The sun was rising on the horizon, painting the sky in a breathtaking array of pinks, oranges, and soft blues. The light filtered through the leaves of the ancient oak trees surrounding the small clearing where Kai and Leo stood. A gentle morning breeze rustled the grass beneath their feet, carrying with it the fresh scent of dew and wildflowers.
Kai took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the crisp morning air. He stood tall, his shoulders squared and his chin held high. To anyone watching, he appeared confident and ready for whatever challenge lay ahead. But inside, his heart raced with a mix of excitement and apprehension.
"I am ready," Kai said, his voice steady despite the storm of emotions swirling within him. He waited patiently for Leo to send him through the Node, a magical gateway that would transport him to another world. As he stood there, poised on the brink of a new adventure, Kai couldn't help but wonder what challenges awaited him in this new world, and what changes might occur in his absence.
His thoughts drifted to Evelyn, the woman he loved. Her image filled his mind – her warm smile, her kind eyes, and the way her laughter could light up even the darkest of days. Kai's heart ached at the thought of leaving her behind, but he knew this journey was necessary. With one last thought of Evelyn, he steeled himself for what was to come.
Leo, Kai's mentor and friend, stood a few feet away. His weathered face bore the marks of countless adventures, and his eyes held a wisdom that came from years of experience. A playful smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth as he observed his young protégé.
"Of course you are," Leo said, his voice laced with amusement. He knelt down on the dewy grass and began to draw an intricate rune formation on the ground. His fingers moved with practiced ease, tracing lines and symbols that glowed faintly in the morning light.
Kai watched closely, his brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to decipher the rune. Something about it seemed familiar, yet different from what he had expected. As Leo finished the formation, he stood up and politely gestured for Kai to step inside.
Hesitating for a moment, Kai asked, "Why do I feel that this is a summoning rune?" His voice held a note of curiosity mixed with suspicion. The rune did indeed contain the summoning symbol, but it was oriented differently – as if meant for a responder rather than a summoner.
Leo's eyes twinkled with mischief, though he kept his face serious. "Don't think too much," he said, his tone carrying a hint of warning beneath the casual words.
Kai decided to trust his mentor, pushing aside his doubts. He took a deep breath and prepared to step into the rune symbol. However, just as he was about to move, something clicked in his mind. The pieces of the puzzle suddenly fell into place, and a realization struck him.
"Don't tell me I am responding to a summon right now?" Kai turned back to look at Leo, his eyes wide with surprise and a touch of betrayal. But in that moment of hesitation, he made a crucial mistake – he let one of his feet cross the boundary of the rune symbol.
With reflexes honed by years of magical practice, Leo seized the opportunity. A spark of lightning danced between his fingers, and with a quick motion, he pushed Kai fully into the rune symbol. The magical circle flared to life, trapping Kai within its boundaries.
Rage and frustration boiled up inside Kai as he realized he had been tricked. Words poured from his mouth in a torrent of curses, each more colorful than the last. He drew upon every foul phrase he had ever heard – from the crude utterances of sailors to the elegant insults of elves, and even the harsh expletives of the northern tribes.
"Curses! #$#$#$$&$&$$&$#&&$3&$-2&$-#-$-$-" Kai's voice echoed through the clearing, startling a flock of birds from a nearby tree. His face was flushed with anger, his fists clenched at his sides as he glared at Leo.
Leo looked at him with a mocking smile, his body fidgeting slightly as he stared at Kai with unconcealed amusement. "Seriously?" he said, raising an eyebrow at the younger man's outburst.
Kai took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He knew that once you stepped in to respond to a summon, there was no way out. No amount of cursing or pleading would change his situation now. With great effort, he pushed down his anger and tried to think rationally.
"You said I was going through the Node," Kai said, his voice now controlled but tinged with accusation. "You said a rogue wizard was causing havoc in a non-magical world. Why is there a summon from there if there is no magic?"
Leo's mischievous smile never faltered as he replied, "A few have magic, just a few. Don't worry, this will be a very simple mission. Besides, you're going to a new world!" His enthusiasm seemed genuine, but there was still that glint in his eyes that made Kai uneasy.
