The portal spat them back into the world with a low hum as the red light behind them slowly sealed shut. Three stumbled slightly after landing before regaining his balance while Vexer calmly walked out behind him like nothing had happened. The old man rubbed the ring on his finger once, and the tear in space disappeared completely.
Three barely managed to take two steps before a rich smell invaded his nose. His stomach instantly growled loudly, echoing inside the room. Vexer slowly turned his head toward him, clearly amused.
"Not a word," Three said immediately, his face darkening from embarrassment.
Vexer chuckled before walking ahead of him.
By the time they returned home, Three realized that his mother had prepared enough food to feed an army. Different dishes completely covered the table, and after everything he had gone through that day, the sight almost moved him emotionally. Khate didn't ask where they had gone or what they had done. She simply asked if Three had enjoyed himself. Three nodded while his mouth was already full of food, making Khate laugh softly before adding more food onto his plate.
Dinner felt peaceful.
Sigil kept complaining that Three sat like a "collapsed tent" while eating, which earned him an annoyed glare from Three. Khate kept refilling bowls before anyone could even ask, while Vexer continuously stole pieces of meat from Three's plate whenever he looked away. Of course, Three noticed what his grandfather was doing, but surprisingly, he didn't complain much about it. For a short while, things felt normal again. It almost felt like the events from earlier had never happened.
After dinner, Khate forced Three to head to bed earlier than usual. This time, he didn't even try to argue. His body felt heavy after everything that had happened throughout the day, and the moment his head touched the pillow, sleep quickly claimed him.
But sometime later, Three suddenly woke up.
The room was still dark and quiet. At first, he thought maybe he had heard a sound outside, but after sitting up for a while, he realized that wasn't the reason. Something simply felt different. The atmosphere around the house felt strange somehow, like something important had quietly changed while he was asleep.
Three slowly got out of bed and walked toward the window.
Outside, Vexer was walking alone toward the eastern edge of the island. There were no guards around him, no servants, no grand appearance fitting the strongest man in the world. He simply looked like an old man quietly taking a walk in the middle of the night.
Three watched him silently through the window.
For some reason, he didn't call out to him. A strange feeling in his chest stopped him from doing so. It was as if deep down, he already understood what was happening.
Vexer eventually reached the cliff near the edge of the island before stopping there quietly. He stood at the very edge and stared out toward the dark ocean ahead of him. Everything around the island suddenly became still.
Then the ocean slowly began pulling back.
At first, Three thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but the water around the cliffs was truly retreating away from the island. The waves stopped crashing against the rocks as the sea itself moved backward, creating an unnatural silence that made Three grip the window frame tightly. Even the birds around the cliffs suddenly stopped making noise.
Moments later, the pressure arrived.
The air around the island became heavy enough that even Three could feel it from inside the house. His chest tightened slightly while his ears rang faintly. It felt like the entire world was holding its breath.
But throughout all of that, Vexer never moved.
Then light exploded across the island.
A pure white light swallowed everything for a brief moment. Three instinctively narrowed his eyes as the entire island lost its shadows completely. The buildings, the trees, even the ground itself looked strange under that light.
Then it vanished.
And Vexer was gone.
Just like that.
The cliff where he had been standing moments ago was now completely empty apart from a faint burn mark near the edge. Slowly, the ocean began returning to normal while the pressure in the air faded away.
Three remained standing there silently for a long time.
The ring on his finger suddenly felt heavier than before. He looked toward the empty cliff quietly, trying to process everything that had just happened. He didn't cry. The feeling sitting inside his chest was too heavy for tears right now. It simply hurt in a strange way he couldn't properly explain.
By the time faint morning light started appearing in the sky, Three was still standing near the window.
Far away from the island, deep within the open sea, a massive ship floated silently in the darkness. Seven figures stood on the deck, quietly watching the horizon. For the past six months, they had continuously monitored the distant sea in shifts because they understood something important.
The moment they stopped watching would be the exact moment they missed it.
Suddenly, a white light flashed far away in the distance.
The light only lasted for a few seconds before disappearing completely, but every single person on the ship had already seen it clearly.
Silence covered the deck.
Then one of the younger men finally spoke.
"Was that him?"
The oldest man among them slowly exhaled while keeping his eyes fixed on the distant horizon.
"That was him," he answered calmly.
The group became quiet once more before another person finally spoke.
"Then it's done."
The old man slowly shook his head before turning toward the others.
"No," he corrected.
"Now it begins."
His expression remained calm, but the atmosphere around him changed slightly. He looked like a man who had patiently waited for this exact moment for a very long time.
"Send word," he ordered.
"We move within the month."