Soren was unable to sleep after Zara's warning about Lyra's family.
Soren stared at the ceiling of his dorm room, replaying the memories of day life a movie. The cold politeness between Shadowmane and Steelheart. The way they'd used family names instead of first names. The territorial feeling that had filled Training Facility D.
After thinking about the incident again and again his heart started to hurt and he gave up the idea of understand those girls.
His AR alarm buzzed at 06:00 but he'd been awake for the last thirty minutes anyway, brain refusing to shut down he barely slept the last night.
Jake was already up, reviewing something on his display. "Assessment categories just posted." He looked at Soren and pointed at his AR saying this.
Soren pulled up the announcement.
**MONTHLY ASSESSMENT - REVISED CATEGORIES**
- Combat Endurance (30 minutes continuous)
- Strike Accuracy (50 targets, moving)
- Enhancement Efficiency (stamina consumption tracking)
- Team Coordination (randomized pairs)
- Survival Scenario (new addition)
"What's a survival scenario? There is no details and descriptions here" Soren asked.
"No clue." Jake closed his display. "Marcus told me last night it changes every time. Some kind of obstacle course with random threats. Nobody can prepare specifically because they don't repeat the same scenario."
"So we go in blind."
"Everyone goes in blind. Fair, I guess." He headed for the door. While opening the door he shouted back."We only have two more days to drill everything else. Come on."
The casual atmosphere of the training facility from week one was gone. Students drilled harder , pushed themselves to limits and competed openly. Instructor Torren had to break up two actual fights during sparring when people got too aggressive.
"Save it for the assessment," he said, pulling apart students who'd gone from drill to brawl. "You want to prove something? Do it on the test not here."
Soren kept his distance from the chaos and focused on what Zara had told him. Eleven-point-three seconds of maximum burst output before his body and stamina starts loosing peak conditioning.
He drilled it repeatedly in systematic pattern. Enhanced perception, burst speed, strike timing all together for eleven seconds, then immediate shutdown to conserve stamina. Over and over until his body memorized the rhythm.
"Mira was practicing nearby, her mantis DNA giving her naturally smooth stance transitions. Her fighting style involved two blades, and she moved them the way a mantis moves its arms when it fights. She called out to Soren when she noticed what he was repeatedly doing. 'You're really betting everything on burst.'"
"Zara's data says it's my best option." Still focusing on his perception and trying to impose his abilities to more micro details scattered around him.
"Steelheart data's usually right." She shifted through three positions without pause. "But survival scenarios punish predictability. Just saying. They push everyone to limit and test you how you face your weaknesses"
"You think I should train defense too?" He stopped at looked at Her with an expression of genuine concern.
"You've got two days and limited stamina. Your stamina and defence is your biggest drawback trying to fix them now is pointless." She stopped drilling. "I think accepting your weaknesses and Hope the test design favors what you're good at is the only option for you this time. But you can try to do better on other tests."
Soren thought it's a honest advice. Better than false encouragement.
They all stooped their practice, when instructor Torren announced the end of session.
Soren was starving he moved to cafeteria. Lunch was half-empty. Most students were still drilling through the break, too anxious to eat. He was also anxious but Soren grabbed food anyway.Smart enough to know that enhanced healing and enhanced abilities burned calories faster than normal metabolism. Skipping meals would affect his performance tomorrow.
His AR pinged while he ate. Lyra.
**Lyra: Come to Training Facility A. 15:00. I am bringing surprise for you.**
**Soren: What kind of surprise?**
**Lyra: The kind that'll help you. Trust me beetle boy and come fast**
He stared at the massage with curiosity and confusion but he decided to listen to her. He finished eating and headed to Facility A at 14:55.
Lyra was there with Marcus Webb. Both looked way too pleased with themselves.
"Beetle boy!" Lyra waved him over. "Ready for some real preparation?"
"Depends what that means."
"Mock survival scenario." Marcus waved his arms. "Our family training includes these kinds of scenarios, not the same . But got a pretty good idea what they throw at people."
"You're gonna help me train?"
"We're gonna beat you up in creative ways," Marcus smiled at him.
Lyra corrected. "Same thing, basically. We don't have whole day let's begin."
Marcus nodded and he activated the facility's obstacle systems. Barriers rose from the floor. Platforms shifted. "Survival scenarios test three things. Endurance under pressure. Threat recognition. Resource management."
"How do I prepare for something I haven't seen?"
