31 Losing Consciousness (1)

The bags under Michael Caelum's eyes only grew heavier as the hours ticked on. He drank energy drink to help him through the day, but the thing didn't make him feel energized – it only made him feel jittery and sluggish. If he knew Aria didn't mind sleeping next to him, he would have lied down on the bed right beside her. Then, he could wrap his hands around the small female and sleep soundly while savoring her warmth..

Michael blinked and felt his face heat up.

On second thought, it was probably best that he didn't sleep beside her.

The young intern grabbed a sandwich from the cafeteria made his way towards the small auditorium they had in Elisium. The person in-charge of the internships had told them that the administration had an important announcement during their lunch break that required the attendance of all interns. He arrived at the wide room at 12:25pm. The announcements began on the dot. At exactly 12:30pm, one of the senior researcher's went up on the elevated platform and began reading through her list.

The youth listened to the announcements as they were being read one after the other. As soon as the researcher mentioned Luminae Academy's founding anniversary, Michael Caelum's ears perked up. The city of Myron usually declared it a nation-wide non-working holiday because of the amount of activities during the day and the sheer amount human traffic that was generated due to the foundation day events. Could it be that Silas Fidi was giving all the researchers in Elisium a break during the Luminae Academy's founding anniversary? Was this his chance to sneak 373 out of Elisium's facilities?

'In three days, Luminae Academy will once again be celebrating it's founding anniversary. Since a vast majority of our researchers are alumni of the prestigious academy and have been invited to the celebration, the administration has decided to call work off during that day,' the researcher announced.

'Excluding the regular class monitors, all senior researchers and interns may take their leaves on the day. Those who wish to stay in Elisium must register beforehand for monitoring purposes. That's all.'

Michael clenched his fists. In his mind, he began hatching a plan on how he was going to get Aria out of her class and into the first vehicle heading out of Elisium. He blindly followed the crowd as they made their way out of the auditorium. A sharp ear-grating voice made him stop in his tracks.

In front of him, the sea of researchers and staff parted like a tide. A blue-haired woman wearing red eyeglasses approached Michael Caelum while dragging a certain grown man behind her. Bob looked like a dog who didn't enjoy being tugged along by his overly enthusiastic female owner.

"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you," Asha Claire gave the teenager boy a hundred watt smile. Beside him, Jeorge Marcus Grin looked like he was about to puke.

"What the hell, lady boss. If you want to go, go by yourself. You're an adult. You don't need me for introductions," Bob grumbled under his breath as he wrenched his hand away from the Great Apothecary's successor.

"Michael Caelum, Asha Claire. Asha Claire, Michael Caelum," the brawny man said after clearing his throat and gesturing to and from Michael and the girl wearing spectacles. Bob straightened up but kept the sullen look on his face. He huffed. "Can I go now?"

Asha Claire ignored him and firmly grasped Michael Caelum's hand in a handshake. The female's eyes were slightly wide. Her hands were warm and slightly moist. Michael stiffened but didn't make a comment at her sweaty palms. A lot of researchers in Elisium had it way worse than her.

"We saw each other this morning but I think this is the first time we've been formally introduced," the woman prattled with her high-pitched voice and shook his hand about six times before letting it go. "I just met your mother a few hours ago! You really do have the same hair color. She really wasn't joking, huh? Genetics really is a weird thing!"

Asha Claire took his hand again and shook it a few more times in her sweaty hand before leaving both him and Jeorge Marcus Grin staring at her back in silence. The crowd around them had disappeared after Asha Claire's departure. The older researcher stared at the amber-haired male and sighed.

"She's really eccentric," Bob muttered. The male stared at the youth's hands and sighed again. "And you should really wash your hands. Only God knows what she's been handling with her bare hands."

The adult male cringed. "Even I don't want to know why she's been holding on to in these last few hours. Maybe a cure-all antidote or a disinfectant that kills 99.9 percent germs and neutralizes harmful substances would work."

Michael couldn't help but chuckle. He didn't know why, but he felt comfortable around Jeorge Marcus Grin. "I'll wash my hands, Bob. I'll even use soap and alcohol. Don't worry."

