After a strong bout of dizziness, Wood slowly regained consciousness. As his mind cleared, he immediately turned to check on his family. He had no idea what the black orb in the sky was, nor what the light beams were that shot down from it. But in that moment, all he could think about was protecting his loved ones.
The moment the beam of light descended, Wood had tried to shield Zenith from it, but none of them had been able to escape. The beams hadn't just been a single ray of light; they scattered across the ground in erratic, sweeping patterns, much like the spinning lights in a nightclub.
Wood had held onto his two little sisters, and just before the beam hit them, he had even grabbed onto Zenith's clothes with his teeth. Fortunately, none of them seemed injured, and they were all together.
"Where are we?" Wood murmured to himself as he sat up.
It wasn't long before Zenith also stirred. As a magic user, her mental fortitude was stronger than that of ordinary people. The fact that Wood had woken up first only confirmed what Zenith had suspected for a while: her son's spiritual power and magical energy had far surpassed her own.
The surroundings were dark and unfamiliar. They were clearly no longer in the bustling market of Roa City. Zenith's face paled as she took in the foreign environment. But seeing Wood next to her helped calm her nerves. It was only natural to feel anxious in an unknown place, especially for Zenith, who had once nearly been sold into slavery. But Wood's presence brought her some relief. Although she was the adult and his mother, she had always found Wood more dependable than Paul in certain situations.
"Where's Norn? Where's Aisha?!" Zenith suddenly cried, her voice full of panic as she realized her daughters were not immediately visible. Wood and Zenith were both capable of defending themselves if needed, but Norn and Aisha were so young. If they had been separated from them and were now alone, any danger they encountered could end in disaster.
"They're fine. They're just still unconscious," Wood reassured her, stepping aside to reveal the two sleeping girls next to him.
Seeing her daughters safe and sound, Zenith let out a huge sigh of relief.
"Wood, where are we? And what were those light beams?" she asked, turning to her son for answers. Even though she was the parent, Zenith often found herself relying on Wood for guidance. He had always been an avid reader, and from what she knew, he had devoured the entire Boreas family's library. His vast knowledge was impressive for someone his age.
"I had a feeling that black orb in the sky looked familiar," Wood began, his voice calm despite the situation. "I think the entire Fittoa territory has been affected by what's called a 'Teleportation Spell.'"
"Teleportation? You mean those light beams were some kind of teleportation magic?"
Teleportation magic was an unusual type of magic, not something most mages could wield. Even when mastered, it was typically limited in range, making it quite rare.
"I think so," Wood confirmed. "But what hit us wasn't just a normal teleportation spell. It was more like a natural disaster. I'm not entirely sure why or how it happened, but it's safe to say we're no longer in Fittoa territory. This type of magic transports people randomly to different regions. We could be on the Central Continent, or if we're really unlucky, we could've been sent to the Demon Continent, which is full of dangers."
Hearing Wood's explanation, Zenith, who had just started to calm down, became anxious once more.
"So not just us, but Rudy, Paul, and Lilia might have also been sent somewhere dangerous by this 'Teleportation Spell'?" she asked, her worry deepening as she thought of her family members being in peril, especially if they had ended up in the deadly Demon Continent.
"Not just them. Most people in the Fittoa territory were probably affected. But we don't need to panic. Paul and Rudy are strong enough to protect themselves. We do need to find Lilia soon, though."
There was something else Wood didn't want to mention, fearing it would worry Zenith even more. Those affected by teleportation magic didn't only face external dangers, but they could also end up in extremely hazardous environments. Since the teleportation locations were random, some people might appear in the sky, only to fall to their deaths. Others could find themselves in a pool of lava with no chance of survival.
Thankfully, such unfortunate occurrences were rare, and Wood could only hope that Paul and Rudy hadn't encountered such a fate. But for now, there was little they could do to help anyone else. Wood had already sensed the dangerous environment they were in—an area thick with magical energy, shrouded in darkness. His finely tuned instincts as a swordsman were telling him that hostile creatures were nearby, converging on their location.
"Water Wall, Intermediate Water Magic!"
With a swift motion, Wood extended his hand, and a blue magic circle appeared in front of him. A swirling wall of water instantly formed, just in time to intercept a fireball that came hurtling toward them from the darkness.
The fireball slammed into the water, hissing loudly as steam rose from the collision. The water absorbed the impact, and the flames were quickly extinguished.
"Water Arrow, Intermediate Water Magic!"
Zenith, a high-level magic user, specialized in healing spells, but that didn't mean she was incapable of offensive magic. Despite having retired from adventuring years ago, her combat instincts were still sharp. As Wood's water wall held firm, Zenith quickly finished her incantation and fired a bolt of water toward the direction from which the fireball had been launched.
A wet, sickening thud echoed through the air as the water arrow struck its target, piercing through the body of their unseen attacker. The creature that had cast the fireball fell, dead before it even realized what had hit it.
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 380+ at p@treon.com/Betek and change @ to a