Dreadlords New Lessons[Fate]

[Edric]

Vel Tiros - Urr Estate

"Urr was, at one time, a great House of some renown." Gilram's voice still stuck fast in Edric's head as he crept slowly through the field of tall grass. His movements obscured by the gusts of wind swaying the plants all around him. "One of the original nine."

He could remember the confusion at those words. "Ah, yes they probably never taught you such things. The Great Houses do not like to speak of one of their own failing, even if they were the ones to cause it."

The Archon had only shaken his head as he'd said the words.

"At one point Urr was as strong as any of the others, no, stronger. In the end it took the combined efforts of both Virak and Luana to tear them to bits." As the words rang in his head Edric continued to stalk towards his goal. Every step was carefully measured, every movement practiced. Ahead of him lay the wall surrounding the estate, and behind it lurked a Huge Manor House which had seen better days. Light shone from some of the windows, but cracks in the walls and growing vines noted the homes disrepair. "But, giants leave large corpses, Edric."

It had not been hard to figure out why it was the Archon had asked Edric. Gilram knew what had happened in Stratholm, knew that the former Initiate was already familiar with the name Urr. Knew he was more than capable of doing what would need to be done.

Edric stopped as he reached the wall, pressing himself against the cold cobbles and listening. No sound but the wind coming to him. "Will you do this for me?"

Those words in particular ran through Edric's mind as he jumped, grabbing the top of the wall and pulling himself over the top.

 

[Rowley Stone]

How do you punish a Dreadlord initiate? First, you make them run till they pass out from exhaustion. Second, you make them hold up a log in a raging river for hours. Third, comes the rough sparring with Proctors who have been told 'don't hold back'. Finally, you send them to guard some piece of shit like the Urr Estate.

Sure, Vel Tiros might have been nice at one point, but that was long ago. The place was almost as uninhabitable as the Academy.

Corvus had deserved this, but purely by accident. His temper had gotten the better of him and resulted in him accidentally destroying the wall of a second-story room of the Academy. Unfortunately, that room was a bathroom, and one of the Proctor's had fallen out of it while doing his business...It was a miracle Corvus was alive after laughing at that.

Corvus casually leaned against one of the columns of the estate with his shoulders tucked against his shoulder like a good little soldier.

"Uh, this is so boring. How much longer do we have to be here?" The answer was two days, he already knew that.

 

[Zaire]

True to his last name, Zaire was inspecting the sharp steel of his glaive, just as displeased as Corvus to be assigned to a mission that must be for show than anything else. The last class got to experience things like magma golems or going on month-long missions traveling along and getting lost and then finding their way back to Vel Anir.

Maybe it was because Zaire was lacking, at least with his magic. Sure, it was useful in the way that others benefited from his resonance, and it was immensely powerful when paired up with a heavy hitter. He glanced over to Corvus, his red eye inquiring if Corvus wanted a serious answer. It seemed he didn’t and just wanted to complain.

Which, complaining was Zaire’s third favorite thing to do. He believed it was better to complain about things right away than to let them fester inside. It’s how he was able to keep his inner peace. Zen all the way, man.

“Think of it as a easy A.” Was all Zaire said, totally and completely unaware of what the future would bring.

 

[Edric]

Edric dropped onto the other side of the wall with a muted thud. Surrounding him was an overgrown and ill-tended garden. Vines and weeds grew out of everything, barely masking the bushes which stretched well over the walkway.

For a moment Edric stayed where he was.

His eyes focused entirely on the manor ahead of him, gaze flickering between lit windows. He watched for silhouettes, movement of any sort. After a moment he saw something shift on the far side of the Manor. Lips thinned, and then he stalked forward.

As he crept the plants around him slowly began to die.

Weeds and wild flowers alike began to curl in on themselves. Green leaves turned brown, flowers dried and crumbled. Like a wave casting out from the center of the garden death flowed. Casting over everything around Edric and drawing into him.

He stepped from the now desiccated tangle of foliage, walking through the shadows of the night towards the east side of the manor.

 

[Rowley Stone]

"I would have got an A either way." Corvus launched back with a grin. As he pushed himself off the column he was leaning against.

He began to casually wander around the room they were standing in. It was the main entrance to the building. They had originally thrown out the idea that they would patrol the small estate, but it quickly became apparent that it was not worth it.

