ZURI

“Keep your legs firmly apart, child.”

Isolde’s voice was calm but firm, cutting through the early morning haze. I obeyed without hesitation, planting my feet into the cold stone beneath me.

The chamber was silent except for the faint hum of magic seeping through the walls. Flickering torches lined the space, their flames bending like bowing to the power swirling here.

I had been summoned at dawn for my second round of training. My body still felt heavy, but the restlessness ...