Velira rounds on him. "I'm not just arguing, I'm trying. Doesn't that matter? I don't want to be protected—I want to do something."
Solven speaks up next, voice low but steady. "Sir Hadrik is right, Velira. Our enemy isn't just dangerous—they're devastating. You step onto that field, and if one of those Tier 6s finds you—"
"I'm not helpless, Solven!" she snaps. "I'm Tier 5. I can at least distract them, or defend—"
"You're not listening," Hadrik says, voice now like stone. "This isn't about what you can do. It's about what I won't allow."
He walks around the table until he's directly in front of her. His towering presence dwarfs hers, but Velira doesn't flinch.
"You're family," he says, quieter now. "The only child of my brother. The future of our name. If I lose you out there… I won't just lose a fighter—I'll lose everything we've built."
Velira swallows hard.
She looks away, jaw clenched, shoulders trembling with unspoken words.
