A quiet chuckle left him. "I figured Hanae's warmth pressed a little too close for someone like you, who never let anyone treat you like a fragile girl. Back in Thalorind, if someone dared treat you like this, you would've snapped. But snapping at a primordial is not wise, so you just tensed up the moment she touched your hand. Still, are you really willing to let this chance slip by? We may not return here for a very, very long time. If the Heavenly Restriction will affect me as well, we won't return until we leave Iskaris."
She stayed silent, gaze fixed ahead.
Quinlan continued. "Primordials everywhere. Warriors who have held their edge for millions of years. They are ready to teach mortals again for the first time since history fractured."
Her shoulders shifted.
The tattoos along her arms flared brighter for a moment, then dimmed again.
"Quinlan."
He paused. His brow lifted higher. This was the first time Black Fang addressed him so directly.
"Yes?"
"I am grateful."
The word landed with more weight than any declaration. But it also told him that she was truly on the fence about returning.
And Quinlan understood why.
"I am not going to force anything from you. You lived through abuse that began before you had any way to understand it. The kind that breaks people long before they grow. Your trauma ran so deep that the Venomborne Terror class awakened before Child of Agony ever had a chance. You were still such a young child when you got the former class that you didn't qualify for the latter."
"A theory."
Her fingers curled slightly against her knees.
"Right. I'm just guessing. But Iris got her Child of Agony class at around age 13, while you awakened yours at 10. Anyhow. That's neither here nor there. Hanae's care presses against that wound of yours. The way she touches, the way she worries. It makes your skin crawl. I know."
"So here is my proposal," he went on. "e out. Let me help you negotiate. With my mothers present, we can set boundaries together. Hanae means well. She carries kindness the same way my mothers do. I believe she will listen."
For the first time since he arrived, Black Fang moved.
Her head lifted.
Dark eyes blinked as her hair pulled aside just enough to reveal her face. The contrast between her posed stillness and the faint uncertainty there struck him harder than any battlefield's sight. Quinlan smiled.
A long breath left her lungs.
"I will trust you."
Relief warmed his chest. "You won't regret it."
The mountain, the sky, and the wind faded as she rose to her feet, following him out of the realm.
Light rippled.
Black Fang stepped out of Quinlan's soul realm and into the primordial expanse.
Hanae noticed her at once.
The human primordial's face softened, relief plain and unguarded. She took a step forward, hands already lifting, smile wide and genuine.
"You came back," Hanae said warmly.
Black Fang's gaze flicked sideways.
Straight to Quinlan.
He cleared his throat.
"Lady Hanae," he said carefully, "Black Fang is… a troubled soul, as you so acutely noticed."
Hanae turned to him, brow creasing.
"She struggles with trusting others and with being touched. Especially when that touch es with care she never had the chance to experience in her hundreds of years of life."
He opened his mouth to explain further.
He did not get the chance.
Hanae gasped, sharp and full, as realization hit her. Her hands flew to her mouth for a brief moment before she stepped back and bowed deeply.
"I cannot believe I did this! I am truly out of touch."
She straightened just enough to look at Black Fang, then bowed again.
"I apologize. I will respect your boundaries."
Black Fang froze.
Her eyes widened, pupils tightening. She stared at the bowed primordial as if the act itself were a weapon she did not know how to parry.
"…Will you forgive me?" Hanae asked quietly.
Black Fang swallowed.
"I am not even your descendant," she murmured at last. Her gaze slid sideways, landing on Ayame. "She is your true descendant. I am only a halfbreed."
Hanae followed her look.
She studied Ayame for a long moment, smiled at the girl, then shook her head gently and turned back.
"I will, of course, speak with that child at length. I can't wait to get to know her. But you are not lesser for the blood you carry. I refuse to even acknowledge the notion. I recognize you as my rightful descendant, and I am proud of what you've bee."
Black Fang hesitated.
Her fingers tightened once, then loosened. She returned the bow.
"Please help me grow stronger," she said.
Hanae's face lit up instantly.
"My pleasure!" she replied, warmth flooding back in full. She straightened and looked around at the gathered women. "Anyone who wishes to learn the way of the warrior is wele to follow me."
Lucille raised a hand halfway. "Me too?"
Hanae smiled at her.
"Child, I may be an eastern warrior, but do you truly think I cannot teach other bat techniques?" Her eyes flicked briefly toward the distant horizon. "Dragnar is currently occupied fighting Nyxara. Zen and Vaelor will take over that duty soon. Until then, you are wele with me."
"Sure!" Lucille beamed.
"e, student!" Thindlebrim called out suddenly, hopping in place as he waved both arms. "No time to waste!"
Aurora blinked. "Me?"
"Is there anyone else here with a talent for alchemy? Yes, you!" the gnome said, already turning and marching off.
"…" Aurora wasn't too amused.
"Bear with it," Quinlan chuckled. "You know how the best scientists are always a bit… interesting."
"Yeah…" Aurora sighed but then grinned, excited for the challenge.
Iris lingered near the edge of the group, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She took a breath, making her decision, then stepped toward Kiryssa.
"Um… excuse me," she called timidly.
Kiryssa paused mid-motion, blade half-withdrawn from Vaelor's chest. "Yes?"
"I was watching your fighting style. I think you're incredibly strong. Can I…"
Kiryssa's expression changed.
She sheathed her blade in one smooth motion and stepped forward, then wrapped Iris in a sudden, tight hug that lifted the girl off the ground.
"You want to bee my student?" she squealed brightly. "Sure! I didn't expect this! A human wants a drow teacher?!"
"I… actually, me too," Ria added, cheeks flushed. "I don't know if I deserve to be here at all… But you're the best assassin I've ever seen."
"Blossom too!" Blossom chimed in, stepping forward.
Feng raised a hand. Felicity followed at her side. "We want to learn from you too!" They chirped together.
Kiryssa stared at them.
For a heartbeat, she said nothing.
Then a tear slipped down her cheek.
"So many students!" she said emotionally. Her grin returned, sharp and delighted. "Sure, girls."
She turned and kicked Vaelor's head clean from his shoulders as his body finished reforming.
"Let's train together," she said, blade flashing back into her hand. "I'll turn you into the perfect murder machines."
Björn had been watching quietly from the sidelines.
At some point during the chaos of new students and shouted promises, his gaze settled on Kaelira. It lingered there, slow and assessing, the way only a master craftsman looked at raw ore.
He stepped forward.
"Girl," he said, voice rough but steady. "You're a smith, aren't you?"
Kaelira stiffened.
Her first instinct was to hide it. The habit ran deep. But then she glanced toward Quinlan.
He met her eyes and gave a small nod.
No need to hide it.
She swallowed and straightened. "Yes. My dream is to bee the greatest smith ever."
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