Evelyn Parker

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Evelyn's eyelids fluttered open slowly, her eyes struggling to adjust to the dim light. Her vision swam, the world around her a blurry mixture of shapes and shadows.

As her sight refocused, she found herself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling, its stony surface etched with age and disrepair.

"W-what happened?" she groaned, trying to assemble the disjointed fragments of her memory into a coherent whole.

Her skull throbbed with a dull ache, her body sore. Everything was shrouded in a foggy cloak of confusion.

With a groan, she pushed herself into a sitting position, wincing at the effort.

Her hand instinctively flew to her face, seeking the frame of her glasses, only to be greeted by empty air. She rubbed at her eyes, hoping to clear the hazy fog that clouded her vision, but to no avail.

"Noah, Sarah!" she called out, her voice echoing off the stone walls.

She began to crawl on the cold, hard ground, her hands blindly feeling along the rough stone surface.

"Guys, where are you?" Panic edged her voice as she repeated their names, her heart pounding in her chest.

The two young sorcerers were still held in their fierce combat, the landscape around them warping and twisting under the strain of their magical onslaught.

Sarah's flames roared, meeting an unseen barrier with a burst of light and heat. At the same moment, Noah's whip sliced through the air, a sharp retort to the fiery assault.

Tzion, sculpted by lessons of countless battles, reacted with the precision of a falcon seizing its prey. Swiftly evading Noah's attack, he retaliated, his hand darting out in a well-practiced motion, grasping the length of rope.

With a forceful tug, he brought the boy hurtling towards him.

In a fluid motion, he swung his other hand, landing a decisive strike against Noah's chest. The boy let out a grunt as he was flung through the air, toppling brutally across the rough terrain.

Evelyn scrambled to her feet. Her vision was a hazy blur, her world spinning out of control.

Why must I lose my glasses now of all times? I can barely make out my own hands!

The young girl stumbled, her legs shaking beneath her like leaves in a storm. She attempted to conjure a spell, but without her sight, her hands were as good as useless.

Suddenly, her foot slipped on a loose stone, sending her sprawling forward. With a harsh thud, she landed on her stomach, her botched spell misfiring towards the ceiling, causing chunks of stone to crumble in its wake.

Evelyn's next attempt at magic fizzled, sparks showering down like a faulty firework display.

Noah and Sarah yelped, more startled than hurt.

"Evelyn, what on earth are you doing?!" Sarah shouted, her voice a mixture of concern and frustration. She conjured a barrier in an attempt to corner Tzion.

Evelyn let out a desperate cry as she tried to summon another spell, the magic backfiring and exploding in her face. She fell backwards, landing heavily on the ground.

"I can't see anything! My glasses, I'm completely blind!" She cried out.

Noah's eyes darted around, scanning the debris-strewn floor. His gaze fell upon the broken spectacles of the barista, their shattered lenses glinting a few feet away.

"Evelyn, try to close your eyes and concentrate!" Noah called out, striving to keep his voice steady amidst the chaos. "You don't need to see to cast a spell."