Chapter 9: World crisis
The ever-steady and dangerous mana storm, which had reached the sky and blanketed the land in darkness for years, finally changed for the first time.
Its dark grey hue deepened into a beautiful yet ominous purple, and its size doubled, whirling with reckless abandon. The darkness expanded, the ground rumbled, and the Ruinborns’ eyes snapped open as if they had always been asleep.
A fragment of the storm detached itself, spiraling down and wrapping around Baines. His body trembled as he was lifted a few inches off the ground.
Unaware of his surroundings, only one thing entered his mind: a picture. A perfect depiction of this place: dark skies, cracked land, and a towering storm connecting the two. However, the storm in the image was now a deep purple, the same as his Ashenfall energy.
His eyes snapped open to behold the transformed landscape. It was just like the picture, dark purple, but something was wrong.
’Wait, this isn’t right.’ Baines stared at the storm.
Duum...
It expanded again.
"Fuck...I need to get out of here."
Panic surged through him as he scrambled to his feet and rushed into the open throne room. Thankfully, he had prepared beforehand. He didn’t know exactly when he would form the fifth star, but he knew he would hit the time limit.
So, he had packed most of his belongings into his pocket space: plants, weapons, technique books, and food, leaving only the essentials.