Chapter 32: Training Begins
949 Words
Morning arrived softly over the palace, golden light spilling through the tall stained-glass windows of the royal training courtyard. The air outside was cool, carrying the scent of polished stone, damp grass, and lingering traces of old magic woven into the castle grounds.
Diana stood at the center of the courtyard.
For the first time since waking, she was not in a bed surrounded by healers or watched over like something fragile. Today, she was standing on her own two feet—barefoot on the stone floor, shoulders squared, gaze steady but unreadable. The injuries had mostly healed, but she could still feel them faintly beneath her skin like memories her body refused to forget.
Around her stood the royal presence.
Queen Maltida observed quietly from the side, her expression soft but focused. King Herald stood beside her like a pillar of authority. Dylan leaned near one of the stone columns, arms folded, silent as always—watching, not interfering.
And then her brothers.
Prince Kaelen looked like he had been personally offended by the concept of her being injured in the first place. Prince Theon, on the other hand, watched her like a puzzle he was already halfway through solving.
Kaelen broke the silence first.
“So this is what they call recovery?” he muttered. “She should still be resting.”
“I’m standing right here,” Diana replied flatly.
Kaelen exhaled sharply. “Exactly my point.”
Theon stepped forward slightly, gaze calm. “Her recovery is stable. But her energy output is… inconsistent.”
Diana turned her head toward him. “You’ve been analyzing me?”
“Yes.”
“Rude.”
“Necessary.”
That made Kaelen smirk faintly.
Dylan’s eyes flickered at the exchange—but he said nothing.
Queen Maltida raised her hand gently. “Enough. Today is not about arguments. It is about control.”
Diana tilted her head slightly. “Control of what, exactly?”
A pause.
Then Maltida’s gaze sharpened slightly. “Everything.
A circle of faint magical markings lit up beneath Diana’s feet.
“This seal will respond to your internal energy,” Maltida explained. “Your goal is simple—release power, then suppress it before it overwhelms you.”
Diana frowned. “That sounds like two opposite things.”
“It is,” Theon said calmly. “That is why it is training.”
Kaelen folded his arms. “Try not to explode.”
“I don’t explode,” Diana muttered.
The moment she tried to gather energy, something inside her reacted immediately.
Not pain this time.
Instinct.
A sharp pulse beneath her skin.
The markings on the ground flickered violently.
Diana stiffened.
Her breath hitched.
Something answered her.
A pressure built in her chest—fast, heavy, wild. Like something inside her was waking up just because she had dared to call for it.
“Stop!” Maltida’s voice cut sharply.
Diana immediately cut the flow.
The markings dimmed.
Silence returned.
But her breathing was uneven.
“…That was too fast,” Kaelen said quietly, less teasing now.
Theon’s eyes narrowed slightly. “No. That wasn’t instability. That was resonance.”
Dylan finally spoke from the side, voice calm but firm. “Her body recognizes power faster than her mind can regulate it.”
Diana looked at him. “And that’s bad?”
“It’s dangerous,” he corrected.
That word lingered.
Dangerous.
Diana didn’t like how easily it fit her.
This time, Kaelen stepped forward.
“Try again,” he said. “But slower. Don’t chase the power—let it form first.”
Diana exhaled slowly.
She tried.
This time, she didn’t force it.
She listened.
A faint hum formed in her chest. Not loud. Not violent. Just… present.
The markings lit again—but steadier this time.
Theon’s gaze sharpened. “Good.”
Diana felt it rising.
But then—
A flicker.
A deeper pull beneath it.
Something instinctive.
Her vision blurred for a second.
Her body reacted before she did—energy spiking slightly too fast.
The markings flared.
“Diana—!” Maltida stepped forward.
Dylan moved instantly—but stopped himself.
Diana clenched her fist and forced the energy down hard.
The seal stabilized.
Silence.
She was breathing harder now.
“…I felt it slip,” she whispered.
Kaelen frowned. “Slip?”
Diana hesitated. “Like something else tried to take over.”
Theon exchanged a glance with Maltida.
Dylan’s gaze deepened slightly.
No one spoke for a moment.
Then Maltida said softly, “We will continue tomorrow
Later, Diana sat alone near the palace garden fountain, cooling her hands in the water.
Kaelen approached first.
“You push too hard,” he said bluntly.
“I survive worse than pushing too hard.”
“That’s not the point,” he replied, quieter now.
A pause.
Then Theon joined them, sitting at a distance.
“You are adapting faster than expected,” he said.
Diana raised an eyebrow. “That’s supposed to be reassuring?”
“It is observation,” he replied simply.
Silence settled between them—but not uncomfortable.
Kaelen leaned back slightly. “Just don’t die before we actually get to know you properly.”
Diana snorted lightly. “That’s your version of concern?”
“No,” he said. “That’s my version of warning people not to embarrass me.”
That earned the faintest hint of a smile from her.
Across the courtyard, Dylan watched quietly.
And for the first time since her awakening—
Diana didn’t feel like she was just being watched.
She felt like she was being understood… in fragments.
And that scared her more than she expected.
- Writer
