Marenna’s hands were resting against Garlan’s.

  She tried to let her mana flow into his, to weave it into his warmth, to infuse him with her green, living energy.

  It didn’t work.

  The flow recoiled, curled in on itself.

  As if their magics still refused to dance together.

  “It’s blocked,” she sighed.

  Garlan frowned, thoughtful. Then a spark lit in his eyes.

  “And… what if we tried while, you know… while we…”

  He turned beet red.

  Marenna stared at him, dumbfounded.

  “Wait… are you serious? Is that a training idea or just an excuse to get in my pants?”

  The two women a few meters away turned their heads at the exact same time—like synchronized spirits of ancient wisdom.

  The dryad and Emmut exhaled in unison:

  “Not a bad idea.”

  Then Emmut added,

  “Garlan’s barriers might be easier to pierce from within than through instinct.”

  The dryad nodded,

  “Boys really are simple sometimes…”

  Marenna blushed hard in turn.

  She opened her mouth, closed it, then let out a breath.

  “Uh… okay, well. If you think it’ll work… But we’re not doing this in front of you!”

  The two of them slipped away into a separate space—an intimate, secluded chamber shaped by the dryad’s magic.

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  They began to undress each other gently, with tenderness.

  Marenna’s breath mingled with Garlan’s, and in that burning closeness, she tried again.

  She released her mana.

  And this time… it worked.

  Desire. Warmth.

  The partial surrender of the mind…

  All of it weakened the mental blocks restraining Garlan.

  A deep vibration echoed through him—like a door slowly unlocking.

  He saw a face.

  Clear. Sharp.

  His father’s face.

  Ratim.

  The shock was so sudden, so overwhelming, that everything stopped.

  Desire. Energy. Momentum.

  Cut off.

  Sliced clean by the clarity of that memory.

  Garlan’s eyes went wide, frozen.

  “…Ratim,” he whispered.

  They emerged a little later, still a bit dazed but united, hands intertwined.

  This time, with no shame, they channeled mana into one another—reciprocally.

  A stable, clear, balanced flow.

  The dryad and Emmut exchanged a knowing glance, both visibly pleased.

  “It worked,” said the dryad with a small smile.

  “These males…” sighed Emmut, laughing. “It’s so easy sometimes.”

  Already blushing, Garlan raised a hand in apology.

  “I mean—look, it’s not that I just—okay, fine. Yeah.”

  They trained together for four more days.

  Each of them deepened their mastery—testing their limits, blending their mana more and more naturally.

  And finally, the training hall’s light began to flicker.

  The air grew lighter.

  The portal slowly opened—like a reversed breath.

  Their time was up.

  They stepped out of the hall hand in hand—changed.

  Emmut was waiting at the threshold, arms crossed, satisfied.

  She tilted her head at Garlan.

  “Go on. Show them.”

  Garlan inhaled slowly, closed his eyes… and transformed.

  His entire body became covered in scales.

  His arms and legs were jet black—dense like hardened lava.

  His torso and head glowed gold-red, radiating restrained heat.

  A long, whiplike draconic tail slashed through the air behind him, sharp as a blade.

  The dryad turned toward Marenna.

  “Your turn. Show us what you’ve become.”

  Marenna stepped forward, focused… and released her mana.

  A living armor bloomed across her body—elegant and fearsome—blending sharp thorns and radiant yellow flowers, overflowing with healing energy.

  A green aura pulsed around her, as if the entire forest beat in rhythm with her.

  The two of them stood side by side—on the edge of their true forms.

  Drunk on controlled power, Garlan raised his head toward the sky and let out a dragon’s roar.

  And without understanding how…

  They were no longer in the dimension.

  They were back—standing at the edge of Lake Azuris.