"You fight both of us for fifteen minutes while avoiding environmental hazards." Lyra grinned. "No breaks. Until you show any kind of improvement l"
They didn't wait for him to agree.
Lyra attacked firs and she was fast. Her panther DNA made her a blur. Soren triggered enhanced perception and barely tracked her movement.
He dodged left. Marcus was already there.
Shit.
He used his burst speed to dodge. His eleven-second window started.
Enhanced strikes against training dummies were one thing. Against two combat family students who'd trained their entire lives? Completely different.
Lyra feinted high. He read it through perception, blocked low where her real attack came.
"Nice read!" She was already circling for another approach.
Marcus attacked from behind. Soren heard him through enhanced hearing, he spun and countered. His strike connected but Marcus had shifted his guard. Minimal damage.
Five seconds into his burst window. Six seconds left.
A platform shifted under his feet. He stumbled.
Lyra was on him immediately.
Burst speed again barely saved him.
Three seconds left in his window.
He committed fully. Went after Marcus, landed two solid hits before his eleven seconds ended.
Then pulled back immediately, conserving stamina like Zara had calculated.
"Better!" Marcus said. "You recognized your limit. Most people burn out trying to stay at peak the whole time."
They kept drilling. Fifteen minutes felt like an hour.
Soren learned their patterns through repetition. Lyra was explosive speed with recovery gaps between bursts. Marcus was constant pressure that never overcommitted.
By the time they stopped, Soren's legs were shaking.
"Not bad, beetle boy." Lyra wasn't even breathing hard.
"Better stamina management than expected," Marcus agreed. "Your burst specialization actually works for short-duration threats. You just need enough reserve to survive between windows."
Lyra stretched. "Steelheart's been training you too, right?"
The question sounded casual but her amber eyes were sharp.
"She offered technical optimization. Data stuff for me to optimise my abilities."
"Of course she did." Lyra's smile was tight. "Very Steelheart. All calculations.
"The data's been helpful." Soren replied without thinking why he did that.
"I'm sure it has." She adjusted her jacket. "Just remember that real combat isn't spreadsheets. Sometimes you gotta trust your gut instead of numbers."
Marcus glanced between them, clearly sensing tension. "Anyway. You're ready as you'll get. Don't overthink it tomorrow."
"Thanks for this."
"No problem. We all need to stay competitive for better growth." Marcus headed for the exit. "See you at assessment."
Lyra lingered after he left. "He's right. You're ready."
"Doesn't feel like it."
"It never does." She met his eyes. "But you broke training dummies with strike enhancement, you lasted fifteen minutes against both of us, and your stamina control is solid. You'll do fine."
"Why are you helping me?"
"Maybe I like underdogs. Maybe you're worth the investment. Maybe I'm bored." She started walking. "Does it really matter that much?"
"Kind of?"
"Stop overthinking, Cross. Some people just want to see you succeed." She left before he could ask what she meant.
That evening, Soren reviewed everything.
Zara's technical calculations. Lyra and Marcus's practical drilling. Two weeks of foundation training compressed into data points and muscle memory.
Eleven percent integration. Strike enhancement at seventy percent accuracy. Eighteen minutes of continuous stamina. Burst windows optimized at eleven seconds max.
Either it was enough or it wasn't.
Assessment tomorrow at 08:00.
His AR pinged. Zara.
**Zara: Reviewed training footage: Performance acceptable but stamina dropped twelve percent faster than projected.**
**Zara: Recommendation: reduce burst window to ten seconds tomorrow. Prioritize consistency over maximum output.**
**Zara: Assessment begins 08:00. Arrive early.**
No encouragement. Just data.
He checked the time. 22:30. Should sleep.
Instead he lay there thinking about tomorrow. About rankings. About Lyra's warm encouragement and Zara's cold calculations. About why two combat family heirs were investing attention in a tenth-ranked student with two weeks of training.
His door chimed. Someone outside.
Soren opened it.
Lyra stood in the hallway, looking uncharacteristically serious.
"We need to talk," she said. "About Steelheart. About tomorrow. About things you should know before the assessment."
She walked past him into the room before he could respond.
Jake looked up from his bed, eyes wide. "I'll just... go study somewhere else."
He grabbed his stuff and left fast.
Lyra closed the door behind him.
"Tomorrow's assessment isn't just about rankings," she said. "There's politics involved. Family politics. And you're standing right in the middle of it without even knowing."