Meanwhile – At the Academy
The professors were in the central tower, gathered around an ancient arcane compass embedded into the floor. It spun erratically, the needle jerking back and forth.
"Something's changed," Professor Laurion muttered.
"I feel it too," said Professor Valcroft, eyes narrowed. "A rupture. A magic pulse strong enough to crack shielding spells."
Jeremiah, Axel, and Rey Vien burst into the hall. "Professors! Something's happening in the woods we felt it! A shift!" jeremiah said breathlessly.
Celsy and Keisha followed behind, eyes wide with worry. "Please," Celsy begged, "do something."
Professor Vaughn's fists clenched as he looked toward the forest beyond the academy walls. "It's them. They found something."
Valcroft turned, barking orders. "Ready the portal stabilizers! Lock onto the magical frequency!"
Aella stepped forward, voice trembling. "Can we help? Anything?"
Vaughn gave her a brief nod. "Not yet. But be ready. If they break through… we'll have to pull them out."
------
Inside the Void Cage
Ynah's eyes darted around. "If we strike all the symbols at once… we might break it."
Khierra nodded. "On my mark."
All four girls took positions around the tree, their magic flaring.
The cursed tree pulsed violently, its corrupted roots writhing like snakes. The symbols etched into its bark throbbed with dark energy resisting, screaming, alive.
Winter's voice cut through the silence. "We end this now."
Khierra stepped forward first. Her eyes glowed a fierce orange, heat rising from her body in waves. "Move back," she said with a growl.
The air around her ignited. A sphere of flames erupted around her, then condensedbtightening, focusing before it exploded outward in a column of searing, golden fire. It roared as it spiraled toward the tree like a serpent of pure heat, scorching everything in its wake. The ground cracked and burned beneath her.
Then Ynah stepped up beside her. Her body shimmered with psychic force, eyes glowing silver. Her hair floated as if underwater. "I'll slice through its core," she said, voice echoing unnaturally.
She raised both hands and released a pulsing psychic wave razor-sharp and vibrating like a thousand blades cutting through the air with a scream. Trees trembled, bark stripped clean. The wave collided with the black tree, cracking the runes along its trunk.
Winter's aura shifted her bright blue eyes slowly turning into swirling galaxies. Stars danced in her irises as she raised her hand.
"Blue Shift," she chanted.
A whirling beam of deep blue light exploded from her palm, forming a magical laser that tore through the sky itself. It struck the tree directly, piercing its core and causing the whole forest to tremble violently.
As the others attacked, Ayra stepped forward, eyes calm and focused. She placed her hands on the earth and whispered, "Arise."
The ground split open, and from the churning soil rose a massive golem of stone and moss its eyes glowing amber. With a thundering roar, it charged at the tree, slamming its fists into the weakened bark again and again. Each hit echoed like thunder through the cursed woods.
The tree shrieked its magic unraveling, its anchor shattered.
Cracks splintered through the cage around them. The sky above them once veiled in darkness ripped open as the Void Cage began to collapse.
Winter, breathing heavily, called out, "Everyone! Get ready when it breaks, we RUN!"
The tree let out a final, monstrous howl before shattering into ash and blue fire.
The air trembled violently.
Everything began to warp.
Cracks split through the sky like broken glass, reality folding in on itself. The forest twisted unnaturally like the world itself was rejecting their presence. Gravity shifted. The earth split beneath their feet.
"IT'S BREAKING, RUN!" Winter screamed.
The stone golem Ayra summoned grabbed her and Khierra in each massive hand while winter levitated beside them, forming a barrier to shield them from the collapsing zone.
The sky turned white.
And then
BOOM.
A pulse of light exploded from the broken cage, shooting into the heavens like a beacon. A shockwave tore through the woods, flattening trees, hurling debris, shaking the very mountains.