Shoutout to Bruh_Vista for beta-reading and providing extensive feedback for this chapter!
____
Shuri's brain teetered on the precarious edge of overload, both figuratively and literally, as if poised on a tightrope about to snap. She found herself at a critical juncture, with an overwhelming surge of information clamouring for categorisation and storage within her brain. Whilst the human brain possesses innate safeguards to prevent such strain, Shuri's mind operated without these protective mechanisms. Every morsel of knowledge that crossed her path was promptly etched into the recesses of her memory, leaving no room for omission or filtration. Her brain functioned like an insatiable sponge, ceaselessly absorbing knowledge like a liquid. Unlike the average human brain, which boasts the capacity to retain over three hundred years' worth of continuous audiovisual data, Shuri's mind seemed almost boundless in its capacity for accumulation. Consequently, the bottleneck she encountered lay not in her brain's capacity for storage but in the intricate process of converting inputs into tangible knowledge.
How does the mind memorise and remember? Each piece of information encountered by a human is meticulously encoded, deconstructed, and seamlessly interwoven into a delicate tapestry of neural impulses. To retrieve a specific fragment of knowledge, the mind relies on subtle cues that act as guides, steering towards the precise neural pathways that hold the desired information. In this intricate dance, the brain exhibits a remarkable ability to get rid of extraneous details, discarding fragments deemed non-essential to ease the burden of cognitive load. Yet, Shuri's brain bore the unique genetic imprint that skipped the selective pruning process. Every morsel of information that traversed her consciousness was recorded, creating an expansive repository of memories. Whilst this attribute served as a testament to the depth of her intellect, it also posed a formidable challenge. Her brain, finely tuned to minimise data loss, now grappled with the task of accommodating the sheer magnitude of information she had inundated it with.
Emerging from the library, Shuri made her way to her living quarters, hobbling precariously down the seemingly endless steps. After completing that journey, clutching a few books in her grasp, she traversed the corridors of the dorms to her private realm. In her relentless pursuit of enlightenment, she had nearly completed the reading list curated by Sect Leader Larks. In a mere span of two days, she had immersed herself in the captivating world of over thirty books, each surpassing the collegiate level.
Shuri's unquenchable thirst for new and uncharted knowledge had become both a driving force and a potential adversary. The relentless pursuit of intellectual enlightenment, fuelled by an insatiable curiosity, had now exacted its toll. As she stepped into the comforting embrace of her living quarters, her balance faltered, causing the books she clung to so tightly to slip from her grasp.
She'd blacked out.
____
The information arrived in random packages, as she entered and exited consciousness.
The first thing she realised when she gained a moment of clarity was that she was no longer on the floor. She had been moved to her bed. She also noticed that there was another person in the room - an adult.
____
Her body felt cold, and then hot, and then cold again. Was this a fever?
She instinctively huddled into a ball to contain the smidgen of heat still coursing through her body but was surprised to find a heavy comforter hugging her tightly.
____
She felt herself getting raised into a seated position, and a warm metal spoon touching her lips. Her nose picked up edible smells in the steam that entered it. Her eyelids cracked open with some difficulty, to find a person holding a spoon up against her face.
"Eat," the masculine voice spoke. "It's just vegetable soup."
"She's weak. Why can't we use a feeding bottle?" A feminine voice argued worriedly.
"She doesn't need it," the masculine voice affirmed. "Come on, Shuri. Take a sip."
Her mouth moved by instinct and slurped the warm liquid. As it flowed down her gullet, a comforting feeling washed over her. Another spoonful arrived at the ready, which she slurped hungrily.
Once the soup was finished. A wave of slumber washed over her, and she fell asleep once again.
____
Her second bout of consciousness introduced her to a rather heated argument between a man and a woman.
The words were like a faint buzzing noise; she couldn't make out what was being said.
____
"Guy, Shuri isn't here," Grace pointed out while nudging her head towards the empty seat in the mess hall, which was usually occupied by the girl. It was off in an unfrequented corner, out of sight and very easy to overlook. "I thought I told you to get it through her head the last time. She cannot miss her meals, no matter what!"
Guy sighed loudly as he tilted his head backwards in defeat. "I tried, Grace."