A suspicion began to form in Kai's mind. "This was your mission, right?" he asked, his voice calm and measured. He had learned from Leo that sometimes the best way to hide your thoughts was to appear completely unreadable.
Leo's grin widened. "Mhmm, you guessed right," he admitted without a hint of shame. "But don't worry, you'll have fun there."
Before Kai could respond, the rune symbol beneath his feet began to glow with a vibrant purple hue. The light shot upward, connecting with one of the Nodes visible only to those with magical sight. Kai felt a tingling sensation spread throughout his body as he began to fade from this world.
"I curse you, Leo! I curse y..." Kai's fading voice echoed in the empty air as he vanished along with the symbol, leaving behind only a faint shimmer in the air where he had stood.
As soon as Kai disappeared, the playful nature that had defined Leo throughout their interaction vanished. His face became serious, etched with lines of worry and responsibility that he rarely allowed others to see. This was a side of himself he kept hidden, a reminder of the burdens he carried.
The clearing fell silent for a moment, the only sound the gentle rustling of leaves in the evening breeze. Then, a voice both ethereal and filled with power broke the silence. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, filling the air with its presence.
"Do you have to send him?" the voice asked, its tone a mixture of concern and resignation.
Leo's shoulders sagged slightly as he responded, "He has the potential. He seems stuck at the second step; he couldn't find his path to Transcendency." There was a note of worry in his voice, concern for his student and friend.
The disembodied voice spoke again, its power seeming to wane with each word. "I am growing weak. I don't have much time left. I can't hold him off much longer, and the Transcendents with me are dying in great numbers."
Leo clenched his fists, anger and frustration evident in every line of his body. He had been there too, had fought in that terrible war. He knew firsthand how terrifying it could be, how even being a Transcendent didn't guarantee survival. The gravity of the situation weighed heavily upon him.
"Transcendents were supposed to be eternal," Leo said, his voice filled with indignation and a deep, underlying sorrow. The unfairness of it all, the cruel twist of fate that threatened everything they had fought for, it was almost too much to bear.
The voice responded, its tone gentle yet firm. "Not all Transcendents are as lucky as you, Leo. You and the other eight were fortunate to escape their claws." There was a pause, heavy with unspoken meaning. "The law still binds us, Leo," the voice repeated before fading away, leaving Leo alone with his thoughts.
Leo stood rooted to the ground, his gaze fixed on the sky above. To most, it would appear as nothing more than a beautiful twilight sky, stars beginning to twinkle into existence as night approached or one filled with blue lights and drifting clouds and an orange sun shining brightly above. But to Leo's enhanced senses, there was so much more.
He could see the Nodes – vast, swirling vortexes of energy that connected different realms and realities. Most were the soft blue of a summer sky, or the vibrant green of new growth. But there, lurking at the edges of his vision, were Nodes of black and red – ominous reminders of the dangers that threatened not just their world, but all worlds.
Only Transcendents like Leo could see these dark Nodes, could truly comprehend the horrors that lay beyond them. They alone knew of the terrifying entities that sought to break through, to consume and destroy everything in their path.
As night fully settled in, Leo remained in the clearing, his mind racing with memories of battles fought and friends lost. He thought of Kai, now on his own journey, unaware of the true nature of the challenges he would face. Leo hoped that this experience would help Kai find his path to Transcendency, to unlock the potential that lay dormant within him.
For Leo knew that they would need every ally they could get in the coming storm. The law that bound the Transcendents, the same law that had allowed them to achieve their great power, now threatened to be their undoing. It was a cruel irony, one that Leo had grappled with for longer than he cared to remember.
As a cool night breeze rustled through the trees, Leo finally turned away from the sky. He had set events in motion, and now all he could do was wait and hope. Hope that Kai would rise to the challenge, hope that their defenses would hold, and hope that somehow, against all odds, they would find a way to prevail against the darkness that threatened to engulf them all.
With a heavy sigh, Leo began the long walk back to his home, leaving behind the clearing where so much had changed in such a short time. The weight of responsibility settled on his shoulders like a physical burden, but he bore it without complaint. For that was the price of being a Transcendent, the cost of protecting the multiverse from threats beyond mortal comprehension.