As the pair split, Shinsou had found himself funnelled into a corridor of faceless, white portals and heavy rank air. The channel was oppressively narrow, with no diverging paths and seemingly only one way out. The Telgradian could feel the gravitational pull of the rifts as he walked past each one cautiously, noting that they flickered erratically with intense light upon each pass. But, as Shinsou ambled past the third one, he noted it grew gradually weaker the further he travelled from it. As he entered the dominion of the fourth, the murmurs of the third’s fate-borne whisperings faded away like haunting echoes into the shadows.

They seem to be reacting to me. Shinsou realised. The meaning of this had yet to become clear to him, but the thought burned like a flame in the back of his mind.

For the moment, however, there was only one concern and that was to find a way out of this labyrinth of countless opportunities for a long-haul journey across Althanas. As the spellsword moved forward a couple of paces, his feet squashing moist cemetery grass underfoot, Shinsou’s senses suddenly shook him as Arius Mephisto’s energy moved from the very fringes of his range to directly behind him. In an instant Shinsou reacted, spinning and flicking out a hand from which a Kurohitsugi spear manifested immediately. He lashed out furiously, striking the lithe form of his hated enemy.

Of course, The Telgradian sighed as the dark lance sailed through Arius’s body harmlessly, as if attacking a ghost. The bald wizard was sat with his legs folded beneath him, on the mulchy grass, facing the Telgradian. A blue flame reflected upon the pendant of burnished silver he wore beneath his white coat, playing upon the spectacles nestled on his nose and dancing in the depths of his darkly sensitive eyes.

“Projection magic. How adorable of you.” Shinsou observed as he snapped the lance out of existence in frustration.

Beyond the object of his annoyance was a single portal embedded into the air that wasn’t there before. It shone with distinctly different hues than the others.

“I speak, for a moment, to you directly. I feel distinctly uncomfortable seated in the shadows, but it is what it is, Shinsou.” Arius’s hoarse voice rang out from all directions. “You came here to rain destruction down upon me. It was inevitable. But, let me remind you of something. You stand in the way not merely of an individual, but of an entity. The full extent of which, even with all of your intellect, have been unable to fathom. You must stand clear of the Brotherhood, Shinsou Vaan Osiris, or be trodden underfoot by what awaits in the darkness.”

Shinsou felt the pull of the portals either side of him, and immediately shifted forward slightly as he disliked the feel of the gravity against his body. It seemed to cling to his clammy skin with every breath he took. In fact, the pull was making him lethargic, sapping his energy.

Wait.

“I can tell from the look on your face you’ve now realised what these portals are doing.” The seated menace looked up with a holographic smile. “A commendable deduction. But one made far too late.”

So, that’s how he could sustain such a large number of portals and use that powerful projection magic. Shinsou felt like an idiot as he turned away from Arius’s apparition. He’d realised all too late that his energy was being pulled from him by these portals, and wagered that it was probably being fed straight to Arius, who was sat outside the maze somewhere reaping all the benefits. Shinsou had no doubt that his companion on the other side of this nightmare maze would soon begin to suffer too; his vast electrical powers drawn to Arius like moths to a flame.

There was only one thing to do, and that was to make a big hole in Mephisto’s plan. Literally.

He closed his eyes and clutched gently at the Enpera’s hilt, and allowed his power to flow between it and himself. Four intense, bright walls of light suddenly washed upwards around a cluster of the portals to Shinsou’s right; next to where the Telgradian knew Storm Veritas to be. His friend would be safe, but everything around him would turn to dust.

“Your portals are gravitational, aren’t they? Time for a stress test.”

The pillars dazzled before violently crushing together around seven or eight of the blue and gold rifts, fully enveloping them in a throbbing sarcophagus of pure, magnesium white energy. At his unspoken command, the tomb spawned those familiar giant lances that protruded from its outer shell, and with an almighty bang each spear suddenly plunged into the core. The incomprehensible gravitational forces of Shinsou’s most powerful spell pushed down and effortlessly crushed those of Arius’s creation, rending the wormholes apart with ease.

Arius’s projection got to his feet, spatters of white flame spitting through his ethereal form. He could see that a cluster of his energy sapping portals had been removed from existence, and could clearly see the bemused form of Veritas through the huge gap that Shinsou had created. Worse, the breach in the wall of portals had eaten into the perimeter; Arius’s last line of defence

“Looks like your magic failed the test.” Shinsou panted as the Mephisto apparition faded from existence. His senses once again placed Arius at his true location, which was beyond the portal wall’s large hole.

A hole, at which, the electromancer was nearest.

"Storm, stay away from the remaining portals!" Shinsou shouted across to his friend, stood about forty yards away now, "They're feeding him energy!"