Chapter 2: Aftermath and Awakening
The silence in the Grand Hall after **Carter's** explosive disappearance was absolute, quickly replaced by a storm of terrified whispers.
**Jordan** and **Cornell** stood paralyzed, their coronation forgotten, their minds reeling from the loss of their adopted brother. Jordan was the first to move, rushing toward the fallen box. He picked up the beautiful relic and, with a tremor in his voice, turned to his grandfather. "It's empty."
**Damien**, his eternal composure finally broken by concern, raised his hand and roared throughout the immense space. "The coronation will be **postponed**! We will investigate what has just happened!"
This declaration set off a furious chatter across the hall. Damien interrupted the din abruptly, transforming in a flash of green light to his full, imposing height of **6'9''**. Using air magic, he amplified his voice to silence the entire building. "Please, everyone return home! With the help of the investigators from the twin continents, we will figure out what has just happened!"
Everyone immediately started exiting the Grand Hall. The only people who remained in their seats were the intelligent and highly suspicious mages from the continents of **Charles and Valerian**. Their solemn intentions were, as Damien stated, to aid in the investigation. Damien knew the people of the twin continents were driven by good intentions and would spare no effort to uncover the truth.
Damien walked up to the twin boys. Jordan and Cornell looked up at him, their faces etched with sadness and confusion. "Grandfather, what happened? Where did he go? What—"
Mid-sentence, Damien interrupted them with a **light spell**. His hand coated in a soothing white cloud, he placed it on the boys' heads, instantly calming their frantic grief. He removed his hand, and the boys calmly looked into his face.
"This was a mistake," Damien said, his voice heavy with regret. "The gift of power I gave him to present to you boys must have had an effect on the human. Whatever it is, we need to find him. This teleportation device sent him somewhere. All we need to do is find out where. I am sure he is in danger."
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### Earth: Download Complete
The scene shifts abruptly back to Earth. **Carter** stood in the middle of the dense forest. For five intensely painful minutes, his body shook violently, his eyes flashing a frenetic **black and white** as the data stream overloaded his senses.
The shaking abruptly stopped.
*"Download complete,"* the voice of **Earth** echoed in his mind. *"We have the entire Internet and the information of my planet at our fingertips. You must be hungry, as well as tired. Earth isn't like Pandora. If you go flying around, you might catch the wrong attention."*
Earth continued its rapid-fire mental monologue, filtered through the new **System** interface. *"This world is controlled by non-magical, destructive beings. They are human, like yourself. It turns out humans exist all over the universe. Here, people use something called **money** to eat and survive. There are no slaves and there are no Drakain. Actually, there's no magic at all. Except for you and me."*
This put a thin, determined **smile** on Carter's face. He looked at his hands, and the wheels started turning in his head.
*"I don't like that look in your eyes,"* Earth interrupted him. *"Also, your eyes are different. You can get away with the hair, but you'll have to wear something called **shades**. They are meant to block out the sun, but you need them to block out those eyes before you scare someone."*
Just outside the small patch of forest was a local **convenience store**. Earth immediately guided him there, using a **GPS system** now seen directly through Carter's eyes, overlaid onto his vision. As he walked and followed the precise trail, a quiet, lingering thought went through his mind: *Would he ever see the only friends he's ever had, Jordan and Cornell, ever again?*