Marcus/Rocco
Nobody slept well after that.
Not even Noah.
Which honestly told me how bad things were faster than Seraphina's
expression had.
Because Noah could sleep through almost anything.
Morning came grey and cold.
The storm still hadn't passed.
Wind rattled faintly against the windows while the house sat quieter
than usual, everyone moving around with that strange tension people carried
after hearing something they wished they hadn't.
The prison is weakening already. Seraphina's unfinished sentenced kept
replaying in my head.
Over and over.
I stood in the kitchen staring blankly into a cup of coffee that had
already gone cold.
Ella sat nearby sharpening the small tactical knife Seraphina had given
her.
Carefully. Methodically. Too seriously for someone her age.
"You're glaring at the coffee."
I glanced toward her.
"I'm thinking."
"You brood while thinking?"
"That disease is spreading," I muttered.
Ella smiled faintly for the first time in weeks.
Small victory.
But then her expression softened again.
"You scared everyone yesterday."
The honesty in her voice hit harder than accusation would've.
"Sorry."
Ella frowned immediately. "I wasn't trying to make you apologize."
"I know."
The knife paused briefly in her hands.
"Are you dying?"
Straight to the point. Very cool.
"No."
"You hesitated."
"Because that's a terrifying question to ask before breakfast."
Ella didn't smile this time. Because she wasn't joking.
I exhaled quietly before leaning back in my chair.
"The bracelet's just messing with me a little."
"A little?"
"Okay. A medium amount."
"Marcus."
Right. couldn't dodge this one.
"I'll figure it out," I said finally.
Ella studied me silently for a few seconds before nodding once. Not
because she fully believed, but because she wanted to. That hurt a little too.
The back door suddenly slid open.
Noah walked in holding a training tonfa over one shoulder while Riley
followed behind him carrying towels.
Both looked exhausted and wet.
"Why are you outside this early?" I asked.
Noah dropped dramatically into a chair. "Seraphina believes in
suffering."
"We were training," Riley corrected.
"In rain."
"You volunteered."
"I volunteered emotionally. My body disagreed."
Riley rolled her eyes before tossing a towel at him. Then she looked
toward me.
"You, okay?"
Loaded question.
"Still alive."
"Again," Noah muttered, "not comforting when you say it like that."
Before I could answer-
Seraphina entered the kitchen. And immediately the atmosphere tightened
again. Not because she did anything. But because she always caried that effect
naturally.
"We're moving training grounds today," she said calmly.
Callie looked up from the hallway. "Why?"
Seraphina's gaze shifted briefly toward me.
"Because if Rocco loses control again, I would prefer not to rebuild the
house."
Fair. Honestly.
An hour later-
We stood near the cliffs outside town beneath dark storm clouds and
heavy wind.
The ocean crashed violently below us, waves slamming against black rock
far beneath the cliffs.
The entire place felt isolated, empty and dangerous. Perfect training
ground apparently.
Noah stared over the cliff edge once before backing away.
"Absolutely not."
Callie glance at him. "Scared of heights?"
"I'm scared of becoming soup at the bottom."
I barely heard them. My focus stayed on Seraphina. And the bracelet.
"Again," she said.
I exhaled slowly before closing my eyes.
Feel the flow. don't force it.
That was supposedly the goal.
The bracelet pulsed faintly. Warmed energy spread through my body
gradually this time instead of exploding outward violently like before.
Better. More stable.
"Good," Seraphina said. "Now maintain it."
I opened my eyes slowly. The world looked sharper immediately. Wind
direction, movements, heartbeats.
Everything clearer.
Then Seraphina attacked. No warning or countdown. One second she stood
still, the next her sword was already inches from my throat.
I barely blocked-in time. Steel clashed violently as the force of her
strike sent shock through my arms. Heavy.
Way heavier than Callie.
"Focus," Seraphina said calmly. Then attacked again.
Fast. Too fast.
I ducked beneath the second strike before pivoting sideways, trying to
create distance-
Bad idea.
She closed the gap instantly. Her blade slammed against mine again hard
enough to force me backward across wet stone.
No wasted movement. No opening. Just pressure. Constant pressure.
I stepped inside her range instead of retreating again.
Elbow. Knee. Low kick.
Seraphina blocked every strike cleanly.
Effortlessly.
Then her sword hilt slammed into my ribs. Pain exploded through my side.
I staggered immediately.
Damn it.
"You hesitate after impact," she said calmly.
I gritted my teeth. "You hit like a truck."
"You complain during combat."
"You started this fight without warning!"
"That was the warning."
Insane person.
She attacked again. This time I reacted faster.
I redirected her blade instead of blocking directly before spinning into
a roundhouse kick aimed toward her side.
Seraphina stepped inside the strike smoothly.
Too smoothly.
Her shoulder slammed into my chest before her sword stopped directly
against my throat. Again.
"Okay," Noah muttered nearby, "I think she actually might kill him one
day."
"She's going easy on him," Callie replied.
That was somehow more terrifying.
I stepped back breathing harder now. The bracelet's energy flickered
slightly. Unstable again.
No. steady. Control it.
"Your emotions spike every time you fall behind," Seraphina said.
I frowned slightly. "Most people don't enjoy losing."
"Then stop treating combat like pride."
That landed harder than her sword had. Because she was right. Every time
I failed, every time I got overwhelmed. I forced more power.
Not strategy or patience.
Seraphina lowered her blade slightly.
"Again,"
We fought for another hour. Then another.
And slowly, I started understanding. Not fully, but enough.
The bracelet didn't react best to desperation. It reacted best to
certainty.
The calmer I became, the smoother the energy flowed. Sharper.
By sunset, my entire body felt wrecked again. But different this time.
Less unstable. More balance.
"Better," Seraphina admitted finally.
I nearly collapsed from shock alone.
"Was that praise?"
"Do not get used to it."
Too late. Already framing it mentally.
Callie walked over holding a water bottle before tossing it toward me. I
caught it one-handed.
"You're finally starting to stop fighting yourself," she said quietly.
I unscrewed the bottle slowly. "That sounds fake deep too."
She smirked slightly. "Still true."
Further behind us, Noah dramatically laid flat on the grass.
"I think training injured me spiritually."
"You watched," Riley replied.
"Exactly. Emotionally exhausting."
For a moment, everything felt strangely normal.
The wind, the ocean. The team laughing quietly nearby. Even Seraphina
standing silently with her sword resting against her shoulder.
Then the bracelet pulsed.
Once. Sharp and violent.
Every instinct in my body tightened instantly.
Something was wrong.
Seraphina noticed my expression.
"What is it?"
I turned toward the distant forest below the cliffs. And felt it.
That pressure again. But bigger this time.
Much bigger.
Somewhere far below, a scream echoed through the storm.