Jace Strickland POV

  I arrived at the training gym early, needing to move, to focus, to channel the restless energy coursing through me. Ever since the kiss with Thriexa—our bond forming, nearly merging—something in me had shifted. I felt stronger, more grounded, but also more aware. Of myself, of my surroundings, and most of all, of her.

  I started with basic exercises, adjusting my movements to the speed and strength my new body provided. Each motion felt sharper, more precise. I was learning, adapting. This body was becoming mine.

  I was halfway through a set of weighted strikes when I heard Tocci enter the gym. I didn’t need to turn to know it was her—her presence was familiar, steady.

  She leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, watching me with an amused smirk. “Something’s different about you.”

  I set the weights down and wiped the sweat from my brow. “What do you mean?”

  Tocci stepped forward, tilting her head slightly, her eyes narrowing in curiosity. “You feel… settled. Lighter. That weight you always carried—it’s not gone, but it’s changed.” Her smirk widened. “What happened?”

  Before I could answer, the doors slid open again, and I didn’t need to turn to know it was her.

  Thriexa.

  The moment she stepped inside, Tocci’s smirk turned into a full grin. She looked between us, eyes flashing with amusement, and then she laughed—actually laughed.

  “Oh, finally!” she teased, crossing her arms. “I was wondering how long this was going to take.”

  I shot her a look. “Tocci—”

  “No, no, don’t even try to deny it,” she interrupted, waving a hand. “I can feel it from both of you. You’re both practically glowing. You two finally figured things out, didn’t you?”

  Thriexa’s face remained composed, but she stepped closer, her gaze steady before she spoke. A quiet warmth, a steady certainty.

  Then, softly, her voice slipped into my mind.

  I love you.

  I inhaled sharply, the words so clear, so real. I had spoken with her telepathically before, but this was different. Stronger. The bond between us had strengthened, and I could feel her presence in a way I hadn’t before.

  I closed my eyes for a brief second, then responded the same way.

  I love you too.

  Tocci watched us with a knowing grin before rolling her eyes. “Oh great, now you two are going to be one of those couples who talk without speaking. Fantastic.”

  Before either of us could respond, the doors opened once more, and Vorak Algoks and Vorak Sculki entered the gym.

  The teasing stopped immediately, and we straightened. Whatever was coming next, I knew it was going to change everything.

  And this time, I was ready.

  Vorak Algoks and Vorak Sculki wasted no time testing my abilities, placing a series of materials in front of me—metals, minerals, and organic compounds, each humming with potential. At first, I hesitated, trying to approach the task with logic. But that wasn’t how Elemental Fusion worked.

  I closed my eyes and let my instincts take over. When I pressed my palm over a shard of dense obsidian and a fragment of flexible alloy, the materials responded immediately. Heat surged through my fingertips as they melded together, forming a metallic glass—lightweight yet nearly indestructible. The surface flexed but never cracked, adjusting to pressure rather than resisting it. It was adaptive armor, something that could be used in protective gear or even weaponry.

  Encouraged, I reached for the next challenge. A crystalline material was placed beside a substance that felt like liquid energy—a volatile compound the Eova had used in limited capacities before. I hesitated, feeling the instability of the liquid, but then I let go of doubt and reached for possibility. As I merged them, the energy was contained within a structured lattice, creating a self-recharging power source that pulsed steadily in my hands. It wasn’t just storing energy—it was regenerating it, a source of limitless potential.

  With each new combination, I understood more. My connection to this ability grew stronger, more intuitive. My mind no longer saw separate components but possibilities waiting to be realized. I fused aerated metal with dense fibers, crafting a material that could absorb impact and redirect force. I merged organic plant matter with reinforced stone, creating a living, self-repairing structure that could mend itself over time.

  I was no longer just manipulating—I was creating.

  Sculki observed quietly before finally speaking. “You’re adapting faster than I expected. The Elaron’s power was always about innovation, but you—” She glanced at Algoks, who nodded in agreement. “You think like a soldier. You’re creating things designed to last, to protect, to endure.”

  I exhaled, steadying myself. “That’s what I’ve always done. I just have a different way of doing it now.”

  Thriexa, who had been silent, watching from a distance, finally stepped forward. Her gaze locked onto mine, and I caught the flicker of pride in her expression before she spoke. “You’re starting to understand what it means to be Elaron.”

  I nodded, clenching my fist as energy still buzzed beneath my skin. “Yeah,” I murmured. “I think I am.”

  Algoks and Sculki exchanged a glance, clearly communicating telepathically. After a brief pause, they both nodded in agreement. “You have control,” Algoks said. “Enough to return to Earth.”

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  I should have felt relieved. Instead, my stomach twisted.

  Go back to Earth. Back to where I was before. But was that even possible anymore?

  The thought unsettled me. My life on Earth—the person I had been—felt like a different lifetime. I wasn’t human anymore, not fully. I had this ability now, something that had been lost to time, something that could change the way both Eova and humans saw each other. Maybe I couldn’t change people’s minds directly—but I could build something. I could find a way to stop the fear, stop the hatred. I could make Earth safer. For the Eova. For Thriexa.

  Another thought hit me, sharp and sudden—who would I even be?

  The Eova, when they shifted forms, kept their coloring, their markings to represent their nation. Would I be the same? Would I still look like myself? Would I still look human?

  I clenched my fists, staring down at my hands—hands that were now something else entirely.

  Going back to Earth was inevitable. But when I did…

  Who would I be?

  Thriexa Aizih POV

  I was finally going back to Earth.

  The thought sent an excited thrill through me. For the first time in my life, I was returning to a place where my people would no longer have to run. The war was over, the Dephorians were gone, and the Eova could continue building a future alongside the humans. There was no longer the constant fear of pursuit, no longer the looming threat of destruction.

