Elena's POV
The training dome looked different tonight.
Too quiet. Too still.
The mirrored panels curved around me like a thousand watching eyes, each one catching slivers of movement, of thought. The air tasted metallic; it was charged, buzzing with psychic residue.
Somewhere above, faint lights flickered blue and silver, reflections of power half-dormant.
I was already sweating before Adrian even appeared.
He moved like the shadows knew him, silent, composed, dressed in black that caught every shimmer of light and turned it sharp.
His expression was unreadable, but I could feel him before I could see him. There was a subtle shift in the air, like static brushing the back of my neck.
"Ready?" he asked, voice low, not cold but deliberate.
I nodded once, flexing my fingers. "I'm not the same as last week."
"Good," he said. "Then don't hold back."
The dome's lights dimmed further, and for a heartbeat, everything went black.
Then
A flare of energy erupted between us.
