Page 37

“You’ve got some fight in you after all,” Ronan said, ducking under one of my swings.

He twirled around, aiming a kick at my ribs.

I blocked it with a water shield, but the impact still jarred me.

“But you’re still holding back. What are you afraid of, huh?

Losing control? Or maybe you’re just afraid of losing? ”

His words hit a nerve, and I pushed harder, summoning water into twin blades, attacking from both sides. He barely dodged in time, but I saw the flash of surprise in his eyes.

“Better,” he admitted, backing up slightly, his smirk never faltering. “But let’s see how you do when the real fun begins.”

Before I could ask what he meant, his shadows darkened, growing thicker, and from within them, ghostly figures emerged, wraiths pale and twisted, their faces hollow and haunting. They floated toward me, silent and deadly, their presence sending a chill down my spine.

I gritted my teeth and summoned a barrier of ice, but the wraiths slipped through it as if it wasn’t even there. One of them grazed my arm, and a cold, numbing sensation spread through me. Panic flared as more closed in.

“Feeling the pressure yet?” Ronan called out, clearly amused by my struggle. “Those wraiths will suck the life right out of you if you’re not careful.”

I felt my energy draining and the cold creeping into my bones.

But I would not give him the satisfaction of seeing me falter.

I focused harder, pulling the water into thick, unyielding chains.

They solidified in an instant, wrapping around the wraiths and crushing them for a moment before they slip through.

Ronan’s smirk faltered just enough for me to use the opening to strike, launching a water blade straight at him. He blocked it with his shadows, but I saw the strain in his movements. He wasn’t invincible.

Before either of us could land another blow, Kieran’s voice cut through the chaos. “Enough. Shift to triton form.”

We both paused, panting. I was still buzzing with energy, adrenaline pumping through my veins. Ronan’s smirk returned, though it was a little tighter this time.

“Round two, then,” he said, stepping back toward the pond .

The second we hit the water, our bodies shifted, the familiar pain of transformation rippling through me.

My legs merged into a tail, the sharp ache briefly overwhelming, but I pushed through it.

I was getting used to the shift, even if it still felt like my body was being torn apart and put back together again.

Ronan’s tail flicked in the water, his movements sleek and confident. He circled me like a predator, his dark scales glinting in the low light. The wraiths, now in their true element, darted through the water, more menacing than before.

But I wasn’t afraid. The water is like an extension of myself. I summoned it into a wall of solid force, blocking Ronan’s wraiths from reaching me. Then, with a thought, I shaped the water into spears, launching them at him.

Ronan dodged easily, but I wasn’t done. I pulled more water into thick, indestructible tendrils, whipping them toward him. He countered with his shadows, but this time, I didn’t hold back. I pushed the water harder, faster, overwhelming his defenses.

I saw dread in his eyes as one of my water spears grazed his arm. He wasn’t smiling now.

I closed the distance between us, using the water to propel me forward with blinding speed. I crashed into him, my water blade pressed against his throat.

“Yield,” I growled, my voice harsh in the water.

Ronan’s eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched, but he didn’t move. After a long pause, he grinned, though it was more a grimace than a smirk this time.

“Not bad, human. Not bad at all.”

I released him, letting the water around us still. My heart was pounding, adrenaline still surging through me. I had won, but I knew this was far from over.

“You’re getting stronger,” Kieran said, his tone unreadable. His dark, oceanic blue eyes locked onto mine. “You’re getting enough control to hold your own. That’s all you need for your return to land. But don’t get comfortable.”

I felt a flicker of pride, but the significance of his words quickly drowned it. Hold my own? I had barely kept up. The struggle, the pain of holding these powers inside. It felt like every fight was just scratching what I could do, yet it was always on the edge of slipping away from me.

Ronan, still nursing the gash on his arm, shot me a look that was half-amused, half-annoyed. He wasn’t used to losing, and I could tell he would not let this go.

“Don’t look so pleased with yourself,” he grumbled, flicking some water in my direction as he floated back.

“Allow me,” Elora said, stepping forward and gesturing to Ronan’s arm, the wound still oozing despite his best attempt to ignore it.

Ronan raised an eyebrow, his smirk returning. “What, you worried about me now? Didn’t think you cared that much, Red .”

Elora rolled her eyes, her lips twitching in the faintest hint of a smile. “Keep dreaming, Vitalis. I just don’t want to listen to you whining about it later.”

