Vol3 Chapter 33 Separation

"IRENE!"

The world flashed white.

For one brief instant, everything seemed to happen at once.

A massive magic circle had appeared beneath their feet.

Irene's eyes widened.

"Eoghan—!"

Amos didn’t pause to think—he just moved, his hand slamming into Irene’s shoulder.

"Get away!"

He shoved her away causing Irene stumbled backward just as the teleportation spell erupted.

SHIIIIIIIIING—!

Space twisted and light engulfed Amos.

Irene stretched out her hand to him.

"EOGHAN!"

Then—nothing. The light was gone. Amos too. Irene stood there, frozen in place for a few seconds.

"...Eoghan?"

No answer.

Her expression hardened.

"Everyone!"

The five other members of Blue Wolfs immediately moved closer to Irene.

The mage raised her staff.

"Teleportation?"

The ranger was already examining the ground.

"Yes."

The cleric looked around anxiously.

"Where did it take him?"

Irene stared at the empty space where Amos had been.

"I don't know."

Her fingers tightened around her sword.

***

Several hours earlier.

The trip to the ruins lasted most of the morning. The carriage rolled steadily along the old imperial road, its wheels occasionally clattering over cracks in the stone. Inside, the mood was unexpectedly easygoing. Amos lounged opposite Irene, one arm propped against the carriage wall, while across from him, the massive barbarian busied herself with her meal. Again.

Amos watched her in silence, and she caught on.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You've been staring."

"I was wondering how much food you packed."

"Enough."

She held up another piece of bread.

"Apparently."

Irene shook her head.

"You really are different from what I expected."

Amos raised an eyebrow.

"How so?"

"I was expecting an arrogant A-rank adventurer."

"But in front of an S-rank? No way."

"Instead, you're..."

She paused.

"Sleepy."

Amos nodded.

"There is simply nothing else to do."

The barbarian laughed.

"He slept through half the journey."

"I was conserving energy."

"You were snoring."

"I don't snore."

The ranger finally looked over.

"You do."

Amos stared at her.

"I know I don't."

Irene smiled faintly.

The carriage rolled over the last hill, and a hush fell over everyone. In the distance, the ruins came into view. Amos gazed out the window, his expression shifting.

The ruins were massive. Ancient stone structures sprawled across the land, remnants of a long-lost civilization. Crumbling towers jutted from the ground, linked by walls that vanished into the dense forest. Enormous stone doors stood silently in several spots throughout the complex.

Irene stepped down first, with everyone trailing after her, and Amos came to stand by her side.

"This is it."

The ranger looked around.

"Something's wrong."

Irene nodded.

"I noticed."

Amos glanced toward the ruins.

"There are too many entrances."

Everyone looked.

There were at least six visible paths leading into the complex.

Irene frowned.

"The report only mentioned one main entrance."

"Then the report was incomplete."

Amos crouched low, his fingers brushing the stone, and his face grew serious.

"These weren't opened recently."

The mage approached.

"You're certain?"

"He is right." The ranger confirms it.

She brushed dust from the surface.

"The doors have been used before."

The cleric looked toward the dark passage.

"By the missing team?"

"Maybe."

Irene looked toward the ruins.

"Or something else."

Irene turned toward her team.

"We follow standard formation."

The paladin strode ahead, the barbarian cracking her knuckles with a grin. The ranger eased into position at the front, while the mage readied a handful of spells. The cleric lingered near the center, and from beneath the summoner’s cloak, a shadowy creature slid silently into view.

Amos looked at them.

No wasted movement.

So, this is what an actual S-rank team looks like.

Irene glanced at him.

"You stay near me."

Amos blinked.

"Why?"

"Because you're the only one here who hasn't entered an S-rank ruin before."

"Alright."

The barbarian laughed.

"Don't worry. We'll keep the rookie alive."

Amos looked at her.

"I'm A-rank."

"Rookie."

"..."

He decided not to argue.

