CHAPTER 199: CHAPTER 199: TESTING THE OMEGA

Victor didn’t even glance toward the glass. "He’s only dramatic when he’s losing control," he said smoothly, stepping around Elias’s still-unstable ether arc. "Which is... roughly every five minutes."

Elias, hunched over and sweating, shot him a withering look. "You do realize I can hear you?"

"Yes," Victor replied pleasantly. "I wanted you to."

Ruo laughed again, setting her mug aside. "Gods, you two sound like an old married couple. I can’t tell if I should be impressed or concerned."

Victor straightened, finally turning his gaze to the observation window. "Impressed would be the correct choice," he said, deadpan.

"Concerned," Elias muttered, trying to steady the faint shimmer of ether between his palms. The glow wobbled and then sputtered out with a soft hiss. "Definitely concerned."

Victor exhaled through his nose, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You’re overthinking again. Let it flow from your spine, not your temper."

"That’s easy for you to say," Elias shot back, pushing damp hair out of his eyes. "You don’t have to hold back the equivalent of a nuclear reactor inside your chest while someone lectures you about posture."

"Your posture is atrocious," Victor said calmly.

"See?" Elias gestured wildly. "There it is again!"

Ruo bit down a laugh, her voice crackling faintly through the speaker. "You know, I thought he was exaggerating when he said you were impossible."

Victor smirked. "He still underestimates me."

Elias threw his hands up. "I’d underestimate you less if you didn’t sound like a self-help book for tyrants."

That made Ruo laugh outright, her voice bright and delighted. "Oh, he’s got you there."

Victor arched an eyebrow. "He doesn’t. He’s just stalling."

Elias groaned. "Fine! Gods forbid anyone stall after three hours of being electrocuted by divine energy."

Ruo grinned, tapping a finger to the glass. "You’re glowing, Clarke. Literally. It’s a good look."

Elias looked down, and swore softly when he realized the faint halo of violet light crawling up his arms. "Fantastic," he muttered. "I’m radioactive."

Victor stepped in close, his shadow cutting through the glow. "You’re finally channeling it properly," he said quietly, his tone softening just enough for Ruo to notice. "Now... hold it."

Elias bit back another complaint, focusing instead on keeping the current steady. His pulse thudded loud in his ears.

Through the glass, Ruo watched them, the god and the man, tension strung tight as a bowstring between them. Her grin faded into something softer, more thoughtful.

"Careful, Elias," she murmured under her breath, her tone just low enough that neither of them could hear. "You keep this up, and you’re going to start moving like him."

"I’m a scientist, a researcher specialized in simulating this, not using it!"

Ruo snorted into her coffee, half-choking on a laugh. "Oh, please. You say that like you haven’t been doing impossible things since grad school." She leaned closer to the glass, eyes bright with amusement. "What was it you told me back then? ’If it can be modeled, it can be mastered.’"

Elias’s ether pulse flickered, violet light crawling uncertainly along his arms. "That was before the model decided to talk back," he gritted out, his voice tight with effort. "And before it decided it could smite me if I miscalculated an angle."

Victor, who had been circling him like a patient predator, stopped. "You’re still compensating through logic," he said. "You can’t calculate control. You have to feel it."

"I don’t want to feel it," Elias snapped. "Feeling it nearly burned a hole through the floor yesterday!"

"And yet," Victor replied smoothly, "you’re still standing. Progress."

Ruo’s laughter rang through the intercom. "You two are ridiculous."

Victor gave her a sidelong glance through the glass. "Observation period’s over, Miss Numen."

"Like hell it is," she shot back. "This is the most fun I’ve had in months."

Elias hissed through his teeth as a flare of ether surged up his arms, light fracturing around his wrists like liquid glass. "Victor!"

Before the glow could destabilize, Victor was there, one hand snapping up to grasp Elias’s wrist. His touch didn’t stop the flow; it redirected it, steady as the tide. The flare dimmed, folding into itself until the air cleared again.

Elias blinked, chest heaving. "You could’ve warned me."

"I did," Victor said mildly. "You ignored me."

Ruo, half leaning against the glass now, grinned. "Told you so."

Elias groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Remind me again why I agreed to this."

"You didn’t," Victor said, eyes glinting.

Elias glared at him but turned back to the faint threads of violet ether hovering between his palms. They pulsed softly, fragile as a heartbeat, wavering each time he exhaled. His hands shook from exhaustion; his shirt clung damp to his back. He’d been at it for three hours, and the fact that he was still upright bordered on miraculous.

The room hummed faintly, the low resonance of power straining to stay balanced. Victor stood a few paces away, hands clasped behind him, every inch the unyielding instructor. "Steady," he said quietly. "One minute. Keep it there."

Elias focused on breathing through his teeth. His vision blurred at the edges, the violet glow flickering like a flame in the wind. "I’m... trying," he managed, jaw tight. "This is... ridiculous."

"Fifty seconds," Victor murmured, eyes tracking the flow of energy. "You’re holding it better than last time."

"That’s because last time lasted thirty seconds before you nearly blew out the lights," Ruo called through the intercom.

Elias’s focus wavered. "Thank you, Ruo, that’s extremely helpful," he muttered.

Victor’s tone cut through the sarcasm like a blade. "Don’t lose it. Push past the mark."

"No," Elias said immediately, voice raw. "A minute is enough. I’m not..."

"Not what?"

Elias’s shoulders stiffened. "Not built for this. I’m a man, Victor. A recessive omega. I study this, I don’t do this."

Victor’s gaze sharpened, the faint smile slipping into something more serious. "Not recessive," he said evenly. "Not anymore."

Elias blinked at him, caught off guard. "What?"

"After your last heat," Victor continued, tone matter-of-fact, "you stopped being recessive. The shift was clear. You’re dominant now; your ether output proves it."

Elias shot him a look, more tired than angry, but still sharp. "You think I don’t know what I am? I can feel it every time I touch the field. It doesn’t mean I want to burn myself alive proving it to you."

Victor’s mouth curved faintly, but his voice stayed soft. "You’re not burning. You’re adjusting. There’s a difference."

Elias let out a frustrated laugh, low and breathless. "You’ve been doing this for centuries. I’ve done this once. Once, Victor." His control slipped just enough for the light to stutter. "And now my arms feel like I’m holding lightning."

Victor stepped closer, stopping just shy of touching him. "Then hold it," he said quietly. "Show it who it belongs to."

Elias’s breath caught, equal parts exhaustion and irritation. "You’re impossible."

"I’m correct," Victor replied smoothly. "You have fifteen seconds left."

Elias groaned through his teeth but held it anyway, the glow trembling violently until it began to settle again, syncing to the rhythm of his pulse. The light flared once, bright enough to paint Victor’s face in violet.

Then it snapped out with a faint pop, leaving silence in its wake.

Elias slumped forward, bracing his hands on his knees, breathing hard. "I hate this," he muttered. "I hate you."

Victor chuckled. "No, you don’t."

"Right now, I might."

Behind the glass, Ruo was laughing so hard she nearly dropped her mug. "That’s the Elias I remember," she said. "Stubborn and half-dead, but still arguing with gods."

Elias straightened, running a hand through his hair, drenched and sticking to his temple. "I’m done," he said flatly. "I’m showering. Alone. And if you follow me, I swear I’ll throw a lightning bolt through the wall."

Victor’s smile deepened, eyes glinting like wine in firelight. "You’re not strong enough yet."

"Give me two hours," Elias shot back.

That earned a low, amused laugh from him. "There it is, the ambition I like."