Vale and Nym stood side by side, circling Evelyn like two wolves sizing up a predator. The short, dark-haired woman, standing calm in the center of the training arena, tilted her head slightly, her lips curling into a faint, teasing smile.

  “Well, well… seems like I’ll have to take this a little more seriously now, huh?” she said, her voice tinged with amusement at the rare sight of her opponents cooperating.

  Vale and Nym exchanged a nervous glance, their bodies tense. They were aware of her reputation, of the way shadows bent to her will and of the sheer danger in even a single misstep. Evelyn, however, simply chuckled at their hesitance, scoffing softly.

  At Vale’s feet, a shadow recoiled and returned to Evelyn, coalescing around her body in an awe-inspiring pillar of darkness. The shadow shifted and grew, becoming a living cloak that seemed to breathe and twist of its own volition. Vale’s eyes narrowed in surprise, focusing intently on the immense darkness as it twisted and writhed. Within moments, the pillar dissolved, revealing Evelyn in a new form, taller, more menacing, her dark hair now flowing long and translucent, enhanced by the shadows that clung to her like a living garment. Her eyes gleamed with amusement, cold and knowing.

  She raised a single hand, extending it toward them. “Come,” she commanded, her voice firm yet almost playful.

  For a heartbeat, both Vale and Nym froze. But when their eyes met, something unspoken passed between them. Months of training together, dozens of sparring sessions together, gave them a shared confidence. They knew each other’s strengths, understood each other’s timing, and trusted each other implicitly.

  Without another word, they rushed forward, circling Evelyn once more to gain positional advantage. Vale’s mind screamed caution, warning him that her openness was a trap, but he had no choice. The best way to survive a trap was to confront it head-on. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes for a split second, and let instinct take over.

  Both he and Nym surged forward with inhuman speed. Vale reached Evelyn first, using the momentum to launch a wide, spinning kick. Evelyn leaned back with graceful precision, letting the strike sail harmlessly past. Simultaneously, Nym was already there, her fist descending toward Evelyn’s face. Evelyn whistled in amusement and sidestepped, the movement fluid, almost dance-like.

  Vale regained his footing and surged forward again, throwing a powerful punch. Evelyn moved her head with uncanny foresight, dodging the strike, but Vale’s hand brushed close to her neck. He smirked faintly and tried to seize her, attempting to grab her from behind, but a hand of pure shadow erupted from the ground beneath him.

  “No dirty tactics,” Evelyn said, her tone amused. Vale leapt back just in time, creating space for Nym to follow up instantly.

  Nym unleashed a relentless barrage of punches, her speed and precision terrifying in their own right. But Evelyn danced around each strike, avoiding them with a predator’s ease. At one point, she grabbed Nym’s wrist mid-punch and yanked her close. “Impressive moves,” she murmured, her eyes glittering, “but you lack deceit.” With a casual motion, she flung Nym across the arena, leaving her to skid along the stone floor.

  For a tense moment, silence enveloped the room. Then Evelyn began to clap slowly, deliberately. “Good. Very good,” she said, her voice echoing.

  Vale and Nym stepped back cautiously. Evelyn’s form seemed to grow darker, almost larger, her shadow creeping beneath them like a tide ready to consume. “You are well-equipped to fight beasts,” she said, her voice deliberate and measured. “That much is clear.” She paused, letting the words hang. Then, with a fluid movement, the shadows surged upward from the ground, nearly engulfing them. “But what if your enemy is not a beast? Will you adapt… or will you die?”

  Vale jumped back instinctively, stumbling slightly as his back collided with the wall. Nym’s movements were fluid, precise, she landed without faltering and immediately launched herself at Evelyn with breathtaking speed. Evelyn grinned and met her assault, summoning a shield of pure darkness that absorbed Nym’s punishing fist. The ground beneath Evelyn cracked violently with the impact, but the shield remained unbroken.

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  Vale watched, heart hammering, feeling the pressure of his own hesitation. His hands trembled as he raised them, attempting to gather the Atum around him. He had only done this with objects before, enhancing his own body was a different matter entirely. The energy resisted him, heavy and unwieldy, as though a dragon had latched onto his soul, ready to crush him for even a slight mistake.

  Panic clawed at him, his breathing erratic, his pupils dilating with the intensity of his fear. But then he caught sight of Nym, relentless in her attacks despite the odds. 'Focus,' he thought. 'Not how I would do it… how would Mirage do it?'

