Chapter 12
Rynlee’s POV
I was on the grassy field at the base of Arcane Mountain, the morning dew clinging to the blades like tiny reminders of everything we’d lost. The Trifecta was gone; no trace of its terror remained. Except for the names.
Dozens of them carved into the plaque that stood outside the academy walls.
The place parents came to get their child’s belongings.
Sofia’s scream still echoed in my head. Clive’s final gasp.
The haunted gaze in his eyes. Even the two lives I took that day, names I didn’t even know, followed me in silence.
I hadn’t told anyone about them. Not even Gia.
Footsteps approached, and Aiden came up, standing beside me.
I didn’t look at him, but I sensed him. His presence buzzed through the air between us like static.
Even that slight proximity sent goosebumps across my skin.
“Good morning, Dagon and Yarrows!” Professor Firebeard called out as he strode toward us, all flaming beard and too much energy for how early it was.
“Morning,” I mumbled.
Aiden only grunted. Firebeard stopped in front of us, grinning wide. “Well, clearly you’re both thrilled to be here.”
“Sparks and sunshine,” I muttered under my breath.
He clapped his hands together sharply. “Commander Dagon tells me your bond is strong. Let’s test that, shall we?
Dagon, cut your left palm. Yarrows, hold out your left hand, palm up.
” Aiden pulled out his dagger without hesitation.
I swallowed hard and extended my hand, palm up, bracing myself.
He sliced through his skin in one clean motion, not even flinching.
Pain bloomed instantly on my own hand, a sharp, stinging burn that made me gasp.
I peered down to see blood welling from a fresh cut across my skin, mirroring his.
For a split second, I just stared at it.
Then instinct took over. I drew a breath, calling on the warmth in my veins.
Golden light flared softly under my skin as I pressed my fingers over the wound.
The pain subsided, vanishing as the wound sealed beneath my touch.
Beside me, Aiden’s wound closed at the exact same time. Firebeard hummed thoughtfully, rubbing his bright beard as he studied us. His orange eyes glowed faintly in the morning sun, giving him an almost mythical presence, more imposing than usual.
“Interesting,” he murmured. “The bond is strong. Deeper than most. That means we’re starting with endurance.”
“Endurance?” I asked, blinking
“Yes, Yarrows. If you’re going to survive, the battlefield tethered to someone like him, you’ll need to at least try to keep up.”
I glanced at Aiden. Towering. Broad. All lean muscle and deadly focus. “How the hell am I supposed to match his endurance?” I said, motioning toward him. “He’s built like a fucking tank.”
Aiden smirked. “Giving up already, Ruin?”
The urge to punch that smug expression off his stupidly attractive face was nearly unbearable. “No,” I snapped, “but let’s not pretend this is a fair comparison. I’m barely five-foot-three and you look like you wrestle monsters for fun.”
Firebeard raised his brows. “You don’t need to match him, Yarrows. But you do need to close the gap. If you fall behind in battle, you’re not only risking your life, you’re risking his, too.” I sighed, glancing down at my boots. I hated that he was right.
“This,” he said, turning toward the grassy hillside, “is why we’re starting with something simple.
” He raised both arms, and the ground trembled.
From the earth rose a sprawling wooden obstacle course.
Platforms, rope swings, climbing walls, log rolls, fire pits, a narrow balance beam across what appeared to be mud and probably something worse.
A sinking feeling settled in my stomach. “Today’s lesson: strength, endurance, and most importantly…teamwork,” Firebeard announced. “If you two can’t get through this course together, you will never survive a real battlefield. And you’ll run your bond ragged.”
“Sounds like a trust fall with blades,” I muttered with a roll of my eyes.
Firebeard grinned. “Exactly.” Aiden rolled his shoulders and stepped forward, ready to go as if this was any other day. I stayed frozen for half a second longer. Because today marked the first of many challenges.
“Whoa, you look like shit,” Jackson commented as I slumped into my seat at the breakfast table, covered in mud and gods-knew-what else.
“Thank you,” I replied dryly, shooting him a sarcastic smile. He grinned.
“I could conjure an illusion over you; make it resemble as though you’re covered in flowers instead.” Jackson had landed in the third tier: conjuration and manipulation.
Lucky bastard.
“No thanks,” I replied, though my tone softened with a genuine smile.
