The courtyard was bereft of any life or sound, save the gentle singing of the breeze, and of the occasional humming of the lone figure. She was bent over the paved stones, fondling a broken piece of brick in her right hand. Normally, though not having been in the academy for long, she preferred to be among the trees and birds, where none could comment on her individual–yet not significant–practices. Loriena would mostly try to control simple elements of the earth, such as sand, or pebbles, or dirt- but today, she would try a rock.
"Alright.. It's now or never," she mumbled to herself, scrunching her grass-thin eyebrows together at the ends. Setting the rock down, she gently gestured upwards with her pale, spindly hands, and much to her delight, the brick arose from the ground. Joy sprouted inside her like a lotus in bloom.
Feeling enthusiastic, Loriena thrust a fist forward. It was then that her enthusiasm dropped.
The brick went sailing blindingly through the crisp, morning air, and spot-on through a window meters away. The crystalline sheet exploded into a thousand, miniscule crystals, and showered the courtyard with deadly shards for a stunning eight meters out.
Loriena slapped a hand to her lips to keep from screaming in surprise, and jumped back as the glass skidded past her feet in colourless shoals.
There the amateur stood, recoiled as if stuck by a snake's fangs.
