The final rune settled into place with a soft pulse of violet light.
For a long moment I stood at the center of the island, studying the massive formation carved across the surface. The teleportation circle stretched from one end of the barren island to the other, thousands of intricate runic channels intersecting and branching like a vast geometric web.
Faint currents of spatial law moved through the structure, occasionally flashing with subtle ripples of sealing energy that stabilized the entire array.
Eighty percent had become ninety.
Ninety had become complete.
The formation was ready.
Behind me the others stood in a loose semicircle, watching the runes glow faintly beneath the evening sky. The ocean winds moved across the island, carrying the scent of salt through the air as the final adjustments faded from the formation.
Ragnar was the first to break the silence.
"So... this thing is finished?"
I stepped back from the center of the circle and nodded.
"Yes."
Silver crouched slightly to examine one of the larger runic clusters etched into the stone.
"And you’re certain it won’t tear us apart?"
Knight’s voice drifted calmly from the nearby shadows.
"That would be an inconvenient way to die."
Ragnar snorted.
"You’re assuming we die instantly."
Aurora crossed her arms while watching the faint spatial distortions forming above the circle.
"What happens if the tunnel collapses halfway through the jump?"
Steve shrugged casually.
"Then we spend the rest of eternity drifting through broken space."
North gave him a flat look.
Lyrate sighed.
"Why are we discussing the worst possible outcomes right before activating it?"
I turned slightly toward them.
"Because it’s the first time I’ve built something like this."
Ragnar’s grin widened.
"Well that’s reassuring."
Despite the comments, none of them stepped away from the circle.
That alone said enough.
I placed my hand lightly against the central rune.
"Alright."
The violet glow beneath my palm intensified as I began infusing Essence into it.
Streams of essence began flowing through the formation as the runic network activated one layer at a time. The entire island vibrated faintly as the spatial laws embedded within the circle awakened, weaving themselves into a stable gateway.
The air above the formation twisted.
Then the portal opened.
A circular vortex of violet light expanded above the island, its edges shimmering with spatial energy as the interior stabilized into a long tunnel of swirling light.
The wind across the island intensified.
I glanced back at the group.
"Ready?"
Ragnar rolled his shoulders.
"Let’s see if this thing works."
One by one we stepped into the vortex.
The world vanished.
For a brief moment there was nothing but movement.
The tunnel stretched endlessly in every direction, a river of flowing light carrying us forward through the void between worlds. Spatial currents drifted past us like silent waves while the runic anchors embedded within the portal guided the passage.
For several moments none of us spoke.
Then Ragnar looked around the glowing corridor with visible curiosity.
"So... this is what traveling between worlds with long distances looks like?"
Silver tilted his head slightly as he observed the currents of light sliding past us.
"It’s surprisingly stable."
Aurora extended her hand cautiously toward the flowing wall of the tunnel before stopping just short of touching it.
"And how exactly are we standing here like this?" she asked. "Shouldn’t we be pulled apart by the spatial current?"
Steve glanced around as well.
"Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. We’re just... floating in the middle of this thing."
I smiled faintly.
"We’re not actually in the tunnel itself."
Knight’s voice drifted quietly from nearby.
"Explain."
I tapped lightly against the air around us.
"The sealing laws embedded in the formation created a traveling shell. Think of it like a bubble moving through the tunnel. The spatial current carries it forward while the sealing layer keeps the interior stable."
Ragnar raised an eyebrow.
"So we’re basically riding inside a moving cage."
"Something like that."
North looked thoughtfully at the flowing walls of the tunnel.
"That explains the stability."
Silver’s gaze sharpened slightly.
"But the speed still seems unusual. The spatial flow outside isn’t moving that fast."
"That part isn’t just space," I replied.
Aurora looked back toward me.
"You added something else?"
"Time laws."
Ragnar frowned.
"Time laws?"
"Yes. The tunnel itself still moves at normal spatial speed, but inside the bubble I accelerated our local time flow slightly."
Knight nodded slowly as understanding settled.
"So from our perspective the journey is shorter."
"Exactly."
Steve whistled quietly.
"You’re basically cheating distance."
"Efficiency," I corrected calmly.
For several seconds the group simply watched the currents of light sliding past us while the tunnel carried us forward through the void.
Then something struck the tunnel. The impact was distant at first, like a shockwave traveling through water. The entire spatial corridor trembled violently. Aurora’s lightning flickered instinctively around her as the tunnel distorted.
"What was that?"
Another shock followed.
The swirling light around us cracked like fractured glass. Silver’s wings spread slightly as he looked toward me.
"Tell me that was part of the design."
I stared ahead for a moment.
Then realization hit me.
"...Oh."
Ragnar frowned.
"Oh what?"
I rubbed my forehead slightly.
"I forgot something."
The tunnel shuddered again as a massive surge of violet energy collided with the forming exit ahead of us.
North’s voice carried quiet disbelief.
"You forgot something?"
"Yes."
The distorted gateway ahead flickered repeatedly as another beam of violet essence slammed into it from the outside.
"The world core."
Steve blinked.
"The what?"
"Vaythos has multiple planetary shields established by the world core that I left behind for protection of our home world obviously."
Another blast struck the portal exit.
"They’re designed to destroy anything that looks harmful and an unauthorized spatial gate entering the planet surely is one I guess."
The tunnel lurched again.
Ragnar stared at me.
"You built a portal into a planet that automatically shoots down portals."
"...Yes."
Knight sighed quietly.
"That seems like a critical detail."
I raised my hand slightly.
"Give me a second."
Closing my eyes briefly, I extended my awareness through the tunnel toward the distant world waiting at the other end. For me, connecting with world cores that I had control over was usually very easy, but I was not sure whether it would work through the tunnel.
I focused and the presence of Vaythos appeared instantly.
A vast ocean of planetary essence. Deep and familiar. At its center rested the world core I had claimed long ago.
Another defensive beam formed. Before it could fire again I pushed my will forward to communicate with the core. I could feel it agitated like a small kid who just saw some strangers and was afraid.
’Calm down.’ I said.
And I instantly felt it hesitate.
’Its me.’
Recognition spread through the vast energy field like ripples across a lake.
The world core paused.
Then the defensive formations surrounding the planet shifted. The next beam never fired. Instead the spatial barrier slowly opened, allowing the portal exit to stabilize.
The tunnel ahead solidified again.
Aurora watched the distortion settle.
"Did you fix it?"
"Yes."
Ragnar crossed his arms.
"So the planet was trying to kill us."
"Technically it was doing its job." Knight replied.
The tunnel brightened as the exit expanded into a stable gate.
Moments later the swirling light faded. We stepped out into a quiet forest. The air felt immediately different.
A calm lake stretched across the clearing before us, its surface perfectly still beneath the reflection of a massive tree towering over the water. The tree’s trunk was wide enough to rival a house wall, its branches spreading across the sky like an ancient guardian watching the forest below.
Violet essence drifted quietly through the surrounding air.
Home.
I looked around the clearing as the others stepped out behind me.
"Welcome to Vaythos."