"We have two days before we're sent into Absentia." My voice is steady, but my shadows twitch in agitation. "We don't have time to sit around debating what the council thinks of me. We need a plan."
Malrik watches me carefully, his silver eyes unreadable. "We'll prepare," Aspen assures me, his calm voice a balm to my fraying nerves. "We'll make sure you're ready."
I hesitate, my gaze dropping to where my shadows twist anxiously at my feet. Bob is already organizing them into what looks like a battle formation, but there's an edge of desperation to his movements that scares me more than I want to admit.
"I know Malrik is coming. But Aspen, Torric, Finn... I don't expect you to follow me into this." I force a small smile, trying to lessen the weight of the moment. "I wouldn't ask you to."
Torric stiffens. "Are you serious?"
Aspen frowns, stepping forward. "Kaia, do you really think we'd let you go into that place without us?"
Finn lets out a dramatic gasp, pressing a hand to his chest. "Wow. Just wow. The betrayal. I thought we had something special."
I groan, rubbing my temples. "That's not what I meant, Finn."
Torric lets out a sharp breath, shaking his head. "Gods, you really don't get it, do you?" His golden eyes blaze with frustration, but underneath, there's something else. Something softer. "You're not just some mission to us. You think we're standing here, training with you, pushing you, because we feel obligated?" He takes a step closer, the heat of him making myshadows stir. "I'm going because I choose to. Because I won't stand back while you put yourself in danger. Not when I can fight beside you."
Aspen nods, his gaze steady. "You don't have to ask us, Kaia. We're here because we want to be." His fingers brush my wrist, a quiet reassurance that sends electricity up my arm. "Because we care about you."
Finn makes a choked sound. "Well, that was disgustingly romantic." But the way his chaos magic sparks between his fingers betrays how affected he really is.
I huff out a breathless laugh, even as my chest tightens with emotions I don't have names for. "You guys are impossible."
Torric smirks. "And you're stuck with us."
Malrik folds his arms, watching me with an unreadable expression. "Then it's settled. We'll spend the next two days preparing. That means training, gathering supplies, and making sure we're ready for whatever Absentia throws at us."
My shoulders relax slightly, some of the tension easing. "Thank you." The words feel inadequate for the weight of what they're offering, but it's all I have.
Finn grins, throwing an arm over my shoulders. "What kind of romance would this be if we let you go off to certain doom by yourself?"
I groan, shoving him off, but the flicker of amusement in my eyes isn't lost on anyone. My shadows settle slightly, Bob actually relaxing his rigid posture enough to pat Finnick on what might be his head.
Two days of training. Planning. Pushing. My shadows whisper in corners I can't reach. Mouse never leaves my side.
By day three, I'm sparring at dawn. Aspen corrects my form. Finn goads my instincts. "You're thinking too much," he tells me, deflecting my lateststrike with infuriating ease. "Shadow magic isn't just about control—it's about feeling. Let them guide you."
I growl in frustration, my shadows coiling tighter. "Easy for you to say. Your magic literally thrives on unpredictability."
His green eyes soften. "And yours thrives on connection. So connect."
Malrik watches from the edges more often than he participates, stepping in only when needed. When he does, it's unsettling how seamlessly we move together, like our shadows know something we don't. His silver eyes track my movements with an intensity that makes my skin prickle with awareness.
Torric pushes my endurance, running drills until my lungs burn, and then forces me through another round. "If you can't push past exhaustion," he grunts, tossing me a waterskin, "you won't survive in Absentia."
By the end of the second day, I collapse onto the couch in the common room, Mouse curling into my side. My muscles ache, and the Heart of Eternity pulses against my skin in rhythm with my heartbeat.
"You look dead," Finn observes from the opposite chair, spinning a dagger between his fingers with casual precision.
"Feel dead," I mumble, half-heartedly swatting at his foot when he nudges my leg.
Aspen chuckles, settling in beside me. "You'll thank us when you make it back in one piece."
I don't answer. I'm not sure what I'm expecting once we enter Absentia. I just know that nothing is going to be the same after this. The Heart seems to agree, its warmth pulsing with something that feels almost like anticipation.
My shadows coil around me protectively, sensing my unease. Bob attempts to organize the others into what appears to be a proper formation, but even he seems distracted. Patricia keeps taking notes, though I notice her usual methodical approach has been replaced by something more frantic.
Malrik steps in, shadows clinging to his silver eyes like prophecy. "We leave at dawn."