Why? Well, it was because most of the estate was not worth protecting. A lot of the outer buildings and even some of the mansion itself were falling in on itself. The likelihood of falling through the floor was a better defense than Corvus and Zaire could be.

"I just can't imagine anyone even wanting this place."

---

"Stop complaining Cor. It is the mission we were assigned so let's just get through it."

Cassi stepped through the doorway that led into another one of the rooms. She had been assigned to the mission, mainly because Corvus was on the mission and they worked well together. Corvus had already apologized to her for that several times over.

Normally, she could extend her wind control outward and use it like some sort of radar, but the strong gust of wind outside made it difficult to feel what movements were unnatural.

Edric Zaire

 

[Zaire]

The young initiate couldn’t help but to agree with Corvus on this. If there was something of true value here, then wouldn’t they bring true dreadlords into this?

“I’ve never even heard of Urr,” Zaire mumbled mostly to himself as it seemed the Twinds were going off by themselves. He wasn’t sure if it was because the Glaive house seemed to be the newest addition underneath House Pirian— as if that weren’t blatantly obvious to the average high that pirians and glaives looked nothing alike—but Urr didn’t ring a bell. URahil did, did they have something to do with that?

Or was Urr just some wealthy dude with a ugly house?

While Zaire wouldn’t have minded being left alone, gave him more time to think and think about the things he didn’t like, but this was a mission. Should take it somewhat seriously.

“I’m gonna go around and patrol a bit, maybe I’ll find a rat or a spider to scare off.” Zaire told the twinds, and began to go along the hallway, thinking nothing bad could happen from them splitting up.

Edric Corvus

 

[Edric]

Edric moved with a surprising amount of grace as he crossed the open grounds of the courtyard between the gardens and the manor itself. He moved from shadow to shadow, darting as quickly as he could and using the darkness to hide his trail.

It was not long before he reached the eastern wall of the mansion.

Without stopping for even a second Edric lunged. His fingers dug into the ornate architecture of the palacial home, grasping onto the lines of the wall. Quickly he began to hoist himself, jumping from hand hold to hand hold until he grasped the edge of a window.

A blade flickered from the small of his back.

His wrist flickered between the panes of glass, and then the lock let out a silent click.

Window pushed up, Edric flipped himself into the small room beyond. White sheets covered nearly everything within what had once been a sitting room. A thin layer of dust covering nearly everything. Edric slowly peered around the room, and then rose to his full height.

Quickly he moved across the room. His steps silent as he opened the door leading out into the hall. No lamplight greeted him, but he knew what he wanted lay at the opposite end of the hall.

He stepped out, his boots silent as he tread through the upper floor.

Until a rotten board of wood creaked beneath his heel.

 

[Rowley Stone]

Corvus was the first to hear it, his eyes looking up at the sound of the board creaking. What was that? No one else was supposed to be in the building...It must have just been the noises that come with an old house. It did cause him to stand up straighter.

"What do you think that-"

He never even got to finish the question because Cassi was already moving. He was confused but rushed after his twin to the mansion's second floor. Gripping his spear tighter, now that he began to worry.

---

Corvus might have been the first to hear it, but Cassi felt it first. She was always more tuned to the slight movements of the air. It was difficult to keep track of when the wind came from outside, but she was quick to spot the changes when she felt the shifts come from inside the mansion...Someone had just come in through the second story, an intruder.

She wanted to call out for Zaire but did not want to give away that she believed something was wrong. Instead, she hurried up the stairs planning to solve the problem with just herself and her twin.

Cassi reached out with her mind to her brother and confirmed her worries to him. Someone is here.

Zaire Edric

 

[Zaire]

He could hear it: a pattering of footsteps. Two pairs of feet? Cassi and Corvus? Zaire stopped, straining his ears to listen more intensely, but it seemed that the footsteps faded away, going in the opposite direction that he himself had chosen to walk down. The initiate turned, thinking that if they were running, something must have happened. Had someone broken in?

Without hesitating he began to ran down the hall, amping his own speed up with his magic but also starting to reach out with his electric wavelength to see if he could feel another presence that wasn’t the twinds. He only wished that if there was another person that they wouldn’t realize that their speed was also increased during this time.

Of course, it’s not like some extra speed wouldn’t help the twins. Not like they didn’t already blow Zaire away enough as it was.

Up the stairs he went, going faster and faster until he was side by side with Corvus.

“Where’s Cassi?” He asked the other initiate, unbeknownst to the intruder within these halls.

