The stairs spiraled downward, each step lit by the faint blue glow of runes carved into the stone.
The deeper they went, the more the air changed.
The familiar scent of oak, ink, and candle-smoke from Aric's study gave way to sothing sharper—ozone, iron, and the faint tang of mana discharge.
Lerai led the way, his steps brisk with anticipation. His arms were full of scroll tubes and tools, though none seed heavy enough to slow him.
Alan followed, every movent careful, controlled, as though ready for the unknown. Aric ca last, his presence steady and slow, cloak brushing the stone floor as he descended into his domain of invention.
At the base, the chamber widened into a cavern of stone and steel.
Workbenches were scattered with crystals, tools, rune-etched plates, and unidentifiable contraptions. In the center of the room, atop a black marble pedestal, lay a single object: a palm-sized disc of black tal, its surface alive with spirals of silver that glowed like veins of moonlight.
At its heart pulsed a mana crystal, its glow a deep, steady azure.
Alan's brows rose as he approached.
"What...is that?"
Lerai set down his scrolls with a flourish, beaming. "The project His Highness requested months ago. The culmination of my most dangerous studies. The Waygate Sigil."
Aric's eyes sharpened as he stepped closer, watching the disc's faint glow.
"Show ."
Lerai nodded eagerly and lifted the pendant with both hands, as though presenting a relic of the gods.
"This is no ordinary MPG. It is a tether to space itself. A device that binds one location to another, bending the flow of mana to make distance aningless." He pointed to the silver spirals. "Here—Anchor runes. They attune the Sigil to a fixed location: your estate, a battlefield marker, a sanctuary. Wherever you choose, it will rember."
Alan folded his arms. "And then what? You speak a word and it carries you like a feather in the wind?"
"Not quite," Lerai chuckled. "You crush or channel mana into the Sigil. The Shift and Displace runes trigger instantly, sending the bearer to the chosen anchor point."
He flipped the pendant, showing the faint echo of secondary runes carved beneath the silver spirals.
"And here—the beauty of it. Echo Anchor runes. They rember your origin point. With another activation, you return to where you began. It's not a one-way exile—it's a two-way gate."
Aric leaned in, voice low. "Reusable?"
"With limits." Lerai gestured to the crystal at the pendant's center. "The cost of bending space is imnse. A low-grade crystal would barely take you across a city. A B-rank crystal, across provinces. Only A-rank and above span empires. What I've fitted here…" He swallowed, reverent. "An S-rank crystal. The highest we can afford to mount."
Alan whistled softly. "That's worth more than a dozen warships."
Lerai grimaced. "And just as fragile. If the anchor point is destroyed—or disrupted—the transfer scatters the body across the mana streams. Death, in the most unspeakable way."
"So where is the Anchor point?" Alan asked.
"I had Twicher travel few month ago and set it at a forest in our desired destination. He assured it was completely hidden." Lerai explained.
"Assured huh?" A skeptical brow rasied from Alan.
Aric straightened, expression determined.
"Every weapon worth wielding carries risk."
Lerai's tone grew somber. "There are other limitations. Anti-teleport wards can block or redirect the current. Turbulence in mana fields may delay or even scatter a jump. And… it is attuned to one bearer. It is also one person per disk, which ans one crystal per person."
Alan's brow arched. "So, no ferrying armies. Just yourself."
"Precisely," Lerai said. "A prince's tool. Not a soldier's."
Alan smirked faintly, but his eyes were wary.
"And what does our prince plan to do with this marvel?"
Aric's gaze lingered on the Sigil, cold fire burning in his expression. "To go where my presence is demanded most. The Draken Empire. Since I intercepted their envoy, they grow restless. They will not remain patient forever. Better to face them now, on ground of my choosing, than let them act rashly."
Alan's amusent faltered. "You plan to go alone? Without guards? That's beyond reckless."
"They are desperate for allies," Aric replied, voice steady. "Harming would close their doors to the empire forever. Even Draken cannot afford such folly now."
Alan held his gaze for a long mont, then inclined his head.
"If you're wrong…"
"Have i ever been?" Aric finished, his tone quiet steel.
Alan exhaled slowly. "When do you leave?"
"In minutes," Aric said. "The council already has its orders. They'll keep occupied while I am away. If urgent matters arise, they deliberate. Between you and Lerai, the final word rests."
Alan gave a short bow. "We are honored, but… Lady Serina usually assus that role."
Aric's mouth quirked, as if at so private thought.
"Yes. But—"
The workshop door creaked open. A figure entered, cloaked in gray, hood shadowing her features until she pulled it back.
"Alright," Serina said, her voice calm but carrying finality. "Let's get going."
Alan blinked. "You?"
"She was insistent," Aric said dryly.
Serina smiled faintly, brushing a lock of hair from her cheek. "Soone has to make sure you return in one piece."
Lerai's eyes narrowed. "I will remind you both—two travelers ans twice the cost. Two S-rank crystals for a single journey. That's wealth beyond what most kingdoms could muster in a decade. Weeks—months—of travel saved, yes, but the price is… staggering."
Aric donned the cloak Serina handed him, its folds trimd in black and silver. He looked Lerai in the eye.
"It is a wise trade."
Lerai sighed, defeated by that calm certainty. "Then may the gods favor your gamble, your highness."
Alan stepped forward, face grim. "If the council asks, shall I tell them of your absence?"
"Only if necessary," Aric said. "We don't need them bothering." He turned to Lerai, voice steady. "Let's get it done."
Lerai set the Sigil upon the pedestal and began the preparations, fixing the disk on Aric's palm. Runes glowed across the floor, threading outward in complex spirals.
The crystal's azure heart brightened, pulsing in rhythm with the air itself.
Aric stepped into the circle, cloak brushing the runes.
"I'll be back soon," he said.
The runes flared. His body scattered into streams of blue light, threads unraveling from flesh into brilliance. In an instant, he was gone.
Silence hung. The pedestal humd faintly, crystal dimming as it recovered from the strain.
Serina exhaled softly, then tilted her head, a single brow raised.
"Well," she murmured, stepping forward into the circle. "I suppose I'm next."
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