Their surroundings changed to a general forest, revealing the dim lights of the encampment. The tree shadows expanded as the sun crept below one of the mountain ranges, sending out the last bits of orange beams.
"Kid, it seems we just made it," Blarken said, flashing a wide smirk.
Shay nodded and checked his environment.
He recalled the camp being broader. Benches, cookers, healing stations — everything was retrieved after teleporting the students, leaving behind tents filled with provisions and two first aid kits.
The area was enlightened by a luminous rod, empowered by light element magic stone.
For search purpose, it lasted enough before finding him, even though Blarken was the only teacher individual scavenging the vicinity.
"So, when…"
Shay wished to inquire a question. However, the space before him shimmered as ruptures of reality unfolded.
The magical fissures started intertwining and coalescing, forming a blue-ish spiral that sent a soothing resonance of a humming sound. Small and thin colorful tentacles waved the surrounding breeze, which brushed close by leaves and grass strands.
He locked his gaze on the convenient type of transportation, noticing an outstanding tall figure walking out.
"Hey Brielle, right on time as usual, haha." An easing loud laughter filled the air.
"Someone seems to shine, which means…"
Without fully enclosing her speech, she looked around, spotting Shay beside him.
"Of course. Safe and sound, our pupil lived through waves of Growlers, and also defeated their warlord. Can you believe it?"
Aubrielle approached the two, bending in front of the student as her green eyes glowed with surprise. She even poked his muscles with her sharp gel nails, confirming his state.
His cheeks reddened as he turned his head to avoid clashing sights.
She perceived his embarrassment, letting out a cute giggle while covering her mouth elegantly with her slim fingers.
"A little teasing won't hurt anyone, but back to business."
Blarken stood by one of the tents. He threw out the supplies and grasped a foldable stick, which ensured canvas stability.
"Follow me," Aubrielle said, her voice calm while waving at Shay.
He copied her movements as they went through the portal, anticipating a particular sensation.
The portal behind them shrank and puffed without a sound.
Following passage, Shay's lack of nausea resulted in his over analyzing himself.
"Did something bite you?"
"Am I not supposed to feel sick? Shouldn't my brain go wild as a consequence?" Confusion crossed his face from the overwhelming imaginations.
"What crazy stories have you read about dimensional rifts?"
Shay remained puzzled, tilting his head slightly.
Throughout his life, living as a freelancer of student accommodation, reading filled the gaps in his free time. He always borrowed a book or two for a week, changing genres to unfold his deepest interests.
And he found one. Fantasy, a vast spectrum of imagination for scenery, plot, and, especially, magic.
That's where the teleportation concept mixed with his knowledge. In some stories, the process reconstructs you atom by atom, others create a lightning tunnel that shifts realities which cause sickness.
Aubrielle sighed and pivoted, seeing the questioning gaze.
"To be frank, my Bloodline Mastery allows me to shorten the distance from point A to B. Imagine the edges of a paper, and when you fold it, the two sides meet, creating an opportunity for passage."
During her explanation, she helped his imagination with her palms resembling the 'sheet'.
"So my adrenaline wasn't suppressing the sensation before, huh?"
Shay brought out an interesting topic, since nobody knew why he had vanished.
Her eyes narrowed as her heart rate fluctuated a bit. She clicked her nails, thinking about what he said.
"What do you mean by 'before'?"
"The instance you might think about right now, miss," he remarked, changing tones to his indifferent one.
With a single arm aligned to her waist for support, she steadied her other hand. She revealed white teeth, biting into her nail while staring at nothingness as her vocal cords throbbed.
"Hmmm, it's a serious issue. Well, a thing's cleared out."
After stretching her palm and reviewing her nails, she straightened her posture as her arms folded back. A finger of hers entangled her pink hair, showing the only sign of worry.
Shay shrugged while waiting for her to lead the conversation. He took his, at the start, stressful experience positively. Although his face wore a mask, hiding the fact of interest, and something mysterious.
'I wonder who'd target me then?'
He forced out thoughts and theories, but, almost without clues, he was disoriented.
'Wait, that one guy who was enraged by me.'
After recollecting memories, when he bumped into Flint, his so-called friend intensely pressured him with a killing aura.
