The frequency was familiar. It carried the exact same dissonance as the rogue asset Korenth had ordered me to hunt down—the one I had already erased from the board. It also matched the stolen shard from the Calysteri victim. The connection clarified the missing data, the secrecy, and Varessia’s sudden interest in power diversions. This was forced evolution. Someone was manufacturing them.
The fight twisted. The Umbrakynn lunged forward with a snarl, landing a vicious strike directly into the Varkyn’s throat. The larger fighter collapsed, choking, shifting uncontrollably mid-fall. The crowd roared.
The Umbrakynn teetered, swaying on his feet. His eyes glazed over. The magic under his skin rippled, then convulsed. He looked moments from tearing himself apart.
That’s when Selene stepped out of the guarded booth.
Her face was tight, jaw clenched, eyes dark with fury. She stared at the Umbrakynn. At the glow. At the broken, twitching limbs. At the unstable magic rising like heat off his skin.
Recognition slammed into her.
Her magic cracked like a whip. It hit the room before I saw it on her face—a burning flare that sliced through the ambient magic like lightning. My heart stuttered painfully against the scar.
Selene’s control slipped. Her body tensed. Her power swelled, demanding release. She was about to blow.
I moved.
Shoving through the crowd, ignoring shouts and curses, I reached her as she pushed forward, one hand rising as if to strike. Her breathing was ragged. Her fingers trembled with raw, unstable power.
“Selene,” I growled, grabbing her arm.
She jerked, unfocused and wild. There was no time. I hauled her through the crowd, up the stairs, and out into the rain before everything broke.
The alley mouthspat us out from the fight pit’s raucous din, but the sudden quiet did nothing to calm her. Rain fell in sheets, washing over the slick cobblestones, mirroring the chaos churning within her.
Her magic flared in unstable currents, heat radiating from her skin and distorting the air. Her breathing came in quick gasps, small, panicked sounds tearing from her throat. Her eyes were wide with terror—she feared the power rising inside her.
Every uncontrolled burst hit me, a quick, burning throb that made the scar above my heart ache. She was seconds away from an explosive release.
I grabbed her shoulders, fingers digging into the wet fabric of herjacket.
“Breathe, Selene. Pull yourself together.” My voice was low, raw with urgency.
The words were wasted. Her panic spiked, her power flaring dangerously. Alive. Ancient frequency vibrated against my fingertips. I shoved her against the wall, not with violence, but with enough force to anchor her.
Her power lashed out again, stronger this time. It pushed against me, a physical force that made my teeth clench. My hand pressed against her chest, directly over her racing heart, over the nexus of her surging power.
Nothing. Her magic only rose higher, sparking against my skin. It burned, but it wasn’t enough. She needed something more. Something to ground her.
Instinct took over. I grabbed her hand, forcing her palm against my chest, over the old scar that guarded my own hidden power.
A jolt passed between us, an unexpected resonance. Her magic pulled—a seeking current. Time stretched, the rain an echoing hush around us. Her wet lashes framed eyes wide with shock. A shudder ran through her.
“Feel it, Selene. You can control it. You’re the one with the power.” My voice was a rough command.
Her magic steadied. The wild ripples in the air collapsed into a calm, concentrated density. Her breath evened out, fear receding, replaced by stunned confusion.
The pain above my heart transformed. A magnetic tether settled in my chest, a gravitational drag. Our magic drew inward, seeking proximity. She felt her power settle. I felt far too much.
I released her hand, but the pull didn’t stop. It lingered, an invisible thread tugging at me. I stepped back, needing distance; the current inside me tugged harder, resisting the separation.
This sensation was alien. Uncatalogued. Nothing in my training accounted for it.
I watched her in the dim, rain-streaked light. The raw vulnerability in her eyes. My power recognised her.
Selene stood on her own, still dazed. I turned away, jaw tight, fighting the instinct to reach for her again.
“Come on,” I said, voice lower than I intended. “You shouldn’t stay here.”
