"Rilena..." she pointed toward a young woman whose knuckles were still scarred from recent drills, "...held six seconds against him on that first morning."
"Six seconds of desperate survival."
"Today, she can hold nearly a full minute of sustained pressure against a master combatant."
"She learned that survival isn't about avoiding the blow; it's about enduring the breaking point."
Sela shifted uncomfortably, but Aurelia's gaze remained relentless. "Sela's groundwork, which she once dismissed as a secondary skill, a mere formality, has been forged into a weapon."
"It is now the single most dangerous element of her fighting style: a lethal dance that leaves opponents bleeding on the stone before they even realize they've lost their footing."
Aurelia's eyes moved to the veterans. "Doran no longer telegraphs his weight shift."
"Three separate opponents exploited that flaw against him before this month began, and he tasted defeat three times because of it."