Ronan chuckled, though there was a flicker of something in his eyes. He held out his arm with exaggerated flair, as if presenting her with a great honor. “By all means, heal me, O Merciful One.”

Elora shook her head, her hand glowing faintly red as she placed it over his wound. Warm light radiated from her touch, and the gash on Ronan’s arm knitted itself back together, the flesh mending almost instantly. He flinched ever so slightly, but masked it with a smirk.

I blinked in surprise. I hadn’t expected that. Sure, I’d seen a lot of strange powers today, but watching Elora effortlessly heal a wound that should’ve taken days to mend was something else entirely.

I couldn’t help but wonder if Iryen’s healing powers were like that, just as effortless, just as remarkable.

The thought lingered, and despite my annoyance at how these people were so protective of her, a part of me wanted to know more about her powers.

Would it feel the same as what I was witnessing now with Elora?

Or was there something more unique about Iryen’s abilities?

“You’d be lost without me, you know,” Elora interrupted my thoughts and continued their banter, her voice soft but tinged with amusement. “Not that you’d ever admit it.”

Ronan shrugged, flexing his arm once she was done. “Lost? I’d call it peaceful. Imagine how quiet things would be without you nagging me all the time.”

“Please. You live for the chaos.” She scoffed, stepping back as she wiped her hands on her clothes.

His grin widened. “And you love creating one. We make quite the team, don’t we?”

Elora crossed her arms, giving him a look. “Team? I tolerate you at best, Vitalis. That’s not the same thing.”

Ronan took a step closer, his tone dropping to a low, teasing drawl. “You tolerate me because deep down, you know you couldn’t handle things without me.”

Their eyes locked, tension crackling between them like an unspoken challenge. Elora’s jaw tightened, but she didn’t step back, her gaze steady and sharp.

“And you, Ronan,” she said, her voice quiet but firm, “you need me because without someone to rein you in, you’d destroy yourself.”

For a moment, something passed between them, something unspoken, heavy with years of history and unacknowledged feelings. But just as quickly as it appeared, diapered, Ronan’s cocky grin returned, and the moment slipped away.

“Maybe,” he said, his tone light but his eyes serious. “But at least I’d go out with a bang. ”

Elora shook her head, unable to hide her small smile this time. “You’re impossible.”

“And you love it,” Ronan shot back, turning away before she could respond. He threw a glance at me, his smirk still intact. “Guess I’ll see you tomorrow, human .”

“Get some rest,” Kieran added over his shoulder, his voice carrying an unspoken challenge. “You’ll need it because tomorrow, it’ll be me and you.”

I nodded, though part of me felt a rising sense of dread.

“Great,” I muttered, the sarcasm barely masking my unease.

Kieran’s eyes narrowed slightly, catching the edge in my voice, but he said nothing. Instead, he turned toward the deeper waters.

Elora watched them go, her expression softening for just a moment before she masked it again. She glanced at me.

“You did well today,” she said, her tone measured but not unkind. “But don’t let him get to you. Ronan enjoys pushing buttons.”

“Yeah, I noticed.” I nodded.

Her eyes flicked briefly to Ronan’s retreating form, then back to me. “Just be ready for tomorrow. Kieran won’t hold back.”

Great, I thought, feeling a wave of apprehension. As if sparring with Ronan wasn’t bad enough.

As I mulled over Elora’s words, I felt Sienna’s gaze on me, her eyes gleaming in the light. Her voice was soft, yet it carried a weight that seemed to cut through everything around us.

“You sense it, don’t you?” she said, her tone eerily calm, like she already knew my thoughts. “That your powers are more than what you showed today.”

I frowned, my curiosity piqued. “What do you mean?”

Sienna’s eyes seemed to cloud over with a translucid white light, her usual calm replaced by something distant, almost prophetic. “Your power is tied to something older, something greater. And when the time comes, you’ll have to face the truth about yourself.”

I swallowed hard, unsure if I liked where this conversation was going. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

She blinked, and just like that, the strange intensity in her gaze vanished, leaving her eyes their usual lavender hue. It was as if the eerie, prophetic trance had never happened. Her voice, though calm, carried a trace of strain, as if the effort of seeing whatever she saw had taken its toll.

“I’m not sure,” Sienna said, her tone softer now. “And even if I was, I’m not allowed to answer you.”

That last part hit me like a splash of cold water. Not allowed? There it was again, the ever-present distrust of humans, lingering beneath their words and actions.

I was sick of it. I wasn’t human, not anymore, at least.

I was one of them, whether they accepted or not.