Chapter 267: The Teleportation flower!
The small group approached the temple, its ancient stone facade towering over them. The sinking sun bathed its weathered carvings in a golden light, casting long shadows across the path. The air grew heavy, thick with the scent of history and divine energy. Each step Tessa took seemed to resonate with the temple's stones, as though it, too, acknowledged her presence.
Bandel Blue's thoughts swirled as he struggled to suppress the many questions that gnawed at him. He wanted to demand answers: Where are we going? What's your plan? But he held his tongue. Something about Tessa made him wary of speaking out of turn. She moved with such purpose, such certainty, that it felt as if questioning her would be an affront to whatever great force had set her on this path.
Instead, he followed silently, like a moth drawn to the light. And perhaps, he realized, that was what terrified him most of all. For the first time in his life, Bandel Blue, the Thieving God who had stolen from lesser gods and outsmarted celestial beings, felt like he was part of a story far greater than himself. He couldn't explain it, but he knew, deep down, that Tessa Caldwell and her twins were not just walking toward a temple—they were walking toward destiny itself.
The small group passed by the temple's stone facade, its towering structure cast in shadow by the sinking sun. Bandel Blue remained silent, suppressing the many questions swirling in his mind. He didn't want to ask questions like, "Where are we going?" or "What do you intend to do?" Instead, he followed like a man drawn by an invisible force, compelled by something far greater than himself.
Bandel Blue's thoughts churned as he pieced together fragments of knowledge from their journey and the haunting memories of their last visit to the higher realm, where Solaris and Lunara resided. He remembered the unyielding presence of Solaris, the Sun God, whose wrath felt like standing before a supernova, and the cooler yet equally formidable demeanor of Lunara, the Moon Goddess, who had intervened to save him from certain destruction. He still couldn't fathom why Tessa would want to return to her parents now, with the Earth's crisis unresolved, or why she had left in the first place, abandoning the process of receiving her solar and lunar inheritances.
Despite his unease, he followed her in silence as they pressed onward, their path narrowing until they arrived at an overgrown trail that seemed untouched by time. Thick vines twisted like the sinews of an ancient creature, and the air grew heavy with the intoxicating scent of a peculiar flower. The bloom was unlike anything Bandel had ever encountered—its green base seamlessly blending into vibrant hues of red and white, with a faint shimmer as though starlight had been captured in its petals.
He froze, his breath catching in his throat. "The Teleportation Flower…" he whispered, his voice trembling with awe and disbelief.
The realization hit him like a tidal wave. This flower, spoken of in ancient myths, was thought to have vanished eons ago, its existence reduced to whispers among scholars and the gods themselves. To find it here, growing in abundance, was nothing short of miraculous. But as his gaze shifted to Tessa, a chill ran down his spine. How had she known it would be here?
"How… how did you know this was here?" he asked, his tone laced with both wonder and suspicion. He couldn't help but feel a gnawing dread. Did she just stumble upon it by chance? Or is she truly that knowledgeable, that powerful? Am I overthinking this?
Tessa didn't answer immediately. Her gaze remained fixed on the flowers, her expression calm yet inscrutable. The truth was far more intricate than she could explain in words. Her connection to Zorath, the enigmatic Time God, had gifted her access to esoteric knowledge far beyond mortal comprehension. She knew of various pathways between realms, their existence etched into the very fabric of her mind. Yet, much of this knowledge came to her like a fragmented puzzle—pieces scattered across time and space. It wasn't until Bandel Blue named the flower aloud that the threads of Zorath's wisdom wove themselves into clarity.
The Teleportation Flower wasn't just a myth—it was real, and it was here. A relic of divine creation, it served as a bridge between realms, a sacred and ancient means of crossing into higher planes of existence.
Tessa finally broke her silence, her tone calm but firm. "It doesn't matter how I knew. What matters is that it's here. And it's exactly what I need."
Bandel Blue stared at her, his confidence crumbling under the weight of her words. The woman before him, holding her radiant twin sons, was no longer the girl he had first met. She had transcended mortal limitations, becoming something far more formidable, far more terrifying.
As Tessa knelt before the flowers, she extended her hands over the petals, her fingers hovering as if in silent communion. A soft glow began to emanate from her, spreading outward like ripples on a still pond. The flowers responded in kind, their colors intensifying, their shimmer growing brighter. The air around them grew charged with energy, a faint hum vibrating through the space as if the very fabric of reality was shifting.
Bandel Blue watched in stunned silence, his earlier apprehension replaced by awe. He could feel the boundaries between realms thinning, the veil between worlds growing fragile with each passing second.
"Are we… are we ascending to the higher realm?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Tessa didn't respond immediately. Instead, she whispered something inaudible, her words carried by the energy around her. The flowers reacted instantaneously, their glow surging as the air shimmered like a mirage. In moments, a vortex of light and color formed before them, swirling and pulsating with a rhythm that seemed alive.
Bandel could only stare, his breath stolen by the sheer magnificence of the portal. He felt both insignificant and privileged to witness something so extraordinary. His earlier doubts were eclipsed by a single, undeniable truth: Tessa Caldwell and her sons were no longer bound by earthly limits. They were destined for something far greater, something beyond his understanding.
Tessa rose, her expression unreadable as she turned to face him. "I'm going back to see Solaris and Lunara. You've met them before, haven't you? I was surprised you were able to bond with them before I was taken to the evaluation power realm, I wonder why you left though? Anyway You can follow us if you want, but know this: once we cross, there's no turning back."
Bandel hesitated, her words triggering a flood of memories from their last encounter with the celestial duo. He recalled the amiable atmosphere before the sudden blazing wrath of Solaris, who had nearly incinerated him with solar flares for failing to bring Tessa back. It was only through Lunara's intervention that he had escaped unscathed. And now, she was giving him the choice to return, to stand once more in the presence of beings who could obliterate him with a mere thought.
His heart pounded as the weight of her words sank in. He glanced at the portal, its swirling depths calling to him like a siren song. Then, with a deep breath, he nodded, his voice steady despite the storm of emotions within him.
"I'll follow," he said, his resolve firm. "Wherever this leads, I'll follow."
Tessa turned back to the portal, her smirk returning. "Good choice."
With her sons in her arms and Bandel Blue at her side, Tessa stepped into the light, leaving the lower realm—and all its chaos—behind.