Rian spent the night in the infirmary.
They said he'd be fine. Bruised ribs, fractured pride. Nothing permanent.
Not that I cared.
Something had changed in the academy after that match. A line had been drawn—and Leo stood on the far side of it.
The rest of us just watched from the sidelines.
I expected the day to be over, but no such luck. The others were filing out of the arena, laughter and bruises trailing behind them, when Mr. Turner caught my eye and jerked his chin toward a side exit.
"You. With me."
No explanation. Just command.
I fell in step, still sore from sparring. Lightning still itched beneath my skin.
"Did I do something wrong?" I asked.
"The problem," he said, not slowing, "is what you didn't do."
He took me down a hall I hadn't seen before—concrete walls, buzzing lights, colder than it should've been. The main building faded behind us. We were now in some forgotten wing of the academy.
He keyed in a code. The door hissed open, revealing a dimly lit small training room. Cracked padding on the floors. The walls were riddled with blast marks, burn scars, dents where someone had lost control.
He walked over to a locker, popped it open, and pulled out a slim remote.
"Lightning is fast. Violent. Unpredictable. The most powerful elemental class ever documented," he said, tone shifting into something colder. "But power without control is nothing."
He turned toward me, eyes sharp.
"Right now, you're no stronger than an ordinary person."
A row of training drones buzzed to life across the room.
Five. Equidistant. Each had a target below it.
"You got one lucky hit on Iris today. One," Turner said. "You don't need luck. You need consistency."
He tossed the remote aside.
"Until you manage to strike down those drones, you and I are stuck here," Mr. Turner said dryly.
The lights dimmed as the drones slid into position. My fingers sparked on instinct.
"Only lightning. Nothing else. Let's see what you've got"
The first shot missed wide.
The second burned too hot and fizzled midair.
The third—
"Too slow," Turner barked. "Again."
I gritted my teeth. Sparks danced across my forearm.
Again.
The fourth crackled forward—but stopped just before the target.
"Too weak."
Again.
The fifth hit me instead.
Pain bloomed across my side. I dropped to one knee, coughing. The air reeked of ozone.
"Too much. Dial it down."
I wasn't done yet.
My hands trembled. My vision blurred. Every breath felt like it came with a weight attached.
I paused for a moment, and attempted to focus. After clearing my mind, I felt something. A current inside me, twitching with shape. It flowed and ebbed along with the beat of my heart.
I stood. Raised my hand. Focused.
Not too much. Not too little.
Just enough.
Crack.
The bolt screamed across the room, lanced through the first drone, and sent it collapsing in a heap of smoke and sparks.
Silence.
I swayed, shoulders rising and falling.
Turner clapped and gave me a slight grin.
"Good," he said. "Looks like we won't be stuck in here forever."
Later that night, I found Iris outside the dorm wing, sitting on a rooftop ledge with her legs dangling over the edge, looking out across the skyline. The sun had just set.
"Rian's awake," she said without turning. "Asked if Leo always fights like that."
I sat beside her.
"What'd you say?"
"I said that Leo was being polite."
We sat in silence for a while.
Then Iris said, "You're not like the others."
"Because I suck at introductions?"
She gave me a sideways glance. "Because you're still pretending you're not dangerous."
I sighed as the wind shifted. It felt cool and sharp on my skin.
"I don't want to be."
"Then you're in the wrong place."
Her voice was quiet. Almost sad. I didn't ask what she meant. I didn't have to.