Chapter 29 - SEASON 1 FINALE

Brusken walked towards the chaotic center of the arena. Contestants were getting flung out here and there.

I randomly had a little tingly feeling. I cast my gaze around the arena. I noticed a few people having their eyes on me. They looked away right after I spotted them.

I decided to ignore it. It was probably just people who heard of me teleporting.

It didn't take long for the three in the middle to start targeting Brusken. The swordsman rushed at him. Brusken just simply swung his hand and an explosion blasted the swordsman out of his sight.

Then, the weaker mage summoned ice around Brusken's feet, temporarily stopping his movements.

"Heeyyyaaahhh" a battlecry came from the dust kicked up by the explosion earlier. The swordsman jumped out from the dust and dashed towards the now-stuck-in-place Brusken. Wind magic gathered around his sword. I assumed he wanted to use it to blast Brusken out of the arena.

Then, a big burst of magic was released from Brusken. It broke the ice around his feet and pushed the swordsman back. Brusken swiftly punched the ground, generating an explosion right under the swordsman and mage. The mage was unable to dodge it and was knocked unconscious. The swordsman, being a close combat fighter, jumped away in time. A barrage of explosions then follow the swordsman. Blasts upon blasts boomed from underneath the ground he stepped on, causing him to be on a constant move.

The swordsman then picked up some speed. He rushed over at Brusken. Meters away from Brusken, a wave of magic suddenly surrounded the arena. I assumed it was Brusken's doing, but when I looked at him, something was off. He wasn't moving. So is everyone else. It was like time was frozen. It was most likely a very advanced spell.

I tried to stand up, but found it very hard to move. I glanced over to everyone else. They were fully frozen. From the fact I'm not stuck too, I knew I was the target of the person who cast the spell.

"Hahaha!" There was a voice of a man coming from behind me. I tried turning my head but to no avail. "I assume you are Mr Renikno, am I right? The person who can use teleportation huh?" He was asking a rhetorical question. Even if I were to try to answer it, my mouth couldn't even move.

He walked closer. Then, he stopped in front of me and bent down. His golden eyes locked onto mine. Then, he gave a little smug grin."it's no use trying to move. You should consider yourself lucky to be able to admire such advanced time magic before you die. The spell even stopped teleportation, oh how neat is that."

He then glanced at me with a fake sorry look. "There there, I won't be so merciless. I'll allow you this. Do you have any last words? Perhaps, something to say to someone? Or something to honor your passing?" he casually said. He cast something to my mouth, then I felt my jaws become free again.

"There is one thing I guess…" I said.

"Alright, I promise I'll fulfill your wish as best as I could, if you willingly accept your death that is," he said as he caressed my face.

"Phantom," I paused and locked my eyes onto his. He still had a pompous face. I gave a little smile and continued, "translocation!"

His smug face turned into a surprised one, then, he started to blur away from my view. He was probably stuck in disbelief. Well, my teleportation isn't the same as most others, so I don't blame him.

The world began to spin. I closed my eyes. Threads lined my dark world, guiding me to possible places for me to teleport to.

I touched one of them with my feet. Then, my body got much lighter, as if I'm dissipating into dust. Not long after, I felt a pull behind me. I slowly opened my eyes. The world began forming in front of me again. I found myself outside the arena this time.

The place was crowded by hooded men. They seemed to be surprised by my sudden appearance. Their shaded faces stared at me. I felt like I interrupted a cult meeting or something along those lines.

"Chain," most of them suddenly said in a monotonous voice. Their eerie tone was accompanied by a gust of magic around me. It seemed that they casted a spell.

The weight on my body suddenly increased. I tried to jump away, but then a strong pull held onto me. It felt like I really did just get chained up.

"Boooom!" Something, or someone, just came crashing into the ground a little bit away from me. Dust was scattered into the air.

Right as the dust cleared enough for me to see what happened, a voice came from the crater. "Dash," the man said emotionlessly.

