I stand at the edge of the training platform, arms loose at my sides. The drop below isn’t deadly—just far enough to feel the full force of the fall before the net of air magics catches me.
I’ve fallen before.
In magics training. In moments where I had no choice but to trust my instincts and let the wind break my descent.
But this isn’t the same.Because this isn’t about wielding the wind. It’s about letting it wield me.
Valen stands behind me, tension between his brows. “Jump,” he says.
I don’t move. His gaze weighs on me—patient, but unyielding.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“I’m thinking.”
“That’s the problem.”
I clench my fists, my breath comes short and tight. “What if it doesn’t catch me?”
“Then you’ll hit the ground.” His voice is maddeningly calm. “But itwill. Because you already know it will. The wind is part of you, Amara. You can channel it, but can you trust it?”
I swallow hard. This should be easy. But if I jump and nothing catches me, that means I was never meant to fly.
I suck in a sharp breath, my heart pounding. The wind presses against me, waiting.
I hesitate. And in that hesitation, I almost lose everything. Because hesitation means I don’t believe. And the wind does not serve doubt.
I have spent my whole life wielding the earth Element; spent these past few months bending all four Elements to my will, channeling and shaping them into something I can control.
But now, Valen is asking me to do the opposite.
To trust that the wind already knows what to do. That it doesn’t need me to guide it.
The edge looms before me, vast and empty, stretching into the open sky. I stare down, my stomach twisting.
My feet feel rooted. I’m not afraid of falling. I’m afraid of what happens if nothing catches me.
I flex my fingers, sucking in a sharp breath.
You merged the elements,I remind myself.You wielded fire and water together. You shattered what was thought impossible. So why is this so—
A gust of wind hits me from behind, knocking me forward a fraction. Like the wind itself is losing patience.
My pulse jumps. I dig my heels in, instinct tightening mymuscles.
No.
I’m not ready.
Valen’s voice cuts through the wind. “You’re fighting it.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. “I just—” I stop, shaking my head. I don’t even know how to explain it.
Valen’s voice softens. “You’re afraid of letting go.”
My throat tightens.
No.
