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I couldn’t tell if it was a compliment or another one of his provocations, but I wasn’t in the mood to figure it out. All I could focus on was the power still tingling in my veins, just waiting for another opportunity to be unleashed.

“Adrian, tomorrow Iryen will accompany you to your world, and she will perform the azure spell,” Sienna said. Just hearing Iryen’s name made me tense up, a jolt racing through me.

All this training had consumed me, yet I felt like I was slipping further away from who I used to be. What had I become? I wasn’t human anymore. I was a hybrid, caught in a limbo between worlds, and now I was being pulled back to a place I barely recognized.

Could I keep my powers in control?

That question spiraled through my mind, suffocating and relentless. I remembered the flicker of energy that surged within me, the way it felt like an untamed beast waiting to break free.

What if I lost control? What if I exposed myself or worse, her? The doubt settled heavily in my stomach, twisting like a knife.

“So that’s it? Tomorrow I go back to my life?” The words left my mouth, laced with bitterness I couldn’t hide. I didn’t even know if that life still existed for me. Each word hung in the air, heavy with finality. My heart raced as I realized I wasn’t ready to leave this world behind. I couldn’t.

The thought of going back, of letting go of Iryen, was like a gaping wound tearing through my chest. Could I really walk away from her?

The very idea felt like betrayal, a cowardice I couldn’t reconcile within myself.

She had become a beacon in the darkness, illuminating parts of me I thought I lost.

“Yes, you held your end of the bargain. Now Her Highness will hold hers and release you, although she has to go with you—” Elora began, her tone matter-of-fact, but Ronan interrupted her.

“That’s enough, Red,” he said, his voice serious despite the smirk that danced across his lips. “I thought you would be delighted with the news, human.” His words dripped with taunting amusement, and I felt my cheeks heat in response.

I shot him a glare, annoyance flaring in my chest.

“Delighted? You make it sound like a gift, Ronan. But is what it was supposed to be from the beginning.”

“Her Highness is doing all in her power to make sure you return to your life, hybrid,” Kieran said, his tone heavy with something I couldn’t quite place.

“She’s giving up more than you think, Adrian,” Sienna added in her ever-calm voice, though there was a quiet intensity behind her words. Her lavender eyes seemed to pierce right through me, like she knew more than she was letting on.

I frowned. Giving up more? What else could Iryen possibly sacrifice for this? I already felt like I owed her too much.

“What do you mean?” I asked, glancing between the two of them, suspicion creeping into my voice. “She’s doing her duty, right? This was the deal.”

Sienna’s gaze softened almost sympathetically.

“The spell will weaken her for days, maybe longer. It’s a heavy price.” Kieran’s eyes hardened, jaw tightening.

I stared at them, my mind reeling. The idea of Iryen sacrificing herself for me, of putting herself at risk for someone she barely knew… didn’t sit right. It felt like another piece of the puzzle I didn’t understand, another layer of guilt I wasn’t ready to carry.

“She didn’t tell me that,” I muttered, more to myself than to them .

“She wouldn’t,” Ronan said, his voice low. “She doesn’t want you to see the burden she’s carrying. But we do. We’ve seen it before.”

“And you think I’m just going to let her do this?” I asked, the frustration rising again.

Sienna stepped forward, her presence almost unnerving. “You may not have a choice, Adrian. But what you can do is honor her sacrifice by keeping your powers in check, by learning control. That’s what she’s doing all this for, not just to send you back, but to give you a fighting chance.”

My throat tightened.

“Tomorrow will be hard for both of you,” she continued, her voice melodic, almost like another being was talking to me. “But it’s a path you both must walk. Together or apart… that remains to be seen.”

“Why is she doing all of this? Why didn’t she just obey the council’s orders?” I pressed, hoping to get some answers out of them.

“You really don’t know, do you?” Elora asked, her tone laced with a mixture of disbelief and amusement. Of course, I didn’t know. Iryen doesn’t answer my questions. Why would she? To them, I’m still an outsider, just a human, despite everything that’s happened.

“No, I don’t,” I shot back. “And I’m thinking that’s on purpose.”

