The morning was crisp, the air cool against my skin as we stood in the training field, waiting for Eira’s instructions. The damp earth beneath us clung to the fading mist, and the rune–carved stones surrounding the clearing pulsed faintly with magic. These weren’t ordinary markers–they radiated an unseen energy that made my wo stir uneasily.
Eira stood before us, her sharp gaze sweeping over the group, her expression unreadable. But I knew that look all too well. Today’s training would be brutal.
“Today’s lesson,” she announced, her voice steady and commanding is about adaptation.”
At her words, the ground trembled slightly. The runes glowed brighter, and from the earth, figures began to emerge.
At first glance, they appeared to be training dummies–wooden constructs wrapped in cloth, their humanoid forms stiff and unnatural. But the moment they moved, I realized how wrong I was.
Their joints bent in ways that shouldn’t be possible, their fluid movements eerily human–like. And worst of all… I could feel the magic woven into them.
They weren’t just enchanted.
They were learning.
“Your task is simple,” Eira continued, folding her arms. “Defeat them. But be warned–they will adapt to your fighting styles. Brute force alone will not win this battle.”
A spark of anticipation ran through me.
We had faced countless trials over the past few days–illusionary fears, energy barrages, and power synchronization. But this… this was different.
This was a test of strategy.
Elijah cracked his knuckles, his golden eyes gleaming with challenge “Alright, let’s make this quick.”
The moment he moved, the battle began.
Elijah launched forward with the lethal grace of a warrior, his dark eyes gleaming as he summoned his magic. A blade of condensed energy flickered to life in his hand, shimmering blue and crackling with power. He swung with deadly precision, aiming for the. nearest dummy’s chest.
The dummy moved–too fast, twisting at an unnatural angle.
Elijah’s attack missed.
Frowning, Isaiah stepped forward, his shadows coiling around his arms like living tendrils. With a flick of his wrist, the darkness lashed out, seeking to bind the dummies where they stood.
But they were already adapting.
The dummies twisted away from the shadows, their movements synchronized, dodging Isaiah’s attack with eerie precision.
Alex scowled. “Alright, let’s see if they can dodge this.”
With a snap of his fingers, flames erupted from his hands, a wave of fire roaring toward the dummies. The heat was intense, the
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flames licking hungrily at the wooden constructs.
For a moment, I thought it had worked.
Then-
The dummies shifted, their wooden surfaces frosting over with a thin layer of ice.
My stomach dropped.
They had just developed resistance to fire.
Austin cursed under his breath. “Are you kidding me?”
I narrowed my eyes, studying their movements. They weren’t just–reacting to our attacks.
They were learning–adapting faster than I had expected.
If we kept fighting the way we always did, we would lose.
We needed a new plan. A change in strategy.
“Stop!” I commanded.
Elijah shot me a sharp look. “Stormi, if we don’t fight-”
“We need to think first,” I interrupted. “They’re adjusting too fast. If we keep attacking individually, they’ll just keep countering us. We need to work together.”
Eira raised an eyebrow but said nothing. I could feel her watching me closely.
I turned to my mates, my mind working quickly.
“Isaiah, your shadows are great for trapping, but the dummies are predicting single attacks. If you weave your shadows through Alex’s flames, they won’t see it coming.”
Isaiah’s silver eyes gleamed. “Smart.”
“Alex,” I continued, “your fire can’t overpower them directly anymore, but if you use it as a distraction, it can still work,
Alex smirked. “Got it, babe.”
“Austin, freeze the ground beneath them,” I added. “If they can’t move freely, they won’t be able to dodge as easily.”
He nodded, his ice–blue eyes flashing.
“And Elijah,” I turned to him last. “You’re our strongest fighter. Once they’re trapped, you’ll deliver the final blow. But wait signal.
Elijah exhaled slowly, nodding, “I trust you.”
A warmth spread through my chest.
“Then let’s end this.”
ty
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Austin struck first.
A thin layer of ice spread across the battlefield, coating the ground beneath the dummies in a slick, treacherous frost. The moment their feet hit the ice, they faltered, their movements slowing as they struggled for balance.
That was our opening.
Isaiah flicked his wrist, his shadows slithering forward–woven withir Alex’s flames. To an outsider, it looked like a chaotic swirl of dark tendrils and flickering fire, but beneath the surface, it was a controlled, coordinated attack.
The dummies reacted, raising their defenses toward the flames-
But they didn’t see the shadows hidden inside.
Isaiah’s darkness struck, binding them in place.
“Now, Elijah!” I called.
Elijah vanished–moving faster than the eye could track. His energy blade flared as he descended in a blur of silver light.
And this time-
The dummies couldn’t dodge.
CRACK.
The enchanted wood shattered under the force of his strike, the magic within them dispersing in a pulse of fading light.
One by one, they fell.
Until nothing remained. but silence.
I let out a slow breath, my chest rising and falling heavily. My muscles ached, but the exhaustion was worth it. We had won–not through raw power, but through strategy, through teamwork.
For a long moment, none of us spoke.
Then Alex threw an arm around my shoulder. “Damn, Stormi! That was some solid leadership back there.”
Austin grinned. “Yeah, you basically just outsmarted an entire enchanted army.”
Isaiah smirked. “Eira’s probably regretting making this test too easy.”
I turned to our mentor, watching her reaction carefully.
Eira’s expression remained unreadable, but there was something in her gaze–something rare.
She gave the smallest nod. “Better,” she admitted. “Much better.”
A slow smile spread across my lips.
We were getting better each day.
And soon, we would be ready.
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The Children of the Eclipse wouldn’t know what hit them. I knew I was ready for whatever the shadow weaver had in store.
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