The year bled out slowly but when it ended the difference was undeniable
Eto and Rinnte were no longer "students" in the shallow sense With Rhyka's constant dismantling of their forms the relentless sparring and the brutal insight he drilled into them day after day they had climbed to Stage 2 Early Their cores had deepened their spells sharpened their control refined into something unmistakably professional
When Eto invoked Golden Axis now the arcs weren't unstable or sputtering they sang across her body her circulation loops tight and efficient her absorption clean Her lightning strikes cracked harder faster with none of the wasted energy that once plagued her Against any Stage 1 mage she was overwhelming
