Chapter 71

(Snowe's POV)

Based on the vehicles in the garage, it was obvious that Zai and I were the last to arrive this time. I felt bad for keeping everyone waiting… but it's only been a day, and it was mostly Zai's fault! Regardless, I hoped it wasn't a big deal.

RJ met us in the garage. He was shirtless and glowing—literally. I don't think I've ever seen him this happy.

"It's about time you got here," he teased.

"Sorry… Snowe held us up," Zai accused.

"Me?!"

RJ laughed and hugged Zai.

"Snowe is always making trouble for others, huh?"

I pouted and folded my arms.

"Yeah, I'm so glad I can finally see you—my one true love," Zai cooed.

I know he was joking, but my heart still cringed at his wording.

"Oh yes, I missed you too, my dear. It feels like forever since we've spent time together," RJ replied in the same playful tone.

I squeezed myself between them and spread my arms to guard Zai.

"Enough of that. It's time to go!"

RJ flicked my forehead, making me flinch.

"Don't be jealous…"

Zai flicked his forehead in retaliation.

"Why shouldn't she be? You know if I were a woman, you'd be all over me," he teased.

RJ's face scrunched, and he opened his mouth to say something, but stopped.

"The others are waiting in the backyard," he finally said, then burst out laughing. "You're so wild, Zai. You just say whatever you want."

We followed him into the backyard. Insinz was setting up a portal, seemingly holding off on finishing it until we were all ready to go. Tana sat on the porch steps, staring into the wilderness. Cera was cuddled up with a man in the corner of the porch, whispering softly. The man looked eerily similar to RJ. That must be the brother Zai mentioned. Cera's skin is fairer than the others, so it was easy to see how much he was blushing—his whole neck looked red. I've never seen him look so soft... it's honestly a little off-putting.

"Where's Valin?" I asked, glancing around again.

"Oh… saying goodbye to his girlfriend one last time. He should be here in a minute," RJ answered.

Lisa is here?!

"Oh, don't worry, she knows what we are and doesn't seem too worried about it. She's an odd human. Oh—and Aluma isn't coming," he added, even though I hadn't asked.

"What about… your human friend?" Zai inquired, leaning against the back wall beside RJ.

"Oh, Aluma said she'll look after her while we're gone. Innoccence can talk now and knows how the world works, so she'll help Aluma navigate. And if she wants to be transformed, Aluma volunteered to do it. Her base element is still Earth, so she's handling the healing process too."

Zai chuckled and closed his eyes.

"I guess she didn't want you spending all that one-on-one time with your childhood friend."

"I thought I was the mind reader," RJ replied, laughing. "Yeah, she's been jealous and possessive since she got here… it's kinda hot."

Right as RJ said this, Valin stepped onto the porch.

"Finally," Insinz grumbled, then drew out the final symbols for the portal, opening a gateway to Afaria.

Arrival in Afaria

The first thing I noticed… was that Afaria is beautiful. Most of the buildings were made of crystal and sparkled in the light. There were lush trees, vibrant plants, and I could even see a lake in the distance. The sky was a deep shade of red. Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to sightsee, though, as Insinz led us to a camouflaged door in the ground that opened to an underground room.

Two more people met us there—and a second Insinz?! The one I knew vanished upon seeing his duplicate. Tana rushed into the arms of the one left behind and gave him five quick kisses on the lips.

RJ placed the map on the table, and Valin stepped forward to speak.

"Okay… Zai and I are team 1. Insinz and Jey are team 2. Rytem, Cera, and Netalai are team 3."

"I'm going with Insinz," Tana said, but Valin frowned.

"No. It's too dangerous for you to be in the same room with both him and Jey at full power." He tapped the map thoughtfully. "Hmm… Tana, can you create a clone?"

"I think so," she replied uncertainly.

"Then send a clone with them. Your best bet is helping to reduce the surrounding armies with Markis and Snowe."

"I'm strong! And I discovered my element," she insisted.

"It's not about strength. Your body can't become your element to negate damage—you can get hurt. That puts strain on the overall plan. We can't have Insinz worried you'll get caught in the crossfire."

She pouted, and Insinz hugged her shoulder to calm her. He didn't disagree, so I guess he agreed silently.

