A week apart was harder than any battle.
Leyla, training in the Vanguard's brutal obstacle courses, became a tempest of frustration. She missed Echo's calming presence, Mira's strategic mind.
Mira, immersed in spatial theory with the Scholars, felt unmoored. Her powers were sharper, but her heart was anxious, constantly reaching through the bond for reassurance.
Echo, in Specialist stealth and infiltration training, felt the emptiness like a phantom limb. His Charm worked on instructors and rivals alike, but it felt hollow without his bonded to share the victories.
Every night, they collapsed together in Echo's room, not for passion, but for comfort. They held each other, sharing energy, stories, warmth. The bond thrummed with relief each time, stronger for the distance.
On the seventh night, as they lay wrapped together, Echo felt a shift.
The bond wasn't just reconnecting—it was evolving.
[ Bond Evolution Detected ]
[ Tier 2 Bond Achieved: Soul-Thread Weaving ]
[ New Ability: Remote Sense – can vaguely sense each other's emotional and physical state across moderate distances ]
[ New Ability: Energy Share – can voluntarily transfer small amounts of energy or BP to a bonded ally at range (with consent) ]
They had grown stronger apart, but only because they grew together in a new way.