The faint hum of mana filled the room, a subtle vibration that coursed through my veins and resonated in the air.
"Just a little more," I muttered, my voice low and strained.
The swirling barrier prototype hovered before me, its translucent layers shifting and shimmering like an unsteady ripple on water. It was almost there—almost stable—but the closer I got, the more fragile it seemed.
I leaned back slightly, flexing my fingers as I exhaled slowly. Erebron, pulsed erratically, disrupting the flow of mana I directed. My vision fractured momentarily, threads of mana appearing as jagged, broken lines. It felt as though the world itself was fighting me.
