The training field was a scorched plain—half-real, half-generated by the Ascendant system. Designed for one thing: testing synced pairs in live combat.And right now, it felt like it was holding its breath.
Evren stood opposite Cas, his dark armor reformed and gleaming, hair tied back, eyes locked in. Focused. Controlled.
Cas rolled his shoulders, the bond thread between them vibrating like a livewire.
"Ready?" Evren asked.
Cas gave a breathless smile. "Are we ever?"
🔔 SYSTEM SYNC INITIATED
Combat Scenario: Dual Amplification Mode
Objective: Defeat generated anomaly while maintaining bond stability.
⚠ Warning: Unstable emotions will impact skill execution.
The system hissed and the ground trembled. A creature erupted from the earth—a beast shaped like fear itself, shifting limbs and snarling smoke.
Cas felt his pulse spike.
"Go left," Evren shouted. "I'll draw it!"
Cas darted left, hands glowing with magic already sparked through the bond. Their coordination was instinct now—moving like one, striking in perfect timing. It was beautiful. Violent. Like music turned into combat.
Until it wasn't.
Halfway through the fight, the bond spiked. A memory hit Cas like a punch to the chest—
🔥 His brother, dying. The look in his eyes. The scream. The fire.🔥 Evren, reaching for him—too late.
Cas staggered.
"No—no, not now—" he whispered, clutching his head as the vision burned through his mind.
Evren turned instantly. "Cas?! What is it?!"
But Cas couldn't speak. He was somewhere else—
⚡ A Future Not Yet Written
He was standing in a ruined city, flames curling around collapsed towers. Ash in the air. And at the center of it all—Evren, collapsed on the ground, blood pooling beneath him.
Cas rushed forward but couldn't move. Couldn't speak.
A voice, soft and cruel, echoed through the vision.
"This is your future. The bond will break. He will die. And it will be your fault."
"No," Cas said. "No—this isn't real."
The voice laughed. "You think your love will save him? It will destroy him."
Cas screamed—raw and panicked—and suddenly he was back.
Fallout
He hit the ground hard. The beast was gone—slain by Evren in a single brutal blow—but the real danger was now standing over Cas.
Evren.
Furious. Shaken.
"What happened?" he growled, grabbing Cas by the collar. "You dropped. You disconnected. I felt it—like you were gone."
Cas couldn't answer at first.
"It was a vision," he finally whispered. "A future. I saw… you. Dead."
Evren froze. "From the bond?"
Cas nodded. "I don't know if it was real. But it felt like a warning."
Evren let go, stepping back. The silence stretched thick between them.
And then—crack.
Not a loud one. Just a hairline fracture. In the trust. The sync.
Cas could feel it.
"Don't pull away from me again," Evren said, quieter now, like he was holding something back. "Next time… I might not be fast enough to bring you back."
Cas looked up, guilt written all over his face. "I didn't mean to. It just… hit."
Evren didn't move for a long time. Then he turned, walking away toward the edge of the field.
The bond still shimmered between them—but it flickered.
Just once.
Later That Night
Cas sat alone, staring out over the empty training zone. The stars above this world shimmered like they were watching him. Judging.
A soft voice behind him. "You okay?"
Cas turned. It was Nyra—a fellow bonded pair from earlier in the program. She was calm, smart, sharp-eyed.
"I heard you dropped during a sync test."
Cas didn't deny it. "It wasn't a drop. It was a warning."
Nyra's gaze sharpened. "You saw the future?"
"Maybe. I don't know. I don't trust it."
She stepped closer. "Then listen. Every bond gets tested eventually. Not by monsters. Not even by death. By doubt. That's the real killer."
Cas nodded slowly.
And in the distance, he could feel Evren—still awake. Still keeping watch. Still connected. Barely.