As they walked through the forest under Ano’s guidance, Sen took comfort in the fact that he’d prepared as much as he could. The trees stretched so high that if they’d been outside the old castle he and Ragmár had built, and he climbed one, he’d probably be able to jump right over the castle walls. They were some kind of pine, and the natural magic here was strong. The trees visibly grew taller and taller. Occasionally one would fall and slam into the ground in the distance. Then it would sink into the ground, and new trees would start growing in its place. This would be a good place to study nature magic, or anything involving plants, really. Despite the falling trees, the path remained ever clear for them, as if by mutual agreement the forest had decided not to inhibit those who kept to the roads.
“The forest of growing trees,” Professor Ladia said.
“Some call it the forest of falling trees,” Sikar added.
[Guess it depends on how you see the glass. Is it half full or half empty?]
The forests of growing trees, Sen decided.
Zeke’s quest allowed him to bring as many students and faculty members as he wished, provided they were willing, of course. But Dean Withershade still wasn’t a fan of this, and he hadn’t done much to hide that. Many students who wanted to come along had stayed back for that reason. But others had joined him. Some of them he knew, many of them he did not. He wouldn’t risk the other students getting hurt, but if what Ano told him was true, they’d need to set up a camp. The volunteers who had joined them would defend it while Sen and those he chose moved forward. It was the best way to utilize them without putting them at risk.
Ladia and Sikar walked on either side of him at the front. Samara trailed him, just behind him to the right, acting like a bodyguard. He found it amusing. Before the invasion, she’d spent most of her time with Ill and Milim; in their absence, she’d dedicated herself to training to save them. Ano floated behind them on a pillow he’d taken from the dorm. It was much smaller than his usual one, but it seemed to work well enough. Mori walked behind them. Joseia and Oliver were asking him questions about magic and preparing for the fight ahead. Girch and Susanna were somewhere in the crowd as well. The other students crowded around them.
In all, three professors and sixteen students from Bright Sail had joined the expedition. Alongside Professor Laurette and the Academy War Team of Greenbook. Dean Calle of Fire Kite had been summoned to meet Alari’s father, and Sen half-wondered if the Dean would survive that meeting. Officially, none of the Fire Kite members had signed up. But he sensed Dasai and Marin following their group in secret. They wanted to help save their classmate, Alari. He allowed them to sneak about for now, but if they put themselves or others in danger, he’d intervene.
Ano yawned. “It’s not far now. That…barrier thing they disappeared through,” he said.
Sen nodded. “We should set up camp here then. We don’t want the people we leave to guard the camp to be too close. They’ll want time to react if our forward team isn’t the first group of people to leave the entrance.”
He still wasn’t sure about the nature of the barrier. But he had suspicions. Crosp took over, providing instructions. Sen hadn’t made it too far before tents were springing up behind him. Together, he, Sikar, Ladia, Samara, Mori, and Ano kept moving forward to investigate. He kept an eye on Ano, waiting for the man to react. But the further they went, the more Sen questioned if Ano actually knew exactly where the barrier was.
Ano frowned and turned to look back. “We may have passed it.”
Mori raised a brow. “I haven’t felt anything that resembles a barrier. I don’t see how we could possibly have missed it.”
Sen closed his eyes, and his magic senses scattered all around him. He hadn’t either, but there was a chance the barrier was more subtle than usual. If they’d walked directly through it, it would have to be hidden extremely well. Only someone on the level of a god would be able to hide something like that, and only someone on the level of a god could break through that shroud. His neck tingled, and he turned. “Ano is right. It’s behind us.”
Sikar and Ladia exchanged a look. “I sensed nothing. Are you sure?” Sikar asked.
Sen nodded. They turned around and once again crossed the point that he’d sensed. On the other side of it, Sen raised a hand. “Detect barrier,” he said.
Nothing.
He bit his lip. Not a barrier then. “Detect warp,” he tried again.
Nothing.
Sen frowned. It didn’t make any sense. Something was here. He could feel it. A realization dawned on him, and he tried something that he hoped wasn’t successful.
“Detect Temporal Distortion”
His heart sank when the spell resonated with the distortion before him. A magical glass pane appeared in front of him. This technique wasn’t like his own. His temporal world was a world entirely disconnected, only accessible by him. This felt different. He could tell the space wasn’t whole. But at the same time, it wasn’t connected to anything either. His mind wandered at the possibilities.
“What is this, Sen?” Sikar asked. He ran a hand along the glass barrier, and his hand pressed against a physical manifestation. They couldn’t move through it anymore. They’d be able to go around it. It only extended outward about ten feet in either direction off the path.
“If my guess is correct, this is…” He tried to think of a way he could make it make sense to them without explaining temporal magic. “It’s a type of warp magic. I think there are other portals, just like this one, and they all lead to the same place. But... either only one can link to that place at a time, or whoever used this path sealed it shut behind them.”
Samara drew her blade. “That’s no problem. If the door is closed, we just bust it open. Right?” She practiced swinging her sword, and the wind whistled as she cut through it.
It was a good idea, but a sword wouldn’t do the trick. “Something like that, but we’ll need to be a bit more subtle if we don’t want them knowing we’re coming,” he told them. He placed a hand against the magic glass just as Sikar had. He concentrated and closed his eyes.