Edric Corvus Azura

 

[Edric]

Edric didn't stop. He couldn't stop.

His boots continued to fall. Crashing against the the floorboards as he continued to move down the hall. The sound of his steps drowned out by the the thundering cry of Cassi's boots as she began to ascend the steps. Her every movement like a call to Edric's ears.

He stopped as she stepped onto the second floor.

For a few seconds, heartbeats, they stared at one another.

She stood there, placed between Edric and the doorway beyond. Lamplight cast beneath the wooden barrier, illuminating the rogue Dreadlord just enough to show his features. He stared at the guard now planted before him.

Two heartbeats passed, and then Edric spoke. "Move."

A single syllable passed his lips. His eyes set upon her.

 

[Rowley Stone]

Corvus was scrambling down the hall but stopped just a moment when he spotted Zaire. He thought at the man at first, but then remembered he had no telepathic bond with him.

"Cass is upstairs. We have an intruder-"

Before he could say anything more, he felt his well of power being pulled on. Cassi was fighting.

***************​

Cassi had not registered who this individual was, yet. She knew he looked familiar, but that did not really matter. She drew two daggers from her belt, followed quickly by an extremely strong gust of wind that shot out toward Edric. The mansion rattled with the force of the tornado-like winds, and then Cassi charged.

 

[Zaire]

Before Zaire could ask or say anything about an intruder as both he and Corvus hurried upstairs, he felt the mansion shook and sway under the might of Cassi’s winds. Now, while he thought the twins both liked to be the center of attention and quite literally blow everyone around them away, Zaire couldn’t quite say that he thought Cassi to be reckless.

Using her magic, even sparingly, could ruin these old walls. Zaire was certain that by the screaming tornado a door or two had probably blew off it’s hinges. For her to be destructive meant one thing: an intruder, but not any kind. A serious one, possibly a deadly one. Zaire focused, his eyes narrowed and lips set in a thin line.

“When she’s in range, I’ll amplify her too.” Zaire said, and because Corvus was at his side now, he was already amplifying everything he could. Focus, strength, speed, arcane might. Anything to help them get to Cassi faster and tie up that intruder.

Edric Corvus

 

[Edric]

For just the briefest flicker of a second shock and surprise colored Edric’s features as a gust of wind burst out down the hall. He had not expected a Dreadlord, and yet years of training kicked in almost instantly. Ancient wooden floorboards flexed and shifted beneath the rolling tide of force rushing towards him.

Magic flowed through him like a tidal wave.

It coursed from the reserve he had created by sapping the gardens and life outside, channeling through every muscle and tendon in his body. It rushed through every fiber of his being, and in a blink everything changed.

He moved in the blink of an eye.

Edric darted to the side, the wave of force crashing into the wall just where he had been standing.

Stone cracked, plaster fell away, and paintinga fell off the wall as Edric darted forward. He rushed Cassi, closing the distance within the span of a heartbeat. Uncaring for the knives in her hand as his hand suddenly stretched out, and seconds later his foot kicked forward to unbalance her.

One palm flickered forward, grasping at her wrist, the other jutting for the side of her head as he wrenched forward to slam her face into the wall besides her.

 

[Rowley Stone]

The winds shook the entire building with incredible power. Normally, Cassi was not one to use her winds so forcefully, but she was overzealous with such an unexpected arrival. She let the winds throw her forward at her opponent, but she was outmatched in this moment. Maybe she would have been more careful if she was aware of who she was fighting.

The winds had damaged and distorted the walls. One such distortion was that one of the large paintings had been slightly shaken and now sat a few inches lower. It was something so small but would have far-reaching consequences.

Cassi was slammed into the wall before she even knew what was going on. Her head happening to fall directly on the corner of the painting. She nor Edric saw it coming, as her world went dark.

************************​

Corvus and Zaire made it to the top of the stairs just in time to watch his sister get slammed into the wall. The attack did not even look that bad from his angle. It was something that Cassi had gotten up several times in training with a smirk on her face.

However, this attack sent a chill down Corvus' spine as his body shook for a moment. She wasn't even bleeding, but...the silence. Corvus could not feel her inside his head. His entire life, him and his sister had shared this special bond, able to reach out and speak and rely on each other.

For the first time in his life, that wasn't there. It felt like he had been attacked. A perfect circle suddenly had an entire half disappear. He felt...incomplete, but that couldn't be right. Cassi was fine. It was just a hard hit. She would get up after some healing. Even as he said this tears welled up in his eyes.

