It wasn't conscious. His body was simply responding to the way Osmund moved, the way the air seemed to thicken with growing tension at each of his step. Like the beat of a war drum getting steadily louder.
By the time Finn realized what was happening, he'd already partially embodied the Ferropteryx's innate magic. He could feel the wind currents around the clearing, sense the trace metals in the platform beneath his feet and the tower behind Osmund. His fragment spells hovered at the edges of his mind, ready to actualize at a moment's notice.
His eyes locked onto Osmund with intense focus that no longer required conscious thought.
So when Osmund took the last step and landed on the platform, pausing for just a moment…
Finn wasn't caught off guard by what happened next.
Like an apparition, Osmund's figure disappeared.
And without hesitation, Finn reacted.
With a thought, he was four steps to the left. Then eight steps back. Then twelve steps to the right.
