The crackling energy in the air intensified as Kessa's gaze bore down on Mara, her words hanging heavy between them. Kai, standing at the ready, felt the surge of power within him—the raw energy of codes thrumming beneath his skin, waiting to be released. His breath quickened, but his focus remained on the unfolding scene, unsure of just how deep this connection went between Mara and the mysterious woman before them.

Mara stepped forward, her eyes narrowing. The weight of Kessa’s words still lingered in the air, like an unspoken challenge. “I didn’t come here to fight your battles, Kessa,” she said, her voice low but resolute. “I’m not your pawn anymore.”

Kessa tilted her head slightly, a mocking smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “Ah, yes. The idealist. Always thinking you can change everything. Do you think you’ve escaped the chains of the Nexus? Do you think that power inside you—power I helped awaken—can be used for anything other than its original purpose?”

Kai couldn’t help but flinch at her words. What did she mean by *she helped awaken the power*? Had Mara always known what she was capable of? Had Kessa been involved in her past before she arrived in the real world?

But Mara didn’t back down. “I never needed your help, Kessa. The power within me is mine to control. Not yours, not the Nexus’s.”

The stranger’s violet eyes flickered with something dangerous—anger, perhaps, but also something darker. A history, one that stretched back far beyond the current moment.

Kessa stepped forward, her presence growing more menacing, the very air around her charged with power. “You think you can control it? You think you can use the Energy of Codes without consequence? You’re nothing but a tool, Mara. And when the Nexus decides it wants you back, you will return. It will always find you.”

Mara’s eyes flashed, her grip tightening on her sword, but her voice was calm. “Then I’ll make sure it never finds me.”

Kai could see the conflict in Mara’s eyes, the raw emotion of someone caught between a past they couldn’t outrun and a future they were trying to shape. The Nexus wasn’t just some abstract force—it was something Mara had been bound to, a part of her history that refused to stay buried.

But he could also see something else. In the way she stood, in the strength radiating off her, he knew she was more than what Kessa claimed. Mara was stronger than she knew.

Kessa’s lips curled into a knowing smile. “You don’t understand. The Nexus doesn’t care about your defiance. You can’t escape it, no matter how hard you try.” Her voice lowered to a dangerous whisper. “We are bound together by fate, Mara. Always have been.”

For a moment, the air grew thick with unspoken truths. Mara’s expression softened, just for an instant, before she steeled herself again, drawing her sword in a single, fluid motion. “I’m not the girl you knew. And I’m not afraid of you.”

Kessa’s violet eyes gleamed with cold amusement. “Afraid? No. But you should be.”

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The tension between them snapped like a taut wire.

In an instant, the two women were moving—faster than Kai could follow. Kessa’s movements were sharp and fluid, crackling with an unnatural energy as she drew upon the codes, shaping them like a weapon. In a blur, she sent a blast of violet energy toward Mara, the ground beneath her feet shuddering from the force of it.

Mara twisted, narrowly avoiding the blast. With a sharp motion, she brought her sword up, summoning the Energy of Codes to form a shield in front of her. The shield shimmered with raw power, the energy shifting and pulsing as it absorbed the impact of Kessa’s attack. The ground beneath Mara cracked, but she stood firm, her eyes blazing with focus.

“Is this all you have, Kessa?” Mara taunted, her voice filled with a quiet but unwavering confidence. “You’ll need more than that to stop me.”

Kai watched in awe as Mara’s movements became a blur of grace and strength, as though she had mastered the very essence of the Energy of Codes. She summoned blasts of energy with the flick of her wrist, shaping them into deadly projectiles that zipped through the air with pinpoint accuracy.

Kessa countered with ease, her own energy flowing like a river around her, shaping itself into shields and weapons in an instant. It was clear that she, too, was no novice when it came to the Energy of Codes. But there was something different about her power—it was colder, more calculated, like a force that had been refined through years of use.

Kai clenched his fists, feeling the energy within him pulse. He could feel the power—no, the *potential*—coursing through him. But it wasn’t enough. Not yet. He wasn’t ready to face someone like Kessa, not in his current state.

But watching Mara, he felt a burning desire to learn. To train. To be as strong as she was, to harness the Energy of Codes with the same precision and grace. He couldn’t afford to stay in the shadows, not anymore.

With a sudden decision, he stepped forward. “Mara! I’m not staying back this time. Let me help you!”

Mara didn’t turn to look at him. She was too focused on her opponent. But she didn’t have to. Kai felt a surge of power within him as if the code itself recognized his resolve. The Energy of Codes wrapped around him, forming into a weapon of his own—a sword made of raw, flickering energy. He could feel it, vibrating with the potential to destroy and to protect.

He charged forward, his movements steady as he swung the blade at the ground, sending a burst of energy in Mara’s direction. The blast was enough to disrupt Kessa’s attack, forcing her to momentarily retreat.

Kessa glanced at Kai, her expression darkening. “You think you can stand against me, boy?”

“I don’t think,” Kai said, his voice firm, “I *know*.”

Mara’s eyes flicked toward him, a look of approval—and something else, something softer—flashing in her gaze before she refocused on the battle.

The fight raged on, energy crackling and warping reality around them as the two powerful forces collided. Kessa and Mara danced in a deadly ballet of power, each one using the Energy of Codes in increasingly complex ways. Kai, though still learning, felt himself growing stronger with every swing of his sword, every pulse of energy he summoned.

But in the heat of battle, Mara’s voice suddenly broke through the tension.

“Do you want to know how I know her?” Mara called out, her voice barely audible over the chaos of the fight. Kessa didn’t respond, but her eyes flickered with annoyance.

Kai’s focus wavered for a moment, a brief flash of confusion passing through him. “How do you know her, Mara?”

Mara’s sword moved fluidly as she deflected another blast from Kessa. She didn’t look back at him, but the weight of her words carried the depth of a history that Kai hadn’t known existed. “Kessa and I go way back. She was once my mentor—one of the first to teach me how to use the Energy of Codes. But it wasn’t just training… it was a manipulation. The Nexus had plans for me, and Kessa was part of that. She was a gatekeeper, ensuring that the chosen ones, like me, were kept in check. But I broke free.”

Kai’s heart pounded as he processed what Mara said. *Mentor? Manipulation?*

Mara’s voice dropped low, almost regretful. “Kessa, and others like her, are part of a faction in the Nexus—those who want to control the power of the Energy of Codes for themselves. They don’t believe anyone can break free of the Nexus’s influence. They think we were all born for one purpose: to serve the codes, to feed their power.”

Kai’s mind raced. If Mara had been part of the Nexus, and Kessa had played a role in her past, what had that meant for her all those years ago? And if she was telling the truth, then this battle wasn’t just about survival—it was about something much bigger. *The Nexus wasn’t just watching, it was controlling.*

The fight between Kessa and Mara raged on, but the stakes had suddenly become far clearer. This wasn’t just a fight for power. It was a fight for freedom.

And as the fight continued, Kai realized something—he wasn’t just a bystander in this battle. He was a part of it. His power, his connection to the codes, was no accident.

He had to learn. And fast.