Erend stepped back into the chamber of the Archmage tower, the familiar silver and red shimmer fading behind him as the portal sealed shut again.
The situation inside was quiet and filled with the faint smell of materials and spent Magic.
His gaze swept across the room, and he found Adrius and Lysander lying on their beds, both of them already deep in sleep.
Their breathing was steady but sounded long and heavy, showing the kind of exhaustion that only came after they poured everything into a task that demanded their Magic and their concentration of them.
Erend could tell it must have drained them completely. Shaping and stabilizing that device wasn't something done lightly it seems. It needs two Archmage pouring their all into it.
He didn't disturb them. Instead, his eyes drifted toward the object at the center of the chamber.
