Breakthrough

Following the appearance of the sixth-circle spell, a gleaming dome materialized around the grove of flowers, shimmering like a translucent mirror. It caught the blinding light of the flowers, refracting it outward in a dazzling display of rainbow colors.

Less than a heartbeat later, the seed pods ruptured, releasing all their gathered mana at once. The ensuing explosion of glittering pollen filled the entire sphere, obscuring the sky and snow behind a dense, shimmering curtain. The explosions slammed into the Mirror Lock one after another, ricocheting back and forth, steadily growing in power with each bounce.

R'lissea unconsciously slowed to a stop, her mouth agape. Elise, too, seemed stunned, her grip on my waist tightening.

"It's not stopping?" she asked, her voice filled with apprehension.