Khione clenched her fists in her lap, a fierce, determined fire burning behind her ice-blue eyes.
"Hah," she breathed, the sound half-laugh, half-growl. "I must also work harder. Much harder."
The pressure of being near him, of watching him ascend at a pace that defied logic, was not a joke. It was a challenge. A gauntlet was thrown at her feet. And she was an Undine. They did not back down from challenges.
Nero watched her, a small, private smile tugging at his lips. He knew what she was feeling. He had felt it himself, watching others surpass him before his own awakening. But there was more. She would be even more shocked soon.
"I know you can do it," he said, his voice warm with genuine belief. "You're the strongest person I know, Khione. Not just in power. In will."
