Over the dome of the Teleportation Hall, twelve gigantic crystal windows filtered the daylight outside into a gentle silvery-blue, casting dappled shadows on the floor.
The hall buzzed with people coming and going, their robes sweeping the floor with a faint rustle, as occasionally someone stepped out from the teleportation array, and with a flash of silver light, another figure appeared.
Duke stood at the edge of the teleportation array for a moment, his taut nerves over the past days finally easing a bit.
Vera stepped out of the teleportation array behind him, followed closely by Leon and Edmond.
Their boots still bore volcanic ash from the Black Stone Plains, leaving a string of gray footprints on the polished silvery-blue floor.
A few passing Level 1 Mages recognized the dark blue uniforms of the Twenty-Third Battle Group they wore, lingering for a moment at the scorched marks on their frayed cuffs and collars before hurriedly averting their gaze.
