The next sixty minutes were a nightmare of cracking stone, stress, and pure frustration.
I sat with my left hand gripping the dull stylus, my eyes locked on the blank slate on my desk. Every time I tried to draw the first line of the Stability symbol, my focus had to stay completely steady. If my thoughts drifted to the ache in my mana channels, or if my stroke got too thick, the stone under my hand would reject my power.
Snap.
Another thin crack ran through the middle of my pen.
"Start over, Mr. Celestial," Professor Zane's voice cut through the quiet room from the front. He was not even looking at me, his eyes on a different row, yet he knew the moment my focus broke. "You are rushing. Stability needs a steady mind, not a fast hand."
I let out a slow, quiet breath through my nose, forcing my sore shoulder muscles to relax.
Next to me, Caster was in worse shape.
