𝕻𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖚𝖑𝖚𝖒 - [𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲]

𝐱𝐯𝐢. 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐗𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 — it's over

━━━━━━━

 𝐖𝐎𝐍𝐆'𝐒 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐒 𝐇𝐀𝐃 spurred them into action, each of them pushed forth, and once again, neither of their group had noticed the crumbling of the wall that had sealed away their enemy. Neither sorcerer nor manipulator so much as heard the rumbling of stones that fell to the ground, dewdrops splashing beneath them as they tumbled into a murky puddle.

 Kaecilius' mouth twitched, a single corner pulling upwards in what was either a smile or a snarl. He watched for a small moment, head tilted as his darkened eyes ran over each of four that sprinted as though lives depended on them, and they did. His gaze lingered on Stephen, recalling the glow that had surrounded his obviously shaking hands... And then they landed on the only woman of their little party.

 The one who had yet to tap into the power that had been granted to her. Watching as she tossed meaningless clumps of rock and bundles of bent metal was a disgrace; he knew of what ran through her blood, he knew of the power that made it possible for her to complete such tiny little actions.

 His teeth grit together, grinding for a moment as he watched them continue. Then he struck.

 A shockwave burst from his hands, lifting and shaking the ground that rattled with every flying shard of debris. It rippled in a single wave, rocks and stone shooting here and there until the wave made contact with the quintet.

 Emilia, having not been prepared for such an attack, barely had time to push her hands out to soften her fall; her chin made contact with the ground and a shooting pain split through her already throbbing wound.

 That uncomfortable feeling of stickiness slicked her skin, tinging it an ever darker red whilst dirt and dust seeped into the liquid. A groan fell from her lips and she winced upon flexing her hands; they were scraped on the palm, and the feeling of burning covered them entirely.

 As she shifted, turning her head to her left, her eyes widened and fought against the pain that threatened to flutter them shut. Stephen had fallen with the rest of them.

 The moment the man fell to the ground, his scarred and trembling fingers became splayed out amongst the gravel beneath him; the vibrant glow that once shrouded his hands disappeared.

 Everything was as still as a statue. Buildings that had fought to stand upright were tilted, frozen where they stood. Tumbling bricks and flying metal were suspended in the air as though Emilia had wrapped them in blue and forced them to surrender.

 Bustling people who once chatted and ran with vigour were still. Everything was silent.

 A hearty cough erupted from Emilia's throat as she slowly pushed herself to her knees, her eyes swiftly squeezing shut as the wounds on her knees rubbed against the tarmac of the road. Everything was aching.