The charging mercenary didn't make it two steps.
A jagged spike of ice erupted from the ground directly in front of him, forcing him to stumble backward with a startled shout.
Lyra lowered her hand calmly.
"Reckless."
Two more fighters rushed forward from opposite sides, hoping to overwhelm them.
Lyria laughed.
"Oh, this is going to be fun."
Lightning burst across her hands as she lunged forward.
Her fist connected with the first attacker's chest with a crack of thunder, launching the man backward into the dirt.
Before the second fighter could react, she pivoted smoothly and swept his legs out from under him.
Kael stood just behind them, watching the fight unfold with focused tension.
The bond between them hummed steadily.
It felt like standing in the center of a living current of energy.
He could sense Lyria's excitement, bright and electric.
Lyra's concentration felt colder, sharper.
Their mana flowed through the connection like water through a shared channel.
A sudden flash of orange light caught his attention.
"Kael!" Lyria shouted.
He looked up just in time to see a fireball racing toward him.
One of the enemy mages had finished casting.
Kael raised his hand instinctively.
The bond flared.
"Storm Lance!"
A brilliant spear of lightning shot from his palm.
The bolt punched straight through the fireball, scattering flames in all directions before slamming into the mage who cast it.
The man collapsed instantly.
Nyra clapped slowly from the side of the road.
"Very impressive."
Kael barely had time to process the compliment before danger spiked behind him.
His instincts screamed.
"Lyra—!"
A shadow moved.
Sylis emerged from thin air, her dagger slicing toward Lyra's side.
Lyra spun at the last possible moment.
Ice erupted outward in a defensive burst.
The blade struck the frozen barrier and skidded harmlessly away.
Sylis retreated instantly, vanishing back into the tree line like smoke.
Lyria laughed loudly.
"Oh, I like her."
Kael ducked as another mercenary swung a sword at him.
He stepped back awkwardly, narrowly avoiding the strike.
Lyria appeared beside him a moment later.
"Careful," she said with a grin.
Her elbow slammed into the attacker's jaw, knocking him unconscious.
"Hands off my battery."
Kael groaned.
"I really hate that nickname."
"Too bad."
Another mage began chanting rapidly.
The ground trembled beneath Kael's feet.
Stone spikes burst upward from the dirt.
Lyra reacted immediately.
Frost surged across the ground like a spreading wave, freezing the spikes solid before they could reach him.
Kael felt the sudden strain ripple through her mana.
Without thinking, he reached through the bond.
Energy poured outward from him into Lyra.
The exhaustion faded from her presence almost instantly.
Lyra blinked in surprise.
"You compensated my mana drain."
Kael stared at his hands.
"I didn't even think about it."
"But it worked."
Nyra watched carefully from the sidelines.
"How fascinating."
The remaining mercenaries hesitated.
The fight was no longer going the way they expected.
They had assumed they were ambushing an exhausted party.
Instead they were facing a perfectly synchronized magical unit.
Lyria stretched her shoulders.
"Is that all of them?"
One of the fighters slowly lowered his sword.
"I'm not dying over dungeon scraps."
Another dropped his weapon.
Within moments, half the mercenaries had begun retreating down the road.
Nyra sighed dramatically.
"Cowards."
Sylis reappeared beside her.
"They are making a rational decision."
Nyra tilted her head as she studied Kael.
"You're interesting."
Kael shrugged.
"Thanks, I guess."
She sheathed her dagger.
"You know what? Let's call this a draw."
Lyria blinked.
"That's it?"
"For now."
Nyra began walking away down the road.
"But I'm sure we'll meet again."
Sylis lingered a moment longer.
Her eyes locked on Kael.
"Your resonance is still evolving."
Then she disappeared into the trees.
The road fell quiet.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"Well," he said, "that could have gone worse."
Lyria stretched.
"That was fun."
Lyra looked at Kael thoughtfully.
"The way you reinforced my mana earlier…"
He scratched the back of his head.
"I'm still figuring this whole bond thing out."
Lyria slung an arm around his shoulders.
"Good."
She grinned.
"Because we're going to need it."