The voice came from nearby. Livia turned her head to see Elder Arcturus approaching, his usual stoic expression softened by something gentler. Elder Roman stood beside him, arms crossed and a small smirk on his lips.
"I have to," Livia murmured, staring back up at the clouds. "If I want to change — if I want to become stronger — I can't stop."
Roman sighed and crouched beside her. "Strength isn't just about how far you push your body, Livia. It's about how well you listen to it. The body breaks if the mind does not guide it."
Arcturus sat down as well, his tone calm and deliberate. "Even the greatest warriors fall if they do not learn balance. The first lesson in discipline is knowing when to stop. Rest is not a weakness. It is preparation."
Livia's lips parted, the words sinking deep. She had spent so long equating rest with failure — pausing meant falling behind, stopping meant being weak. But here, they spoke of it as part of strength itself.
"I understand," she whispered.
