The silence in the plaza was heavier now, the air thick with the dust of a vanished illusion. Where the grand library had stood, there was only empty space and the lingering scent of ozone.
Reia didn't wait. She was already on her knees, a high-frequency scanner humming in her hand. Its blue light swept over the ground where the foundation should have been. "The energy has a decay signature. If I can isolate the resonant frequency, I can back-trace the projection source." Her voice was a focused murmur, her mind a fortress of logic against the rising tide of failure.
Vyn stood a few feet away, her eyes closed. She raised her hands, palms open. The air around her stilled. Then, threads of light began to weave from her fingertips—silver for arcane traces, gold for divine, violet for elemental. They were seeking spells, hooks cast into the sea of nothingness, looking for anything to catch on.
