The shadows of Everhart felt longer after the Circle shattered. Every corner of the corridors seemed to whisper, every noble's stare weighed heavier. Andy felt it in the marrow of his bones—their bond had made them powerful, but it had also made them targets.
He leaned against the balcony railing of their quarters, staring into the moonlit gardens. The hedges below cast strange silhouettes, twisting shapes in the pale glow. He gripped the railing until his knuckles whitened.
"They'll never see me as one of them," he muttered, voice low. "To them I'll always be an intruder. Dangerous. Unworthy."
Behind him, soft footsteps approached. Nia's hand slid over his arm, cool and steady. Her silver eyes caught the moonlight, shining with quiet certainty. "Then don't waste your breath on them. We can't silence their tongues, but we can silence their doubts. Not with words—by showing them we are stronger together."
Andy turned toward her, fire and frustration simmering in his chest. But when he met her gaze, the storm bent into focus. He nodded, his jaw tight. "Then let's train. Not tomorrow. Tonight."
---
The abandoned training hall beneath Everhart was a relic. Dust clung to cracked stone, torches lay cold in their sconces. Once, knights had honed their craft here, their shouts and blades echoing against the walls. Now only silence remained.
Andy lit the torches with a flick of flame, crimson sparks leaping from his fingertips. Shadows recoiled, and the chamber bloomed with light. He drew the Dual Dragonblades, their steel gleaming, tongues of fire licking their edges. The air shimmered with heat.
Nia lifted her staff, its silver gem pulsing with moonlight. A radiant glow spread, washing the darkness away with soft brilliance. Together, their powers painted the hall in fire and silver.
"Ready?" Andy asked, rolling his shoulders.
Nia's lips quirked faintly. "I'm not the one who almost burned a hole in the balcony last week."
He gave a short laugh despite himself, then lunged.
---
Steel cut through the air. Andy slashed wide, flames roaring from his blade, the heat cracking stone where it passed. Nia swung her staff, weaving a barrier of light that curved into a crescent shield. The two collided with a sound like bells struck by thunder, sparks and silver scattering across the floor.
Again. He swept upward, his second blade shrouded in spiraling water. Nia stepped aside gracefully, light trailing her movement, before thrusting her staff forward. A beam of moonlight shot out, colliding with his water slash. The chamber hissed into a cloud of steam.
Andy coughed, waving smoke from his face. "That's—"
"—not it," Nia finished, already moving. Her staff traced another ward in the air, silver glyphs sparking.
Andy charged again, frustration gnawing. Fire slashed down, silver ward pushed up. The two forces crashed, stalemated, canceling each other.
Stone cracked beneath their feet. Dust fell from the ceiling.
Andy growled, stepping back, his chest heaving. "It's useless. Fire, water, light—they don't mix. We're forcing something that won't work."
Nia's eyes sharpened, her grip firm on her staff. "No. You're still fighting like it's you against me. Stop forcing it. Stop separating us. Feel me. Trust me."
Before he could respond, she stepped closer and pressed her hand flat against his chest, right over his heart.
Andy's breath stilled. The storm of flame inside him writhed, ready to lash out, but her touch bent it inward, guiding rather than suppressing. He closed his eyes. For the first time, he let his mana flow with hers instead of against it.
Her calm silver current wrapped around his roaring fire, reshaping, balancing.
The System stirred.
System Notice: Mana Resonance deepened. Bond Flow alignment: 82%.
Andy's eyes snapped open, now glowing with flecks of silver. Flame surged across his blades, but instead of burning out of control, the fire curled around her light, shaping itself into something whole.
"Now," Nia whispered, her voice steady.
Andy swung.
Nia moved with him, her staff glowing brilliantly. Silver beams spiraled into his arc of flame, weaving perfectly. Together, they unleashed their strike.
The chamber erupted in brilliance. Fire and light combined into a single sweeping crescent, a radiant storm that tore across the hall. Training dummies shattered into ash. Stone cracked and buckled. For an instant, the underground hall glowed like dawn had broken beneath the earth.
Andy dropped to one knee, panting, his arms trembling with the effort. Nia swayed, her staff heavy, hair damp against her face.
The System chimed.
System Update: Synchronization Combat Achieved.
Progression: 163% → 165%.
New Skill Unlocked: Twin Soul Strike.
Effect: Fire and Light combined into a singular, amplified strike.
Andy let out a breathless laugh. "We did it… Nia, we actually did it."
She smiled faintly, cheeks flushed. "No, Andy. We did it because we moved as one."
He extended his hand. She took it without hesitation, their fingers locking tight.
---
The moment stretched, their bond warm between them, but then the fire in Andy's veins surged again—too wild, too hot. His eyes flared red, flame spilling uncontrolled across his blade. His roar echoed, the chamber quaking under the sudden surge.
Nia's heart clenched. She dropped her staff, wrapping her arms around him, pressing her forehead to his.
"Andy. Stay with me. Stay with me!"
The System chimed urgently.
System Alert: Instability rising. Dragonblood resonance at 92%.
Bond Anchor triggered. Stabilization protocol active.
Andy gasped, fire dimming, his body shaking. Slowly, his breathing evened, the storm inside settling again under her embrace. His flames dwindled, leaving only a faint glow along the steel.
He slumped forward, forehead resting against hers. "I… almost lost it again."
"You didn't," Nia whispered, voice soft but firm. "Because I'm here."
---
Silence reclaimed the hall, broken only by their ragged breaths. The torches flickered. For a heartbeat, Andy thought he saw eyes—golden, cold—gleaming in the shadows at the edge of the chamber. Watching. Waiting.
He blinked. The vision was gone.
Nia shivered, her grip tightening on his hand. "She's here. Even when we can't see her, she's here."
Andy sheathed one blade, the other still glowing faintly, and pulled her close. "Then we'll get stronger. Strong enough that no illusion, no shadow, no goddess, can touch us."
The System hummed faintly in his mind.
System Reminder: Skill acquired – Twin Soul Strike.
Bond Progression: 165%.
Andy squeezed Nia's hand. For the first time that night, despite the shadows pressing in, he allowed himself a smile.
"We'll be ready."