Duskhaven had never felt more suffocating.
Arlan walked through the narrow streets, his hands shoved into his cloak pockets, trying to ignore the weight of everything pressing down on him.
The crypt. The sorcerer. The lies stacking up around him.
Mira's words still echoed in his head.
"Be careful. I don't want to lose you."
He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. He didn't have time to dwell on that. Not when things were moving faster than he could keep up with.
At least for now, no one was asking the wrong questions.
For now.
Training and Trouble
"You call that a swing?" Beren grunted.
Tomas wiped sweat from his forehead, scowling. "It was a perfectly good swing."
"It was weak," Beren corrected, holding up his axe. "If you fought a real monster like that, you'd get gutted before you even raised your shield again."
Tomas huffed. "Well, forgive me, master of all combat."
It had been Mira's idea. If they weren't strong enough, they had to get stronger. Which meant practice.
Which meant Beren bossing everyone around.
Leila sat nearby, tightening the string on her bow. "If Tomas gets any stronger, we'll have to start calling him something ridiculous, like—" she smirked, "—Tomas the Unbreakable."
Tomas grinned. "I like that."
Beren rolled his eyes. "Then earn it."
The group had spent most of the morning outside Duskhaven's walls, using an old training ground that other adventurers had long since abandoned.
Beren and Tomas sparred. Mira practiced casting magic faster under pressure. Leila worked on firing while moving—something that had almost gotten her killed last time.
And Arlan?
Arlan stood off to the side, watching them, his hands twitching at his sides.
He had no sword. No shield. Just his magic.
But magic wasn't easy to train.
And if he messed up in front of them…
He exhaled. Focus.
He stretched out his hand, feeling the familiar pull of shadow. Dark energy crackled in his palm. He aimed at one of the training dummies, concentrating.
The spell shot forward—faster than before—but at the last second, the shadow tendrils lashed out wildly, missing the target entirely and nearly wrapping around Tomas instead.
Tomas yelped. "Hey! I like my soul right where it is, thanks."
Arlan winced. "Sorry."
Leila whistled. "Still got some control issues, huh?"
Mira, wiping sweat from her forehead, walked over. "You're getting stronger."
Arlan hesitated. "Yeah."
"But?"
He exhaled. "But it doesn't feel… stable."
Mira crossed her arms. "Then we make it stable."
Arlan blinked. "What?"
Mira raised an eyebrow. "You think magic just happens? I have to practice my casting, too. Every spell, every reaction. We're here to train, Arlan. That includes you."
Arlan hesitated. She was right, but—
"You're not getting out of this," she said firmly, grabbing his wrist and dragging him to the center of the field.
Arlan groaned. This was going to be painful.
Bones: The Problem Child
As the group continued their training, Arlan wasn't the only one struggling.
Bones had not been the same since his evolution.
At first, he had been perfectly normal—or, as normal as a skeletal rat could be. But now…
Now, he was having episodes.
"Arlan," Tomas whispered, leaning closer. "Your rat is doing the thing again."
Arlan turned, sighing as he saw Bones—who had once again grown… wrong.
Currently, the skeletal familiar had elongated legs, an oddly stretched spine, and—
Leila squinted. "Is he… a deer?"
Bones clicked his teeth aggressively.
Beren, ever unfazed, simply grunted. "It's unsettling."
Mira, however, was the least amused. "You have to get that under control."
"I know," Arlan groaned. "I don't think he's doing it on purpose."
Bones suddenly twitched, his form rippling before shrinking back down into his usual rat shape.
Arlan ran a hand through his hair. "See? It's fine."
Mira rubbed her temples. "It is not fine."
Tomas chuckled. "I dunno, I think it adds some excitement. What if, in battle, he turns into something really useful?"
Leila grinned. "Like a bear."
"Or a horse!" Tomas added. "You could ride him!"
Bones clicked his teeth loudly, as if offended.
Arlan groaned. "Can we focus, please?"
A Much-Needed Break
By midday, the group had exhausted themselves.
Tomas collapsed onto the grass. "That's enough training for one lifetime."
Beren sat beside him, wiping sweat from his forehead. "You finally swung that sword properly, so maybe."
Leila stretched. "We should do this more often. Just… less painfully."
Mira sat down next to Arlan, her breathing steady but tired. "You're improving."
Arlan gave a small smile. "So are you."
Mira shrugged. "It's not enough."
He knew what she meant.
None of them were strong enough—not yet.
Not for what was coming.
But for now…
For now, they had done what they could.
Bones climbed onto Arlan's shoulder, clicking his teeth lightly.
Arlan reached up, scratching the top of his bony head.
Whatever happened next…
They'd be ready.
Or at least, they'd try.