THE LUNA THEY REJECTED CAME BACK RUTHLESS

Don't Do This Alone

I barely had time to steady myself.

The moment I regained my footing—

It moved again.

No hesitation.

No pause.

The space warped—

Closing the distance instantly.

My chest tightened as I braced—

But before it could reach me—

Kael stepped in.

Fast.

Precise.

He intercepted the strike mid-motion, deflecting it just enough to shift its angle away from me.

The impact echoed sharply.

“Don’t do this alone,” he said.

I exhaled sharply.

“I wasn’t planning to.”

But we both knew—

I had been.

The figure stepped back slightly, its gaze shifting between us now.

Not just focused on me anymore.

Evaluating.

Recalculating.

“Two variables,” it said.

“More to learn.”

My grip tightened.

“Try it.”

Kael didn’t wait.

He moved first this time, striking from the side—not directly, not predictably.

The figure reacted instantly—

Collapsing the space—

But not toward me.

Toward him.

Exactly what he wanted.

My eyes narrowed.

“There…”

I moved at the same time.

Not reacting to it—

Reacting to Kael.

The warmth inside me surged, aligning with his movement instead of fighting against it.

The figure adjusted—

But a fraction too late.

My attack landed.

Clean.

The force pushed it back a step.

Not much—

But enough.

Kael didn’t stop.

He followed immediately, pressing forward, forcing it to respond again.

And this time—

I didn’t wait.

I moved with him.

Not after.

Not before.

With.

The timing wasn’t perfect.

But it was close.

Closer than before.

The figure’s gaze sharpened slightly.

“You’re coordinating.”

Kael’s voice came low.

“Something like that.”

Another shift—

Another collapse of space—

But this time—

We anticipated it.

Not where it was—

Where it would be.

Kael moved first—

Drawing it in.

I followed—

Cutting it off.

The energy surged through me as I struck—not blindly—

Precisely.

The hit connected again.

Stronger this time.

The figure stepped back—

Not forced—

Choosing to.

Reassessing.

My chest rose steadily as I glanced at Kael briefly.

He didn’t look at me.

Didn’t need to.

We both felt it.

That shift.

That alignment.

“Again,” he said.

I nodded.

This time—

We moved together.

No signal.

No call.

Just instinct.

Kael attacked—

Not to hit—

To direct.

I followed—

Not to react—

To complete.

The figure adjusted—

But slower now.

Because now—

It wasn’t learning one of us.

It was trying to learn both.

At the same time.

And that—

That was harder.

The space warped again—

But this time—

It hesitated.

Just slightly.

Because it couldn’t predict both paths at once.

That was all we needed.

Kael struck—

I followed—

The combined force hit harder than before, driving it back further this time.

A clear reaction.

A real one.

The figure stilled for a moment, its gaze sharper now.

Focused.

Serious.

“You’re adapting faster,” it said.

I held its gaze.

“So are you.”

A pause.

Then—

“Good.”

The air tightened again.

Heavier.

More dangerous.

Because now—

It wasn’t just observing.

It was escalating.

Kael shifted slightly beside me.

“We won’t get many openings like that.”

“I know.”

But we didn’t need many.

We just needed enough.

The warmth inside me pulsed again—

Aligned.

Steady.

Stronger when he was there.

Because now—

I understood something clearly.

This wasn’t about fighting alone.

It never was.

And if this thing wanted to learn us—

Then we’d make sure it learned the hard way.

Together. 😈🔥