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"Three days," Pyris said, his voice steady. "We\'ll train, fight, and survive for three days. No returning until we\'ve made progress."

Alera nodded, her face set in determination. Since joining Pyris, she had grown stronger but still struggled with controlling her shadows. She could feel the Grove\'s energy pulling at them, tempting them to run wild. The thought unnerved her, but Pyris\'s presence gave her comfort.

He had a way of making the impossible seem attainable.

"We\'ll camp at night," Pyris continued, adjusting the strap of his sword. "And fight the beasts during the day. You\'ll learn to harness your magic under real pressure, Alera. This won\'t be like the controlled training back at the estate. This… will be chaos."

Alera\'s fingers twitched nervously at the word, but she nodded again. She had to face this challenge, not only to prove her worth to Pyris but to herself.

____

The two stepped forward, the shadows of the Grove swallowing them whole.

The first beast came at them barely an hour into the Grove. It was a hulking creature, its skin mottled and cracked, oozing dark energy. Pyris had seen creatures like it before—corrupted, twisted by the Grove\'s influence. This one resembled a large boar, but its tusks were jagged and covered in a foul-smelling slime. Its red eyes gleamed with a hunger for violence.

Just a Rank 5 beast.

Pyris reacted first, summoning a blast of wind to knock the beast off balance. His elemental mastery had grown stronger in recent weeks, and he could now cycle through his abilities seamlessly. The wind sent the beast stumbling, but it recovered quickly, charging again with a deafening roar.

"Your turn!" Pyris called out, his sword ready but eyes on Alera.

Alera\'s breath hitched. Her shadows responded to her panic, swirling around her like smoke. The creature was barreling toward her, and she could feel her control slipping.

Focus, she thought, trying to grasp at her magic.

Pyris watched carefully, ready to step in if things got out of hand, but he needed her to fight. This was part of her training—to learn control under pressure.

The beast was only meters away when Alera finally acted. She threw her hands forward, and her shadows leaped from the ground, lashing out like a dozen serpents. They wrapped around the creature\'s limbs, slowing its charge, but the beast was strong. It bellowed in fury, thrashing against her magic.

"Keep control!" Pyris commanded, summoning a wall of earth to block the beast\'s path. The beast collided with the wall, momentarily stunned.

Alera gritted her teeth, her shadows tightening their hold, but they were slipping. The Grove\'s energy was feeding them, amplifying their wildness. She could feel the dark whispers clawing at her mind.

"I—I\'m losing it!" she cried out.

Pyris moved in, quick as lightning. He summoned his time element, slowing the beast\'s movements to a crawl. Then, with a single, fluid motion, he slashed through its neck, his sword glowing with death magic. The beast collapsed, disintegrating into a pile of ash as Pyris\'s body absorbed its essence.

Panting, Pyris turned to Alera. "You\'re hesitating. The shadows sense your fear."

Alera nodded, her face pale. "I… I can\'t stop them sometimes. It\'s like they have a mind of their own."

"They do, in a way," Pyris said, wiping his blade clean. "But you\'re stronger than them. You just need to believe it. This isn\'t like back in the city. Here, hesitation will get you killed."

Alera swallowed hard but nodded again. "I\'ll do better."

Pyris placed a hand on her shoulder, his voice softer. "You\'re already improving. But you need to push past your fear."

The two continued deeper into the Grove, the shadows growing thicker, the air heavier. By the time the sun had begun to set, they had encountered two more beasts—both of which Pyris had dealt with, though he made Alera engage them first each time.

As night fell, they set up camp in a small clearing, the darkened sky barely visible through the twisted canopy above. Pyris erected a simple barrier with earth magic to protect them from potential ambushes while they rested.

"We\'ll start again at dawn," Pyris said as he settled by the fire, the flickering flames casting long shadows over the clearing. "Try to get some sleep."

Alera nodded but remained silent, staring into the fire. The shadows danced at the edge of her vision, whispering to her. But Pyris\'s presence, as always, was grounding. She curled up near the fire, pulling her cloak tight around her, and closed her eyes.

____

The second day was even more intense. The beasts in the Grove grew stronger the deeper they went, each one more twisted and aggressive than the last.

By midday, they were facing off against a massive creature—a Behemoth, easily twice the size of the previous beasts. Its skin was blackened, covered in sharp, bony protrusions, and its eyes glowed with a sickly yellow light.

"This one\'s strong," Pyris said, his voice calm but determined. "Watch and learn."

He unsheathed his sword, the blade already humming with power. Pyris closed his eyes for a brief moment, summoning the elements within him. In an instant, he was surrounded by a swirling vortex of wind, fire, and lightning. His body tensed, his muscles coiling as he prepared to strike.

The Behemoth roared, shaking the very ground beneath them as it charged.

Pyris moved with blinding speed, his superspeed element kicking in. He darted forward, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye. His sword crackled with electricity as he slashed at the Behemoth\'s chest, the blade cutting deep into its flesh.

But the Behemoth was resilient—it howled in pain but didn\'t fall.

"Not enough," Pyris muttered, his brow furrowing. He summoned his death element, channeling it into his blade. The sword glowed with a sickly, dark energy as he launched himself forward again. This time, his strike was true.

With a fierce look, Pyris plunged the sword into the Behemoth\'s chest, pouring all of his elemental power into the strike. The combined forces of blood, darkness, time, and death tore through the creature\'s massive form.

Shadows writhed and screamed as the Behemoth began to disintegrate, its body collapsing in on itself, reduced to nothing but ash and bone.

Alera watched in awe. Pyris\'s mastery over the elements was unlike anything she had ever seen. But even he was pushed to his limits by the Grove\'s creatures. The realization sent a chill down her spine.

"Are you okay?" Alera asked, stepping closer.

Pyris waved her off, his breathing slowly returning to normal. "I\'m fine. Just… don\'t let your guard down. This place is relentless.

___

That night, they camped again, this time deeper in the Grove. The atmosphere was heavier, the corruption in the air almost palpable. Pyris set up a stronger barrier, using his earth and shadow elements to shield them from detection.

Alera sat by the fire, her eyes distant. She hadn\'t told Pyris everything about her shadows. There was a part of her power she had never fully understood—something darker, something ancient. She could feel it stirring inside her now, reacting to the Grove\'s corruption.

"Something on your mind?" Pyris asked, noticing her silence.

Alera hesitated but then nodded. "There\'s something I haven\'t told you… about my magic."

Pyris raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Go on."

Alera took a deep breath. "The shadows… they\'re not just an element. They\'re alive. Sometimes I feel like they\'re watching me, waiting for something. I don\'t fully understand it, but I know it\'s tied to the Void. I hear whispers… dark whispers."

Pyris\'s eyes narrowed slightly. "The Void? That\'s rare magic. Dangerous magic." He pretended to be ignorant about her powers.

"I know," Alera said, her voice trembling. "I\'m scared, Pyris. I don\'t know if I can control it."

Pyris was silent for a moment, considering her words. He had suspected there was more to Alera\'s power than she let on, she could control them with enough training but the Void… that was something else entirely

"You can control it," Pyris said finally, his voice firm. "But you\'ll need to be stronger. The Void isn\'t just an element—it\'s a force. You\'ll need to learn to channel it without letting it consume you."

Alera looked at him, her dark eyes filled with uncertainty.