Under the blazing sun— cries, magic, frustrated shouts, and exhausted groans filled the air.
The seven struggled.
Fell.
Stumbled.
Sweated.
And pushed themselves until their lungs burned.
Yet none of the instructors slowed down.
Not for a single moment.
...
Across the stone corridor, Astra stood alone, hands clasped gently over her chest.
She watched silently, her expression unreadable.
But her eyes… were calm.
Resolute.
This…
This was what they needed.
Because true strength is never born from comfort—only from challenge.
After all, pressure creates steel.
And today…
their real growth had finally begun.
—
The training grounds trembled beneath the weight of four overwhelming forces—fire roaring, wind slicing, water spiraling, and earth shifting like a living beast.
Hours passed.
Their bodies grew heavier with every passing moment.
Breaths turned ragged. Muscles screamed. Limbs felt heavier than iron.
One by one, the seven began to reach their limits.
Lily stumbled.
Her knees hit the scorched dirt as a pillar of flame lashed past her shoulder so closely that heat ripped a cry from her throat. "AGHH—!"
"Lily!"
Lora reacted instantly, grabbing her by the arm and yanking her upright before the flames could engulf her.
Irfin didn't show mercy. He was standing in the inferno as though it were nothing more than summer rain.
"If you fall, then stand," he said coldly.
The fire around them surged higher.
"If you can stand—fight."
Another explosion of heat erupted ahead.
"And if you can fight…"
His golden eyes glowed like molten metal as he glanced at them.
"Then burn brighter than the flames themselves."
His voice cracked through the training ground like thunder.
Lily gritted her teeth hard enough to hurt. Fear clawed at her chest. Her legs trembled violently from exhaustion.
But she stood anyway.
"I won't give up!"
Beside her, Lora tightened her grip around her sword until her knuckles whitened.
"We're not losing here."
Together, they charged through the waves of heat once more.
Elsewhere, Cassia slipped for what felt like the hundredth time.
The unstable sand beneath her feet collapsed instantly, dragging her back down into the pit with a frustrated yelp.
Melinda groaned beside her, flushed and sweating heavily as grains of sand clung to her hair and clothes.
"This is… impossible…"
Above them, Terra stood unmoving beside the moss-covered archway, one hand resting against a pillar of stone she herself had shaped.
"Those who remain steady," she said softly, "can surpass any limit."
The shifting earth beneath their palms solidified, giving them just enough stability to keep going.
Cassia sucked in a shaky breath. "Melinda… let's do it again."
Melinda closed her eyes briefly before nodding.
"…All right."
They pushed upward—slow, trembling, but resolute.
Not far away, Claire gasped as another violent current slammed into her.
The dome of spinning water surrounding her churned like a living ocean, swallowing balance and breath alike. Every attempt to resist only made the currents harsher.
Her knees buckled.
Water crashed over her shoulders, nearly knocking her flat.
Inside the spiraling torrent, Neris stood untouched, elegant as moonlight reflected across a still lake.
"Do not fight the current," the spirit said calmly.
The water twisted again.
"Flow with it."
Claire's hands trembled violently.
Everything in her wanted to resist. To panic. To force control. But slowly, slowly—she steadied her breathing.
"I… I'll try…"
The current slammed into her again.
Claire clenched her fists tighter, forcing herself upright.
"No… I'll adapt!"
Steeling herself, she synced her breathing with the spiraling stream instead of resisting it.
The water softened slightly, bending around her like a gentle tide.
Neris's lips curved faintly in approval.
"Good."
Meanwhile, Gerald hit the ground hard enough to roll three times before stopping.
"I DIDN'T EVEN SEE ANYTHING—!" he said shakily.
"How can someone move so fast—!!"
A burst of laughter drifted through the wind.
"Well, yes," Aeros's cheerful voice came. "That's the problem."
Another gust exploded sideways.
Gerald barely managed to brace himself before being launched across the dirt again.
Ella spat dirt, cheeks flushed—not with anger at Aeros, but with sheer frustration at herself.
"Sir Galehart! P-please… slow down a little!"
A soft breeze brushed her cheek as Aeros's playful voice rang out around them.
"Lesson two."
"To strike the wind," Aeros said playfully, "you must first learn to read its dance."
Ella lunged toward the voice instantly, daggers flashing—
"OW!" A gentle flick to her forehead sent her stumbling back once again.
"I-I will get this! Just you wait!"
Behind her, Gerald groaned from the ground.
"Ella… wait for me…"
But despite aching limbs and burning lungs, both pushed forward again, breathless, stubborn and unyielding.
Despite it all, every one of them kept moving—frustrated, exhausted, but fiercely determined to rise to the standard of the instructors their princess had chosen.
Because these were the instructors their princess had chosen for them.
And none of them wanted to prove her wrong.
Eventually, the instructors granted a brief pause.
The seven practically collapsed beside one another across the ruined training grounds, bruised and panting heavily.
Cassia wiped sweat from her forehead with shaking hands.
"Is… everyone… still alive?"
Lily weakly raised one arm from where she lay sprawled across the dirt.
"Barely."
Ella spat another mouthful of dirt onto the ground, her expression twisted with exhaustion and indignation.
"Lucky you all," she muttered bitterly. "Your instructors actually train you. Ours? I think he's conducting some kind of experiment on how much dirt a human can eat."
Gerald wheezed out a laugh that immediately transformed into a painful coughing fit.
Claire patted his back weakly, though she looked no less miserable.
Then she slumped against the ground, wiping water from her flushed face.
"So… Much. Water…"
Melinda dropped onto her knees nearby, utterly spent.
"I'm completely exhausted."
"Same," Lily groaned.
For a heartbeat, the seven shared the same unspoken thought.
If this is just the beginning… how terrifying will the days ahead be?
Silence lingered between them.
Then Cassia slowly clenched her trembling hands into fists.
"No," she said firmly. "We can't fall behind."
Lily pushed herself upright despite the pain screaming through her body. Her eyes blazing faintly.
"No matter how hard it gets… we'll become stronger."
Her exhausted eyes burned with stubborn determination.
"We have to."
One by one, the others straightened.
Their breathing slowly steadied.
Their eyes flared with renewed determination, sparks of will igniting in exhaustion-darkened gazes.
Like steel inside a furnace, pressure and suffering were forging them together into something harder than before.