"Rula!" 

"RULA!"

Yet no response came. It wasn't the first time Naya tried to shout her name. Rula, who had been in Naya's grasp when she fell in, was gone. So was Sophia. 

She had tried shouting Rula's name multiple times as she wandered around.

Naya was seemingly alone in the middle of what she could only guess was a large island.  

Before her were densely packed trees, from which she could hear the noises of many gentler animals. On the other end was a sandy shore.

The horizon only showed her an endless ocean.

Verala sighed. It's been over 3 hours... 

"Damn it!" Naya slammed her enhanced fist into a tree, which left a deep crater and sent a resounding boom through the area.

She heard animals start to run.

"Arcanum!" Naya spat with a deep frown.

It wasn't a possibility she came to lightly. 

The attack hadn't come from above; it came from below. Naya recalled that when she first heard something, the Arcanum trio had moved back far before anyone else. That, and they weren't as on guard as everyone else.

But those were only pieces of evidence she recalled from the scene itself.

Such a spell would have had to be placed in advance, and the only ones who had been there before everyone were the Arcanum delegates. 

They were likely targeting Sophia, Evelyn, or Rilious, but to push the plan forward even with her there...

"I will kill them all myself!"

Her heart was filled with anger and anxiety. 

Rula wouldn't survive a trap meant for people of that caliber.

Naya's only solace was that so many of them were teleported. Unless the island was much larger than she thought, Rula wouldn't be alone for long.

For now, we should try to find out where we are. This island is seemingly big enough to be documented somewhere. Maybe I can place it. Verala said.

Good idea. Lia agreed. Naya, if you keep moving along the beach, you're bound to run into someone. 

I know.

That's what she had been doing for the last few hours. 

Yet the longer she walked, the more she feared the possibility they were teleported to different locations entirely.

Naya began walking again; it was nearly sundown... she paused.

Sundown...

That's ridiculous! Verala shouted; Naya's realization even surprised her.

The distance should be impossible... unless it was planned well in advance. Lia spoke gravely.

Naya had left for the meeting early in the morning and then spent about an hour with Rula before they went to the Hall. It hadn't been more than an hour since the meeting started. Yet, for the sun to be heading down meant they had to have been transported somewhere far from Cornelia.

She continued forward.

All Naya could do was walk the shore and hope she ran into something.

As much as she wanted it to be Rula, Naya prayed to Aleria that she could run into Arcanum so she could tear them apart.

The gentle sound of waves against the shore was the only pleasant thing about her walk.

But even those beautiful sounds grated her the longer she spent along the shore.

This island is massive.

Indeed. Verala said. Yet its name eludes me. I thought I was familiar with any major bodies out there.

Lia sighed. The world is vast, and the Endless Ocean is called that for a reason. 

Is it truly endless? Verala asked.

Of course not, but it's far larger than most fathom. 

Huh... Just what are you?

Lia didn't respond.

Naya stopped.

Walking wasn't getting her anywhere, and she didn't want to continue without any idea of how long she would have to move.

She felt the Arcana within her core; there was only a little left, and she wanted to keep it just in case, but she had a better idea. 

With a pull on her core, Naya summoned the last bit of Arcana she had, and pulled it toward her hand. 

It took a bit of concentration, and a moment later, she pointed her hand upward.

A massive purple ball formed and glowed bright enough to cause Naya to shield her eyes.

She released it, and it flew upward.

Not too fast as a flash of purple light, but fast enough to quickly reach the sky and above the tree line.

It was like a purple star as it pierced the clouds. Naya could only imagine what it would look like to Sophia.

"I will wait here for an hour." 

Good idea, but you just alerted literally everything on this island of your presence. Verala warned though she sounded amused.

If we can see the type of monsters here, we might be able to tell where we are. 

How so?

Islands in the Endless Sea are pretty distinct when it comes to the type of beasts they have.

Very, very interesting. It was difficult to tell if Verala's comment was about Lia or what she said.

