[WARNING! Unedited! Don’t buy!]
Night deepened around the monastery, pressing against the cracked stone like a living thing. Wind whispered through broken windows, carrying the scent of pine and damp earth. The ruins no longer felt abandoned. They felt watchful.
Caroline slept first.
Her exhaustion dragged her under quickly, breath evening out as she curled against her cloak on the cold floor. I stayed awake beside her, back against the wall, daggerless but not defenseless. The pact with Sol still humd beneath my skin like a second pulse.
I hated it.
I hated needing him.
And yet—without him, we would already be dead.
Footsteps echoed softly.
I tensed, hand instinctively reaching for a weapon that wasn’t there.
Sol erged from the shadows near the doorway. "You should sleep."
"Soone has to watch," I replied.
"That soone does not have to be you."
I scoffed. "And trust you to guard us?"
He studied in silence. "You would not be alive if I wished you harm."
"Comforting," I muttered.
He didn’t smile this ti.
"You are burning out," Sol said. "Pain clouds instinct. Exhaustion dulls reaction. You are her shield. A broken shield is useless."
I clenched my jaw. "She’s not fragile."
"No," he agreed. "But neither are you immortal."
A bitter laugh escaped . "Funny. You all act like it."
Sol’s gaze sharpened. "Immortality is a curse. One you do not want."
"Maybe," I said quietly. "But it beats dying young."
He turned away. "Sleep."
Against my better judgnt, I listened.
Morning arrived with fog.
It crept low across the ground, swallowing the ruins in silver silence. Caroline stirred beside , rubbing sleep from her eyes.
"Did I dream about water turning into knives?" she asked groggily.
I snorted. "Not a dream."
Her face fell. "Great."
Sol waited outside.
"Today," he said, "you learn defense."
Caroline exhaled. "I liked making holes in walls."
"Attack without control will get you killed," Sol replied. "Shielding will keep you alive."
He led us to the monastery courtyard—a wide stone space littered with rubble and weeds. Sunlight barely touched it through hanging ivy.
"Stand," Sol ordered.
Caroline did.
"Close your eyes."
She obeyed.
"Call the water," he said. "But do not shape it."
Her brow furrowed. Moisture gathered around her again, mist thickening in the air.
"Good," Sol said. "Now, imagine a wall."
The water trembled.
"Not a weapon," he added. "A barrier."
Her breathing slowed. The swirling moisture condensed into a thin, curved sheet in front of her—transparent but solid, like living glass.
I stared. "That’s insane."
Sol gestured.
A sudden blast of arcane shot from his palm.
Caroline shrieked.
The water shield caught it.
The impact rippled through the barrier, vibrations running like shockwaves—but it held.
She dropped to her knees, gasping.
"I thought you were going to kill !" she cried.
"I thought you would protect yourself," Sol corrected.
"That’s not the sa!"
"Yes," he said calmly. "It is."
Training continued.
Sol attacked without warning—small bursts, controlled strikes. Caroline learned to react, to raise shields, to shape barriers thicker or thinner depending on the force.
She failed.
Often.
More than once, arcane struck through half-ford shields and knocked her flat. I rushed to her side every ti.
"Stay back," Sol snapped. "She must recover alone."
"She’s human!"
"She is arcane," he replied. "Which ans she must be stronger than human."
Caroline coughed, dragging herself upright. "He’s right."
I stared at her. "Don’t agree with him."
She smiled weakly. "I don’t like him. But I trust him."
That hurt more than it should have.
By midday, her hands trembled uncontrollably.
"I can’t feel my fingers," she whispered.
Sol nodded. "Good. That ans you pushed past comfort."
"Is that supposed to be encouraging?"
"No."
We rested in the shade.
Caroline leaned against , eyes closed. "Do you think I’ll ever stop being scared?"
I brushed hair from her face. "I hope not."
She frowned. "That’s a terrible answer."
"Fear keeps you alive," I said. "It just shouldn’t control you."
She nodded slowly.
A branch snapped sowhere in the trees.
My body went rigid.
Sol turned sharply.
"Move," he hissed.
We barely had ti.
A figure crashed through the brush.
Valerius.
He landed lightly, boots barely touching stone, eyes glowing like embers.
"Well," he drawled. "This is disappointing."
My heart slamd into my ribs.
"You ran so well," he continued. "I thought you’d lead sowhere interesting."
Caroline stumbled back. "How did you—"
"Track you?" Valerius grinned. "You left quite a trail of panic."
Sol stepped forward.
"Leave," he commanded.
Valerius laughed. "No."
The air warped.
Arcane surged.
Sol attacked first.
Shadows ripped outward like blades, slicing through space itself. Valerius dodged effortlessly, moving like smoke, laughing even as shadows grazed his skin.
"Co on," Valerius teased. "Is that all?"
Caroline scread when he vanished.
Then reappeared behind .
His hand closed around my shoulder.
I drove my elbow backward with everything I had. It connected—barely.
He hissed. "Feisty."
Sol’s shadows slamd into him, hurling him across the courtyard. Stone cracked as Valerius hit the wall.
For once, he didn’t laugh.
Caroline raised her hands.
Water surged.
She didn’t hesitate.
The blast hit Valerius mid-rise, smashing him into rubble. He roared in fury.
"Good," Sol shouted. "Again!"
Caroline obeyed.
Water struck again.
Valerius staggered—but didn’t fall.
"You’re improving," he snarled. "Sha I’ll have to kill you before you master it."
Fear ripped through .
"Run!" I shouted.
"No," Caroline whispered. "I’m tired of running."
She stepped forward.
I grabbed her wrist. "Don’t."
She looked at .
And smiled.
"I’m not scared anymore."
She ripped free.
Water rose around her in a violent spiral, power pulsing like a storm trapped in her chest.
Valerius froze.
For the first ti—
He looked uncertain.
She thrust her hands forward.
The force was monstrous.
It slamd him into the far wall so hard the stone exploded outward. Dust filled the air. Debris rained.
Silence.
Then—
Valerius crawled out of the rubble.
Bleeding.
Snarling.
Furious.
"Oh," he said softly. "That was a mistake."
He lunged.
Sol intercepted.
The two collided in a storm of arcane and shadow, shockwaves ripping across the courtyard.
"Go!" Sol shouted. "Now!"
I grabbed Caroline.
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