I woke up, choking, as air tore into my lungs like I'd been underwater for minutes. Not seconds, minutes. I jerked upright with a gasp, and I immediately regretted it. My vision was blurry, my ribs were screaming, and every muscle in my back felt like it had signed some sort of non-compete contract with gravity.
For a few seconds there, all I saw was black. Then in a twinkle of an eye, the world rushed back: dim lanterns, stone walls, cold air that smelled funny, like a faint mix of metal and something sweet.
Eliana's hideout.
Right. I'd passed out. Again. Damnit! Great track record I was building.
I wiped sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand, and forced myself to breathe slowly, until the dizziness faded. Then, I realized I wasn't alone. There was someone standing in the corner. Silent. Still. Watching.
"Eliana?" I croaked.
"Obviously," she said, as she stepped closer. And even in the warm lantern-light, she looked… colder. Her expression wasn't angry, nor annoyed. It was something worse:
Evaluating.
"What?" I asked, with my voice cracking like a teenager who's seeing his first bra strap.
"You went under faster than I expected," she said. "Even with the seal stabilizing you."
"Wow," I muttered. "Great bedside manner."
"I'm not a nurse."
"Yeah. I noticed."
Then she crossed her arms, and I tried, really tried, not to glance at her silhouette because I knew she could feel it through the stupid, damn emotional link. And I especially tried not to think about the slow, but confident way she moved when she walked. Which, of course, meant that was all I could think about.
Her lips twitched faintly, and she said, "you're loud in here," tapping her temple.
My face caught fire. "Can you not? —like, unsubscribe from that feature"
"No." She replied sharply.
"…Damn." I said, before she then turned and walked toward a section of wall which was made of dark wood. With a soft click, she slid it open, revealing a long, narrow chamber beyond. And there… wooden floors, elevated platforms, racks of weapons, and woah, a ceiling so high it disappeared into darkness.
A training hall. Hidden underground. Of course.
"Get up, Draven," she said. "We're starting."
"Starting what?" I asked, even though I knew.
"Your training."
"You're serious?" I asked. Then, she gave me a look that said, Have you been conscious the whole time?
"Great," I sighed. "I'm probably going to die."
"You will," she said bluntly. "If you don't learn fast enough."
"Fantastic. Very motivating. Really nice." I said, and clapped three times.
She didn't wait. She just walked into the hall. There was no explanation, no warm-up speech, no safety briefing. Nothing.
And, God help me, I followed. I mean, what was I supposed to do?
I stepped inside, and I instantly felt it: power humming faintly in the air. It was the kind of energy that made your skin prickle. Eliana slid the door shut behind us and turned to me.
"Rule number one," she said. "You listen."
"Sure!" I responded.
"Rule number two. You don't panic."
"No problem."
"Rule number three: if you die during training, I'm not bringing you back again."
Right then, I froze. "…Wait. What? Again?"
She just smiled and went on. "Rule four: ask fewer questions."
I blinked, then asked, "am I actually alive right now?"
"Mostly."
"Eliana!"
She brushed past me lightly, and sparks shot across my skin. I wasn't imagining it. I'm pretty sure I wasn't. There was definitely something in the air between us. Something strange, like a static hum that wasn't normal. Definitely the seal.
She stopped in the center of the hall and gestured for me to stand across from her, which I did. Reluctantly.
"Today," she said, "you learn not to die."
"What a comforting title." I said, as I laughed.
"Don't worry. You'll still almost die. And, repeatedly."
"Oh yeah, that's totally comforting. Thank you."
She ignored me, and then, she lifted one finger. Then she said, "first, show me your stance."
"My what?"
"Combat stance."
"Oh! Right. That."
I planted my feet. Put my fists up. Bent my knees. All like I'd seen in boxing movies. Honestly? I didn't look half-bad for someone who didn't know anything about fighting. Eliana stood still and stared for three full seconds. Then, she let it out…
"Are you trying to milk a cow?"
"What?! Wow! Okay, that's rude."
Then she stepped behind me and nudged my foot with hers, as she grabbed my wrist with her cool fingers. She had a surprisingly strong grip, and angled my arm differently. Then she pressed lightly on my shoulder, adjusting my weight.
Each touch sent tiny sparks under my skin. Absolutely unfair.
"There," she said. "Now, that's a stance."
"I mean, your hands were on me, so, frankly it could've been anything and I would've agreed."
Her eyes flicked toward me. It was sharp. It was curious. And way too amused.
"Rule number five," she said, "stop thinking like that."
"Impossible!"
She exhaled. It was a tired, long-suffering exhale that probably meant she was already regretting saving me.
"Fine. We'll work around your… distractions."
"It's not my fault my… distractions exist."
"Milano."
"Yes?"
"Shut up."
