RECORD FORMAT NOT RECOGNIZED REGISTER NEW FORMAT OVERWRITE RECORD

Not a bit of hesitation crossed his mind before he pressed the latter, only to find himself paralyzed by the shooting of buzzing pain a hundred times more intense than anything the Tablets dished out during scans. He felt the edges of his vision fading into silver, then lost consciousness.

Zelsys caught a glimpse of the Tablet’s surface, just about able to make out what it said before the Swordsman pressed OVERWRITE, seizing up and collapsing onto the bed moments later, gripping the Tablet so hard one of his fingernails cracked. A staccato of silver flashes erupted from his suddenly dilated pupils, the Tablet’s projection flickering in synchronicity.

In the short seconds that followed, she rolled out of the bunk onto her feet. The foreign thought process bled into hers - the brief thought of “He’s taking it quite well,” which was soon washed away by the sound of her own voice stating “I think he needs help.” loud enough for both of the others to hear as she pointed behind herself. Instantly, Spliteye whipped around and got off her log, letting her nearly-empty canteen clatter to the ground. Wire lurched up and forward as if to do the same thing, but he gave up and continued eating when he saw that his compatriot was already walking towards the transport.

Zelsys stepped back into the transport when Spliteye got up, squatting down next to the Swordsman’s seizing body. Even now, he was in the exact same position, laid back against the wall with silver light flashing from his eyes and the Tablet in a death-grip.

“What did you do?” Spliteye’s half-fearful, half-confused accusation rang out when she passed through the door, her eye jumping between the Tablet, the Swordsman’s vacant face, and Zelsys. A small drool stain was beginning to form beneath him, his mouth having slowly begun to hang open.

“Nothing,” Zelsys said in a completely flat tone, further befuddling Spliteye. Even in the short time since they’d met, Zelsys had made it clear she didn’t take many things seriously. The immediate remark that followed cemented her attitude, even in the face of something like this - a grin briefly flashed over her face when she remarked that “Maybe he’s looking at all the lewd art I’ve got stored in there,” gesturing at the Tablet.

It certainly worked, eliciting a brief chuckle from the cyclopean blonde before her usual demeanor took over. “By your sense of humor, I’d have mistaken you for a soldier any day,” she admitted. “Alright, what actually happened?”

“I let him take a look at the Tablet, and it showed a “Record Format Not Recognized” message with the options to register the new format or overwrite the record.”

Spliteye’s gaze turned towards the Tablet again as she muttered “Homunculus Eye…”

Her pupils dilated and a single strand of Fog escaped the tear duct as she stared unblinking to try and make out what the rapidly-flashing messages said. “...And that’s what it’s doing,” she said in a hushed voice