The exact instant Eldrin pushed his mana forward to complete the final fusion of the gems, Lohan subtly activated the air suction.
The atmospheric pressure just millimeters from Eldrin's right hand collapsed instantly and completely silently. The pinpoint vacuum pulled the mage's wrist sideways by a fraction of a millimeter, breaking the perfect symmetry the magical channeling demanded so precisely.
The effect of that deviation was devastating for the spell's structure.
The lines of mana suffered a brutal geometric distortion, and instead of fusing with the seal, the lines collided against the gems.
A crack echoed through the gorge. Before Eldrin's horrified eyes, the three rare runes that had cost the guild's treasury three hundred gold coins cracked simultaneously, disintegrating into dust on the stone ground.
"No! My runes!" Eldrin screamed, dropping to his knees as his crystal staff shattered at the tip from the violent surge of pure mana.
