The courtyard was silent, save for the sound of breath and the shuffle of feet on gravel. The haze of morning mist had long since burned off, replaced by the dry heat of noon, but Daelen's shirt clung to him all the same. Sweat ran down his spine, beading across his shoulders like dew on stone. Every muscle screamed. Every breath came like pulling water from a dry well.
Sylen came again—faster this time. She aimed low, feet sweeping. Daelen barely moved, instinct dragging his foot back as he pivoted and twisted his torso with the counter-stance he'd burned into his bones the past week.
His elbow dropped. His hips rolled. And Sylen hit the ground.
The world stilled.
For a moment, he didn't register what had happened. He stood there, breathing hard, looking down at her as she blinked at the sky in stunned silence. He'd used the stance. Not perfectly—but fluidly.
It worked.
And then, the air shifted.
A quiet pressure swept over the courtyard like unseen wind. The sun darkened for a breath. The stones beneath his feet hummed. And then...
The Mirror stirred.
---
[Threshold Breached — Recognition: Partial]
Martial Technique Recognized: Feral Counter
Harmony: 14%
STR Increased
AGI Increased
Achievement Unlocked: "Stood Without Yield"
Reflection:
> "The body remembers. Something deeper watches."
---
Daelen blinked. The world resumed, color returning like breath to lungs.
Sylen groaned beside him, propping herself up with one arm. "That was new."
"Yeah," he muttered. His heart pounded. Not just from exertion.
Something had changed. Something had seen him.
And it was watching.