As the timer in the ruined magical world ticked down to its last seconds, Lyerin found himself abruptly back in his house.
The familiar surroundings did little to calm his fast beating heart.
His thoughts immediately focused on the situation of his mother, Lina.
Without wasting a moment, he dashed through the house, his eyes scanning for any signs of disturbance.
Immediately, he noticed the subtle differences.
The small vase on the hallway table was slightly askew, a family photo had been knocked over, and there were faint footprints in the dust on the floor that weren't there before.
His senses on high alert, Lyerin felt a chill run down his spine.
He stopped on his tracks, touched the wooden floor with his bare hands, closed his eyes, and after a few seconds, his eyes fluttered open.
Someone had been here.
Heart pounding, he sprinted up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He burst into his room, where he had left his mother unconscious to prevent her from being sent to the ruined magical world with him.
But the room was empty.
"Huh? What's going on?!"
Lyerin's voice echoed in the empty space, his mind was thinking of possibilities.
After being sent to the ruined magical realm, time in the real world wouldn't stop and his body would be suspended like an ethereal object that could not be touched, but could be seen.
"I'll find her. I can feel that they just left," he muttered to himself, eyes darting around for fresh clues.
Just as he was about to dash out of the room, something caught his eye.
On his desk was an envelope, stark white with bold letters that read,
*Lyerin Borgias, please read the envelope.*
His instincts screamed at him to ignore it, but curiosity gnawed at his resolve.
"No time," he muttered, shoving the envelope into his pocket. He bolted down the stairs, his urgency growing with each step. He threw open the front door and froze.
Chaos reigned outside.
The world he had known was in shambles.
The sky, once clear and blue, was now a swirling mass of dark, ominous clouds.
The air was filled with the sounds of screams, shouts, and a low, eerie moaning. He watched in horror as people ran frantically through the streets, chased by monstrous figures.
These creatures were once human but now twisted into grotesque forms.
Their eyes were a deep, soulless black, devoid of any hint of humanity.
Their skin was pale and mottled, veins bulging and dark as night.
They moved with a terrifying speed, their movements jerky and unnatural, as if controlled by some malevolent force.
Lyerin watched as a man tried to fend off one of the creatures with a metal bat, swinging desperately.
The creature barely flinched, its mouth opening to reveal sharp, jagged teeth. It lunged, and the man's scream was cut short as the creature tore into him.
Blood splattered the pavement, and the sight sent a wave of nausea through Lyerin.
People were fighting back, but it was a losing battle.
For every creature that fell, ten more seemed to take its place.
The streets were filled with the wounded and dying, their cries of pain and terror mingling with the inhuman growls of the monsters. Buildings were in ruins, windows shattered, and fires raged unchecked.
Lyerin's mind began to think of possible places where they are. His mother was out there somewhere, and he had to find her. But first, he needed to understand what was happening. He needed to read that envelope.
Immediately, he tore open the envelope with trembling hands. The letter inside was written in a neat, precise hand, the words carefully chosen.
Lyerin Borgias,
If you are reading this, it means the worst has happened. The barrier between our world and the ruined magical world has collapsed. The creatures you see are the result of that rupture. Your mother is safe for now, but she has been taken by forces beyond our control. To save her, you must go to the Borgian Family sector one. Only then can you hope to restore balance and bring her back.
Check the map at the back to find our location.
Trust no one and move quickly.
Signed,
A Friend.
As soon as he read the words in the letter, Lyerin clenched it hard, crumpling the paper in his fist. He didn't even bother to look behind it. "What friend? These letters are all bullshit," he muttered under his breath.
This was just the way the Borgias family operated.
They wanted him to go to their headquarters, because now, they had taken his mother as a hostage to ensure his compliance.
"They must have sensed my Demon Goat Ibex form," he mused, recalling the transformation that had occurred in the ruined magical world.
"I must be comparable to a Rank Eleven Eldren Apprentice to them. That's why they took an interest in me."
Lyerin hadn't anticipated running into a tribe and becoming a Demonic Beast Form Ibex, but maybe that's what also triggered the Borgias' attention.
In the past, he was ignored at first because, for them at that time, he was just a common person - despite him surviving the ruined magical world. But now, they took an interest in him.
So, in the span of thirty minutes, everything had changed.
Stepping out into the chaos of the street, Lyerin surveyed the scene.
Cars were abandoned haphazardly, doors flung open, and the highway was clogged with parked vehicles as far as the eye could see.
The air was thick with the smell of smoke and the distant sound of screams. Fires burned in some buildings, and the streets were littered with debris.
As he walked, a creature spotted him, its dark, soulless eyes locking onto his.
For a moment, Lyerin's gaze met the creature's, his eyes seemed turned into an incredibly sharp blade that one's eyes would get cut just by looking at it.
In that split second, the creature recoiled, turning its head away in fear.
It was understood that Lyerin, even in his human form, carried the aura of a Rank Eleven Eldren Apprentice.
The mere hint of his Eldren aura was enough to intimidate and keep undead-beginning eldritch creatures at bay.
He estimated it would take weeks, maybe even months, before a creature strong enough to challenge him would appear.
Today, at least, he didn't have much to worry about.
As he continued down the highway, he moved with a confidence born of power, the chaos around him almost a distant backdrop to his determined march.
Suddenly, a man noticed how the creatures avoided Lyerin.
Panic and desperation flashed across the man's face as he shouted to the others, "Look at him! He must have something that can prevent them from attacking! Look at him!"
The man ran towards Lyerin, hope in his eyes. But Lyerin, unfazed, spotted a car side mirror on a nearby vehicle. He ripped it off with a swift motion, and in one fluid movement, hurled it straight at the man.
The mirror struck the man in the head with a sickening thud, causing him to stumble and fall.
Swoosh!
Almost instantly, a rabid eldritch-like human, attracted by the noise and movement, turned its attention to the fallen man.
Despite the cause of one's life's demise, Lyerin didn't seem to bother, it was as if his worldview of life of fellow humans were not that important to him.
However, his head would freeze to a particular scene in front of him.