-- Aster --

I stood frozen in the centermost square in the city of An Le Notre staring out into the crowd of people staring up at me. I was seething from the mage who preemptively paralyzed me. I couldn't even close my eyes to help focus. I could only stand and stare out as I circulated my energy looking for the power locking me in place. To my horror, even my control over my power was frozen.

No, wait. I just felt it move, but it was like molasses. What kind of spell did that mage have ready to even be able to put me in this state so quickly? Was it one of the guards? It had to have been, this is just the kind of spell to take down an unruly, warrior or even mage.

Focus Aster. I snapped myself from contemplating and went back to forcing my energy to move. Slowly, ever so slowly, the power began to move, and where it passed I could feel the paralysis loosen. OK, I just need to cycle to get out of this.

There is no feeling like being unable to move or even breathe, locked in a position like a statue. The only thing you can do is think. The entire time I was screaming in my mind, the only thing keeping me from just focusing on moving the power. I kept having to calm myself before I could move it.

Every so often I would shift my focus to the world outside the shield to help me calm down. I watched as people gathered in the square squishing everyone together. I could tell the majority of them were there to see the idiot who challenged a city but plenty were holding their weapons ready and waiting. Though I had no idea how they expected to even be able to swing their weapons in a crowd like this.

I focused back inward and pushed again the energy began to circulate, I was still trapped, but I was finally starting to build momentum. I took in my first breath and it was the most refreshing breath I had ever taken in. The panic was still there, but being able to breathe was really helping.

I took another look at the people around me when it suddenly struck me, at how truly difficult this task would be. I wondered how a level twenty could possibly hope to accomplish this. They would probably die without ever leaving the stage. That's when it hit me. This wasn't just a test. It was a fucking trap. I realized this all too late. One test to let you do three things of course it was nearly impossible. This must be there to bring down their most cocky shadows.

I stood doing the only thing I could do, continuing to cycle energy. Looking over the crowd, I didn't know how much they understood what was going on, but I didn't have the luxury to care. I didn't have time to fuck up.

Actually, I had five minutes to fuck up, and I was currently not doing very well. I never realized how long five minutes could even feel until I was locked into my body. I never stopped circulating and soon I could move my fingers and blink.

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It was taking too long I don't even know how long I have left, then I noticed the screen hadn't disappeared yet and it was counting down. Two minutes had already passed, and the number seemed to taunt me as it counted down.

I looked over the square to try to come up with some kind of escape route. I only had three minutes left to free myself from the paralysis. Ok, let just assume I'll be free by then, because if I'm not.

I scanned the square, people were pushing up against each other, nobody could really move if they wanted to. The only people down there that are going to be an issue are mages, and maybe long-range people. Speaking of long-range. I looked up to the rooftops. Yup snipers, archers, and looks like even more mages. Are they just going to explode the entire square? That would be one way to stop me.

No, then it would just turn into a bloodbath as everyone turned on each other.

Ninety seconds left.

I almost laughed at how the crowd squished together, hey are they fighting? I looked out and saw a warrior of some sort shoving people out of his way trying to create space and the people were having it fighting back. That could work for me. A few other fights looked to be breaking out, but it didn't look to be enough to make a difference.

Sixty seconds.

I pushed harder cycling power through, my arms were now completely free and I could wiggle my toes. I had the beginnings of a plan, it wasn't a good plan but it was a plan. Now I just need some guards. The ones who moved towards me before I challenged the city had backed to the outskirts blocking off the exits.

Now I just needed to decide if I was going to risk tagging them now, or do I run and make some distance first.

Thirty seconds.

I could move everything above the waist, and I was starting to move my legs.

I'll just have to wing it

I took a deep breath, preparing for one last push. I was like a damn breaking. I didn't realize how much the spell was holding me back, as I pulled in an insane amount of power.

My eyes widened. I was pulling in too much power. I didn't even know it was possible to pull in this much. I had only ever felt like this when I held a nuclear battery in my hand.

"What the fuck?"

With an entire ocean of power pouring through me I finally realized, this was the first time I had really, tested myself since hitting thirty. I had only expected a minor power increase but this. This was such a massive difference I thought the power was going to start burning as it did before, but I found it actually felt kind of pleasant. I was starting to feel drunk on the amount of power I pulled. I felt this could be shaped into anything. With that thought, I truly began to "BELIEVE" I could do this. The word fell out of me as the power I pulled reached a crescendo, feeding everything I had pulled into that single world, reshaping reality. I watched as the final seconds ticked by.

Five.

Four.

I smiled, now feeling like I could really do this.

Three.

The crowd could tell my body posture shifted. I stood taller. Power began to fill the air all around the stage. A few errant snipers and mages mistimed their attacks letting loose striking the barrier exploding, causing damage to the crowd.

Two.

I adjusted myself ready to move.

One

Should I fall away? No that won't be needed right now.

Zero

The barrier came down, and the world exploded.