Ardwyn plummeted down through the air. He shut his eyes. His heart raced widely, bracing himself for the inevitable impact. But instead of the hard ground, he felt himself fall on something soft and firm. He opened his eyes and found himself suspended in a translucent net of energy that glowed with a soft blue light. The magical safety net pulsed and rippled beneath him, absorbing the force of his fall.

Next to him, Myriel and Flynn, had also landed. As they gently bobbed up and down in the magical net, Ardwyn noticed a figure standing nearby, with arms outstretched. The figure’s face was set in determination. Out of his hands shot a force beam that was actively creating the net.

It was one of the academy’s students, a tall lanky boy, with unkept hair and thick glasses that magnified his eyes.

“I can’t hold the net for much longer,” the student yelled. “You’re just a few feet from ground. You can safely jump down now.”

One by one they jumped, first Myriel, then Flynn, and then finally Ardwyn. Without the net they surely would have broken some bones if they had even managed to survive.

As Ardwyn’s feet landed on the ground the net dissipated, thinning into air with a shimmer of sparkles fading out.

“Are you all right?” the student said. “You’re lucky I was here and saw you trying to jump out the window. I followed the ogre from the courtyard.”

“It’s still up there,” Ardwyn looked up at the window. The ogre’s massive form appeared in the shattered window. The ogre seemed even angrier than before at the sight of his prey getting easily away. It let out an angry roar and then disappeared back into the building.

The student said who saved them said, “We have to get out of here. He’s coming right this way.”

They sprinted across the courtyard, following the student who seemed to know the Academy’s courtyard area better than them.

“My name is Weston. I’m a second year student here at the academy. I’m afraid there is no time for further introductions,” he said turning to them as he led them to an enclave beyond the courtyard. “I know some basic magic skills but probably not enough to face that ogre. Either way, I wouldn’t risk it.”

As Ardwyn followed Weston, somewhat relieved they had gotten away, he noticed something strange. There in the middle of the courtyard stood a portal, shimmering and distorting the surrounding air.

The others also turned around, noticing the portal too.

Myriel gasped, “That’s how the ogre must have gotten in here!”

Weston said, “The Academy’s code of conduct strictly forbids opening of any portals within the Academy’s walls. I wonder how did the portal get opened?”

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In that moment, Ardwyn suddenly remembered what the potion merchant had told him back at the marketplace, “The festival isn’t just a celebration. It’s when the the veil between the realms is at its thinnest. Magic becomes… unpredictable, powerful. And sometimes, dangerous.” And then he thought back to the book earlier in the library, “… This accumulation may result in unpredictable arcane phenomena including but not limited to, spontaneous portal generation.”

Ardwyn realized, the Ethereal Blossoms must have somehow opened up the portal.

“We need to figure out a way to close the portal,” Myriel said, her voice trembling.

Weston said, “I don’t know how. Closing portals is beyond anything we’ve learned so far in the first year of the Academy. They don’t start to teach about portals until well into the second year.”

The sound of heavy footsteps came from the stone walkway. The ogre descended down the stairs, breathing heavy, his eyes fixated on them. The ogre let out a loud angry roar. He was gaining on them, moving toward them right across the courtyard.

“Uh —“ Ardwyn said turning to Weston. “Can you do anything else? Like cast some magic or something?”

“I can try,” Weston said.

“Hurry!” Flynn yelled. “He’s coming right this way.”

Ardwyn looked around the courtyard. Out here they were too exposed to run away. They had no choice but to face the ogre.

Weston took a step forward and braced himself, spreading out his arms, as if trying to grasp the air in the middle of his palms. He curled his fingers slightly and concentrated hard, squinting his eyes.

“Aether Arcanum!” Weston shouted.

A shimmering shield of energy burst from his hands and expanded rapidly to surround them. The magical barrier sparkled with light. The ogre, just a short distance ahead, charged into the barrier with the full force of his body. Ripples of energy spread across the translucent shield in waves. Weston staggered back under the strain of having to maintain the shield.

“I don’t know how long I can hold it,” Weston gasped.

The ogre, momentarily stunned by the impact, shook its head in confusion, and looked toward the group, realizing there was a barrier between them. The ogre let out a groan of frustration that reverberated across the courtyard, and then began to punch the shield with its large fists. Each impact sent the shield further back toward Weston with a shockwave, who strained to maintain the effect with great difficulty. The barrier begin to flicker off and on dangerously, with each time the ogre able to gain more ground on them. The ogre was relentless, not seeming to give up.

“We need to think of something else while we still have the time,” Myriel said, noticing that the shield was just a temporary barrier protecting them with it being just a matter of time before the ogre broke through.

She looked back at the portal behind them, which was still glimmering actively.

“We could go through the portal,” she said.

“What’s on the other side?” Ardwyn asked.

“Good question,” Weston said. “I wouldn’t risk it personally.”

Flynn jumped in, “I can try going in and then let you guys know.”

“I don’t think you should,” Weston said.

“It’s worth a try,” Flynn said. “What if I just stick my head out the other side and check first?”

Before Flynn could find out, the portal begin to swirl, rippling as if a stone had been throw into a lake, and then something disrupted the surface of the portal. Another ogre emerged through the portal. The new ogre noticed the other ogre in the courtyard. They both let out a war cry, beating their chests.

“Well, there goes that idea,” Weston said.

The new ogre flanked their other side, just a few feet away. Weston cast another barrier spell to shield the new ogre coming at them. Now Weston stood with his legs firmly braced on the ground, both arms pointing in opposite directions, trying to hold two barriers at once. The additional difficulty was much more noticeable now, with the ogres gaining ground as the barrier shields shrank towards them, with only a matter of time before the ogres would break through.

There was nowhere to run.