In the end, the boys—Veer, Theo, and Shrihan—averted their eyes, a flicker of awkwardness passing between them as Ira shed her clothes with a boldness that left Zara fidgeting.
Clad only in the sleek, oval-shaped helmet Theo had handed her, its surface glinting faintly under the dim lights, Ira took a breath and plunged into the black pool.
The liquid swallowed her instantly, a void so dark it seemed to devour light itself.At first, it was still—eerily so.
Then, the surface rippled, and the liquid surged to life, slithering up her body like a living thing. It clung to her skin, molding itself into a second skin, an armor that shimmered and shifted incessantly.
