Chapter 178: Back to Normal

Aisha slowly got out of bed.

Her body still felt heavier than usual, and although the dizziness that had overwhelmed her before she lost consciousness was gone, a faint ache lingered behind her eyes, while an uncomfortable weakness remained in her limbs. She ignored it, however, and walked toward the door.

Amar watched her closely. "Where are you going?"

"I want to check on Zenick."

Amar hesitated for a moment before standing, for he knew there was no point in telling her to rest when she had already decided what she wanted to do. Instead, he followed her out of the room without arguing.

The house was quiet.

As Aisha walked through the corridor, she looked around, trying to remember the layout. She had stayed here before, but most of her time in the residence had been spent either sleeping or dealing with whatever problem had appeared in front of her.

Amar led her toward another room farther down the hallway.

When the door opened, Aisha stopped.

A large pod stood inside.

It was different from the tank she had seen in the contaminated zone. The structure was slimmer and more advanced-looking, with a transparent upper section and several metallic components built into its sides. Dim blue lights moved along its edges, while faint streams of energy circulated through the machinery.

Inside it, Zenick lay motionless.

Aisha stared at him for several seconds before slowly walking closer.

She hadn’t seen this thing before, so her gaze moved over the unfamiliar pod before she turned toward Amar. "Where did this come from?"

"It was already here."

Aisha frowned.

"Already here?"

Amar nodded, folding his arms as he stood beside her. "It was inside the house when we arrived. I assumed the Admiral left it here."

He had already heard from Nykos that this house was owned by Zeke, which made Amar feel even more impressed with Aisha. Having two SS-ranked Sentinels willing to do things for her, not everyone could be as lucky as she was.

Aisha looked back at the pod.

She had been inside this house before, and she had walked through most of its rooms, but she had never once noticed anything like this.

Just how many things from the Association had Zeke left behind here?

Amar seemed to be thinking along the same lines, and his gaze remained on the pod as he studied the machinery with unusual interest.

"I’ve seen something similar before," he said. "This is probably a containment pod specifically designed to contain miasma."

Aisha’s attention returned to him.

"Miasma?"

"It prevents the energy inside a person’s body from spreading outward while also regulating the amount that remains inside." Amar moved closer and examined one of the displays. "It’s not something you can normally buy on the open market."

Aisha looked at him.

"Only the Association has equipment like this?"

"Something this advanced? Yes." Amar’s expression became thoughtful. "And even within the Association, these aren’t common. They’re extremely expensive, and getting one requires quite a bit of authorization."

His eyes shifted toward Zenick.

"So, it’s surprising that you somehow ended up with one."

Aisha didn’t answer. Instead, she stared at her brother through the transparent surface.

Zenick looked peaceful. Almost too peaceful.

His face was pale, and the dark traces of miasma were still visible beneath his skin, yet the pod seemed to be keeping the energy contained. There was no violent reaction like the one that had happened when Nykos tried to touch him.

For the first time since they had escaped the contaminated zone, Aisha felt some of the tension in her chest loosen. It was only slight, however, and she still couldn’t bring herself to relax completely.

Her gaze remained fixed on Zenick, and she thought about Zeke.

If this equipment had already been left inside his residence, then perhaps Zeke had more Association equipment hidden throughout the house. It wouldn’t have surprised her anymore.

Then another memory surfaced—that strange stone inside Zeke’s chest, the one she had seen before, and the miasmic energy contained inside it.

Aisha’s brows drew together.

Perhaps Zeke had something like this pod for his own purposes as well.

She didn’t know what he was doing with all that miasma, but the more she learned about him, the less ordinary his circumstances seemed.

"His condition is stable for now," Amar said quietly.

Aisha nodded, then reached out and placed her hand against the outside of the pod.

The surface was cool beneath her palm.

"That’s good."

She remained there for another moment before finally pulling her hand away.

Amar watched her quietly. He could see how exhausted she still was, even though she refused to acknowledge it.

"You should rest more."

Aisha turned toward him. "I feel fine."

"No, you’re not. You were unconscious for half a day."

