Aria's POV
"You're dead," I whisper, staring at the impossible person in front of me. "You died five hundred years ago."
The Last Pentaelemental smiles. "Reports of my death were greatly exaggerated."
Before I can process this, shadows explode through the doorway. Kael appears, bleeding from a cut on his forehead, his violet eyes blazing with fury.
"Get away from her!" he roars, shadow magic erupting from his hands.
The stranger moves faster than should be possible, dodging Kael's attack. "Peace, young Nightshade. I'm not here to harm her."
"You broke into my tower and hurt my guards!" Kael positions himself between me and the stranger. Through our Soul Bond, I feel his rage mixing with genuine fear—for me.
"Your guards are sleeping, not dead," the stranger says calmly. "And I needed to see if the rumors were true. Another Pentaelemental, after all these centuries."
"How are you alive?" I demand.
"The same way you'll survive—by learning control." They tilt their head, studying me. "But we don't have time for lengthy explanations. Kael's father is coming with an army. They'll be here within the hour."
Kael's shock ripples through our bond. "How do you know that?"
"Because I've been watching." The stranger's expression turns serious. "King Mordecai received word that his son is harboring a Pentaelemental. He's decided three days is too long to wait."
My stomach drops. "He's coming to kill me."
"Yes. And unless you want this tower to become your tomb, you need to leave. Now."
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Kael says coldly. "You could be lying. This could be a trap."
The stranger sighs. "Fine. Stay here. Watch your father execute the girl you're bonded to. See how well you handle having your Soul Bond partner die while you're still connected."
"What?" I turn to Kael. "What happens if one of us dies?"
Through our connection, I feel his dread spike. He knows something he hasn't told me.
"Tell her," the stranger prompts. "Or I will."
Kael's jaw clenches. "When Soul Bonded partners die, the surviving partner usually goes insane from the severed connection. The pain is supposed to be unbearable."
The room spins. "So if your father kills me—"
"It would destroy me too." Kael's hands curl into fists. "Which is probably why this stranger is lying. It's the perfect way to manipulate me."
"I'm not lying," the stranger says quietly. "And deep down, you know it. You've felt the bond growing stronger every day. You sense her emotions. She senses yours. Your magic responds to each other even when you're not trying."
It's true. I've noticed the strange connection intensifying. This morning, when Kael was frustrated, I felt heat building in my chest. When I got scared during training, his shadows flickered without him meaning them to.
"What is this connection?" I demand, looking between them. "Why is it happening?"
Kael is silent for a long moment. Then he says, "Soul Bonds. Rare magical connections between perfectly matched elementals. When two people's magic recognizes each other as complements, the bond forms automatically."
"But it shouldn't be possible between us," the stranger adds, looking fascinated. "He's pure Spirit. You're everything. By every law of magic, your powers should repel each other, not harmonize."
"Can we break it?" I ask desperately.
"No." Kael's voice is quiet, almost defeated. "Soul Bonds are permanent. Once formed, they last until death."
The words hit like a physical blow. I'm permanently connected to someone who was sent to kill me. Someone who still might kill me.
"How convenient," I say bitterly. "I'm bonded forever to my potential executioner."
"And I'm bonded to the person my father wants dead," Kael shoots back. "You think this is easy for me? Every instinct I have says you're dangerous. But every time I think about eliminating you, the bond screams in protest."
"So what, we're just stuck like this?"
"Yes!" His frustration bleeds through our connection. "We're stuck. Connected. Whether we like it or not."
The stranger clears their throat. "Touching as this is, we're running out of time. King Mordecai's forces will be here soon. You need to decide—fight, flee, or die."
"I vote for not dying," I mutter.
Kael runs a hand through his hair, shadows writhing around him in agitation. Through our bond, I feel him wrestling with impossible choices.
"If I run with you," he says slowly, "I'm betraying my father and my kingdom. I'll be branded a traitor."
"If you stay," the stranger counters, "you'll watch your father execute your Soul Bond partner and spend the rest of your life dealing with the consequences."
"There has to be another option."