"Cassi!!!"

Edric Zaire

 

[Zaire]

They had entered the room and Zaire was met with the sight of Cassi being thrown to the side and falling limply down to the ground like a ragdoll. He had seen that uncanny movement plenty of times when someone died: how their body would fall in unnatural angles that caused limbs to jut out like a pointy haphazard.

While Corvus was keeping his eyes on Cassi, not that Zaire could blame him considering his relationship with his own twin, Zaire looked at the one who had broken in. When Zaire saw his eyes, he immediately knew who it was. A chill went down his eyes, staring hard at Edric’s eyes. Everyone knew those eyes well, how often at the academy had a proctor pulled a reluctant initiate into the ring to try their luck against Edric?

Zaire positioned his glaive to Edric, that same light glinting off the finely crafted steal.

“Corvus.” Somehow, Zaire’s voice didn’t shake. It was firm and even held a bit of confidence in it, despite Zaire wanting to run from Edric. As if running could even help. Was this the day he would die? So soon? “I need you to focus. Forget about Cassi, she can’t help us right now.”

They had less experience, less might. But perhaps together they could knock him out long enough to tie him up. It was the only solution they had, anything else would probably result in their death.

Edric Corvus Azura

 

[Edric]

Edric saw the girl go down, felt the ripple within her life.

A thud echoed out, and then seconds later the sound of two more boots rang out. His head turned up, eyes flickering instantly to the two figures that had appeared. One of them shifted, his eyes opening wide as he saw the fallen girl.

His voice rang out in the hall.

It echoed in Edric's mind.

The other stepped forward, the heavy edge of his glaive flickering forward. It's blade gave off a sheen of light, glaring across the hall and over the rogue Dreadlord. His words came next, strong, firm. Slowly Edric took a long step back.

He looked to Cassi, then towards the two Initiates. "Take her."

Edric said with a gesture towards her collapsed form.

"Take her and walk away." His eyes slowly turned towards the two boys. "She's still alive."

For a second he let silence hang in the room, and then suddenly the two Initiates would feel a sudden tug upon their core. A pull upon their very life. "For now."

 

[Rowley Stone]

The noises...all of that white noise. Were they talking? He could not hear them. No, it was silent, completely silent. Everything in the world was holding its breath. His body was numb, with no emotions, the only thing his brain could process was his sister was unmoving, and...he could not feel the link.

Corvus' eyes were locked onto the limp body of his sister which now lay in between him and the Dreadlord. The one that had hurt Cassi. His mouth was moving, but Corvus heard none of it. He even thought Zaire was saying something, but no sound was heard. Everything was deathly silent.

Corvus began to slowly walk towards his sister's body, and every step brought with it the first sound. A ringing in his ears that grew louder and louder. And with the ringing came emotions. A jarring sadness that visibly caused Corvus to shake. His mouth opened, but no sobbing noise came out, only tears fell from his eyes, but he was still silent.

Upon reaching his sister, he fell to his knees beside her, his tears falling in a torrent. They say when one died their life flashed before their eyes, but Corvus wasn't dead, was he? Even so, memories overwhelmed him. The happy ones were when he made his sister smile, and she made him laugh. The sad ones where they cried together. The bad ones, where they argued and said hurtful words to each other. He had still never apologized for some of those words...He would need to tell her sorry when they got back. Slowly, he reached out his hand and gently touched her face...

With that touch came the storm. His sadness rumbled up into the thunder that is rage. The winds around him, around the estate itself, began to race to look to carry away anything it touched. Something must know his pain, the storm would ensure that. A storm like nothing he had ever made, nothing he and his sister had ever made.

After all, his sister was the warm breeze that restrained the harsh gusts...There was no one left to hold back the storm in his fit of fury. The estate began to rattle, the old home not handling this sudden challenge. It was only now that it was obvious, in Cassi's recent attack. She had held back the destructive elements of their ability. She did not have it in her to ruin the home or kill this man.

Corvus had no such restraints, someone had harmed Cassi. They would pay. Everyone would feel his pain. A roar escaped his lips but was quickly drowned out by the wailing winds. Yes, wailing was the correct word. The winds wept for Cassi, along with Corvus.

It did not matter if he felt the tug on his life force, which he did not notice. His life was laying crumbled on the floor, bleeding from her head.

