The 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion under Lt. Colonel Tanya von Degurechaff is on a routine reconnaissance-in-force in northern Ildoa. (Killing any enemy mages they encounter on the way is routine; the Ildoans don't field anything that'll stand up to the Empire's finest. This is a restful excursion with nice scenery, nothing more.) 

These particular enemy mages spot them in time to flee... except for one who peels off and charges straight towards Tanya. Their mana signature flares like an industrial plant's - that's got to be some novel kind of decoy, right, no normal orb can do that - it grows and grows without forming into any familiar sort of spell...

The 203rd scatters in time, of course, a mage they can all see and sense can't hit them with a directional spell no matter how absurdly powerful. But the sky flashes white to the horizon, every mana sensor is momentarily overloaded, and when they can see again Tanya is - gone.