Ronan’s POV

Training ran like a blur after that.

Commands. Movements. Techniques.

All of it empty noise compared to the weight of one truth echoing in my skull:

Elias Caelum is alive.

And he’s standing right in front of me pretending not to be.

I watched him from the top platform while cadets rotated through sparring drills. He moved efficiently, sharp but contained, like he was trying to keep his power pressed into a small, acceptable box.

The collar gleamed faintly against his ...