Learning to Control the Bond
The days that followed were unlike any training they had ever experienced. Fighting with swords, casting spells, even endurance training—none of it compared to the challenge of controlling their new connection.
Because now, they weren’t just training their bodies. They were training their minds.
Day One:
The first lesson was simple in theory: filtering emotions.
“You need to be able to recognize what emotions are yours and what belong to someone else,” Yue instructed, his voice calm but firm. “If you can’t distinguish between them, you’ll lose yourself in the bond.”
That sounded easy enough. But in practice?
It was chaos.
“Stop pushing me out!” Syaoran snapped at Tranquility.
“I’m not pushing, you’re pulling!” Tranquility shot back.
“I’m not doing anything!”
Reiko groaned, rubbing her temples. “You both are too stubborn. I can feel it, and it’s giving me a headache.”
Clow chuckled from where he sat, watching them with amusement. “Perhaps it’s best if we start with something smaller. Instead of trying to block emotions, try focusing on just one person at a time.”
Endymion crossed his arms. “How?”
“Close your eyes. Focus on one person. Feel their emotions, but don’t let them overwhelm you.”
They tried.
Reiko focused on Tranquility. For a brief moment, she felt him—his warmth, his steady determination, the quiet weight he always carried on his shoulders. But the moment she acknowledged it, everyone else’s emotions crashed into her at once.
Her breath hitched, and she staggered back.
“Reiko?” Tranquility caught her before she could fall.
“I’m fine,” she exhaled. “Just… overwhelmed.”
Clow nodded. “That’s what happens when you try to take in too much at once. You need to filter.”
Endymion sighed. “So basically, this is going to take forever.”
Yue gave him a rare smirk. “You’re catching on.”
Day Three:
They practiced at every chance they got—during meals, training, even in their sleep. Slowly, control started to come.
Endymion learned to suppress his emotions when necessary, keeping his presence from overwhelming the others.
Syaoran and Yue discovered that their bond seemed particularly strong, able to communicate wordlessly in battle with only a thought.
Tranquility, for all his initial resistance, was the first to figure out how to calm the others when emotions spiraled out of control.
And Reiko? She was learning that sometimes, emotions didn’t need to be blocked. Sometimes, they needed to be felt.
Day Five:
The next challenge was physical sensation.
Clow warned them that in battle, they might feel each other’s pain. This was dangerous—if one of them fell, the rest might be crippled by the shared agony.
So they needed to prepare.
Jadeite was the first to volunteer. “Go on. Hit me.”
The others hesitated.
Nephrite raised an eyebrow. “Are we sure about this?”
“We need to know what we’re dealing with,” Jadeite insisted.
Syaoran sighed and punched him in the arm.
Everyone in the room flinched.
Zoisite groaned, rubbing his own arm. “Okay. That was unpleasant.”
Jadeite exhaled sharply. “I felt that twice. Once for myself, and once from all of you.”
Clow nodded. “That’s what I expected. Pain echoes through the bond. But if you learn to filter it, you can lessen the impact.”
That was easier said than done.
They spent the entire day practicing—small pinches, minor burns, light bruises. Each time, they tried to separate their own pain from what they felt through the bond.
It wasn’t perfect, but by the end of the day, the difference was noticeable.
“It’s still there,” Endymion admitted, flexing his fingers. “But it’s duller now.”
“That’s all you need,” Clow said. “A sharp pain can paralyze you in battle. But a dull one? That, you can fight through.”
Day Seven:
A week had passed since the bonding ceremony.
The worst of the side effects had settled. The headaches were less frequent, the emotions were more manageable, and the connection—while still overwhelming at times—was starting to feel natural.
But they all knew one thing:
This was only the beginning.
The bond had changed them. They were no longer just allies, no longer just warriors fighting a common enemy.
They were connected in a way deeper than blood, deeper than magic.
And no matter what came next…
They would face it together.