For the first time, I looked around us.

And… Well, I saw nothing much. Just a bunch of trees.

-The fuck are we…? - I asked, not really expecting an answer.

-You’re asking me?

-Well, I was NOT a ruler of a rather large part of this continent. You were here longer than me as well…

-I wonder about that… Well, even though - he said, scratching his head - the king is not responsible for charting maps.

-Fair.

-I don’t feel her, though.

-Same…

-But… - he continued - I do find this place… familiar.

-Hm…?

Confused, I tried expanding my senses, but didn’t feel much of anything… besides one thing.

Somewhere in front of us, there was a strange disturbance in mana.

It wasn’t a hole, nor any tighter concentration of it either. It was just… like magic in that place was disturbed.

Did it happen recently…?

I am not sure.

For sure I didn’t feel anything familiar, though.

-Let’s see and take a look - he said, probably feeling my indifference.

I nodded, and followed him through the trees.

At first, there was nothing interesting about the surroundings.

Then, we started finding some rubble.

Pieces of buildings? Or something? Couldn’t really tell, because whatever that was, it was ancient. Overgrown with moss and other greenery to the point where I was unable to even tell the material it was made out of. But, it had to be some kind of stone, at least, because wood would be gone a long time ago.

Well, not infused wood, but that I’d notice. I hope.

Not so long later, I started hearing some water. A stream? A whole river maybe?

But, as soon as I started thinking about that, we found a clearing.

It was not that large, but in the middle of it, there was a rather large ruin.

Also completely green. Overgrown completely, but even then clearly recognizable: no kind of tall grass would hide a two-story building. Or, well, at least-two story building, because the top of it was completely missing. I think blown up even. Most likely by magic, because that was also the source of the strange mana I was feeling.

-Are we…?

He looked… astonished?

Why? It was just a random building. I mean, that mana disturbance was weird, sure, but not anything that would be…

As I was thinking that, I looked down, towards the side.

Oh, that’s where the water noise was coming from, a stream had taken over a piece of bottom floor. I wonder where was that coming from…? Some hidden…

No.

It can’t be, right?

I stepped forward, looking closer inside.

I couldn't see much, insides destroyed by the water that was gathering on the lower floor. But I could see some rusted metal under all the murky water and a staircase leading up.

Mike was also very interested in the building. So much that he cast a spell, freezing the water and creating us a pathway towards the staircase.

We did manage to get past the water, although barely: the ice was barely thick enough to support our weight, even one at a time.

It was a bit strange, especially after seeing Mike create literal floating ice islands before. I guess he really still was not completely recovered.

As we started ascending the staircase I started seeing a bit more spots that were still not taken over by nature, although there wasn't much left to be overtaken.

The walls… were not rock. Those were made out of solid brick… and definitely concrete.

A modern building. Well, what’s modern, anyway…

Upstairs… the walls were destroyed. And the middle, the epicenter.

A crater.

THE crater.

-MIRE…

-MIRE…

We said both in unison.

Yes, that was indeed the same building.

We were back to our original building. The place where everything went to shit.

-How in the fuck did we end up HERE?! - I said, not hiding my absolute bewilderment.

-You got us here, you explain that! - he said, not able to hide his own feelings.

-Ahh… maybe… Did I accidentally lock on to the anomaly…? - I said, trying to think. - There’s still some remains of the ruptured leyline…

-How would a ruptured leyline explain that? It’s not the mana you were looking for! And it’s not even that large! It almost healed. Also, if that was the case, we’d land up here, not somewhere below!

-So wait, you’re thinking that she was here?

-Well, for sure at least once. But yeah, it had to be it! She had to also come here, or you’d not be able to get us here.

-So wait… why did that… Hm… Okay. What for…? It’s not like there’s anything remaining here?

-I am thinking…

He started pacing around, looking at different ruined pieces, but didn’t seem like he found anything.

-She had to be looking for something…

-I am sure I took everything useful when I appeared here. And not like there was anything useful anyway.

-Also, the time has not been kind to this place - he agreed. - Yeah, if anything, this is even more useless than the capital.

-That was burned to the ground…

-...

-Let’s check the spot where we landed.

Without hesitation, we jumped down and went back.

