Chapter 4

The second the gates sealed, the Gauntlet escalated.

The howling wind solidified into physical blades of arcane pressure. They slashed across Alina's leather jacket, tearing the fabric with loud, ripping sounds.

Alina stopped walking. She closed her eyes.

She let go of the mental barrier holding her Prismatic Core in check.

The core spun. A terrifying, ancient vacuum opened inside her chest.

The deadly arcane blades flying toward her suddenly warped. They were sucked into the invisible vortex radiating from her body. The violent magic shattered into raw, harmless particles the second it touched her skin, flooding directly into her mana veins.

Pain exploded behind her eyes. Her veins stretched, burning as the massive influx of power forced them wider.

Alina bit down on her lower lip. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, but she didn't make a sound.

Deep inside her, the chaotic colors of the Prismatic Core began to bleed out. They darkened, shifting into a deep, abyssal black. The true form of the Primordial Conduit.

She took a step forward.

The sheer density of the magic she was compressing leaked into the physical world. The heavy stone slab beneath her boot cracked, spider-web fractures shooting out in all directions.

The soul-forged lanterns lining the walls sensed the terrifying purity of her core.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

They ignited in rapid succession. Ten. Twenty. The blue flames roared, illuminating the ancient, blood-stained runes carved into the corridor walls.

Alina opened her eyes. The black of her pupils seemed to swallow the blue light around her. She could feel the fractured pieces of her soul from her past life slowly knitting back together, fed by the Gauntlet's energy.

A deep, guttural growl echoed from the darkness ahead.

Three massive Arcane Hounds, beasts formed entirely of unstable purple magic, materialized in the center of the path. They lunged at her, jaws unhinged.

Alina didn't chant. She didn't draw a weapon. She simply braced herself. The exact fraction of a second the beasts made contact with her skin, it was as if they had slammed into an invisible, bottomless black hole. The violent arcane magic comprising their bodies was frantically siphoned away. The three hounds froze mid-leap, letting out high-pitched, distorted whines as their forms rapidly destabilized. With a heavy whoosh, their bodies collapsed entirely, dissolving into a heavy rain of pure purple energy that was immediately sucked directly into her.

Alina breathed in sharply, sucking the fallout directly into her lungs. The energy hit her core like a shot of adrenaline. Her skin flushed with heat.

She picked up her pace. She walked faster, treating the deadly execution chamber like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Thirty lanterns. Fifty lanterns. Eighty lanterns.

The entire corridor was blazing with blinding blue light.

At the very end of the Gauntlet stood a set of silver double doors. The exit to the inner courtyard.

When Alina was exactly ten steps away, the Gauntlet's ultimate defense triggered.

All the remaining arcane energy in the corridor rushed to the ceiling, condensing into a massive, crackling bolt of purple lightning. It dropped straight down, aiming directly for the top of her head.

It was a strike meant to vaporize an Adept-level mage.

Alina didn't dive out of the way. She stopped, planted her feet, and threw her arms wide open.

The lightning struck her dead center.

A deafening explosion shook the stone walls. Blinding white light swallowed her entire body.

Outside the silver doors, three inner-sect disciples were staring at a monitoring crystal. The crystal flashed white, then cracked down the middle.

"She's dead. Vaporized," one of the disciples muttered, his face pale.

Inside the corridor, the light faded.

Alina stood exactly where she had been. Smoke curled off the torn edges of her jacket. Her muscles twitched, overloaded with raw power.

She swallowed the lightning.

A sharp, physical pop echoed inside her chest. The bottleneck shattered. Her magic reserves expanded violently, instantly jumping from a basic apprentice level to the absolute peak of an initial-tier mage.

Alina let out a long, slow breath. The smoke cleared from her lungs.

She took the final ten steps.

As her boot hit the stone in front of the silver doors, all one hundred soul-forged lanterns flared brighter than the sun for a fraction of a second.

Then, simultaneously, they all blew out. Pitch black.

The Gauntlet was completely drained.

The silver doors sensed her presence and slowly pushed open.

Alina brushed a piece of ash off her shoulder and walked out into the daylight.