*
Driving away from the portal was the easy part, all I had to do was avoid the trees and keep the tires lined up with the path.
The problems began as soon as I made it back closer to the city when other cars became visible.
Before I could even make it to the highway I had to pull over and abandon the car as I knew that if I went any further I would end up causing an accident.
As I was still a distance away from the heart of the city and even farther from the academy I knew I needed help to get back.
If I really wanted I could completely drain myself by using Flash Step and at least make it to where I could call a taxi but I didn't want to exhaust myself more than I already was.
Thus I pulled up my watch and went to contact Miss Smith to see if she was still in the city or if she already went back.
But before I did I saw an influx of messages pop up from Charlotte.
Remembering the large amount of buzzing that came from my watch as soon as I left the gate I realized that they were all her messages.
Seeing the large number of them I was initially worried that something bad might have happened but after reading the first couple of messages I saw that it wasn't the case.
[Hey, everyone is talking about us at the academy. Guess we R super popular!]
[I'm going to the city… not because you're nearby, I just need some fresh air]
[I went to this little cafe, the coffee was really good, you should try it! We can go together sometime;)]
[^ If u want]
[No pressure]
[I'm going to sleep now…]
[I miss u]
[Gm! ^_^]
[I'm going shopping today. I'll send u pics of the outfits]
…
Countless messages appeared before me without any real direction or meaning.
After I finished reading all of them I could help but sigh out loud.
"This girl."
Yet a slight smile appeared on my face as I pressed the call button next to her name.
*
Back at the hotel, Charlotte was sprawled out on her bed. Every five minutes she would pull out her phone to see if there were any notifications only to be disappointed.
Yet she didn't stop checking even if she was getting more and more restless.
"How long are you going to be gone?"
Grabbing one of the pillows behind her she held it close to her chest and pouted.
"I miss you."
Looking down at her phone no new message came but she reached for it nonetheless to send a message of her own.
Just as she started typing, however, she got a notification that someone was calling.
She was about to deny the call since she had been getting tons of calls from people at the academy but when she saw the caller ID she immediately stopped herself and quickly accepted the call.
"Luc-"
"I'm sending you my location, come pick me up."
~beep.
"Hello?"
"Lucas?"
Taking the phone down from her ear she looked at the screen only to see that he hung up on her.
Before Charlotte could even comprehend what happened another notification came in marking Lucas's location.
Charlotte could only remain frozen for a second before she dropped her phone on the bed and brought the pillow up to her face before screaming into it.
*
At the edge of the city, I sat leaning against some guardrail while I waited for Charlotte to pick me up.
Luckily I didn't have to wait long as a while later a white car pulled off to the side.
Figuring it was Charlotte I pulled out the strawberry lipstick that I had stored in my spatial ring from before.
Applying it to my lips before putting it away I waited to make sure it was her.
Once I saw Charlotte practically jump out and march over to me I stood up.
Instead of waiting for her to make her way to me, I used Flash Step to instantly appear in front of her.
Caught by surprise I could still see the anger in her eyes but that quickly changed when my lips connected with hers.
With her car nearby and other cars speeding down the street the two of us stood off to the side in our own little world.
Breaking away I smiled lightly.
"I missed you too."
*
After sharing a deep kiss with Lucas all of Charlotte's anger vanished and she jumped into the arms of her boyfriend telling him over and over that she missed him.
Although it had only been three days to Charlotte it felt like an eternity and the two had never been apart for so long before.
At this point, Charlotte was completely addicted to Lucas and she knew it but she also didn't care because as long as she had him next to her she felt like she could destroy the world.
However, currently, he was destroying her world.
After their brief reunion, Charlotte drove Lucas back to her hotel room, and as soon as they had some privacy Charlotte stripped herself and let Lucas do whatever he wanted.
She knew that the dungeon must have put some mental pressure on him and she wanted to help him relieve some of that the only way she knew how.
After they were done Charlotte cuddled up in Lucas's arms and listened to him recount everything that happened.
He shared how he traveled through countless biomes, was swallowed by a giant worm, slept on an island surrounded by gators, and fought against a mythical horse before eating its heart.
By the end of his explanation Charlotte was completely bewildered and amazed at what he managed to accomplish.
Yet what surprised her the most was the way he told the story as if it was nothing and like he wasn't on death's door every step of the way.
Once Lucas was done he asked her all about her time in the city.
After such a grand story Charlotte was sheepish to share what happened to her but Lucas seemed completely interested in all that she said while asking many questions.
When the couple finished with everything they wanted to say the two drifted off into sleep in each other's embrace.
***
While the couple was peacefully sleeping the world around them was continuing its dive into chaos.
Rumors filled the academy surrounding Lucas and Charlotte while others were still dealing with the deaths of their classmates.
Paul was still in a coma in the medical wing of Griffin and Mr. Vankay's anger was rising with each moment Lucas was gone.
Meanwhile in an undisclosed area larger orbs comparable to the ones that covered the shadow's bracelets were shattered on the floor and messages were being sent to the higher-ups surrounding the event.
Further away, outside the bounds of this world, an ancient being opened its slumbering eyes feeling the presence of one of its own... although faint.
Closer to home within Lucas's own mind, more changes were taking place as the realm where Nightfall dwelt continued to change as Lucas grew more powerful.
[End of Vol. 1!]
The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr𝒆e(w)𝒆bnovel