- Close the Gate

He snapped his fingers as he approached the gate, channeling air magic into his blade.

'I don't really know how to control it, but I need to pull in as much from the surroundings as I can,' he thought, trying to control the power.

"But I'm not ready yet," he said, raising the sword and quickly bringing it down in one movement. A huge blade of air flew from his sword and slammed into the arch. While it was not completely destroyed, it did heavily damage the object, sending multiple cracks through the symbols.

After the blow, silence fell over the area. It lasted a few moments, before it was slowly broken by Zellos.

"What… what have you done?" he asked in a bewildered tone, before bursting out with laughter. "You saved the city, but at what cost?"

The sigil on the ground began to fade as the gate crumbled. 'It's done,' Marcus thought. 'The city is safe.'

"Wait, a cost? What cost?" he asked.