It didn't take long to find the correct Gateway to Nowhere. Trial and error led them to the furthest puddle, much to their disappointment. Logic would have had them second guessing themselves, and Frost would have considered reverse psychology, which was why she had first checked the ones closest to where they arrived.

But no, it was simply the one located the furthest away from them. This combined with Frost being the only one who was testing the Gateways to Nowhere meant they had already spent an hour here.

The remaining Gateways to Nowhere were burned by a furious Acedia. Frost only let it go because it would at least help whoever came after them. Otherwise, she had to make a mental note regarding Acedia's behavior.

She had a long way to go if she wanted to become human.

Must be a system shock for her. It's hard to blame her outright when she's getting bombarded with sensation and emotions simultaneously. But at the same time, it's a good learning experience for her.

"It was quite the shock for me when I reached the First State." Nav commented. "It is like what happens to a cold glass when you pour in hot water. It cracks. What I described is called a thermal shock. The glass must warm up first, less it breaks."

After wrapping Raoul in steel thread, they leaped into the only remaining Gateway. They travelled through its narrow guts one after another. Frost kept her arms wrapped around her chest in the shape of an 'X'. It was a position that instructors at water parks would tell first-timers to reduce the risk of injury.

Acedia tried it, but her hands quickly smothered her mouth and pinched her nose as thin mucus flooded through her orifices. Raoul on the other hand, was no more than a cocoon with thread-shaped wolf ears and a tail poking out. Or an airtight sarcophagus if her HP dropped to zero.

Lung capacity was a major concern. The Gateways to Nowhere required one to be able to hold their breaths for upwards of ninety seconds at a minimum. Depending on far the exit was, it could easily be a ten-minute trip at most (10 kilometers).

Frost had to trust Raoul's "Don't worry about me," remark.

Ten minutes later…

"Pwaaaaah!"

"Gaaah! Air! No, I still can't breathe! Mother, the mucus is invading my brain!"

"…"

They spat out from the other end and emerged in a flat plane of soil. Frost surfed along the ground, whilst Raoul and Acedia tumbled until they came to a complete stop.

"Don't worry about the mucus. Help me break Raoul out of the cocoon." She couldn't care less about Acedia's grievances.

She began pulling steel strands apart like they were soft bundles of hay. As they disassembled the cocoon, Frost took a cursory look at Raoul's HP.

Raoul | HP/MP: 300

All seemed fine. But Raoul had not yet answered.

"Raoul!? Wait, don't tell me you suffocated!"

She punched through the remaining layers, revealing an unresponsive Raoul.

Raoul

Condition: Hypoxia-related Cardiac Arrest

"RAOUL!?" Her voice tore through the empty field as she ripped the cocoon off.

As soon as Raoul's upper body was exposed, she swiftly weaved a mouth-mask that was attached to a tube and fitted it onto Raoul's face.

"Acedia, hand on her neck and another on her wrist! Tell me if you can feel a pulse!"

"Didn't Raoul wish to die?"

"Her wish means nothing. I'm the one who decides who can and can't die! Hurry! I'm starting breaths and compressions!"

Acedia tripped onto Raoul's body and clumsily checked her pulse. At the same time, Frost slipped the end of the tube into her mouth, blew air into Raoul's lungs, and then began compressions.

"Not strong enough to do it effectively, but that's alright. Find anything!?"

"Nothing. Silent."

"Fucking asystole…" Frost growled.

The reason why Frost immediately blew air into Raoul's lungs was because it was critical to resupply her bloodstream with oxygen. There was also no telling how long she had suffocated for, but judging by her HP, it could not have been long at all.

They had a window of opportunity to revive her.

However…

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"Asystole? What is that?" Acedia had never heard of this term before.

It was a medical term from Earth that meant the same thing Acedia had discovered by touching Raoul's pulse and was one of the few things that healing magic could not save.

"The complete absence of heart functions. A flatline. Not even an electrical charge will bring it back. We don't have meds to stimulate the heart either. It wasn't uncommon for people to die because of it."

"They are an electric wolf." Acedia brought up.

Indeed. This was another avenue Frost had considered. If it was Raoul, then it was perhaps possible to revive her with electricity alone. The issue was that they didn't have anyone who was capable of this present.

"That's the other thing I'm hoping for. But we don't have a defibrillator, or electric magic to help us!"

"You're in luck."

A familiar voice spoke from behind the fog. Swift footsteps rapidly approached as the scent of ozone hit them. Blue crackles of electricity followed the hidden figure until they made out the silhouette of a wolf Demi-human.

This caused Acedia to raise her arms as she struck a pose, only for her to wince when she realized that she could not produce tendrils to further defend their position.

"Stop, Acedia. Res? Is that you?"

"It's me alright. I was wondering who was on my tail. I couldn't tell if it was one of us since skills don't seem to be working in here."

Frost's eyes were fixed somewhere higher than where the voice came from. She was expecting to be greeted by Res' blue eyes but was surprised when she spotted twin red orbs emerging from the fog…

… And that Res was much shorter than she remembered.

