Chapter 160: Hole In The Air

"Perfect!" Tera clapped her hands. "The connection is stable from both sides!"

"STOP DOING THAT!" Ermin nearly shouted, and Tera could not hold back the laugh at how alarmed he was.

Xavi looked like he was trying to decide if he should be angry or impressed. He settled on a combination of both, which manifested as a deep frown accompanied by his tail giving a single, betraying wag.

Her mates looked so cute, but she was touched that they worried so much for her.

Tera turned to Calis. The wolf leader had not moved from his spot. He was staring at the portal with an expression that suggested his entire understanding of reality was being quietly and thoroughly dismantled.

"Calis. Do you want to go through first and show your wolves it’s safe?"

He blinked. His crimson eyes shifted from the portal to Tera, then back to the portal.

"What is on the other side?"

Tera chuckled. "Your pack. They are a bit startled, but they’re fine."

One of Calis’ visiting wolves leaned toward another. "She went through that thing TWICE and came back alive?"

"She didn’t even look worried."

"What IS she?"

Calis’ jaw tightened. Without a word, he braced himself and walked toward the portal. His wolves lingered behind, too scared to take another step.

Calis stopped at the edge of the shimmering air and examined it. The surface rippled like water standing on its side, and through it, he could see the shadowy outlines of his own territory.

How was he seeing it in front of him?

Curiosity took over his wariness, and he stepped through the portal.

The moment Calis vanished, every remaining wolf lost what was left of their composure.

"THE ALPHA WENT IN!"

"HE’S GONE!"

"DID IT EAT HIM?!"

"You can literally see him on the other side." Tera pointed through the portal where Calis was now visible.

The wolves squinted through the distortion and saw their alpha’s familiar frame, standing with his arms slightly out as if checking that all his limbs were accounted for.

From the other side, Tera could hear the pack wolves erupting.

"ALPHA!"

"You came through the sky!"

’Sky?!’

Tera was very confused by this, and it was to the extend she started looking around, trying to understand why they would conclude their alpha came from up there rather than through the air in front of them.

"Are you a spirit now?!"

"He looks normal!"

"Touch him! Make sure he is real!"

Several wolves physically patted Calis down. He endured this with the rigid dignity of a leader whose patience was being tested from multiple directions.

Tera turned to the visiting wolves. "Your turn."

They looked at the portal and at each other, but nobody moved.

"It’s safe. Your alpha just went through. You saw him."

"We saw him get swallowed by air," one corrected.

"And he is FINE. Look at him. He’s standing right there."

They looked. Calis was indeed standing right there, surrounded by his pack, looking very much alive and very much annoyed at being touched by so many hands.

The first wolf approached the portal like he was walking toward a sleeping predator. He reached out and touched the portal surface with one finger.

His hand went through.

He screamed.

"MY HAND! IT TOOK MY HAND!"

"YOUR HAND IS RIGHT THERE!" Tera pointed at the finger now wiggling on the other side, clearly visible to the wolves in the Glimmer Pack.

He pulled his hand back immediately, inspected all five fingers, and then fainted.

Tera’s eyes widened.

’What the fuck is this?!’

Out of all things, she never would have expected the male wolf to faint, and he was the oldest of the bunch.

[( ˘•ω•˘ )]

[Is he a baby?]

"Oh, for the love of—"

Tera was about to just start pushing them through when Faelynn stepped forward.

The pregnant wolf had been watching the entire circus with a flat, unimpressed look that reminded Tera so much of Calis that it almost made her laugh.

Faelynn shifted Luth to one hip, tightened the bundle of smoked meat and roasted portions that the Dow clan females had packed for her, and walked toward the portal with the casual stride of someone who had decided this was not worth being afraid of.

She paused at the edge and glanced back at the male wolves who were still trembling.

"Pathetic," she said, and stepped through.

The remaining wolves watched Faelynn disappear without even breaking stride, and ashamed, they all scrambled after her and into the portal.

Each transition was accompanied by some form of dramatic reaction that started to make the beasts of the Dow clan laugh.

One held his breath like he was diving underwater. Another closed his eyes and ran through so fast he nearly bowled over two wolves on the other side. The last one, carrying the fainted wolf, whispered something that sounded like a prayer and crossed.

By the time they were all gone, the tension in the air had been lifted, which Tera was grateful for.

She turned back to her clan, and most of them were now eyeing the portal with fascination.

’Hold on, this has a timer, doesn’t it? You mentioned something like this last night.’

[Yes, but technically!]

[The cooldown only takes effect once Host has exceeded the 100 number limit]

’Oh, yeah, yeah. I remember now.’

Tera could use the portal anyhow she wished, but once 100 beasts had passed through—either at once or over a period of time—it enters a cooldown period of one week, which was pretty neat.

Tera beamed at the clan. "Does anyone want to try going through and coming back?"

[=͟͟͞͞(꒪ᗜ꒪‧̣̥̇)]

[Host! Is that why you were asking?!]

Tera grinned when many beasts rushed forward excitedly, giggling and jumping at the chance to go through the magic water.

Tera had instructed the beasts to enter and come back, which they thankfully did, and the wolves on the other end had to watch in horror as beasts were being spammed into their territory and out of it without so much as a greeting.