***

The first stretch passed without incident. No signs of battle—just a seemingly endless stone corridor. The ranger paused now and then to examine markings on the walls, while the mage studied faint traces of magic. The cleric made sure everyone was all right. Amos simply observed, though a nagging unease grew with every step. The deeper they went, the stronger it became. The ruins were silent, but far from empty.

Irene noticed him slowing down.

"What is it?"

Amos looked ahead.

"I'm not sure."

"Something wrong?"

"I don't know."

That answer seemed to unsettle Irene more than a clear warning might have. They pressed on, until they came to a vast underground chamber from which six passages extended.

Irene stopped.

"Should we split?"

The ranger shook her head.

"Too dangerous."

"I agree."

Amos glanced at the six passages, then down at the floor. Something about the stone seemed off—a faint magical pattern, barely visible. His eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Wait."

Everyone stopped.

Amos stepped forward.

"Don't move."

The mage immediately understood.

"Magic formation?"

"Yes."

She crouched beside him.

"I don't see anything."

"It's beneath the surface."

Amos touched the ground.

The moment his fingers made contact—

CLICK.

Everyone stopped in their tracks as a bright blue magic circle appeared below him and Irene. Without hesitation, Irene reached for Amos.

"Eoghan!"

Amos looked up.

"...Teleportation."

The mage's expression changed.

"It's activating!"

Irene grabbed Amos's arm.

"Stay close!"

Amos studied the formation, sensing something was off. The magic wasn’t going to transport them together—it was going to split them apart, scattering them to six different possible locations.

"No."

His eyes widened.

"Irene!"

"What?"

"Let go!"

She stared at him.

"What?"

"NOW!"

The teleportation spell reached its peak. Amos spotted a distortion forming right beneath Irene—a second circle, then a third. Suddenly, one of the magical lines veered off course, and Irene’s circle shifted, heading straight toward a dark passage.

Amos's instincts screamed.

That isn't random.

Something had changed the spell. The teleportation wasn’t just splitting them apart—it was deciding where they’d end up. Irene was being sent somewhere, somewhere very specific. Without thinking, Amos pushed her away.

Irene's circle snapped toward Amos.

The formation had lost its original target.

It chose the nearest living body instead.

"GET AWAY!"

Irene stumbled backward.

"Eoghan!"

The teleportation had only swallowed him.

***

The first thing Amos noticed was the silence.

The second was the darkness.

He slowly opened his eyes.

Ancient stone surrounded him.

Amos remained still for a moment.

...Why her?

The spell was supposed to scatter us. It shouldn't have been choosing specific destinations.

Something must have interfered with it.

But what?

...

Well, let's hope they don't get split apart from each other.

Ancient stone surrounded him as he slowly rose to his feet. His armor and weapons were intact, and he bore no injuries.

Amos looked around.

He reached for his communication crystal to Irene.

"...Come on."

Nothing.

The crystal flickered once.

Then went dark.

Amos stared at it.

"Of course."

He sighed and looked ahead. A long corridor stretched into the darkness, which slowly peeled away to reveal ancient markings along the walls. Some were faded and worn, while others looked freshly carved. Amos froze. Fresh.

He walked up to one of them, his fingers hovering just above the stone. The surface had been scratched, and not long ago. Recently. Amos’s face grew serious.

"Is this from the A-rank team...?"

He peered further down the corridor, spotting a faint trail of blood vanishing around the corner. Amos eased his hand toward the hilt of his sword.

He took a step forward, then another, his footsteps echoing through the ancient ruins. He was alone now, farther in than any normal expedition would dare to go. Somewhere ahead, something shifted, and Amos froze.

"..."

The sound came again.

A slow scraping against stone.

Scrrrrrape.

Amos tightened his grip and kept walking. Whatever had brought him here had made one mistake—it had pulled him away from the strongest S-rank team in the Empire. But it had also taken him away from the people who might have stopped him from doing something reckless. Amos smiled.

"...That's probably worse for you."

And he disappeared into the darkness.