Before diving into deeper conclusions, Aubrielle spoke again.
"I was supposed to introduce you to the new school ranking system. But simply recollect yourself for the moment. Tomorrow, ask your homeroom teacher for further details. Stay well." She said, turning as her vibrant pink hair traced around.
Shay just now realized his geographical position, staring at the front of the Martial Academy. some offices shined with blinding luminescent lights.
Sigh.
He was back, but a feeling tightened his heart, as if a spiritual wire entangled it. His hands shook, but why?
Something unknown dwelled inside him. Something that never emerged.
Tears flowed from the corners of his eyelids while his lips shivered.
He cried without stopping, right before the entrance's stairs. He crouched resembling a baby, knees hiding his face.
Sob. Sob.
'Why… am I even crying?'
Be it fear, worry, sorrow — all hidden negative feelings spilled over. Being parentless all his life led to inconsistency with emotion control.
Some exhibited tolerance like a fine wine glass, others like a dam. What those two shared, though, was overflowing.
Facing bullying and intense emotional distress, Shay experienced his initial mental collapse.
Sob. Sob.
Then, a cylindrical object grazed his hair, stopping near his neck. Soft dew, which sent shivers down his spine, was led by radiating warmth. He wanted to fall asleep, yet didn't, as a faint voice followed.
"What's going on?"
A familiar sound relieved his cries. He swiped off his tears and looked in the voice's direction, unraveling a slender figure in the plain-looking scenery.
"Catherine? Why are you here?"
Although the sorrow inside him dispersed, his tone still trembled.
"I had meetings with different teachers after school, but it took longer than expected." She let out a heavy sigh, sitting down on a stair beside Shay.
"Even if I met you only twice, you were always glowing with energy, but now…" With her mouth opened, she searched for the right words, but couldn't express herself enough, leaving the conversation hanging.
"Do you mean… I changed, or?"
"Yeah. It might be me, but I don't hear confidence in your voice anymore, like before, even if you spoke briefly." She said, staring into his sparkling eyes.
They gazed, silence floating between them until Catherine broke it off with her soothing expression.
"Hey, wanna have a fight, as when we first met?"
She stood up, swiping dust particles of her bottom, before giving him a hand.
"Eh, why not?" he responded, clenching her tender palm.
Before, he never paid attention to her features. But now, her pleasant smell of spring flowers flowed down his nostrils, awakening his senses. He also couldn't take his peepers off her, sweeping through her princess characteristics.
Her long blonde hair reminded him of a familiar figure, as if he had seen the person he met a while ago.
Suddenly, while continuing their stroll, time stopped, engulfing shay with void.
He could move himself, yet his movement floated in the darkness.
His heart rate peaked, speeding the flow of his blood. At least, that's what he felt. In reality, his body was also partially frozen.
'What the fuck's going on!'
Even while letting out a shout, his sound died after leaving his throat.
"Soon, your mind will also merge, the same way you can combine skills."
The voice resonated inside his head, yet perceived a directional sense, leading him to a similarly tall person. His hair was short, shining like the sun itself, coated with the same color. Shay noticed he copied his every action.
After noticing this, he shifted his concern to the fellow's eyes, which were filled with stars of ambition, filling the golden hue with white spots.
His attention ruptured when he heard the person's last lines.
"I once also wished to reach heights, to be towering above others. Yet, I discovered the prolonged beginning was just a trial, leading to a world beyond comprehension. You will understand more when past fragments enter your mind."
In a blink, the guy turned into sparkles as darkness retracted toward the horizon, diminishing before his eyes.
He disregarded the relativity of time, throwing his face onto the hard floor. With his stats, he could've saved himself, but he was still stunned by the latter event, preventing his mobility to act accordingly.
Crash!
The ground below him exploded upon landing, sending out fragments of shattered concrete that grazed his cheeks.
"Em, do you…"
For Shay, this was a waking up call, rising like a phoenix from the ashes.
"I'm fine, no need to help me, haha," he let out an awkward laugh while scratching his scalp.
She was left speechless and locked in place.
'How is he uninjured?' she wondered, staring at the head-shaped hole, fissures leading further on the ground.
Shay said nothing, heading to the dome building to their right, forcing Catherine to catch up.