"Hah...Hah..."
"Hah...Hah..."
The sound of ragged breaths filled the training ground. Students collapsed onto the grass one after another, some coughing, some groaning, and a few blinking awake after having fainted mid-run. Sweat drenched their uniforms, their bodies trembling as if they had been dragged through hell.
Only a handful still stood tall—Ron and Lia, their pace steady even after all those laps, and Maera, calm as though the trial hadn't even begun for her.
Among the exhausted crowd was Selene Raynhart, the half-elf noble whose presence normally radiated elegance. Midnight blue hair stuck to her cheeks, her refined aura nowhere to be seen as her face flushed crimson from exertion. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, lips parted as she fought for air. Every breath sounded strained, her once-proud eyes shimmering with frustration and fatigue.
