroom. Pushing the door inwards, Keira slammed it behind her as she examined the wound.

I’ll have to set it myself, why did he have to be here-Keirian was supposed to be with the prince full-time for at least a month.

Finding an empty shelf, Keira used her left arm to pull her right arm up slowly to the raised shelf, hooking her feet under the small gap under the shelf she grabbed onto it with the frame of her body as she got to work.

The blood still pooling in her mouth felt like a distraction but, if she messed up while trying to set the bone, it would be the only thing keeping her awake… and alive.

Her eyes narrowed as her left hand touched the slimy outlier of the bone, Keira twisted her arm slowly so that her right arm was pointing toward the ceiling while the bone was jutting out to the side of it.

This could’ve been worse. I got out lucky. Now I just need to-

Pulling the bone backwards slowly, her body shook as she began wrenching it back, the shelf began shaking as she made it a few centimetres before it felt like her world would end.

Keira couldn’t feel much of anything but the burning and excruciating sensation of a foundation of her body being out of place and it screaming at her made her unaware of the loud grunting and leaking blood from her mouth.

Slowing down, her gills began to relax from the stretched state, until she smelled the blood in the water. Her first thought was that it was the taste she was sensing rather than the smell, but then she saw the red mist.

Years of experience made her freeze not at the sight, but the implications.

They would be here within minutes now.

Swearing at herself, she made herself frigid as she held onto the shelf with her body and prepared to put the bone in and then flee before the neriead blood was detected.

Grabbing onto the white, Keira began pulling the bone towards her, excruciatingly slow. With each movement, the bone ground against her flesh as it got closer to being back in its socket.

Keira nearly gasped at the grotesque sight of her own flesh opening up as she began pushing the white back into its place.

Giving one final push, Keira felt a click and nearly gasped in relief.

Weakly pushing her body away from the bookshelf, she noticed she was still wearing the mask, pulling it away, Keira didn’t spare a glance at the purple symbols.

Everything clean, Keira tasted the iron in her mouth and quickly swallowed down the red fluid, cringing slightly before her gullet would stink of the blood.

A problem for another time.

Time to leave and meet the rendevu. Opening the door with her left hand, her right was movable but in pain, thankfully her other injuries had since healed.

Swimming to the main exit, Keira didn’t avoid the windows, this time blankly staring out into the moss field and looked at the other academy buildings, seemingly carved out of a dark stone.

They were new, Aquo had finally begun finding more evidence and uses of the lost race. But they really should’ve thought twice, after this is part of what’s causing the-

Keira didn’t notice as she weakly swam towards the lower staircase a frantic neriead.

His eyes were almost popping out of his head as he ran into her. “K-keira? I thought, I-I uh smelled someone hurt.”

His eyes raced down her body as she recognised him.

“Oswin! It’s a good thing someone from the D class found me. I accidentally bit into my-”

“How are you hu-oh you bit your tongue? How did someone from the battle class cut themselves with just their teeth-how hard did you bite?” His arm reached out to check before he stopped himself, while his other hid behind his back.

Keira gave a small smile at her naive friend, he was ignorant and worked well as cover, his disability made the others distance themselves from him, which worked wonders for his need to please.

“I’m fine, just tired, from the adrenaline. Would you escort me back?” Watching him, flabbergast Keira, pretended not to notice as they began descending further down.

Not being able to swim freely in and out of the buildings was a time waste, however it meant security was significantly higher… Though not impossible to workaround.

Leaving the building, they bumped into others from the D course, thankfully they were more focused on their half-assembled equipment and technology.

The two of them spotted a few black and silver plated nerieads in the distance, Keira narrowed her eyes at the sight.

“It-happened too fast!” Oswin exclaimed suddenly. “The last expedition should’ve used or moved what they found instead of leaving it in the vault. It’s just stupid.”

She agreed, noticing the large warhouse-like building looking torn apart, mostly because of the hole she had watched detonate.

Swimming further away, Keira gave one last look back as she innocently asked Oswin what he thinks they stole. “Well… I, I shouldn’t be saying this, but, I heard it was one of the lost’s weapons and some scrolls and materials.” Oswin stopped as he looked a Keira.

“My professor told me he was glad though… The module he’s been researching was with him, so it didn’t get stolen!” His tone settled from nervous to a pleased tone that irritated her at the thought.

A module, it wasn’t part of the items we needed but if it's found out they have a module here… Maybe I’ll let Wined know after the expedition, by then if I take it myself I could get away with stealing a lost weapon or two.

“Oswin. Can we hurry back? I’m staring to feel a litt-”

Suddenly, his face broke into two-the whole world did as her brain suddenly ached hard.

Her eyes whipped open, and she pulled the flubber sticking to her neck away as her gills quickly sucked in water. “Iva- I was just…”

Sera paused as she realised the memory was well and truly gone, this time she could only watch, hell she felt like she was Keira, especially when she had to pull her bone back in-

Chills ran up her spine at the intimate feeling of the bone being put back into place. “God… Keira is terrifying, if it were me the bone would still be hanging. And her thoughts! She’s an-a psychopath, she’s crazy at the least.”

