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It was done. What had once been a simple scholarly interest had now become a single-minded obsession, heedless of the politics that funded it. With Pyrus by his side he worked over the magic, compiling decades of knowledge into a single scalpel of work, aimed at the brick wall of a problem that had tormented him for weeks. Months, maybe. He had lost track of time. The Liebrarian’s goal was simple: Get past the barrier wall. Behind the simplicity lay endless reams of layered hurdles. The DA had designed the barrier to be impossible to penetrate. It extended below the ground, a perfect sphere surrounding the Worldspike, blocking off all three Realms from matter and energy and investiture alike. Rashan's works had outlined the basics. The detainment unit had supplied the rest. You needed Administrator access to enter the barrier. The Administrator was stuck inside. An unforseen catch-22 made access inside virtually impossible. It had taken a few days to find a possible loophole, with assistance from the detainment unit. A month to experiment and find the parameters of that loophole, and exactly how far things needed to be stretched to break the barrier. Many more months to refine their plan and organise it. Alum had scoured the city for people with specific types of investiture, visited other worlds to read in the great libraries of Elantris and Kharbranth, and experimented with various weather phenomenons. It had all come together now. The meeting had been set carefully, in accordance with the predictions of the stormwards. The timing would have to be perfect. They made an odd group. A tired Azish man with a spren on his shoulder, standing next to a being made of light, formed out of Selish symbols. Various Liebrarians moved about, checking the preparations. Finally, groups of magic users, hand-picked, filled the rest of the street that led up towards the barrier. A division of Nicrobursters sourced locally. Those had been the hardest to find. Easier to recruit were Elantrians, Bloodsealers, Chay-Shan users and Forgers, each making up their own small crews. Exactly two dozen recruits in total. The wind began to pick up from behind, heralding the beginning of the operation. An Alleystorm was brewing; one of the strongest yet, the stormwardens had assured him. He wondered if it was enough. There was a joke, somewhere, in the fact that he had spent all this time labouring over the project and he still didn't know if it would work. He turned to face the others, and they quieted. The release of Voidus and the guardian would shape the face of this planet. "Ladies and gentlemen. The Alleystorm is building. It's time to approach the barrier. Anyone who wishes to assist us is free to do so. The plan begins now." The group moved forward, down the street. A hundred metres of wide alleyway lay between them and their goal. Alum wondered if anyone would try to stop them. Time to break the barrier.