I say we, but it was just him: he did manage to recover some of his supernatural speed, so the moment he landed on the ground he just sprinted towards the spot where my portal opened.

-There’s nothing here! - he said, as I approached, trying not to run myself.

-There has to be something! I couldn't just hook onto nothingness!

-I agree… but can you see a thing?! I definitely do not.

I gave the area a glance.

A thorough one.

I did not find shit.

Everything looked like a regular forest. Hell, even the mana of the trees was no longer enhanced, just as normal as it gets.

The spot was no different from any other forest on the whole continent.

I just shook my head with resignation.

-I don’t fucking get it.

-Mh… Maybe it’s just your spell. I don’t know, you made a mistake. Fuck, shit happens, I don’t know, magic is weird… - he said, clearly trying to grasp at straws.

Honestly, I wasn’t blaming him for that…

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-Maybe…

-Try it again - he said suddenly.

-What?

-The portal. Open a new one.

-Wouldn’t that… lead us here again…?

-If the spell did not fail, then yes. But we’d at least get a confirmation, right?

That was at least an idea.

-I guess I can try… It’s not like we’re going to find anything here…

-Right… you don’t feel anyone, right?

-Nope. Can you?

-Isn’t your ability better…?

-I don’t think so… but it doesn’t matter. That means no.

Yeah, I wasn’t feeling anyone nearby.

“Nearby” being a very relative term, but still.

-Okay. Fuck it, I’ll try doing this again. But I’m gonna do that on the wall this time, I don’t want another weird gravity shit going on.

-Whatever. Go.

I nodded and started writing on a moss-covered wall.

I took a minute of focus and it was already done.

Now for the pact…

I honestly was worried…

But for nothing. It appeared just as before, without any issue.

Same with opening. Again, it was that foggy mist hiding the insides of it, or rather it being the insides.

Mike took a glance around us.

-Hm. I can’t see the exit.

-Does that mean I linked to a different place…?

-Can’t feel it either… - he mumbled.

He was right. Even focusing on the portal in front of me, I still was paying attention to our surroundings, and if my own portal would’ve opened somewhere nearby, I’d notice.

-Well, only one way to find out. Let’s go.

And he walked through.

I was not going to be far behind this time, and stepped as soon as he disappeared, no longer even considering the possibility of it disappearing on me.

It didn’t happen before, why would it this time?

And I was right. The portal was identical as before.

In more than one aspect, though. It also took longer than expected. Just like last time, maybe half a minute of strange void travel, followed by an opening.

This time I had to catch myself to not fall backwards into the hole.

The opening has appeared on the ground.

It was weird, I had to actually climb out, grabbing the rim of the circular hole in the ground, pushing myself up and away from the void. It was a bizarre feeling, but I managed to get out successfully.

Same with Mike, because he was already standing up and grabbed my hand, pulling me up, as the hole closed behind me.

-Now… that’s a place…

Yeah, no shit. “A place”.

That’s one way to describe it. “Nothing” would also describe it pretty well. Same as “sand”.

We were in the middle of a random desert.

Ah, who am I kidding. That definitely was not a random desert.

Sure, there was nothing anywhere besides dunes and wind. Besides…

-You feel that…?

-Hm…

It was the same anomaly as before.

Just a tiny bit of it, anyway. It felt like a small disturbance in the flow of magic, but this time, it wasn’t just one spot. It was more like a scattered handful of those small disturbances all over us.

-What the fuck.

-Yeah, I am speechees, too… - said Mike, taking in the view. - Where the hell is that pact of yours leading us…?

-At this point, I am not so sure if it even is working… - I admitted. - This is so random…

-Well, is it…? Only one way to check…

-Do it again…?

-Yeah. There’s nothing to find here.

-I need a spot - I simply said, agreeing. - Can you block the wind or something…?

-Sure. Nysu.

He erected a wall of earth, surrounding us, letting me easily draw a circle in the sand.

-That’ll do…

-Damn… - he sighed, clearly irritated. - Wanna bet where your next teleport is going to take us?

-You think that’s funny?

-Quite the opposite. I am fuming right now. From my perspective it sort of looks like you are trying to cover for her, you know?

I looked him in the eye.

His expression didn’t change, not like it really could. But I could tell he was angry.

-You really do hate me.