Her thoughts sounded just like hers, it was her voice after all, which only made thinking about it in her head worse the longer it took, Sera tried to pull her attention away as she realised the Dwelling was full of water.

“Oh it worked. The Dwelling listened to me, or it just cycled the water back in when it noticed I fainted.” Sera gave a small smile as she glanced at Iva, it feels like her friend was learning the more she spoke, Iva was smart.

Maybe that was why she had cut off her oxygen source, it had been trying to wake her up, but the question is why? “Aww, did you want to check on m-”

A creaking sound emanated through the Dwelling, and Sera froze as she looked back at the ceiling of her home. “You’re not going to try and suffocate me again, are you?” Asking her inanimate home as a joke and not expecting an answer, Sera pushed off the ground before the Dwelling creaked again.

“Apologies User. The automatic protocol enforces the Dwelling be sanitised before use.” A metallic voice came from seemingly next to her ear.

Sera quickly looked to Iva, but its eyes were also looking around for the voice. Before she could help herself, Sera blurted out what she was feeling. “What?”

“Apologies User. The PID informs you, the AI for the Dwelling is subpar and requires more direct questions.”

The first words she heard for over a month, that didn’t come from Keira’s memories, was from her underwater house. Sera stood still before she realised that it wouldn’t talk without any prompt.

“Huh. Okay. Do you have a name, or should I just call you the Dwelling?”

“It is up to the User.” The voice reverberated monotony, and a complete lack of personality.

Despite meeting a ‘person’ she could talk to, her heart strained in an anxious pull, she still felt desolate.

Alone. Perhaps there was something she could do to fix that...

“Then I’ll name you,” Sera looked over at Iva’s red scales and tried to think of something that would fit a white hulking piece of metal.

“I think I’ll name you… Dave.”

Sera felt awkward at calling her inanimate house ‘Dave’ but before she could change it the Dwelling spoke up.

“Understood. Dwelling AI will respond to Dave. User, will there be any more queries?”

Sera instantly snapped back. “Call me Sera from now on and… how’s the Dwelling?” At the top of her head, Sera asked the first question she could think of.

“M-Dwelling is currently operational Sera. Creating information window momentarily…”

“Information window? Do you mean-” The words were taken right out of her mouth as the familiar screen appeared.

Medium Dwelling Interface

Power: (pu=Power Units)

Current power levels are low. Power is being generated from 1-10pu per hour. Power stored is at roughly 5/100pu.

Mana: (ma=Mana)

Mana levels are insufficient. Ambient mana is being absorbed from 0.1-1ma per hour. Mana stored is at roughly 0.3/10ma.

Building Module Status:

Dwelling requires more power to utilise features built into the Dwelling, it is estimated to take 1-2 days max. Features unknown until integration.

Sera like a trained pet took in the numbers and absorbed the new information, already preparing to ask her most important question.

“Dave, when will I get the PID back?”

Since parting with it, she knew she lost a great tool. If she lost anything else she could replicate it, except the Scythe of course, not having it on her person meant she couldn’t quickly access information or even scan!

“The PID can be ejected at anytime, however, it is recommended to wait until the building module is properly integrated, as the PID acts as a battery for both power and mana stored within the Dwelling.” The amount Dave talked caused a small echo to power through the small confines of the Dwelling.

“Do you have any other questions, Sera?”

Sera stopped a moment to consider, looking idly at Iva, who was beginning to return to her nest.

“Hmm. Can I use the PID within the Dwelling or do I have to eject it and how can I increase mana levels?”

“The PID can be used within or nearby the Dwelling without having to eject it. Mana levels can be increased with the construction of an assimilation structure.” As the AI finished, Iva was already trying to sleep, undisturbed by the chatter.

Sera paused as she began to feel the day’s events lean heavily on her body’s fatigue levels.

“Last ones. What can power and mana be used for and… What would the AI recommend telling me?” Sera began clanking against the floor as she walked over to her bedroll, her ears patiently waiting for Dave to answer.

“Power and mana has many uses, it can be used to charge and power the User’s equipment, the Dwelling can utilise the power sources for self defense and more.” Dave waited a moment before continuing.

“The PID has a survival log to recommend, however it recommends to await till morning to avoid an overflow of information.” Dave paused again, this time Sera realised it was the AI communicating and processing it's thoughts.

“It would also recommend to check the settings set in place when the module is integrated, to avoid a repeat of earlier events or worse to fall upon the User.”

Sera’s eyes froze as she mentally tried to remind herself to check the settings when the module had been upgraded. It said 1-2 days, but it was dependant on power… Oh well, what’s the worst that could happen.

As Sera fell asleep two pair of eyes were watching her now.

What the PID left unsaid about the assimilation module would be something she couldn’t avoid, but that was the least of her troubles, considering tomorrows blunder.