Tutor. Analyze.
[On it.]
He could feel Tutor working through the physical connection between him and the wall. While he waited, he investigated on his own. He searched for a trace of the one who had created the barrier. Sometimes that was possible; magic left behind in perpetuity could sometimes lead back to the magician who’d cast it. Sen had honed the skill looking for those clues in his own time, when he hunted down the other gods who abused their powers and oppressed the weak. But his brow furrowed increasingly as he strained against the working. It was there. He could feel it, but the signature almost felt buried within the spell, as if the caster had gone to great lengths to hide themselves.
But Sen’s name hadn’t been lost to obscurity while the people deemed him the God of Magic for no reason. Finally, he broke through. A strange feeling poked at him, and he realized this signature was familiar to him. It wasn’t someone he knew, but it was someone he’d felt before. The same presence that had watched him when he freed Samara and Ill during the festival. He’d felt someone watching him that day. This magic felt as if it had been cast by the same person. Someone powerful. His face hardened.
[Analysis complete. Rather than a gate designed purely for warping, this is a self-sustaining temporal bridge. You’re correct in that there must be more of these, at least three others. When the gateway is open, whoever enters emerges elsewhere.]
So I should be able to hijack it. He’d already suspected, but that confirmed it. Unless the original caster actively worked to counter him, Sen’s authority would overrule this spell. Even if they did work against him, he was confident he would prevail. He focused his senses and pressed his consciousness against the borders of the temporal space.
“Usurp Spell - Secret - Maxim.” The glass pane shifted, and he saw a gray castle surrounded by stormy skies on an island. It took up most of the island itself, but there was just enough space remaining for gateways, one on each side of the castle, at least on the three sides Sen could see. He couldn’t sense any of the threats within without risking exposing himself, so he held the image a moment longer, knowing his allies would be studying it as well. After a moment, he let it drop.
Ladia’s eyes widened. Professor Sikar looked serious, and his eyes were now closed as he committed everything he saw to memory. Samara still held her great sword waiting for something to swipe at. Mori stroked his chin in thought for a moment and then looked to Sen to see if there was anything he needed.
“Let’s get back to camp and figure out who's coming with us, and who's staying. I’ll open the portal when we’re ready to go. We don’t want to give ourselves away too early,” Sen said.
Professor Ladia nodded. “Sounds like a plan!”
Sen stood there looking over an impressively detailed image that Sikar had drawn from memory. He had a rough idea of the people he’d take inside the castle, and was going over them when Tonka approached.
The professors and Mori were placing defenses around the camp, which would be further assisted by a rotation of student guards. Between their specialties, Sen was confident the people they left behind would be safe and their fallback position well defended. Samara and Joseia were with him.
“Sup, Tonka?” Joseia asked. “Whatcha got there?” He nodded to a pile of large spheres that Tonka was cradling in his arms.
“Bombs! They’re really good for booming!”
“Booming?” Samara quirked a brow.
“Ya know, like…boom!” Tonka said. As if that explained everything.
Sen sighed. This conversation was going to give him a headache; he could already tell. “Why are you carrying around bombs?” he asked, already regretting it.
Tonka brightened up. “I figured we could use them in the attack! They’re easy to use! You filter power through them, then run up, and boom!”
Sen squinted. “Run up? Do you mean throw?” he asked.
Tonka fervently shook his head. “Nope! Charge right at em! Boom!” He turned to look over his shoulder, one side at a time. “I gave Girch a few. He went to find a good place to practice. I was coming to see if anyone else wanted to join.”
Samara and Joseia exchanged a look. “Uh, Tonka, wouldn’t that hurt you as much as it did the bad guys?”
[I just finished analyzing them. One of those bombs would kill most people with a constitution stat below fifty.]
Samara looked at Sen. “Boss, one of your veins is popping out. Near your temple there. You okay?”
“Tonka…that would kill you. You know that, right?” Sen asked.
Tonka frowned. “What? We have that resurrection thing! From the dungeon, remember?”
Sen’s jaw dropped.
Joseia took a step back, suddenly eyeing the bombs again. “That was only in the dungeon, Tonka. We don’t have that anymore.”
Tonka looked at the bombs in his hands. “What? But I thought it was a reward for participating in the Academy War. Wait, so if we die, we’re just dead?”
“Unless you've got a healer around,” Samara said.
Tonka swallowed. “I uh…I should go find Girch.” Tonka hurried off. The pile of bombs in his hands wobbled.
Joseia looked up at Sen. “Should I go help? We don’t want—”
An explosion rang out in the distance. Sen sighed. “Tutor, do we have any idea what Girch’s constitution stat was?” he asked.
[It was over fifty. I’m sure. Probably.]
If Tutor was in the mood to joke, it was probably fine. Girch was tough after all. He turned his attention back to the map for a moment and then looked up in the direction of the temporal distortion. He inhaled a deep breath and focused himself.
“It’s time to go and save our friends,” he said.
Samara punched her palm. “That’s what I’ve been waiting to hear.” The sword on her back seemed to blaze a little hotter as well.
It was time to fight. It was their turn to lead an invasion.
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