The lightning strike lit up the sky momentarily. Aether drew a sharp breath as his opponent stumbled back.
"That should have killed me." Erika mumbled in a daze as she touched her heart. "What happened?"
Aether sighed a breath of relief. "I changed its direction." He pointed at the charred stones on the ground just half a step away from her. "I thought you would be able to block it with a barrier, but I decided not to chance it."
And it was a good thing he had decided so. If that spell had hit her, she would be severely wounded at best. "Sorry. I guess I'm not a good sparring partner." He averted his gaze and took a step back.
"Nuh-uh." Erika grabbed his arm. "Seth always holds back – I can't train like that." The intense look on her face was more than enough to show her words were genuine. "Don't just up and leave because you won!"
