When Jax and Llandra returned to the hotel, the others already knew what had transpired.
The system notifications alone would have been enough — a quiet cascade of shared iPoints pulsing through their status screens — but the state of them removed all doubt.
Their hair was a mess.
Not the casual, post-training disarray the Vixens had grown used to — but something far more telling. Tangled. Pulled. Refusing to be fixed no matter how many fingers ran through it.
Llandra had never experienced a one-on-one moment with Jax before. Though they had been together many times, this was different.
Jax's focus had been all on her.
And that focus was something that Llandra was not prepared for. The intensity of their exchange caused her to continuously black out in ecstasy.
Llandra spent the last hour together asleep, and curled on Jax's lap, fully content after a final black out, mouth open and tongue hanging out, something that Jax found amusing for such a regal princess of the Elven Kingdom.
Nyxian's eyes flicked from Llandra's flushed expression… to Jax's slightly unfocused gaze… and she smiled knowingly.
"Well," she said, leaning back in her chair. "Looks like someone had a productive afternoon."
Llandra didn't deny it.
She didn't blush.She didn't deflect.
If anything, she looked proud.
Zee noticed something else.
Llandra's posture was different. Straighter. Calmer. As if some long-standing tension had finally loosened its grip.
Jax set his coat aside, still faintly stunned by the day himself.
No interrogation followed.
Just playful jealousy. Light teasing. Quiet anticipation.
They all understood.
Tomorrow would be Zee's turn.
Morning came softly.
Sunlight filtered through the windows, illuminating the gentle glow that always seemed to linger around Zee when she woke — a faint, warm radiance she had long since stopped noticing.
Jax noticed it every time.
They left the hotel together, walking beyond Solmere's outer paths into the nearby forest. The sounds of the city faded quickly, replaced by rustling leaves and birdsong.
They stopped in a small clearing where sunlight poured down freely, catching on motes of dust and pollen in the air.
Zee breathed deeply.
"I like it here," she said quietly.
Jax nodded. "It feels… right for you."
She smiled faintly at that.
They sat.
Zee pulled up her system.
"I have a Legendary option," she said softly. "And… fifteen others."
"That's a lot," Jax said.
She nodded. "Most of them are healing-focused. Light amplification. Restoration efficiency. Area recovery."
She hesitated.
"And then there are… these."
She selected a sub-menu.
Jax leaned closer.
Advanced Chi CirculationLiving Chi MantleChi Disruption StrikeSacred Conversion
Zee's eyes shone — not with excitement, but fascination.
"I didn't even know this was possible," she whispered. "Chi feels… different than mana. It doesn't ask. It moves."
Jax studied her carefully. "Tell me about your Legendary."
She swallowed, then selected it.
LEGENDARY SKILL: SANCTUM OF THE LIVINGA domain anchored to the caster's will.Allies within its influence receive amplified healing, resistance to death effects, and delayed fatal damage.
Jax exhaled slowly.
"That's… incredible."
Zee nodded. "In my cult, they called us Solaris. Children touched by light. We were raised to heal. To shine."
Her voice dimmed.
"At first, they worshiped us."
Jax stayed silent.
"But when things went wrong," she continued, fingers tightening, "when famine hit, or raids failed… they said the gods demanded potential."
Her eyes lowered.
"The stronger you were… the greater the offering."
Jax felt something cold settle in his chest.
"I ran," she said simply. "I became an adventurer because it was the only way to live without being… consumed."
She looked up at him then.
"Light and healing are natural to me," she said. "But chi… chi feels like something new. Something that lets me protect — not just mend."
Jax nodded slowly.
They went through the options together.
He pointed out the defensive value of Living Chi Mantle.The battlefield control potential of Chi Disruption Strike.The efficiency and tactical depth of Sacred Conversion.
"This path means you won't just save lives. You'll decide who doesn't get saved."
Zee met his eyes.
"I know."
"It means you'll be able to stop enemies from healing," he continued. "Some won't recover at all."
"I know," she repeated — gently, firmly.
He hesitated. "It also means… you'll have to choose. Do you want to be in the back, healing, or able to be on the front line dealing?"
She smiled — small, sad, resolved.
"I've been chosen for my whole life," she said. "I want to choose for myself."
She hovered over the confirmation.
"I don't want to be a sacrifice," Zee said quietly. "I want to be a shield."
She locked it in.
Legendary - Sanctum of the Living
Rare – Advanced Chi Circulation
Rare – Living Chi Mantle
Rare – Pulse of Renewal
Rare – Radiant Conduit
The system chimed.
Light gathered around her — not blinding, not explosive — but warm, steady, alive.
Jax watched in awe as her aura deepened, chi weaving seamlessly with mana, something old and something new becoming one.
She opened her eyes.
They glowed — not brightly.
But enduringly.
Jax smiled.
"Welcome back, Solaris."
Zee smiled back — and for the first time, the word didn't feel like a chain.
It felt like a promise.