CHAPTER 1077: DIFFICULT

The portal yawned open, its rim bending the air into ripples of pale light. Adrius braced himself as Erend stepped through, the familiar pull of interworld travel seizing him.

The first time had been disorienting, a torrent of sensations that tore at his balance, but now the Archmage had already begun adapting to it.

His body and mind steadied quickly, and the nausea that once gripped him barely stirred.

"A normal human would be wrecked by this," he thought, exhaling slowly as the distortion passed. "But for me, it’s becoming natural in no time."

The journey folded shut behind them and suddenly they stood within Erend’s living quarters inside the facility again.

The scent of metal and sterile air washed over them, a sharp contrast to his chamber in the tower they had just left that was filled with the scent of books and incense.

Erend had chosen this place intentionally as his place to go and came back from another world, away from watchful eyes. If staffers or soldiers unfamiliar with portals saw such an entrance, they would be shocked and unnecessary explanation would be needed.

Both men’s gazes snapped to the device in Adrius’s grip. It pulsed steadily, the light moving in a heartbeat rhythm.

Adrius tilted it slightly, scanning every shimmer, then released a breath of clear relief.

"It looks fine," he said.

"Yeah," Erend answered, tension easing into the edge of a smile. "But this is just the start."

"You’re right." Adrius’s tone was level, but the weight of what lay ahead pressed between them.

They could not relax. This tether would decide whether the entity stalking them could finally be tracked. For now, uncertainty still shadowed their relief.

"Let’s come out," Erend said.

Adrius nodded and lifted his hand. Threads of illusion draped across them, reshaping their features until they matched the soldiers and staff of this world again.

Wrapped in a special cloth that muffled its glow, the device no longer drew attention.

The facility’s corridors were quiet in the early morning. Only guards at their posts and infirmary staff tending to bedridden candidates stirred within the halls.

Erend returned the soldiers’ salutes as they passed, his steps calm but steady.

They entered the familiar meeting room and placed the device onto the table, the cloth sliding away.

"How will this work?" Erend asked.

Adrius’s eyes gleamed faintly with focus. "I’ll track the energy spread across this facility, capture its resonance, then follow it with my spells."

Erend nodded. "Then begin. No need to wait for Captain and the others. The sooner we start, the better."

"Understood." Adrius stripped the last of the cloth away. The tether’s light pulsed brighter, spilling across the walls until the room seemed to breathe with its glow.

Adrius placed both hands on the tether device, his fingers splayed wide across the etched frame as its glow swelled to meet him.

The air in the room thickened, the vibration of the construct rising until it hummed through the floor and into their bones.

His lips parted in a low murmur, Magical syllables from his spell spilling in a rhythm that warped the light around him.

Threads of silver-blue energy spiraled out of the tether’s outer rings that floated around the black orb, twisting upward like vines unfurling into the air.

They tangled with the runes Adrius drew into the space before him, forming a lattice that quivered as though resisting his touch.

Sweat beaded quickly on his brow because the pulse of the tether’s light felt like they were fighting him, its rhythm scattering every time he tried to anchor it with his Magic energy.

The resonance of the entity was faint and fragmented like ashes scattered in the wind and Adrius had to chase after every flicker before it slipped away. He thought that right now it would be better if he had Lysander here with him.

His jaw tightened as he pulled harder, weaving spell after spell, but the patterns twisted against him and fraying at the edges before he was able to fully grasp it.

Minutes stretched long. His breathing grew harsher and his chest rising with effort.

The lattice of light expanded and collapsed, shifting chaotically as though mocking his attempts.

Adrius’s shoulders hunched, his voice straining through another chant. His hands trembling faintly with the pressure pressing back at him.

Erend can only stand silently beside him, his eyes locked on the Archmage, his expression was taut.

He knew better than to interrupt him cause it might break Adrius’s concentration and would undo all of it.

Finally, Adrius halted in the middle of his incantation. The threads of energy collapsed inward with a sharp snap, scattering into fading sparks that dissolved into the air.

He lowered his hands slowly with his breaths uneven, the sheen of sweat clear across his face.

For a long moment he said nothing, only staring at the tether’s glow. Then, at last, he turned his head toward Erend.

"This will not be easy," he admitted, his tone filled with frustration. "The entity’s trail is fractured. It hides itself deeper than I expected. To track it I’ll need more time, more focus and even then, I can’t promise the path will be clear."

Erend exhaled heavily, running a hand down his face. The sound of it was a mix of resignation and weary expectation.

"I figured as much," he muttered. His gaze lingered on the tether, the steady heartbeat glow that seemed almost smug in its calmness compared to the storm Adrius had wrestled with.

He crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I knew this wouldn’t be simple. If it were easy we would’ve caught that thing long ago."

His voice was steady, but the weight in it pressed into the silence that followed.

Adrius straightened slowly and forced his breathing into control. His eyes flicked back to the device, then to Erend.

"I said this will be difficult... but not impossible. We’ll just need to push harder. I’ll need your power as well to anchor the flow next time."

Erend gave a small nod, his sigh fading into determination. "Okay. Then we’ll do it."

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