Lucian slowly regained consciousness, his eyes taking in an unfamiliar scene—a stretch of beach.
Starlight dotted the sky, and the waves shimmered blue, the sea resembling a vast sapphire glittering under the stars. Gazing toward the horizon, there was only darkness and depth, boundless and endless...
Apart from the glowing sea, the world around him was dimly lit. Ahead lay a cave, faint light seeping from within—likely an exit...
Scattered haphazardly along the beach near the cave entrance were glistening corals and flawless seashells. Lucian lifted his gaze further and spotted several towering, unidentifiable structures piercing the sky. However, obscured by a small hill ahead, only their upper sections were visible. It seemed the only way forward was through the cave...
Unnoticed by Lucian, a translucent blue butterfly rested quietly on a flowering branch. Seeing that Lucian was unharmed, it fluttered its iridescent wings and gracefully flew away.
Lucian glanced beside him. Camellya had yet to wake, leaning peacefully against a reef, her usual white hair restored—no longer the fiery red from before.
"She's not so bad when she's not having an episode..." Lucian studied Camellya's delicate face for a moment before falling into thought.
He remembered the moment when he and Camellya were about to mutually destroy each other—a blue barrier had enveloped them, and then they were transported here...
Beep—
Lucian's terminal chimed. Answering the call, Rover's anxious voice came through: "Lucian! Finally got through! Are you okay? Where are you? I think I saw you fighting Camellya earlier..."
Lucian quickly reassured her, "I'm fine. As for where I am..."
Frowning, he took in the dim hues of this place, reminding him of the Black Shores from his dream. But he couldn't be certain yet, so he replied, "Maybe the Black Shores, but I can't say for sure..."
Rover let out a relieved sigh. "As long as you're okay... But... the Black Shores?"
"I remember at the last moment, a blue light enveloped you and Camellya, and then you both vanished..."
Lucian nodded slightly. So, from the outside, it looked the same as what he had experienced.
Rover continued, "In that case, try exploring a bit first. If it really is the Black Shores, I'll set out immediately to find you."
Lucian agreed, "Alright. I'll let you know as soon as I have more information."
Ending the call, Lucian rubbed his chin and looked at Camellya, still unconscious beside him. Her brows were furrowed, her expression slightly pained.
Perhaps the strain from their battle had been too much. Lucian had noticed earlier that while Camellya's Resonance energy surged during overclocking, it was highly unstable.
Whoever that mysterious person was, they had brought both him and Camellya here instead of rescuing just one—clearly, they hadn't wanted either of them harmed.
Lucian sighed, bent down, and scooped Camellya into his arms, carrying her bridal-style toward the cave. As he did, he sensed the erratic frequency waves emanating from her.
Camellya whimpered softly, "It hurts... so much..."
[Ding!]
[Option 1: The Sleeping Beauty story continues! Kiss Camellya in your arms! Reward: Sleeping Beauty]
[Option 2: Heal the suffering Camellya. Reward: 50% increased healing effectiveness when treating Camellya.]
[Option 3: Kill Camellya, who has repeatedly obstructed your feelings! Reward: Blood Saber Technique +1 Level]
Lucian shook his head. "System, taking advantage of someone like this is wrong..."
"But well, consider this payment for healing her..."
He justified the system's twisted suggestion with a flimsy excuse.
Glancing at Camellya in his arms, Lucian lowered his head and lightly brushed his lips against her soft ones.
"Mmm..."
A faint murmur escaped Camellya's throat, but she showed no signs of waking.
[Option 1 completed. Obtained talent: Sleeping Beauty.]
[Sleeping Beauty: While asleep, there is a 5% chance of dreaming about a possible future event.]
Remembering how Camellya had drawn her blade without hesitation earlier, Lucian pinched her smooth thigh in petty revenge before summoning a faint glow in his palm to begin healing her.
Camellya's injuries weren't severe, but strangely, her frequency seemed resistant to complete stabilization through Healing Art, only temporarily suppressible.
After a while, Camellya's furrowed brows gradually relaxed, her breathing steadied, and she slept soundly in Lucian's arms.
[Option 2 completed. 50% increased healing effectiveness when treating Camellya.]
Lucian activated the Resonance Beacon at the cave entrance, then carried Camellya inside.
The cave wasn't long, and within minutes, they reached the light at the other end. The first thing he saw was the familiar translucent greenhouse.
"So it really is the Black Shores..."
Lucian fell into thought. Could Shorekeeper have been the one who brought them here?
After all, he didn't know many members of the Black Shores. Aside from Shorekeeper, Aalto certainly didn't have such an ability... and Encore was even less likely.
"If it really was Shorekeeper... has she been secretly observing Camellya? Or... has she been watching me all along?"
Looking around, Lucian noticed that unlike in his dream, the platform beneath the greenhouse was bustling with people in uniforms and strange black cubes floating about—far livelier than the Black Shores he'd envisioned.
"This must be the real Black Shores..."
Lucian ascended the steps to the platform. Everyone seemed engrossed in their tasks, paying him no attention.
His gaze lingered on the floating black robots. "Are they robots like Xiang-LEE? Speaking of which, maybe I should check the greenhouse first to see if Shorekeeper is there..."
Just as Lucian was lost in thought, a small robot with a painted mustache and bowtie turned and noticed him.
After scanning its database, it suddenly exclaimed, "It's you!!"
Lucian blinked, looking behind him to confirm the robot was indeed addressing him.
After a pause, he cautiously asked, "Who am I?"
The black robot huffed, "You're the one who sent me that bill!"
KU-Money would never forget—the payment notice had clearly listed two words at the bottom: "Lucian!!"
Lucian fell silent again. So, the bill Jiao-Jiao had sent ended up with this robot...
The commotion drew the attention of those nearby who had been focused on their work.
A researcher stared intently at Lucian before suddenly gasping in realization. "I remember now! You're that Lucian who rode on the Sentinel's back!"
A colleague who rarely browsed forums frowned. "Rode on the Sentinel's back? How is that possible..."
"And the name 'Lucian' sounds so familiar... Wasn't he supposed to be dead?"
Lucian: "...?"