Jace Brontarion
The clouds surrounding the academy grew darker as Mira and I flew toward the isle where our cluster and the other students' bodies were being held while their astral forms explored the rift.
I commanded my cloud to descend onto the test isle. We zipped across the isle until we found the geodesic tent where our cluster was stationed.
"Who's that?" Mira asked, pointing at an unconscious body I didn't recognize, slumped in a seat beside the rest of our cluster.
"I think that was the second-year who was replacing you for this exam. My sister told me his name was Simon, I think."
Mira's face crinkled.
"Whatever, but I don't think we can get into the tent, and I don't have my tools with me."
I scanned the field filled with tents.
"No worries, I'll create our own, and we can just astral project."
"How–never mind," Mira said.
She watched me command the cloud I was sitting in to change shape.
I grabbed her and pulled her back up onto my cloud. It provided a cushiony place for us to rest and served as an automated defense.
"If anyone gets close, they will get electrocuted," I said, lying down and shutting my eyes.
We both astral projected and ventured towards the rift entrance.
Floating in front of the entrance, the rift swirled in a violent, raging vortex, potent cosmic energy radiating from within. But something about it felt wrong.
There was darkness to it. Almost madness. As if some abnormal constitution had altered the cosmic energy.
"What's with the face, spark plug?"
I reached out with my hand, allowing the swirling vortex to pull me in. My astral form jolted forward, only to be violently repelled by the same force that had drawn me in.
I looked at Mira; her face was tangled with confusion.
"Why couldn't you enter?"
This could only mean one thing, and a pit formed in my stomach.
"The rift was activated, and we can't get in."
"How is that even possible?"
"I don't know," I said, my astral form rapidly flickering.
I didn't know what to do. I had promised Sora that I would support and protect her no matter what.
Now the universe is denying me my duty.
If something happened to her, I don't know what I would do.
"Um, Jace, I'm new up here, but is that supposed to be happening to the academy?"
I looked down and saw that the central isle was falling, slowly, but falling out of the sky nonetheless.
"Yes. My professor said that happens when the reactors are getting fixed. Everything should be fine." I said, my attention drifting back to the rift entrance.
"So that's what I felt in the earth of the floating isle?"
"Could be."
"Welp, since we can't get in, I guess we will just have to wait by their bodies until it's conquered."
My astral form began to go into a frenzy.
This was a Category Two rift. The Guardian was a stage ahead of them all, and their chances of defeating it were slim. The teachers were supposed to accompany the students, but that did little to ease the pit in my stomach.
The situation felt hopeless as I drifted behind Mira toward our bodies.
Then as we approached the academy, I noticed something different.
The astral chains connecting the central isle to the others were slanted again.
No.
They were nearly vertical.
"Mira, we have to hurry."
"Why? I thought you said this was normal."
"Yes, but this here is not normal. The position of the astral chains isn't supposed to change this much."
Mira nodded, and we descended back to our bodies.
Back on the cloud, I noticed something else. We were higher above the test isle than when I first astral projected.
And the distance was still increasing.
"Looks like everything is going to crap. Students are trapped in the rift, and now the school is falling out of the sky." Mira said, jumping off my cloud.
She took off her shoes and dug her feet into the earth for a few moments, then began dashing around the isle.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"I'm searching to see if any of the boxes have tools."
"Why?"
"Well, it seems like whoever is fixing the reactor is not equipped to handle the job. So I'm gonna take it into my own hands."
I rubbed my chin, considering it. "Are you even capable of that?"
"Won't know until I get there. You gonna come with me?" She asked, pointing the tool at me like I didn't really have a choice before heading toward the teleportation terminal.
"I'm gonna stay here and watch over my sister's body."
"Seriously! We are falling out of the sky!"
"Slowly."
Mira rolled her eyes.
"Jace, with everything going on, saving the school means protecting your sister and everyone else. I'm gonna need your abilities with the reactor."
She stepped into my personal space and poked me in the chest.
"So I'm gonna ask you one more time: are you coming with me?"
Then the entire isle flipped perpendicular, and an explosion erupted from one end of the isle, blowing flames towards Mira and me.
Everything slowed; Mira fell toward the geodesic tents, loosening from the ground.
I sent a cloud to catch Mira and expanded a few others to block the flames from reaching the students in the rifts.
"Take me and drop me off at the test isle," Mira said, as my cloud brought her close.
When she got to the ground, she fashioned rocky braces around the geodesic tents to keep them from flipping over.
Shortly after, I watched her force a large spike out from the bottom of the isle, creating a counterbalance that tipped the entire isle back into position.
Huh, maybe she can fix the reactor.