Page 17 of Interion

“That’s quite a while—did something happen?” I took another bite and waited for an answer, but none came. I waited a while longer before huffing in irritation.

Zion stopped his push-ups and shot me a dry look as he unwrapped his hand wraps. Even though I was trying not to stare, I couldn’t help but notice his defined abs. I blamed the damned partner bond—my fixation on his body could only be the result of that.

Idiotic biological compatibility.

He walked over to my table as he spoke:

“The maximum service time in the Squadron is five years. After that, leave is mandatory.” There was a touch of distaste in his voice, as if the mandatory nature of it displeased him.

So his desire to stay away had forced him to serve the maximum time in the army without a single break. A bitter taste filled my mouth, ruining the flavor of the cheese bread. I had countless questions about the man in the yard, but one thing was certain: his determination to stay away from me. I swallowed hard and set the rest of my food down on the plate.

“I see,” I grumbled. “Well, I...” I jerked my thumb toward the door behind me. “I should go.”

Zion came around the table and pulled my chair back. I stared at him and raised an eyebrow at the chivalry. Was he bipolar or what?

“You said you have a test today...” He hesitated, reading the expression on my face. “Good luck.”

“Thank you,” I murmured, leaving as quickly as possible.

My husband’s confusing behavior, combined with my own strange and inappropriate reactions, left me nauseated. I wondered if every moment in his presence would be like this. The emotional frenzy was clearly caused by our biological condition, but I had no idea how to deal with it.

I went through the glass doors and left my plate in the sink. I tidied up the breakfast table and headed for the exit. But when I reached the door, I stopped and turned, not knowing what to say.

“See you later?” I asked, unsure. Should I say goodbye? I didn’t really know how to act around someone else in the house—after all, I’d always been alone.

Zion stood on the inner lawn, his hand still on the back of the chair he’d pulled out for me. He was staring at the seat as if he saw something there.

“We’ll see each other at the academy,” he finally said.

What the hell would Zion be doing at the academy?

I wanted to ask, but I was running late. So I scratched Kiara’s head in farewell and left. I walked down the five steps from the front door, thinking it had been a good interaction. A million times better than yesterday. Not that it meant anything—it could hardly have been worse.

I walked briskly to work, only fifteen minutes from home. Along the way, I ran through the procedure for today's test in my head. As I neared the hospital, my phone buzzed in my pocket and my earring beeped. I pulled it out and saw a message from Breno on the screen.

“I killed the chicken, bought the cachaça, and lit the black candles. The ritual is complete. I asked the spirits to guide your hand during the surgery. It'll all work out! Or not!”

I burst out laughing right there in the middle of the street.

“You have so little faith in my abilities that you had to resort to human religion?”

“I'm kidding and you know it. But if I were the patient, I'd definitely be in a church or at a crossroads praying to whatever spirit would listen.”

“You're so full of it! Are you saying you don't trust me?”

“I'm saying—good luck with the test!”

Smiling at the sweet message, I sent back a quick thanks and locked the old, scratched phone. When I went to slip it into my pocket, the power button popped out and fell, rolling across the white stone floor. I snapped it back into place, where it reluctantly stayed. I had no idea how the phone still worked—it was the first model ever sold in the city. I'd had it for ages since I still didn't have enough money to buy a new one. Well, actually, I did. But if I spent it, I'd have almost nothing left in my account, and you never know when a descendant might need money to flee and survive.

I stared at the phone, thinking about everything it meant to our world. Every time I looked at it—or any of the electronics invented by Vínturis—I didn't just see a piece of plastic, glass, or metal. I saw the key that united four of the five nations after the Great War. It would be comical if it weren't tragic, realizing that the same political interests that once divided us also served as the glue that brought us back together.

When Interion isolated itself from the continent and severed diplomatic ties, Vínturis became vulnerable. Fearing that other collapsing nations might threaten it, the nation reacted the only way it knew how: reviving old projects aimed at amplifying its elemental gifts through machines. Before long, it had resolved its internal crises. Soldiers were replaced with robots, climate elementals with machines, and an impenetrable force field was erected over the territory, rendering the physical walls obsolete.

The mass production of televisions, cell phones, and radios marked the beginning of a new era, and the other nations took notice. The king of Interion, eager to get his hands on this innovation and technology, proposed trade treaties in exchange for pardoning the nations he had abandoned. With leaders willing to cooperate, the agreements took shape peacefully, and Jupiter's trade alliances were reestablished under strict rules and limits so everyone could fulfill their role.

Vínturis would share its inventions, particularly those related to communication and transportation. In exchange, it would receive financial investments and raw materials. After all, the nation was on an island and could produce little on its own without the proper supplies.

Ampér, the desert nation, would provide highly trained soldiers for Interion to continue its battle against Drutes. It would also share its minerals, especially Sinil—a mineral native to its lands and essential for all electronics due to its ability to retain high levels of magic, allowing it to store gifts. As an arid nation, Ampér couldn't maintain adequate food production for its own people. To address this, Interion would permit free trade of food among the alliance nations while reducing taxes on minerals and climate elementals. This way, Ampér could improve its living standards while still enabling Vínturis's continued development.