Chapter 6: Warp Scroll
"Princess!" Kinsley's cry carried a mix of fear, anger, and uncertainty. The guards stood frozen, seemingly unable to believe their eyes.
"It can't be… This can't be real!" Kinsley's hands and feet turned icy as he struggled to accept the situation.
"Lucas! Where are you? How dare you?!" Kinsley's voice strained as he shouted. Based on what he knew about Lucas, this was something that guy shouldn't be capable of. "Lucas, show yourself!"
Suddenly, a blue halo emanated from the pendant on Kinsley's chest, gradually expanding to envelop his body. His frantic mind found unexpected calmness. The scene before him dissolved like watercolor on a ceramic tile, colors bleeding away.
In his vision, Kinsley once again saw the intact carriage. The black horse that had pulled it, however, had vanished, and Lucas, who had been standing in the carriage, left no trace.
Kinsley hesitated for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"Ha, hahaha… I was too impatient. Clearly, this is just a simple illusion, albeit a convincing one. If it weren't for the amulet waking me up early, I'd probably have spent another two minutes in that illusion… But then again, if Lucas had the power to harm me, he'd still be hiding somewhere within the barrier."
Kinsley reached out to the sky, and the barrier blocks descended into his hand, sealing off the area. "How amusing, Lucas. Did you forget about the other functions of these barrier blocks, or are you just hoping to prolong your hiding time?"
The soldiers gradually snapped out of the illusion, their expressions calming. Some cautiously approached the carriage, pulling back the curtain to find it empty.
Kinsley wasn't surprised; the princess had clearly been taken by Lucas. He connected his thoughts to the barrier blocks, searching every inch of space. No matter where they fled, they couldn't escape this barrier, nor could they elude his search.
"Lucas, I'm curious. You went to great lengths, creating such an elaborate illusion, only to delay me by a few minutes. What's going through your mind?" Kinsley probed each corner of the barrier using the blocks, ensuring nothing remained hidden.
Two minutes later.
"What!? Impossible!" Kinsley exclaimed in frustration. He patiently rechecked with the barrier blocks, but the results were identical. Lucas, the princess inside the carriage, and even the black horse—all had completely vanished!
"How did he manage this?" Kinsley's shock now outweighed his anger. Despite his meticulous preparations, Lucas had somehow slipped through. Frustration eluded him; he believed he'd done everything possible.
"Your Highness, we found this near the carriage," a soldier said, gingerly holding a small scrap of parchment.
"This soldier must have 6.0 vision to spot this in moonlight," Bryce, lying inconspicuously near the carriage wheel, mentally quipped. He'd only recently recovered from the "dizziness," "blindness," and "illusion" debuffs.
"Lucas, you're truly insufferable!" Bryce mentally scolded. "Couldn't you have warned me? My poor eyes nearly got blinded." He recalled the events from five minutes ago—the spectacular explosion illusion, Lucas appearing beside him, and the quiet words: "Young man, we'll meet again."
Soon after, Bryce, still under the effects of several debuffs, felt something being placed into his left hand.
...
"Impossible!" Kinsley's exclamation shattered Bryce's reminiscence, leaving his ears ringing.
"Can you stop being so jumpy? Were you a jumping bean in a past life?" Bryce rolled his eyes.
"A warp scroll—how could he possibly have one?" Kinsley's face turned pale as he muttered to himself. He stared intently at the scroll fragment, faint purple particles dancing around it.
Bryce subtly shifted his gaze, noticing the tightly clenched sheepskin scroll in his left hand. "A warp scroll!" he recognized. "Pretty handy, even if it's a one-time use."
[Newly loaded mod detected: Waystones]
[Item: Warp Scroll]
[Description: A single-use magical teleportation item that transports you to a bound waystone.]
"Crafting these disposable warp scrolls is quite convenient," Bryce mused. "Paper, gold flecks, purple dye… and an ender pearl. Wonder if the endermen in this world put up a good fight."
"Where did Lucas get an ender pearl?" Kinsley's self-talk answered Bryce's unspoken question. "Aside from those esteemed individuals, who else could defeat an enderman? And which one of them is in cahoots with Lucas? How did they establish contact? What's their plan?"
"This situation is more complicated than expected," Kinsley shook his head, attempting to clear his chaotic thoughts. "I must return and report."
Suddenly, he noticed Bryce inching away from the carriage, moving with millimeter precision.
"Seize him!" Kinsley commanded, conjuring a green wind blade. To prevent Bryce from harming the soldiers again, he aimed to strike preemptively. With the princess already gone, there was no need for restraint. Still, he adjusted the force, avoiding an accidental death blow.
After all, a living hostage was more valuable. Perhaps he could extract fresh information about Lucas from Bryce.
"Swish!"
The green light flashed, catching Bryce off guard. Pain radiated from his chest as blood flowed.
[Health: 12/20]
"Hey," Bryce chuckled self-deprecatingly. "A couple more hits, and I'll be out. Too bad this scroll didn't warm up—it's about to see some action."
Bryce's left hand rubbed the scroll vigorously. As if responding to his intent, the resilient sheepskin crumbled into fragments, scattering like butterfly wings.
In that instant, the air around Bryce shimmered, a distortion of reality. Deep purple particles materialized, defying the laws of nature. They swirled, a cosmic ballet, and settled upon his skin. His veins pulsed with their energy, and in that heartbeat, he became transparent, a ghostly silhouette against the backdrop of existence. Deep purple particles materialized out of thin air, they dispersed across Bryce's body, and the next second, he turned transparent, then vanished completely.
Kinsley stood in the wind, watching the remnants of Bryce—now reduced to a handful of purple motes—drift away. The particles swirled, a final waltz. Kinsley extended his hand, fingers brushing against the ethereal motes.
Kinsley, like a soulless puppet, stood there dazed, and we do not know at that moment what he was thinking.