Kieran exchanged a glance with Sienna, something unsaid passing between them. He finally let out a sigh, running a hand through his dark hair. “Iryen doesn’t owe you an explanation, Adrian. But… if you must know, she’s defying the council because your bond is bigger than their politics.”

Elora folded her arms, smirking. “And because she’s always had a rebellious streak. Not that she’d ever admit it.”

I stared at them, trying to piece together what they weren’t saying. Kieran’s words echoed in my mind. I was just a stranger to her.

My jaw clenched. “What is this bond? What the hell are you talking about? ”

Kieran shot Sienna a quick glance before turning back to me, his expression hardening. “You’re not just some random hybrid, Adrian. There’s a deeper connection between you two, goes beyond what you understand.”

A connection. That, I already knew. But something further than attraction, something beyond understanding, that was what I couldn’t piece together.

I thought it was because she saved me, that maybe I felt some sense of obligation.

But now, standing here, after yesterday and what they were saying, I know it was there all along.

Like a thread woven into my very soul, pulling me toward her before I even knew who she was.

Ronan snorted, clearly enjoying my confusion. “Oh, he really doesn’t know. Poor human.”

Elora glanced at me with pity in her eyes, her lips parting as if she was about to speak. “It’s the—”

“Red,” Ronan interrupted, his voice cutting her off sharply, “It’s not our place to tell.”

My patience snapped.

“What is it you can’t mention?” I bit out, anger bubbling beneath the surface. “She just left me in the dark, while all of you know?”

Ronan’s smirk widened. “Oh, trust me, human , it’s better that way.” He leaned in slightly, his gray eyes gleaming with mischief.

“Ronan,” Sienna’s voice was soft but firm, a quiet warning.

He backed off, his hands up in mock surrender, but the amusement in his expression didn’t fade.

“Alright, alright, I’ll play nice.” He shot me a look, as if sharing some inside joke with himself. “For now.”

I glared at him. Everyone seemed to know something I didn’t, and Iryen keeping me in the dark made me snap.

“I’m tired of the riddles,” I said, my voice low, fists clenched at my sides. “If there’s something more, then I deserve to know. ”

“What you need to know, you’ll learn when Her Highness is ready to share.” Kieran glanced toward Sienna, who met his gaze briefly before nodding.

“Her Highness doesn’t trust easily, Adrian,” Sienna added, her lavender eyes steady on mine.

“Trust?” I scoffed, shaking my head. “All I’m asking for are answers about myself. And if I remember correctly, she made a bargain with me, truths for these training sessions, which were supposed to be with her.”

Elora’s eyes flashed, and before I could react, she snapped, “You don’t get it, do you?”

“Red,” Ronan interrupted sharply, his smirk gone, replaced with a stern seriousness that startled me. “Don’t.”

But Elora wasn’t having it. “No, I’m going to tell him.” She took a step toward me, her turquoise eyes blazing with emotion. “He doesn’t see that all of this is to keep him safe, to make sure he returns unharmed.”

“Elora—” Kieran’s warning died as she continued, undeterred.

“The bargain she made with you? It was to give you an easy way out. You don’t understand, do you?

She could’ve erased your memories, dumped you on the shore of your city without a second thought.

” Elora’s voice wavered with intensity. “But no, she couldn’t do that to you.

So she came up with this. She’s even performing the Azure Spell, to keep you and her kingdom safe.

So stop whining and demanding answers, and accept what she’s offering you. A way out. Before—”

“That’s enough, Elora,” Ronan growled, his voice low and dangerous. His usually playful tone had completely vanished.

Elora glared at him, but her words had already left their mark. “Fine. I said what I wanted, anyway.”

With an exasperated look, she turned and dove into the dark waters, disappearing into the ocean’s depths without a trace .

I stood there, watching the ripples in the water where she vanished, my mind racing.

Ronan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“She’s got a point, you know,” he muttered, his gaze drifting to the water. “But you’ll have to hear the rest from Iryen.” He met my eyes, and for the first time, there was no mockery or taunt in his expression. Just something close to understanding.