Page 307 of Elemental Becoming

I step into the room, and Valen closes the door behind me, the soft click echoing in the quiet space. Catching the flash of onyx against my skin, his gaze drops to my hand.

To the ring.

A smile breaks across Valen’s face, and for a fleeting moment, he reminds me of a proud father.

“Well,” he muses, “I see that Thane has made quite the promise to you. And you to him.”

He nods absently, as though satisfied by what the ring represents. “That’s good.”

I tilt my head, curiosity sparking at his words. “Why do you say that’s good?”

Valen studies me for a moment, his gaze sharp but not unkind.

“Because war has a way of unraveling people, Amara. It tears at loyalties, tests convictions, and makes even the strongest question what they stand for.”

He gestures toward my hand, toward the ring that still humsfaintly with its quiet magics.

“This is an anchor. A reminder. A tether to something greater than just battle and duty.”

When he looks at me, his silver-blue eyes are uncharacteristically intense.

“And trust me, before this war is over, you’ll need that.”

Again, I find myself thinking about everything that lies ahead. The war. The uncertainty. The choices we’ll have to make.

Valen notices the shift in my expression, the way my shoulders tense and my thoughts seem to drift somewhere beyond this room. He doesn’t press for an explanation or ask me to put words to it.

Instead, he simply asks, “Tea?”

I nod, grateful for the small mercy.

“How about something soothing?” he suggests, his voice instantly calming me.

I nod again, unable to find the words. The thoughts crowding my mind feel heavier now, harder to ignore.

Valen doesn’t rush me. He simply moves quietly through the room, as though he senses that what I need most right now is a moment to think.

Ten minutes later, he returns carrying two mugs of tea and settles into the chair across from me. He slides one forward, steam curling from its surface and carrying the faint scent of herbs.

I wrap my hands around the warm ceramic, but don’t drink. Valen waits without pressure or expectation, giving me the space to untangle the thoughts circling through my mind.

The scent of parchment, ink, and old books surrounds me, the familiar fragrance of Valen’s study. I’ve grown oddly fond of it over time. But now the herbal tea cuts through it, warm and earthy, drifting through the air between us.

I bite my lower lip, my fingers tightening slightly around themug, but I still don’t lift it. I look down at the tea, the pale liquid catching the late morning light spilling through the large window beside Valen’s table.

The sunlight glows against the surface, shifting softly as steam rises into the air. It feels like such a small, ordinary thing, this tea and this quiet moment, but nothing feels ordinary anymore.

Across from me, Valen waits. He simply trusts that I will find the words when I am ready.

“People I love are going to die in what’s coming,” I finally say, my voice barely above a whisper.

Valen doesn’t try to soften it. “Likely.”

I swallow, my grip tightening around the mug. “I might not be able to save them.”

He sighs heavily, but doesn’t look away. “That is a possibility.”

“I might die.”