Chapter 18
The moment we returned to Istarus, Airis dragged me straight to the training hall after we changed clothes.
No break.
No rest.
I was exhausted.
Emotionally drained.
Training was the last thing I wanted right now.
And yet...
Here I was.
Alongside the usual targets stood a strange wooden structure.
It looked like a miniature obstacle course.
Or an oversized hamster playground.
“Trying to impress me with your creativity?” I asked, raising a brow as I glanced sideways at an annoyingly calm Airis.
“Why not?” he replied with a shrug.
But I stayed silent.
Waiting for an explanation.
“As much as I hate lowering his status in your eyes, that thing was invented long before Istmond’s most overconfident pretty boy was born,” Aars said, stepping into view. “It’s used to teach energy control. Which, unfortunately for you, you still completely lack.”
He let out an exaggerated sigh.
“So this idiot is probably just trying to show off for once.”
“We’ll start with the targets,” Airis said, flicking his hand and summoning two more beside the original three. “If you hit all five, we’ll move on to the next exercise.”
I snorted before I could stop myself.
“You seriously think I can hit five targets right now?”
I could feel irritation building inside me.
His composure was driving me insane.
His inability—or unwillingness—to understand what state I was in.
And somehow, the second possibility felt even worse.
“This,” Airis said firmly, “is exactly when you need to pull yourself together and perform.”
His voice was sharp.
His expression even sharper.
“No one at the Selection will care whether you’re emotionally stable,” he continued.
“And war certainly won’t.”
He was right.
As much as I hated admitting it.
“Harold Moss’s people could infiltrate the Selection. They’ll try to provoke every possible emotion they can out of you, and some worlds will gladly help them.”
“You mean some worlds actually support his views?” I asked immediately.
“Some worlds are... complicated,” Airis said, tension creeping into his posture. “Manipulative. Cruel. Obsessed with spectacle. We don’t know where every world truly stands.”
His jaw tightened.
“But they know Istarus will protect them regardless, so they allow themselves far more than they should.”
“As much as I hate agreeing with him, this asshole’s telling the truth,” Aars said with a nod, floating closer to Airis. “After Mataarus’s trial, you’ll be even more broken than you are now. And after that?”
He grimaced.
“More trials.”
“Ones you won’t be allowed to fail.”
I exhaled slowly.
Then stepped into position and silently summoned my fire.
The flame settled into my open palm.
Part pain.
Part strength.
If those two parts of me could finally stop fighting each other...
Maybe I could become the person everyone expected me to be.
Feeling the connection between myself and the fire, I released it.
And for once...
It listened.
No resistance.
No struggle.
With a flick of my wrist, I sent the flame toward the nearest target.
It struck dead center.
“That was excellent,” Airis said.
I gathered my energy again.
A deep breath.
A connection to the flame.
The second target ignited instantly.
Then the third.
Then the fourth.
I didn’t understand.
I was stunned by how willingly the fire responded to me.
How naturally it seemed to understand me.
But the moment pride crept in...
The fire immediately reminded me not to get ahead of myself.
The fifth shot sailed wide.
“Shit.”
The curse slipped quietly from my lips as my eyes lifted to Airis.
To my surprise, a faint smile softened his features.
“I’m proud of you, Fireling.”
“Come on, I still missed the fifth target,” I said, brushing it off while carefully keeping my emotions in check.
“That wasn’t the important part.”
“Oh really? Then what was?” I asked, frowning as I crossed my arms over my chest.
Was this another one of his Ria is obviously an idiot moments?
“You needed to realize your magic isn’t your enemy,” Airis said calmly. “Quite the opposite. It understands you better than anyone else because it’s a part of you.”
“Damn. The bastard actually knows what he’s talking about,” Aars muttered, clicking his tongue as he scratched his sharp chin with one claw.
As much as I hated admitting it...
He was probably right.
“Well, it’s nice to see you haven’t changed.”
A familiar male voice suddenly cut through the room, making me flinch as I turned around.
