[Two days later]
"I give up..." Mei Lin rasped.
She collapsed onto the dirt, her legs trembling uncontrollably. Only a few hours remained before the deadline, yet their jars were barely half-full—Mei Lin's most of all.
She couldn't suppress the envy she felt toward the others' physical prowess, especially Tian Dao's. Though he was six years younger, his strength was undeniable, and his potential was all anyone spoke of.
Looking over her left shoulder, a familiar bitterness rose in her throat. She told herself that if she were whole—if her two arms were complete—she wouldn't feel like such a burden.
A few tears escaped, splashing against her bruised knees.
"Stand up! You're falling behind!" Mei Lin berated herself, her voice thick with desperation and self-loathing. "Why give up now when it's almost over?!"
Tian Dao and Shen Yue, noticing her collapse, immediately rushed to her side to offer comfort.
"I... I can't do this anymore," she choked out the moment they reached her.
"There is still time, Mei Lin," Shen Yue said softly. "It isn't too late."
She shook her head violently. "You don't understand."
"We do understand—"
"I said I'm done!" she screamed, her voice cracking as she glared at Shen Yue. "You don't understand because you aren't in my position! You aren't broken! You have no idea what this suffering is like!"
The two boys stood stunned. Shen Yue flinched at the force of her outburst. He tried to speak, to explain with her, but Mei Lin met every word with a wall of mockery and grief.
Irritation finally began to override Shen Yue's sympathy. His face flushed a deep crimson, his patience fraying. He turned to leave, but Tian Dao caught his arm, shaking his head and gesturing toward the sobbing girl.
"Calm down, both of you," Tian Dao murmured. "This is no time for infighting."
"She's going too far, Tian Dao!" Shen Yue snapped, his voice tight with suppressed anger. "She's taking all her frustration out on me."
"Why is it so hard for you to just listen?" Mei Lin sobbed. "Just leave! I'm giving up!"
"Fine! Lean into that pride, since that's your favorite weapon!" Shen Yue's restraint finally snapped. "Look at us! We are all in this same hell! You talk about us as if we're stronger than you, but we're bleeding just as much, Mei Lin. Don't you dare make yourself the only victim here!"
Mei Lin froze, the harsh truth of his words cutting through her crying fit.
"You're not the only one carrying a scar," Shen Yue said, his voice cracking. "We see your agony, and we care. But using that as an excuse to push us away? That's the part I'll never understand."
The air grew heavy with a suffocating tension. Tian Dao watched them both in silence, waiting for the fire to burn out.
As the minutes ticked by, the silence stretched, and the heated emotions began to cool. Sensing the shift, Tian Dao finally took action.
He knelt before Mei Lin, bringing himself level with her tear-stained face, and gently wiped away the moisture from her cheeks.
"I know why you've pushed yourself this far," he said, his voice a calm anchor in her storm. "But I want to remind you, Mei Lin... in this fight, you are not alone."
His words pierced her remaining defenses. For the first time, she truly saw them—saw that despite her lashing out and her self-hatred, they hadn't moved an inch from her side.
Guilt surged through her, replacing the resentment. She looked toward Shen Yue, who was leaning against his biandan. He let out a small, tired huff and looked away, his anger already fading into exhaustion.
Tian Dao shook his head fondly as Shen Yue gathered both his carrying pole and Mei Lin's, starting back toward the jars.
Then, Tian Dao turned back to her and offered a rare, gentle smile. "Shall we?"
Mei Lin stared at him, momentarily breathless. Beyond his striking features, Tian Dao rarely showed emotion. In the year they had spent together as siblings, she could count his smiles on one hand.
He extended his hand to her. After a long moment, she reached out and took it.
"S-sorry..." she whispered.
Tian Dao shook his head, his gaze shifting toward the limping figure of Shen Yue in the distance. "If there is anyone you should be saying that to, it isn't me."
Among the three siblings, Shen Yue and Mei Lin shared the deepest bond. They were constantly at each other's throats, yet in moments of disaster, they were the first to stand side-by-side. If anyone between them had been truly wounded by Mei Lin's words, Tian Dao knew it was Shen Yue.
The three resumed their grueling training, unaware that Elder Wujin was watching from the shadows, observing their every move.
A faint smile touched the Elder's lips as he watched them support one another. Finally, they had grasped the true purpose of the task he had set: to realize that despite the storms and intense trials of life, their greatest strength lay in their unity.
"Wujin, we have a major problem."
It was Elder Xuan. He approached with a hurried stride and whispered into Wujin's ear. Rather than appearing troubled, however, Wujin's smile only widened.
"I will handle our 'guests' myself," Wujin said, his eyes never leaving the three students.
The old man was already preparing for the second phase of their training. He let out a low, dry chuckle, seemingly unbothered by the looming threat to Zephyrron.
"Now," he murmured to the wind. "We shall see if your teamwork is enough to keep you from the clutches of death."