George, now invisible, hurried toward Akshar and Peyton, who were still staring at the ground where they thought he'd disappeared.
With a grin, he crafted one last illusion. The ground cracked open once more, and a hand clawed its way up through the earth. Illusionary George emerged, covered in sand and dust, and brushed himself off with a triumphant smile. "I'm back!"
Dropping his invisibility, George dusted himself off, leaving only the illusion of the cracked floor behind.
"How…?" Peyton stammered, glancing from George to the cracks in disbelief. "That's impossible. You can't breathe underground!"
George, pretending to pant, looked up and shook his head. "I don't know myself. It's a miracle…"
Peyton considered this, still shaken. "I suppose this isn't the most unbelievable thing I've seen today," he muttered, glancing skyward, remembering the vision of Oz descending from the heavens. "It's…strange."
