One by one, Addison, Maxwell, Levi, and finally Zion emerged. Elric began chanting again, the gap shrinking rapidly under his spell. But before it sealed completely, a sudden red blur shot out, slipping through the narrowing crack and into the open world beyond.
"Ah!" Elric yelped, stumbling back in shock as his heart skipped a beat. The red blur shot past them, and Zion and Maxwell were already lunging forward, claws raised to tear it down. But Addison was quicker; her dagger flashed through the air and struck squarely, cutting down the locust just as it nearly slipped free.
Her chest heaved as her heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst. She swallowed the lump in her throat and exchanged a shaken glance with the others.
If even one of them hadn't been paying such close attention to the opening, that single locust could have made it out, and one escape was all it would take to spawn another swarm outside the barrier, unleashing disaster all over again.
