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The wards close. Not gently.

A shockwave tears through Varethia.

Every light goes white. Every sound disappears for one impossible second. Then returns all at once.

Theryn crashes.

I turn. Every Hollowborn on the grounds reacts. Some collapse instantly. Bodies hitting stone. White eyes going blank. Others stagger. Magic around their hands dies. One controlled soldier screams and grabs his head. Another looks around like waking from a nightmare. A third keeps fighting. Physically. No magic. Still dangerous.

"NOW!" Someone screams.

The battle changes. Not ends. Changes.

Our soldiers surge. Elarion. Varethia. Students. Professors. Chiefs. Everyone. No more stolen magic tearing through wards. No more impossible blasts. Now blades. Claws. Teeth. Bodies. Ugly. Close.

Final.

I stand. Almost fall. Kaelis catches my elbow. "Stay."

"No."

"Your hands—" I look. Blood. Both palms split. Fine.

I pick up my dagger. Left. Still. Move.

A controlled man rushes me. White eyes flickering.

He has no magic now. Still larger. I duck. Strike. Down.

Another. Professor Kaelis gets him. Across the grounds, Vyrael is standing over Theryn. Not attacking. Just standing. Protective. His body enormous around hers.

Where is Rhyven?

I search. Smoke. Soldiers. Dragons. Nothing.

No time.

The last of the Hollowborn fight like people who know they're trapped. Because they are. The wards are closed. Whatever sustained them is gone. Some are waking. Some aren't. Nobody knows which until they attack. That makes everything worse.

A girl with white eyes drops her weapon. Raises both hands. "Please." A soldier almost kills her. I grab his arm. "WAIT." Her eyes flicker. Blue. White. Blue. She sobs.

"Restrain." He does. Good. Maybe we can save some. Maybe. Another controlled fighter uses the hesitation to stab someone. Lesson. Again. Nothing clean.

We finish them one by one. Not glorious. Not heroic. Just necessary.

Eventually— there are fewer screams. Fewer blades.

Fewer flashes. Then none.

No. Not none. Different.

"HEALER!"

"Over here!"

"Move this stone!"

"She's breathing!"