The sun hung high over the royal training grounds, casting long shadows across the stone arena. The air was thick with heat and tension, the weight of unspoken expectations pressing down on the five warriors standing before Harper.
Azrael, Selene, Juno, Kael, and Dorian—all of them had proven their strength during Selection Day. They were among the best Fantasia had to offer. But Harper didn't look impressed.
He stood before them with his arms crossed, his sharp gaze assessing each fighter. His posture was relaxed, but his presence alone carried an unspoken challenge. The man had already put Kairo, Vera, and Solomon through hell in their training. Now, it was their turn.
"Right now," Harper said, his voice calm yet firm, "all five of you are strong. You wouldn't be standing here if you weren't. But strength alone doesn't make you dangerous. It doesn't make you warriors. It sure as hell doesn't make you survivors."
His eyes flickered over them, gauging their reactions. Azrael stood tall, broad shoulders squared, golden eyes gleaming with anticipation. Selene, her silver hair pulled back, remained silent, her fingers lightly brushing over the enchanted cloth wrapped around her arms. Juno, ever the trickster, smirked, his fox-like features alight with amusement. Kael, masked and unreadable, stood still, barely shifting his weight. And Dorian, the brute among them, rested his hands on his warhammer, his stance unshaken.
Harper exhaled, shaking his head.
"You're all walking liabilities," he said bluntly. "Each of you has a weakness. A flaw that, if left unchecked, will get you killed the moment you face someone smarter, faster, or stronger than you. And my job is to make sure that doesn't happen."
The smirk on Juno's face faltered. Azrael's expression darkened, but he said nothing. Even Dorian, normally unmoved by words, shifted slightly. Harper had their attention now.
"Today, I'm not training you to be strong," he continued. "I'm training you to stop being predictable."
Without another word, he moved.
In the blink of an eye, Harper closed the distance between them. He didn't draw a weapon. He didn't shout a command. He simply swept his leg forward, kicking Azrael's knee out from under him with precise force. The lion-like warrior stumbled, his balance thrown off completely.
Harper didn't stop there. He spun, his hand snapping out toward Selene. She instinctively raised her arm to defend, but before she could complete the motion, Harper shifted his angle and grabbed her wrist, twisting her body just enough to render her next move useless.
Juno reacted next, leaping backward, his illusions already flickering into place. But Harper was faster. He grabbed a handful of dirt and flung it toward the trickster's face. Juno cursed, his illusions breaking apart as his instincts betrayed him.
Kael moved in the same instant, trying to disappear into the shadows—but Harper anticipated it. He flipped a small dagger from his sleeve and struck the ground with its tip, embedding it deep into the earth. A pulse of energy erupted from the weapon, flooding the area with unnatural light. The shadows around Kael evaporated.
Dorian, the last one standing, swung his massive warhammer, bringing it down with the force of a collapsing building. Harper stepped to the side at the last second, letting the hammer crash into the dirt before grabbing the brute by the arm and twisting him off balance.
In less than ten seconds, all five of them were either on the ground or completely out of position.
Harper dusted off his hands. "See what I mean?"
Azrael growled, pushing himself up. "You caught us off guard."
"No," Harper corrected. "I exploited your weaknesses. And if I can do that? So can anyone else."
He pointed at Azrael. "You overcommit. Your attacks are too aggressive, too predictable. The moment you start a strike, I already know where you're going."
His gaze shifted to Selene. "You rely too much on drawn-out fights. Slow curses work when you have time, but the second someone presses you, you lose control of the pace."
Juno scowled, rubbing his eyes. Harper smirked. "Illusions are great—until you start thinking you're untouchable. The moment someone disrupts your rhythm, you fall apart."
Kael remained still, but Harper wasn't finished. "You depend on the shadows. You vanish, strike, retreat. But if you can't disappear? You're a sitting target."
Finally, Harper turned to Dorian. The brute's jaw was clenched, his fingers tightening around his warhammer.
"You hit hard," Harper acknowledged. "But you don't adapt. You fight like a machine, repeating the same patterns. The moment someone throws something unexpected at you, you freeze."
Silence stretched between them.
Harper exhaled. "You all have potential. But until you fix these weaknesses, none of you are ready for what's coming."
Azrael rolled his shoulders, eyes gleaming with renewed focus. "Then tell us how to fix them."
Harper smirked. "Gladly."
The training that followed was brutal. Harper didn't hold back, forcing each warrior out of their comfort zone.
Azrael was blindfolded, made to fight without relying on sight or instinctual overcommitment. Every time he swung too soon, Harper punished him with a precise counter.
Selene was forced into close-range combat, using rapid-fire curses instead of slow, methodical draining. The lesson was clear—if she couldn't speed up, she would never keep up.
Juno's illusions were rendered useless, forcing him into a raw, skill-based fight. He had to learn to rely on strategy, not tricks.
Kael was thrown into a light-drenched battlefield, where his shadows were rendered ineffective. He had to fight like a true assassin—not with deception, but with precision.
Dorian was outnumbered, fighting against three opponents at once. He had to learn to think, adjust, and adapt, or he would be overwhelmed.
By the time Harper called for a break, they were battered, bruised, and exhausted. But there was no denying the results.
The warriors who had stepped onto the field that morning weren't the same as the ones standing now.
They had evolved.
Harper smirked as he looked at them, arms crossed. "Not bad," he admitted. "But don't get cocky. This was just the beginning."
Harper rolled his shoulders, scanning the five warriors standing before him. Their breathing was heavy, their bodies drenched in sweat, and yet—none of them backed down. That was a good start.
