Tears of Dusk

Despite his Tutor robe not being suitable for trudging through the forest, Kazian appeared in pristine conditions. His pace was leisurely as he walked further into the meadow, feeling the way ahead with his Artystic staff.

“Even after our little exchange earlier, you could have escaped me if you had been more discrete, Young Ones,” Kazian said to Prinse and Marzena. “Unfortunately, your Arts have the discretion and subtility of a circus…”

He was obviously referring to the Mother of Thorns summoned by Marzena who towered above them all. Prinse finally managed to get free from the vines restraining him and got back up.

Suddenly, the night sky was illuminated by a blazing light. Everyone turned their attention to the sky to see where a bright comet was shooting up before exploding into a flare. It left behind what looked like a bloomed tulip, the petals of which were made out of fire.

“It looks like one of your colleagues just qualified,” Kazian said. “Young Jonn Drago would be my guest.”

Prinse pointed an angry finger at the Tutor. “It’s because you let him escape earlier!”

“Now, be serious, Young One! Are you accusing me of favouritism? I take offence to that!”

Kazian’s smile was mocking and unserious. Isyd could recognize in it a certain callousness – others had called it cruelty – that he had become familiar with. It turned out that this side of Kazian had not appeared because of the War and instead had been there from the very beginning…

Prinse extended his hand and threw a [Fire Spell] at the Kazian. It crashed into an invisible wall without the Tutor needing to move a finger. This was a [Shielding Spell] of high Opening mixed with a [Illusory Spell] to make it invisible. To guess its strength and size, Prinse unleashed a series of [Fire Spells] in several directions. They almost all scattered in the air before reaching the Tutor, but a few went wide and blew past him. At those points were the limits of the [Shielding Spell] and with this rough estimate in mind, Prinse cast two [Fire Balls] in each hand. At the last second before releasing them, he modified the Balance and instead of flying straight, they curved around.

If Kazian was impressed, he didn’t show it. He waved his staff around and the blazing projectiles stopped in the air before being snuffed out. Taken aback, Prinse began casting another [Spell] but the light at the tip of his finger sparked briefly before giving up. No matter how many times he tried, his Arts were not working.

“Get a grip, Krovtur!” Söyem barked. “Concentrate!”

“I can’t!” Prinse croaked. “What… what is happening?”

Only Isyd understood what was going on and his face was grim as he eyed Kazian. The air had suddenly turned colder. The Great Artyst held the Fire Essence in Seizure, making sure that Prinse couldn’t use it. A feat only possible by Artysta of great renown and which demanded a great effort.

This meant that Kazian had no intention of holding back.

Undeterred, Söyem had approached closer and her blade was drawn. She took advantage of Kazian facing Prinse to launch a surprise attack. Kazian spun around right in time to deflect her blade with the butt of his staff. He then swiftly whirled it around and threw a Windblade at her that Söyem parried with one of her own. She tried to lunge forward but the earth underneath her heaved up and she had to jump forward. Söyem landed awkwardly on the ground and her right ankle gave out. Still, in a desperate attempt, she swung her sword at the Tutor.

The blade stopped in front of the open palm of Kazian. It was still moving, but its movement was slow, almost imperceptible as if the air between the edge of the sword and the palm of Kazian had turned into a thick, viscous substance.

“Good effort, though somewhat overoptimistic…” he drawled.

Commands appeared on his open palm and his [Hex] latched onto the sword. The blade suddenly broke apart into useless chips of metal. Söyem slumped down, staring blankly at her naked hilt where a steel sword had been mere seconds ago.

With Söyem and Prinse seemingly defeated, it was then that Kazian turned his attention to Isyd. Their eyes met for that brief instant.

Suddenly, the air between them sparked, flashed and collapsed. It was due to the clashes of two [Air Spells]. It had happened so fast, in the blink of an eye. Neither Isyd nor Kazian had to move a finger to draw the Commands; their Idpulse had been strong enough to do without. Kazian tilted his head one way and narrowed his eyes. He had not expected his surprise attack to be stopped, certainly not by the 1st Year. Surely, this Pupil of the lot would not cause a problem…

Kazian raised his staff, about to cast another [Spell] when the soil under his feet trembled. A web of vines, an extension of the Mother of Thorns, grew out of the ground and tried to ensnare him. The air around Kazian turned sharp and small Windblades whipped around him to cut them short before they could reach him. The Mother of Thorns tried to move toward him, but Kazian threw a quick [Spell] that heaved the earth and formed a mound around it to stop it. He then spun and reported his attention on Isyd who stiffened in anticipation. Neither of them had the chance to do anything, however, because they felt the sudden spiking of Air Essence around them.

They both glanced to the side. Söyem, still on the ground, had discarded her broken weapon and was now pointing her two hands in the direction of the Tutor. The wind had taken a silvery hue as it spiralled around her and coalesced in her open palms where her [Hex] was forming. Isyd could immediately recognize her [Spell], the complete version of the one she used in their fight. He then noticed her wrist where her [Limiting Arcane] should have been. There was no Blysht to be seen.

Söyem’s eyes were full of anger as she met Kazian’s.

“[May This Storm Bloom]!”

