(Alash Vortex's POV)
The world folded around me.
For one brief instant, there was nothing.
No ground.
No air.
No sound.
Only the nauseating pressure of space twisting around my body.
Then, cold air struck my face.
My boots slammed onto solid ground.
Sound returned all at once.
"Someone appeared!"
"Sir Valerian!"
"Ready yourselves!"
Steel scraped against sheaths.
Mana surged.
My vision blurred for half a heartbeat before finally settling.
And the first thing I saw was him.
Blonde hair.
Brown eyes.
A weapon already in his hand.
Mana rolled from his body in heavy waves, pressing against the air around him.
Master Valerian.
I stared at him.
He stared back.
For several seconds, neither of us moved.
There was something strange about his expression.
I had seen my master annoyed.
Amused.
Proud.
Disappointed.
Exasperated.
Usually because of me.
But never this.
His eyes were wide.
His face completely still.
