AetherFall

Celeste's was breathing slowly as the Enclave officer stopped just a few feet away. The glow of the Archive's floating tomes showed his sharp looks in the light. His eyes, cold scanned the chamber.

She could feel it—his Aether was dense, a force pressing against her own. This wasn't an ordinary .

I need leave

Celeste shifted, preparing to go deeper into the archives, but the officer's voice stopped her.

"I know you're there."

In one motion, he raised his hand. Aether surged around him in jagged arcs of golden energy. Celeste barely had time to react before a wave of force rushed toward her, shattering a pillar into dust.

She rolled over into a crouch behind a massive bookshelf. Dust of marble rained down around her.

Think, Celeste.

The officer looked around hesitated, his eyes narrowing.

Celeste used that moment.

She surged energy forward, twisting the Aether beneath her feet to launch herself up and over him. Spinning midair, she shaped a thin, razor-edged tendril of Aether and slashed it toward him.

He reacted instantly, raising a hand and forming a golden barrier. The tendril struck the shield, slicing into then disappearing.

"You're quick," he admitted

Before she could land, he shifted his stance and released another blast of force. Celeste barely had time to harden the air around her before she was flung backward, crashing into a bookshelf. 

Pain flared through her ribs, but she gritted 

As the officer closed in, Celeste twisted her fingers, condensing Aether into a concentrated sphere in her palm. When he was just a step away, she released it.

A silent explosion rippled outward.

The sheer force sent him flying back, his golden barrier cracking. The air shimmered the blast had disrupted the Archive's protective enchantments.

Taking her chance, Celeste sprinted past him,.

Aether coiled around her arms as she threw out her hands. .

The ground behind her cracked as she wrenched the Aether in the air, creating a chain reaction that sent shockwaves through the chamber. tomes ignited in bursts of blue flame. The golden sigils lining the walls shattered, flickering out one by one.

The Grand Archive was falling apart.

The officer shielded himself as debris fell down. Celeste didn't look back. She raced toward the exit,

She burst into the night air an explosion rocked the Archive behind her.

Celeste exhaled, her heart pounding. She had left a mark—one the Pantheon wouldn't ignore.

That Felt Good Really Good.