Lyra continued,

"You did your role. You stayed alive. You supported where you could."

A pause.

"The rest... is on the team."

Torren nodded once.

"She’s right."

Selene added quietly,

"We all messed up somewhere."

Nox looked between them, unsure.

"But.."

Lyra shook her head slightly.

"You improve. That’s all that matters."

That landed.

Nox exhaled slowly.

"...Yes, ma’am."

This time, her voice was steadier.

Lyra gave a small nod.

"Good."

Then her tone shifted.

"Now listen."

Nox focused immediately.

"You won’t get stronger by doing the same thing."

"You’re fast. Light. That’s your advantage."

Nox nodded.

"And you’re going to use it even more to your advantage."

Nox paused.

"...I can?"

"Yes."

A short silence followed.

Then Lyra added,

"So we make it harder."

Nox’s face dropped a little.

Torren chuckled under his breath.

"Here it comes."

Lyra turned slightly and picked something up.

"Weight training."

Nox sighed quietly.

"...Of course."

Lyra walked back and held out a set of rings.

"Twice what you used before."

Nox stared at them.

"...Twice?"

Ryn folded his arms.

"You’ll survive."

Nox shot him a look.

"You’re enjoying this too much."

"Not on my turn."

She clicked her tongue lightly before taking the rings.

The moment she locked them onto her arms and legs..

Her body dropped slightly.

"...Whoa."

The weight hit instantly.

She adjusted her stance, trying to balance.

"Yeah... this is.."

She trailed off, focusing on staying upright.

Lyra spoke again.

"You’ll get used to it."

Nox let out a breath.

"...Right."

"But that’s only part of it."

Nox blinked.

"...There’s more?"

Selene let out a small breath.

"There’s always more."

Lyra continued,

"I’ll be teaching you mana layering."

That caught everyone’s attention.

Even Ryn straightened slightly.

Nox’s eyes widened.

"Mana... layering?"

Lyra nodded.

"You won’t learn the full form. I’ve adjusted it for you."

Nox listened closely.

"Feet and fists only."

Lyra continued,

"You reinforce those areas. You move faster, strike harder, and protect yourself better."

Nox’s expression changed.

The earlier dread faded, replaced with excitement.

"...I can do that?"

"You can try."

Nox grinned.

"That’s enough!"

Torren laughed softly.

"There she is."

Nox pumped her fists slightly, then immediately winced from the weight.

"Okay... maybe not too fast."

A few of them chuckled.

The tension eased just a little.

Lyra let it pass before speaking again.

"It won’t be easy."

"I know."

"And you’ll fail."

Nox hesitated for a second, then nodded.

"...I’ll still do it."

Lyra held her gaze briefly, then nodded.

"Good."

She stepped back.

"Start with the course."

Nox turned toward it.

The obstacle course had changed again.

Tighter. More compact. Less room to move.

Torren leaned slightly to the side to get a better look.

"She made it worse."

"Obviously," Ryn replied.

Nox took a step forward..

And almost stumbled.

"...Okay."

She steadied herself.

"This is bad."

Selene crossed her arms.

"You’ll get used to it."

Nox glanced back at her.

"Easy for you to say."

But she didn’t stop.

She moved.

Slow at first. Careful.

Each step felt heavier.

Her usual speed was gone, replaced with effort.

She jumped and missed slightly.

Her foot clipped the edge and she had to catch herself.

"...Tch."

She kept going.

Again.

And again.

Each movement cost more.

Her breathing got heavier.

Her steps less clean.

She slipped once.

Then again.

Torren winced.

"That looked bad."

"She’s still up," Ryn replied.

At one point, she nearly fell completely, catching herself at the last second.

"...Focus."

She muttered it to herself.

No one interrupted.

Now they were all watching.

Nox kept going.

Slower than before.

Messier.

But stronger.

Each step, she adjusted.

Each mistake, she corrected.

Her body started to adapt.

Not fully.

But enough.

Selene nodded slightly.

"She’s getting it."

Arthur didn’t say anything, but his eyes stayed on her.

Time passed.

Her breathing turned rough.

Her legs shook.

But she didn’t stop.

Lyra observed everything, silent and patient.

Then..

"Stop."

Nox froze.

Then exhaled hard, almost dropping where she stood.

"...That’s... worse than before."

Torren laughed.

"You look it."

"Shut up."

But she was smiling.

Tired.

But satisfied.

Lyra gave a small nod.

"Good."

Nox straightened slightly.

"Thank you, ma’am."

Lyra turned her gaze back to the rest of them.

"That’s the standard. You’d resume after a short break "

This time, Nox didn’t complained.

Lyra didn’t waste time.

"Althea.".

The moment her name was called, she stepped forward without hesitation.

Unlike Nox, there was no flinch.

As she stood focused.

Arthur stood quietly with the others, arms folded, while Mel rested on his shoulder, her attention settling on Althea.

Althea stopped before Commander Lyra, calm but attentive.

Lyra didn’t waste time.

"You performed well."

Simple.

Clear.

But it carried weight.

Althea lowered her head slightly.

"Thank you, ma’am."

From the side, Torren nodded.

"She did more than well."

Selene added, "Yeah. Those buffs saved us a few times."

Althea shook her head lightly.

"We all played our part."

Lyra continued,

"Your support was consistent."

Althea looked up slightly.

"You didn’t just cast. You chose when to cast."

There was a quiet pause as that settled over the group.

They all understood the difference.

Lyra went on,

"Your timing, your accuracy, and how you stacked your buffs... that’s not something most people can do early."

Althea stayed quiet, but her eyes showed it.

She understood what that meant.

It wasn’t just praise.

It was acknowledgment.

Ryn crossed his arms slightly.

"She was reading the field better than most of you."

Torren glanced at him.

"Most?"

Ryn didn’t even look at him.

"I said what I said."

A few of them smiled faintly.

Lyra let the moment pass before continuing.

"We’ve only been a squad for a short time."

Althea nodded.

"Yes, ma’am."

"And yet you already read them well."

That made Althea pause slightly.

"You know when to reinforce. When to hold back. When to stack."

Althea answered without delay.

"I try to."

Lyra gave a small nod.

"It shows."

A brief silence followed.

Then...

"You’re not done growing."

"I know."

The answer came naturally.

No hesitation.

Lyra seemed to approve.

"Good."