Jace Strickland POV

  The room was dimly lit, the soft glow of the overhead lights casting long shadows across the walls. The space felt smaller with just the two of us in it, the silence stretching between us, heavy with unspoken words. I watched Thriexa carefully, noticing the way she kept her hands folded in front of her, her posture composed but tense.

  I had been waiting for the right moment to ask. Now, with no one else around, I finally did. “Tell me about the Dephorians.”

  Thriexa’s gaze flickered slightly, a brief hesitation before she spoke. “You already know much,” she said, her voice quieter than usual. “They are a people shaped by war, by vengeance. Their leader, Xuuns, was determined to make us pay for what was done to his grandfather.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” I said, stepping closer. “Tell me what happened after I got hurt.”

  She inhaled slowly, her violet eyes searching mine, as if measuring how much to reveal. “After you fell, the room descended into chaos.”

  I stiffened at her words, but she continued, her voice steady. “Dreinas and several of her warriors restrained Xuuns before he could do any more harm. The Dephorians were divided in that moment—some still loyal to Xuuns, others questioning his leadership. It was Dreinas who took control, who made the decision that changed everything.”

  She looked away. “Dreinas ordered the Dephorians to stand down. She declared Xuuns a traitor, stating that by attacking me after we had agreed to peace, he had dishonored their people and jeopardized any future they could have had.”

  Her gaze darkened slightly. “She executed him, Jace. Her own father.”

  I exhaled, realizing for the first time how hard it must have been for her. The Eova didn’t believe in violence. To see someone killed—someone she had been negotiating with, someone she had still hoped to reach—it must have weighed on her more than she let on.

  I took another step forward, closing some of the distance between us. “Thriexa…”

  She took a small step back. It wasn’t obvious, but I caught it. She was pulling away.

  “I stayed with you,” she said abruptly, as if to change the subject. “After you were injured, I never left your side. I monitored your condition, ensured that your body adjusted properly to the transformation.”

  I frowned. “You’re acting like you regret it.”

  She shook her head, but I caught the slight tension in her fingers. “Not regret. Uncertainty.”

  I didn’t like that answer. Not from her. “Why are you pulling away from me?”

  She didn’t answer, and that silence told me more than words ever could.

  I reached for her hand, and she didn’t move away this time. Her skin was warm, steady, but I could feel the slight tremor in her fingertips. “You don’t have to carry all of this alone,” I said softly. “I’m still me, Thriexa.”

  Her breath hitched slightly, and I saw it—the moment her resolve wavered, the moment she almost let herself believe that we could figure this out together. Her gaze flickered to my lips, and I knew. I knew she wanted this as much as I did.

  I leaned in slowly, giving her the chance to pull away if she wanted to. She didn’t.

  Then the door swung open.

  “Enough waiting,” Vorak Algoks’ deep voice cut through the air. “It is time to begin your training.”

  Thriexa stepped back instantly, her expression neutral once more. The moment was gone.

  I clenched my jaw and turned to face the warrior. “Perfect timing,” I muttered under my breath.

  Thriexa didn’t look at me as she moved toward the door. But I knew she had felt it too.

  And I knew this wasn’t over.

  The next few days were grueling.

  Tocci, Algoks, and Sculki wasted no time throwing me into training, forcing me to understand this new body and the ability buried within me. I wasn’t sure what I expected—maybe sparring, maybe some physical conditioning—but what I got was something far more complicated.

  “Elemental Fusion is not just about manipulating matter,” Sculki explained during our first session. “It’s about seeing potential. Recognizing what can be merged, what can be made stronger, what can become something new. It is a power of creation.”

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  That sounded great in theory. In reality, it was exhausting.

  At first, everything felt foreign. My hands tingled with some unseen energy when I concentrated, but it was unfocused, wild, slipping away before I could grasp it. Algoks would hand me a mineral or a metallic shard and instruct me to “feel its structure, its essence.” I had no idea what that even meant.

  Tocci didn’t speak much during training, only offering sharp corrections when I did something wrong. “You’re thinking like a human,” she told me when I hesitated too long. “Stop analyzing and start feeling. The Elaron didn’t work with logic alone. They worked with instinct.”

  I scowled but forced myself to try again. I let my fingers brush over the smooth surface of a crystal in my palm. At first, it was just a rock. A cool, lifeless object. But then something clicked. I could sense its structure. Its density. Its potential.

  I glanced at the metal fragment in my other hand and, for the first time, I understood.

  I pressed them together, focusing. A warmth surged through my palms, a vibration that crawled up my arms, and then, before my eyes, the materials fused. The rigid structure of the crystal wove into the metal, reinforcing it, making it stronger without losing its original properties.

  I exhaled sharply, my heart racing. “I did it.”

  “Barely,” Tocci muttered, but I caught the approving glint in her eyes.

