This was a good skill. It felt like the system was helping him. He had to make good use of it. He caught a glimpse of the bond meter. He had gotten a few good skills at the first milestone.
He tapped the Bond Meter and another window opened up.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[BOND MILESTONE ACHIEVED: 56/100 — STRENGTHENING]
[CONGRATULATIONS, EMERIC HALDEN.]
[YOUR BOND WITH YOUR LEDGER TARGET HAS REACHED A SIGNIFICANT THRESHOLD. THE DEPTH OF YOUR CONNECTION HAS UNLOCKED NEW ABILITIES AND ENHANCED EXISTING ONES.]
[UNLOCKED: SHARED RESILIENCE (PASSIVE)]
[EFFECT: WHEN YOUR LEDGER TARGET IS IN DISTRESS—EMOTIONAL OR PHYSICAL—YOU GAIN +10% TO ALL PHYSICAL STATS. THE SYSTEM INTERPRETS HER SUFFERING AS A CALL TO ACTION, SHARPENING YOUR REFLEXES AND STRENGTH.]
[NOTE: THIS SKILL OPERATES SUBCONSCIOUSLY. YOU WILL NOT ACTIVELY CHOOSE TO GAIN THE BONUS—IT WILL SIMPLY MANIFEST WHEN NEEDED.]
[UNLOCKED: BOND LINK (ACTIVE)]
[EFFECT: ONCE PER DAY, YOU MAY INSTINCTIVELY KNOW YOUR TARGET’S EXACT LOCATION AND GENERAL CONDITION (SAFE, INJURED, DISTRESSED) WITHIN ONE MILE. DOES NOT REQUIRE LINE OF SIGHT.]
[USAGE: FOCUS ON YOUR TARGET AND INTEND THE SEARCH. THE INFORMATION WILL APPEAR IN YOUR AWARENESS.]
[COOLDOWN: 24 HOURS]
[NEW SYSTEM FEATURE: BOND LINK — ACTIVE]
[BOND LINK IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR USE.]
[MILESTONE PROGRESS — NEXT THRESHOLD: 75/100 — UNBREAKABLE]
The carriage ride came to a halt and she had been silent for half of the ride.
She sat beside him, her hand still clasped in his, her face turned toward the window. The city lights flickered past, casting shadows across her features, and Emeric could feel the tension radiating from her like heat from a dying fire.
He didn’t push. He knew her well enough now to understand that she needed time to process. The evening had been brutal.
When they finally settled into the house and she in her usual chair by the window, he let himself ask.
"Say it," he said quietly.
She looked up at him. "Say what?"
"Whatever’s going through your head. I can see it eating at you."
She was silent for a moment. Then she spoke, her voice low and controlled.
"You’ve never fought before."
It wasn’t a question.
"No," he admitted. "Not like this."
"You’ve trained in very little amounts." She paused, her eyes searching his face. "But you’ve never been in a real fight. Not against someone who was actually trying to hurt you."
"But I..."
"Kylian Voss has been training in combat for a decade. He’s a Tier 6 mage. He’s fought in real battles, against real opponents who wanted to kill him." She looked at him, her expression grim. "You’re Tier 9. You’ve been Awakened for less than two months. You’ve never faced anyone with that kind of experience."
Emeric crossed the room, kneeling in front of her chair. He took her hands in his, feeling the coldness of her fingers.
"I know all of that," he said quietly. "And I’m still going to fight him tomorrow."
"Isolde’s eyes searched his face, looking for doubt, for hesitation. She found none.
"Why?" she asked. "Why are you so determined to do this?"
"Because he insulted you." He said it simply, without hesitation. "And it’s too late to back out now."
"That’s not a reason to risk your life."
"It’s the only reason I need." He squeezed her hands. "Isolde, I’ve spent my entire life being told I wasn’t enough. Not good enough, not strong enough, not worthy enough. And then I met you, and you—you looked at me like I was more than that. You believed in me before anyone else did." He lifted her hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "If I can’t defend your honor, then what’s the point of any of this?"
She stared at him, her eyes bright.
"You’re impossible," she said finally, her voice thick.
"Probably." He smiled. "But I’m your impossible."
She laughed, a soft, broken sound and pulled him into a fierce embrace.
"I’m going to teach you," she said, her voice muffled against his shoulder. "Everything I know. As much as I can give you in one night."
He pulled back, surprised. "Teach me?"
"I can’t fight for you. But I can teach you how to fight for yourself." Her eyes were fierce, determined.
He opened his mouth to protest; to tell her she didn’t need to do this, that he’d figure it out on his own.
She cut him off with a look.
"Don’t argue with me. You’re my husband, and I refuse to let you die because you were too proud to accept my help."
He closed his mouth. Then he nodded.
"What do I need to know?"
The Study, Thirty Minutes Later
The furniture had been pushed against the walls, clearing a space in the center of the room. A single lamp burned on the desk, casting long shadows across the floor. Isolde sat in her chair at the edge of the cleared area, her hands folded in her lap.
"First," she said, "you need to understand what you’re facing."
Emeric stood in the center of the cleared space, his feet shoulder-width apart, his hands empty at his sides. He’d changed out of his formal clothes into a simple tunic and trousers.
"When mages awaken, they are blessed with one or two of the elements." She began, her eyes unsure how much he knew or needed to be filled in on.
She decided to continue. "Three element affinities are rare, two is highly celebrated." She said, measuring her words carefully.
"Only the hero, Eliath was blessed by the gods with all magic affinities. This helped him defeat the horde of demons that threatened our continent a two thousand years ago."
"I know this much." Emeric said, his impatience barely registering in his voice.
"But there are mages who do not use conventional magic. But in some way, their ability is tied to one or more of the elements or a combination of two for it to work."
She leaned forward, her voice dropping into the cadence of a teacher.