Devina sat on her bed, her body still trembling from the aftermath of the fight. Flashes of the encounter replayed in her mind: the initial confidence, the exchange of blows, and then the devastating strike that shattered her resolve. The taste of blood lingered in her mouth, a stark reminder of her miscalculation.

Her physical reactions betrayed her, but her mind was already at work, analyzing the situation. She had underestimated the primal nature of physical combat.

She considered herself hardened, not easily rattled, yet the sheer violence of Ruben’s unrelenting attacks had caught her off guard. Looking into his eyes, she had seen a genuine intent to harm. It was a valuable lesson, one she wouldn’t soon forget.

She barely registered Anthony’s hand on her shoulder. He didn’t do anything, content to just sit there as she processed.

He didn’t speak, giving her space. When handed her a water skin, Devina accepted it gratefully, using each sip to regain her composure.

“Deep breaths,” Anthony advised softly. “In and out.”

He reached behind himself to give her a ball of something sticky to the touch that smelled like honey. A small smile tugged at Devina’s lips. This old man probably thought she was having a panic attack or something. He was treating her like his grandchild, but oddly enough, she didn’t mind.

She ate the honey ball, then another, warmth spreading from her stomach. Was there alcohol in these sweets?

When she refused the next one, Anthony chuckled, popping it into his own mouth. “Mmm, these are good,” he muttered through a mouthful of honey. “Nobody makes them quite like Jenna. That’s why I married her,” he said, winking conspiratorially.

A chuckle escaped Davina’s lips unbidden.

After he was done eating, Anthony leaned forward to look at Davina more seriously. “Look kid, we’ll have to talk about this sooner or later. What were you trying to do challenging the guards like that? If you wanted training, why didn’t you come to me?”

“I thought a group setting would push me harder,” Devina replied, her voice steadying. “After the bandit incident, I realized I need to be able to protect myself effectively.”

Anthony nodded in understanding. “I get it, kid. But you can’t just go from zero to a full-blown fight with a trained guard. You need to take it easy at first, maybe learn the basics. It’s better in the long run, trust me.”

“I see that now,” Devina admitted. “But I need to improve quickly. My reaction in there… it wasn’t acceptable.”

“Hey, wait a second, kid. You don’t expect to just become a fighter overnight, do you? Bear always talks about born fighters, but don’t listen to that crap. You need the right mindset, and that comes from experience. And you get experience by training. There’s no shortcuts.” He paused, then added, “Being a soldier isn’t just about training your muscles. It’s about training your mind. Have you ever been in a fight before? Have you ever even been hit before?”

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Davina took a moment to ponder that. She’d lived in a civilized society in her past life, and there had been no point in fighting. Even if there had been, her strength as a mage had always been pathetic. So she’d always kept to the political battlegrounds. Battles of wits, that was what she was good at. But now, she couldn’t afford to think like that anymore.

“Maybe I was a bit of a wimp,” she thought. Maybe Anthony was right. Maybe physical fights were an entirely different thing. Determination rose in her. She pushed her chin up at Anthony. “Perhaps I underestimated the mental aspect. How do I bridge that gap?”

Anthony smiled wide. “That’s the spirit, kid. We’ll make a fighter of you yet. But not with the guards. You’ll have to work up to that. If you’re serious about this, meet me tomorrow morning in the gardens at sunrise.”

He stood up, still looking at her. “I’ll go check in with the captain now. Get some rest. I’ll need you in top form tomorrow.”

As the door closed, Devina leaned back, exhausted, with many things to think about. She didn’t get to do much thinking before she drifted off. But one question flashed through her mind before sleep claimed her: What was that guy Ruben going on about with his mother? Was she another of Devina’s victims? She’d have to figure that out before she showed her face in the arena again.

————

When Devina awoke, sunlight was streaming harshly through the window. She hissed and turned away, muttering, “This room needs curtains.”

Something reeked, and with a grimace, she realized it was her. After yesterday’s ordeal, a bath was long overdue. She dragged herself to the adjoining room where the tub still stood, filling a bucket with cold water and pouring it over herself, the chill biting at her skin.

“Someone really needs to introduce these people to showers,” she thought half-jokingly, “especially those with magic runes to keep the water at just the right temperature.” She briefly considered the logistics of building such a shower, but soon abandoned the idea. Not only did she not have the time, but heating water via runes also took a surprising amount of mana.

If she wanted to heat water on the fly, she’d need a gemstone battery that could accumulate the mana over time so that it would be ready when she wanted to take her shower. Or, she supposed, she could just use a few runes running on ambient mana to channel a trickle of warmth into the tub, slowly warming it up and keeping the water hot at all times. A hot bath wasn’t a shower, but it was better than nothing.

Temptation once again gnawed at her, but she firmly pushed it down. Drawing more attention than strictly necessary was a bad idea. If she already has access to her mana core; a simple spell would be enough to heat the water. One more reason to get back to being a mage. She had a rough idea of how to awaken her core now, but it wasn’t a sure thing. She’d still need a storage gemstone full of mana to pull it off.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. “Come in,” she called.

Anthony entered, his massive frame forcing him to duck through the doorway. He leaned against the wall as Devina finished dressing. “Didn’t mean to barge in. You weren’t at training.”

“Oh no, I totally forgot about that,” Devina groaned. “I overslept.”

He chuckled, unfazed. “Figured as much. I brought breakfast.” He gestured to the tray on her nightstand, piled with bread, jerky, and two more of those honey balls.

Devina gratefully devoured all of it. She hadn’t even noticed how hungry she was until now. When she finished, Anthony led her to the gardens.