Tarven was striding toward us with the grin of a Cheshire cat.
“And where’s Anastasia?” I asked. “Or are the two of you practicing invisibility magic now?”
“Stasia doesn’t need this much training,” he replied proudly. “She already has excellent control over herself. I was her instructor, after all.”
“There he is,” Aars grumbled, drifting closer to me. “Another arrogant peacock. Though, before officially joining the Strongest Twelve, he was a lot more tolerable.”
“Kharma contacted me,” Tarven said, his expression turning serious. “They’re expecting you in Mataarus. There’s new information about Harold.”
His brown eyes flicked toward me for only a moment.
It was enough.
He still didn’t trust me.
And he was doing everything he could to make sure Airis didn’t, either.
“I’ll keep an eye on Ria while you’re gone,” Tarven continued. “In the meantime, Stasia can tell her more about Istarus.”
My gaze immediately found Airis.
I didn’t like that plan one bit.
“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” I snapped, glaring at Tarven.
He ignored me completely.
“Or...” Aars purred beside my ear.
“We could visit Mataarus ourselves.”
His grin widened.
“And finally find out what exactly connects you to it.”
I froze.
God.
I wanted to demand answers right then and there.
But somehow...
I managed to hold myself back.
“What if I went to Mataarus with you?” I asked, looking directly at Airis.
“Absolutely not,” Tarven cut in before Airis had a chance to answer, irritating me even more.
“Am I the only one who thinks this is all a little suspicious?” I asked, trying to catch Airis’s gaze.
Although...
Damn.
I already knew I had almost no chance of winning this argument.
Tarven was practically a brother to Airis.
He’d chosen loneliness over the possibility of one day losing him.
“I can’t take you to Mataarus,” Airis said at last. “Entering the world of the dead requires a special seal.”
I froze.
Completely caught off guard.
Was Airis actually explaining himself to me?
Seriously?
I’d convinced myself that version of him had existed only in the human world.
“You should agree with him,” Aars drawled lazily. “We’ll get into Mataarus through him anyway.”
His grin widened.
“Just without his knowledge.”
And once again, that oversized dragon-cat managed to fill my head with a thousand new questions.
“Fine,” I sighed with a shrug, turning back to Tarven. “But I wouldn’t mind spending today in bed recovering.”
“We’ll see,” Tarven replied.
And at that exact moment, I realized something horrifying.
Tarven was starting to annoy me even more than Airis did.
Which was honestly quite an achievement...
Considering Airis existed.
******
“We’ll wait until he leaves, then quietly follow him,” Aars said, rubbing his tiny paws together conspiratorially.
We were in Airis’s room, watching him pack a few things into a duffel bag.
“Do you really think this is a good idea for Ria?” Louis asked, sitting beside the bag while occasionally commenting on whatever Airis tossed inside.
He’d been unusually quiet ever since we left the training hall, though I hadn’t paid much attention to it.
The spirits kept distracting me with their constant chatter.
“Isn’t she supposed to have some kind of special seal?” Mortz asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “What if Mataarus tears her apart without one?”
I frowned and looked at Aars.
“You really think I’d risk your life like that?” he asked, raising a brow.
I nodded immediately.
That sounded exactly like something he would do.
Aars clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“The seal’s only purpose is to let Mataarus track incoming visitors. It doesn’t actually protect anyone.”
Could I trust him?
“I’m telling the truth, girl!” Aars snapped, as if he’d read my thoughts.
“Fine,” Mortz muttered. “But how exactly are you planning to figure out whether she’s connected to Mataarus?”
“I’m not going to force you to train with Tarven,” Airis said suddenly, catching me off guard and silencing even the spirits.
Our eyes met.
“But it’s in your best interest to prepare for the Selection as much as possible.”
“Why should I trust someone who clearly doesn’t trust me?” I asked without hesitation.
“He’s just overly cautious.”
“So am I.”
A heavy sigh escaped Airis.
