A New Journey

"Increase the pace; we need to go back first to 'that place.' We cannot do anything by staying here anyway." 

Hearing the brimming power in Elara's order, Vanessa smirked. "Very well, I will also make the ground transparent so you can enjoy yourself."

"You dare! " Elara snapped in her direction, sending a cold look at the maid, who merely giggled to herself before leaving the two of them alone.

Woosh!

That day, people living on the several islands, including Hawaii, were surprised and happy to see a sky so clear, devoid of any clouds.

It was as if a strong gust had swept them away while no one was looking.

The invisible aircraft responsible for this anomaly had already left the Pacific Ocean, moving past America; it was now flying over the savage sea of the Atlantic.

Raging clouds accompanied by downpour swirled all over the sea. 

Woosh!

The crest and trough of the incoming waves rose and fell, colliding with each other, disrupting the flow of the ocean.

Glancing at the howling winds and the stormy weather outside, Alvin looked away from the window, quickly losing interest. "The first time you see something like this, it's exciting. But when it keeps happening, it just gets annoying."

Elara nodded in agreement while sipping her pristine blood supply while puffing her cheeks a bit to hide her embarrassment. "Why do you think I had the transparency spell turned off? "

"Does this weather affect the speed of the plane? "Alvin acted as if he did notice it and asked.

"Not really. Who knows how many storms we've gone straight through since we started this journey? Even if we enter an EF4 tornado, we can pass right through it without getting affected by it." Elara shrugged, finishing her drink before standing up. "Come with me."

Curious, Alvin followed her toward the cockpit; Vanessa was seated at the controls, her eyes fixed on the screens.

Displayed before them was a full projection of the area around the plane—not in real-world colors but as a three-dimensional digital representation. The aircraft itself was at the center of the image.

"How far are we? " Elara asked, shifting her gaze to another screen resembling a two-dimensional radar. Several large and small red dots scattered across the pale blue display.

"In five minutes, we'll be entering the region of the Devil's Nest." Vanessa's fingers danced across glowing runic symbols on the console, resembling an otherworldly keyboard.

Three minutes passed without them even realizing.

Then, as Vanessa stopped her input, a new projection materialized before them. The dark metal panel in front of their eyes shifted, unveiling a crystal-clear view of their surroundings.

"The calculations are complete. I've locked onto a space crack for a world jump. The plane will slow down to 500 km per hour." Vanessa's declaration made Alvin's lips twitch. If he didn't know better, he would have called her a lunatic.

'500 km per hour… slow? Jumping through the world? ' Alvin sighed internally. 'My life just keeps getting weirder.' Instead of overthinking, he chose to enjoy the view rather than waste it on thoughts he could dwell on later.

As they approached their destination, he spotted several small islands below, resembling small pebbles in the vast ocean. Elara, too, was gazing out with admiration, though a hint of reluctance lingered in her eyes.

"You can take the seats," Vanessa offered as two chairs emerged from the ground. "The space jump won't be as smooth as our ride so far."

Elara gracefully sat first, and Alvin took the seat on Vanessa's right. As soon as he sat down, the seat expanded a little, and a soft belt fastened around his waist on its own.

The same happened to the two women beside him.

Outside, the atmosphere grew more chaotic. Dark storm clouds loomed, whirlpools churned on the ocean's surface, and—most disturbingly—a colossal shadow the size of a Titan moved beneath the waves. Even the islands they had seen just now were not as big as the shadow.

And it wasn't alone.

Countless smaller sea creatures and whales followed in its wake.

"The sea creatures in this area are particularly wild and restless," a voice chimed beside him.

Alvin turned to meet the maid's ever-smiling face.

Beep!

Before he could reply, the screen flashed with warning alerts.

"What's happening?! " Startled, Alvin turned to the knowledgeable witch for answers.

"The spatial crack is about to appear," Elara replied with unnerving calm, her lips curling into a feral smile. "Hang tight. It's about to get real fun."

Woosh!

As if on cue, Alvin's instincts flared.

He turned toward the front, his breath hitching as he saw empty space distort ahead of them.

It twisted violently, resembling an invisible whirlpool in the middle of the air.

Crackkk!

The distortion intensified until, like fragile glass, space itself shattered, revealing an abyss of endless darkness.

Alvin's body froze.

The jet that was supposed to be able to withstand an EF4 level tornado was instantly sucked by the swirling dust around the crack and swallowed whole. The blaring warning suddenly vanished; everything went silent and dark as the jet plunged into the void.

Alvin could see nothing; he could feel nothing.

As if he had died. And the feeling scared him.

Alvin tried to think, but his mind was blank; he could understand nothing.

And then—

A massive pair of dark silver eyes appeared in the abyss before him. 

A cold, piercing gaze locked onto him, radiating endless disdain. Alvin had no time to react before the eyes snapped shut, plunging the world back into oblivion.

But then—

Crcck…

Shatter!

A low, chilling 'Hmph' echoed through the void, followed by the sound of something shattering.

Alvin barely had time to process it before a blinding light surged toward them. He shut his eyes, panic gripping him. His heartbeat raced in his ears as if he were about to have a heart attack.

He instinctively closed his eyes and dared not to open them again.

The overwhelming dread from those eyes—it was unlike anything he had ever felt. He trembled, paralyzed by fear, as if ice itself had pierced into his bones.

Thud!

Bang!

Everything unraveled in an instant. The world spun violently. A sickening sensation twisted his body as if someone had wrung him out like a wet cloth.

For the first time since their takeoff, Alvin felt turbulence.

A really sickening turbulence!

The jet plummeted down at breakneck speed. Winds howled. Chaos erupted around him.

And amidst it all, a voice rang clear through the storm—

"Na-Tarē!"