POV: KeiraThat evening, everything felt different.Not better. Just clearer.I sat on a low rock near the stream that ran along the edge of camp. Moss covered the stone, and my boots were in the freezing water.The cold helped a little. My feet were sore. My ribs and arms were still bruised, but the fever I’d been fighting for days had finally broken earlier. I still felt tired, but my mind was sharper now—like a knife pulled out of the fire and left to cool.Nylo lay stretched out across my lap, warm and soft like a scarf. His eyes were half-closed, his tail twitching every now and then, like he could hear all the thoughts running through my head.Tia sat nearby, legs crossed, sharpening her blade. Her hand moved fast, almost angry. The metal made a scraping sound with every stroke. She hadn’t said a word all day, not since the drills ended and she collapsed against a post, staring at nothing.I didn’t blame her. This place was hard on everyone. It stripped you down and left you raw
POV: KeiraI woke up to the sound of boots on gravel. The noise was sharp, scratching through the quiet of early morning. For a second, I thought I was dreaming.My head throbbed. My mouth felt dry. My body hurt like I’d been crushed by a huge rock. Every little move sent pain shooting through me. Nylo wasn’t on my shoulder anymore—maybe he had gone to find water. On the other side of the room, Tia was still asleep, curled up tight. Her face was wet with tears. She must’ve had a nightmare.I sat up slowly, and the bed creaked under me. Pain shot through my ribs, sharp and deep. I pressed my hand to my side and winced. Still cracked. Great.Outside, the morning drills had already started. I could hear people yelling and weapons clashing. Bodies hitting the ground. My heart sank. I wasn’t even sure I could stand, let alone fight again.But I would.I always did.I pulled on my boots with shaky hands. I still had a fever. My boots were stiff, covered in dried mud and blood. When I stepp
POV: KadenThe stars were fading when I stepped onto the training grounds, their light swallowed by the creeping gray of dawn. Mist clung to the earth like breath held too long, curling around my boots and chilling the air. The cold bit against my skin, sharp and familiar, but I didn’t mind. I liked these quiet hours before the world woke. When everything was stripped bare, raw, and true.There was no pretending in silence.Just breathing. Existing.The soldiers were still asleep in the barracks, their snores muffled behind stone walls. The campfires had burned low, embers glowing like dying eyes in the dark, casting faint orange flickers across the dirt. The scent of ash and sweat lingered, heavy and real.I stood still, my cloak brushing my calves, and watched.From where I stood, her cot was a shadow beneath the overhang of the training quarters. A threadbare blanket was wrapped tightly around her curled
POV: KeiraThe moon hung low behind a veil of thin clouds, its dull silver light seeping through the jagged cracks in the stone ceiling. The training quarters were quiet now, the kind of quiet that felt heavy, like it could crush you if you let it. The air was thick with the lingering stench of sweat, dust, and the faint metallic tang of blood. Somewhere in the dark, soldiers shifted on their cots—breathing, snoring, muttering in their sleep.I lay still on the thin, lumpy cot they’d given me, my arms pressed tightly against my bruised ribs. Everything hurt.My muscles trembled, not just from exhaustion but from the way they’d been pushed past their limit. My skin burned where it was scraped raw, the cuts on my knuckles stinging with every faint movement. My head pulsed, a dull throb that matched the rhythm of my heartbeat.And yet… I couldn’t sleep.Not yet.I turned my face toward the cold stone wall, letting out a slow, shaky breath. The ache wasn’t just in my body. It ran deeper,
POV: KadenThe balcony stone was warm under my forearms as I leaned forward, eyes locked on the training grounds below. The sun burned high, relentless, casting harsh shadows across the dust-choked field. Heat shimmered in waves, but she didn’t falter.Keira.Small. Bruised. Bloodied.She moved like the pain was nothing. Like her body wasn’t screaming at her to stop. Her shirt clung to her skin, soaked with sweat. Her hands, raw and bleeding, trembled as she gripped the wooden sword. Her knees had buckled twice—maybe three times—since I’d started watching.But she didn’t stay down.Not once.She stood. Fought. Burned.Her form was sloppy, her footing unsteady, but those eyes… they blazed. Fierce. Unbroken. Even from up here, I could feel the heat of her defiance. She was a spark in a world that wanted to smother her.I tilted my head, lips curling into something like a smile. Not amusement. Not quite. It was… curiosity. Hunger, maybe. Pride.“What did those fools do,” I muttered under
POV: KeiraThe training grounds were cold. Hard. Endless.I landed face-first in the dirt, the sharp sting of gravel scraping my cheek. My arms throbbed from being dragged. My knees buckled from the fall. But I didn’t cry out.I wouldn’t give them that.Boots circled me. Harsh voices barked orders in the distance. The scent of blood, sweat, and steel filled the air. Warriors—tall, strong, unbothered—trained under the rising sun like this was just another day.To them, it was.To me, it was war.A war to stay alive.I pushed myself up, spitting dust from my mouth, just as a tall woman stepped forward.Her armor was thick. Her hair buzzed short. A scar ran across her jaw like a warning.She looked me up and down, her lip curling in disgust. “You’ll break before midday.”I glared at her.Not with words. Just my eyes.That was enough.Behind the fence, Nylo clung to a post, his tiny face pressed between the bars. “Show them your moonlight, Kiki!” he squeaked.My chest tightened. I gave hi