Underestimated

A firm hand suddenly gripped his shoulder from behind, making him shudder. Alarm bells resounded at maximum strength in his mind, deafening him as his eyes narrowed into azure and emerald slits.

The surrounding mana responded to the threat, swirling and coalescing around his frame. However, Moira's voice resounded in his ears before he could use or channel it to defend himself. 

"Fire portal."

The air crackled and distorted under the rapid rise in temperature. Arcing flames danced around them, encasing their bodies like a scalding cocoon.

Three seconds later, it collapsed in a spectacle of fiery tongues, leaving a patch of charred ground behind but no trace of living beings. Adam and Moira were gone. 

***

"Huff!"

Gasping in terror, Adam's trembling eyes scanned the surroundings when he reappeared.

Surprisingly, he stood amidst the parted flames of a brazier in the student's village.

'Teleportation?!'