The room fell silent as they heard Kent’s words. It was true...
The Shattered Expanse was a harsh and unforgiving place, and while The Unbound had carved out a place for themselves, it was not their ho. If not for them being able to beco Immortals, they wouldn’t be able to survive in this place for several years.
The thought of returning to their original realm—of reclaiming what had been taken from them—was a dream that had driven them for so many years they could no longer count.
Eryn finally broke the silence. "There’s still another matter. The Northern Eclipse Syndicate has been gathering forces near the Void Nexus. If they control the Nexus, they’ll have access to the ley lines that run through the Expanse. We can’t let that happen."
Kent’s jaw tightened. The Void Nexus was a critical strategic point, a convergence of chaotic energy that could be used to amplify their rituals. It may just be a tool for transportation for other Factions but for Chaos Arts Practitioners like them, it was different.
If the Eclipse Syndicate took control of it, it would be a major setback for them... At the very least, if they failed to return ho, it would be a problem for them.
"We’ll deal with the Syndicate after the ritual... If we failed..." Kent said.
However, he had a gut feeling that nnena’s assistance would finally solve their problem.
"For now, our focus is on the runes. We can’t afford any distractions."
Arin, who hadn’t t nnena showed a skeptical expression.
"And what if the ritual fails? What if nnena’s playing us for fools?"
Kent t her gaze as he also had the sa thought.
"Then we’ll find another way. But we can’t let fear stop us. We’ve co too far to turn back now."
Gyn leaned back in his chair as he calmly assessed their situation.
"Assuming the ritual works, what’s the plan? Do we all go through at once?"
Kent shook his head. "No. I’ve been thinking about that. Sending everyone at once is too risky. If sothing goes wrong, we could lose everything."
Neylan raised an eyebrow. "What are you suggesting?"
Kent smiled and spoke up.
"We send a small team first—five of us... No, I an at least one of us should be in the first group. If we make it through, we’ll use the Immortal Stone ssenger to send word back. nnena assured us that the ssenger will work so we just need to trust her for now. Once we’ve confird it’s safe, the rest of the faction can follow. Though it may take a longer ti to do that because we lack a huge amount of energy to complete the transport."
This suggestion was t with various reactions as they weren’t sure if that was the right thing to do.
Nyssa, however, felt it was reasonable so she was the first to speak. "It’s a sound plan. Sending a small team minimizes the risk and allows us to gather information before committing the entire faction."
Eryn nodded. "Agreed. But who goes first?"
This added another discussion and after a few minutes, Kent had to make a decision.
Kent’s gaze swept across the table and spoke up. "I’ll lead the team with Gyn..."
As he said this, Neyland stood up and objected.
"I’m stronger than Gyn. You should bring !" He said.
"No... You’ll stay behind... Even if we successfully return, it will take us a lot of ti to bring the second batch. I need this place to be protected during that ti. It may take a year or two after all. Even if that’s just a short ti, many things could still happen."
Nyssa and the other’s expressions were unreadable, but they all nodded. "Understood."
"I’ll bring my three subordinates..." Gyn said after so ti. He was probably the oldest here and knew the best people to gather for this event.
***
Finally, after a few more days, the stronghold was filled with activity as The Unbound prepared for the ritual.
During this ti, they all made sure that no information would leak out to ensure that their territory would not be a target of another faction.
Soon, the five Immortals led by Kent stood at the center of the chamber, surrounded by the glowing runes that would serve as their gateway back to their true world.
The rest of the faction watched from the edges of the room as they all hoped to see what would happen.
Kent took a deep breath as he looked at Eryn, his trusted righthand man who would run this faction while he was away.
"I will make sure once the next batch cos, we have already established a base for all Chaos Arts Practitioners."
"We trust, Kent!" Eryn and the others said.
"Alright... We’ve waited long enough. It’s ti to go ho."
The five had soon joined hands as the formation activated.
Just like that, the very fabric of reality started to warp and twist. And then, as the Chaos Energy started to gather, a large rift opened!
It was what they had expected. It was a vortex of chaotic energy but it wasn’t filled with destructive power. As a matter of fact, they felt sothing...
"It’s the Will of the Realm welcoming us!" Kent and the others imdiately felt it. They were all Immortals who had originated from the human realm and it seed that the Will of the Realm recognized them and actually welcod their arrival!
Without any more hesitation, Kent and the others passed through the rift!
And with that, the five Immortals vanished into the rift, leaving the rest of The Unbound to wait and hope for their ssage.
***
As the vortex consud the five of them, they did their best not to use their Chaos Arts to ensure that they would arrive at their destination.
It was sothing that nnena firmly warned so the coordinates would not change... It was a reasonable request as they knew that Chaos Arts could ss up a lot of things.
Thud... Thud... Thud...
Kent and his companions found themselves standing on solid ground once more.
"Arcane Energy!" Kent and the others imdiately felt refreshed as the air was different here.
It was familiar yet foreign, carrying the faint scent of fresh earth and arcane energy that they hadn’t experienced in centuries!
"We’re back!"
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