Brannic's training grounds were quieter than usual that morning.
Not empty.
Never empty.
The forge still roared nearby, metal clanging rhythmically in the distance while workers moved between construction materials and half-finished projects.
But the field itself felt still.
Focused.
Scars covered the grounds now:
cracked earth
shattered targets
reinforced barriers patched repeatedly after Bunny-related incidents
Evidence of progress.
Llandra stood near the center of it all, bow resting lightly in her hand while translucent system windows hovered quietly before her.
Jax approached carrying two drinks.
"You haven't picked yet?"
She accepted the drink with a grateful nod.
"No."
Jax blinked.
"…None of them?"
"There are too many important choices," she admitted.
Then after a smaller pause:
"…and I wanted your opinion."
That caught him slightly off guard.
Not because she asked—
but because Llandra rarely asked anyone for help.
Jax stepped beside her calmly.
"Alright," he said. "Show me."
The system expanded between them.
Skill after skill scrolled down the glowing display.
Some common.
Some advanced.
And then—
Legendary tier.
Even Jax let out a low whistle.
"…Okay. Those are ridiculous."
Llandra tried not to smile.
"There's one in particular I've been considering."
She selected it.
ASTRAL ECHO
Two autonomous duplicates created from mana and perception distortion.
True body enters partial invisibility during activation.
Coordinated attacks increase accuracy and pressure exponentially.
Jax stared at the description for several seconds.
Then looked at her.
"…Lan."
She blinked.
"That might be one of the strongest battlefield skills I've ever seen."
The faint tension in her shoulders relaxed slightly hearing that.
"It's versatile," she explained carefully.
"Deception. Repositioning. Pressure. Confusion."
"Survivability," Jax added immediately.
Llandra paused.
Then nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"Take it."
No hesitation.
No uncertainty.
"Immediately."
That made her smile softly.
"Alright," she agreed.
Astral Echo locked into place.
The system shimmered.
New options continued expanding underneath.
Starfall Volley.
Everdraw Quiver.
Arrow of Binding.
Arrow of Severance.
Phantom Step.
Sovereign Sight.
Jax studied each one carefully.
"You don't need all damage skills," he said eventually.
"I know."
"You already hit like a siege weapon."
"That is also true."
He pointed toward Phantom Step.
"This one has value."
Short-range repositioning.
Escape utility.
Defensive mobility.
Llandra stared at it quietly.
Then scrolled past.
Jax noticed immediately.
"You don't want it."
"No."
"Why?"
Llandra was quiet for a moment.
Then finally answered honestly.
"Because I don't want to spend every skill protecting myself."
Jax studied her carefully.
"I want to increase pressure," she continued softly.
"Control battlefields. Create openings. Strengthen the others."
She selected Arrow of Severance.
Armor weakening.
Barrier disruption.
Defensive erosion.
Jax immediately understood the synergy.
"…Bunny would tear through targets after that."
"Yes."
"Zee's spells would hit harder."
"Yes."
"And Nyxian could overwhelm weakened defenses easier."
Llandra nodded once.
"I don't want to just survive beside you."
Her fingers tightened slightly around the bow in her hands.
"I want to matter beside you."
Silence settled between them briefly.
Not awkward.
Just honest.
Then Jax nodded once.
"You already do."
The answer came so naturally that it visibly caught her off guard.
Jax pointed back toward the system.
"But these are still excellent choices."
That quiet reassurance settled deeper than she expected.
Eventually they finalized the build:
Astral Echo
Starfall Volley
Everdraw Quiver
Arrow of Binding
Arrow of Severance
Sovereign Sight
A battlefield controller.
Area denial.
Pressure.
Support.
Suppression.
Llandra looked over the completed setup slowly.
"…This feels dangerous."
Jax smirked faintly.
"Good."
The testing phase began immediately afterward.
At first—
single skill activation only.
Llandra drew her bow.
Starfall Volley activated.
The sky shimmered briefly—
then dozens of arrows rained down across distant targets with terrifying precision.
Wood exploded apart instantly.
Jax blinked once.
"…Okay."
Llandra lowered the bow slightly.
"That was stronger than expected."
"No," Jax replied calmly.
