Chapter 4: Relic

"What in the bloody..." The woman with a short bob of curly brown hair was interrupted, her words left hanging in the air.

"Is everyone alright?" Amelia's genuine concern for the well-being of her companions was a testament to her exceptional leadership qualities, adding to her charm and charisma.

She glanced around, ensuring the safety of everyone and mentally planning their escape in case of an aftershock.

"Yes, no injuries on my end," Noah answered, followed by Lucy and the rest. "Same here," they echoed.

Right after Lucy spoke, Noah exclaimed, glancing outside the window with confusion. "Pres, look at the squirrel on the tree branch and other small animals!"

"Why? Did you notice something out of place?" Lucy asked, strolling over with Amelia.

"The building is still fine, like nothing happened. But the small animals outside are still chirping happily, as if they haven't sensed any danger at all," Noah said, perplexed by the oddities of the surroundings. This seemingly innocent and carefree boy showed his ability to stay calm, assess his surroundings, and evaluate the situation, proving his capability as one of the core members of the student council.

"That's weird indeed. We're the only ones who felt the tremors," Amelia muttered in agreement.

"Shouldn't we be more concerned about this one?" Ethan said, standing up from the fall he suffered. His tone suggested confusion, but not because of their misguided attention, rather due to a different observation. He pointed at something floating mid-air, as if it were a normal object pinned on the wall with no obvious movement.

The three individuals made their way to the hallway outside the classroom, where Ethan had directed their attention. Noah had initially been near the window on the second floor, assessing the situation outside. Amelia had been in the corner of the podium, examining the wall and the cabinet that served as a small library corner. Lucy, on the other hand, had been in the middle of the podium, previously assessing the entirety of the room and making plan on how they were going to transform it afterwards.

Ethan and Jake were outside, inspecting the large hallway. Ethan was near the door and had a bad fall when he accidentally collided with the corner of the door pillar. Despite the discomfort in his shoulder and back, he managed to confirm his safety like the rest of the group. He then called Amelia, Lucy, and Ethan over to the hallway where Jake stood transfixed by something in front of him.

Meanwhile, Jake remained motionless, seemingly having witnessed the entire incident from beginning to end. He had been inspecting the hallway windows for safety when a sudden gust of wind caught his attention. Intrigued, he turned his gaze towards the middle of the hallway, curious about what he might discover.

Jake soon regretted his actions as tension built up in his muscles while he witnessed the unfolding events. The sight left all five of them at a loss for what to do.

The world seemed to tremble, and Jake found himself leaning against the wall, transfixed by the scene before him. Reality appeared to shatter like a broken mirror, revealing a circular mechanism suspended in mid-air, reminiscent of an ancient relic from movies. As the mechanism hovered, it emitted a wave of energy that caused everyone to lose their balance and fall.

Fear gripped Jake, causing him to tremble slightly despite his attempts to suppress it. His mind went blank, overwhelmed by confusion about what to do next. Thoughts of running crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed the idea as his legs seemed to have forgotten their basic function. However, Jake snapped back to reality when the wave of energy washed over him. Fortunately, he remained unharmed and suffered no injuries. In a way, he was grateful that the fall snapped him out of his thoughts and fear, allowing him to refocus on the situation at hand.

An Antikythera mechanism. Jake's final conclusion after organizing his thoughts was that he might have seen the thing in front of him. It was said that the Antikythera mechanism was said to be a navigational tool found in a sunken Greek ship that was at least 2,000 years old.

The one in front of them may or may not be a navigational tool, despite the resemblance, but not entirely and it's definitely not the found on that Greek ship. The Antikythera mechanism in front of them had a more complicated arcane pattern and seemed to be made of an unknown black material. The symbols were shining a gold light.

'Yup, it's not a simple Antikythera mechanism. It could be a navigational tool, but clearly, it brought itself here, so it has other functions too.' Jake had a dark expression. The more he thought, the more bothered he became.

Everyone seemed to have noticed, and despite looking like an ordinary decoration on the wall after the golden light receded, there was undoubtedly no wall in the middle of the hallway. It was hanging mid-air and giving off a dangerous feeling, like a ticking time bomb.

Lucy suggested not touching the relic, and everyone agreed. "But we can't just leave it here," Lucy added. Lucy who finally recovered from the earthquake cleared her thoughts and focused on the object in front of her determined to find a solution. Everyone know that Lucy is a type of person who sticks to her goal once she sets her mind to it. Lucy Harper was the only daughter of a renowned surgeon and a famous fashion designer. Despite her family's wealth, she had always been encouraged to pursue her own path and make her own success. Much like to Amelia, Lucy's had two outstanding elder brothers making her parents indifferent to that they already are to their children.

After Jake gave his analysis of the Antikythera mechanism, Lucy then focused on the arcane symbols.

"We can't touch it, and leaving it here is not an option," Amelia voiced, expressing her agreement to Lucy at the same time trusting her insight as she knew the gears in Lucy's head have started formulating a plan and she was willing to listen to it showing her trust to her colleague.

"Lucy, what do you propose we do?" Amelia finally asked, giving Lucy the opportunity to share her perspective on the situation.