CHAPTER 8: Teleported

"Sir..." one of the masked men said quietly, still staring at the crackling air where Liu Xian had just vanished. The bright light had left a faint glow hanging in the space, as if reality itself hadn't fully recovered from being ripped apart. The shards of glass crunched under his boots, but he didn't dare move forward.

"Should we trace them?" he asked, not looking away from the empty space. "That mutt—" he said the word with a sharp sneer, "—he doesn't have much mana left. Couldn't have taken the boy far. Maybe two, three jumps at most. They're probably still around."

The silence that followed was heavy, the kind that thickened the air and made it hard to breathe.

Then the leader—the one with the cold, dead stare and the pale hair tied back in a tight knot—let out a long, slow breath through his nose. His hand relaxed, and the massive obsidian blade he'd been gripping so tightly evaporated into smoke. Not vanished—not really. It melted into the air, dissolving like a dream ending too fast, the last wisp curling around his wrist before fading.

"Find them," he said simply.

The rest of the masked men vanished in a flash of movement and swirling shadows, like crows scattering from a dead tree.

The room fell silent.

At least for a moment.

"Hey!"

The slurred voice broke the tension like a rock through a window.

Heavy, uneven footsteps dragged their way down the hall outside, followed by the telltale clink of a half-empty bottle knocking against a wall.

"Hey, you little shit!"

The door slammed open and hit the wall with a dull bang, and in stumbled Liu Xian's father—unshaven, eyes bloodshot, reeking of cheap rice wine and bad decisions. He was wearing the same stained shirt from yesterday, maybe even the day before, and his belt was halfway undone.

"What the fuck's all this racket about, huh?! I told you if you wake me up again—"

He stopped.

Stumbled.

Squinted.

The alcohol-dulled haze in his eyes blinked in confusion as he took in the wreckage that used to be his son's bedroom. The shattered window. The blackened burn marks across the walls. The scorch rings that looked like someone had set off a miniature sun in the middle of the room.

For a split second, everything hung in suspension.

"What the hell is this?" Liu Xian's father asked, stumbling forward, bottle clutched tight in one hand. "Some cosplay shit? Who let you freaks in my house, huh?" He waved the bottle vaguely in the air. "You filming some kinda movie? I don't give a shit—get out before I call the cops!"

The man didn't say a word.

He just stared.

Liu Xian's father took a swig of his drink, trying to puff up with bravado. "Did you hear me, dumbass? Get the hell outta my—"

The leader raised a hand—slowly.

And in the blink of an eye, the man's bottle shattered in his grip.

He yelped, stumbling back as shards sliced into his palm. The alcohol splashed across the front of his shirt, and the sharp smell of booze mixed instantly with the coppery tang of blood.

"What the fuck—"

Then came the pain.

His knees buckled and hit the floor with a hard crack. He let out a grunt as his whole body seized up, his limbs trembling like a leaf caught in a storm. He tried to scream, to curse, to lurch forward—anything.

But he couldn't move.

His tongue felt like it was glued to the roof of his mouth.

The leader's eyes burned with silent disapproval as he turned away, leaving Liu Xian's father twitching on the floor like a discarded puppet.

Behind him, a soft static hum buzzed faintly in the air, like the residue of magic that didn't quite belong in this world.

Then he stepped through the broken window frame and disappeared into the night, his cloak fluttering behind him like smoke.

Somewhere else—not far, but not near—Liu Xian was sprawled on his back in the middle of what looked like a damn forest clearing. The sky above him was way too starry to be anywhere near his city. The stars here were alive.

He groaned and sat up slowly, rubbing his face like that would somehow wipe the weird off this entire day.

He still wasn't over the fact that the dog had talked. Hell, he wasn't over the fact that he had agreed to touch its paw like some weird fantasy movie protagonist.

He looked around. The clearing was silent except for the rustle of trees and the faint chirping of whatever weird magical crickets lived in this nightmare zone. Mist clung low to the ground, and the air felt... thicker. Heavier. Like the forest was watching him.

"Well, you finally woke up. About damn time."

Liu Xian flinched and twisted around.

There, sitting on a rock like some exasperated field trip chaperone, was Koro. The mutt. Or ex-human dog. Whatever the hell he was.

He looked the same—grumpy golden fur, sharp black eyes, a scowl permanently etched into his features like he'd been stuck babysitting for a century.

"Where are we?" Liu Xian muttered, stumbling to his feet.

"Safe. For now," Koro said. "We're off the trail, deep enough into one of the dead zones that tracking spells will have a harder time picking up your trail."

"My trail? They're after me?" Liu Xian asked, voice cracking just a bit.

Koro gave him a long, tired look. "No, genius, they're after my tail. Of course they're after you. You touched my paw, which means you're now a part of this whole mess whether you like it or not."

Liu Xian wanted to scream. Or cry. Or just lie down and accept death. Any of the three felt valid.

Instead, he rubbed his temples. "Why me?"

Koro snorted. "Because I drew the short straw and you passed the test. You can see mana, you touched a summon, and you didn't die when it hit you. That's all the universe needs apparently."

"I don't understand," Liu Xian muttered, sitting back down on the cold ground. "I'm not a warrior. I'm not a hero. I'm not even passing math."

"Doesn't matter," Koro stated, jumping down from the rock. "You're in now. And the moment the Educationalist finds out I brought you in without a proper clearance—ooh, I'm going to get chewed out harder than a chew toy at a werewolf convention."

"Wait. The what?"

Koro sighed deeply. "Come on, kid. I'll explain everything on the way. We've got a long walk ahead."

Liu Xian looked at the path ahead. The woods were dark, misty, and utterly terrifying.

"Can I at least get proper shoes first?" he muttered.

"No time. Try not to step in poison ivy."

And just like that, they disappeared into the trees.

But behind them, far beyond the forest's edge, something stirred.

And it had already picked up their scent.