Page 108 of Trivium

Questions swirled in her mind, and she spent the entire journey through the forest fighting the knot in her stomach that had been there since she faced the Tigress. It only tightened with every step, as if Park’s lifeless body would reappear around the next bend.

Her bitterness toward the Academy and its treatment of Park’s disappearance had softened when she learned of her sisters—but it didn’t vanish. Rather, it morphed into a chaotic inner conflict—a deep longing for Park and hunger for revenge paired with excitement to learn more about her sisters and her magic.

If Park were here, he would understand. He always gave the best advice without judgement. Although he was youthful in spirit, he often surprised people with the wisdom of an elderly man.

Dry season had started, and the abandoned house was stifling. She opened the windows to let in some air while Ren lit candles to illuminate the space.

Now that the rain had eased, only a few scorching days had been enough to restore Ren’s golden complexion. Its dewy surface glowed in the dim light, showing off his tattooed arms, and she couldn’t help but take him in. As much as he pissed her off, she couldn’t deny that he was an attractive man. It’s too bad his personality was shit.

“How are we going to train in here?” she asked, looking around. She had only ever seen the outside. Somehow, the house was even smaller than it appeared; there wasn’t enough room to spar without breaking something. Not that it really mattered since everything was already falling apart.

Her question clung to the air as Ren’s frame shifted—back hunched, his plum eyes turned golden and his skin sprouted midnight black fur.

In front of her stood a living, breathing, vicious-looking Soul Snatcher.

She sucked in a breath and stepped backwards, almost falling in the process. Fight. Ren’s voice was inside her head, but she was too shocked to react.

Try and control it, he said again, just as something in her shifted.

Rising up to protect her, magic surged through her veins, tense under her skin. A candle beside the Soul Snatcher, beside Ren, knocked over, setting the brittle wood aflame. The creature jumped away to avoid the fire but he wasn’t quick enough. All it took was a small ember landing in his fur for him to catch fire too.

Then, the magic dropped, the energy thumping heavily back into place, and she gasped for air, kneeling over to steady herself.

The room had returned to normal, as if the candle had never fallen and caught flame. Ren was also back to his human form in an instant, an intrigued look on his face.

“Not bad.”

“What. Was. That.” Loveleena spat back, “What did you just do!?”

Ren’s eyes flared. “What? You thought you were the only one with magic?”

She pushed his chest, frustrated. Of course Ren had magic. He was there in Charming along with the rest of them. She had been so distracted by her own magic and meeting her sisters she hadn’t even put two and two together.

“What are you?”

“Oh, I am many things.” He smiled, probably the most genuine smile she had seen from him.

“Your magic is illusion,” she said, connecting the dots.

“Shapeshifting.”

She tried to wrap her mind around it.

“You know, I wondered how you stole my dagger so easily that first night. I suspected your magical ability was illusion after the shadow sessions but I had to be sure. This”—he gestured around the room—“confirmed it.”

“You’re not supposed to know,” she spat. “Don’t let anyone know exactly how your magic manifests, right?”

“I don’t follow rules, Alva. You should know that by now.”

“Wow, you’re such a leader.”

“Everything you’ve learned this year is the foundation for your magic,” he explained, ignoring her sarcastic jab. “And now that we know you’re an illusionist, we can work properly with your magic type.”

He wanted her magic for something, she realized. That’s why he finally agreed to tell her what he knew about Park. But for what?

“I didn’t know where you and Zeina were. Only a select few knew where you were placed. I was made aware of who Ahmina was once we knew Ash had figured out her identity and sent Barrow to do his dirty work. If I’m being honest, I was intrigued by your connection to Park. So, I took a chance on you. Don’t waste the opportunity. It’s a shame you haven’t cultivated your magic, you know, given it awakened at a young age.”

Loveleena scoffed. “I had it completely under control until I came here.”