The mana circle at Alice's feet shimmered like molten gold, tendrils of energy curling outward like the petals of some dangerous flower.
"[Static Bloom]," she sang sweetly.
The air popped and hissed as dozens—no, hundreds—of tiny sparks exploded around me in a widening radius. It wasn't an attack meant to kill. It was an attack meant to annoy.
I flicked Lan into a reverse grip, slashing through the air as I stepped between the bursts. Each spark left a faint tingle against my skin when it got too close, like being nipped by a hundred invisible insects.
"You know," I said, weaving through her little lightning garden, "for someone who claims to care about her students, you sure have a weird way of showing it."
"Oh, but I do care," Alice replied, her voice dripping with mock sympathy. "What kind of professor would I be if I didn't push my students to their absolute limits?"
Another circle flashed to life—this one directly above my head.
"[Thunder Petal: Cascade.]"