He waved at the burly male and went on his way. He failed to catch the grave look on the senior researcher's face and the heavy sigh that accompanied Bob as the youth left.

Michael was too absorbed with his escape plans. Even though he still had to render five hours of duty before he could go and see Aria at her classroom, Michael Caelum's mind was already wandering off and he could barely concentrate on anything for the rest of the day.

As soon as his shift ended, the young male took a roundabout way and headed towards the Aquarius classroom. The little girl was reading another thick book she had secretly taken out from the library's restricted section when he arrived. Michael sighed in relief when he saw Aria looking at him in welcome. He quickly closed the door behind him, took the seat in front of hers and began explaining the plan he had thought up after mulling over it for the entire day.

He told her about Luminae Academy's founding anniversary and how Elisium was allowing its researchers to take a day off on the day. "Since there will be less people in Elisium, the security and number of Spellcasters will also decrease," he explained. "It's the best time for us to get out of here. So all I have to do is figure out a way to take you out of your class in three days time."

The small female opened her mouth before closing it again as her eyebrows knit. She stared at him in silence, as if choosing her words. After a while, she said, "The teacher told me awhile ago I was qualified for the Sanctuary."

"You didn't agree, did you?" Michael was stumped. He didn't think the teacher assigned to the Aquarius class would make a move too soon.

The youth was preparing to change his plans when the little girl replied with a flat, "I said no."

His brain slowly processed what Aria had said. "You said… no?"

She nodded. He felt his jaw drop and he reminded himself to keep his mouth shut. This girl… really had a way with surprising him and catching him off guard. He had a weird feeling that she had done more than just saying no and had probably gotten involved in a more interesting situation. He didn't entertain the idea any further and went back to the topic they were talking about.

"Did your teacher say anything after that?"

A small smirk made a way to her adorable face. "Nope. I made sure he couldn't."

Now he was really curious about what she had done when their class monitor had told her she was qualified for Elisium's Sanctuary. He took a long drag of air and exhaled through his mouth. Depending on what she did, it was possible that the researchers might invite her to Elisium's Sanctuary on a later date, or they might take her away while she was asleep.

"I can just setup a barrier around my bed." She spoke suddenly and broke Michael Caelum's train of thought. The male gave her an uncomprehending look because he couldn't imagine how a barrier could stop any of the ranked Spellcasters from abducting her in the middle of the night.

"I can setup a modified barrier around me that'll disrupt the energy flow inside the room when forcibly broken," she explained. "That way, everyone inside the sleeping quarters will wake up if someone tries to break my barrier."

He nodded slowly as he listened the the girl's explanation. It was possible in theory. The fact that she used her Talent to read his mind just flew over his head. He didn't realize that his thoughts were as clear to her as glass, and that the little female was answering his doubts as soon as they popped up in his head.

"I'll count on you for that," He said. The girl nodded and fell silent. Michael took her silence as a sign to continue telling her his plan. "Your classes are going to continue during that day. And if I'm right, you're going to be taught how to modify basic spells – which is actually quite easy to mess up."

Her expression turned blank. "I won't mess up."

"Yes, but you're an exception to the rule." He grinned at her and attempted to ruffle her hair. Before he could touch her brown locks, she lightly swatted his wrist away and dodged.

"I'll sit in your class as an observer and secretly mess up one of the student's energy flow during the exercise to cause a little accident. Then, I'll volunteer to escort you to the clinic." His expression turned serious as he continued. "Once we're out of sight, we'll make a run to the kitchen and hide in one of the food containers. If we're lucky, we'll make it out of Ara desert and into Myron."

"Desert?" The girl asked. "Like a wasteland?"

The amber-haired boy nodded. "It's a place that nobody wants to go to and is the best place to hide secrets, dead bodies, and a laboratory like this."

The girl with black orbs tilted her head to the side. "What do we do after?"

"After? We'll cross the bridge once we get there. But we'll probably be hunted by Silas Fidi so we should try seeking the help of another Magno Deorum." Michael crossed his arms around his chest and stared at the ceiling. He muttered under his breath, "Although that's easier said than done."

"Magno Deorum?" The brown-eyed girl had interest written all over her face.