Another day came, and the sky stretched wide and pale over the vast training field. Dawn's chill still clung to the earth, but Livia's skin was already slick with sweat.
Her chest rose and fell sharply as she launched herself into another round of spell forms — the same ones she'd repeated hundreds of times, over and over, until her limbs trembled and her magic pulsed erratically in her veins.
"Again," she whispered to herself, planting her feet firmly and channeling the energy from her core.
Golden light sparked in her palm, unstable at first, before flaring into a thin arc that shot forward and sliced into the air. It wasn't perfect — far from it — but better than yesterday. And that was enough reason to keep going.
She barely noticed the hours slipping by. Birds flew overhead, the wind swept across the field, and yet she stayed — relentless, determined, pushing herself past exhaustion.
"Still at it?"
