"It may be as I have been told: disconcerting and uncomfortable. It may be worse. It may be for you nothing at all."
She began to reach out her hand.
"The road ahead lies shrouded...until walked." Such was the nature of fate.
It should have been as simple as it had always been in the War College. The Assistant Instructors, Penitents all, piously provided their magic for student Praetors to practice on. Small and simple spells at first, working up to ones with more power by the time a student Praetor reached his or her fourth year. There were some student Praetors who experienced what was called a "backlash"—a term borrowed from magic-users, as it so happened, for the effect was something similar. A student Praetor would use their gift on the instance of magic provided by an Assistant Instructor, and for one of two reasons—a fumbling of the gift on the student's part, or simply being overwhelmed—the backlash would occur. Leah had the extent of her Enchantments tested of course, seeing how much magic they could withstand before their power was spent and the effect used up, but never had she outright suffered a backlash.
But she did here.
She touched Nacht's shirt, her Enchantment flowing through her glove and into his shirt, and it should have taken hold. Should have. But the moment she placed her Enchantment upon his shirt was the same moment it was devoured, overcome, its anti-magic effect used up in its entirety. With such suddenness the backlash occurred, sending a tremor up Leah's arm, a sensation first like lightning and then harshly numb.
Leah gasped and staggered a step back. Eyes wide with a feeling most foreign and uncharacteristic of her:
Shock.
Nacht
She began to reach out her hand.
"The road ahead lies shrouded...until walked." Such was the nature of fate.
It should have been as simple as it had always been in the War College. The Assistant Instructors, Penitents all, piously provided their magic for student Praetors to practice on. Small and simple spells at first, working up to ones with more power by the time a student Praetor reached his or her fourth year. There were some student Praetors who experienced what was called a "backlash"—a term borrowed from magic-users, as it so happened, for the effect was something similar. A student Praetor would use their gift on the instance of magic provided by an Assistant Instructor, and for one of two reasons—a fumbling of the gift on the student's part, or simply being overwhelmed—the backlash would occur. Leah had the extent of her Enchantments tested of course, seeing how much magic they could withstand before their power was spent and the effect used up, but never had she outright suffered a backlash.
But she did here.
She touched Nacht's shirt, her Enchantment flowing through her glove and into his shirt, and it should have taken hold. Should have. But the moment she placed her Enchantment upon his shirt was the same moment it was devoured, overcome, its anti-magic effect used up in its entirety. With such suddenness the backlash occurred, sending a tremor up Leah's arm, a sensation first like lightning and then harshly numb.
Leah gasped and staggered a step back. Eyes wide with a feeling most foreign and uncharacteristic of her:
Shock.
Nacht
