Chapter 276: Departure

Twenty minutes later, Soren and Ethea arrived at their destination. It was a modern type of building in a circular shape, with special barriers and an array of security nodes guarding the entrance.

After getting out, Soren stored the car in his ring and guided Ethea inside, tapping his ID against the glowing scanner panel by the entrance to clear their passage.

A pair of guards posted beside the door watched them with scrutiny, their eyes tracking Soren’s movements until the scanner chimed green.

Inside, the lobby was dominated by a tall metallic device humming softly at the center, with a dozen people gathered around it.

"Excuse me," an attendant near the entrance said as they approached them. "Please, take a seat in the waiting area over there. There are two groups ahead of you now, so you’ll have to wait for your turn."

"We understand." Soren gave a nod and wheeled Ethea to the waiting area.

"Wait." The attendant called out before they could take another step. "I need to check your destination coordinates first."

"Oh, right." Soren stopped. "We’re going to Adamery City. It should be visible on our application."

The attendant swiped through their tablet, inspected it, and nodded a moment later. "...Done. And one more thing: I advise you to carry your companion as you pass through the teleportation gate. While it’s not explicitly forbidden, being extra careful is highly recommended. Extra items might trigger field turbulence or cause unexpected distortions during the transition."

Soren nodded in understanding and thanked the man for his advice. Then they headed to the designated seating area to wait their turn.

’I guess we still aren’t at the level of spatial magic that makes long jumps much easier.’ Soren sighed internally.

’Mm,’ Ethea hummed in agreement. ’It’s spatial magi-tech we are talking about after all. Spatial mages are rare, and the space itself is a difficult concept to research, let alone bind to technology.’

’You’re right. But if we keep improving, I think we will be able to travel to other continents easily one day, or perhaps even to other worlds.’ Soren chuckled to himself, not noticing the strange glint passing through Ethea’s eyes. ’Don’t you think?’

’Mmm...’ Ethea replied. ’Perhaps...’

’By the way, can you talk more about Adamery City?’ Soren shifted the topic. ’You said you spent most of your time in there and at the academy before.’

’Ok.’ Ethea agreed and started telling more stories about her past.

Time passed, and the two groups before them stepped up to the platform and vanished into the shimmering light of the gateway.

It took a few minutes for the workers at the control console to set the new coordinates.

Soren stood up as they were called and wheeled Ethea closer to the platform. Once they reached it, he first picked Ethea up and then stored the wheelchair in the storage ring.

"Are you ready?"

Ethea wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on securely. "Ready."

The attendants at the control console began the activation sequence. The tall metallic device hummed louder, its core glowing brighter as rings of energy began to spin around it. The air shimmered above the platform, and a portal slowly formed, a swirling oval of pale blue light that widened with every passing second.

’Just a few more moments.’ Soren watched the portal stabilize, his body already tensed for the step forward. ’We’ll final-!’

Before he could finish the thought, a sudden pressure slammed down from above. It crashed through the building like an invisible wave, forcing the air from his lungs and making the ground tremble beneath his feet. Soren staggered, his arms tightening around Ethea as his knees threatened to buckle.

The next moment, a pulse of darkness surged from his shadow, wrapping around them both like a second skin.

’Master!’

Malakor’s voice echoed in his head.

’W-What is happening?!’ Soren asked as the pressure lifted almost instantly, swallowed by the shadow’s protective embrace.

’Several powerful figures are approaching us at an alarming speed. We are already inside a domain!’

’A domain?!’ Soren’s heart hammered. His eyes immediately flickered to the portal; however, it was swirling violently and clearly unstable. If they stepped through now, there was no telling what would happen. They might not even survive the transition.

’Damn it.’ He cursed inwardly. ’Get ready to fight!’

Whoever they were, it was clear they weren’t coming with good intentions.

’Ethea, hold on tight!’ He immediately activated one of the artifacts that would keep Ethea safe and took out the Nightfrost, his expression turning cold.

"W-What’s happening?!"

"Why are you taking out your weapon?"

"Are we under attack?!"

"Should we stop the portal?!"

The staff and guards broke into chaos, some scrambling for cover while others drew their weapons. Soren ignored them all.

’Master, they’re here.’

The next second, the doors blasted inward with a deafening crash, sending glass and metal flying across the lobby. Several cloaked figures stormed through the smoke, their auras flaring as they scanned the room.

"We found him!"

Their gazes locked onto Soren in an instant.

"Catch the thief!"

"Don’t let him get away!"

’Thief?’ Soren’s confusion flickered for only a moment before one of the figures attacked.

Swoosh!

Vines exploded from beneath his feet, thick and writhing, shooting toward him like serpents. Soren activated Phantom Step and vanished, reappearing a few meters away. But the vines followed, twisting through the air with unnatural speed.

Soren kept dodging with chained Phantom Steps. But before he could gain any distance, a figure blurred toward the portal and slammed a palm against the floor. An earth barrier erupted from the ground in an instant, sealing off the platform entirely. At the same time, the others moved like phantoms, their forms flickering from point to point as if teleporting. Streams of pressurized water cut through the air from one side while jagged roots burst from the walls on the other.

Soren’s eyes darted between them, his body already moving. He kept using Phantom Steps, twisting and weaving through the onslaught while his mind worked at an alarming rate.

’They’re trying to trap us!’ He realized. ’Malakor! Can you get us out of here?’

There was no verbal reply, but the shadow beneath his feet rippled in acknowledgment. And then, everything went black.