Rich tapestries and polished marble decorated the grand hall of Erisport, a contrast to the palpable tension within. Queen Seraphina sat upon her ornate throne, her posture regal and composed, but her eyes betrayed a keen alertness as she regarded the kunoichi kneeling before her.

"Your Majesty," the kunoichi began, her voice low and measured. "I bring news of the system user you tasked me to observe."

After a slight thoughtful pause, Seraphina leaned forward slightly, her interest piqued. "Proceed," she commanded, her voice soft but carrying an undeniable authority.

"He was found at the World Tower, my Queen. But it's what he did there that was truly remarkable." The kunoichi's eyes gleamed with a mix of admiration and confusion. "He aided a group of defeated adventurers, providing them with high-grade healing potions without hesitation."

A small smile played at the corners of Seraphina's lips, as if she had expected nothing less. "And did he ask for anything in return?" she inquired, though her tone suggested she already knew the answer.

"What makes this particularly unusual, Your Majesty, is that he told them outright to consider it a debt."

Seraphina’s smile widened, her eyes gleaming not just with satisfaction but with an almost predatory anticipation. How very like him, she thought, already calculating the implications.

The kunoichi hesitated for a moment before continuing. "There's more, Your Majesty. He couldn’t enter the World Tower…"

Seraphina's brow furrowed, the first crack in her composed facade. "Explain," she demanded, her voice sharp.

"It was the curse, my Queen. The tower rejected him because of it."

The words had barely left the kunoichi's lips when Seraphina rose abruptly from her throne, her crimson eyes widening with a flash of recognition that few would understand. Her fingers instinctively traced the space above her head where an invisible crown—a phantom weight she hadn't felt in centuries.

A glowing, intricate magic circle blazed to life with a hum that vibrated through the very marble, pulling gasps from the assembled guards.

In an instant, the hall erupted into chaos. Guards materialized from hidden alcoves, their weapons trained on the unexpected intruder. Elven adventurers, resplendent in their enchanted armor and bristling with magical artifacts, formed a protective circle around the Queen.

The shimmering circle pulsed with energy, and from its center, a second kunoichi emerged, collapsing into a bow as if the journey had drained her strength. Despite her exhaustion, her voice rang with urgency.

Despite the weapons pointed at her from all directions, she immediately dropped into a deep bow.

"Forgive the intrusion, Your Majesty," she gasped. "I am the one stationed outside the Elven Forests."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. Seraphina's face darkened, her eyes narrowing as she recognized the implications of this kunoichi's presence. Everyone in the hall knew that this particular agent was only to return in the event of a catastrophe.

The silence that fell was deafening, broken only by the faint clink of armor as the guards shifted nervously. The Queen's hands clenched into fists, her knuckles white against the rich fabric of her gown.

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"Report," Seraphina commanded, her voice barely above a whisper but carrying the weight of mountains.

The kunoichi swallowed hard, her eyes darting around the room before settling back on the Queen. "Your Majesty," she began, her voice trembling slightly, "the adventurer you ordered us to watch... he's begun an attack on Elderglade."

The words hung in the air like a death knell. Gasps and muttered curses rippled through the assembled guards and courtiers. Seraphina remained motionless, her face an unreadable mask as she processed the information.

The other kunoichi gasped, her composure shattering like fine porcelain. She stood abruptly, her face a canvas of shock and disbelief, contorted into an expression that could only be described as an abstract painting of confusion and fear.

Her mind raced, struggling to make sense of it all. Did I truly see him there?

The image of the adventurer at the World Tower flickered in her memory, as solid as the marble beneath her feet—yet even her own words felt surreal, as if recounting a fevered dream rather than reality.

With trembling fingers, she yanked down her mask, revealing a face pale with shock. "Impossible!" she exclaimed, her voice cracking under the weight of her disbelief. "He was just at the World Tower! The distance... it doesn't make sense!"

Her words tumbled out in a rush, each one laced with growing panic. "Even if he traveled by land, it would take him four months to reach Elderglade. Even if he flew—which is... absurd—it would take days!"

The hall fell silent, the weight of her words settling over the assembled crowd like a heavy blanket. Eyes darted between the two kunoichi, searching for answers in a sea of uncertainty.

Seraphina's lips parted, her voice barely a whisper, yet it cut through the silence like a blade. "Teleportation..."

A wave of murmurs and shocked gasps rippled through the hall, a few guards exchanging uneasy glances as though the very word disturbed them. Even among the seasoned warriors and wizards, teleportation was no less than a myth—a power lost to the ages, far beyond their grasp. The tension grew thick, settling over the grand hall like a cold, stifling fog.

Suddenly, a voice rang out, clear and sharp. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, that's impossible."

All eyes turned to the source—a striking elven woman near the Queen, her attire that of a wizard but with a distinctly feminine flair. Intricate flames danced along the hem of her robe, and her eyes held an inner fire, mirroring her magical affinity. Despite her beauty, there was a hardness in her features, a tightness around her eyes betraying barely contained jealousy.

"Our Recall spell is bound to known ground—a mere shadow of the power needed for teleportation." She spoke with pride, her tone edged with skepticism.

"Teleportation? That’s fantasy, a relic from children’s tales. Even the strongest system users of our age can’t touch such magic."

She let out a derisive laugh. "A fool’s dream," she sneered. "The cost alone is astronomical, reserved only for the direst life-or-death situations—and even then, only for those wealthy enough to afford such a luxury."

As she finished speaking, her gaze returned to the Queen, a mix of smugness and concern in her eyes.

Seraphina turned, her gaze steely, voice soft as a blade slicing air.

“If not teleportation, then what... indeed.”

The hall erupted into frantic whispers, theories and speculations flying back and forth like arrows in a battlefield. The impossibility of the situation only served to heighten the fear and tension in the room.

Seraphina became silent, her eyes distant, as if seeing beyond the walls of the grand hall. The pieces of an unseen puzzle were falling into place in her mind, revealing a picture both terrifying and exhilarating.

Amidst the chaos and confusion, a sudden, deafening crack silenced the room, as if the very walls of Erisport had fractured under the weight of impending world-altering catastrophe.

For a fleeting moment, the weight of her long-abandoned crown settled on her brow, and she understood the stakes—all of Elderglade poised to fall under the shadow of a power long forsaken.