It would be more accurate to say that this was the Res she had known the longest. Her hair was tied into twin tails, and they bounced with each electrified step she took. A black tie hung from her neck, and her crimson eyes replaced the new blue that Frost had come to adore.

This was the pre-Realized Res.

Nowhere could she find the splotches of paint, the jiggly ears, or her short-cut hair.

Res Kindred

LEVEL : 200 ORIGIN : Demi-Human HP/MP : 12,500

ATT : 750

MAG ATT : 750 ATT DEF : 500 MAG DEF : 500

RESIST : 25

AGI : 30

"What's the situation?" Res was able to read the air in an instant.

Her eyes narrowed onto the figure beneath Frost and Acedia.

It was strange. Res should have known what they were doing. She was there when Frost first performed CPR in that town in the middle of Brandar's plains.

Yet, Res did not seem to recognize this.

"We're giving her CPR."

"Cardiac arrest? I'll give them an Elevated Shock."

Since Frost first discovered the cure to the Healer's Dilemma, there had been efforts into introducing defibrillators around the Nex Megalopolis. They were notably installed within Guilds and came in the form of a Lightning Crystal. These were calibrated into three modes.

Basic, Standard and Elevated. Basic Shock Delivery (BSD) was given to races or infants that could not tolerate the Standard Shock Delivery (SSD). Although, Dragonkin and those with leathery hides were an exception.

Standard Shock Delivery was the universal mode of the Lightning Crystal, and was a common tool kept in a Healer's kit. They were cheap to produce since they were a naturally occurring mineral and were effective in reviving patients afflicted by the Healer's Dilemma.

Additionally, Adventurers capable of using Electric Magic were given exclusive quests that had them act as living defibrillators. The final delivery method – the Elevated Shock Delivery (ESD) – did not commonly see use outside of creatures that were heavily resistant to electricity, such as the Dragons and the Lizardkin.

Given Raoul's stats were run-of-the-mill, using an ESD would fry her.

"Standard. Take a look at her stats. Get ready to shock her. Hands off, Acedia!"

"Stats for this…" Res' hands explored the air in front of her before eventually tapping on Raoul's body. "… Lady? I can't see the status window. Who is this?"

"This is Raoul."

Res face blanched.

"R-R-R-R-Raoul!? Frost, this is Raoul!?" Her soul left her body, and her hands recoiled from Raoul like she had touched a hot stove. "No way… But she – he's… What… and why is your voice so squeaky now."

She reached out again towards Frost, only to accidentally brush her fingers along Acedia's chest. Acedia's brows furrowed, and a vein popped on her forehead. But she did not voice her frustrations, since Res was technically a sibling, and one of the only people Frost trusted with her life.

"You're not wearing anything?"

"That's not me." Frost said. "That's my body, but Acedia's wearing it. I'm just the Little Frost now. Just completely incapable of violence. Listen, Res–shock Raoul, and we'll see what happens! And…"

Frost kept trailing off, because she could not figure out what was happening to Res. She seemed to stare into the fog absentmindedly. Even when their eyes connected, it didn't feel like she was looking at Frost.

"… Res. Hands down. Right there. That's Raoul. Your Condition, does it have to do with your eyes?"

Res' swift nod confirmed this.

Why didn't you just say that from the start? And Nav, why didn't you tell me?

"I don't know what conditions they have. I can only vaguely communicate with the others. Joy, however, has been completely blocked out. But I can hear snippets of her mind. She is alive and mostly well."

Mostly...

An electric current caused Raoul to bounce. Immediately, her ears and tail began to function normally as Frost seized her wrist to check for a pulse.

"Faint, but it's something. She's coming back. Must be the work of her [Galvanized Blood], huh?"

"[Galvanized Blood] and [Charged Blood Tether]." Res corrected. "But yes. You're correct. [Galvanized Blood] lets us stay alive and conscious longer in situations where we'd be dead. Did Raoul drown?"

"Suffocated."

"They can survive up to eight hours without air, and twenty-four more after exhausting their reserves. It's how Cer was able to survive drowning in the river. Her Corrupted Persona isn't far off from what [Galvanized Blood] does."

Res was referring to Cer's Defibrillation Stacks, which were able to replenish a set amount of vitality when she was running low. Frost didn't know what surprised her more, the fact that she didn't know [Galvanized Blood] worked like this, or that Raoul hadn't lost a single point of HP.

"… Mmmm."

"Raoul's coming back. Hey, you good?" Frost supported Raoul's head and sat her upright. "What happened?"

"I made a miscalculation." The woman croaked through barely parted lips. "Eight hours has been reduced to nine minutes and thirty seconds. Good to know."

"You're lucky you're even alive." Frost scolded. "If it weren't for Res, then who know what would have happened to you."

"Does that matter? I was at peace."

"You and I know that you don't deserve peace."

Raoul faintly smiled in response, wholeheartedly agreeing with Frost. Her words caused Res' jaw to twist, but she saved her words and turned to the fog.

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