The air hummed with a terrifying, rhythmic resonance as Lucian reached out, his consciousness expanding like a tidal wave to bridge the gap between himself and his three original warriors. The mental connection, once a jagged and straining tether, was now a seamless conduit of pure power.
He felt the familiar surge of the synchronization, but to his bewilderment, the expected agony, the soul-crushing pressure that usually threatened to tear his mind asunder, never came. The channels were wide, clear, and pulsing with effortless vitality.
"I feel... fine," Lucian muttered, his voice laced with a rare flicker of confusion.
He braced for the backlash, for the spiritual hemorrhaging he had been trained to endure, but there was only a profound, terrifying clarity.
"Don't look so surprised, sweetheart," Serenia interjected, her voice cool and nonchalant.