Almost as fast as the voice itself, his hand blinked right in front of my face.

Without a second thought, I let my instincts take over. "Phantom translocation"

Back in the distorted world, there's only one thing on my mind. "Get me away from here."

I teleported outside the tavern. It seemed that no one noticed me. There also weren't any of those cult members around here. I could finally catch my breath. I readjusted my clothes and decided to look for a place to hide for the time being.

Right as I took my first step, a chill stroked down my spine. Then, a voice said in my head. "Chase." It was the person who attacked me earlier. I took towards the direction of the arena.

Something was flying my way. It was like a meteor. Then, upon closer inspection, it was that man!

With not a second to waste, I quickly ran. I ran as fast as I could. I ran towards the edge of the village.

I didn't think I'd need to use this spell again so soon. I hadn't used it since reaching the Silent Forest.

I gathered magic from the surrounding and channeled it into my body. Then, I allowed the magic to mix in with my blood and flow into my muscles. It all left a warm feeling inside.

"Longstride," I activated the spell. My body felt lighter, as if gravity got weaker. With a single step, I managed to cover the distance it would normally take me three. My speed was boosted significantly.

I zoomed into the forest, running on the path me, Kishi, and Ghork once took. Then, I approached the area Alduin officially introduced himself. I decided to look back, but still kept my speed up. I thought maybe I have gotten far enough. However, the man was still on my tail. His bony palm pointed at me like a magnet in a compass.

I took out one of my daggers. Then, I infused it with some magic. "Flaming slash!" I jumped and did a 360° spin as I threw an attack.

"Absorb," the monotonous voice said. My attack dissipated as it approached him. Then, he said, "blast."

With his other hand and the magic he absorbed from my attack, he shot out an outward blast. I jumped out of the way, just barely dodging it. It left a mark on the ground, smoke sipping out of the hard surface from the intense heat.

Even with Longstride, the cultist was still closing the distance. I tried preparing a second attack. Then, he suddenly said, "petrify."

A big chill filled my body. I froze. My body can't move. It wasn't listening to me.

"Shackles," a familiar female voice said. The ground beneath our feets revealed an array. It shone yellow. Then, the cultist stopped moving, just a few meters away from me.

A person then appeared in between us. A tall female. She had a long and seemingly luxurious dress. Her hair was tied in a long ponytail, similar to that of Ryuko.

Before long, she began to chant a spell. "By the wrath of the goddess of arrays, descend! The seven layers of retribution!"

The sky became dark as powerful magic filled the area. I tried reaching for my crystal necklace, but was still frozen in place.

Seven huge arrays formed above the cultist. They were of different shapes and sizes. A ray of light descended from within the darkened sky. It passed through each of the arrays, getting stronger and stronger as it does. Finally, it descended upon the cultist. A flash of light covered my eyesights.

When I regained my sight a few seconds later, the man was gone. Probably blasted into dust.

I could move again. The spell was broken. I immediately reach for my crystal necklace. "Get me out of here," I whispered to myself. I do not want to face such dangers ever again. It wasn't part of my mission. All I want is to go back to Kate. I want to leave this world.

The woman suddenly touched my elbow. "Teleport," she cast. An array appeared beneath us. My body felt stiff again. If only I had one more second. The crystal was already in my hands, but I just can’t break it.

Then, the world became white, like that flash of light before.

I found myself in a room. It seemed like I was in a castle. The walls were made out of cold hard stone. They were clean too, no moss or web in sight.

A man's voice said, "hmm." He sat in the corner.

The woman said to me, "stay here." Then, she teleported away.

I looked at my crystal. The glow was gone. I started screaming in my head. "Noooooooo! I hate this place! All I want is to go back!”

"Ahem." The man signalled to me. He had a warm smile and a thick beard. A little bit plump. With a big cup in his hands, he said to me, "there's no need to worry, young man. Come, have a drink."