Atlas' POV
*****
Old Bloodoak Academy Amphitheatre, 9:30 PM
This wasn't supposed to be happening. His wards weren't supposed to be malfunctioning so much. He made a lot of preparations before the others even got here.
He analysed the spot—isolated, remnants of years-old wards cast by powerful witches. Basically, the perfect place for him to stack his own wards.
The wards were meant to contain Celeste's Vein outburst. Localise it within the amphitheater but with enough output to alert anyone truly monitoring her.
But now the wards weren't fulfilling their desired purpose. They were doing the opposite.
"Argh." His teeth gnashed as his fingers tightened around golden strands linked to a stone he'd used to anchor the wards.
He hid behind a fractured pillar, his head peeping out just a bit to see the current situation. At the centre of the space, Celeste had her arms spread out and her head arched unnaturally.
