Radiance - The Alight Archives Book #1

88. Worst of the Worst

Allan watched silently and with bated breath, as did everyone else present. Jared towered above him on his right, and Sydney stood on his left, her water elemental Celestial Spirit floating in the air overhead. Orion Valerian, after muttering what only he could hear, crouched to his knees and picked something off the ground. It was a rock.

Orion threw the rock from one gloved hand to the other, seemingly trading its weight. The thing was small enough that it could fully fit between his fingers and light enough to toss without much effort. As the spiraling wind swept over the plateau of which they stood like a billowing, unseen current, jostling Allan's heart and the dark cloak he wore, he saw Orion tilt his chin up at the barrier enclosing Glyph Forest like a doorless igloo, its translucent, oily surface glinting as the afternoon sun's rays poured down onto it.

As Orion took a confident step forward, he drew his hand back behind his head and shoulders, and with a fluid motion, he swung his arm before him, releasing the rock swiftly, lashingly. It launched away from him with extraordinary speed, soaring through the air like a miniature missile. A rush of wind followed in its wake, a visible testament to the force behind Orion's throw. The rock forcefully collided with the barrier in the blink of an eye. After the next second had passed, Allan watched in disbelief as monstrous cracks began to spiderweb across its surface, spreading down to its base and all the way to its domed ceiling. The fissures twisted and turned like long, bony fingers groping for an escape from the once impenetrable shield.

Shards of magical energy cascaded off the object, shimmering like fragmented glass in a prism of oily colors. Turquoise arcs of electricity danced around it, illuminating the air with their pulsating glow. As an unseen wave of wind surged forth, colliding into Allan, the barrier broke apart, splintering into countless minuscule fragments, each piece a glistening relic of a near-invisible enchantment. These chunks dispersed outward before finally dissolving into the embrace of the golden sunlight, their brilliance fading into nothingness as they mingled with the warm rays of the sun.

Allan stood frozen, for it took him nearly a full minute to process what he had just witnessed. The insurmountable barrier they had been struggling to dismantle for what felt like an eternity-a barrier that had withstood their every effort, defying explosive spells and meticulously-spoken incantations alike-had suddenly vanished into thin air. And its demise wasn't the result of the arcane arts or some ancient spell whispered in a forgotten language; no, it had simply succumbed to the weight of a rock. The absurdity of it all left him momentarily speechless.

Jared sputtered in astonishment. "I...It's gone. The headmaster just blew the thing up..."

"And with a surgin' pebble," Warren said with a nervous chuckle, scratching the nape of his neck. "That's our headmaster for you. The strongest sorcerer I know."

"Enough with the flattery. If you have time for words of commendation," Raze said, spinning around and holding his hand up at the rest of them, "then obviously, you've failed to grasp the seriousness of what has transpired here! Our students are in danger! What is there to gain of you lot standing around idling like this?!"

Raze rarely raised his voice, at least for as long as Allan had known him. For when it was that his lifeless voice was stung with urgency or emotion was when something truly drastic had just transpired. Before they could respond to the pale-skinned man, Orion lifted a gloved hand and cleared his throat; such a simple gesture was enough for Raze to trap whatever insult he had on his tongue behind clamped lips. "A grave travesty has fallen upon Glyph Academy," Orion said. He looked back at them from over his shoulder, his narrowed, blue-colored eye aflame with controlled rage. "Get down there and rescue my students."

"Leave it to me, headmaster, sir!" Jared said boisterous, pounding a fist over his chest as if he were the soldier in his past. "With that barrier gone, nothing can stop me from apprehending who is responsible! I'll pound them all underneath my heel!" Before anyone could stop him, Jared charged ahead, dust clouds billowing after him, and leaped off the plateau's edge, his wand raised over his head. "I'll show 'em the wrath of a Glyph Sorcerer!"