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Lightning split the sky as I spun to face him, my own shadows coiling beneath my skin in response to his challenge.

"Again," he commanded, circling me slowly. "This time, don't just attack blindly. Feel the shadows around you. Use them."

I closed my eyes for a brief moment, letting my awareness expand. Shadows were everywhere, cast by the clouds above, by the rocks scattered across the cliff, by our own bodies. They called to me.

This time when I moved, I let myself dissolve just as he had. The sensation was exhilarating—being everywhere and nowhere at once. Nothing more than black mist. I reformed behind him, but he was already turning, his arm blocking my strike with infuriating speed.

"Better." His golden eyes had darkened, shadows writhing beneath them. "But you're still thinking too much. Let instinct take over."

Thunder cracked overhead as we began to move. Aether's form blurred into darkness, and I matched him, our shadows dancing around each other like smoke. Every time I thought I had him, he would slip away, reforming just out of reach. But I was learning,watching how he moved, how he used the environment to his advantage.

I caught a glimpse of his solid form and struck, my fist connecting with his shoulder. The victory was short-lived as he grabbed my arm, using my momentum to flip me. I dissolved before I hit the ground, reforming on my feet several paces away.

"Now you're getting it," he said, and for the first time that morning, there was something other than careful distance in his voice.

We continued to spar as the storm drew closer, lightning illuminating the cliff in stark bursts. Each flash cast new shadows for us to bend and manipulate. I was beginning to understand what he meant about letting instinct take over. It was as if my body knew what to do before my mind did.

My next attack caught him off guard. I feinted left before dissolving, reforming low and sweeping his legs out from under him. But instead of falling, he turned to smoke, reappearing behind me. His arm locked around my waist, pulling me back against his chest.

"Creative," he murmured, his breath stirring my hair. "But you left yourself open."

The next clash came faster, more intense. I caught a glimpse of Aether's form through the shadows and moved instinctively, arm shooting out to grab him. But everything happened so quickly, movements blurring together, and in my flustered state, I felt my shadows begin to flow into him without permission.

Aether immediately solidified, his eyes burning. "Fia," he snapped, yanking his arm away.

"What's your problem?" Heat rushed to my face, whether from embarrassment or anger, I couldn't tell.

He laughed darkly, shaking his head as he turned away from me. "That's not how it's done. You're aware of that."

"But why? Does it hurt you?" I asked, watching as the muscles in his back tensed beneath the leathers, how his fingers curled into fists.

He remained silent as the first raindrop splashed against my shoulder. The storm had finally reached us.

"We didn't get to do the transfer before we left. I know you must be getting close." My voice was barely audible over the growing wind.

"If you had told me about your plan before leaving Ravenfell, this wouldn't be an issue." His voice was low, almost a growl.

"I understand that. But it's not an option anymore." I watched as rain began to darken his hair, how droplets traced paths down his neck.

He turned back to me slowly, something unreadable crossing his face. "It makes it more difficult," he said, finally meeting my eyes for the first time that morning. "For me."

My heart thundered against my ribs as I moved closer, drawn by the rawness in his voice. "What does that mean?" But something in his expression told me more than his words could. The way his eyes darkened, how his breath seemed ragged as I stepped nearer.

"Do you remember when I gave you shadows on the lawn that day, how it felt?"

The memory rushed back—that moment when his darkness had filled me, how it had felt like drowning in the most exquisite way. How for one terrifying, beautiful moment, I'd almost lost myself to the sensation. How a part of me had wanted to.

I nodded, suddenly feeling flushed despite the cool rain beginning to fall.

"What I gave you is a fraction of what you just transferred to me." He took a step closer, and something in his voice made my stomach flip. His eyes burned into mine.

"Why is it difficult?" The words caught in my throat. My betterjudgment was roaring for me to step back, to retreat from whatever was building between us. But something treacherous in me wanted to move closer.

He paused, conflict written across his features. Rain dripped from his dark lashes as he seemed to wrestle with himself. "It makes things confusing for me." The words were careful, like they weren't the ones he really wanted to say.

"I'm confused too." The admission slipped out before I could stop it. I looked down, pushing away the guilt that came with those words—guilt about what we weren't saying, about everything I thought I knew about myself. But I could feel him closer now, feel the heat radiating off him despite the rain. His presence seemed to fill all the space around me, making it hard to think clearly.

"I felt nothing for decades." His voice was rough. "Existed, but barely lived. Hiding from no one other than myself, but hiding all the same. And then you showed up. And now..." His voice trailed off, pain crossing his face as he tried to collect himself. A dark familiarity tugged at me. "I've tried to go back to that place. But I can't find my way there. I'm not sure it even exists anymore. Not since you showed up and destroyed every wall I'd built."