Iris's POV...
I stayed in the garden a while longer, trying to gather my scattered thoughts. The night was peaceful, the sounds of celebration a distant murmur that seemed to belong to another world entirely. I needed to find a way to carve out my own path, to prove to myself that I was more than just Raya's sister.
But how?
The answer eluded me, slipping through my fingers like water no matter how tightly I tried to grasp it. All I knew was that I couldn't continue like this. Something had to change, or I would break completely.
The days turned into weeks, and I threw myself into training with renewed fervor bordering on desperation. I woke up before dawn, practicing my forms and techniques in the quiet solitude of early morning when no one was watching, when there was no one to compare myself to.
Father noticed my dedication and pushed me even harder, his stern voice a constant reminder of expectations I struggled to meet.
