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“Strength of mindiskind of your gift,” Jordan said. “Pun intended.”

“How can you joke at a time like this?” D.C. hissed at him, clearly still on edge.

“Because that’smygift,” he said with a wink. “Or if not a gift, definitely a talent.”

Despite his seemingly playful attitude, Alex could see a hint of darkness in his eyes. He of all people knew the strength of her mind—with that strength having freed him from Aven’s Claim.

“I’m not sure about this,” Kaiden said, a warning in his tone. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

Such a statement from anyone else, and Alex might have waved aside their concern. As Jordan had said, strength of mindwasher gift—or the power of her will, at least. Both of which were very similar. But Kaiden’s warning made her pause, since she knew one ofhisgifts was intuition, something he had adopted from his sister.

“Should we be worried?” she asked him quietly, aware that Saefii—and every other Tia Auran they currently couldn’t see—was watching.

After a pause, Kaiden slowly answered, “I just feel like it could be a trick. Physical strength is one thing, but there are many different kinds of mental strength. We don’t know what this final phase might be testing.”

Alex bit her lip as she considered his words. “You’re right. But I still think I’m the best one for it. If only because I don’t think they’ll let anyone other than me do it.”

She didn’t need to repeat Saefii’s words from yesterday—as D.C. had reminded them earlier, they’d been warned that the tests were intended to challenge Alex specifically.

Understanding, but still concerned, Kaiden nodded his agreement and said, “Be careful.”

Alex tried for a light-hearted expression. “If it’s all in my head, how dangerous could it be?”

“You have decided?” Saefii cut in before Kaiden could answer, though his gaze spoke volumes.

“I’ll do it,” Alex called back, barely keeping from rolling her eyes since Saefii would have heard everything they’d said.

“Very well,” came the empress’s agreement. “To pass this phase, and therefore your entire test of strength, you need not do anything.”

Alex shared confused looks with her friends. “I don’t have to do… anything?”

“If you cannot handle the experience, you need only call out ‘stop’, and the test will conclude instantly,” Saefii said. “Do nothing, and you will pass. Say ‘stop’, and you will fail.”

“Seems simple enough,” Bear said from Alex’s side.

“Wish we’d been given that option on the mountain,” D.C. mumbled.

Alex agreed with both of them, but she also knew no one would have used the word, not if it meant they would have failed. Just like no matter what she was about to endure, nothing would make her use the safe word—not at the risk of her entire world.

“Do you understand the conditions, Alexandra Jennings?” Saefii asked.

“I do.”

“Then let the testing begin.”

There was no way to describe what happened next other than to say everything around Alexliquefied.The stadium, the clouds, the sky—everything in sight dripped like melting wax until there was nothing of their scenery left. Instead, their surroundings changed to somewhere much more familiar.

“No,” Alex gasped, spinning on the spot, knowing exactly where she was. And worse, having the feeling she knew exactlywhenshe was.

Taking in her friends’ worried faces as they noticed her frantic movements and rapidly paling features, she heard their concerned questions like blurry background noise as her pulse began roaring in her ears. She couldn’t answer any of them; all she could do was wait, knowing what was about to happen and dreading it with all of her being.

This wasn’t a strength test that would challenge her will—it was one that would challenge every single part of her being.

“Are we on the top of Mount Paedris?”

Jordan’s question managed to pierce through the panicked fog of Alex’s mind, but she couldn’t offer confirmation. Because if she opened her mouth, she knew there was only one word that would come out—one word that would mean they would fail. So she kept her trembling lips pressed painfully tight, even when a flash of light and shadows delivered three others to the open space before where they all stood.

Soraya, Alex herself… and Niyx.