Linked by Blood and Bone
"Clear this sector! Check every ward-stone and report any trace of unauthorized violet frequencies!"
Inside the tiny guest room, the sudden spike in tension made the air crackle with latent static electricity. Zeyric pressed his back harder against the wooden door, feeling the solid, unyielding heat of Thalen’s body pressed against his entire right side. Every time Thalen breathed, Zeyric’s own lungs expanded in a mirrored rhythm, a involuntary physiological echo that dissolved whatever bitter rivalry remained between them. The sharp, prickly resentment they had harbored since their first day at the academy felt entirely alien now, stripped away by the raw, grinding reality of survival.