“Well, this is an unexpected turn of events,” I muttered to myself, standing alone in a featureless white void.
I’d anticipated the possibility of us being split up, but I’d imagined something more along the lines of being thrown into separate prison cells. I never expected to be sealed away in a mysterious dimension like this.
That magic circle had been massive. Using something of that scale just for teleportation was a bit of a surprise; if it had been a direct attack, I might have been seriously injured. Then again, I suppose they figured teleporting me was the most efficient way to neutralize me. In truth, even if my life were in danger, Destiny God's Smile would trigger once a day to pull me through. Lately, I’d even been refraining from making Status Enhancement Potions just so I could stay alert for an ambush.
If I’d noticed what they were doing a fraction of a second sooner, I could have used Rune Breaker to shatter the circle. But they knew my tricks, so they were obviously on their guard.
“Now then, let’s see if I can get a reading.”
I started with my Item-finding Rod. I figured I could use it to track my companions’ locations. For the moment, I designated Halfa as my target and tossed the rod into the air.
“Hmm. No response.”
Unfortunately, the rod clattered to the floor, pointing in a random direction without any conviction. There was a chance Halfa was simply outside the rod's range, but it was more likely she was in a different space entirely.
I tried searching for Shiroru, Spira, and Lowell in the same way, but the results were the same. It seemed certain that we had been scattered across different locations.
“I guess I’m on my own.”
The words escaped me before I could stop them. As if in protest, my cloak pocket began to squirm. Shara poked her head out first, followed shortly by Milly and Pico.
“So you guys teleported with me? It’s just like when I use Shadow Leap.”
Apparently, as long as they were small enough to fit in a pocket, they were treated as part of my equipment, allowing them to travel with me even through single-target teleportation magic. It seemed the same rule applied to that magic circle. If that was the case, the preparation I’d made in case of imprisonment might actually work.
“Yeah, this should do it!”
Before we’d stepped into the Instruction Chamber, I’d cast a spell on everyone—or more accurately, on everyone’s shadows. I’d used Create Golem to manifest a Dark Golem inside each of their shadows.
Dark Golems have a unique property: they can be designated as destinations for Shadow Leap. Based on my previous tests, I’d thought it was a fairly useless trait since they usually vanished if they moved too far away from me. But it turned out I’d misunderstood the mechanic.
In reality, the golems only vanished if they moved too far from the shadow they were birthed from. When I’d tested it before, I’d only used my own shadow. If I used someone else’s shadow as the base, the Dark Golem wouldn't disappear no matter how far I traveled, so long as the golem stayed with its host.
Furthermore, Dark Golems possessed a very interesting Shadow Assimilation Ability. They couldn't do much while merged with a shadow, but it made them perfect markers for Shadow Leap.
While the magic circle might have scattered us, the fact that Shara and the others were here with me suggested that the Dark Golems were likely still tucked away in everyone’s shadows. Since they were still valid targets for Shadow Leap, there was only one thing to do.
“Shadow Leap.”
I chanted the spell. The first destination I chose was the Dark Golem attached to Halfa’s shadow. Even after the magic took hold, my surroundings remained a blinding white, but I knew instantly that the jump had been a success. Standing right in front of me was a very familiar back. Her white wings blended into the environment so perfectly it was almost comical.
“Ah, there you are. Halfa, are you all right?”
“Tort!”
Halfa spun around, a radiant smile instantly lighting up her face. It didn't look like she’d run into any trouble.
“Of course! Tort is just Tort, after all!”
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”
I wasn't sure what she meant by that, but she seemed to be in high spirits. I decided not to overthink it; I still had to go pick everyone else up.
Now that I knew Shadow Leap worked here, I had a way to escape this dimension. I’d hidden a Dark Golem in Allen’s shadow as well. The only problem was that Shadow Leap could only teleport the caster. Fortunately, I had a solution for that: Enchanted Magic Tools.
“This one is for Create Golem, and this one is for Shadow Leap. First, use them to make a Dark Golem in my shadow.”
“Got it!”
I skipped the detailed explanation and focused on giving her instructions for our escape. Halfa grasped the urgency of the situation and acted without question.
“I’m going to go around and collect the others, so… count slowly to a hundred, then teleport to the Dark Golem in my shadow. You might get lonely waiting by yourself, so Shara will stay here with you.”
I pulled Shara out of my pocket and handed her to Halfa. I needed to move fast. Being stuck in a void like this for too long could drive anyone mad.
“Tort. Thank you for coming for me.”
Just as I was about to jump again, Halfa spoke up. It wasn't the kind of thing I felt I needed to be thanked for, but perhaps she’d been more frightened by the isolation than she let on.
“Don’t mention it. We’re a team, aren’t we?”
“…Right!”
Halfa nodded, her smile sparkling. A smile really did suit her best. I honestly felt her happiness had a power all its own—at the very least, it always managed to make me feel better.
All right, time to go. It was time to bring everyone home.