Page 316 of Elemental Becoming

Ardyn lifts her chin. “Try to keep up, Spiritborn.”

Then she moves, fast, a front kick aimed directly at my ribs.

I twist aside at the last possible moment, feeling the rush of air as it passes. The force behind it is undeniable.

I catch her wrist and twist, trying to turn her momentum against her. It’s the right counter, one Thane, Garrick, Rian, and Jarek have drilled into me countless times, but Ardyn flows with the movement instead of fighting it. She pivots smoothly through the hold before I can lock it in, her elbow crashing into my forearm with practiced precision. Pain shoots up my arm as my fingers spring open.

“Too slow.” Her voice is sickly sweet.

We begin circling each other, neither willing to overcommit. The training hall falls quieter with every passing second.

“Look at you,” Ardyn sneers. “Acting like you belong here.”

Her gaze drifts over me, openly dismissive.

“You’ve always been out of your depth, Amara.”

The smile widens.

“A village girl playing a Lady.”

I let the words hit, but they don’t sink in the way she wants them to. Not anymore. I tilt my head and offer her a smile of my own.

“And yet, here you are, desperate to prove yourself.” I lower my stance, shifting my weight as I watch her closely. “Tell me, Ardyn, what does that make you?”

Her plastered smile tightens, irritation flashing across her face. Then something colder settles over her features.

“What would you know about fighting for power?” she asks, her voice calm, almost measured. “I was born into it. Raised for it. Since childhood, every lesson, every expectation, every sacrifice was made for one purpose.”

She takes a step toward me.

“People like you think kingdoms are built on courage.” She shakes her head. “They’re built on order. On bloodlines. On people willing to make the hard choices so everyone else can sleep peacefully.”

Her lip curls.

“You walked into our world and began tearing at its foundations without even realizing it.”

“I spent years preparing to stand beside Thane. Years preparing for the future everyone said would be mine.”

Her gaze locks onto mine.

“And then you arrived.”

The words hang between us.

“The title. The future. Him.” Her hazel eyes burn. “All of it was supposed to be mine.”

As soon as the words leave her lips, she closes the distance between us.

Ardyn moves fast, dropping low as she shoots for a takedown. Her shoulder slams into my waist, driving me backward. My feetskid across the mat, but I refuse to go down.

The impact rattles through me.

She’s strong. Years of Fire Clan training and disciplined technique power every movement.

I shift my weight and drive my elbow toward her shoulder, but she catches the strike on her forearm before it lands. My opening disappears instantly. Her knee drives into my thigh, stealing my balance for a heartbeat, and she twists free before I can recover.

“Predictable,” she murmurs.