Chapter 40 Breaking an Archmage’s Illusion
That night, Kaelith pulled a dark cloak over his head and slipped out of the palace again. The cold stone felt familiar beneath his boots as he climbed down the same hidden rope. Getting out of the palace was not that difficult.
When he reached the gate, it was already open. Gabriel stood outside, arms folded, as if he had been waiting.
"You came," Gabriel said flatly.
"Yes... I need to prove that I’m a good student." He stepped forward, his face unreadable.
Gabriel studied him for a moment, then raised his hand. A portal opened beside him, swirling gently like a mirror made of liquid light.
"Step in."
Kaelith entered the portal first before Gabriel. The portal closed as soon as Gabriel stepped into it.
The air changed instantly, the damp air and the smell of nature hit Kaelith’s nostrils, as they stood in the middle of the forest, with a wide clearing. A thin mist curled low across the grass, and the half-moon hung high above.
Without warning, Gabriel lifted his hand again.
The world around Kaelith changed. The world had disappeared. Now he stood in the middle of a burning city.
Flames roared through the wooden houses. Dark smoke and flakes of embers drifted thickly in the sky. Sharp and raw screams echoed from all sides, with an unending cry. People ran in every direction, faces twisted in pain. A woman stumbled by with her hair on fire, her eyes wild in pain. Children sobbed and men collapsed, clawing at the ground.