"Use these seven days to sharpen your bodies and your resolve.
The Demon incursions will not wait for you to grow comfortable."
Most students celebrated, treating the holiday as a rare chance to rest.
But for Elysia and Kael, it was anything but training.
Elysia returned home that evening.
Her parents offered gentle smiles, but Elysia barely spoke.
As soon as the evening meal ended, she climbed the spiral stairway to her private training room.
The first night, she stood before her reflection in the mirrored wall.
Her Oath Blade rested across her palms, the faint runes along its edge flickering like fireflies.
She whispered the old promise taught to every swordswoman of her bloodline:
"Steel remembers. The heart does not falter."
Then she began.
Her training in the private room.
Sweat soaked her tunic, her breathing harsh, but she refused to stop.
She slept only four hours before sunrise, rising again while the rest of the household still dreamed.