  The wolf was now a part of him, and now he would let that connection guide him. He closed his eyes, centering his breath and calming his mind. Slowly, deliberately, he let the Atum flow around him, not resisting it but letting it envelop his body entirely. A faint outline of white light formed around him, visible now as a halo of raw energy, marking him as more than a student, it was a true manifestation of power.

  Vale opened his eyes. Icy blue, piercing, and resolute. The wolf and the boy were one now, and with that unity, the hesitation that had gripped him melted away. He stepped forward, shoulders squared, ready to face Evelyn once more.

  Vale surged forward.

  At first, he didn’t even realize he had moved. One moment he was standing across the dojo, the distance between him and Evelyn clearly defined, twelve full meters of open space, and the next, that space simply ceased to exist. The world blurred, the air screamed past him, and in a single heartbeat he was already there.

  Evelyn’s eyes widened.

  For the first time since the fight began, genuine surprise flickered across her dark gaze. She turned toward him, shadows twisting instinctively to respond, but she was a second too late.

  Vale’s fist slammed into her side.

  The impact thundered through the dojo. Evelyn was hurled backward like a projectile, her body crashing into the steel wall with explosive force. The wall buckled, then shattered entirely, sending shards of metal flying as she was blasted straight through it. The entire dojo shook, the ground trembling beneath their feet as dust and debris filled the air.

  Vale froze.

  His eyes widened as silence fell, broken only by the groan of damaged steel and settling rubble. His arm hung at his side, still faintly glowing as if unsure whether the strike had truly happened.

  Nym stared at him, wide-eyed, her mouth slightly open.

  “…shit,” Vale muttered finally, his voice hollow with disbelief.

  Beyond the broken wall, a figure slowly straightened.

  Evelyn stepped out of the wreckage, brushing fragments of steel from her shadow-clad form. Her expression was no longer amused. No, this time, it was sharp, dangerous, and unmistakably irritated.

  Vale swallowed and glanced back over his shoulder. Korin stood frozen, visibly nervous, his face pale. Vale turned back just in time to see Evelyn grin.

  Then she laughed.

  A low, wicked chuckle escaped her lips as shadows writhed eagerly at her feet. “So,” she said, tilting her head, eyes glinting with excitement, “you wanna go fast, then?”

  Vale opened his mouth to respond,

  And she was gone.

  In the same instant he felt her presence vanish, Vale snapped around, instinct screaming. He raised his arm to intercept,

  Too slow.

  Evelyn appeared behind him and seized his arm in one fluid motion. With a single brutal movement, she slammed him into the ground. The impact cracked the stone floor beneath them, fractures spiderwebbing outward as Vale’s body hit with crushing force.

  He let out a pained growl, gasping as he struggled against her grip. He tried to pull free. Tried to force the Atum to respond.

  Nothing worked.

  Evelyn pressed him down effortlessly, her expression now cold and unyielding. “Yield,” she said simply.

  Vale clenched his teeth and glared up at her pale face. For a moment, pride and frustration warred within him. Then his shoulders sagged.

  “…fine,” he said, releasing his tension and ceasing his struggle.

  At once, the pressure vanished.

  Evelyn stepped back and released his arm. Vale lay there for a second longer, exhaling sharply before rolling onto his side. She extended a hand toward him. He hesitated, then grabbed it, allowing her to pull him to his feet.

  As he stood, shadows withdrew from Evelyn, peeling away like mist at dawn. Her towering, shadow-clad form collapsed inward, returning her to her smaller, almost deceptively ordinary appearance.

  Vale dusted off his armor and let his focus fade. The white glow around his body dissolved, and the icy blue of his eyes softened, returning to their pale, familiar hue. He exhaled deeply, exhaustion finally catching up to him.

  Nym and Korin hurried over, both staring at him as if seeing him for the first time.

  Nym opened her mouth to speak,

  “Four weeks.”

  Evelyn’s voice cut through the moment, sharp and commanding.

  The dojo fell silent as it did.

  She turned to face the three of them, her gaze steady, unreadable. “In four weeks, a gala will be held,” she continued calmly, “to celebrate my brother Tharion’s return from his fourth trial.”

  The words hit them all at once.

  For a heartbeat, their expressions grew complicated, uncertainty, tension, disbelief mixing together. Then realization dawned.

  Tharion had survived.