The air grew heavy.
The group lingered, studying the massive, humming structure of the teleport.
It rippled, burning through mana just to stay active.
Vale, not expecting his companion to activate the device, stood frozen, unsure of what to do next.
Then—a thought struck him like a hammer.
"Where does it lead to?"
His mind raced, torn between two choices. Trust the unknown and step through the teleport, or climb to the top of the tower and scout the surroundings for any sign of the Tree of Life.
"I say we take it," Dain said, an unbothered look on his face.
"What?" Vale asked, snapping his head toward him.
"It's not like there's anything out here," Dain shrugged. "We may as well try our luck."
The group hesitated, turning the student's words over in their minds. As far as they knew, there was nothing out there but an endless field of rock and dust.
One by one, without speaking a single word, they came to the same conclusion. Determination hardened in their expressions.
