After their decisive victory over Orinovo, Lys-Akkaria's army crosses the border to take back territory that used to be theirs. With the combined forces of a lightweaver and shadowforger, Orinovo doesn't stand a chance.
In spite of their newfound a...
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They were fighting again for what felt like the tenth time that week. It made Fennrin incredibly miserable, but he couldn't just back down and let Ainreth have his way because he couldn't agree with what Ain was saying. Especially right now because the subject was Fennrin's powers. He couldn't believe the one person who supported him using them was now having doubts.
"All I'm saying is you're tearing people in two, and it's frightening, okay?"
Fennrin scowled harder, throwing his arms out in disbelief, almost hitting the side of their tent. "You burn them to death."
Fennrin almost scoffed at Ainreth's wide eyes and gaping mouth at that, likely not having realized that his way of fighting was no less horrific because he was so used to it. "Well, at least I for sure know I have control over my powers!"
Fennrin winced, hurt by the implication as he glared harder, trying to keep pain away from his face. He wasn't even sure why he was trying to hide that it had hurt to hear that. Ainreth was the one person he shouldn't mind showing how he truly felt. And he had been that, until recently.
"Are you implying I don't have control?" he asked after taking a breath, trying to keep his voice neutral.
Ain's eyes grew wide again, and Fennrin immediately knew he was about to backtrack. But he wasn't so sure that he hadn't voiced his true feelings. "I wasn't trying to do that. But...." He sighed, running a hand through his hair, pushing it back. "You've been doing this for a really short time compared to me. And you're killing a dozen soldiers at once sometimes. Not even I dare to do that without them all standing together."
Fennrin narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "You think I'll hurt someone accidentally."
He didn't need to add that this was how most people saw shadowforgers. Perhaps he specifically wasn't widely feared and hated anymore, but that didn't mean this prejudice was gone completely.
And judging by the horror in Ain's eyes, he clearly realized what Fennrin was pointing out. "Well, no, I just...."
"You just what?" Fennrin pushed, glaring harder. "What else could you be implying?"
Ainreth huffed, putting his hands on his hips, now looking annoyed. "Well, yeah, okay, maybe I am implying that. I think you're getting a bit careless with how much you use your powers."
"I can control them," he snapped. "What, are you questioning my skill?"
Ainreth bulged out his eyes. "No! That's not what I'm doing. I just think you should pace yourself. How many shadows can you keep track of at once?"
"Enough to keep our soldiers as safe as possible," Fennrin immediately shot back, feeling oh so tired and annoyed. Why was Ain insisting on questioning him like this? He hadn't given him any reason to do it. So what could.... "Are you jealous?"
Ainreth stared at him, his eyes wide and confused as he blinked. "Jealous? What?"
"Why are you so bothered by my being successful at helping Lys-Akkaria fight Orinovo?"
