Chapter Eleven
The next morning began the same as before: the shrill blare of the alarm, the rush to get dressed, the suffocating weight of expectation.
But this day was different.
It was combat drills.
The recruits were paired off in the training hall, surrounded by the smell of sweat and steel. Instructors circled like vultures, shouting commands, correcting stances, striking with sticks if anyone slacked.
When Luna's name was called, her partner stepped forward.
He was taller, broad-shouldered, with sharp features and a cold stare that seemed to pierce through her. His movements were clean, confident—the way of someone who had fought many times before.
"Luna," the instructor barked, "meet Kai."
Kai tilted his head, smirking faintly. "This won't take long."
Luna's stomach tightened.
The fight began.
Kai struck first, fast. A sweeping kick aimed at her ribs. Luna barely dodged, stumbling backward, her heart slamming in her chest. He pressed forward, his fists precise and merciless. Every strike was a test, every blow meant to humiliate.
The others watched. Some snickered when she faltered.
Luna's body ached from yesterday's training, her bruises screaming as Kai landed a hard punch to her shoulder. She fell, gasping, the floor cold against her palms.
The instructor sneered. "Pathetic."
Luna's ears burned. Shame cut deeper than pain.
No. I can't be weak again.
She forced herself up, her hands trembling, and faced Kai again.
This time, she didn't wait. She lunged, clumsy but determined, aiming a strike at his side. He blocked it easily, twisting her arm and slamming her down. The air rushed from her lungs.
"Stay down," he muttered, almost bored.
But she didn't. She rose again, staggering, her lip bleeding. The humiliation stung worse than the bruises, but something inside her—something raw, desperate—refused to let go.
Again, she charged. Again, she was thrown down.
By the fourth time, the recruits had stopped laughing. By the seventh, the instructor's smirk had faded into something sharper.
Kai pinned her down finally, his knee pressing into her chest. Her breath came in shallow bursts. Sweat dripped into her eyes.
"You don't know when to quit, do you?" he said quietly.
Luna looked up at him, her chest heaving, and spat blood to the side. "I… won't quit. Ever."
Something flickered in his eyes. Not pity—never pity—but recognition.
The instructor blew the whistle. "Enough!"
Kai released her and stood, his expression unreadable. Luna stayed on the floor for a moment, her body screaming, but her heart steady.
She had lost the fight. Badly.
But for the first time, she felt like she had won something else.
Respect.
---
That night, as Luna sat alone, cleaning the blood from her split lip, Kai walked past. For a second, she thought he would ignore her like the others.
But he stopped.
"You're stubborn," he said simply. "That's the only reason you're still standing."
Luna met his gaze. "And you're arrogant."
For the first time, his lips twitched—almost a smile. "Good. You'll need that fire."
He walked away, leaving her in silence.
But something had shifted.
Luna realized that the House of Shadows wasn't just about survival. It was about being tested, again and again, against people like Kai. Against herself.
And if she wanted to live, she'd have to become stronger than both.