“I’d rather appear like I lost a bar fight with the earth.
” A sudden gust of wind whipped past, blowing chunks of dried mud off my shoulders and back; unfortunately, it also unraveled my braid.
My hair frizzed out like a halo of chaos, sticky with grit and clumping against my neck.
“Whoops,” Ryan commented from behind me, barely holding back a laugh. “Might’ve overdone it.”
“Yeah, maybe just a little,” I said, pinching my thumb and forefinger together to demonstrate exactly how little.
Ryan dropped into the seat next to me. “Okay, but seriously, why are you covered in mud?”
“I had my first private training session,” I reply, stabbing a sausage on my plate with a bit too much force. “With Firebeard. And Aiden. Which went horribly by the way. Aiden didn’t help at all…he just sped through the obstacle course and left me behind.”
“Oof,” Jackson winced. “Private sessions? For what?”
I let out a long sigh. “Because Aiden and I are bonded. Sun and Moon powers. So now we’re magically linked. Yay me.”
“Damn,” Jackson muttered, charcoal-gray eyes wide.
“Yeah,” I said, pushing my plate away and dropping my forehead onto the table. “Story of my fucking life.” And then, that scent. Vanilla and musk. Clean and warm, and infuriatingly addictive.
My head snapped up before I even registered what I was doing.
There he was. Aiden strode into the dining hall, his leather uniform pristine, his expression unreadable, while Jasmine clung to his arm as if she were a trophy.
Jealousy lanced through me like wildfire.
My fork, still clenched in my fist, began to melt.
“Whoa, whoa, watch it, sparky,” Ryan commented, eyeing the sizzling utensil.
But I barely heard him. Aiden and Jasmine took their seats with the other unit leaders, as if nothing had happened.
Like we weren’t bonded. Like he hadn’t left me behind this morning without a second thought.
That fucking asshole. “Ryn?” Ryan’s voice pulled me back, and I blinked, realizing I was still gripping the warped metal.
“What?” I snapped a little more sharply than intended. He raised his hands in surrender.
“Hey. Just making sure you weren’t about to light the table on fire.” I sighed and dropped the fork onto my plate. It hit with a sad metallic clink, distorted beyond saving.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “I’m fine.” But I wasn’t. Not even close. I hated this bond.
Later that day, we stood in formation inside the sparring room, the air heavy with the scent of steel, sweat, and worn leather.
Aiden stepped forward, eyes sharp, expression unreadable.
“Listen up, unit,” he began, voice carrying through the chamber like a blade drawn in silence.
“You are the ones who survived the Fourfold Rite. Consider yourselves lucky. You cheated death… this time.” He paused, scanning our faces, letting the weight of that settle before continuing.
“But don’t let that get to your head. Your real training starts now.
You will be pushed harder to wield your magic, to fight, to control.
You are no longer merely students. You are soldiers. You function as a unit.”
He began pacing slowly in front of us. “Look around you. These people are your brothers and sisters now. These are the ones who made it. We don’t kill the Rite.
” His tone turned steel-sharp, eyes locking with ours.
“Don’t get me wrong, we will train hard, and we will fight harder.
But you’d do well to remember: a sword turned on a comrade is a blade turned on us all.
” He stopped and faced the group fully. “If anyone is caught killing another Rite survivor, you’ll face ten lashes. No questions. No exceptions.”
“Yes, sir!” we all echoed in unison.
He gave a single nod. “Good. Let’s get started.” Aiden paired us off, and again he paired me with him.
“Why am I with you?” I snapped, glaring at him.
“Based on this morning,” he replied calmly, that infuriating smirk tugging at his mouth, “you need more help than I thought.” My jaw clenched.
I didn’t wait. I charged, ducked low, and drove my fist into his stomach.
He doubled over just long enough for me to strike his jaw.
The impact snapped his head to the side.
When his eyes met mine again, they flashed onyx.
Oh. I’d pissed him off. He surged forward, sweeping my legs out from under me before I could react.
I hit the mat hard, air ripping from my lungs.
Before I could recover, he was on me, pinning me, his weight crushing me.
I swung once more. He caught my arm, wrenching it above my head. Cold steel kissed my throat.
“It would be so fucking easy, Ruin,” he sneered.
I met his gaze, heart hammering. “Then do it.” His eyes darkened further, shadows flickering beneath his skin.