Naya moved closer to the shore, just out of reach of the blue waves. She took a seat in the sand and stared at the distant horizon.

Time quickly passed, and oddly, nothing came her way: she didn't pick up any approaching sounds from the forest either.

After roughly an hour passed, Naya sighed with frustration. Her worst fears were getting confirmed, and she couldn't believe she was worrying about Rula again within 24 hours. 

Yet this time, she wasn't sure what to do. 

I'm sure she's fine. She likely summoned something immediately after realizing she was alone. Lia said.

That doesn't help.

But it's true. Verala agreed. She'll be more than okay if she has anything like that massive suit of armor.

Naya's ears perked upward, and a gust of wind hit her back.

"Hello there!"

Suddenly, she found herself pulled into a hug as Sophia pulled Naya backward.

Due to Sophia standing on higher ground, Naya felt the back of her head hit Sophia's chest, and her ears twitched.

Normally, she'd have resisted, but the flood of relief in her heart stopped it.

She regained her wits quickly, and the feeling on the back of her head embarrassed her, so she stepped forward and turned around.

Sophia quickly let go but had a beaming smile. "I was worried about you!"

But Naya was occupied with another thought.

"Rula... isn't with you?" Naya knew the answer already since the portal closed.

Sophia's smile cracked, "I'm sorry, but it seems everyone got separated." 

Naya clicked her tongue.

"Those Arcanum bastards really pulled one over on me today." Sophia moved down and stood beside Naya.

"They were after you?" Naya asked.

"Yes, and they knew about my ability to see Arcana: I didn't notice anything beneath us because of how bright it was above." Sophia smiled, "Speaking of bright, your light show nearly blinded me!" 

"But it worked." 

"True, but still, have some consideration for a beauties eyes, will you?"

"You would refer to yourself like that?" Naya said in a slightly mocking tone, a tone she mimicked from Verala.

I'm so proud of you.

Sophia smiled teasingly, "Am I wrong? I think I'm at least 75% as beautiful as you are!" 

Naya's ears twitched; that human seemed to always have something to say.

Sophia winked but shook her head slightly right after, "Ah~, as much as I missed this, we don't have much time to flirt."

Naya decided to ignore the last part, "What do you suggest we do?"

It would have been fine for her to wait a while longer, but sitting idly while Rula was out there alone wasn't something she desired. However, she couldn't think of another plan aside from walking more.

"Hmm~" Sophia looked to the right, down the shore into the distance. "I'm not sure what Arcanum's plan is given that there really isn't anything they could do to threaten those they teleported here."

Naya nodded; she had the same thought, "Agreed: they wanted you gone."

That was the only conclusion Naya could fully believe, given the level of the people transported. But it also didn't make much sense.

They trapped people from 4 major powers... Lia said, echoing Naya's own confusion.

Sophia kicked the sand and glared at the horizon, "Yeah, and it's going to work, too." 

"You can't teleport back?" 

"I can, but the Arcana requirement is..." Sophia sighed and closed her eyes, likely checking her core, "...far more than what I have."

Naya's heart sank.

She had forgotten that other mages, Elves included, had to absorb Arcana from the atmosphere to fill their cores. 

While Naya didn't care too much for whatever Arcanum had planned, she didn't want to spend the rest of her life on a nameless island. And even if she didn't care for their plans, she wanted to destroy them.

Sophia looked back at Naya, "Well, all I want to do right now is search for Rula and Evelyn."

"I think the only chance we have is to stay here," Naya said, though she hated it.

Sophia faced her, "Actually- wait, look!" she excitedly pointed toward the distant sky.

In the opposite direction Naya had come from, a bright violet bird soared into the sky. 

When it reached the base of a cloud, it exploded into a bright purple light. Not as bright as Naya's sphere, but bright enough for all to see. 

"That has to be Rula! She mimicked what she knows is your color!"

It could have also been a lure, but Naya didn't care.

Thank the gods. Lia released a breath of relief. 

She might be in trouble. Verala said.

