By the ti the sun rises, the witches are already gathered at the training grounds, pushing through their drills.
The sound of movent fills the air, sharp, controlled breaths, the rustle of fabric as bodies shift, and the occasional crackle of magic surging through tense hands.
Rika stands at the front, her sharp gaze scanning the group as she gives instructions.
Her voice carries more urgency than usual, snapping like a whip with every command. Max moves between the trainees, correcting their stances, pushing them harder than normal.
Ace, Jun, and Elira watch from a distance. Today Jun is not himself. He might be a Joker but every ti sothing serious cos up, he doesn’t play around.
So unlike the day before, there is no playful distraction from Jun, no attempt to slip into training just to entertain himself. His arms are crossed, his expression uncharacteristically quiet.
The weight of the unanswered letters presses down on them all.
Every spell cast, every movent executed, every breath taken carries the unspoken tension of waiting.
Waiting for a sign.
Waiting for a response.
Waiting for sothing, anything to prove that their ssages was read and their intended recipients give their thoughts.
But nothing has co.
Max calls for a formation shift, his voice clipped.
Rika steps in, demonstrating the next set of movents with sharp, precise gestures.
Their urgency is not just about training, it’s a distraction. If they keep pushing forward, maybe they won’t have to think about the silence hanging over them like a storm cloud.
Ace glances at Jun, who hasn’t spoken in a while.
Not normal.
Jun always talks.
Always finds a way to ease the mood, whether it’s cracking a joke or picking a fight just for the sake of it. But today, his silence speaks louder than anything else.
Elira, too, is tense, arms folded as she keeps her gaze trained on the trainees. She doesn’t voice her thoughts, but Ace can feel them.
They’re all thinking the sa thing.
What if they simply chose not to respond?
What if they just ssed everything up.
Before Ace can voice any of it, a shift in the air prickles at his senses. A presence... strong, familiar.
His heartbeat quickens.
And then, stepping onto the training grounds with the confidence of soone who owns the space, because in a way, he does, Kieran appears.
Alone.
His unreadable gaze sweeps over the field, assessing. Even without speaking, his presence demands attention.
The witches falter slightly in their movents, catching sight of him before forcing themselves back into focus.
Ace doesn’t hesitate.
His body moves before his mind catches up, his feet hitting the ground in quick, eager strides.
Within seconds, he’s in front of Kieran, easing himself in his arms, as if that eases all his stress.
"You alright? I don’t like how you look, have you been stressing?" Kieran asks, wrapping his arms around Ace.
Ace doesn’t speak, he just feels him, for so reason his nerves relaxes.
"Ace? What’s going on?" His voice is steady, but there’s sothing underneath, sothing careful, like he’s already piecing things together. "I can feel the tension from miles away."
Ace holds his hand, walking towards Jun and Elira.
Before anyone can speak, Jun asks, almost irritated.
"Brother in law. It’s nice that you’ve visited us, but where’s my husband? Where’s Rey?"
Kieran turns his head just in ti to see Jun approaching, arms crossed, eyes narrowed.
"At the mansion," Kieran answers simply.
Jun’s expression is now unreadable. "Oh? So you dare run all the way here to see your mate, but you didn’t think it was important to let Rey off duty to co see ? I an, I need to see him."
Ace glances between them, surprised by the sharp edge in Jun’s tone. It’s like he’s suddenly being soone else.
Kieran exhales through his nose and raises his hands in surrender. "I did ask him to co with , precisely to see you since I know how much you are addicted to each other, but he refused, without giving a reason. He’s been fuming, and I have no idea what his problem is."
Jun blinks, disbelief flashing across his face. "What? You an, he literally refused to co see ?"
"I don’t know if that’s how we should call it."
"He’s got to be kidding . Like he said no am not going to see Jun?! I don’t believe it."
Kieran is already done with the conversation. His attention shifts back to Ace, ignoring the way Jun stares at him like he just said sothing absurd.
"What happened?" Kieran asks, his voice laced with curiosity.
Ace exhales, rubbing the back of his neck. "A lot."
Kieran waits, his patience thin but present.
Elira steps in. "We sent letters," she states plainly. "Five of them. To different covens."
Kieran’s brows furrow. "Letters?"
"To the witches," Ace clarifies. "The ones who have problems with Rika’s pack, the one Hunter offended."
Kieran nods slowly, processing. "And?"
Ace tightens his jaw. "Nothing."
"Not a single response," Elira adds, frustration creeping into her voice. "Which doesn’t make sense because we know they got to them."
Kieran frowns. "How do you know?"
"Because they sent them through magic," Elira explains, her tone clipped. "And we got the signal that they were received. But after that? Silence."
Kieran’s expression darkens.
Silence was never a good sign.
Before he can respond, Jun cuts in, clearly still stuck on sothing else.
"So you an to tell ," Jun says, "that Rey stayed back at the mansion when he could’ve co with you?"
Kieran exhales through his nose, exasperated. "Yes, Jun. That’s what I said. Can we now focus on what is important?"
Jun narrows his eyes. "Even after you asked him?"
Kieran nods. "Even after I asked him."
Jun shakes his head. "Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. You are lying."
"Jun, Rey is not going anywhere, you can ask him later. And am sure whatever is going on between the two of you is not as important as what we’re supposed to be dealing with now."
"Oh yeah? Wow... now that you are in Kieran’s arms_ not fighting anymore, you don’t see other people’s problems?! Alright! Enjoy!" Jun snaps storming away.
Ace wants to follow him but Kieran holds him back. "Let him, you’ll only worsen it."
"So, you think sothing happened to the letters?" Kieran asks.
Elira’s silence is answer enough.
Kieran presses his lips into a thin line. "If they were received, and there was no response, that ans there are only three possibilities. One, they’re ignoring you. Two, they can’t respond. Or three... they don’t want to end things now, not yet." His eyes darken slightly.
The implication lingers between them.
Ace folds his arms. "That’s why we’re trying not to assu the worst yet."
"Yet," Kieran repeats, his gaze unreadable.
Elira exhales, her shoulders tightening. "We don’t have a choice but to wait for now. I an, wait while ready for anything."
Kieran nods slightly, but his mind is already racing ahead, calculating.
He glances around, noticing how tense everyone is, how the witches are training harder than necessary, does this an Ace is danger again?! Does this an, everyone is in danger again?!
When will these problems and dangers ever end?!
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