Listen to the music on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww126wsgzOM

« The world is a vast place. Vast enough for, remember it, millions of souls to coexist at the same time. You may not be compatible with most of them, however, it is a timeless absolute truth that you are still part of them. Similar to a large puzzle, you complete this picture the same way you complete others and others complete you. We are not alone. We will never be alone. »

In a fraction of second, the deflagration took the shape of a rapidly expanding fireball. The almost-instant expansion of the spiritual explosion devastated the underground facility of the Academy, hitting against the cold enchanted stones and turning the unfortunate teacher who was scolding the scholars still experimenting at this hour into microscopic charred particles.

If you felt any sort of sympathy for them, I can console you into thinking that the charging wall of intense heat was just too fast for them to even notice a change in the surrounding temperature. They died a painless death.

Alas, the detonation didn’t end its carnage here.

There were currently two forces fighting against the growing ball of volatile energy: the walls of the Laboratory along the thick layers of soil separating the lower levels to the surface, and the atmosphere which could easily circulate through those corridors thanks to an easy trick.

The first to crumble was the wind.

Despite its brave resistance, the expansion easily pushed against the pressure, resulting in what we consider is the deadliest component of an explosion.

The shockwave simply crashed against everything in its path like an unstoppable invisible tsunami, reducing doors to shambles and lantern to pieces. But what came next appeared far more terrifying than anything this world could offer us in a lifetime.

Above the ground, the slabs were lifted from their place. Imagine burying your hand under the sand of the beach, then trying to lift all in one swift effort. It would create a sort of living hill, the ground being stretched to its limit in order to allow this unexpected bulge until it couldn’t stretch anymore, snapping with violence before freeing the hand at the origin of the fracture.

The first thing that came out was a dazzling light, like the sun rose from under the street. Anyone lucky enough to find themselves starring at the huge and ancient structure now would be stupefied by the sight of its walls being illuminated by something from beneath. Then, the shockwave and the heat wall gushed forth from the fissure, followed by the still-expanding explosion which kept pushing against everything around it.

Right now, only two seconds have passed. The bad part of the story begins here.

The eruption grew bigger and bigger until the Academy itself began its ascension, being thrown toward the sky like a ridicule pebble, but not without the company of all the smaller houses, inns and shops in a growing radius, turning a major part of the city into a sudden and unforgiving volcano. Then, it became even worse.

First, everyone close to the epicentre was set on fire. The temperature rising to dangerous degrees was sufficient to cook a human or a yume in a glimpse. Everything that could be set on fire, was on fire. Clothes, wood, food, skin, hair, all was quickly transforming into carbon just before they were blown away by the surging shockwave which teared off trees, roofs and walls. Everything, absolutely everything in a three to four kilometres around was set ablaze in a single frame of time.

Second, the thrown Academy along with lots of demolished material was pulled back by gravity and began to tear through the city. Dozens if not thousands of projectiles ranging from small pebbles to large fragments of houses rained down on the earth, creating devastating impacts everywhere they landed. As for the Academy, it simple crashed against the ground, cracking the crust and provoking an earthquake that could be felt all across the continent.

And it didn’t stop there.

Still being pushed by the explosion, the shockwave grew bigger, larger and stronger. No constructions in Lagida were built to withstand such a catastrophe, thus all were reduced to flattened or scattered hot debris. No one could survive this.

Every building in the perimeter was reduced to rubbles. Every mortal caught in the disaster would leave behind absolutely nothing behind to remember them. As for the lucky survivors, the ones who were far enough from the blast, they were either misfortunate enough to find themselves crushed under a molten boulder, stuck under debris or permanently traumatized and or handicapped for life.

And for those who were actually alive and wanted to check the crater, they would find a ruined environment full of chaos and cries, of pain and death with uncountable losses and despair grasping at their throat.

They will need help. They will need water and food for the next days before the city can be rebuilt. Alas, there was no way to contact the nearest town without a messenger bird and the shortest travel would still take a couple of days before the news reached anyone.

With no way to ask for help, nobody would come and rescue them.

No one would miraculously appear and rescue them. No gods. No protector. No friend.

They were isolated from the rest of the kingdom, until some caravan would approach with their wares and notice the miserable state of the place. But until this happened, they were stranded. Maybe for days. Probably not for weeks, but certainly long enough for the people here to suffocate, to dehydrate, to starve, to die.

Lagida was doomed, and with it a legacy of the gods has fallen. Forever.