Aria’s breath fogged in the air.

  She stood barefoot in the training clearing Rael had cimed outside town—half a kilometer of overgrown grass and cracked stone, warded with barriers to keep human eyes out. Frost crept outward from her feet, spiderwebbing into the ground. The trees around her shimmered with rime. Even the wind seemed to avoid her space now.

  Rael circled slowly, hands behind his back, eyes glowing faintly—veins twitching around his temples.

  “Focus on control, not output,” he said. “You’re not trying to freeze the world. You’re trying to carve into it.”

  Aria nodded, jaw tight. Her fingers clenched. A spike of cold air jutted from the ground in front of her—a pilr of rough ice. Then another. Then five more in a circle around her.

  They looked strong.

  They also looked wrong.

  Rael clicked his tongue. “Sloppy. The density’s uneven. That one’s hollow at the core. You’re bleeding power instead of directing it.”

  “I’m trying,” she muttered.

  “Don’t try. Aim.”

  He stepped closer, his gaze intensifying. “Your magic isn't kind. It was never born out of calm. It was born from fear. Pain. Don't fight that. Use it.”

  She closed her eyes. Took a breath. Let the memory rise—her father’s voice, her mother’s scream, the night it ended.

  The next spike that shot from her palm was sharp enough to cut steel, smooth as gss.

  Rael gave a nod. “Better.”

  Training sted two hours.

  By the time they stopped, Aria was exhausted and soaked in sweat despite the cold radiating off her.

  They walked back to the manor in silence. Rael handed her a bottle of energy-replenishing potion, which she chugged without question. Her control was improving. But she wasn’t where he needed her yet. She still hesitated. Still second-guessed herself.

  He didn’t tell her, but she was ahead of where most would be.

  She just wasn’t done.

  The manor was livelier than usual when they returned. Rias was entertaining guests—or more accurately, rivals. Sona Shitori sat at the garden table outside, sipping tea, her sharp eyes scanning everything with casual intelligence.

  With her stood two other girls—Tsubaki, her Queen, composed and silent; and Momo, a newly recruited Pawn with a bubbly smile that didn’t fool Rael for a second.

  Rias waved Rael and Aria over.

  “Look who survived training,” she teased.

  Aria gave a stiff nod, polite but distant.

  Rael nodded at Sona. “Sitri.”

  “Gremory,” she replied. “I see your first piece hasn't frozen herself yet.”

  “She’s not brittle,” Rael said.

  “We’ll see.”

  Rias motioned to the others. “Aria, meet Sona and her peerage. You’ll see them around. Probably in competition. Maybe in combat.”

  Aria gave a hesitant bow. “Nice to meet you.”

  Tsubaki inclined her head. Momo gave a quick wave. Sona just studied her for a beat too long.

  After pleasantries were done, Rael stepped aside to discuss ward upgrades with a house servant. Rias took that opportunity to pull Aria aside into the shaded edge of the garden.

  “Walk with me,” she said lightly.

  Aria followed, tense.

  They passed under hanging ivy and into the older section of the estate. Rias’s smile faded as soon as they were alone.

  “I want to say something without the rest around,” she said.

  Aria stayed quiet.

  “I like you. I do,” Rias said. “You’re tough. You’re trying. And you didn’t crumble when my brother chose you. That means something.”

  “Okay…” Aria said, unsure.

  “But I need you to understand something clearly,” Rias continued, voice low and calm. “Rael is not like the rest of us. He doesn’t take chances on people. He doesn’t trust people easily.”

  Aria’s eyes narrowed. “And?”

  “And if you betray that trust—even once—he will end you.”

  The words hit like a sp. No anger. No threat. Just… fact.

  Aria stopped walking.

  “You think that’s supposed to scare me?” she asked.

  Rias turned to face her. “It should.”

  “So what? You came to warn me? You gonna kill me if I mess up?”

  Rias smiled faintly. “No. That wouldn’t be my job.”

  She stepped closer, eyes meeting Aria’s.

  “If it ever came to that, he’d do it himself.”

  Silence fell between them.

  “You’re not just a Bishop,” Rias added. “You’re his first. That means something to him. Probably more than he realizes.”

  Aria’s throat felt tight. “Then why threaten me?”

  “It’s not a threat,” Rias said. “It’s a truth. You’re part of his world now. And in his world, loyalty is everything.”

  With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Aria standing there under the ivy, fists clenched.

  Later that night, Aria found Rael on the rooftop again.

  He was sitting cross-legged, eyes scanning the city.

  She sat beside him without a word.

  They stayed silent for a while.

  Then she said, “Rias talked to me.”

  “I know.”

  “She said you’d kill me if I betrayed you.”

  Rael didn’t react. “She’s not wrong.”

  Aria looked down. “You’re really that serious about all this?”

  “This isn’t a game, Aria,” Rael said quietly. “Not to me. I don’t collect pieces to feel important. I build for survival. For purpose.”

  She looked at him carefully. “What’s my purpose?”

  “You’re not there yet,” he said. “But you’re getting close.”

  The wind stirred around them, carrying a chill that didn’t come from the air.

  Then Rael said something softer—barely audible.

  “You’re not expendable. Not to me.”

  Aria’s breath caught.

  She didn’t respond.

  But the frost that curled beneath her fingers… was steady now.