A repulsive ringing noise rang out in Michael’s head, his body feeling numb.
Still, the unpleasant sensations were good. It ant that he was alive.
His eyes slowly creaked open. The first thing that caught his attention was the red light, which flickered across the damaged chamber of the cha.
There was no need to wonder. It was an automatically activated warning that the cha was in a dire state. Fortunately, his ears were spared from the screeching sound that usually accompanied it, as the speakers had been damaged.
"Thank god you are alive." Claire exclaid in relief.
After a few seconds she managed to turn off the alarm, and the lighting returned to its normal color.
"The Monarch hit us pretty hard. Do you have a concussion? Any loss of mories?" She asked.
"I rember everything." Michael replied.
Glancing downward to assess his condition, a low scoff escaped his lips. Because a single scratch from the tentacles of the Monarch would have dood him and Claire, they had taken extra precautions to remain unhard.
As a result, both he and she had erged from the battle utterly exhausted... But unscathed.
"Thank you for the help." Michael stood up with a groan.
"I couldn’t bear the thought of you being hit... Nor could I let you fight that thing alone." Claire responded softly.
With a slight frown, Michael surveyed the damage. Fortunately, while the monster had inflicted a lot of damage to the cha, the fra of the cockpit itself held firm. He could still stand upright inside, his head well clear of the ceiling.
That, at least, was good news. He and Claire had depleted their reserves of spiritual energy. If her cha’s protective veil had been breached and the oxygen escaped, they would have suffocated within minutes.
Though there was still visible damage, the main console had short-circuited. The monitors were cracked beyond recognition, and even the seat ant for piloting had broken loose from the floor, now lying discarded on the ground. It was badly bent, preventing further use.
"What is the condition of the cha?" Michael asked. Curious about the external damage.
Claire shook her head dejectedly.
"Frankly? Its state is abysmal. The thrusters are all beyond repair. The scanner doesn’t seem to be able to detect a single thing. Sensors and caras are nonfunctional. The weapons are destroyed, as are all forms of communication. Only the ergency oxygen generator and the light are in working order."
She paused briefly.
"Basically we are blind, deaf, mute, lost, and unable to move. No different than sitting ducks as we are helplessly drifting across the vast expanse of the cosmos to a location unknown."
Her eyes darkened.
"Not to ntion we don’t know what is happening at the front. Even if our troops win, it would take a while to organize a search party and even longer for us to be found. Since both of us have exhausted all of our energy, at the mont even a single General would have a shot at killing us..."
Michael nodded calmly.
"Quite a bumr."
Claire blinked a few tis.
"Is... that all you have to say? Whether we live or not is up to chance."
He shrugged.
"Exactly. Regardless of what we do, it wouldn’t change a thing. So it’s better to keep a level head and be calm. The only thing panic would do is worsen our mood, nothing more."
A faint smile tugged Claire’s lips.
"I guess you do have a point."
Michael chuckled warmly.
"Besides, we have done enough. I have faith in the crew that they will erge victorious and find us eventually."
Her eyes widened montarily.
"Now that you ntion it... Bryce must be going mad about his granddaughter right about now."
She giggled as she embraced Mr. BunBun. The rabbit plush he had gifted her.
"Well, serves him right. At least now he would finally realize what I have been feeling all this ti when he didn’t heed my warnings and charged into danger recklessly."
Truthfully, Claire had been pretty shaken when Michael was knocked out. Yet, in re minutes after he regained consciousness, he managed to elevate her mood.
"Still, it’s a sha..." Michael muttered grimly, gazing at the cracked displays.
"If it weren’t for , your cha wouldn’t have taken such devastating damage. I don’t mind when mine gets wrecked, but you must have been pretty attached..."
Sensing where this was going, Claire interrupted him.
"Don’t apologize. It was my decision, and I don’t regret it one bit."
Evidently by the sound of her tone, Michael could easily tell she was sincere.
"Is that so..." He grinned.
As seconds stretched into minutes, he found himself assessing things from a broader perspective.
The appearance of a second Monarch had been unexpected. However, given that he and Claire had managed to delay the monster long enough, Nicole would be able to slay it in the end.
Inevitably, the human troops suffered heavy casualties, but not enough to cause the front to collapse in the face of an unexpected attack.
As for him and Claire, the Monarch’s strength was undeniable. Considering the sheer power behind its strikes and the inertia it could generate, the wrecked cha had traveled quite a distance. In the best-case scenario, it would take a day to be rescued. In the worst case, more than a week.
Given everything, it was a surprisingly favorable outco. When he fought the Monarch, he had been ready to sever a limb to prevent further infection in case he was injured. But, thanks to Claire’s assistance, that hadn’t been necessary.
Michael exhaled, letting his body relax.
But a mont later, his eyes narrowed as he saw his own breath.
"Normally, which system in the cha is responsible for heating the interior?"
Claire was caught off guard by the question.
"Well, the generator is tasked with keeping the interior warm. But given that the majority of functions on the cha are unresponsive, we can safely assu that it’s beyond repair..."
Her words trailed off. An uneasy shiver ran down her spine as she glanced at her trembling hands.
"Oh... Oh no..."
A cold mist escaped her freezing lips.
"Has the cosmos... always been this cold?"
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