Chapter 32: YOU ARE CRAZY, ALPHA TOR

{"This is a fairy tale with teeth and claws."}

The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the training ground. My muscles burned with exertion, and sweat dripped from every pore as I delivered blow after blow to the padded target. Each strike was an outlet for the storm brewing inside me, anger, frustration, and something deeper I did not want to name.

Wave and Spark arrived quietly, their presence at the edge of the training ground a sharp contrast to my furious movements. They did not interrupt, they just watched from a respectful distance as I threw punch after punch, my breaths coming in ragged gasps.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, and an hour after they had arrived, I stepped back, hands on my knees, panting heavily. Exhaustion was a strange kind of relief.

They greeted me in unison. "Alpha Tor"