That night, Arka didn't sleep.
The jade pendant around his neck pulsed softly, calling to him. He stood in the middle of his dark room, then closed his eyes. The wind around him moved in rhythm with his breathing. A green light seeped from beneath his skin.
The world shifted.
When he opened his eyes, he was already standing in the in-between dimension—a place that was neither the human world nor the ancient kingdom. The sky was grayish purple. The ground was soft as warm ash. Leafless trees towered overhead, their roots floating in the air.
Elara was already waiting.
She stood in the middle of an open field, her thin dress now a deep green that was almost transparent beneath the strange light. The wind in this dimension seemed to bow to her. Her black hair swayed gently, leaving her neck and collarbones clearly exposed.
“You came,” she said. Her voice was soft, but there was something deeper beneath it.
Arka stepped closer. “Teach me.”
Elara gave him a small smile. “Closer.”
She pulled Arka toward her until their bodies were almost touching. Her sweet, wild scent filled his nose again. Elara’s chest rose and fell slowly beneath the thin fabric. Arka swallowed.
“The wind isn’t something you command,” Elara whispered. Her fingers touched Arka’s chest, right above his heart. “It’s part of your blood. Feel it. Don’t fight it.”
Arka closed his eyes. He tried. Heat from Elara’s palm spread through his entire body. The wind around them began to swirl, slowly at first, then faster and faster. Ash-gray leaves lifted into the air.
“Good,” Elara said. “Now bind it.”
Arka opened his eyes. He moved his fingers. The wind followed. A small vortex formed in his palm, spinning neatly without exploding.
Elara smiled. That smile made Arka’s chest tighten. “That was fast.”
She walked around him, her fingers tracing his shoulder before sliding down his arm. Every touch left behind a trail of heat. “Your body has already accepted it. But your heart is still hesitating.”
Arka looked at her. “I’m afraid I’ll lose control.”
Elara stopped in front of his face. They were only inches apart. “I’m here.” Her hand rose and gently stroked Arka’s jaw. “As long as you hold on to me, I won’t let the wind destroy you.”
Arka felt something in his chest that was more than power. Something more dangerous. He was beginning to fall. Not because of the power, but because of the girl in front of him, looking at him as if he were everything.
The training continued.
Elara taught him to cut the wind into thin blades. To gather it into a shield. To release it in a gust powerful enough to knock down a tree. Every time Arka succeeded, Elara moved closer. Every time he failed, Elara held his waist from behind, her chest pressed against his back, her warm whisper brushing his ear.
“Again,” she hissed. Her breath touched Arka’s skin.
Arka tried to focus. But Elara’s body pressed against him, making it difficult. The warmth of her breasts, the scent of her neck, the fingers pressing too deeply into his waist. The wind around them grew wild, as if it could feel the tension too.
Elara laughed softly. “You’re starting to feel it, aren’t you? Not just the power.”
Arka turned around. Their faces were too close. “Elara…”
He didn’t get to finish. Elara pressed her forehead against his. “I’ve been waiting too long, Arka. Don’t make me wait any longer.”
In the distant ancient kingdom, inside the tallest cracked tower, someone opened their eyes.
The room was dark. Only a single candle burned. A black-hooded figure sat in a stone chair. In front of them, a bowl filled with black water trembled.
Arka’s shadow appeared on the water’s surface. The jade pendant glowed green at his neck. Elara stood beside him in the in-between dimension.
The figure smiled faintly beneath the hood.
“The heir has finally awakened,” they said, their voice hoarse, deep, and hungry. “And that girl… she’s still trying to protect him.”
They raised a hand. The black water in the bowl churned. Arka’s shadow cracked.
“Let him fall in love first,” the figure whispered. “The deeper he falls, the easier he’ll be to take.”
In the in-between dimension, Arka knew nothing of it.
He only stared at Elara, whose forehead was still pressed against his, their breaths mingling as the wind swirled around their nearly fused bodies.
“That’s enough training for tonight,” Elara whispered. Her fingers were still around Arka’s waist. “But I’m not finished teaching you.”
Her eyes lowered to Arka’s lips.
And in the distance, in a darker world, someone had already begun to move.