The forest was no longer a battlefield.
It was a war map.
Kael stood at the center of it, his gaze sharp as he studied the ground, the trees, the faint traces left behind.
Nothing obvious.
Nothing easy.
But something was there.
"There," Ronan said suddenly.
Kael looked up.
Ronan crouched near the ground, his fingers brushing lightly over a faint mark barely visible in the dirt.
"A transport point," he muttered.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"You can track it?"
Ronan smirked faintly.
"I don't need to track them."
He looked up.
"I just need to think like them."
Kael didn't respond.
But he listened.
Because right now—
Ronan was the only one who understood this enemy.
"They're not running," Ronan continued. "They're not hiding either."
Kael's jaw tightened.
"Then what are they doing?"
Ronan's expression darkened.
"They're waiting."
Silence.
Kael's eyes sharpened.
"For what?"
Ronan looked directly at him.
"For her to break."
That hit harder than expected.
Kael's fists clenched.
"That's not going to happen."
Ronan raised an eyebrow.
"You sound very sure."
Kael's voice dropped.
"I know her."
Ronan smirked slightly.
"Do you?"
That silence again.
Tense.
Uncomfortable.
Because both of them knew—
That wasn't entirely true anymore.
Far away—
Nyra screamed.
Her voice echoed through the metal chamber as another surge of energy was pulled from her body.
Pain tore through her again.
Relentless.
Unforgiving.
"Stop—!" she gasped.
The man watched calmly.
Unmoved.
"Your resistance is decreasing," he said.
Nyra's body trembled violently.
"I don't even have anything left—"
"Not yet," he interrupted.
The machines around her pulsed brighter.
Her power surged again—
Against her will.
Nyra's eyes widened.
"No… no, stop…"
The device tightened around her wrist.
Locking her down.
Forcing it.
Her breath became uneven.
Her vision blurred.
"I can't…" she whispered.
The man stepped closer.
"And yet," he said quietly, "you are."
Nyra's head dropped weakly.
Her strength fading.
Her mind slipping.
But deep inside—
Something stirred.
Faint.
Very faint.
The darkness.
Still there.
Still watching.
Still waiting.
Back in the forest—
Kael suddenly froze.
Ronan noticed instantly.
"What?"
Kael's expression changed.
Sharp.
Focused.
"She's in pain."
Ronan's eyes narrowed.
"You can feel that?"
Kael didn't answer.
Because yes—
He could.
Faint.
Distant.
But real.
The bond.
Even broken—
It still existed.
And right now—
It was screaming.
Nyra's body jerked violently as another wave of energy was forced out of her.
Her eyes flickered—
Silver.
Then dark.
Then silver again.
The machines reacted instantly.
"Energy spike detected," a voice echoed.
The man's expression changed slightly.
Interest.
Real interest.
"Well," he murmured.
Nyra's head lifted slowly.
Her glowing eyes locked onto him.
Different this time.
Not weak.
Not broken.
Something else.
Something returning.
"You…" she whispered.
The man stilled.
"…shouldn't have done that."
Nyra's power isn't gone…
and something inside her is about to wake up again.