The private training grounds were in a hidden valley within the lion territory, surrounded by high cliffs. No one could approach without being seen and no one could eavesdrop without being caught.
When Nyx reached there, she saw a female lion shifter standing in the center of the grounds, her eyes were covered with a white blindfold.
"This is Mira." Raziel introduced. "She has a rare ability."
"I'm a mind-reader," Mira said as she turned toward Nyx. "I see thoughts like you see colors. Not deep or invasive, just whatever's loudest in someone's mind at the moment."
"You're blind?" Nyx asked as she studied her.
"Physically, yes. Mentally, I see more than most." Mira smiled. "For example, right now, I see fear, curiosity and determination. And beneath it all, exhaustion. You're tired of fighting, Nyx Keller."
It was true.
"But tired doesn't mean weak." Mira continued. "Wait…there's something else in your mind as well…something that looks like shadow."
"Umbra's magic." Raziel said. "Can you tell if it's affecting her thoughts?"
"Not affecting, just observing." Mira walked closer to Nyx. "The shadow magic is watching through her eyes, listening through her ears. But it's not controlling her yet. It is waiting."
"Waiting for what?" Nyx asked.
"For you to invite it in." Mira tapped Nyx's forehead lightly. "Shadow magic can't force itself on you. It needs permission. It is waiting for a moment of weakness, a moment of doubt, a moment when you're so desperate you'll accept help from anything. That's when the magic will strike."
"So don't be desperate. Easy." Nyx replied sarcastically.
"Actually, yes." Mira stepped back. "The best way to fight mental manipulation is to know yourself. Know who you are, what you believe, and what you'll never compromise on. Sylthis will try to weaken that. He'll make you doubt your memories, your identity. But if you can hold onto yourself, the shadow magic won't be able to do anything."
"And if I can't?"
"Then Sylthis wins and you become a puppet exactly what they accused you of being."
"So how do I train for that?"
"You need to build walls." Mira gestured for Nyx to sit. "Your mind is currently wide open. Anyone with skill can see your thoughts, memories, and fears So I'll teach you how to shut them out."
For the next several hours, Mira guided Nyx through mental exercises that were harder than any physical training she'd ever done.
"Imagine your mind as a fortress." Mira instructed. "Each memory is a room, and each emotion is a corridor. Right now, all the doors are open, anyone can walk through and see everything."
Nyx closed her eyes, trying to visualize it.
"Good." Mira said. "Now, choose a memory you don't want anyone to see, and build a door around it."
Nyx started with her mother's death. The memory of sitting in the hospital room, watching cancer slowly killing the only person who'd ever loved her unconditionally, the guilt of leaving early because she couldn't bear to watch her in pain anymore.
She visualized a door, built it around that memory, and locked it.
"Excellent. I can't see that anymore. It's sealed. Try another."
Nyx moved to her father's disappearance. The day he'd walked out when she was six, promising to return from his hunting trip but never returned back.
She sealed this memory as well.
"Good. Keep going."
As Nyx moved through her memories, she found one she couldn't lock. It was of her first kill, not an animal but a person.
"What is that?" Mira asked. "This memory is buried under layers of suppression, but it's important. What happened?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"You don't have to talk about it but you need to acknowledge it exists. Suppressed memories are weaknesses. Sylthis will find them. Better to face it now."
Nyx clenched her hands into fists.
"I killed someone."
"When?" Raziel asked immediately.
She'd forgotten he was there, watching the training.
"I was sixteen. A man attacked me in the woods. I was alone and he…" She couldn't finish.
"Self-defense." Raziel said.
"I don't know. He did grab me. But did I have to kill him? Could I have just injured him and ran away? But I panicked, grabbed my knife, and…" She stopped.
"What happened after?" Mira asked.
"I buried him without telling anyone. Then, I sent home and pretended it never happened. It's one of the reason I became a poacher because if I was already a killer, what difference did a few more deaths make?"
"That's your core wound." Mira told her. " 'I'm already a killer, so nothing else I do matters.' That's what Sylthis and shadow magic will target. Because if you believe you're broken, you won't be able to control your mind."
"I am broken."
"No." Raziel walked and crouched down so they were eye level. "You were sixteen, alone, and terrified. You survived the only way you knew how. It doesn't make you broken. It makes you a survivor."
"I've killed 47 more creatures since then. How many make me a murderer instead of a survivor?"
"Neither. You're complicated." Raziel held her hands. "And that's exactly why you can resist Sylthis. Because you've already faced your worst and survived."
Mira nodded.
"He's right. Acknowledging your darkness is the first step to controlling it. Try to build the door again. But this time, don't lock it. Just acknowledge it exists."
Nyx tried again. This time, instead of a locked door, she built a glass one. She could see the memory through it.
"Much better. Now do the same with the others." Mira said.
They traimed for hours. By the time Mira stopped, Nyx's head ached like someone had been using it as a drum, but her mind felt more organized.
"You're not ready. Three days isn't enough time to build real defenses but you're better than you were this morning, and you have one advantage Sylthis won't expect."
"What's that?"
"You're already broken." Mira smiled. "You can't shatter something that's already broken. You can only reshape it into something new. That's your strength. Use it."