"Come with me."
No explanation.
No delay.
Aeris followed.
Downstairs.
Past the familiar halls—
Into a place she had never seen before.
A hidden room.
Weapons.
Training space.
Information screens.
Her eyes narrowed.
"…You hid this from me."
"I prepared this for you."
A beat.
Then—
"For when the past came back."
Silence.
"…And now?"
Eron looked at her.
"Now you stop running."
🥀 TRAINING BEGINS
The first strike—
missed.
The second—
blocked.
The third—
barely landed.
Aeris stepped back.
Breathing sharper.
"…Again."
Eron didn't go easy.
Because this wasn't practice.
This was survival.
"Strength isn't enough," he said calmly.
Another attack—
faster—
"You need control."
She moved—
better—
"Awareness."
Again—
closer—
"And the will to finish it."
Silence.
Then—
Aeris attacked again.
And this time—
She didn't hesitate.