Chapter 1612: Stranded

Author's Note: Unedited Chapter

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Endric gritted his teeth as he struggled to hold on. "I… I don't know if I can keep this up. The string—it's starting to disappear. I need to stay awake, but…"

Ria frowned, noticing Endric's condition worsening. "You're running on fumes, man. If you keep pushing like this, you're going to pass out. Maybe we should stop—"

Before he could finish, a green dot flashed on Endric's forehead as Husarius deep voice echoed in Endric's mind. "If you fall unconscious, the thread will dissipate entirely."

Endric nodded weakly, though his body was already betraying him. He fought to keep his eyes open, but his strength was fading fast. With a final shudder, he lost his grip on the string and his vision went dark as he slumped back in his seat, passing out from pure exhaustion.

"Endric!" Sersi gasped, rushing over to him as his body went limp.

"Damn it, he's out cold," Ria muttered, moving to help her lift Endric and lay him back against the seat. "Guess we're on pause until he wakes up."

They settled Endric as comfortably as they could, securing him in place. Sersi's face was drawn with worry as she glanced at Ria.

"He pushed himself too far," she whispered, brushing a stray hair from Endric's forehead. "He's been carrying this entire journey on his shoulders. I wish I could have done more to help."

Ria placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't beat yourself up. We all did what we could, and now we let him rest. He'll bounce back soon."

With Endric now asleep, they set about gathering some food and supplies, preparing for when he finally woke up. It was nearly a day before he stirred.

His eyes fluttered open to see the concerned faces of Sersi and Ria hovering over him.

"No!" he exclaimed, trying to sit up. He looked around wildly in search of the thread. But it was gone.

The faint glow he'd held onto for so long had vanished completely.

"Endric, calm down," Sersi said gently while placing a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "You're okay. You were exhausted. We had to let you rest."

Endric's face fell in frustration. "But the thread—it's gone. We're stranded here, in the middle of nowhere, and we've lost our only lead."

Ria gave him a crooked smile. "Hey, look on the bright side. At least you didn't completely collapse on top of the control panel and send us spinning into an asteroid field. Small mercies, right?"

Endric's scowl softened tightened in defeated. "I thought I could hold on just a little longer… Now we're stuck. And it's my fault."

"No. Don't even go there," Sersi said firmly, grabbing his hand and squeezing it reassuringly. "You got us this far, didn't you? We'll figure something out. But first, you need to eat. Your energy's still low, and starving yourself won't bring the thread back."

She handed him a piece of dried fruit, which he took reluctantly, biting into it without enthusiasm.

"It feels like all that effort was for nothing," he mumbled between bites. "We've been flying blind in space for days, and now we have no clue where to go next."

Ria leaned back, crossing his arms as he gave Endric a thoughtful look. "Maybe, maybe not. I mean, come on—these things don't just disappear completely, do they? There's gotta be a way to track it again. You created that link once; maybe there's some other way to pick up the trail."

Endric sighed as his gaze fell to the floor. "It's not that simple. The thread was fragile, a temporary connection. Once it's gone, it's gone. I don't know if I can recreate it without that initial spark signature from the previous location."

The dim glow of the spacecraft's control panels illuminated the worried expressions of Endric, Sersi, and Ria as they floated in the vast emptiness of deep space.

For days, they had followed the karmic temporal string, guided by Endric's abilities. But now, without that faint line stretching ahead, they were truly directionless. Endric sighed, leaning back in his seat with a look of uncertainty.

Sersi broke the silence after a while. "Maybe we should just head to the fourth location. It's the last place on our list… maybe that's where we'll find something."

Endric shook his head. "I don't think it'll help. We've checked three places already, and all we found were dead ends. If we go there and it's the same… it'll be a waste of time and energy."

Sersi's shoulders slumped, disappointment showing in her face. "So what, then? Just sit here in the middle of nowhere?"

Ria leaned back with his usual casual grin, though his eyes held a glimmer of sincerity. "Or… we could just keep going forward, right? Follow the path the string pointed in before it disappeared. Who knows? Maybe we're closer than we think."

Endric arched a brow, giving Ria a sideways look. "You're suggesting we fly into empty space with no destination in sight?"

Ria shrugged. "Why not? We're already in the middle of nowhere. We can either turn back, waste time, or just go with it and see what happens. Worst case, we're still lost. Best case, we find what we're looking for."

Endric rubbed his temples, thinking it over. "It's risky… but maybe you're right. We've got nothing to lose at this point."

Sersi nodded with a small spark of determination in her eyes. "If there's even a chance it'll lead us somewhere, I say we take it. We've come too far to turn back."

Endric exhaled, feeling a small sense of relief in their decision. "Alright. Ria, you take the controls. I'll need to conserve my energy in case we run into any trouble."

Ria grinned, sliding into the pilot's seat and cracking his knuckles dramatically. "Leave it to me. I'll steer us straight through the void without a hitch."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Endric muttered, but he allowed himself a faint smile. He directed Ria to steer toward the last point he'd seen the thread, then leaned back in his seat to rest.

---

The days that followed were monotonous and unyielding. The stars outside drifted past as the spacecraft cut through space at a steady pace, but every hour that passed without finding a trace of life or any sign that they were heading in the right direction chipped away at their patience.

Ria, despite his outward cheer, began to feel the uncertain, and even Sersi's optimism wavered.

"Endric, how are you holding up?" Sersi asked one day as they sat in the cockpit together.

Endric looked up with weary eyes. "I'm fine, just... frustrated. It's like we're floating in a void, hoping for something to appear out of nowhere. I know it wasn't my idea to follow the direction, but... it's starting to feel like a mistake."

"We made the best choice we could with the information we had," Sersi said reassuringly. "Besides, if we give up now, we'll never know how close we might have been."

Ria swung his chair around with a look of encouragement. "Let's not stop here. We don't know how close we are."

"Let's hope you're right..."

---

Meanwhile, in a distant part of the universe, Gustav was nearing his next vestige, navigating through a dense region of space filled with cosmic debris and small asteroid fields.

The faint, pulsing energy of the vestige drew him forward, and he could feel its power growing stronger with each passing hour. He knew he was close, but something in the surrounding space felt... different. Off.

As he closed in, a low groan echoed through his spacecraft, and a red warning light flashed on the dashboard.

Gustav raised a brow, leaning forward to study the message that appeared on the screen:

[ RESTRICTED SPACE—LIVING MATTER WILL BE AFFECTED]

"Great, just what I needed," Gustav muttered, tapping the screen. "And I suppose 'living matter' includes me."

He brought the ship to a halt, staring out into the dark void ahead. The area beyond seemed calm, almost eerily still, as if held in place by some invisible force. But he could sense the vestige on the other side, faint but distinct, calling to him.

Just then, the system manifested before him in its familiar girl-like form, dressed in a crimson gown with a mischievous grin.

"Trouble?" she taunted, gliding closer.

"You could say that," Gustav replied dryly. "I need to get past this point to reach the vestige, but apparently, it's a zone where living tissue is affected... Any ideas?"

The system tilted her head thoughtfully. "Oh, surely a big, bad Outworldly like you can figure this out. Or maybe the answer is closer than you think."

Gustav's brow furrowed. "I don't have time for riddles, system. You either speak or keep shut do I can take care of it myself."

The system laughed, circling him like a specter. "What you need is a workaround. What is it about this restriction that's keeping you out? Is it your body, your energy, or... something else?"

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