"There isn't." The stranger's voice is firm. "I've lived five hundred years, boy. I've seen this scenario play out dozens of times. Rulers fear what they don't understand, and they'll destroy it rather than risk it."
A distant boom shakes the tower. Through the window, I see lights approaching—lots of them.
"They're here," Kael breathes.
The stranger extends a hand to me. "Come with me, and I'll teach you to control your power. Stay, and you're dead within the hour."
I look at Kael. Through our bond, I feel his conflict tearing him apart.
"I won't force you to choose," I tell him quietly. "If you need to let your father take me, I understand."
"Don't be stupid." Kael's violet eyes flash. "I already made my choice when I claimed you in the amphitheater."
He grabs my hand, and our combined magic explodes—all five of my elements mixing with his shadows in a storm of power that makes the walls shake.
The stranger laughs. "Now that's what I wanted to see. The bond is stronger than I thought."
"Where are we going?" Kael demands.
"Somewhere your father can't follow. Somewhere outside the five kingdoms' jurisdiction." The stranger's smile turns mysterious. "Ever heard of the Void Between Worlds?"
Before either of us can answer, the tower's main door explodes.
King Mordecai's voice booms through the building. "KAEL! Surrender the Pentaelemental, or I'll tear this tower apart stone by stone!"
The stranger grabs both our hands. "Hold on. This is going to feel very strange."
"Wait—" I start.
But we're already moving, falling through darkness that isn't shadow magic or any element I recognize. It's complete nothingness, and it pulls at my body like I'm being unmade.
I scream, but no sound comes out.
Through our Soul Bond, I feel Kael's terror matching mine.
Then, just as suddenly as it started, we stop.
We crash onto solid ground in a place I've never seen before. The sky above us isn't blue or black—it's purple, shot through with streaks of silver. The ground beneath us pulses with raw magical energy.
"Where are we?" Kael gasps.
The stranger helps us stand. "Welcome to the In-Between. The space that exists outside normal reality. Your father can't reach you here."
I look around, dizzy and disoriented. "This place shouldn't exist."
"Neither should you." The stranger's expression turns serious. "But here we are. Now, let's see if you're strong enough to survive what comes next."
"What comes next?" I ask nervously.
The stranger points to something behind us.
I turn and see a massive structure rising from the ground—a fortress made of all five elements woven together. Fire and ice existing side by side. Earth floating in air. Water flowing upward.
"Your training begins now," the stranger announces. "And trust me, what Kael taught you was kindergarten compared to what I'm about to put you through."
Through our Soul Bond, I feel Kael's apprehension spike.
"What exactly are you planning?" he demands.
The stranger's smile is both kind and terrifying. "I'm going to teach Aria to become what everyone fears she is. A true Pentaelemental. Powerful enough to reshape the world."
"Or destroy it," Kael says quietly.
"That," the stranger agrees, "will be entirely up to her."
They walk toward the impossible fortress, leaving Kael and me standing in the purple-skied wasteland.
"This is insane," I whisper.
"Completely," Kael agrees.
Through our bond, I feel his determination settling into place. Whatever happens next, we're facing it together.
Then the stranger calls back over their shoulder: "Oh, and one more thing. The Soul Bond between you? It's not finished forming. When it completes, your powers will merge completely. You'll become something neither Spirit nor Pentaelemental—something entirely new."
They disappear into the fortress.
Kael and I stare at each other.
"Did they just say our powers will merge?" I ask faintly.
"I think so."
"That's—that's—"
"Impossible," Kael finishes. "But then again, so are you."
Before I can respond, the ground beneath us starts to crack, and I realize with horror that this strange place isn't stable. It's reacting to our combined magic, reshaping itself around us.
And in the distance, something roars—a sound that doesn't belong to any creature I know.
"Please tell me there aren't monsters here," I beg.
Kael's shadows coil defensively around us both. "I think that's exactly what's here."
The roar comes again, closer this time.
And I realize that bringing us to this place wasn't rescue.
It was the stranger's first test.
Survive, or die trying.