The air bent further.
Not violently, but deeper, like something was being pulled into alignment.
The man's hands trembled in front of him as the magic circle stabilized. Lines locked into place. Runes threaded into one another with precise, unnatural order.
The artifact answered.
The ring at the center spun faster, the space within it tightening, then stretching.
A low hum filled the room.
Constant.
Rising.
Lucien took an involuntary step back.
"…That's—"
"Spatial convergence," Lucien's sister said quietly.
Her eyes never left the structure.
"…He's linking coordinates."
Seryna's gaze sharpened.
"…To where?"
Draven answered without looking.
"…Where I told it to. The prison."
Silence.
Tharic swallowed hard.
"…You're going back there?"
Kaelira snorted softly, her grin never fading.
"…Of course he is."
She tilted her head slightly.
"…You think he's done yet?"
The man beneath Draven choked slightly, trying to maintain focus, trying to hold the spell together.
"…Stabilizing…!"
The circle flared brighter.
The artifact reacted instantly. The warped space at its center folded inward, then opened.
A low hum deepened into a constant pressure that filled the room.
Lucien's breath caught.
"…That's a portal?"
"It's incomplete," Seryna said sharply, her eyes narrowing.
"…He's struggling."
They all saw it.
The man's body shook violently now, sweat pouring down his face, eyes glowing brighter under strain.
"…I—I can't hold—!"
The tear flickered.
Warped.
Unsteady.
Draven's fingers pressed down again, not crushing, but firm enough to command attention.
"…That won't work."
Flat.
Certain.
The man gasped, pain forcing clarity.
"…F-fine!"
He forced more mana through the connection. Veins rose along his arms. The circle tightened.
And the portal stabilized.
With a sharp pulse, the tear snapped fully open.
A doorway formed.
Dark.
Deep.
And on the other side, stone.
Cold.
Familiar.
Lucien's eyes widened.
"…That's the prison we were at before, sir."
Silence filled the room.
Because now it was real.
An exit.
A way out.
But also a way back.
Draven finally lifted his gaze toward it.
He studied it.
Measured it.
Then said,
"…Good."
His voice was quiet. Satisfied.
The man beneath him sagged slightly from exhaustion but did not dare release the spell.
Did not dare move.
Because the hands on his head were still there.
Waiting.
Deciding.
Lucien stepped forward slightly.
"…Sir… what now?"
Draven did not answer.
His eyes remained on the portal.
Cold air bled through from the other side, carrying the scent of stone, iron, and memory.
He watched it, not with curiosity, but with confirmation.
Then he spoke.
"…Do whatever you want."
Flat.
Dismissive.
Lucien blinked.
"…Sir?"
Draven's gaze didn't shift.
"…I've already confirmed the location of the airship."
A pause.
His fingers rested lightly against the man's head, no longer pressing, but still present.
"…So I don't give a damn what you do."
Silence.
The words landed heavier than expected.
The room stilled, not from quiet, but from decision.
Draven's eyes didn't leave the portal.
Didn't flicker.
Didn't hesitate.
Then his fingers tightened.
Not enough to crush, but enough to remind.
The man beneath him stiffened instantly.
A sharp breath caught in his throat.
"…Y-you—"
Draven leaned forward slightly, his weight pressing just enough to enforce control.
"…Grab it."
Flat.
Cold.
A beat passed.
"…And move."
The man's eyes snapped toward the artifact, the spinning ring at the core of the system. His connection. His control.
"…W-wait!"
Panic surged.
"…If I touch it while maintaining the link—"
Draven's fingers pressed harder.
The man choked, words cutting off instantly.
"…Do it."
No room left.
No space to argue.
No time to think.
The man swallowed hard, then nodded quickly.
"…O-okay!"
Slowly, carefully, he reached forward.
The ring spun faster, reacting, sensing.
The space within it warped violently, as if it understood what was coming.
His fingers touched it.
The reaction was immediate.
A surge of energy erupted through the structure.
Light, distortion, and pressure exploded outward at once.
The portal behind them trembled, edges flickering, but held.
Barely.
"…MOVE."
Draven's voice dropped.
Sharp.
Final.
The man did not hesitate again.
He grabbed the artifact fully and ran.
Stumbling at first, nearly collapsing under the strain, but Draven remained balanced on his shoulders, steady as stone.
Guiding nothing.
Controlling everything.
The room snapped into motion.
Seryna moved first, without hesitation.
She stepped toward the portal, eyes locked on the tear in space.
"What are you all staring at?" she said sharply.
Her voice cut through the tension cleanly.
"That's our way out."
She stepped closer.
The pull of the portal brushed against her, cold and unnatural, but she did not stop.
"Or do you plan on staying here?"
Silence broke like glass.
Lucien blinked, then straightened immediately.
"…Move!"
Tharic startled, then rushed forward.
Kaelira grinned, tail flicking once.
"…Finally."
She moved lightly, eyes briefly flicking toward Draven before turning away.
Lucien's sister followed, calm and measured, but fast.
Because she understood something the others did not say aloud.
This would not stay stable forever.
The portal pulsed again, edges flickering, space resisting, strained.
Behind them, the artifact flared violently in the man's grip.
Energy surged through his body. His veins glowed under pressure.
"…I can't hold this long!" he gasped.
Draven did not respond.
Did not even look.
His eyes remained forward, calm, unbothered, as if time did not apply to him.
"…Then don't," he muttered.
The man nearly choked, but kept moving.
Because stopping was worse.
Seryna reached the portal first.
She paused for only a fraction of a second, studying the tear.
Then she stepped through.
Gone.
Lucien followed immediately.
"…Come on!"
He vanished into the distortion.
Tharic stumbled in behind him.
Kaelira slipped in like it was nothing, almost playful.
Lucien's sister cast one last glance back.
At Draven.
At the man beneath him.
At the artifact.
Then she stepped through.
Gone.
Silence fell again.
Brief.
Heavy.
The portal hummed, still holding, but weaker now.
Flickering harder.
The man staggered forward, each step heavier than the last.
"…I'm losing it!" he gasped.
Draven finally looked down at him.
Just once.
"…Shut it."
Quiet.
Final.
They reached the edge of the portal.
The air warped violently here, pulling, dragging, unstable.
The man's knees buckled.
Draven shifted his weight just enough to keep him upright.
One more step.
"…Go."
The command came low.
The man did not argue.
Did not think.
He stepped forward.
The world tore.
Light bent.
Sound twisted.
Space folded in on itself and swallowed them whole.
The portal flared, then snapped shut.
With a final pulse of energy.
Gone.
Like it had never existed.
And the room fell silent.