smart

What if it wasn’t a matter of choice? What if her power wasn’t as simple to use as a normal glance might imply—because it sure didn’t look simple to me. There wasn’t just some highlighted volume of control or a bunch of arrows that pointed things in the right direction; instead, it looked almost like a puzzle of sorts, with a thousand different shifting flows of Aura coming together to form a massive whole. It looked, if anything, like a work of art—and if so, perhaps altering it wasn’t as simple as changing just one specific thing, but a matter of redrawing entire aspects to form a new image. It was conjecture, perhaps, but that’s why hypothesis were tested, rather than simply accepted.

So I tested mine. Stopping as I completed my circle, I focused my attack and watched as my Magic Missiles were forced along the paths set out for them—until they collided with other Missiles and were deflected, bouncing into other streams and paths. They slid again and I reacted, sending an attack high so that it’d be drawn into the path of one below, quickening my pace as my power returned to me. In several seconds, a pair of shots crossed and carved trenches on either side of my sister.

She moved at once, dragging her territory along with her, and yet the artistic patterns in the side facing me shifted, a ripple of change spreading over the weak points I’d exploited, but also the areas around them, reorganizing into a new pattern.

I smiled and continued the assault for a little longer, letting my energy spears be guided by her power until I understood the pattern once more. I exploited it immediately, of course, but not to attack Olivia—instead, I allowed a trio of shots to be drawn through her control and sent flying away. Each of the shots came dangerously close to hitting Shani who immediately turned and fired an attack through the dust, disintegrating and combusting everything in its path. Because the attacks had effectively changed direction in midair, turning her power against the apparent source meant another attack for Olivia to deal with, and after hurling a few more attacks for good measure I drew away.