Lyra continued,

"At first, the targets will move at a manageable pace."

Selene adjusted her stance slightly, already preparing herself mentally.

"Then they get faster."

Of course.

"And less predictable."

Selene exhaled softly.

"Good."

That got a small glance from Lyra.

"You’ll also deal with interference."

Selene paused.

"Interference?"

Lyra gestured toward the edges of the training zone.

Panels were built into the walls. Some had small openings, others looked like launch points.

"Obstacles will shift. Your line of sight will break. You’ll adjust."

Torren folded his arms.

"That’s rough."

Ryn didn’t disagree.

"It is."

Selene’s grip tightened slightly.

Not out of tension.

But focus.

She understood what this meant.

This wasn’t just about hitting targets.

It was about staying effective no matter what changed.

Lyra finished simply,

"The battlefield won’t wait for you to be ready."

That was enough.

Selene gave a short nod.

"I understand."

There was no hesitation after that.

She moved.

Straight into the training area.

Arthur watched quietly as she stepped in, his gaze following her movements.

Selene didn’t rush.

She took two steps forward, then stopped.

Just for a second.

She was reading the space.

Watching the targets.

Tracking their movement.

Then..

She moved.

Her first shot came while she was already in motion.

Clean.

Direct.

It hit one of the floating targets before it could shift away.

Torren nodded.

"Good start."

Another target moved across her path.

She adjusted mid-step and fired again.

Hit.

Not perfect, but good enough.

Ryn watched closely.

"She’s not overthinking it."

Arthur gave a small nod.

"That’s why it works."

Selene kept moving.

Her pace steady.

Her shots controlled.

She didn’t stop, even when a target slipped past her line of sight.

Instead, she repositioned.

Adjusted.

Fired again.

Hit.

Then the targets sped up.

Just slightly.

Enough to notice.

Her next shot missed.

"...Tch."

She didn’t slow down.

She fired again.

Hit.

Lyra stood at the side, watching in silence.

Every movement.

Every adjustment.

Selene’s breathing stayed even, but her focus sharpened.

She moved faster now.

Not rushing.

But matching the pace.

A target darted across a narrow opening.

She fired without fully turning.

Missed.

She corrected immediately.

Second shot.

Hit.

Torren grinned.

"She’s locking in."

Ryn nodded.

"She’s learning the rhythm."

Arthur didn’t say anything this time.

He just watched.

Selene kept going.

Her shots weren’t perfect, but they were improving.

Each miss came with a faster correction.

Each hit came a little cleaner than the last.

Then the environment shifted.

A wall panel slid slightly, cutting off her line of sight.

She didn’t stop.

She changed direction instead.

Moved around it.

Found a new angle.

Fired.

Hit.

Lyra gave a small nod to herself.

That was what she wanted to see.

Adaptation.

Not hesitation.

Selene continued.

Faster now.

More fluid.

Her movement and her shots started to sync.

Not perfectly.

But enough to see the change.

After a while, Lyra raised her hand slightly.

"Continue."

Selene didn’t respond.

She just kept going.

Focused.

Locked in.

Lyra turned back to the rest of the group.

Torren straightened slightly as her gaze landed on him.

"...Guess it’s me."

He stepped forward without waiting to be called.

Lyra didn’t stop him.

"You did well," she said.

Torren scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah... I tried."

"Your defense held."

Torren nodded.

"And your aggro skill mattered."

That made him pause slightly.

"...yeah?"

Ryn answered before Lyra could.

"It kept them off us more than once."

Torren let out a small breath.

"Good."

But Lyra didn’t stop there.

"You’re still limited."

Torren’s shoulders dropped just a bit.

"...Yeah."

He already knew.

"I saw it," he added. "Two at a time... maybe three with buffs."

"You handled them well." Ryn cut in.

Making Torren smiled slightly.

"Still not enough."

Lyra nodded.

"Exactly."

She stepped closer.

"You need to adapt."

Torren frowned slightly.

"Adapt how?"

"You’re too stiff."

That landed immediately.

Torren exhaled.

"...Yeah, I get that."

"You rely on your size and durability."

He didn’t argue.

"Because it works."

"For now," Lyra replied.

That shut him up.

She continued,

"You lack agility. And your awareness drops when pressure increases."

Torren rolled his shoulders slightly.

"...That part I don’t like hearing."

Ryn smirked faintly.

"Still true."

Torren shot him a look.

"I didn’t ask you."

But there was no real bite to it.

Lyra gestured toward another section of the hall.

"This is yours."

They all turned to look.

It was different from the others.

More open in some areas, but filled with moving hazards.

Dummies were placed at different points across the space.

Some close together.

Others further apart.

And around them..

Mechanisms.

A large boulder swung from one side in a steady rhythm.

Panels above hinted at incoming projectiles.

Openings in the walls looked ready to release something at any moment.

Torren blinked.

"...You want me in there?"

Lyra didn’t answer directly.

"You protect them."

He looked again at the dummies.

Then at the moving hazards.

"...All of them?"

"Yes."

Torren let out a slow breath.

"Alright."

Lyra continued,

"Attacks will come at random."

As if on cue, one of the wall panels clicked.

A dull thud echoed as something heavy dropped somewhere inside.

"Some light. Some heavy."

Torren nodded slowly.

"A swinging boulder... arrows... impact hits."

He cracked his neck slightly.

"Sounds fun."

Ryn shook his head.

"You’re going to regret saying that."

Torren smirked.

"Probably."

Lyra continued,

"You’ll defend. You’ll move. You’ll adapt."

Torren’s expression settled.

Focused now.

"No standing still."

Lyra didn’t deny it.

"You’ll get stronger over time."

He nodded.

"I get that."

"The results won’t be immediate."

Torren rolled his shoulders again.

"But they’ll come."

Lyra gave a small nod.

"If you keep up."

Then she added,

"If you grasp it, I’ll teach you mana layering."

Torren’s eyes lit up slightly.

"...Really?"

"It’s necessary for a tank."

He glanced briefly toward Nox, who had gone back to her training after her short break.

"Both of us?"

"When you’re ready."

Torren smiled.

"Alright... I’ll get there."

Lyra stepped back.

"Start."