For Yuli, the first day of training was tough. The warm-up, racing against her fellow trainees, the stretching, she felt like her arms and legs were breaking. But that didn't make her give up; she had a powerful reason to keep going.
Likewise, the following days of training were no easier. The routine began before dawn, with endurance exercises, meditation, and hand-to-hand combat.
Kaela, with her cheerful attitude, quickly became a support for Yuli, explaining every routine, every unwritten rule.
Yuli and her new friends supported each other, showing the trust that had grown between them. From a distance, Lua watched with a tender smile. She knew that while the girls were training to fight, they were also forging strong bonds. They were no longer just companions, they were sisters.
"No one here is better than anyone else," Kaela told her one night as they cleaned their uniforms together. "There are only those who fall and those who get back up. Many of the ones who fall give up and don't want to rise again. They let despair consume them and can't see beyond what's in front of them. And even if someone tries to help them, offering a hand, or even their soul, they simply won't take it, and they're lost. I was almost one of them. But you, you haven't given up. The training is harsh and seems very hard for you. You're still little, and yet the others enthusiasm has rubbed off on you. You don't give up, and you always get back up. Keep it up. You must prove that you're one of those who always rise, so that you can help others get back on their feet. 'The strong protect the weak, teach the weak to be strong, so that when they are strong, they too can protect others.' I don't know where the phrase came from, but Aunt Lua tells us it's our motto."
Yuli didn't answer. But that night, as she closed her eyes, she felt that the phrase would stay with her for a long time.