When evening came, Spiro stopped our meditation.
"Special training," he said.
He looked at Robert. "Robert, step forward. No sword. No shield."
Robert put his things down. He stood in the middle of the grass, looking small and alone.
"The rest of you, attack him," Spiro ordered. "Robert, you cannot hit back. You only endure."
Robert's eyes widened for just a second, then he nodded. "Yes."
Theo went first, tagging him with a wooden dagger. Then Agni landed a punch. I stepped forward, the greatsword feeling like a ton of bricks in my hands. I didn't want to hurt him, so I swung slowly.
"Hit him properly!" Spiro's voice snapped like a whip.
We did. We had to. The flat of my greatsword made a sickening thump against Robert's side. He didn't scream. He didn't even groan. He just stood there, taking hit after hit. Even when Theo got faster and Agni got stronger, Robert stayed on his feet.
By the time Spiro called it off, Robert's skin was covered in dark, angry marks. He was swaying, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
"Enough," Spiro said. He handed Robert a purple bottle. "Drink. This will fix the bruises."
Robert swallowed it without a word.
That night, I fell onto my bed like a stone. My muscles were screaming so loud I couldn't hear any other sounds. No fire. No screams. No parents. Just black, heavy silence.
When Pritha tapped my shoulder the next morning, I realized I had made it. The night had been empty. I looked over at Robert. He was already awake, watching the door. He gave me a tiny, secret nod.
I nodded back.
We stood up together, two broken things ready to be broken again.
"Morning, sunshine," Theo groaned, dragging himself out of bed. "I've decided that if I die today, I want it to be quick. And I want someone to tell the Emperor he's a jerk for making me do this."
I didn't smile. I just followed them out into the light.
***
The routine began the next morning again, but something felt different inside me. When I woke up, my mind was clearer than before.
The fog that had filled my head during the previous days had thinned, and although my body was still sore from yesterday's training, the exhaustion was no longer overwhelming.
My muscles ached, but they felt usable again. Most importantly, the memories had stayed away during the night. There had been no nightmare, no sudden flashes of flames or screaming. Just sleep. Because of that, the morning air felt slightly lighter when we stepped outside.
Spiro woke us before dawn as usual. The sky was still dark, and the cold air clung to the ground like a thin mist.
We grabbed the wooden carrying staff and hung two empty buckets on each side. The walk toward the river had already become familiar. The dirt path was quiet except for our footsteps and the occasional sound of someone yawning.
The moment we filled the buckets and lifted them onto our shoulders, the familiar pain returned. The weight of the water pulled downward on the staff, pressing hard against my shoulder bones.
By the time we reached the hideout again, my back was already starting to ache. And just like the day before, we had to repeat the process two more times.
By the third trip, every step sent a dull throbbing pain along my spine. My shoulders felt raw, and my arms trembled slightly while balancing the load. Still, I didn't complain.
Pain was good. Pain kept my mind occupied. When my body hurt like this, the memories stayed quiet.
After the water training came the cleaning duties. The hideout was huge, and it seemed that every hallway, room, and staircase had to be cleaned every day. This time I was assigned to clean the dormitory wing again, and Pritha was working in the same section.
The dormitory was quiet while we worked. I swept the wooden floor while Pritha wiped the bunk frames and small storage boxes beside each bed. The only sounds were the soft scraping of the broom and the cloth sliding across wood.
For a long time, neither of us spoke.
At some point, she walked over and handed me a spare cloth so I could wipe the bed frames, too. Her movements were small and careful, almost shy.
"Thanks," I muttered.
She simply nodded.
We continued working like that in silence. It was a quiet moment, but it wasn't uncomfortable. For a brief time, it even felt peaceful.
But the peaceful moment didn't last long.
Soon after cleaning was finished, the running training began.
Just like yesterday, Spiro started running toward the village without waiting for us. The rest of us followed him along the dirt road.
At the beginning, the run was manageable. Our pace was steady, and the morning air was still cool. But the longer we ran, the heavier our breathing became. My legs slowly grew heavier with each step, and the village still looked far away in the distance.
Halfway through the run, I heard someone stumble behind me.
Pritha collapsed.
This time I didn't freeze like yesterday.
Robert immediately turned around as well. He crouched beside her and quickly looked at her condition.
"She can't run," he said calmly.
Agni was still standing normally, his breathing even as if the run had barely affected him.
"I will help," Agni said.
So the three of us lifted Pritha between us. She placed one arm around Robert and the other around me while Agni occasionally took her weight whenever our arms began to shake.
We moved forward slowly like that.
Much slower than before.
But none of us complained.
By the time we finally reached the village, the sun had already climbed higher in the sky. Spiro was waiting for us beside several large supply bags.
He looked at Pritha.
Then, the three of us are supporting her.
For a moment, I expected him to yell at us for being late.
But he didn't.
Instead, he simply handed each of us a bag.
"Rest a minute," he said.
Then he pointed back toward the road.
"Return."
Normally, we would run back.
But none of us had the strength for that today.
So we walked.
Slowly.
The journey back to the hideout took much longer than yesterday. That meant our training time was reduced.
I didn't complain. The pain was still lingering in my muscles, and the memories barely appeared. That was enough for me.