Hexus: Neo

)28( Vector

[7:34AM, January 19, UTC +02:00]

BORDEAUX looked at the LED screen of the black modulation and relay device in his hand as it indicated that the results from the ten-minute battle session had finally been computed. Synch levels were 'HI' for the Earth and Air twins, while the Antimatter twins had steady 'MED' readings. The Water twins also averaged at 'MED', but the breakdown from their time-log showed erratic fluctuations between 'LO' and 'HI'. He sighed. The averages were promising for a trial run, but none of them had come close to accomplishing their goal.

Maybe because their magic is not at full strength.

A shrill beeping sound came from the device. Stress levels readings were rising quickly on consoles 4A and 4B – which, from the log order, belonged to the Air Twins.

"Yuriko! Yuriko!"

He looked up. Yuriko was lying on the ground, gasping for air, and Sakaki was shaking her frantically. Henri, Portia and Folasade stood around them, looking on with concern. Olutayo, who had been trying to heal Augustus and Agnes by the grove area of the training ground, looked up to see the cause of the commotion. His expression became something between guilty and frightened as he seemed to realise what was going on, and he helped Augustus sit up before he stood up and slowly approached Yuriko.

"Kuru nai!" Sakaki screamed at him, eyes teeming with anger and a bit of fear. "Anata no sei nda! Yuriko! Mezameru, Yuriko!"

The beeping quickened.

"What's going on?" Kojiro asked as he rushed into the training room, followed by Adrianna. The urgency of his entry made Bordeaux wonder if Kojiro had really come down here because of this. There's no way he would have heard them from upstairs.

"I think she's allergic to bee stings." Henri replied. "Looks like an anaphylactic reaction. She needs an epi injection."

"Yuriko!" Sakaki cried as he hovered over her and continued to shake her shoulders. Yuriko gasps had turned to wheezes and it looked like she was losing consciousness. The beeps became even quicker, going so fast that they almost seemed like a continuous sound. Bordeaux was torn between watching the device in his hand and the scene unfolding before him.

"We need to get her to a hospital," Kojiro said as he made his way down into the training area, "Or she could go into shock."

"I'll go start the car," Adrianna said, turning quickly towards the door.

"This is really bad," Kojiro said as he looked down at Yuriko's flushed face. "We really don't have time to drive all the way. And Paula's not here."

Sakaki was now a blubbering mess of tears as he looked desperately at his grandfather and shook Yuriko even harder. Henri attempted to pull him off in order to give Yuriko some air, and Sakaki screamed and struggled against him while the other children looked helpless. Yuriko reached desperately for Sakaki, even though her eyes were swollen shut and she was barely breathing, and Olutayo rushed forward and crouched beside her, mumbling apologies as he placed his hands over her chest. Bordeaux looked down as the sounds started to run into each other, and the device in his hand started to overheat.

The beeps turned into a flatline.

Magical energy flushed into the room, so thick and intense that he could feel prickles on his skin. Everything went silent. He tried to breathe in but his lungs could not pull in the air, and it felt like an invisible weight was pushing him into the ground. His heart pounded erratically, and he hissed in pain, releasing the little air he had left as his joints ached from the mounting air pressure. His vision started blurring at the edges and it was incredibly difficult to move, but he managed to raise his head and look at the training ground.