Lin stood at the center of it all, her crane features making her seem larger than her actual height. Yang loomed beside her, his stone behemoth markings gleaming dully in the morning sun.
"Line up!" Lin's voice cut through the morning looseness. "Today we're working on your foundation without fusion dependency."
Groans...
♢♢♢♢
"Again!" Lin's voice sliced through the morning air like a whip, sharper than before. "Your stance is sloppy. Your breathing is off. Your focus is scattered. Again!"
Ren pushed himself up from the ground for what felt like the thousandth time. His arms trembled violently. His legs burned with the kind of deep, bone-aching fire that spoke of muscles pushed far beyond their comfort zone. Sweat dripped into his eyes, stinging and blurring his vision.
