Leo's specialty didn't announce itself with a roar of fire or a crack of thunder. It revealed itself quietly—almost shyly—in the space between breaths.
Felix had been absentmindedly flicking pebbles into the air while Leo watched, leaning against a stone pillar. The sun was warm, and for a moment, the war felt a thousand miles away.
"Catch one," Felix said suddenly, his eyes dancing. "No elements. No flashy hand-waving. Just… instinct."
Leo frowned. "That's not how anything works, Felix. I can't just wish a rock to stop."
Felix tossed a stone anyway, a high, looping arc.
Leo didn't move his feet. He didn't even reach out his hand. He simply focused on the pebble's path.
The pebble slowed. Then it stopped.
It hung suspended between them—not frozen by ice, not held by wind, but balanced, as if the world itself had decided to pause and wait for Leo's permission to continue.
Leo stared, his breath hitching. "I didn't—pull it. I didn't push it."
Kai stepped closer, his silver eyes sharp and analyzing. "You didn't have to. You read its motion, Leo. You matched its frequency."
Melissa nodded, a soft wonder smoothing her expression. "You understood exactly where it wanted to go, and you gave it a place to rest."
Ember crossed her arms, a look of realization dawning on her. "You didn't dominate an element. You stabilized all of them at once."
Leo swallowed hard, looking at the floating stone. "So… what am I? If I'm not a mage like you?"
Kai answered calmly, his voice ringing with a new kind of respect. "You are an Anchor."
The word settled into Leo's chest—heavy, grounding, and undeniably right.
Felix grinned, his light brown hair messy in the breeze. "Well, that explains why everything stops breaking the second you walk into the room. You're the cosmic glue, Kid."
Leo laughed quietly, the stone finally dropping into his palm. "I'll take that. It beats being a human explosion."
.....
A Visitor from the Past
Slow, deliberate footsteps approached the courtyard.
A man stepped into the light—tall, relaxed, wearing traveler's leathers stitched with silver runes that were faded from years of hard use rather than for ornament. His presence was easy and confident, the kind that didn't need to shout to be heard.
He smiled the moment he saw Felix.
"So it's true," the man said warmly, his voice a deep baritone. "You're still impossible to miss, even in a crowd of legends."
Felix blinked—then froze. His usual witty comeback died on his tongue. "…No way. Aurelius?"
The man bowed lightly. "Aurelius. Former courier of the border routes. Currently—someone who owes you his life."
Kai's posture stiffened instantly, his hand hovering near his quiver. Felix's voice softened into something uncharacteristically vulnerable. "You're alive. I heard the Outer Ravines collapsed."
Aurelius chuckled, stepping closer. "Thanks to you, I wasn't in them when they did."
Leo glanced between the two of them, sensing a history he didn't know. "Should I be concerned? Or are we having a reunion?"
"Years ago," Aurelius continued, his eyes never leaving Felix's face, "I was caught in a rift collapse. Poisoned blade, broken leg, bleeding out in the dark. The shadows were closing in."
Felix scratched
the back of his neck, looking uncomfortably humble. "I told you not to move or you'd bleed out faster."
"You stabbed three attackers with a smile," Aurelius said fondly, a nostalgic light in his eyes. "Then you dragged me halfway across the ravine like I weighed nothing. I never forgot that."
Felix shrugged. "You were lighter than you looked. Mostly ego."
Ember raised a brow, glancing at Felix. "You never mentioned saving a High-Route Courier."
Felix grinned, regaining his composure. "It didn't seem important at the time. I was busy trying to find a decent tavern."
Kai's jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing as Aurelius took another step toward Felix ,
jealousy, Subtly Weaponized
Aurelius reached out as if to touch Felix's shoulder. "You still wear the same sky-blue colors. They suit you."
Felix glanced down at his tunic. "You noticed."
"Hard not to," Aurelius said lightly, his voice dropping into a flirtatious tone. "You shine, Felix. You always did."
Suddenly, a sharp, cold gust of wind whipped across the courtyard, fluttering Aurelius's cloak and nearly knocking him off balance. It was entirely unnecessary for the current weather.
Aurelius chuckled, looking over at Kai. "Ah. I see. The Guardian."
Kai said flatly, his voice like ice. "State your purpose here, Courier."
Aurelius raised both hands in a mock surrender. "Information. And curiosity. I heard the Leaders were in the city, and I wanted to thank my savior properly." Then, softer: "Maybe take him for a drink. For old times' sake."
Felix smiled, a little embarrassed. "You're welcome properly, Aurelius. But we're a bit busy with, you know, saving the world."
Aurelius laughed, a bright, easy sound. "You haven't changed a bit. You still flirt this much with all your saviors?"
Kai's wind stirred again, more violently this time, whistling through the stone pillars.
Melissa covered her mouth to hide a giggle.
Ember muttered under her breath, "Oh, he's definitely jealous."
Leo whispered back, "He's terrifying. I think the sky is turning grey.
As Aurelius finally stepped back, sensing the atmospheric pressure rising around Kai, his gaze flicked once more to the archer.
"You protect him fiercely," Aurelius said, his eyes knowing. "That's rare, even among teammates."
Kai met his eyes, his expression a mask of stone. "So is distraction. We have work to do."
Aurelius smiled, giving Felix one last wink. "Then I'll take my leave. Until next time, Felix."
Felix watched him go, looking thoughtful. Once the courier was out of sight, he turned to Kai. "You didn't tell me you were jealous, Kai."
"I wasn't."
Felix tilted his head, a playful smirk returning to his lips. "You nearly started a localized hurricane. The trees are leaning, Kai."
"…He was standing too close. It was a security risk."
Felix's smile softened, the teasing fading into something more sincere. "You don't have to guard me all the time, you know. I can handle a flirtatious courier."
Kai paused, his gaze dropping to the ground for a split second. Then, quietly: "I choose to."
Felix didn't tease him this time. The silence that followed was comfortable, weighted with a new understanding.
Leo watched it all—the air steadying, the ground calming under his feet. His presence as an Anchor was already working, smoothing the edges of their tension without him even trying. For the first time, Leo understood his role.
Being an Anchor didn't mean standing still and doing nothing. It meant holding the space where balance, tension, and love could finally fall into place.