I flew straight through the tunnel in the flame wall, and just before I burst out into the open, I activated [Phantom Dive]. My body slipped through space like smoke, and in the next moment I reappeared in the shadows right outside Roland’s room.
The man was still inside. He wasn’t trembling or sweating anymore, but it was clear he was deep in thought.
His posture was stiff, his jaw clenched. He wasn’t just scared, he was planning something. I could almost see the gears turning in his mind.
He stayed seated for another ten minutes, completely still, then all of a sudden he stood up and rushed out of his room.
I immediately tapped into the law of resonance, my body and presence blending into the vibrations around me as I slipped behind a pillar, staying well outside his senses.
Roland didn’t waste any time. He walked quickly, his stride firm and urgent, heading deeper into the fort.
The first place he went turned out to be Horun’s room. I knew it instantly, the giant portrait on the wall gave it away, showing Horun in his white coat, cane in hand, standing tall and proud like the leader of his tribe.
Roland tore through the place like a man possessed.
He opened drawers, flipped furniture, even clawed through the bedding. His breathing grew heavier and harsher the longer he searched, and by the time he stopped, his expression was twisted with pure frustration. Whatever he was looking for, he hadn’t found it.
That gave me an idea.
Without hesitation, I connected to Lyrate through our link and told her to check both Ferans for storage rings.
The thought alone made me smirk. This ability of ours, instant communication across distance, was one of the most useful tricks we had.
The range wasn’t limitless, but with my Psynapse growing stronger, it was wide enough for most situations.
Roland didn’t linger in Horun’s room.
He stormed out and went straight to another chamber. From the decorations, the scent, and the faint scratches across the stone walls, I assumed it was Sakar’s room.
And sure enough, he tore through it the same way, ripping apart shelves, throwing aside scrolls and trinkets, desperate to find something.
But once again, he came up empty-handed. His frustration was boiling over now, his face dark, his breathing heavy. With a sharp curse under his breath, he abandoned the search altogether and flew straight toward the inner fort.
I followed quietly, my body hidden in the shadows as Roland moved with purpose through the fort. The first place he stopped was another man’s office.
The man inside, dressed in formal robes with the emblem of the Half-Moon Faction on his chest, immediately rose from his desk the moment he saw him.
"Grandmaster Roland," he greeted quickly, his tone sharp but laced with respect.
Roland didn’t waste a second. "Juno, make sure no one goes inside the tunnel. Seal it from the outside. And not a single word of this leaves these walls, if it does, I’ll take your head."
Juno’s face paled, and he nodded hurriedly. "Y-yes, understood."
Roland turned away without another glance and strode out. I trailed behind him as he crossed multiple corridors, his footsteps echoing with urgency until he finally arrived inside a room that made me pause.
A teleportation circle.
The circles carved into the stone floor glowed faintly, pulsing with dormant energy. Roland stepped onto the circle without hesitation, and the moment I saw that, I knew I couldn’t let him slip away.
I expanded my domain.
[Absolute Domain].
From where I stood outside the chamber, my domain stretched out, swallowing the entire room. Both Roland and the teleportation circle were locked inside it now, under my influence.
Roland began channeling Essence into the circle, the runes slowly waking up and humming with power. I clenched my fists.
If I wanted to follow him, I had to do it without him realizing and there was only one way.
I activated the Equivalence Clause of my domain. My perception latched onto the entry point of the circle and the exit point where it connected across space.
The moment Roland’s figure vanished into the light, I made my move.
I sacrificed the stability of space itself, letting the fabric around me crack and twist, all to increase my control over it. Then I forced my way through the channel he had created.
The instant I entered, the unstable spatial passage turned against me. Energy slashed and crushed from every direction, the channel collapsing and twisting like a storm. It tried to cut me apart, to break me down into pieces. But I pushed forward, tanking every strike, my body enduring the chaos as I carved my way through.
And then light.
My feet slammed onto solid ground. My perception expanded instantly, spreading across the new location.
I wasn’t alone.
There were three guards stationed in the chamber, each radiating power between levels 120 and 150. Their faces twisted in shock the moment they saw me appear out of nowhere.
Their mouths opened wide, panic flashing across their eyes.
Before the guards could even react, I spoke a single word.
"Freeze."
My will burst outward like an unseen tide, crashing into them with absolute force. Their bodies stiffened instantly, every muscle locked in place. Not even their eyes could move. They were mine to command.
But I wasn’t about to take chances. A single sound could ruin everything.
I lifted my hand, and a sharp wind blade formed at my fingertips. It shot forward with a piercing whistle, slicing cleanly through the air. The guards’ heads flew from their shoulders in one smooth stroke, their bodies collapsing where they stood.
I didn’t stop there. I waved my hand again, summoning flames that roared to life and devoured the corpses.
Flesh, bone, and cloth burned away into nothing but ash. Within moments, the room was clean, the air thick only with the faint scent of smoke. No trace of them remained.
Satisfied, I refocused my perception and locked onto Roland once more. His presence moved quickly through the corridor, his steps long and urgent.
Without wasting time, I slipped back into the shadows and followed, keeping pace as he strode deeper into this strange new stronghold.