  Training continued, with each exercise pushing me further. Learning to control my body was one thing, but learning to control the very essence of matter was something else entirely. I lifted metals, shaped structures, merged things that should never be able to exist together—and yet, under my hands, they did.

  Still, through it all, one thing nagged at me.

  Thriexa.

  She appeared occasionally, watching from a distance, but never staying long. She had been the one to save me, the one to bring me back, yet now it was like she was afraid to be near me.

  And it bothered me.

  I wanted to ignore it, to focus on my training, but every time I caught sight of her slipping away before I could say anything, my frustration grew. She had been at my side before I woke up. Why was she avoiding me now?

  I clenched my fists, feeling the warmth of energy ripple beneath my skin.

  I was getting stronger. I was learning to control what I had become.

  But I wasn’t sure if I was ready to face the real question—why was Thriexa pulling away?

  Later that evening, Tocci and I squared off in the training hall, our footsteps echoing in the open space. My muscles still ached from the last few days, but I needed to move, to push myself.

  Tocci rolled her shoulders, smirking. “Let’s see how well you’ve adjusted.”

  She struck first, moving fast. I barely had time to block before she swept my legs out from under me, sending me sprawling onto the mat.

  “You’re still too slow,” she teased, offering me a hand.

  I grabbed it, letting her pull me up. “I’m getting better.”

  She studied me, her gaze flickering over my form. “Yeah. You are. How does it feel?”

  I flexed my fingers, feeling the energy beneath my skin. “Strange. Familiar but not. Like my body remembers things I don’t.”

  “That’s normal,” she said, circling me. “The transformation doesn’t just change you—it enhances you, syncs you with the potential of the Eova. You’re stronger, faster, more balanced. But you’re still thinking like a human. You need to let go of that.”

  I smirked. “Easier said than done.”

  Tocci lunged again, forcing me to react fast. I dodged her strike, but she countered before I could gain any ground. As we moved, trading blows and blocks, she spoke between attacks.

  “So, when are you going to talk to Thriexa?”

  I nearly missed my footing, and Tocci took advantage of the hesitation, landing a solid hit to my ribs. I grunted, stepping back. “What?”

  “You heard me.” She advanced again, keeping me on the defensive. “She’s been avoiding you, and I know you’ve noticed.”

  I blocked her next hit, then countered, but she slipped out of reach effortlessly. “She’ll talk to me when she’s ready.”

  Tocci scoffed. “Please. You’re waiting around like she’s just going to figure it out on her own.”

  I clenched my jaw, focusing on my movements, trying not to let her words throw me off balance. But she was right. Thriexa had been keeping her distance, and I hadn’t pushed. I wasn’t sure if I even should.

  We exchanged another series of strikes, my body adjusting to the rhythm of the fight, but my mind was elsewhere. “You know why she’s avoiding me?” I asked, dodging a quick jab.

  Tocci shrugged, landing a swift kick to my side. “I know she’s afraid.”

  I exhaled sharply, blocking her next strike and pushing forward. “Of what?”

  She twisted, avoiding my attack with ease. “That’s not for me to say.”

  I gritted my teeth, frustration mounting. “You’re really not going to tell me?”

  She shook her head, backing off slightly, giving me room to breathe. “Nope. But I will tell you this—you’re wasting time.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Tocci let out a breath, then darted forward, her speed nearly catching me off guard. She stopped just short of landing another hit, tapping two fingers against my chest instead. “She won’t talk first, Jace. You need to.”

  I stared at her, breathing hard. The training hall was silent except for the sound of our footsteps shifting against the mat.

  I exhaled slowly, nodding. I would.

  We sparred again, this time my movements sharper, more controlled. I landed a hit, knocking her back a step. She grinned. “Better.”

  She came at me again, pushing me harder this time. “You’re holding back,” she accused between strikes.

  “I’m trying not to break something,” I muttered, deflecting a quick jab.

  “You won’t. You’re built for this now. Stop treating your body like it’s still human.”

  I exhaled, shaking off the instinct to restrain myself. I adjusted, reacting faster, hitting harder. I landed a well-placed strike that sent her stumbling back a step, her expression shifting from playful to impressed.

  “There it is,” she said, smirking. “Now, if only you could figure things out with Thriexa as quickly as you figured that out.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re relentless.”

  “Only because you’re being dense,” she shot back, stretching her arms before calling it. “You’re stronger, faster, and probably more stubborn than before. But strength doesn’t mean anything if you’re just going to stand still and wait for things to happen.”

  I breathed heavily, hands on my knees. “You really think she’s afraid?”

  Tocci shrugged, her expression unreadable. “I know she is. But it’s not my place to tell you why.”

  I watched her, frustrated but knowing she wouldn’t give me more. “Then I guess I’ll have to ask her myself.”

  Tocci grinned. “Now you’re finally getting it.”