Still, he wasn't in the business of handing out praise.
"You're all still predictable," Harper stated bluntly, folding his arms. "I've seen merchants fight with more adaptability than some of you." His sharp gaze landed on Dorian, the brute with the warhammer. "You? You fight as one-dimensionally as Solomon. Big, heavy, strong—but if I throw something unexpected at you, you freeze."
Dorian scowled. "Solomon fights like a brawler. I don't."
Harper smirked. "You both rely on overwhelming force. He just happens to be smart enough to weaponize his stubbornness."
The others snickered. Even Kael, who rarely reacted to anything, let out a quiet exhale—his version of a laugh. Dorian's grip on his warhammer tightened, but he didn't argue.
Harper turned next to Azrael, the lion-eyed warrior. "You overcommit. Every damn time. You throw yourself into attacks like Vera throws herself into a fight—completely convinced you'll come out on top."
Azrael shrugged, rolling his shoulders. "I usually do."
"And that's why you're a problem," Harper shot back. "The day you don't come out on top is the day you don't come out at all."
Azrael's smirk faltered. Harper knew how to get under their skin, but he wasn't just talking to piss them off—he needed them to listen.
He moved down the line.
Selene. "You hesitate. You're too careful. Magic is a tool, but you treat it like a chess match instead of a weapon. If Kairo did that, he'd be dead by now."
Selene narrowed her eyes. "I'm not Kairo."
"No, but if you want to survive what's coming, you might need to start thinking like someone who has to win, not just someone who wants to."
She didn't respond, but the shift in her posture told him she'd heard him.
He turned to Juno. "You fight like everything is a game."
Juno gave a lazy shrug. "I mean, isn't it?"
Harper's smirk widened. "You sound like Vera when she's about to set something on fire."
Juno opened his mouth to respond but stopped. "Wait—what does that mean?"
Harper ignored him and moved on to Kael. The shadowed assassin barely acknowledged him, standing as still as ever.
"You're slippery, I'll give you that," Harper said, eyeing him. "But slippery won't save you if you can't fight without your shadows. Solomon could probably outthink you in five moves, and I'd put money on Vera taking you down in three."
Kael didn't flinch. "Then I'll win in two."
Harper grinned. "Good answer."
He stepped back, taking a moment to look them over. This wasn't the same group he had started training hours ago. They were still rough around the edges, but the difference was tangible. They weren't just enduring anymore. They were adjusting.
Now, it was time to put that to the test.
Harper raised a hand, signaling to a group of fighters waiting on the sidelines. These weren't just any warriors—they were handpicked veterans, each one specifically chosen to challenge a weakness the trainees had just begun to overcome.
"This is your first real test," Harper announced. "If you actually learned anything today, you'll prove it right now."
Azrael stepped up first. His opponent was a lithe spear wielder, a fighter who thrived on agility and controlled strikes. She didn't have his raw power, but that wasn't her weapon. Her weapon was patience.
A week ago, Azrael would have rushed in immediately, trying to overpower her. Today? He waited. He let her strike first, reading her movements, watching the way she adjusted mid-step. When she lunged, he didn't counter immediately. Instead, he took half a step back, avoiding the attack without overextending himself.
Then, when she expected him to strike, he still didn't.
He waited.
And when she made a mistake—when she overcommitted for the first time? That's when he struck.
She hit the ground hard.
Azrael exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "Not bad."
Harper smirked. "See? You can learn."
Selene was next. Her opponent was a dual-wielding dagger fighter, the kind of enemy who was too fast for her curses to work if she relied on long cast times.
She didn't hesitate.
Instead of setting up her usual slow-draining curses, she focused on quick, layered spells that staggered her opponent in bursts. Each time he lunged, she was just a fraction faster. Each time he struck, her energy-weaving magic made his movements sluggish.
In less than a minute, she had suffocated him with attrition.
Harper gave an approving nod.
Juno's turn came next. His opponent? A brutal, instinctive hand-to-hand fighter—someone who didn't rely on sight or deception.
For a while, Juno struggled. His illusions weren't working, and he had to fight raw—something he had always avoided. But instead of panicking, he used his own movements as deception.
He faked dodges. Faked attacks. Baited his opponent into making the first move—and punished every mistake.
Harper didn't say anything. He just grinned.
Kael and Dorian followed, each one proving they had started to break free from their weaknesses.
By the time the one-on-one spars were finished, Harper exhaled. "Alright," he said. "Not bad. But let's see how you handle me."
This time, the five warriors didn't hesitate.
Harper moved like a storm, his attacks fast, precise, and relentless. But unlike before, they weren't fighting as individuals.
Azrael controlled the frontline, acting as the unbreakable wall. Selene layered buffs and quick curses, making her teammates just a little faster, a little stronger. Juno's misdirection forced Harper to constantly adjust, while Kael lurked at the edges, striking only when an opening appeared.
And Dorian?
Dorian was the hammer that ended it.
When Harper finally stepped back, nodding in approval, the five warriors stood side by side—bruised, battered, but standing.
For the first time, they weren't just strong individuals.
They were a real team.
Harper crossed his arms. "Alright," he admitted. "I'll give it to you. You're better than I expected."
Azrael smirked. Selene nodded. Juno stretched, rolling his shoulders. Kael simply adjusted his gloves. Dorian let out a breath, gripping his warhammer tighter.
Harper exhaled, glancing toward the setting sun.
The real battles hadn't even started yet.
And if they weren't ready?
They wouldn't survive.