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“Resonant magic isn’t about control,” Kitsa said. “It’s alignment. You don’t command the Current, you tune to it.”

Idonea frowned. “Tune?”

Kitsa reached forward and placed two fingers on Idonea’s sternum. “Here. The vibration of you.”

“Sounds like nonsense,” Idonea muttered, heat prickling her neck.

Kitsa smirked. “It is. Until it isn’t.”

She leaned back on her heels. “Let’s try simple. Tethering. Feel the presence of this space. Let it feel you in return. Don’t force. Align.”

Idonea nodded. “Like creating a connection for the plants?”

Kitsa nodded.

Idonea closed her eyes. If she mastered this tethering, perhaps it was a gateway to anchoring a location to Vinea.

The dark pressed in. She reached for the Current, but not as she usually did, but through breath. Through stillness.

Her breaths deepened, slowing. Threads of the Current shimmered at the edges of her thoughts.

The space pressed around her: the cold stone, the faint echo of Kitsa’s breath, the quiet vigilance of Lysander waiting behind her.

Then, a pulse. Like a distant heartbeat beneath the floor. Not hers or Kitsa’s. Something older. A thrum that vibrated through her bones. Her skin prickled as the chamber’s subtle rhythm brushed against her own pulse.

She tried to coax the space’s Current towards her. But the moment her intent sharpened, the luminous threads recoiled like startled water. She inhaled sharply, the Current snapping away from her touch.

“What?” Idonea looked down.

“It retreated,” Kitsa said. “Because you reached with will instead of resonance.”

A flush of frustration warmed Idonea’s throat. “So, I failed.”

“For the first attempt?” Kitsa said, tilting her head. “No. The Current noticed you.”

Idonea’s gaze lifted.

Kitsa’s eyes widened. “Your eyes.”

Lysander stood from the wall, his boots shuffling over stone.

Idonea splayed out her hands, showing the lengthened nails like claws. “A mark of my Current access.”

Kitsa looked troubled. “I’ve never seen such a thing.”

“Likely because I am Riven.” Idonea’s mouth twisted.

“But…” Kitsa glanced towards Lysander then back. “I’ve seen Rivens work before. None ever exhibited that.”

Silence stretched between them. The faint hum of the Current remained. It was subtle, but constant. Idonea’s features resumed their normal state.

Kitsa’s smile sharpened. “If you attune to a place, you can attune to people. Relics. And if you’re good, you can manipulate that resonance. Shift it.”

Idonea’s mouth went dry. “To what end?”

The girl leaned in. “A skilled Resonant can unravel someone’s mind like thread.”

“And the Order claims the light sanctifies Resonant magic.” Idonea shook her head. No matter how a witch practised, they could be dangerous.