"Enough lets go to sleep we need to be awake early"
.
.
.
The next morning, Kaya woke before dawn as usual, slipping out of bed while Veer still slept. The heat in her chest had been worse overnight—pulsing, burning, making it hard to breathe. But she ignored it. She always ignored it.
The twenty warriors were already waiting when she reached the training ground, backs straight, faces determined. They'd come so far in just weeks. She was proud of them, even if she'd never say it out loud.
"Alright," Kaya said, picking up her wooden stick. "Today we're working on evasion. Real combat isn't about standing your ground—it's about not getting hit in the first place."
She demonstrated the footwork, moving in fluid arcs, showing them how to redirect momentum instead of absorbing impact. The warriors followed, mimicking her movements.
Everything was normal.
Until it wasn't.
