227 Jar of Memories

"What's taking so long?" Trenton boomed. The impatient mage flicked his hand and the entrance's door unfolded itself back to its original size in the doorway.

Lance lifted his head, sighed, and floated down to Trenton, who sat down on the runic floor, closed his eyes, and crossed his legs. Mana emanated from his every pore, traveled down his body, and spread like a wave of white light through the rune. A transparent, domed barrier formed around Lance and Doevm. The ice chains melted away, leaving a beaten, unconscious form, just shy of suffering from frostbite.

'I must have looked like this when I first enrolled,' Lance thought as he rolled up his green sleeves. His obsidian bracelet flew off his arm, fused with the jar's lid, and unscrewed it. Clouds of centuries-old dust made Lance's eyes water.

"Was that jar too tough for you, Mr. Hypocrite?" Trenton's taunting voice, even though it was muffled by the barrier, grated against Lance's ears.