"Pair up."
Ludwig stepped back.
Just enough to let the group reorganize.
No instructions.
No explanation.
They moved anyway.
Ishtar shifted first.
Naturally.
Toward Mia.
Of course.
Mia felt it before she saw it.
Pressure.
Presence.
A body that didn't hesitate.
Ishtar stopped in front of her.
Close.
Not aggressive.
But not careful either.
She looked Mia up and down once.
Quick.
Efficient.
Assessment complete.
"You good?" she asked.
Mia opened her mouth.
Yes.
Of course.
Always.
The word hovered—
and vanished.
Her throat tightened.
Inside—
movement.
Fast.
Too many signals.
Too many inputs.
Threat.
Unknown.
Unstable.
Respond.
Ishtar tilted her head slightly.
"…Okay."
Not convinced.
But not pushing.
Ludwig's voice cut in.
"Light contact."
Ishtar nodded.
"Got it."
She raised her hands.
Relaxed.
Open.
Not a fighter's guard.
Something looser.
More fluid.
Mia hesitated.
Then mirrored the position.
Almost perfectly.
Too perfectly.
Ishtar noticed.
A flicker of a smile.
"Yeah… you've done this before."
Mia didn't answer.
She couldn't.
Her breath was already wrong again.
Too shallow.
Too fast.
Ishtar stepped forward.
Slow.
Testing.
A light push against Mia's shoulder.
Nothing violent.
Just contact.
Mia reacted instantly.
Too fast.
Her body snapped into position.
Balance corrected.
Center aligned.
Response calculated.
Ishtar raised an eyebrow.
"Okay."
Another push.
Slightly stronger.
Mia blocked.
Sharp.
Efficient.
Cold.
The room narrowed.
Voices faded.
Movement sharpened.
Inside—
something rose.
Clear.
Focused.
Predatory.
Finally.
Ishtar felt the shift.
Her stance changed.
Subtle.
More grounded.
More serious.
"Hey," she said quietly.
"Easy."
Too late.
The next contact came—
and Mia moved.
Not a block.
A counter.
Fast.
Precise.
Too precise.
Ishtar stepped back just in time.
Her smile disappeared.
"Yeah. Not light anymore."
Around them, the others slowed.
Watching now.
Ludwig didn't move.
Not yet.
Mia advanced.
One step.
Controlled.
Silent.
Her eyes had changed.
Not empty.
Not lost.
Present.
But not the same person.
Inside—
a voice.
Low.
Calm.
I've got this.
Another—
distant.
Wait—
Ignored.
Ishtar held her ground.
A grin returned.
Different this time.
"Alright."
She stepped in.
This time—
not gentle.
Contact.
Real.
Mia responded instantly.
Too instantly.
Their bodies collided in a controlled burst of movement.
Push.
Redirect.
Balance break.
Recovery.
Again.
Faster.
Too fast.
Ludwig took a step forward.
Still watching.
Still waiting.
Mia's breathing disappeared completely.
Her movements sharpened further.
Efficiency over awareness.
System over self.
Inside—
silence.
Total.
Then—
a crack.
A flicker.
Something slipping.
The precision broke for half a second.
Ishtar saw it.
Moved in.
Too close.
Too fast.
Mia's body reacted—
but not the same way.
The control collapsed.
And something else came through.
Bright.
Chaotic.
Unexpected.
"Oh wow—"
Mia's stance changed instantly.
Loose.
Almost playful.
She stepped back, hands raised.
"Okay okay okay—"
A grin.
Wide.
Unfiltered.
"That escalated real fast, didn't it?"
Silence.
Ishtar blinked.
Once.
"…What?"
Mia tilted her head.
Different now.
Lighter.
Eyes alive in another way.
"No seriously, was that part of the exercise or did we just unlock bonus level?"
Aglaë stared.
Octave's eyes narrowed slightly.
Processing.
Ludwig stopped moving.
Fully now.
Watching.
Mia—no—
Ami spun lightly on her heel, shaking out her hands.
"Because if that's the warm-up, I feel like I missed the tutorial."
A small laugh.
Too easy.
Too fast.
But not fake.
Just… somewhere else.
Ishtar looked at Ludwig.
"Okay, what the hell is that?"
Ludwig didn't answer immediately.
His gaze stayed on Mia.
On Ami.
On the shift.
Clear now.
Undeniable.
"Odin."
"Yes."
"Status."
"Multiple cognitive states detected. Rapid alternation."
Ishtar exhaled slowly.
"Yeah, no kidding."
Ami clapped her hands lightly.
"So! Hi everyone."
She gestured vaguely around.
"I feel like introductions are overdue."
Aglaë took a small step forward.
"…Are you okay?"
Ami paused.
Looked at her.
Really looked.
For a second—
something softened.
Genuine.
"Define okay."
A beat.
Then the grin returned.
"Because I'm functioning. Which is already a win today."
Ludwig stepped in.
Finally.
"That's enough."
His voice was calm.
But final.
Ami tilted her head.
"Fair."
She didn't resist.
Didn't argue.
Just… stopped.
As easily as she had started.
The energy dropped.
Slightly.
But not fully.
The room still held the echo of what had just happened.
Ludwig looked at the group.
"Break."
No one argued.
Ishtar rolled her shoulders.
Still watching Mia.
Octave stepped back.
Thinking.
Aglaë stayed where she was.
Uncertain.
Ludwig turned toward Mia.
"Aster's on his way."
Ami smiled.
"Oh good."
A small pause.
"I feel like he's the kind of person who enjoys this sort of thing."
Ludwig didn't smile.
"No."
A beat.
"He studies it."
Silence.
And somewhere behind Ami's eyes—
something else was already starting to move again.