On one of the many islands owned by Yuna Akatsuki, space twisted open.
A blue teleportation portal bloomed in the air like a vertical whirlpool, its edges crackling with residual mana.
One by one, figures stepped out onto the stone pathway leading toward a vast Japanese-style mansion built at the base of a mountain.
Arina was the first to be thrown through.
She stumbled out of the portal, barely catching herself before she fell, her golden hair whipping around her face.
A second later, Aiden, Julia, Aaron, Isabella, Evangeline, and Elizabeth emerged behind her, their silhouettes solidifying as the portal stabilized.
A cool sea breeze brushed against their skin.
The mansion loomed ahead, all dark wood and sweeping tiled roofs, surrounded by meticulously maintained gardens, koi ponds, and stone lanterns.
Beyond it, jagged mountains rose in a protective ring around the island, their peaks wrapped in mist.
The distant roar of waves told them they were far from any mainland.