"Copy that. Shutting up in 3, 2, and now."
She blinked her eyes, shook her head, and squared her shoulders. Then she said , "now try to hit me."
I blinked. "Try to what?"
"Hit me."
"No?"
"Yes."
"Eliana, you're like… I don't know, some, you know… immortal magical murder queen. I'm not hitting you."
"You won't."
"Because you'll dodge?"
"Because you're slow. And predictable. And untrained. And—"
"Okay, okay, point well taken. Don't need the whole insult buffet."
"Then stop talking," she said, "and attack."
I hesitated. She waited. Then, I threw a punch.
Honestly? Not bad. Not great. Not embarrassing. Just a basic, very average punch.
Eliana didn't move. She just tilted her head and let my fist pass through empty air by a hair's breadth.
I stumbled forward. She tapped the back of my knee with her foot, and I collapsed like a folding chair.
"Lesson number one," she said. "You have to telegraph everything."
"Telegraph? Lol. I don't even have Wi-Fi down here."
"Get up."
I groaned, pushing myself upright, and went back into the stance she'd adjusted for me.
"Again," she said.
I swung, and as you'll guess, she stepped aside easily. I swung again. But, she didn't even step this time. She just leaned left. I started sweating.
"Faster," she said.
"I am faster!"
"You're thinking too much."
"I'm literally not thinking at all!"
She smirked. "That's the problem."
I lunged. She twisted my arm. And next, I hit the floor.
"OW! Okay, that's illegal."
"In real combat, everything is legal." She said.
"Well, that's VERY concerning."
She circled me slowly while I got up again. And something about that made my chest tighten. It wasn't fear. It was instinct. Like she wasn't circling me, she was reading me.
Then she said, "your body moves like someone who's never been in a real fight, but it also moves like someone who could be dangerous if trained."
I blinked. "Are you… complimenting me?"
"No."
"Cause that definitely sounded like a compliment."
"It wasn't."
"Nah! It was absolutely a compliment."
Then, she ignored me again, and said, "Lesson number two: instinct." She motioned to me with two fingers.
"Don't think. React."
"I barely do either."
"Milano."
"Sorry."
"Attack."
I took a breath. And something — some echo of the Wraith fight — clicked. The fear, the adrenaline, the chaos… for a moment there, I remembered how it felt to have death inches from my face.
My body moved faster. Not perfect. Not elegant. Not trained. But different.
I struck. Eliana's eyes widened, slightly, but I caught it. She blocked, but barely. Her palm hit my wrist, redirecting the blow, and her other hand shot toward my collar, but something tugged in my chest. Instinct, gut feeling… something. And I ducked.
She missed. For the first time. She stepped back, studied me.
"…Interesting."
"What?" I managed to ask, breathless. "What was that?"
"You reacted before I moved." She responded.
"Is that um… good?"
"Depends."
"Depends? On what?"
"On whether you can control it."
I smirked. "Well, I did it once. Shouldn't be a problem to do it again, right?"
She didn't answer. She just blurred. One second, she was in front of me, and the next, her knee was aimed at my ribs. I had no time to move. Except… I actually did.
My body twisted reflexively, avoiding the strike by inches, and her leg brushed my shirt instead of breaking my bone.
Her eyes flashed. She struck again. I dodged again.
"Milano," she said softly, "stop holding back."
"What? I'm not—"
"You are." She said, before I could even finish.
She lunged. I moved without thinking. But this time her hand clamped around my wrist mid-motion, stopping me cold. And she pulled me toward her. Hard.
I stumbled forward, and suddenly, I was inches from her. Close enough to feel her breath, close enough to hear her heartbeat. Even close enough to absolutely lose the ability to remember my own name. Then her gaze scanned and met mine.
"You're not normal," she murmured.
"Thanks," I whispered automatically. "You'd be shocked to know that I hear that a lot."
"Not like that." She said, as she guided my hand upward and placed it against her shoulder, deliberately slow.
"Your reflexes," she said. "Your reaction time. The seal didn't give you that."
"Oh! So…"
"It amplified something already there."
"Oh. Isn't that much clearer," I said, sarcastically.
"Milano," she said, her voice dropping to a near-whisper,
"what exactly are you?"
Suddenly… the lantern lights flickered. The air tightened. And a deep, rumbling sound rolled through the stone walls overhead. It wasn't thunder, wasn't machinery. It was something alive.
Eliana stiffened instantly, and her grip tightened around my wrist. Training forgotten.
"Move," she said sharply. "Now!"
"What—what in the hell is that?"
"A problem."
The rumble came again. This time, it was deeper and closer. Eliana shoved me behind her and looked toward the ceiling. Her eyes were glowing faintly.
Whatever was coming… It wasn't small. It wasn't friendly.
And it definitely wasn't here for her training program.