By the time Malakai finally drifted off to sleep, he couldn't help but wonder how Renlo still failed the balance course, despite forming a node in the same place.
Still, this was progress. And progress always brought excitement.
Morning came fast. Malakai woke up as early as usual, the thrill of his new advancement still fresh in his mind. He began training without delay.
Unfortunately, last night's breakthrough had drained the rest of the grade three core. It was useless now.
Malakai was a little saddened to see it go, but it had served him well.
He tossed the empty core to the corner of the room and brought out the second one, the one he'd earned for winning the hunt. As he trained, he began planning how to get another.
Time passed.
With his window shut, he hadn't realized how far the morning had gone. It was only when Nyx reminded him about training with Renlo that he realized how long he'd been at it.
'I shouldn't miss another day.'
