Chapter 69: Lightweavers
Another explosion rocked the academy grounds, this one close enough that I felt the heat on my face. The crimson sky above had become a battlefield, filled with floating figures hurling devastation at each other.
"Who would attack the academy?" I asked Kiran, though I had a sneaking suspicion I already knew the answer. "Who even has that kind of power?"
"Only the Order of the First Light would attempt something this bold," Kiran replied, his face grim. "They've grown more aggressive lately, but this..." he shook his head in disbelief, "this is unprecedented."
The Order of the First Light - followers of the blue sun, sworn enemies of the academy and everything it represented. I'd stumbled into more than just a conflict between villages and raiders.
This was a war between two ancient powers, each claiming divine right through their respective celestial patrons.
"Follow me," Kiran said, already moving. "The academy has evacuation points for situations like this. There's one in the lowest levels that can shield us from..." He ducked as debris rained down from another explosion. "...from that."
I couldn't help but laugh, though there was no humor in it. "The irony," I muttered as we started running. "First I was fleeing from the Skybound, now I'm fleeing with them."
"What?" Kiran glanced at me in confusion.
"Nothing." I shrugged off the blue and gold-trimmed robe Elder Molric had lent me.