BXBX NOVEL Chapter 31 Ark I
Chapter 31 Ark I
Fainting, medically referred to as syncope, serves as a built-in defense mechanism. It activates in response to a sudden drop in blood pressure or insufficient blood supply to the brain. When the brain detects this critical reduction in blood and oxygen, it temporarily suspends consciousness to prioritize blood flow to vital organs, particularly the brain. This protective response minimizes potential harm by causing the individual to collapse, allowing blood to circulate more effectively against gravity and restore brain function. Once blood pressure stabilizes, the person regains consciousness, often experiencing disorientation. Fainting can have various causes, ranging from serious conditions like cardiac issues and neurological disorders to less prudent actions such as recklessly challenging one's own neurons out of curiosity.
Elian, a well-rounded scientist, possessed a keen awareness of this fact. Despite his profound fascination with runesmithing, Elian never neglected other intellectual fields. In truth, he consistently delved into various disciplines, such as biology, alchemy, and pharmacology, whenever he encountered obstacles in his runesmithing experiments or experienced significant breakthroughs. However, he refrained from delving too deeply into these areas, primarily to avoid detracting from his dedicated runesmithing endeavors. Additionally, he recognized that his unique runic eyes held little relevance in these other fields, and he couldn't help but feel that pursuing them would squander his exceptional gift. Consequently, he opted to focus solely on his passion for runesmithing.
Although Elian had only a modest understanding of the topic, he remained confident in his belief that fainting operates as a safeguard against injuries when the brain detects a potential threat to its oxygen supply. In response to this crucial circumstance, the brain activates a protective response, scaling down its metabolic requirements and briefly halting consciousness, with the primary focus on safeguarding essential bodily functions. As blood pressure declines, neural activity diminishes, precipitating a rapid loss of awareness in the individual. Thus, when someone experiences fainting, a sophisticated sequence of physiological processes ensues, culminating in the temporary cessation of consciousness and a protective shutdown of the brain.
In essence, when someone faints, they lose all awareness, leading to a state of complete unconsciousness, so.....
"WHAT IS GOING ON!!!" Elian's voice echoed in the darkness.
Although he couldn't see or hear anything, he could unmistakably sense motion. It felt as if he were securely fastened into a seat, blindfolded, and plugged into some unfathomable journey akin to rocketing through a cosmic wormhole. Of course, Elian had no firsthand experience with wormholes, but the sensation left him convinced that this must be what it's like.
Time seemed elusive in this peculiar state. How long had he been in this condition? It was impossible to discern; his thoughts were consumed by the surreal experience, compounded by his sensory deprivation.
Gradually, he managed to quell the rising panic, realizing that resistance was futile. Surrendering to the situation, he decided to embrace the opportunity for rest. He hadn't slept in days, and with the rhythmic motion, the monotonous environment, and oddly enough, a sense of comfort, it didn't take long before he succumbed to slumber. Within minutes, the accumulated fatigue overcame him, and he drifted into a deep sleep, despite the enigmatic circumstances surrounding him.
....
"Wake up, young one," a barely perceptible voice gently roused Elian from his slumber. As he struggled to shake off the remnants of sleep, his furrowed brow betrayed his perplexity upon hearing the monotonous, genderless voice. The source was unmistakably familiar, yet his mental archives failed to supply a matching context. This disconcerting mystery gnawed at him, particularly given his photographic memory.
Unable to place the owner of the familiar voice, Elian fully opened his eyes. Though he initially wanted to look behind him since the voice came from that direction, he couldn't bring himself to do so. He was too mesmerized by what lay before him, to the extent that he completely forgot about the voice.
Seated among towering bookshelves that expanded infinitely in all directions, Elian found himself surrounded by an overwhelming display of books. The shelves were packed with an endless array of volumes, from weathered tomes to leather-bound editions, their spines adorned with an assortment of symbols and scripts. The 'library' was a vast expanse of boundless knowledge, a visual testament to the depth and breadth of understanding. Elian couldn't help but feel dwarfed by the sheer volume of information that surrounded him.
Elian had never stepped into a library before; his books were either digital or paper but procured by servants. However, as he stood in awe amid this monumental repository of knowledge, he couldn't help but realize that not even the most celebrated libraries, including the royal one, could hold a candle to what lay before him.
He shook his head in disbelief, rejecting the idea that even the Museum of Humanity, famous for preserving all pre-cataclysmic knowledge, could be compared to this colossal expanse. The sheer scale of the library was staggering, and Elian couldn't help but wonder how many fundamental laws of physics had been bent, or perhaps entirely broken, to enable the existence of such a magnificent and limitless space for learning.
However, these bewildering circumstances left Elian wrestling with a multitude of urgent questions.
"Am I still on Earth?" he wondered, his gaze fixed on the seemingly boundless expanse of the library. He wasn't certain of the answer to this question, given that the cataclysm had completely altered human common sense, if common sense still existed. Before the cataclysm, such a place could only exist in books or imagination, but now the concept of fantasy books had faded, as almost anything imaginable now existed. So, he couldn't definitively say he wasn't on Earth anymore, knowing about the existence of many similar 'magical' places that bent or even broke the laws of physics, like Dungeons, which he was familiar with through frequent visits with his father.
As Elian recognized the similarity of this place to dungeons, it finally dawned on him that he had somehow been displaced from his home to this unfamiliar location. How?!
He lived in the Capital of Kamer Kingdom, and his family, Thorne, possessed one of the mightiest military powers among the surrounding Kingdoms. The house was guarded by a squad of the Thorne Knights, not to mention the numerous formations protecting it. Even the King himself wouldn't dare intrude on their home. Therefore, Elian immediately dismissed the possibility of kidnapping, leaving only two plausible explanations.
Death or insanity.
Elian was well aware of the mental exhaustion he had endured, and he was no stranger to its dire consequences. The possibility of insanity or death lingered as plausible explanations-explanations that could potentially make sense of the inexplicable series of events that had unfolded thus far.