Sahn dangled his legs off the edge of the tower and looked out over the desert. The tower had moved from the site of the battle that took place three days ago. It now occupied an area further to the south that gave Sahn a great view of the mountain range that separated the desert and Lucach. "It's only been a few days and he has already started his campaign against the southern lands." Lucian stated, exiting the door that led back into the tower. Sahn kept his head forward. "King Taivero isn't one to just roll over, I'm sure Thuren will have his hands full." "Indeed." Lucian agreed. "What are you doing up here anyway?" Lucian asked. Sahn turned and jumped down off the edge. "I've been thinking. You said the other worlds have similar doorways to each other right? So if I go through one then that world should have the door to the world Kasella went to." Lucian's eyebrow went up. "Well Sahn that is how it was detailed in the text but I've never actually been through any of the doors so who knows if that's how it works in actuality." "Well there's only one way to really know for sure then right?" Sahn replied with a grin spreading across his face. Lucian let out a sigh. "Fine. If you insist on doing this then listen carefully." Sahn's full attention was on Lucian. "This is the incantation I used to open the doorway that Kasella took. La-Um-l- L-Ganoover!" Sahn repeated the phrase under his breath. "That's it?" Sahn asked. Lucian nodded. "Okay so how do I open a different one?" Sahn questioned. "You're really serious about this?" Lucian asked. "I can't leave her." Sahn replied. Lucian thought for a moment before speaking. "La-Um-I-R- Ganoover!" A ring door detached from the larger ring and positioned itself above them. "Remember. Find the rings, say the phrase, find Kasella and once you do replace the L in the phrase with an H and you will make it back here." Sahn nodded in understanding. "L and H, got it!" And the he leapt through the ring.
Sahn's feet touched down on the pavement. The first thing he noticed were the lights of a city twinkling in the distance. This world's moon hung low in the night sky behind him. Leaves marched by his feet propelled by a chilly breeze. He looked around for a tower or some rings but found nothing but empty night air. He shrugged his shoulders and took one step toward the city when suddenly a robed figure appeared in front of him. He noticed two more appear behind him as he attempted another step. "Go no further and identify yourself!" The person in front of him commanded. "Sahn Juber." Sahn responded. The person seemed surprised by how easily Sahn cooperated. "Uh w-well what are you doing here?" They stuttered. One of the strangers behind Sahn placed their palm against their hood covered face in disappointment. Sahn smiled. "I'm looking for a tower with rings floating around it. Do you know where that might be?" The stranger in front of him hesitated. "N-no, wait what?" "Ugh forget it, lets just bring him in." The stranger behind him suggested. Then a glowing red chain shot from his sleeve and wrapped around Sahn. Surprisingly Sahn couldn't break free using his full strength. "They always think they can break it." The stranger holding the chain smugly teased. Sahn relaxed for a second then vanished into the astral plane which in this world was bathed in an indigo hue. The chain fell to the payment and the strangers staggered back bewildered. Sahn reappeared with a grin on his face and dashed off toward the city. He moved so fast he caught two of the robed strangers off guard but the third that hadn't spoken reacted just as fast as Sahn and chased after him. Sahn sprinted through a field toward the city he noticed earlier, his pursuer was keeping stride behind him. Sahn, surprised that the stranger was able to keep up with him, stopped running and turned around. "Woah! You're pretty good, what's your name?" The stranger didn't reply; they just weaved a series of hand signs and a glowing green cage erupted from the ground around Sahn and enclosed him inside. Sahn calmly walked around the cage and examined the glowing bars. The force of the cage forming blew the hood off Sahn's pursuer revealing her to be a young woman. "Now tell me who you are and what you want?" She commanded. Sahn sighed. "Nothing changed from what I told your friend back there. Sahn Juber, and I'm looking for a group of ring doors. Well they might not be rings in this world but twelve doors all the same." "So you're from another world?" She asked. "Yes." Sahn confirmed. "And these bars can't hold me." Sahn phased to the astral plane and back to the material outside the bars. But as soon as he reappeared glowing green chains shot from glowing spikes embedded in the ground all around him and wrapped themselves around him tightly. "Oh so that first cage was a feint? Clever but it doesn't matter." Sahn teased before phasing to the astral plane again. Only this time the woman came with him but when they appeared there she immediately fell to her knees choking. Confused, Sahn watched her face swell and eyes turn bloodshot. It wasn't until she fell on her side and began to slip from consciousness that Sahn phased back to the material. Upon returning the woman regained her consciousness and gasped for air. "How'd you do that?" Sahn asked. While still attempting to catch her breath she revealed a green string protruding from her chest and going into Sahn's. "What is this?" Sahn questioned while trying to pull it out but his hand passed through it each time he tried to grab it. "It's a heart string." The woman explained between breaths. "It can't be removed by the people bound by it regardless of who attached it. With this I'll always know where you are and if one of us leaves this world then the other does too." Sahn looked down at the string puzzled. "I didn't even notice you attaching this to me." The woman climbed to her feet and brushed the dust from her robes. "Look I don't know about any doors but we can't just let you wander around here especially if you're from another world. But High Priestess Mora might know something about it. So if you could come back with us we can ask her about it." "Oh then sure." Sahn replied casually to her surprise. The woman's other two companions finally caught up to them. "You put a heart string on him? That was reckless Pandora." The stranger that had used the red chains earlier removed his hood as he scolded Pandora. "Well I had to do something since you two weren't going to be any help Cerin." She spit his name out like it was poison. "Let's go home, he agreed to come with us." She added. Cerin and the other stranger nodded to each other and then she removed her hood. The teenaged girl bent down and began to draw a series of symbols into the ground. "Hey, Sahn was it?" Pandora asked. Sahn nodded. "Thank you for not letting me die in that other place." Sahn smiled. "I wasn't trying to hurt anyone, I was just trying to help my friend." Pandora smiled softly and turned back to her companions. The girl finished drawing the symbols into the ground and they began to glow violet before a swirling vortex appeared where they were written. "Let's go." The girl said. And they all jumped through.
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