Aldric didn’t need to be told twice. Once Zasia had cleared him some space, he drew his remaining blade across the palm of his hand, wincing as hot pain raced up his arm. He took a moment to hurl the dagger through another creature’s eye socket before beginning his bloody work. Thankfully, the mana permeating the air from the slain void beasts provided the fuel source he would need.

Kneeling in the dirt, Aldric began using the blood from his hand to draw runes on the ground in a circle around himself, trying to balance speed versus getting every rune exactly right. He knew he was about to do something that would bring him all kinds of unwanted attention, and his self-preservation instinct was screaming at him to stop. This was one of the many reasons Aldric had been forced to go into hiding, and now he was going to do it in broad daylight.

Then he looked over to where his students were huddled under the shield barrier, clearly terrified out of their minds. He also saw the horde of monsters trying to get at them, to take away the tiny spark of hope he had finally found for himself. Aldric’s will finally solidified in that moment.

Aldric began mumbling the beginnings of a spell. No silent casting for this one. He’d need all the help he could get if he didn’t want to keel over.

~~~

LILIANNA DID HER BEST to keep feeding the shield amulet mana, but she was having difficulty. This thing was a mana hog, and even the headmaster’s help would only keep it going for so long. The shield was already dimming the more damage it took and repaired. Lilianna racked her brain for something to get them out of this, but kept coming up empty. The most she could do was make sure her classmates were safe.

She assumed Nadrina was already in shock. The girl was blankly staring at nothing, eyes wide and dilated with fear. Then Lilianna realized that her friend’s eyes were fixed on two figures in the thick of it. Professors Glory and Aldric were busy fighting for their lives. By themselves!

Professor Glory was throwing out spells that made Lilianna balk at how casually she could spend her mana pool. Professor Aldric, meanwhile, seemed to be getting up close and personal with a never-ending supply of daggers. He clearly knew how to use them and even threw in some enchantments here and there for good measure.

Lilianna’s heart leapt into her throat each time one of those creatures got too close to one of them, but then the other would step in and cover them. Over and over, they kept covering for each other and slaying monsters left and right, looking like they’d been doing this their whole lives.