Their hunt stretched on through the day. Rank didn't matter anymore, even lower beasts served as moving practice dummies.
They pushed themselves, trying out new ways to fuse their affinities, testing range, control, and timing. Arden made sure they didn't just fight one by one but pressed together, drilling them with Umbral Pulse Convergence, his pulse anchoring theirs so attacks landed in sync.
"Again," he said after Rael's lightning and Nyra's ice clashed midair. "If you can't weave, you'll waste half your energy. Keep the tempo."
Rael groaned. "You sound like my old instructor."
Nyra smirked. "Difference is, this one actually knows what he's doing."
Arden didn't argue. He simply moved them again, every clash of energy tied to the pulse of his life force. Slowly, they began to flow more like a unit than scattered blades.
That training was what carried them into the next challenge.
Arden stopped suddenly, his gaze narrowing toward the east. "Something's there."