-I? You? Why would you say that?

His voice was flat as a board.

Ah.

So he knew about everything.

-Whatever. I’ll open it again, see what’s next.

-You better.

-Eh… Open.

Another portal, another waiting.

I sort of started getting used to them working like that and the whole prospect of floating in some void…

I wonder, what exactly was that void?

It didn’t seem that unpleasant… and sort of familiar…

Right, I once was stuck in some void before… although back then my senses were all over the place, so saying it was the same one as now, it was a bit too much of a guesswork.

Hm.

But if those were really the same, why…? What was connecting them?

Mana?

Maybe, but saying mana was connecting it, it would be the same as saying that every person is connected with each other because they are carbon based entities.

Hell, was I even one any more?

Whatever. Who cares at this point.

I just had to follow his instructions to get to her.

Probably even without him I’d be able to follow her like that, if that was even the case. The longer I was teleporting us, the more I felt like I was chasing something that didn’t exist.

Maybe she was already gone?

Why were we even teleporting to those places…?

Whatever the case it would be, it would have to wait for later. For now I once more got launched out of the portal.

Immediately, I looked where we landed this time.

Or, wanted to, rather.

Because the moment I got spit out of the portal, I landed in water.

-Pfeh, wha…

It wasn’t deep, but still came as a surprise.

-The fuck…

Mike was nearby, sitting on a rocky outcrop from which I just emerged. A wall of a cave?

It seemed like it.

-Where are we? - I asked him, standing up and lighting up the surroundings reflexively. - Light.

-Fucking guess.

I rolled my eyes, but gazed around, trying to see, where could we be…?

It was a cave, or rather a corridor. The water I landed in was at the base of some stairs… or, well, just in the middle of some stone stairs that were disappearing deeper into the water.

When I looked up, I saw light, so I guess the exit was not that far away.

-Did you check upstairs…?

-Yes.

-And…?

-And what? See yourself. If you don’t recognize this place already.

A bit annoyed, I turned away and started walking up.

He was not wrong. I did know the place.

Outside… was a small island. With marks of some kind of scuffle…

A very familiar one.

We were back at the other island, in the middle of the sea.

But, there were some differences.

Not in the island, no. It was the “barrier” that was supposed to be surrounding the whole continent, the “falls”.

It was cracked.

I remember it being a bit damaged before, when I caught a certain someone…

But the damage was now a lot more spread.

Now, thinking about it, I never asked Mike why he did this… was that even him?

Well, I was not going to have to anyway, because as I was squinting to see better, he already was next to me.

-No. That was not me - he said instantly. - I don’t know what you saw, but that wasn’t me.

-Mhm…

I don’t know if I should be worried more about him being able to read me again or the fact that we still weren’t going anywhere with those teleports.

Or maybe he just noticed me looking…

-So that was ILMA then?

-I assume that she was controlling my body, yes - he agreed.

-What, she already took you over? I thought…

-”Already” is very subjective - he said. - There were… moments that I didn’t have control, you know…

-Mhm…

Yeah, I was not buying that.

-Sure… Well, want me to keep going?

-Of course - he said instantly. - We need to catch her.

-I am glad that you have faith in me, but…

-You think you can’t do it? Lacking something? Out of mana?

-No, no. On that part, I am more than good. It’s just that we are literally just portaling randomly. We are not making any progress.

-So focus more.

-...

Oh, fuck off, man. It’s not like I was not trying!

It just felt like this whole chase was pointless.

But, I was not going to say that flat out.

-If you’re not satisfied, do it yourself.

-I…

-I know you can’t - I interrupted him. - Yes, yes. I am moving.

I sighed and with one swift motion drew a circle in stone. Or carved rather.

At least this time it was going to be a better quality… Not like it mattered, really…

-Okay, okay. Open.

I opened the way so nonchalantly, I honestly thought I was going to fail this time.

Yet, the portal that opened looked better quality than before.

I wasn’t going to complain.

-Let’s…

But, before I even finished my sentence, Mike was already through.

I guess his patience was also getting close to running out.

Go figure…

-Ehh… - I sighed, and jumped in.

This portal… felt different.

Sure, I still found myself in the void, but not for that long time. It was a matter of seconds before I saw an opening in front of me…

And got launched out.