Zaire Edric

 

[Zaire]

His hands were shaking. Slightly so, causing the sharp point of his pole arm to dip and raise up. Unsteady like the emotions inside of Zaire. First, he wasn’t sure he would ever want to risk his life on a mission that he thought was stupid. Guarding some old, ugly manor. Not worth it, right? But here was Edric, and if Edric was here didn’t that mean that this was something worth to guard?

Then why couldn’t they hire an actual dreadlord for it instead of three initiates who barely got along with each other? Scratch that, why put in three initiates were is was two against one?

All Cassi and Corvus had were each other. Same as Zaire and his twin Dakarai. There was a wall no one could jump when it came to understanding the bond twins held with each other.

Zaire was getting off topic: here they were presented a opportunity to run away and keep Cassi alive. And when Zaire felt the pull on his life force…. Yes, he wanted to run far away and keep living. Was that such a bad, selfish thought to have? To want to live? He wasn’t ever supposed to be in this academy in the first place, that was the crazy part!

But they took Dakarai and Zaire had to follow so—

“So you’re killing us now, is that it? You could have just left like everyone else did!” Zaire shouted, surprising even himself that he could do more than just mumble. Although it seemed his words lost in the quickly brewing storm. His red eye flashed, and Zaire took a deep breath as he stared hard at Edric. Limited options, and it seemed Corvus wasn’t going to turn tail and run.

Damnit.

“Corvus,” was all Zaire had to say as he began resonating with his only ally to such a degree that the outline of Corvus’ body would shimmer with a luminescent blue light. Zaire would have to give it his all to try and quell the anger that Corvus felt, but hopefully also give him all the extra boosts he needed to get Edric far away from them.

Edric Corvus Azura

 

[Edric]

A storm began to rock the building, shaking every wall, every floor. Paintings and tapestries hanging upon the walls began to flutter and fall. Crashing to the ground and echoing above the din of the gale Corvus was now forcing into the halls.

Edric cursed inside his head.

Eyes flickered briefly towards the girl on the floor, wondering if he could bring her back, if it would make any difference. But he knew it wouldn't. He could see the way Corvus looked at him, the hatred and the anger. It was a look he'd seen before.

Zaire shouted, his voice echoing over the sound of the winds. Edric focused his attention on him for a brief moment, lips thinning, and then he shook his head. "No. I couldn't have."

Not if he was going to do what needed to be done.

Muscles flexed, and then suddenly Edric burst forward.

In an instant the rogue Dreadlord closed the distance between himself and the two Initiates. One hand came up, attempting to bat away the Glaive seemingly uncaring if the sharp blade took away a bite of his flesh. Leg kicking out to trip and throw Zaire to the floor. Hopefully unbalancing him so he could step between the two of them.

Forcing Corvus to use his winds more carefully or risking striking them both. An option the boy might take anyway within his rage.

 

[Rowley Stone]

Corvus wants to tear it all down. Destroy everything that could even think of hurting Cassi. The enemy, Edric, he was the first target, but he was one of many. Zaire could turn on them at the moment's notice. The house could collapse and hurt her. Better to destroy it all before they hurt her.

Corvus roared once against, but the sound was covered up by the forceful winds. There was no need for Corvus to consider friends and enemies. It was only him and Cassi against everyone else.

He could also feel a slight warmth in his body, it felt like he could push the winds more. It felt good, but he did not focus on it. Did he deserve to enjoy it? How could he feel good when his sister was hurt? It only brought guilt and shame as he wished it was him and not her. Tears fell from his eyes but were wiped almost instantaneously away by the winds.

Corvus threw a wild punch that brought with it a blast of wind that would hit both Edric and Zaire.

Edric Zaire

 

[Zaire]

There were sometimes when Zaire was high that he was moving so fast, the world stood still. It was like that, Zaire realized as he began to fall down to the floor, but reversed. He was standing still and Edric and Corvus were the only ones moving.

Zaire could feel the push of rage against his calming aura, and as he got swept from the floor to only then slam into a wall, he knew he needed to get Corvus calm. The glaive was moved far from his reach as Zaire focused more of trying to keep himself upright and use his arms to block any of the debris.

“We’re right by the staircase! You could’ve broke my neck!” Zaire shouted, the sympathy that he had felt for Corvus quickly fading to be replaced with annoyance. “Get ahold of yourself!” He stood up, focusing more on his calming aura with Corvus, hoping to try and resonate with him. If he couldn’t, then there was no way he could charge up Corvus with the boosts he needed and—

Thinking of Edric, Zaire did his best to dash away from him, heading for Cassi’s body.