"I’ll feel better after I wash up."

"You’re going to wash up now? Are you serious?"

Aisha glanced toward the pod one last time before turning around. "Yes. Stay here and look at my brother for me. I’m going to take a shower."

Amar opened his mouth as though he wanted to argue, but he eventually stopped himself. Instead, he watched her walk away for a moment before speaking.

"Don’t stay in there too long. You’re still recovering."

Aisha glanced back at him but didn’t argue. "I won’t."

With that, she continued down the corridor, leaving Amar behind, and he watched her disappear down the hall.

He couldn’t help wondering whether this woman ever listened to anyone.

***

Warm water flowed over Aisha’s body.

She stood beneath the shower for several minutes, letting the heat loosen the stiffness in her muscles. Her hair became soaked, and the strands clung to her back as she closed her eyes.

For the first time since returning to Gaia, she allowed herself to stop thinking about what had happened. She pushed thoughts of the contaminated zone, Holden, the Association, and the miasma aside, and for a few quiet moments, she simply listened to the sound of the running water.

Then she remembered something.

Aisha lowered her gaze toward her chest.

"Nibbles."

A faint movement came from inside her body, so she concentrated.

A thin, transparent bubble slowly emerged from her chest.

Inside it, the tiny spiritual beast was curled into itself.

Nibbles was asleep.

Its small body floated comfortably inside the bubble, its antennae drooping as it remained completely motionless.

Aisha stared at it.

"Nibbles?"

There was no response, so she reached out and gently tapped the surface of the bubble.

"Nibbles, wake up."

The tiny creature shifted slightly. One antenna twitched. Then, it curled itself even tighter and continued sleeping.

Aisha blinked.

"You’re still sleeping?"

Nothing.

She stared at the little creature for a while before her expression softened, for perhaps it was simply too tired.

Nibbles had been through a lot recently. It had used its abilities, shared its energy with her, and had even spoken to her while she was trapped inside that strange white place.

It had warned her about Zenick.

If Nibbles hadn’t called out to her then, she might not have realized what was happening.

Aisha lifted her hand and gently stroked the surface of the bubble.

"Thank you."

The sleeping creature didn’t respond.

Aisha’s lips curved faintly.

"You did well."

Her finger moved slowly over the transparent surface.

"So get plenty of rest. Don’t worry about anything."

Nibbles remained asleep.

Aisha watched it for another moment before whispering, "Call me when you wake up."

The bubble floated quietly in front of her, and Aisha withdrew her hand and allowed it to return inside her chest.

Once it disappeared, she closed her eyes again and remained beneath the warm water for a little while longer.

When Aisha finally came out of the bathroom, she was wearing a robe with her damp hair falling over her shoulders.

The room was quiet, so she glanced toward the chair.

Nykos was gone.

Aisha paused, for she had expected him to still be there, especially after seeing how stubbornly he had refused to leave while she was unconscious. However, he must have left while she was in the bathroom.

She looked around the room. There was no sign of him.

Aisha didn’t think much of it, so she changed into clean clothes and dried herself before leaving the room.

By the time she reached the stairs, her stomach gave an unmistakable growl.

Aisha stopped, and she looked down at herself. Then she sighed.

She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until that moment.

She walked downstairs and glanced around the house. She didn’t see Nykos, Amar, or Vince anywhere, and she couldn’t hear anyone talking either. Aisha briefly wondered if they had gone somewhere together, but she hadn’t heard the gates open, and the house was large enough that they could easily be somewhere else.

Rather than waste time looking for them, she decided to leave them alone.

Food came first, so she went into the kitchen.

There was still some of the meat she had cleansed earlier, and Aisha took it out and placed it on the counter.

Then she paused.

Yesterday, she had only prepared enough for herself. Today, however, she wasn’t eating alone.

She glanced toward the doorway. If the three men were still inside the house, there was no reason to cook only for herself.

Aisha took out more meat, and she prepared the pieces carefully, separating what she needed before beginning to season them. The remaining food from yesterday was also taken out and placed aside to reheat.