When Arran saw the smoking wreck of the building he had been in only moments earlier, he was certain that Master Zhao had died.
Yet in an instant more earsplitting blasts sounded, and although the smoke of the ruined building prevented Arran from seeing much, a sudden wave of fire shot out from amid the ruins, hitting another nearby building and sending scorched wreckage flying in all directions.
"We have to go!" Adept Kadir called out. "It isn't safe!"
As if to illustrate his words, a bolt of lightning shot toward them from the smoke, striking a tree only a few dozen paces away. The tree instantly exploded with a thunderous crack, and torn shreds of wood went flying everywhere.
Arran and the others immediately started to run, desperate to get away from the destruction behind them.
They had run several hundreds of paces when a huge object crashed into the ground in front of them.
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Forbidden Sphere Chapter 20
"Brother Amar!"Arran knelt by his friend's motionless body. Now that the danger was gone, he immediately worried about Amar, who had been struck by an Academy mage's attack.To his relief, as he knelt he could hear Amar groan. He was in pain, but at least he had survived. Others, Arran knew, had not been as lucky.Amar opened his eyes. "Did I get him?" he immediately asked, though speaking the words took him some effort."You did," Arran said. No point in telling him right now that it had taken half a dozen initiates to bring down the Academy adept."Bastard broke my arm," Amar said. Cradling his limp right arm, he slowly sat up, wincing as he moved his injured body. "So did we win?" He looked toward the rest of the monastery grounds, and a look of astonishment appeared in his eyes.Arran nodded. "Master Fireheart defeated them."Followi
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 21
From the center of a vast, sprawling city rose a single colossal tower. Like the buildings that surrounded it, the tower was as white as untouched snow, and it stood so tall that it looked as if it were on the verge of touching the clouds.On the top floor of the tower was a large circular chamber, thirty feet high and a hundred wide. It was empty but for a single man. The man was tall and gaunt, with long hair as white as that of the marble from which the tower was wrought.He stood silently, looking out over the city from one of the chamber's windows.A knock sounded on the door."Enter," the man said.The door opened, and another man entered the chamber. This man was short, with sharp features and jet-black hair."Lord Magistrate," the short man said. "I bring troublesome news.""Oh?" the white-haired man said."Th
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 22
"Is that a Realm Opening Pill?" Jiang Fei said, looking in wonder at the small black pill Master Zhao held in his hands.Arran frowned. Again, he found that she knew far more about the world of magic than he did."It is," Master Zhao replied."So that's how you did it!" Jiang Fei looked at Arran as if she had finally figured him out. "That's how you opened your Wind Realm so quickly!"Arran didn't correct her. Although he had not used a Realm Opening Pill for his Wind Realm, Jiang Fei did not know about his forbidden Realm.Looking somewhat smug, Jiang Fei turned her attention back to the pill. "Is it as painful as they say?" she asked, a hint of apprehension appearing in her voice."It's bad," Arran said honestly. "I passed out from the pain when I took it."Jiang Fei nodded thoughtfully. Then, she reached out to Master Zhao, who handed
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 23
"You're leaving tomorrow?!"Master Zhao nodded. "With the attention the battle at Windsong's monastery has drawn, it won't be long before the Academy sends new mages, stronger than the previous ones.""But can't we hide?" Arran asked. "After we fled Fulai City, we didn't see any signs of the Academy for half a year. Why can't we do the same again?""Because I killed over a dozen Academy mages," Master Zhao said plainly. "Before, they were just looking for an initiate with a forbidden Realm. Now, they're looking for someone who attacked the Academy."Arran frowned. "So there's no way for us to hide?""By myself, I can hide quite easily," Master Zhao said. "And even if they find me, I will have little difficulty escaping. But with you along, it will be far more difficult.""If they find us, can't you just fight them?" Arran asked. The battle at the monastery wa
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 24
Master Zhao was quiet, and Arran spent his time thinking about the journey that lay ahead of him.Just moments ago, he had believed that would learn magic with Master Zhao by his side to protect him from the Academy and any other dangers he might encounter.Now, he understood that the journey ahead would be far lonelier and more dangerous than he had previously imagined.He cast another glance at Jiang Fei. Her earlier spasms and convulsions had subsided, and now she looked peaceful, as if she was merely sleeping.Arran wondered whether she would join him on the journey to the Shadowflame Society. Master Zhao said he would invite her, but Arran doubted she would agree. She had joined them to become an apprentice to Master Zhao, after all. Now that the man was leaving, there was little reason for her to remain with Arran.As Arran gave the subject some thought, he wasn't entirely
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 25
"Can it do anything useful at all?"Jiang Fei looked at Arran with a look of frustration. She had spent much of the morning testing out her new Shadow Realm, but so far, the only thing she had accomplished was sending out a large blast of Shadow that merely disappeared the moment it touched the tree she had targeted."Nothing I've been able to accomplish," Arran answered honestly. "But Master Fireheart could use it to make himself disappear."He still called Master Zhao 'Fireheart' when speaking to Jiang Fei, although by now he was starting to doubt whether either identity was actually real."Disappear?" Jiang Fei knitted her brows. "So it's not completely useless, then…"They practiced as they walked, occasionally sending blasts of Shadow at the roadside, or trying to manipulate it into moving. Whatever they tried, however, none of it was useful in the least, and Arran fo
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 26
Although Jiang Fei had said Redwater wasn't much of a town, Arran still found himself impressed by the sight. It was several times as large as Riverbend, with numerous houses and stores, all featuring slanted black tile roofs.At first, he was confused by the town's name, but when he saw the reddish color of the river that ran through the town, he understood."It's iron," Jiang Fei explained. "There's iron in the hills between here and the mountains, and it turns the river red. Doesn't hurt the taste, though."Arran nodded, although he quietly resolved he would stick to drinking ale while he was in town. Not that that was much of a punishment, of course.As they searched for an inn, Jiang Fei made them stop several times to try the dumplings and steamed buns that were being sold by vendors on the side of the road."Try this one," she said, thrusting a steamed bun into his hands.
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 27
"They're the ones!" the shopkeeper said. "Came in and spent half a dozen gold crowns, without even haggling. At that age!"One of the white-robed figures stepped forward, a tall woman in her middle years, with black hair and coarse features."I'll take a look at them," she said with an ominous glance at Arran and Jiang Fei.As the woman approached them, Arran instinctively put his hand on his sword, although he understood the gesture to be futile. The woman noticed, and her lips twisted in a mocking smirk."You don't believe that will help, do you?"Arran was about to speak, but at that moment, Jiang Fei cut in."So now Father has sent the Academy after me?" Her tone was harsh, almost as if she was trying to provoke the Academy mages.The white-robed woman frowned in confusion. "Your father? We're not—""I will