Round 233

The crystal sphere pulsed with an inner light that seemed to resonate deep within Jeane's chest, vibrating against her ribs like a trapped bird. Seraphine stood nearby, her elegant frame tensed as she focused on some invisible weave of time only she could perceive.

"Three failed trials," the Keeper of Time intoned, her voice echoing through the shimmering air between them. "You have but one more opportunity before the tower collapses entirely."

Jeane's crimson eyes fixed on the sphere, her mind already racing through potential spells that might align their essences with this cosmic rhythm. Three failures—I cannot allow a fourth. The memory of her previous attempts, each ending in spectacular magical backfire, sent a fresh wave of panic through her. She needed Seraphine's backup, but the elf woman was barely holding it together after her encounter with that... thing.

"You saw something in your divination," Jeane said, trying to keep her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. "What do the patterns mean? How do we synchronize?"