Yasmine channels a dispersion pattern. A few faces become transparent and fade away, but are immediately replaced by more.
"Well, that's no good," Isaac says. He leafs through a collection of pattern cards, slim pieces of metal with magic designs on them.
"I can't—" A face locks eyes with Yasmine's. She can't look away. Her arms fall slack at her sides.
The same thing will happen to the rest of you. You can't wait on Isaac to find a solution. Good thing you just studied how to summon water. If you dump it on Desmond's head, it'll break his pattern lock.
You step forward, the summoning pattern in your hand. You look down, let it fill your mind, and look up.
A phantom face in front of you fills your vision. You instinctively jerk away before the illusion can capture your mind.
A pinprick of light appears in front of Desmond and water drips from it. You wanted it above his head, but the face distracted you and you missed.
You concentrate harder. The drip becomes a tiny arc. You're doing a bang-up job of getting Desmond's shoes wet.
The practice room's walls flex as Euclidean geometry takes a brief holiday. The summoning pattern's messing with your mind. The faces have captured everyone else's attention. You feel for the tear you've made and shape it, like placing your hand over the end of a water hose.
Water jets into Desmond's face. He sputters. All the faces vanish.
You run through your math sequence, hoping you haven't permanently damaged yourself.
Phew