Morning came again at the Trial base.
For Ezra, the routine did not change.
He jogged around the training yard with a five-hundred-kilogram sandbag tied to his waist with a thick rope. The weight dragged across the ground behind him, leaving long marks in the sand each time he moved.
He wore his usual training clothes — a long pair of trousers, a cardigan, gloves, and a head warmer cap pulled low over his eye brows.
Each step made the rope tighten around his waist.
His breathing stayed steady.
Other children in the yard occasionally stopped their training to look at him. Some stared in disbelief, others whispered to themselves, but Ezra ignored all of them and continued running.
Hours later, he finally stopped, sweat soaked through his clothes. He returned to his room to shower.
The battle to shower was always life-threatening for him, because he had to face his worst enemy.
Cold water.
