The words strike deep.
I open my mouth to argue, but nothing comes. Because isn’t that exactly what I believe? I’ve spent months bending them, shaping them, forcing obedience.
But never once did I ask myselfwhy. Why I grip so tight. Why I can’t just let them be.
Have I ever truly trusted them?
A gust of heat curls around me, licking against my skin—as if waiting for my answer. The water tugs at my waist, restless. The air thickens, swirling chaotically around me, sending ripples through the water and feeding the flames.
I hesitate.
And the fire flickers. A violent crack splits through the air. Flames twist, erratic. The water surges higher, slapping at my ribs. The earth shifts, just a fraction, enough that my balance wavers. The wind screams in my ears, carrying embers and mist into the sky.
I suck in a breath, panic flaring hot in my chest.
I reach.
To pull the flames back into line, to settle the water, to force the earth to still, to command the air to be still.
Nothing listens. The elements resist me.
They reject me.
I stiffen. “Valen—”
“You still don’t get it.” His voice, sharp. Cutting through the storm.
The water climbs. I brace—control it, push it back, shape it—
“No!”
Valen’s voice slams through the noise in my head, stopping me cold.
“Do nothing!” he orders.
How the hell do I do nothing?
I clench my teeth. “If I don’t—”
“You will,” Valen says. “You just have to let it happen. Be still.Body. Mind. Heart. And breathe, Amara. In and out.”
Flames flicker erratically. Water churns. Earth shifts beneath my feet. Air thickens around me—pressing against my chest, like it’s holding its breath with me.
Panic stirs. I reach for control—but they don’t obey.
Because they aren’t resisting.They’re waiting for me to let go.
I inhale sharply and stop reaching.
And for the first time since my Elemental magics awakened, I do nothing.
Heat rises, unrestrained. Steam curls around me, dense and blinding. Water laps at my legs, warm and shifting. Wind rushes through me, carrying fire’s heat, water’s coolness, and earth’s steady pulse.
I let go.
And nothing happens.
Or maybe . . . everything does.
