Chapter 1147: Drained Dry
Killian had managed to force his way much closer than anyone else, not only because he was the only other person inside the room, but because he’d already reached out for Jax before the first wave struck. He was right there, mere steps away from his target.
And yet, despite being so close...
He still never reached him.
A violent burst suddenly exploded outward from the cocoon, nearly throwing the young official off his feet had he not instinctively anchored himself at the last possible second.
Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for the bees.
Countless tiny bodies were tossed about by the expanding shockwave before immediately recovering and surging back toward the cocoon once more, unintentionally turning themselves into an ever-shifting wall that made it nearly impossible for Killian to really push forward.
But whatever hesitation he’d still had about squishing any of the bees or disrupting Jax disappeared the instant D-29’s increasingly distorted voice broke through the static from Kyle’s flickering projection.
"Host! Energy stabilizers within an expanding radius are beginning to flicker due to unstable spiritual energy levels!" the little system reported urgently as the projection itself trembled.
"Wind speeds have reached concerning levels! Dozens of sustained quakes are currently affecting the surrounding area! Most critically, there’s a severe spiritual energy imbalance! One location is continuously accumulating spiritual energy, while Jax’s spiritual signature is rapidly depleting!"
The report immediately sent an alarm through everyone outside.
Elder Feng’s expression changed completely.
"Quick!" he shouted toward Killian. "Get to him! Supply him with as much spiritual energy as possible until the hatching finishes, or she’ll drain him dry before exploding!"
"WHAT?!"
The horrified question erupted almost in unison.
Killian’s voice was among them.
So were the voices of two women who’d only just arrived.
The Taylor and Nox mothers had unfortunately chosen the perfect moment to reach the medical bay, arriving just in time to hear the word "exploding". Behind them, their respective husbands struggled against the invisible pressure while helping keep the two women on their feet as everyone fought to advance another step.
With Jax’s current reserves, he likely wouldn’t be able to sustain the Queen Bee through a complete metamorphosis. Should the process fail midway, the incomplete spirit would become catastrophically unstable, its uncontained spiritual energy desperately seeking an outlet until it erupted like a living spiritual bomb.
Worse still, it wasn’t a process they could simply assist with. Jax’s body wouldn’t readily accept processed spiritual energy from anyone else, and with the Queen Bee already drawing in a specific combination, there was even less room for outside interference.
But there was no time to explain any of that.
Not when every passing second mattered.
Not when the violent fluctuations had already become so severe that even the Elders were beginning to lose their ability to accurately sense Jax beneath the overwhelming presence of the swarm.
"JUST GET TO HIM!"
There was no need to repeat the order.
Killian had already pulled several daggers from his storage ring, driving them one after another deep into the ground to keep himself from being hurled away as another shockwave swept through the room. His heart hammered violently against his ribs while his eyes remained locked on only one figure.
Jax.
Something about those glowing eyes...
They didn’t look right.
Step by step, the young official forced himself forward.
Every meter felt harder than the last.
Just as he finally thought he’d reached striking distance, another massive burst erupted from the cocoon with enough force to shatter every remaining window throughout the medical bay. The explosion nearly swept him away until a thick wall of ice suddenly surged into existence behind him.
Xavier.
Unable to enter the room himself, the Imperial Crown Prince had relied entirely on D-29’s guidance to estimate Killian’s position before driving the barrier into place at precisely the right angle.
Killian didn’t hesitate.
Using the ice wall as leverage, he pushed off with everything he had, practically throwing himself across the remaining distance.
"You..." His voice cracked from panic and desperation alike. "You’d better take all of it!"
And before anyone watching could react...
Their lips met once again.
Just like the first time.
"!!!"
__
Ironically, while everything around him was either shaking violently or being thrown through the air, the actual redheaded cadet at the center of the entire commotion felt rooted in place.
Quite literally.
So rooted, in fact, that no matter how much he tried to move after realizing something was wrong, he simply couldn’t.
It was far too dark for his liking.
The kind of darkness where left and right no longer seemed to exist because there was nothing to distinguish one direction from another.
Everywhere Jax looked, there was only an endless expanse of empty nothingness that stretched farther than his eyes could reach. It resembled a void, one that felt strangely foreign, given that he distinctly remembered being in his medical bay room only moments earlier.
Naturally, he grew concerned.
More than once, he tried taking a step toward what he thought was forward, only to realize nothing happened. His feet refused to move, his body remained firmly rooted where it stood, and no matter how much strength he tried to put into escaping that spot, it was all completely futile.
Then, without warning, exhaustion washed over him.
It came so suddenly that he almost staggered.
The feeling reminded him of the rest after pushing himself through an extremely strenuous workout, that exact moment when the adrenaline finally disappeared, and all that remained was an overwhelming desire to collapse into bed and sleep for the next twelve hours.
Yes. That felt very much like what he was experiencing now.
And eventually it came to a point where the more he struggled, the heavier his body became.
His attempts to free himself gradually dwindled from forceful struggles to weak little tugs that accomplished little. Even his eyelids began to droop as he repeatedly blinked in a losing battle against the drowsiness creeping over him. His breathing gradually slowed, each breath becoming softer than the last, as though his body had already decided that it was time to sleep, whether he agreed or not.
It was strangely warm, too.
No.
Warm wasn’t quite the right word.
He felt hot.
Uncomfortably so.
It almost resembled burning, while his throat grew drier with every passing second until even swallowing started feeling difficult.
Still, he couldn’t shake the drowsiness and the intense need for sleep.
If only he’d been somewhere more comfortable...
Ah, but maybe he’d just lie down for a little while.
He could always move later.
Right now...
He was simply too sleepy.
Jax was just about to close his eyes, though in reality it was far closer to being drained dry than peacefully falling asleep, when the endless darkness around him suddenly fractured apart.
Someone was calling him.
"...!"
His eyelids, already barely open, stopped from drifting shut.
There.
That voice.
It sounded familiar.
Worse...
It sounded desperate.
Then, cutting clean through the darkness, came words spoken with such urgency that they reached him as though shouted directly beside his ear.
"—better take all of it!"
"...Hm?"
His thoughts barely had time to catch up.
"Mmph—!"
In an instant, it felt as though his entire being had been drenched in cold, crystal-clear water.
The exhaustion disappeared.
The suffocating heat vanished.
Even the oppressive darkness shattered all at once.
Jax, whose eyes had been only a heartbeat away from closing, abruptly opened them in surprise.
Huh?
