Aria felt the world around her move. She did not move her legs, nor did she propel her body forward. Everything simply shifted while she stayed in the same spot. In less than a second, Aria found herself hundreds of feet ahead from where she once was.
As if it were a signal to take off running, the dagger Aria threw landed at the feet of the archer, as the young woman resumed her sprint. Aria saw the weapon reappear on the rogue’s hand while the Saint helped him steady himself after being kicked.
It seemed like the rogue was about to give chase, but a quick command from the Saint stopped him. Aria did not see this, but she could tell they were setting things into motion.
The Saint drew his saber, raising it high towards her. Glowing yellow lines started to spread across his arms, forming a pattern throughout his body. The light attracted Aria’s attention, and she knew what was about to happen. She readied another spell, about to teleport hundreds of feet—
And an arrow came crashing down at her. It exploded where Aria once stood. She sidestepped more arrows as the archer rained it down at her. She tried to teleport away, but she could not find the reprieve needed to complete the spell circle.
The blasts from the enchanted arrows, tinkered with powerful mana crystals, shook all of Villamcreek. Aria stared in shock as she watched an entire section of the village get torn apart. This level of destruction— did the Inquisitors not consider the livelihoods of the villagers? Do they not care?
And yet, a few small explosions should have been the least of her worries. Aria saw a flash— she turned around and saw a yellow aura emanating around the Saint. Without even thinking, Aria felt herself pulling the mana in the air into a spell.
It was instinct that saved her. Her natural reaction to danger which she developed from years of being hunted down, that made her cast the barrier.
A magic circle that took the shape of a half sphere surrounded Aria in an instant. It glowed an incandescent white, with lines weaving in and out of it, being replaced by a never ending pattern of space where the designs were complete. Transparent panes of what appeared to be glass slowly covered the barrier, replacing the magic circle, as a golden serpent emerged from the Saint’s saber.
The serpent made of pure golden energy flew straight up, its tail end never leaving the Saint’s weapon. It quickly grew a pair of wings 20 feet wide, with a body 15 feet long. Saint Theron brought his blade down, and the serpent moved. It flew straight at her, bringing utter destruction in its wake.
But the Fractal Barrier was complete. So as the golden serpent enveloped the place where Aria stood, she remained unharmed. And yet, everything it touched— everything the serpent came into contact with— instantly vanished. Vaporized into thin air.
It was contained destruction. Saint Theron, unlike his fellow Inquisitors, had the tact to go out of his way to keep his attacks limited to those that would not level all of Villamcreek. And yet, everything in a twenty foot radius around Aria was still gone. The ground was eaten up, as if it was ground zero of a massive explosion.
After a moment, the light faded. The Saint’s miracle ended, and Aria stood at the center of it all. The ground at her feet remained untouched, and the young woman herself came out unscathed. The magical barrier began to dissipate, the fake glass cracking and breaking down into nothing.
It was a split second. A small window of opportunity to catch Aria off guard. For she was still staring at the desolation— at the sheer damage done to her… home?
The arrow exploded directly beneath her feet, sending her flying to the bottom of the deep crater. Aria felt herself tumbling down to the bottom as her mind spun with it. Her body came to a stop, her gaze swung upwards as she landed on the hard ground.
For a moment, Aria could only look up at the sky, overwhelmed with a sense of guilt. She might not have been close to the villagers. She might have maintained a mere working relationship with them. But this place was still her home. And this would never have happened if she never had come.
Yet, she had to come, did she not? Aria was never given any choice in the matter. She had been—
Aria’s eyes widened as she saw the rogue jump off down the crater at her. He swung his jade dagger. Still-midfall. But the weapon shone. There was a flicker in the air, as if something was cutting through even the wind. Aria went under the attack, as a thin line appeared on the ground beside her.
It was not a projectile like an Air Cutter spell. It was almost as if the dagger itself had grown ten feet in length, but the protrusion remained invisible. Aria sidestepped the onslaught of swings from the rogue, whose attacks were carving up the ground itself.
Aria dodged another swing, and saw the arrow coming at her. She moved her head out of the way just in time, the arrow narrowly missing her by a mere inch. It continued past her head, sending her hair into a mess with its speed, and plunged deep into the ground. The entire arrow sunk into the dirt as if it
