Jayden and Emric exchanged glances, both shrugging in confusion.

Jayden muttered under his breath, turning the small pouch in his hands. “What the hell is she going to do with this hair?”

But there wasn’t time to dwell on it. His training began that evening.

Emric didn’t ease him in—he threw Jayden straight into a grueling warm-up.

"Before you learn to fight, you learn to endure," Emric said, tossing a heavy sandbag onto Jayden’s shoulders. ...