Naya's heart sped up, "Can you teleport us?" She asked quickly, urgency in her voice.

"Yes! But!" Sophia raised a hand, "It will take us even longer to get back if I do." 

"I think she's in trouble!"

If she sent a signal of her own rather than move toward Naya's, it could mean it was because she couldn't move to them herself.

Sophia's eyes widened, and she frowned. "Right. Understood." Her tone became serious. 

Naya eagerly watched. Despite the trepidation in her heart, she couldn't help but be fascinated by the process.

She felt like she had a solid understanding of how Sophia's ability worked, even though it was quite a ridiculous power. Rather than teleport from one place to another, she connects two places via whatever the so-called Void was. But that requires her to form a connection with the two places. Naya figured it was done via an impossibly thin strand of Arcana that she stretched from one spot to another. 

It was dangerous.

For Sophia to know where to connect the gates, she'd have to send a piece of her soul with the Arcana strand, which is why her eyes were closed. 

But it also seemed she could open a gate to nearby places without doing that. Perhaps it was limited to her line of sight, then anything over would require her to send out a strand.

You could just ask how her ability works, and I'm sure she'd tell you. Lia said.

I will not.

That would be too embarrassing. 

It took Sophia a bit to connect the two locations, and Naya remained silent since she didn't want to risk disturbing her. 

Finally, a minuscule black sphere formed in front of Sophia, and she stood up.

Sophia opened her eyes and held her hand before her, "Finally! Navigating through a forest is far more difficult than you'd expect!"

Naya had experience with that.

The black sphere emitted a low hissing noise as it extended to form an oval shape. 

"Step through, but be careful! I had to open it a small distance away because there are magical presences nearby that aren't-"

Naya dashed through the portal.

What greeted her was the usual pitch-black Void with twinkling lights in the distance. Her time seemed frozen, and a second later, she felt a propulsive force push her forward.

She was ejected.

The scene shifted instantly. It was a little disorienting, but Naya quickly gathered her wits.

Before her were trees with an opening to her right, which didn't lead to a beach but a cliff overlooking the ocean. 

A clunk noise near the cliff, followed by a thud.

"Next time, think twice before messing with Rula the Mighty!" 

There was a short yelp from a male, and a resounding bang followed.

"Just through those trees," Sophia said as she popped out of the portal.

Naya charged forward and pierced through the trees in a second.

"You want some, too?!" Rula shouted in Naya's direction. "Oh! Naya!"

When she saw everything, Naya froze.

Not only was Rula perfectly fine, but she stood next to the cliff with a humanoid armor standing before her.

The armor was as tall as Naya and was filled with intricate carvings and lines. Beneath the armor, around its joints, was black fabric. In its hands were two long, simple violet swords, and its suit of armor was a dazzling purple. The helmet was menacing, with two horns jutting from the top and brightly glowing red eyes. It had an odd, prominent, sharp chin.

Naya felt like she understood Rula's choice of artistic expression a bit more.

On the ground around Rula were a couple bodies, not dead but knocked out. 

Rula ran up to Naya, dodging each body on the way, and jumped into her. "I was so scared!" 

Naya pulled her into a tight embrace, but her brow raised slightly, "You seem more than okay."

"That is that, and this is this!" Though Rula's words came across as frightened, her tone was anything but. There was almost a manic sense of excitement in it.

That excitement wasn't something Naya hadn't witnessed before. It was present in Rula's expression when they fought Verala in the chamber. 

It seemed Rula enjoyed fighting, which she wasn't sure was a good or bad thing. She would have to find out.

"Sophia!" Rula yelled and released Naya.

"You're..." Sophia's eyes widened at the scene on the cliff, and she hugged Rula, "...Okay!" 

"Yup!" 

Naya moved her eyes back toward the cliff, where the three bodies were knocked out cold. 

She reached for one that appeared feminine and flipped it over.

Her ears perked up, and her eyes widened.

"What are these?" 

They were not human, nor any other race Naya recognized.