  Still, beneath my excitement, another feeling lingered—concern for Jace.

  I glanced across the training hall where he stood speaking with Vorak Algoks and Vorak Sculki. His movements were fluid now, his posture stronger, more assured. The struggle of adapting to his new body had faded, and in its place, something else had formed—something steady, something powerful.

  But who was he now? An Eova? A human? Or something in between?

  His transformation had been necessary to save his life, but it had changed him in ways I wasn’t sure either of us fully understood yet. Would he even be able to return to his old life on Earth? Would he want to? And if he did, how would the humans react to him now? Jace was intelligent, strong, adaptable—but how much could a person take before they no longer recognized themselves?

  And then there was another worry—my mother.

  I knew my mother would be waiting for me on Earth, expecting answers. She would have questions. She would demand them. Not just about Jace’s transformation, but about us.

  I loved him. I had chosen him. But would my people accept him as one of our future leaders? Would my mother?

  A realization settled over me then—that’s what Jace would become.

  The thought sent a new wave of emotions rushing through me. I had always known that a true partner bond was forever, that it tied two souls together in a way that nothing else could. But now that I had experienced it firsthand, I understood what it meant.

  Jace was tied to me. To the Eova.

  And whether he wanted it or not, whether he even realized it yet, he was going to be a leader among my people.

  I swallowed, my hands tightening into fists at my sides. If my mother objected, if the other Eova resisted—I would fight for him.

  Because he was mine.

  And I was his.

  The time had come for all of us to return to Earth.

  Jace, Tocci, Vorak Algoks, Vorak Sculki, the Klaro, the Bopro, and I that had remained behind all gathered in the transport bay. The ship was prepared, ready to take us down to Earth.

  Among the cargo secured within the vessel was something just as significant—the transformation portal. I had decided to bring it with us, knowing that there could be more situations where it could be needed. This device, capable of altering any species into an Eova, had already changed the course of history once. Now, it would continue to shape the future.

  The ship jolted slightly as we entered Earth’s atmosphere, the quick descent making my stomach tighten with anticipation. Through the viewport, the deep black of space faded into the soft blues and whites of the planet below. We were almost home.

  As the ship stabilized, I watched as the others—Algoks, Sculki, the Klaro, and the Bopro—prepared themselves. When we finally landed, the doors opened to reveal the transformation portal just outside. One by one, the others stepped forward, walking through the energy field and shedding their Eova forms, returning to their human appearances.

  Only Tocci, Jace, and I remained.

  I stayed close to Jace, my fingers intertwined with his. I could feel the tension in him, the way his muscles tensed with uncertainty.

  “You’re nervous,” I said, squeezing his hand. He exhaled, his gaze flickering toward the transformation portal. “I don’t know if I’ll look the same when I go through. And I don’t know if I want to. I’m not the same person who left Earth. Maybe it’d be better if I looked different too.”

  I smirked, tilting my head as I studied him. “I liked the way you looked before,” I teased. “But I like this form even more. And no matter what you look like, I’ll still love you.”

  Tocci groaned loudly. “Great. This again.” She rolled her eyes and turned toward the portal. “I’ll see you on the other side, lovebirds.”

  With that, she stepped through, disappearing in a flash of energy, leaving Jace and me alone.

  I turned to him, my expression softening. “We can’t go through together. Only one at a time.”

  He nodded, his grip on my hand tightening before he reluctantly let go. “Go first. I’ll be right behind you.”

  I held his gaze for a moment longer before stepping forward. Taking a deep breath, I walked into the portal, the familiar pull of transformation wrapping around me as I returned to human.

  Jace Strickland POV

  I took a deep breath, staring at the energy field shimmering before me. Thriexa had already stepped through, leaving me standing alone with nothing but my own uncertainty.

  I exhaled slowly. I had gone through so many changes already—what was one more?

  Steeling myself, I stepped forward.

  The moment I entered the portal, I felt it—the raw force of the transformation sweeping over me. My body tensed as the familiar structure of human DNA reshaped itself. My frame condensed slightly, my limbs realigning to the proportions they once were. The extra strength, the heightened agility—all of it remained, but it was compressed into the familiar human version of myself.

  Then I felt something different.

  As the energy settled, I could feel the subtle remnants of my Elaron form clinging to me. My skin, while human again, had deepened in tone, taking on the rich, earthen brown of my Elaron self rather than the paler skin I had before. My hair, once a simple dark brown, now had a faint shimmer to it, catching the light in a way that seemed almost unnatural. My eyes were the biggest change—still blue, but edged with an Eovan glow, something just slightly otherworldly.

  I took a slow step forward, my body adjusting to the familiar weight of Earth’s gravity, my fingers flexing as I felt the slight hum of energy still within me.

  I was human again.

  But I wasn’t the same.

  Thriexa Aizih POV

  I turned the moment I stepped through the portal, my breath catching as I watched Jace emerge.

  He still looked like him, but there was something undeniably different. His features, the structure of his face, were the same, but his coloring had changed. His skin was no longer the shade it had been when we first met—it had taken on the deep, rich brown of his Elaron form. His hair caught the light in a way I had never seen before, strands shimmering faintly as he moved. And his eyes…

  His eyes still held the piercing blue I knew so well, but there was something more. A depth, a glow that hadn’t been there before.

  He took a step forward, rolling his shoulders as he adjusted, his expression unreadable. I didn’t know what he was thinking. If he was relieved, if he was overwhelmed. If he regretted stepping through that portal at all.

  So I did the only thing I could. I smiled. “Still you.”

  He looked at me, his lips twitching like he wasn’t sure if he should smile back. “Yeah,” he said finally. “Still me.”