Edric Corvus Azura

 

[Edric]

Edric slammed hard against the wall as he was thrown alongside Zaire. The ancient wooden panels first bending, and then shattering beneath his weight.

With a thud he clattered to the ground just seconds later. A curse echoing through his mind.

The Initiate besides him stood, shouting at his friend as he darted forward and towards the girls body. Edric watched him for just a split second, and then moved. He rushed forward, his target clear as he darted towards Corvus.

His magic lashed out.

Invisible tendrils of entropy whipped forward. Casting against the raging twin and dragging his very life away from him. Pulling as he found new strength and Edric moved like a blur.

Ignoring Zaire entirely the rogue Dreadlord closed the distance between himself and the other Initiate. One hand darting out in a quick viper like strike to Corvus' chest. His leg kicking out the same time to unbalance the boy so he'd lose his footing.

"What the devil is going on here?!"​

A voice demanded from down the hall, a door which had been casting light from beneath it's flange now thrown open.

 

[Rowley Stone]

Corvus felt the strong tug of his lifeforce, enough to make him sharply intake breath. His body felt cold...Was this what Cassi felt? That thought only drove him further into a rage. Edric was quick. He could understand why people were afraid of him, but there were plenty of strong people in this world.

Corvus felt his body shove backward and his back would have smashed hard to the floor if not for the wind lifting him and hovering him in the air. He righted himself with a snarl. The winds would fight with him. His mind may have been clouded in rage, but his powers had never been stronger. A connection like none other had connected him to the air around him, with a twitch of his finger it came to his command.

He saw Zaire running towards Cassi's body and for the briefest of moments, he nearly lashed out thinking Zaire would try to do something to Cassi. However, even if he wanted to stop him, Corvus had to focus on Edric.

Once again, he lashed out with the wind, several forceful jet streams slamming forward into Edric trying to push him back.

Edric Zaire

 

[Zaire]

He slid down low across the ground to reach the unconscious Cassi in an attempt to not be hit by another burst of wind that would most definitely throw him back. Quickly, he checked to see if what Edric said was true: checking Cassi’s vitals with his trembling fingers. There was a heart beat, and upon touching her neck and cheek, there was warmth. She hadn’t gone cold.

He began to pick her up as Corvus and Edric dueled, his thoughts racing. Should he run with Cassi and leave Corvus on his own? Should he instead try and find a safe spot for Cassi and then aid Corvus? Kress be damned, why couldn’t Dakarai be here? Zaire was always far more in sync with Dak than anyone else. And Dak wouldn’t nearly kill him on top of it.

Then he heard a fourth voice and froze for a second too long. Corvus had just stroked Edric with more wind, which ultimately blocked Zaire from going to that voice and telling them to get back inside their room and lock the door in any way they could.

“Shitshitshit,” he cursed, hoisting up Cassi and throwing her over his shoulder as he stood up. Using a hand to keep her in place, Zaire tried to sign to Corvus to knock Edric over and down the staircase.

Edric Corvus Azura

 

[Edric]

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!? WHO ARE-"​

The voice called out in the din of the storm, the realization dawning on him as he saw his embattled proctors.

Edric ignored him, knowing his fate would come.

A jet of air lashed out at him. Hurling fast enough and with such force that when he suddenly darted to the right it smashed through a cabinet placed against the wall. Sundering the ancient wood into thousands of splinters and sending fine china and silverware flying into the air.

Another stream of wind darted out.

This time it caught Edric's shoulder. Ripping and tearing the cloak hanging over him, cutting against his flesh and marring his skin.

The third came straight at him, but this time the rogue Dreadlord didn't even try to move out of the way. Instead he did something else, something he had only done once before, something that had been explained in Elbion. Something the Archon had helped him understand.

Instead of moving faster, instead of pouring the vitality he had taken from the two Initiates and the Gardens outside into himself; Edric grasped, and folded it outward.

All magic required energy, a toll, and Edric paid it with the life of others.

The air itself twisted and shimmered as a shield formed before him. The jet of air crashing against it, splinters and cracks forming within the invisible bulwark as it blocked the final stream of Corvus' magic. Only for it to shatter as Edric launched himself forward and into Corvus.

Throwing himself against the boy and hopefully smashing him into the ground.