Training Mira turned out to be harder than anyone expected.
Not because she lacked ability. In fact, that was the strange part. The ability was there, very clearly. Strong, precise, almost too natural.
The real problem was her fear.
It sat under everything she did.
Every session. Every attempt. Every small step forward.
The first few days were mostly observation. Aria did not push her immediately. She let Mira watch, learn, and get used to the environment. Other healers moving calmly. Patients trusting them. No panic. No harm.
Still, Mira kept her distance.
Even when she stood close, there was always a kind of invisible line she refused to cross.
"Try extending your sense," Aria said gently during one session.
Mira nodded, but her hands tightened at her sides.
"What if I lose control?" she asked.
"You won't," Aria said. "I'm here."
Mira hesitated anyway.
