Elena remembered flashes. Voices, light, and warmth.
The world came and went in fragments, like a dream floating between pain and silence.
She heard the sound of footsteps, deep and steady, then a calm, commanding voice — low, firm, familiar.
"Take her to my residence," the voice said. "She will not be touched by anyone outside my command."
The words vibrated through her fogged mind.
That voice. She had heard it before — in a recording, on a screen, in another life.
---
When she opened her eyes again, she was surrounded by motion.
Soft hands lifted her, water and cloth brushed against her skin, voices murmuring instructions. The air was fragrant with something sweet and metallic — a scent she couldn't name.
"Gently," someone said. "She's weak. The Commander ordered she be prepared for the Binding."
Binding?
She blinked slowly, vision clearing just enough to see flickers of light — glowing robes, reflections of fire, and a massive open pavilion beyond the window.
When they dressed her, the fabric felt strange — weightless yet strong. A dark outfit, elegant but foreign: black long pants slit high on both sides from the thigh down, allowing movement; a short top that shimmered with woven light. The fabric hugged her frame like energy, not cloth.
"This is the Valley's marriage attire," one woman explained softly. "Do not be afraid. The Commander chose it himself."
Marriage attire? Elena tried to speak, but her throat burned, her voice lost in the haze.
---
When she was led outside, the air hit her skin like wind through glass. The valley stretched beneath a radiant sky, towers glowing in silver-blue arcs. The pavilion stood at its center — vast, open, alive with people. Thousands, perhaps.
A giant screen projected their images above, broadcasting every detail to the citizens watching from afar.
And there, standing before the assembly, was him.
The Sergeant.
Aren Voss.
His upper body was bare, muscles traced with faint lines of glowing energy. His eyes shone with the same light — cold and intense, like a storm waiting to break. He looked like something forged by war and lightning — beautiful, impossible, dangerous.
When he turned to see her, the noise of the crowd fell away.
He descended the steps, his gaze fixed entirely on her. Even through the fog of half-consciousness, her heart stuttered. His aura pressed around her like warmth and gravity.
Her helpers guided her to him, bowing low. "She's ready, Commander."
Aren dismissed them with a nod. "I'll take it from here."
He reached out, his touch careful as he helped her step forward.
"Steady," he murmured. "You're safe here."
She didn't know if she could believe that — but something in his tone anchored her anyway.
He guided her toward the raised dais, where an elder stood holding an ancient staff, its top crowned with a glowing crystal.
---
The ceremony began.
The old man's voice carried across the valley:
"Today, under the light of the core, the Valley witnesses a Binding — the joining of two souls through the resonance of life-force energy. One bond, one lifetime."
The crowd murmured, a wave of disbelief washing over them.
The elder turned to Aren first. "Commander Aren Voss, extend your hand."
Aren offered his right palm. The elder drew a thin blade, made a small cut — a line of light opened, glowing blue. His blood wasn't red at all — it shimmered like living energy, the essence of the evolved.
Then the elder turned to Elena. "And the chosen."
Elena hesitated, trembling, as the blade brushed her palm. The cut stung, but no blood came — instead, light burst forth, the same luminous blue.
The crowd gasped.
The energy from both their hands rose, twisting into the air like twin streams of fire, merging into one spiral of light.
Whispers rippled through the valley.
"Her energy—"
"It's identical to his—"
"Impossible! She's human!"
The elder looked up, astonished but steady.
"When two souls share identical resonance," he declared, "it means they are bonded by origin. Only one such match exists for each person in this world. Once united, their life force becomes one. Their emotions, their thoughts, their pain — shared. This is the ancient vow. This is the Mating of the Core."
He lifted both their hands and bound them gently with a silver band that pulsed with blue light.
The chant began — words older than memory, soft but resonant.
When it ended, the elder's voice carried over the silence:
"Before all who witness, I declare — Commander Aren Voss and the one called Elena Carter are bound as life partners. One bond, one lifetime."
Gasps. Disbelief. Fear.
"She's human!" someone shouted. "How can her core match his?"
"It's a trap!"
"She's deceiving him—"
The elder struck his staff against the ground, silencing them.
"The bond is not false. The energy itself has spoken."
Aren's eyes never left her. Beneath the sharpness of his aura, there was something raw — relief, wonder, and something deeper he didn't name.
He turned to the crowd.
"She stays," he said. "She is my partner, chosen by the core itself. None of you will question it again."
The power in his voice left no room for protest. Even the air seemed to vibrate with his will.
---
As the ceremony ended, the elder bowed low and spoke quietly to one of the attendants.
"Prepare the Queen's chamber. She must rest and recover."
The word Queen rolled through the crowd like thunder.
They obeyed.
Elena was led away once more, her vision blurring, exhaustion pulling at her limbs. She heard fragments of conversation as she was guided through glowing halls:
"…never seen energy synchronization before…"
"…if she's human, how can she hold a core?…"
"…the Commander's bond was supposed to be impossible…"
Her eyes closed for a moment, her mind caught between wakefulness and dreams.
When she reached her room, the attendants bowed low.
"You must rest," one said softly. "No matter what happens tonight, do not fear. You are under his protection."
They spoke to her gently, adjusting her bedding, their voices distant as her body began to sink into the soft mattress.
Through the haze, she caught a final whisper before the attendants left:
"Do not resist him. Trust his bond. The core never lies."
The door shut behind them.
Elena lay still, staring at the flickering firelight, unsure whether to be terrified or grateful.
The echo of the ceremony still burned against her palm, the pulse of blue light fading slowly under her skin.
Then — a sound.
Footsteps. Heavy, measured.
The door opened.
A figure stepped in, the light from the corridor framing him — tall, broad-shouldered, eyes burning faintly like the core itself.
Aren Voss.
He paused, his gaze sweeping the room before settling on her. His jaw tightened, the air around him tensing like a drawn blade.
"There's someone too close to her," he said suddenly, voice sharp.
His eyes flicked to the shadow near the corner — the faint distortion of something unseen.
"Monster," he hissed under his breath, his aura surging as the fire roared behind him.
The warmth of the room vanished into silence.
And the chapter ended with a spark of energy coiling between light and danger — the first test of their impossible bond.