Aria closed her eyes.
But the cave did not disappear.
If anything, it became clearer.
She felt the rough stone beneath her feet, the cool air against her skin, and the familiar weight of Jake's sword in her hands.
Her new body spoke to her through small, honest signals: her balance, the distance between herself and her opponent, the rhythm of her breathing, and the slightest shift of muscle.
Everything was already there, but she only had to notice it.
Just then... Beneath those sensations, something older surfaced in the quiet of her mind.
A memory... and a promise.
Her fingers tightened around the hilt as the world around her gradually became still, like the surface of an undisturbed lake.
There were no unnecessary thoughts or hesitation, no frantic attempt to predict what would happen next.
There was only dead calm.
And beneath that calm was something she had forgotten.
Then, an old voice echoed through her mind.
The voice she had heard throughout years of training.