I'm in the same position. Even though I'm faster than most people here, my body isn't intangible, and I'm still not as fast as Zai. I wish I could be with him… but this is what's best. Besides, I have plans he might not approve of. I hate hiding things from him, but this is a special situation. It's better this way.

Taking notes from Tana, I rushed over to kiss Zai while I had the chance. He immediately licked my tongue and pinned me to the wall.

"Um… g-good reaction speed," I mumbled shyly. He never cares where we are! My heart's doing jumping jacks.

"Thanks." He kissed me again, deeper, forcing my mouth open and tangling his tongue with mine. When he pulled away, I was out of breath.

"We'll meet again soon. I love you."

"I… love you too." My reply made him laugh. He rested his forehead against mine for a moment before pulling away.

Transformation Scene

Insinz lined up Zai, RJ, Valin, and Cera, then extracted strange-looking jewels from their necks. From their grimaces, I could tell it was painful. The crystals were drenched in blood. After that, all seven of the Chosen began transitioning into their true forms.

Zai's silvery form still stunned me with its overwhelming pressure. And my mind… flooded with lewd thoughts of what he did to me in that form—I could barely stand to look at him.

Insinz's hair turned a dark purple with pink ends, and his muscle density increased.

RJ's hair turned white and flowed violently like a flame. His turquoise eyes glowed brightly.

Cera's transformation was subtler—his hair glowed faintly and moved gently, like waves.

Valin's hair grew rapidly down to his ankles, deepened in color, and his lime-green eyes glowed intensely. Like Insinz, his muscle mass also increased.

Rytem and Netalai didn't change—maybe because they never hid their forms.

Netalai had golden curls that moved like Cera's. His whole body sparkled, and he looked frailer than the others.

Rytem had dark blue hair and gradient blue eyes. He looked… like my dad. It's been so long since I thought about him. I don't like it.

Weapons and Warnings

"Wait, Rai… before we separate," Zai said, pulling two long emerald-colored blades from our duffle bag and handing them to RJ.

RJ's eyes lit up. "Wow… when did you make these?"

"You needed a weapon. These have a high melting point," Zai replied.

RJ practiced with them for a moment, then hugged Zai.

"Ooo, can I get one of those?" Markis asked. I can make my own weapons, but giving Markis an ice sword would be dumb.

Zai sighed, pulled out another long sword, then split and reshaped it into dual daggers. He tossed one to Markis.

"I don't have time to acquire the right minerals. This'll have to do. I'm giving it to you because you're watching my wife's back… If anything happens to her—or if you hurt her—I'll tear your head off before you can blink."

The mood shifted from wholesome to tense.

"I'll make sure she stays safe." Just then, a flicker of light burst—and Markis dropped his dagger.

All his fingers had been broken. It happened so fast, I don't think he felt the pain until seconds later. Then he grit his teeth, trying not to scream.

"Okay, thanks. Valin, could you heal him?" Zai asked casually.

Valin rolled his eyes and walked over to help. Meanwhile, Cera chastised Zai:

"What's wrong with you? We're on the same side!"

Zai only grinned. "It's not like we're friends. He needed to know I meant it."

I didn't know what to say. It's fair to assume Zai doesn't like him.

Final Departure

Tana was off in a corner, meditating. A clone appeared beside her and she looked exhausted. Insinz whispered something to her, kissed her, and then left with the others—and her clone.

Watching Zai leave… was hard. I released my power. It felt like stretching after being cramped.

"We have to take a different path. They don't want us near the castle yet," Tana said, pointing to a different corridor. There were three exits—one we came through, one likely near the palace, and this one… a new strategic location.

Markis picked up his blade and removed his shirt. I turned away. I wasn't expecting much from a non-Chosen, so I was surprised when I felt his power surge. It wasn't as overwhelming as Zai's, but the jump in strength was massive.

His hair turned bright yellow, lifted like a flame, and he had fire-painted markings on his wrists.

"Mmm… that's better. Your husband has quite the attitude," he noted, following Tana.

"Yeah… he's usually not so aggressive," I said defensively.

Markis laughed. "It's fine. He's got plenty of reasons to dislike me. But I still got this badass dagger. I'm not gonna hold it against him."

The way Zai talks about Markis… I never would've expected him to be so forgiving.

Maybe… he's changed.