The training yard was silent.
Smoke curled from the three obliterated dummies, the embers hissing softly in the cold morning air.
The hybrid spell still echoed in Leon's hands—flame laced with cutting wind, a storm given form.
Saria stepped toward the center, her boots crunching over charred straw. Her brow was furrowed—not angry, but studying.
"What was that?" she asked, low and measured.
Leon blinked, still catching his breath. "You told me to combine them."
"I said use both," she replied sharply.
"Flame, then wind. Sequential tactics. Not…" —her eyes swept the scorched path— "…whatever the hell that was."
Terya let out a slow whistle, stepping away from the tree. "You told him to light the fire and fan the flames, and he built a fucking flaming buzzsaw."
Saria ignored her, her gaze fixed on Leon. "You didn't just switch elements. You merged them. One incantation. One output. That's not basic fusion—that's integration. Real elemental integration."
Leon flexed his fingers.
A tiny spiral of wind curled around his knuckles, a faint flicker of flame dancing within it. "It just… happened. I didn't force it. It felt natural."
Terya stepped closer, her smirk tinged with curiosity.
"You looked like you were about to explode when you cast it. Magic and otherwise."
Leon flushed, his mind flashing to the night before—Saria's thighs, Terya's lips, the surge of magic fueled by their shared heat. "It was… after. You know. With you."
Saria raised a brow, then gave a short nod. "Erotic recharging. Of course."
Terya's laugh was low. "You say that like it's a mechanic, not a kink."
Saria turned, walking around the edge of the blackened dirt, her leather tunic creaking. "This changes things."
Leon glanced between them, his heart still racing. "Changes what?"
"You're not just absorbing magic," Saria said, her voice steady but laced with a new intensity.
"You're becoming a conduit. A living crucible for combined power. That spell wasn't mine. It wasn't hers. It was yours."
Terya tilted her head, her green eyes narrowing. "So what—you think he's destined or something?"
Saria didn't answer right away. Her eyes lingered on the scorched dummies, then returned to Leon. "I think he might be."
Later, in the chapel's strategy chamber, maps and troop notes cluttered the table, their edges curling under the weight of candlelight.
Tila scribbled names of volunteers, her shortbow leaning against the wall, while Boren stood silent, arms crossed, chewing on a sprig of sage like it owed him money.
Saria laid out the plan—clear, blunt, exact. "We march on Vraxus's keep in three days. Fast. Hard. Before he re-summons his forces. Every able fighter goes. No second chances."
Her gaze flicked to Leon, her dark eyes piercing.
"You'll be on rotation. Healing the front lines. When the defense falls back, you hold them up."
Leon nodded, trying not to flinch under the weight of her words.
"Understood," he said, his voice steadier than he felt.
The memory of Kalthor's flaming whip and Terya's fading pulse made his stomach twist, but the hybrid spell—the buzzsaw—gave him a spark of confidence.
Terya leaned closer, her shoulder brushing his, her voice sweet but teasing.
"You can still recharge," she said, her green eyes glinting. "I'll make sure of it."
Boren coughed into his hand, grumbling something unintelligible, his scowl deepening.
Saria allowed herself the faintest twitch at the corner of her mouth, almost a smile.
"Focus," she said, her tone firm but not unkind. "All of you."
That night, in the quiet of the chapel tower room, Terya sprawled across the bed, half-naked, her thigh glinting in the candlelight, her leather vest tossed carelessly on the floor.
Leon lay beside her, stroking the smooth stone between his fingers, its pulse stronger now, resonating with the magic in his chest—fire, wind, and the new, unnamed force.
The air still carried the faint ozone tang of their earlier training, mixed with the warmth of her skin.
"You felt it too, right?" he asked, his voice low, thoughtful.
Terya nodded, her blonde hair splayed across the blanket. "The moment you came inside me? Yeah. Something changed."
Leon flushed, his grin sheepish. "I meant the spell, but… yeah. That too."
She chuckled, pressing her lips to his collarbone, her kiss soft but lingering. "You're getting cockier. I like that."
The door creaked open, and Saria stepped in, her silhouette framed by the hallway's dim light. She was already undoing her tunic, her movements deliberate, her dark eyes flicking between them.
"We're not done training," she said, her voice low and commanding.
Leon sat up, his heart racing, a mix of awe and anticipation flooding him. "Now?"
Saria pulled off her gloves, tossing them aside, her lips curving into a rare, faint smirk. "Now."
Terya grinned, patting the blanket between them, her green eyes sparkling. "He's got stamina left."
Leon glanced between them, caught between the weight of Vraxus's looming threat and the heat of this moment.
His voice was low, steady despite the pounding in his chest.
"Okay. Show me how much stronger I can get."