The first time Kael moved something the size of a barrel, it shocked even him.
The familiar flicker of teleportation magic danced around the object—only this time, it didn't sputter or falter. The spatial rift opened wider, shimmering with power as the object vanished from one spot and appeared five feet away.
Five feet.
That was the new limit. Not far—but a staggering leap from the one foot he'd struggled with before. More importantly, the size had changed. From pebbles and leaves to crates, barrels—even a refrigerator-sized boulder when he tried.
He knew why now. It had never been just about power.
It was the connection and tear in spacetime. Before, his magic hadn't been strong or precise enough to stabilize a wide rift. The moment he tried teleporting something larger than his limit, the bond between object and space broke. But now? The thread was strong. The connection stable.
He demonstrated for Mira and Erion the next morning, moving a small chest across the camp with a thought.
Mira gasped, her hands covering her mouth. "That's… that's not even advanced-level usage. That's something only a Master should be able to do!"
Erion raised an eyebrow, lowering his pipe. "You skipped straight from beginner to master?" He let out a low whistle. "Boy, I've been around a long time and I've never seen that happen. That's either incredible... or terrifying."
"Maybe both," Kael admitted with a grin.
The days that followed passed more quietly than the ones before. They still traveled by day and hid the wagon by night, taking turns on watch, but the shadow beast attacks slowed.
Too much.
Thorne, ever vigilant, seemed the most disturbed by the quiet.
"This isn't right," he said one evening, sharpening his blade. "Shadow beasts are scattered across the wilds. They don't flock together. Not like this."
Bran agreed. "They're territorial. Solitary unless corrupted further. But this? This has the feel of a nest. Or worse… coordination."
Mira shivered. "You're saying they're working together?"
"We don't know," Erion said grimly. "But we'll find out. First stop when we get to the city is the Hunters Guild. They'll want to know everything."
Kael remained silent, his thoughts turning toward the attacks, the strange poison, the darkening woods.
Something was happening.
And he had a sinking feeling that whatever it was… it had only just begun.