Page 420 of Axis of Fire

Every part of you matters.

Not only to us...

Your friends.

But to this world.

And to Airis... if you ever let him see the real you.

The letter ended with one final note.

I'm waiting for your replies.

Airis somehow convinced Tarven to become our personal courier.

So I'm looking forward to hearing about your own brave moments.

By the time I reached the last line, tears were streaming freely down my face.

I hurriedly wiped them away with the sleeve of Airis's hoodie—

The one I'd quietly claimed back when we'd divided up his quarters.

I still hadn't given it back.

Partly because I'd grown used to wearing it.

Mostly because it smelled like him.

And somehow...

That scent felt like home.

Dwayne's words settled somewhere deep inside me.

They'd loosened something that had been locked away for far too long.

They'd comforted me.

In exactly the way I'd needed.

Maybe...

It was finally time to believe him.

To trust what he saw in me.

And to stop being so afraid of what I felt for Airis.

Chapter 41

Tomorrow was the Selection.

Today was our final evaluation.

Once again, we stood inside the training arena while our magic was assessed one last time.

Alongside Headmaster Draksen, Mr. Shiford, Eugene, and Azriella stood several familiar faces—Dilraba, Tarven, Miloran...