CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Tom searched the room for the tenth time, heart pounding.
"John?" he muttered, lifting the bedsheets, checking under the frame.
Nothing.
For a second he genuinely wondered if he was finally losing his mind… when two hands suddenly landed on his shoulders.
Tom jumped so hard he nearly shifted instantly.
"Bro—!" He spun sharply into a fighting stance. "You have got to STOP doing that! Why are you here? And why are you—"
John cut him off without even blinking.
"Save your questions for later. We don't have time. Your trial of combat will begin soon."
Before Tom could speak, John grabbed him by the shoulders—
And the world vanished.
A heartbeat later, they landed so hard on dirt that Tom stumbled forward, dizzy.
"Wh—what was that?" he gasped.
"Warping," John answered in his usual arrogant tone.
"Warping?" Tom repeated, still dazed.