"That was horrifying."
She smiled despite herself.
Everdraw Quiver activated next.
Golden arrows formed endlessly from mana itself, glowing faintly between her fingers before firing in rapid succession.
No reloads.
No downtime.
Just continuous pressure.
Arrow of Binding followed.
Dark-blue magical anchors slammed targets into place as if gravity itself had increased around them.
Then Severance.
Every impacted target weakened visibly afterward:
armor cracked easier
barriers destabilized faster
structures collapsed quicker
The combinations became obvious almost immediately.
By the second hour—
the training field looked devastated.
Llandra moved smoothly now between:
suppression fire
battlefield control
binding shots
pressure rotations
Jax watched carefully the entire time.
Not just admiring power—
analyzing application.
Weaknesses.
Strengths.
Positioning.
Eventually—
Llandra activated Astral Echo.
The world distorted slightly.
Then suddenly—
there were three of her.
All moving independently.
All firing simultaneously.
Jax's enhanced perception barely tracked the real one.
Any normal opponent would be completely overwhelmed instantly.
Three firing positions.
Binding shots from multiple angles.
Constant suppressive pressure.
Overlapping volleys.
The battlefield became chaos.
Beautiful chaos.
Jax stared openly now.
"…Lan."
One of the duplicates released a Severance arrow while another pinned targets in place.
The real Llandra repositioned invisibly between them before unleashing another Starfall Volley overhead.
The training field disappeared beneath arrow rain.
Twenty minutes later—
Astral Echo finally dissolved.
The clones shattered into drifting mana particles.
Llandra reappeared several feet away swaying slightly from exhaustion.
Mana depletion hit her hard all at once.
Jax was beside her instantly.
One arm steadied her waist automatically.
"Easy."
Llandra exhaled shakily.
"…That took more out of me than I expected."
"Because you were effectively fighting as three elite archers simultaneously."
Jax looked around the ruined field.
Destroyed barriers.
Splintered targets.
Arrows everywhere.
Then looked back at her.
"…Lan."
The admiration in his voice was unmistakable now.
"You're terrifying."
That hit her harder than any compliment about beauty ever could.
Because he meant it professionally.
Respectfully.
As an equal.
Llandra smiled softly despite the exhaustion.
"Good."
Jax laughed quietly.
Then gently brushed a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
"You did incredible today."
The pride blooming in her chest at those words felt almost unfair.
Not because she needed praise—
but because praise from him meant something.
A quiet silence settled between them afterward.
Warm wind drifted through the ruined training field while distant hammering echoed from Brannic's forge.
Then Jax tilted his head slightly.
"You know…"
Llandra looked up curiously.
"I wonder what would happen if I made out with both Astral Echoes and you at the same time."
She blinked.
Jax continued thoughtfully.
"Would you feel all of it?"
For once—
Llandra looked genuinely caught off guard.
"…That is an absurd question."
"It's a legitimate scientific inquiry."
She stared at him for several seconds.
Then slowly stepped closer.
"…Maybe when my mana replenishes…"
A faint smile tugged at her lips.
"…we can test the theory."
Jax barked out a laugh immediately.
Llandra laughed with him moments later.
The tension dissolved completely after that.
Comfortable.
Playful.
Easy.
Eventually Jax rested his forehead lightly against hers.
"I think we officially need stronger training dummies."
Llandra smiled softly.
"…Probably."
Jax glanced toward the devastated field again.
"…Brannic is going to yell at me."
"He yells at everyone."
"Fair."
For a while they simply stood there together beneath the afternoon sun.
Comfortable silence.
Warm wind.
The distant sound of the forge.
Eventually Jax looked back down at her.
"So."
Llandra raised a brow slightly.
"You survived tactical evaluation."
"I did."
"You survived emotional vulnerability."
"That one was harder."
Jax smiled faintly.
"Reward yourself."
Llandra tilted her head slightly.
"With what?"
Jax shrugged casually.
"The rest of the day is yours."
That caught her off guard.
"…Anything I want?"
"Within reason."
A slow smile spread across her face.
"Good."
Jax immediately narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"That smile concerns me."
"It should."
And for once—
Llandra didn't care if Nyxian overheard that thought later.