Saturday morning began with intense training. Seraphina had William running through combat forms for two hours straight, pushing his stamina and technique integration to their limits.
"Again," she commanded after he finished a particularly complex sequence. "Your footwork on the third transition is sloppy. You're telegraphing the direction change."
William reset and ran through the form again, this time maintaining better control through the transition. Sweat dripped down his face despite the cool morning air.
"Better. Once more, then we'll move to partner drills."
They trained until midday, at which point Seraphina finally called a halt.
"You've improved significantly," she said while they both caught their breath. "Your mother's training combined with your natural adaptation rate is producing excellent results. At this pace, you'll be ready for whatever the competition throws at you."
"Assuming I survive the assassination attempts first."
