The sun set, and Pethren couldn't take it anymore, collapsing from exhaustion. He was too tired to move, and his limbs refused to respond to his commands even under the harsh rebukes of Freyn.
Fate fell to a knee as sweat slid down his brow, Ashla mirroring his action. His Skill took some of the weight out of his limbs, but he still had limited stamina. As expected, only Cait could still stand at this moment.
She appeared disappointed that her sparring partner's legs had given out, but chose not to say anything. She knew better than anyone the advantages her Blood Skills brought her.
Freyn scowled at his students before shooting a glare at the setting sun above. "We're done for today," he told them. "Get some rest; tomorrow, I won't be going easy on you."
'This is him going easy on us?' Fate thought, baffled at the prospect of tomorrow being worse than today was.
Kravoss didn't respond, too busy dodging dozens of blunt-tipped arrows flying toward him in another courtyard, but their bond was enough for Fate to feel his Familiar's shared confusion.
They had been training non-stop for over fourteen hours by now. Fate's arms were so leaden he could hardly lift them, and his feet could keep moving out of nothing more than force of will.
But while it sounded daunting, neither Fate nor Kravoss dreaded it. If anything, they were excited.
They had been cooped up in the Royal Mage Academy for too long. The fight against the aesh had given them a taste for demon blood, a desire to carve out a place for themselves in this world.
More than anything, it had reminded Fate of what failure felt like, and showed him his mortality.
He hadn't been making empty promises when he had told himself that he wouldn't stop training until he could take down an aesh on his own.
Fate and Ashla slotted their wooden swords onto the weapon racks, and they, Cait, and Pethren headed off to their bedrooms to get the sleep they desperately needed.
Fate could call Freyn many things, but a liar was not one of them. The next day took their expectations of all the horrible things they'd have to do and shattered them.
They started by running ten miles… underwater.
Freyn and several other instructors gave their students breathing harnesses and tossed them into a lake in a giant underground cavern directly underneath the Grevenich estate. They weren't allowed to swim, and they had to strap heavy weights to their ankles to keep themselves grounded.
This was how Fate met the others under the Grevenich's wing, and he wasn't surprised to find that Samantha and Venden had chosen the Grevenich family like he did.
He learned that they had been assigned a different instructor, which was why he hadn't seen them around yet.
Fate crawled out of the lake, his legs heavier than lead both from tiredness and the bulky weights strapped to his legs. Kravoss plodded out behind him, taking a seat on the stone ground.
He flopped on his back and tore the breathing harness's mask off his face, taking deep breaths of the crisp underground air.
Cait was already standing and wringing the water out of her hair, giving him a weird look. "I thought you didn't need to breathe?" she asked.
Like the other girls in the cavern, her shirt was more resistant to water, the only luxury the Grevenich family afforded. So while the boys had their torsos' physiques on display, the girls kept their modesty.
Ashla stood nearby, glancing at Fate when she heard those words before turning away. It was none of her business, but it explained a lot.
"I've never been that deep underwater before," Fate admitted with short breaths. "That was a lot worse than I expected it to be. It felt like a giant was trying to squeeze me until I popped. Even if I don't need to breathe, I felt like I needed to."
"That's right, Brergan doesn't have pools," Samantha recalled, standing nearby. "But they have a pond. Didn't you use to bathe there after your stints in the woods?"
"That was ten feet deep at its deepest," Fate replied, steadying his breathing. "This lake is easily two hundred feet deep in the middle. I couldn't even see."
"I didn't think it was that bad," Cait smirked. "And it was my first time in a lake as well. And isn't your Familiar a Water Dracok?"
'Indeed. Quite a shameful display,' Kravoss teased. He and Pospo hadn't been spared from the underwater run, but he had been in his element. He had only taken so long so he could guide his master in the dark depths.
"Gimme a break," Fate sighed. "Most of this is from these clunky weights. I'm exhausted. And I've not needed air for three days, max. I'm still getting used to it."
As they talked, Pethren emerged from the water, coming to a running stop before tearing his mask off and taking a deep breath. Afterward, he strode off to the side, keeping close enough to his group that Freyn wouldn't have to go far to retrieve him.
Samantha didn't have this issue, as her group joined her when they surfaced. Five students, including Venden, joined Samantha and three of the others in her group.
No one paid Pethren any attention, too engrossed in their conversation, though the blonde noble gave them a displeased glare before he left, unsatisfied with the place he had finished.
"All right." Fate exhaled a breath, bringing his hands back before throwing them forward to get to a seated position. He flipped onto his knees and pushed himself to a stand, wiping off the dirt from his soaking clothes.
He heard a gasp to his side, and turned confusedly to the sound. Pethren was there, giving Fate a look like he had just watched him do something obscene.
Fate furrowed his brow. "Is there a problem?"
"They let a criminal into the Guard?" retorted Pethren, a sneer curving his lip.
That question made it clear to Fate what had happened. But to be sure, he glanced down to confirm his suspicions.
'That's about my luck,' he thought ruefully.
His waterlogged shirt clung to his torso, revealing to all the scar on his back.