Recovery was harder than the training had been.
Not physically — though the physical component was significant. The damaged pathways hurt constantly. His body was rebuilding muscle and repairing tissue damage at a rate that required most of his energy just to maintain. And the restriction against mana circulation meant he couldn't even do the passive exercises that would normally help with recovery.
But the mental component was worse. Eight weeks of pushing himself past every limit had created momentum that was difficult to stop. His body was telling him to rest. His mind was screaming at him to keep working, keep training, keep building on what he'd achieved. The disconnect between what he needed to do and what every instinct demanded was exhausting in ways that had nothing to do with physical fatigue.
