Page 119 of Resurgent

“Individually, none of these methods are particularly impressive. Together, they are devastating.”

The image changes again: A line of soldiers stands in a forest, then the illusion shifts, and suddenly the forest is empty.

“Traditional illusion magic manipulates perception. You see something that isn't there.”

The soldiers disappear.

“Projection technology creates a visual image that doesn't necessarily require a spellcaster to maintain it.”

The image changes again, and now the forest contains dozens of soldiers.

“Rune amplification allows the illusion to persist longer, cover a larger area, and—most importantly—interact with environmental wards.”

My skin prickles.

“Do you understand what that means?” she asks, but no one answers.

“It means our spellcasters can't simply cast a disillusion spell and expect the illusion to fall apart. The rune is feeding the spell. The machine is reinforcing the projection. And the spell is manipulating your senses.”

Halden speaks for the first time. “They've built a system designed specifically to make you doubt your own perception. And that hesitation is what kills you.”

The image disappears, and yet another one appears, this time a field. At first, it looks empty, but as the image zooms in, bodies appear everywhere.

My stomach turns as I pray this is just a really good illusion.

Lin doesn't soften her voice. “Six weeks ago, Third Battalion, Fourth Southern Division moved into this region following reports of Clowessian troop movement. Reconnaissance reported approximately two hundred enemy combatants.”

The image changes.

“Actual enemy strength was forty-three.”

A murmur moves through the room, and thankfully Lin gives everyone a few minutes to come to terms with what we’re hearing.

“The remaining figures were illusions,” she says, changing the image.

“Third Battalion believed they had been surrounded, so they broke formation.”

Another image.

“Then they opened fire against what they thought were enemy positions.”

I stare at the bodies, my fingers cutting into my palms.

“The illusionists used sound replication to create the impression of incoming fire from multiple directions. They projected movement through the trees. They mimicked magical signatures. They even replicated the heat patterns of living bodies.”

Matt's jaw tightens.

“The battalion spent forty-two minutes fighting an enemy that didn't exist.”

The next image appears.

The aftermath.

“By the time they realized what was happening, Clowessian infantry had moved into their actual position. There was not a single survivor."

Lin closes the folder, a look of anguish finally flashing across her face. “This is what we're up against. This is why every move we make behind the scenes matters. Every overheard conversation you spend weeks undercover to be able to hear. Every drive you’re able to intercept. Every single mission you are sent out on. All of it,” she pauses, “can make the difference between the hundred and ninety-nine lives lost, or none.”

The map returns with red markers slowly appearing along the border.