The [Spell] was the power of a storm stored within a seed no larger than an apple. It coursed the space between them, stripping the soil naked in its wake and sucking in the air to garner even more strength. Isyd dashed backwards to avoid being caught in its deflagration. No [Shield Spell] could withstand this version of the [Blooming Storm]…

Before the [Air Hex] could reach him, Kazian pointed his staff in its direction and stopped it in a powerful CRACK!

It was as if the air had turned into glass and shattered. The winds still raged all around them, a flurry of Windblades that shredded the earth and ruffled their clothes, but the storm did not bloom. Instead, the seed remained at the tip of Kazian’s Artystic staff, as if hesitating. It was soon surrounded by a plethora of Commands that appeared out of thin air from Kazian’s Idpulse.

Kazian smiled — the type of smile Isyd had come to know, full of self-importance and mockery.

“This is a neat [Spell] you got there, Young Nifritovna,” he said. “I shall borrow it!”

Söyem, out of breath and weakened, stared with horror and disbelief as Kazian moved to grab the [Blooming Storm] in his naked palm. He held the seed — the concentrate of the storm — for a little bit, admiring it, before moving it at an arm's length above his head where it remained floating. Söyem’s arms fell to her side and she let out a weak sigh. Her eyes had not lost their fiery anger, but her body was exhausted after the effort.

Isyd wished he could say he was surprised by Kazian’s display of skills, but it would be a lie. Söyem couldn’t have known but there was little chance to win against Kazian of the Winds by using his own Essence against him.

The earth rumbled as the Mother of Thorns tore through the mud mound that entrapped it and launched itself towards the Tutor. Its wooden appendages were torn by a flurry of Windblades that protected him and cut to pieces before it could reach him. Kazian then pointed his staff and cast a [Fire Ball]. The blazing sphere was red hot – hotter than anything Prinse had cast – and pierced the trunk of the Mother of Thorns as if it was butter, leaving behind a gaping hole. Vines grew inside and intertwined in a mesh, trying to heal the wound, but it was too slow and the Mother of Thorns began to waver and come apart.

Marzena let out a yelp of panic. She brought her hands together and modified the [Fluid Hexes].

“[Overgrowth]!”

The Mother of Thorns tightened its core, bringing closer to the main trunk all its wooden limbs before coiling up. It then shot upward, growing and growing towards the night sky and away from Kazian.

“[Decay and Rot]!”

Kazian sketched the [Spell] with speed and precision wrought by experience. The [Hex] latched itself to the wound left by the [Fire Ball] and immediately took effect. The trunk began to rot from the inside out; the wood turned into dust, the leaves withered and died in a matter of seconds and the bramble skin that encased it all unravelled. The Mother of Thorns staggered but its main trunk was unable to maintain its balance; it wobbled briefly then snapped in two in a cacophony of crushing trees and branches. Marzena yelled as she plummeted from the sky.

Isyd moved before thinking. A sweet taste burst in his mouth and jitters filled his stomach. He leapt several meters in the air towards the falling Marzena and snatched her in his arms. Feet first, he landed hard and withstood the force of the impact with a grunt and gritted teeth. In her panic, Marzena had latched her arms around his neck and was almost strangling him. Isyd noticed, amused, that her eyes were firmly closed and she had probably not noticed that she’d been saved.

Still holding her, Isyd turned towards Kazian. The Tutor’s face was a grimace of begrudging appreciation in front of Isyd’s physical feat.

“Physical Arts, eh? Impressive…”

Kazian reached up and plucked the [Blooming Storm] from the air. Isyd’s heart fell in his chest and his eyes went wide. Kazian’s grin was cruel as he released the [Spell].

Isyd spun on his heel and tried to duck to the side. He was too late.

He felt something heavy hit him in the lower back before being lifted off the ground. The explosion sent them flying. By reflex, Isyd curled up and tried to protect Marzena with his body. As if caught through a storm, the whole world turned into a painful whirlwind without a sense of up or down. They crashed through trees, branches and shrubs before hitting muddy ground once and finishing their course in the water.

The shock left Isyd momentarily dazed. He felt himself sinking but the cold water managed to wake him. He struggled out of the peat that surrounded him, put his weight on a rock nearby and managed to drag himself out of the water. Still panting and disoriented, a hand appeared in front of him and he took it to get back on his feet and away from the slippery banks.

“Are you okay?” a voice asked.

Isyd let himself fall on a patch of gravel and looked to the side to see Marzena in a similar state as him.

“I’m fine,” Isyd let out with a groan. “What about you?”

“I’m fine as well. Thanks to you.”

Her curly red hair was wet and full of dirt. Her face was pale, muddy and covered in small cuts. Isyd could easily guess that he was not faring much better. He—

Isyd froze, then slowly got back up.

He could see Marzena. He could see her clearly. Despite not having a Lightsphere with him. Isyd looked to the sky. The clear blue sky.

It was daytime!

“How is it possible?” he muttered, baffled. “How long have we been unconscious?”

“Not long, else we would have drowned,” Marzena said.

“So, what do you make of this then?” Isyd said, pointing at the sky.

Marzena remained silent for a little while. Then, she let out what Isyd had feared.

“We are trapped in an [Illusion]…”