(Planet Tithia, First Elder's private training arena)
The days bled into one another, each session no easier than the last, as Leo and Veyr supported one another through the endless cycle of cuffs, potions, and illusions, as they slowly learnt how to separate shadow from substance, until their paranoia no longer ruled them, and they began to respond less like cornered beasts and more like sharpened blades.
By the fifth day, both could finally stand upright even under the haze, their breathing steadier, their eyes clearer, their minds learning to embrace the instinctive warnings without being swallowed by them.
Of-course, the false alarms still came, whispers of death that never arrived, but now they could blink once, breathe twice, and decide which ones to trust and which ones to ignore.
The First Elder, however, was not satisfied.
