Page 48 of Aries

Aries reaches across the table toward my hand, hovering just above my skin—a promise of what awaits when we succeed.

“Then let the remaining trials begin,” the Committee intones before fading away.

We sit in the aftermath of our choice, hands almost touching across that familiar gap. A finite number of days left to either prove our love unbreakable or die trying.

“No regrets?” I ask.

His smile holds fierce determination. “Only that we waited so long to find each other.”

Outside, Sanctorii’s sun climbs higher, marking another day in our countdown. Whatever comes next—whatever trials, whatever dangers—we’ll face them as we’ve learned to face everything.

Together. Without barriers. Without fear.

Some choices aren’t choices at all. Some connections are worth any risk.

And some love stories are worth dying for—or better yet, worth living for.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Aries

Three days later, we stand before the Committee in the central temple, awaiting instructions for what they call “The Sanctorian Trial of Elements.” Their crystalline forms refract the harsh arena lights as they explain the challenge before us.

“Participants must navigate all four elemental chambers while maintaining physical connection through the Unity Bonds.”

I study the four doorways that have risen from the ground. Each portal pulses with different energy—one flickering with flame, another rippling like water, the third swirling with wind, and the fourth solid as stone.

The Unity Bonds are different from the cord that linked us during the harvest festival. These are ceremonial bracelets, connected by an energy field that vibrates as we reach maximum regulation distance.

“And if the bonds break?” Callie asks, her voice carrying through the arena despite the murmuring crowd.

“One more mark against your progress.”

“With one mark already against us—from when you caught me at the market,we have little margin for error.”

Spark hovers anxiously nearby, its color a wary yellow as it watches the crowd. Since our choice to continue the trials, the opposition has grown more organized, more dangerous.

“Which chamber first?” Callie asks, her gaze meeting mine with absolute trust.

“Fire,” I decide. “Better to face the most dangerous one while we’re at full strength.”

Her answering smile holds confidence I don’t entirely feel. “Let’s show them what we’ve got.”

The crowd’s murmur grows louder as we approach the flame portal. I can make out snatches of conversation—bets being placed on our failure, chanted hopes for justice, a few surprising voices calling for our success.

Mira Thessian’s voice rises above the crowd. “You want to see justice? Watch them fail. Watch him pay for what he’s done. Someone should pay!” Her grief has hardened into something sharp and unforgiving, turning a personal loss into a public crusade. She can’t change the gladiatorial system, but she can focus her energy on me, on us.

I catch Callie’s attention, but there’s nothing we can say or do to make this better.

“Ready?” Callie’s fingers adjust the Unity Bond on her wrist, her expression determined.

“Together.” The word has become our talisman against fear.

Stepping through the portal, heat immediately assaults us, far more intense than I expected. The chamber blazes with fire pits and flaming barriers—a maze designed to test our coordination and ability to work together.

“Maintenance team confirms tampering with the fire control systems,” I hear a security officer report through theircomm near the portal. “Heat levels are triple standard safety protocols.”

Sabotage. Of course. The opposition has moved beyond protest to active interference.

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