He sat down on the edge of the bed, resting his clasped hands on his knees.
“He’s at his limit,” Mortz observed quietly.
“If I were you, I’d agree,” Aars advised. “Lower his guard.”
“Fine. I’ll train with Tarven and Stasia,” I said, praying I sounded convincing.
Airis frowned immediately.
“What made you change your mind so suddenly?”
Damn it.
Now he was suspicious.
Had I agreed too quickly?
“And what exactly is your problem with that?” I shot back, crossing my arms over my chest and narrowing my eyes.
Strike first.
“You wanted me to agree. So what’s the problem now?”
“It’s just...” Airis began.
A loud knock at the door interrupted him before he could finish.
With a casual flick of his hand, the door swung open, and Anastasia stepped inside.
Without her uniform and with her hair falling freely around her shoulders, she looked completely different.
Now she looked like the kind of breathtaking blonde half the university would fall hopelessly in love with.
“Saying your goodbyes already?” she asked with a smile, her gaze wandering around Airis’s room before finally settling on me.
“I came for Ria.”
“I don’t trust her,” Aars huffed. “She’s trying to ruin my plan.”
“What?” I ignored the spirits completely, trying to figure out how exactly I was supposed to escape Anastasia’s supervision now.
“Why?”
“Tarven came up with a training exercise to synchronize our abilities,” Stasia explained.
My brows shot up immediately, and my gaze darted toward Airis.
His expression had grown even more suspicious.
“That doesn’t sound like Tarven at all,” Airis said flatly. “Especially considering Ria is still learning to control her magic.”
“You’re right,” Stasia said thoughtfully, tapping her chin with one finger as though she were genuinely considering it.
“That really doesn’t sound like Tarven.”
Then her warm smile returned.
“But it does sound like me.”
She tilted her head ever so slightly.
“And we both know Tarven.”
Her grin turned positively wicked.
“He’s never been very good at telling me no.”
******
We walked across the perfectly trimmed lawn while Airis prepared to open the portal.
Aars still hadn’t explained how he planned to determine whether I truly belonged to the world of the dead, but for some reason...
I desperately wanted to go there.
“So,” I said, trying to keep the conversation going long enough to lower either Stasia’s guard...
Or Airis’s.
“Have you two known each other for long?”
“Mostly through Tarven’s stories,” Stasia replied with a smile.
“Keep your distance from her,” Aars warned sharply. “If you do, you’ll have enough room to make a run for it and jump through the portal after Airis.”
I gave the slightest nod.
The idea sounded completely insane.
Which, admittedly, made it even more tempting.
“So?” Stasia asked, glancing between me and Airis. “Did you two manage to get along during your trip to Vuduarus?”
“You could say that,” Airis replied with a nod before coming to a stop.
“You should head back. I’ll transfer from here.”
Taking a subtle step away from Stasia, I spoke up.
“I’d really like to see what opening a portal looks like.”
“Oh, honestly, there’s nothing interesting about it,” Stasia replied, casually stepping closer to me.
Damn.
She really was being suspicious.
“Fireling, stay alert,” Aars warned.
“She won’t let this go until she sees it,” Airis said, stopping in front of me.
“Try not to burn anything down while I’m gone.”
“I’ll try,” I replied with a nod.
“But no promises.”
“Tarven’s someone you can trust.”
“Have a safe trip,” I said, forcing a smile.
Airis looked as though he were about to roll his eyes.
Instead, he simply turned away.
He took several steps back before rolling up the sleeve of his jacket, revealing the rough bracelet fastened around his wrist.
The one engraved with the seal.
“That’s the Mataarus seal,” Mortz explained.
“I promise Ria won’t have time to get bored,” Stasia said as she stepped up beside me.
Her fingers brushed lightly against my elbow.
Damn it.
Crimson light erupted around Airis.
The portal was open.
Without wasting a second, I lunged toward it.
But Anastasia caught my arm before I could reach the light.
A heartbeat later...
The crimson glow vanished.
“Fuck.”