"Well, try harder!"
"You could very easily do it as well, you know?!" Guy responded weakly.
"I'm not the Sect Leader. It isn't my job to keep these kids in line," Grace snapped back. "I already have my hands full, with Kano and Dora. Besides, do you think they will respect my word, that of a mortal, or yours?"
"That excuse didn't work the last time when you asked me to reprimand the kids for planting weeds in your garden (which they had no idea about, might I add), and it won't work this time either," Guy responded with a stern shake of his head. "And as a matter of fact, they all fear YOU more than they fear me."
"This argument is getting nowhere," Grace deflected. "The bottom line is that a girl still in her growing stages is skipping her meals. Are you going to do something about it or not?"
Guy sighed once again while standing up from his table, "Fine, fine. I'll go."
"Leave the dishes, I'll wash them," Grace declared while snatching the plate from Guy's hands. She then chuckled and said, "Look! I have my hands full!"
Guy responded with an exaggerated smile and a sarcastic laugh, "Your sense of humour has hit a new low, Grace."
Grace responded with a fake smile of her own before shooting Guy an aggressive look and leaving in a huff with the dishes expertly stacked in her hands.
Guy proceeded to make a plate for Shuri, with balanced nutrition and made his way out of the mess hall towards the living quarters. Along the way, he greeted the Sect Members hanging around, doing their own thing.
After arriving at his destination, Guy raised his knuckle and rapped it against Shuri's door.
"Shuri? Open up! You're in big trouble today, young lady," Guy said sternly.
For a minute, there was no response. Guy frowned and tried once again, this time the call was shorter, "Shuri?"
He tried again, "Shuri!"
His face contracted with a frown. He took a step back and warned, "I'm sending my mana sense inside, prepare yourself."
His contained senses extended through the door and filled the room within. As he did this, he found that the girl he was seeking was collapsed on the floor with her books strewn about.
"I'm entering," Guy informed before opening the door.
He hurried forward and cradled Shuri's head. With one hand, he tapped the girl's cheek while repeatedly calling her name. He placed two fingers against the girl's neck to check her pulse, noticing a regular pattern. He raised her and placed her on her bed.
He then walked out of the door and yelled, "Anyone there?"
"Yes, Sect Leader?" A response came a minute later when a head poked out from the neighbouring room.
"Lee-Ann," Guy recognised. "Can you please go get Grace for me? And please make it quick, tell her it is an emergency."
"Umm, right away, Sect Leader," the girl nodded before moving with a brisk walk.
Guy returned to Shuri's bedside and placed his right palm against the girl's head.
"She has a fever," the Other Guy spoke through his right half.
"I can see that," Guy chimed in. "But why?"
"I have a suspicion..." the Other Guy mumbled.
"You have got to stop doing this," Guy groaned. "If you have something to say, just say it instead of being all mysterious about it."
"It's because I'm not fully certain about the cause, that I'm being so evasive," the right half admitted. "And before you screech at me to 'just confirm it', I'll have you know that the process is invasive. And I know just how 'meticulous' you are about that."
"How invasive?" Guy asked hesitantly. "You know what, forget it. I regret even asking that question."
At that moment, Guy caught the sound of Grace walking over with hurried steps.
"You had a simple job, Guy. Do I have to do everything? What happened here?" Grace stopped herself when she noticed Guy standing next to an unconscious Shuri's bed. "Did she fall asleep?"
"No, she's passed out."
"What?!" Grace skipped ahead and performed the same checks Guy did. "What happened?"
"I know just as much as you do, Grace," Guy responded while crossing his arms. His expression was serious as he inspected Shuri.
"Let's not just gape about, do something?" Grace pleaded. "My goodness, she's got a fever!"
"I'll go get her a duvet," Guy volunteered. "Put on some socks for her and prepare some soup. She'll have difficulty swallowing solid food."
"How did she get sick, Guy?" Grace asked once again worriedly.
"This isn't a classic sickness," Guy's right side spoke.
"Is it magical?" Grace probed.
"Something like that," the Other Guy hummed.
As Guy walked out of the room to complete his self-assigned tasks, he added, "We can't know for sure until we run a few tests."
Follow current novels on freewe(b)novel.c(o)m