Zee didn't waste time.
They were going to be training out in the forest and she wanted to master this technique with Jax. Once complete she knew that she would free to spend the rest of the day with Jax, alone and all to herself.
"Okay," she said, exhaling once. "I want to test everything."
Jax smiled faintly. "That's what today is for."
They started small.
Controlled.
Jax paced the clearing while Zee stood at its center, feet planted, hands relaxed at her sides.
"Living Chi Mantle," Jax said.
Zee nodded and closed her eyes.
The air around her shimmered — not dramatically, not explosively — but like heat rising off sun-warmed stone. A thin, skin-tight layer of light traced the outline of her body, subtle but unmistakable.
Jax stepped forward and tossed a small weighted training stone toward her shoulder.
It struck.
And slid.
The impact diffused, the force softened, the stone dropping harmlessly to the ground.
Zee opened her eyes, startled — then laughed softly.
"It feels like… standing inside myself," she said. "Like my body knows how to say no."
Jax nodded. "Good. Again."
They layered it.
Pulse of Renewal next.
Jax instructed her to deliberately overdraw her mana — small bursts, rapid succession. Zee obeyed, light flaring and dimming with each pulse. Sweat beaded at her temples, breath coming quicker.
"Again," Jax said calmly.
She winced. "That one stings."
"I know."
She did it anyway.
The glow stabilized.
Her breathing slowed.
"I can feel it correcting me," she said. "Like it's… pulling me back from the edge."
Jax's expression softened. "That's control."
They moved through Advanced Chi Circulation — slow movements, breath patterns, controlled tension. Zee's hands glowed faintly as she struck a tree trunk, chi-infused impacts leaving marks that looked burned.
She swallowed, unsettled.
"That would stop regeneration," she said quietly.
"Yes," Jax replied. "It would."
She nodded. "Good."
Two hours passed.
By the time the sun was at it's peak, Zee was flushed, tired, but smiling — a rare, radiant smile that made Jax pause every time he saw it.
"I think I understand them," she said at last.
Jax tilted his head. "You think?"
She hesitated — then straightened.
"I want to try one more test."
Jax studied her. "What kind?"
Zee clasped her hands behind her back, suddenly shy.
"An… applied scenario."
His brow lifted slightly. "Go on."
Her glow brightened — not magically, but emotionally.
"I want to see if I can maintain my healing and chi control under… intense situations."
Jax didn't answer right away.
"Intense situations," he repeated.
Zee nodded. "You."
The word landed heavier than she intended.
Silence stretched — not awkward, just charged.
"You don't have to," Jax said gently.
"I know," she replied. "I want to."
They checked their surroundings in the forest.
No audience.
No systems open.
Just the two of them.
The area was dim, covered by trees in the afternoon light. Zee stood near the end of the blanket they had both been sitting on, hands fidgeting at the hem of her robe.
"I'll start the Sanctum," she said softly.
Jax watched as she closed her eyes.
The air changed.
Not brighter — warmer.
A subtle pressure settled over the room, like being wrapped in a steady heartbeat. Zee's glow spread outward, faint lines of light tracing the floor, the walls, the space between them.
"Okay," she whispered. "It's active."
Jax stepped closer.
Zee's breath caught.
"Pulse of Renewal is cycling," she said quickly. "Chi Mantle engaged. I can… I can do this."
Jax reached out, brushing his fingers along her arm. She approached him closer and sat in his lap.
They kissed.
Zee gasped.
Her glow flickered — then steadied.
"I'm fine," she said, a little breathless. "Let's… keep going."
He did.
Not rushed.
Not aggressive.
Every touch deliberate, testing her focus rather than overwhelming it. Zee concentrated fiercely, jaw clenched, breath controlled.
"I'm still healing," she murmured. "Still… okay…"
Minutes passed, the forest fading to little more than shared heat and racing breath.
Her glow began to intensify.
"Zee," Jax said quietly.
"Let's really test this," she replied. "Just… don't go all out yet."
She leaned in, steadying herself for what came next.
Jax prepared them both for the final test
"Oh my -"
Her voice broke.
The Sanctum pulsed — her ability to heal and recover was greatly increased. But even with this recovery system, she still felt herself being overwhelmed in the act.
She lost the contest to Jax, her voice broke—and the forest erupted as birds fled in all directions
Zee sagged.
Jax caught her instantly.
She laughed — breathless, shaky, utterly undone.
"I failed," she said, cheeks flushed. "I really thought I could… keep up with you."
Jax lowered his forehead to hers.
"You didn't fail," he said softly. "You found your limit."
She looked up at him, eyes bright with emotion.
"I didn't know it would feel like that," she admitted. "I thought healing meant… enduring."
Jax smiled gently.
"Sometimes it means knowing your limits."
Zee closed her eyes, relaxing fully into his arms.
"…That was the most intense thing I've ever felt," she whispered.
Jax chuckled quietly. "High praise."
She smiled — content, warm, safe.
"I still want to train more," she added out of breath.
"I know you do."
"But next time," she said, voice fading, "don't stop until I test the ends of my limits....or I pass out."
Jax held her as the forest started to settle back into normalcy.
But then they continued. And the forest shrieked with chaos.
Animals and Beasts alike were too afraid of the screams and sounds coming from the clearing the two were in.
Inside, Zee learned something far more important than mastery.
She didn't need to be unbreakable.
She just needed to be with a person who was.