*Day 6*
The following morning arrived sooner than Livia expected. The soreness in her muscles was proof that yesterday's "simple" exercises had done more than they seemed — every step reminded her of how far she still had to go.
Yet despite the stiffness and the ache, she was up before dawn, standing once again on the familiar stretch of the training field.
The air was crisp and cool, the sky painted in soft shades of rose and gold. It was quiet — the kind of silence that carried possibility.
Florita was already waiting under the tall stone arch near the edge of the grounds, her presence calm and steady like the morning itself. Elder Caelum stood a few paces away, his staff resting lightly against his shoulder.
"You're early," Florita observed with a small, approving smile.
"I couldn't sleep," Livia admitted, flexing her sore arms. "I kept thinking about yesterday… about how something so simple could feel so difficult."
