We stood across from each other, hands nearly touching. My mark pulsed, warm and steady, reaching toward him. Gage’s mark shimmered back, faintly gold, trembling but holding.
“Good.” Arlo said. “Now, let it flow. Don’t fight it. Let the bond move naturally, but stay strong. Control it—don’t let it control you.”
I focused on my heartbeat, on the thread connecting us. Gage mirrored me, trying to calm his own energy. At first, it was tiny, barely there. But slowly, light spread from my chest into his. Heat, warmth, steady like a current.
“Do you feel it?” I whispered.
He closed his eyes. “Yeah… it’s calm. Different from before.”
“Good.” I said. “Keep it. Don’t panic. Don’t force it. Let it guide you.”
For hours, we worked. Push and pull exercises, moving the energy through objects, prac
