We went to the gym.

The Academy’s training facility was already alive with activity despite the early hour. Raphael was already there, his explosive power leaving scorch marks on the reinforced walls. So was Celeste, practicing her ice constructs with mechanical precision in the far corner. Noah stood like a statue near her charge, amber eyes tracking every movement in the room.

Skylar sat on the weight bench, scrolling through her phone with that perpetual look of bored disinterest. Even Emi showed up with a medical kit slung over her shoulder, her blue hair still mussed from sleep but her eyes bright with concern.

"Group effort?" I asked, genuinely surprised by the turnout.

"Shut up and get on the mat," Natalia said, already stretching.

The next twelve hours were hell.

Natalia threw everything at me—and I mean everything. Telekinetic projectiles that came from angles I couldn’t predict. Ice shards that materialized from thin air, forcing me to dodge or block or take them on the chin. Frozen platforms that made footing impossible, the slick surface sending me sliding every time I tried to plant my feet for a proper strike.

Celeste joined in after the first hour, clearly recruited for this specific torture session. She created walls that appeared from nowhere, forcing me to adapt my positioning on the fly. Barriers that absorbed my strikes, teaching me to read the difference between illusion and solid matter. Obstacles that shifted and reformed, denying me any stable battleground.

Raphael hit me until Kinetic Absorption maxed out, each punch carrying enough force to cave in a car door. Then he hit me some more, just because he enjoyed it. The kinetic energy flooded my system with each impact, the temporary strength buffs stacking until I felt like I could punch through steel.

By noon, I could barely stand.

My legs shook with every step. My arms felt like they were made of lead. Sweat had soaked through my shirt hours ago, leaving dark patches across my chest and back.

Emi’s healing kept me functional. Her blue aura washed over me every twenty minutes like clockwork, knitting together the worst of the damage. But barely. She couldn’t keep up with the rate at which Natalia and the others were breaking me down.

"Enough," Braxton said from the doorway, his cigarette dangling from his lips.

Everyone stopped.

Even Raphael, mid-punch, let his fist drop.

"He needs rest. Not more bruises."

"He needs to be ready," Natalia protested, her chest heaving from exertion. She’d been pushing herself as hard as she’d been pushing me.

"He’s as ready as he’s gonna get." Braxton pointed at me with the glowing end of his cigarette. "Shower. Eat. Sleep. In that order. Training’s done."

I limped to the showers, every step a fresh reminder of exactly how much punishment my body had absorbed today. The hot water stung against my bruised skin, turning the tile floor red with diluted blood from a dozen minor cuts that Emi hadn’t gotten to yet.

Maki sat on the bench in cat form when I emerged, grooming one of her tails.

Waiting.

"Master is damaged."

"Master is fine."

"Master is lying again." She transformed in a swirl of black smoke, her human form appearing as naked as always. "Let me help."

"How?"

She pressed her hands to my ribs, right where Raphael’s final punch had landed with enough force to crack bone. Blue lightning sparked between her fingers—not the wild, destructive electricity she used in combat, but something else. Something gentler.

Controlled.

It sank into my skin, spreading warmth through my chest. The constant ache in my ribs eased, the sharp pain that had been stabbing me with every breath fading to a dull background throb.

Not gone.

But better.

Much better.

"What was that?"

"Healing lightning. Special technique. Rare." She pulled back, looking pleased with herself. "Master should feel better now." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"I do."

"Good. Then Master can win tonight and take me to the mainland for expensive fish." Her tails swished behind her with anticipation.

"That’s what you want as a reward?"

"Master promised tuna. I want the good kind. The kind that costs more than poor people’s rent."

I laughed despite myself, the sound rough but genuine.

"Deal."

She transformed back into her cat form, rubbed against my leg with a deep, rumbling purr, then padded out of the locker room with her twin tails held high in feline satisfaction.

I finished showering, taking my time to let the hot water work on my muscles. Got dressed in clean clothes that didn’t smell like sweat and blood. Headed back upstairs to the dormitory floor, my legs still protesting every step but functional.

Found Natalia waiting outside my door with a sandwich on a plate.

"Eat."

I took the plate. It was one of those massive, multi-layered constructions from the Academy cafeteria—turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato, some kind of sauce, all piled high on thick sourdough. The kind of meal designed to refuel after heavy training.

I ate.

She watched every bite, her arms crossed as she leaned against the wall. Those violet eyes tracked the sandwich from plate to mouth like she was personally ensuring every calorie made it into my system.

"You’re hovering."

"I’m ensuring you don’t pass out from low blood sugar before the fight."

"That would be embarrassing."

"It would be very you."

Fair.

After I finished, she dragged me to my room by the wrist, not giving me a chance to argue. "Sleep. Two hours minimum."

"Natalia—"

"Non-negotiable." She pushed me toward the bed with both hands. "I’ll be back at five to help you get ready."

She left before I could argue, closing the door with a soft click that somehow sounded final.

Maki was already on my pillow when I turned around, back in human form. Naked except for the blanket she’d pulled over herself. Her tails poked out from beneath it, twitching lazily.

"Master’s girlfriend is very bossy."

"She’s not my girlfriend."

"Master is in denial."

Also fair.

I collapsed next to her, not bothering to get under the blanket. Just fell face-first into the mattress. Closed my eyes. Tried to quiet my mind, to shut down the constant stream of tactical analysis and worst-case scenarios.

Failed spectacularly.

Fifty-seven hours, Nel reminded me, her timing impeccable as always.

"Thanks. Super helpful."

You’re welcome.

Maki curled against my side, her warmth bleeding through the blanket. One of her tails draped across my back. "Master will win," she said quietly, her voice uncharacteristically serious.

"How do you know?"

"Because Master has to. The girls downstairs need Master alive. And I just got here. I’m not ready to find a new Master yet."

"Touching."

"I thought so." She yawned, showing pointed canines. "Now sleep. Master needs energy for later."