The Refuge had its own rules. Every Revenant trained constantly, balancing the Nexus energy that ran through them. Kael followed Veyra to the arena: floating platforms, holographic grids, energy nodes pulsing underfoot.
"Control isn't enough," Veyra said. "You must become resonance. Feel the Nexus in your blood, your breath, every heartbeat."
Kael inhaled, attempting to feel the energy. It surged violently, then recoiled like a living thing. He collapsed on the platform.
Aria helped him up. "You're trying too hard," she said. "The Nexus isn't a weapon to dominate—it's a mirror. If you break your reflection, you break yourself."
For the first time, Kael considered the shadow not as an enemy, but as part of himself.