Page 250 of Elemental Becoming

And the hunt begins.

SECOND BREATH

THIRTY-FOUR

Peace and stillness nourish more than the heart and soul; they strengthen the mind. When we can tap into our own center of stillness, of peace, we uncover a wellspring of power within ourselves. But finding that place takes practice. We train ourselves to find that stillness even as steel clashes around us and the storm answers our call. When our lives and those of our companions hang by a thread. When death stares at us, eager to claim us. When panic threatens to consume us. Then, especially then, if we know how to find that stillness, that peace within our souls, we can draw upon a power far greater than our fear.

—VALEN’S JOURNAL

AMARA

Valen says I need to learn stillness. Not control, or focus, or even restraint.

Stillness.

He says it’s the only way I’ll be able to channel through Calryx without burning us both out. That if I don’t learn to separate my emotions from my magics, it won’t matter how powerful I am.

I’ll be a threat to her. To myself. To everyone around me.

It’s not what I expected to hear. I thought training meant more movement. More force. More pushing until something gave way.

But Valen doesn’t want me to push.

He wants me to pause.

We’re sitting on a narrow ledge that overlooks the training grounds. Morning light spills across the stone below, soft and golden. The air is already warm, hinting at the heat to come later in the day, and there’s a quiet stillness in the trees that feels too deliberate. Everything about this moment should feel centering.

But I’m restless.

My thoughts keep drifting to what’s coming tonight.

The Ashen Ring.

A ceremonial amphitheater carved into the volcanic stone cliffs outside the capital fortress, where the memorial service will be held. It’s been nearly a week since the attack at the ball, and we are finally gathering to mourn as a community.

My stomach twists at the thought. I don’t have time for stillness, not when everything inside me feels like it’s gathering momentum.

I shift again, jaw tight.

“How is sitting here supposed to make me stronger?”

He doesn’t respond right away.

Typical.

Valen has never been in a rush to explain himself, especially when he knows I’m already agitated. He simply watches me for a long moment, his expression unreadable.

Then the corner of his mouth lifts. The wind brushes through his silver-streaked hair as though it has been waiting for its cue.

“Because power isn’t only about what you release,” he says. “It’s about what you contain.”

I cross my arms. “That sounds like something the Water Clan would say.”

There’s a flicker in his expression. Amusement, perhaps.

“You think I don’t know their ways?” he asks, voice light but threaded with certainty. “I’ve meditated beneath the frozen waterfalls of the Northern Reach. Sat in the heart of the Earth Clan’s deep caverns where the silence hums against your bones. You want to talk about stillness? I’ve lived it in places where it’s the only thing keeping your mind from unraveling.”

He turns back toward the training grounds.