The sun had barely risen when Frank stepped onto the training yard again. The ground was slick with morning dew, the scent of steel and stone heavy in the air.
Rhea waited, arms crossed, expression unreadable. Around them, city trainees moved in coordinated patterns, weapons clashing in harsh metal beats.
"Today," Rhea said, "you will train alone. No guidance. No mistakes. Push yourself to the edge."
Frank's jaw tightened. "Alone?"
Rhea nodded. "If you survive, you'll know what it means to face Caelum."
THE TEST BEGINS
The first obstacle was simple—at first. A line of wooden posts to vault, walls to scale, and a set of narrow beams stretching over a pit. Frank moved quickly, muscles burning, sweat blinding his eyes.
By the third round, his arms trembled. By the fifth, his legs threatened to buckle. Each leap, each landing, demanded everything he had learned in the city.
Then came the final challenge: a series of swinging chains, sharp edges, and moving platforms designed to test reflexes and courage. Frank miscalculated his timing once, then twice.
A sharp scrape on his shoulder sent pain radiating down his arm. He gritted his teeth, forcing his body to obey his mind. His lungs burned, vision blurred—but he refused to fall.
THE NEAR-FATAL MOMENT
On the final platform, a chain swung unexpectedly, knocking Frank backward. He grabbed the edge with one hand, toes scrabbling for purchase. His other hand clutched the edge of the platform.
Below him, a jagged pit waited. One slip—one misstep—would mean death.
Frank's mind raced. Think, Spenser. Remember the town. Remember Leo. Remember Elara.
Summoning every ounce of strength and focus, he pulled himself up, rolling across the platform in a desperate maneuver. His body screamed in protest, but he landed safely.
Rhea stepped forward, eyes wide. "You… survived. Barely, but survived."
Frank collapsed to his knees, breathing hard, body shaking. "I… I can do more," he whispered through grit teeth, though every fiber of him screamed exhaustion.
Rhea placed a hand on his shoulder. "Strength isn't just muscle. You survived because you refused to quit. Remember that. Caelum won't expect that determination."
THE LESSON
As Frank rested later, bandaging cuts and rubbing bruises, he realized something profound: this city, this training, was breaking him—but building him stronger. Pain was temporary, but resolve endured.
He thought of the man he had lost, of the town he had sworn to protect, of Elara's letters tucked safely in his coat. Each memory grounded him.
Tonight, the City of Aurenfall would sleep unaware of the test he had endured. Tomorrow, he would train again—but now, he knew the limits of his body, mind, and courage.
And somewhere in the shadows of the city, Caelum Vire watched through a high tower window, a faint smile forming.
"Good," he murmured. "Let him reach his limits. That is when true fear is born."