Confronting Trauma

Entering the building that provides private training arenas, Roseline went to the front desk and talked with the receptionist and paying a few of her points.

"Alright, your room is 27."

"…"

She nodded at the receptionist and got up to head over.

Once getting inside the room, Roseline took a deep breath in.

'Let's see if I can do it now..'

Roseline focus of the ability and was going to activate it.

But the memories of the drake and bats were still etched into her mind.

Roseline frowned and stopped what she was doing.

She was a little lost on what to do.

She had never experienced anything like this.

How does one fight their trauma?

Before in the dungeon, it seemed like she overcame it but that wasn't right.

It was only the fear of that situation that got her over it for a moment.

Roseline sat down cross-legged at stared at the ceiling.

'Hmmm..'

Roseline closed her eyes and tried to picture the drake.

The drake came into her mind and she focused her attention to it, pressure and all.

Her hairs stood on their ends and Roseline started to cold sweat.

The drake felt so big, like something that she wasn't able to overcome.

Roseline couldn't help but put her head down just so she doesn't look at them.

'I just need to face it…'

She took in the biggest deepest breath she had ever taken in her life and tried to lift her head.

It was like something was pushing down in her, something heavy like the moon maybe, making it difficult to lift it completely in one go.

In Roseline's first try, she could only lift her head enough to see the drake's claws before opening her eyes and her mental energy almost gone.

'I have to keep trying…'

After taking a small break, Roseline closed her eyes and tried again.

The image of the drake appeared again and Roseline went through the same process.

This time, she was able to get a little more above the claws.

But whh it th this progress, she knew this would take a long time.

Roseline remembered something her father had said to her before, though now it's just a faint memory.

** "Roseline dear, it's often the longest path that brings the most rewards." **

She sat there for a while after thinking about that.

'Guess I'll have to listen to you dad…'

So closing her eyes once again, Roseline looked towards the drake and did her best to overcome it.

In the third try she got passed the wrists, in her fifth try she got passed the knees, in her eighth she got passed the legs of the drake.

From that she had already used up her two and a half hours here and had to get back to her dorm.

A puddle of sweat was under her when she opened her eyes a looked at herself.

Roseline got up, went to the changing room and got a new pair of clothes, and left the private training room building and SilverStream.

The moon was high above everything and it's glow made it so that even at night, one could see their path.

*****

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….

….

The next day, Roseline came back after the classes and went back to the private training arenas in SilverStream.

Since it was the morning, Roseline had to keep her head down or else the blinding lights of SilverStream would absolutely damage her eyes.

'I should get some sunglasses.'

Sitting down cross-legged again Roseline went ahead and entered her mind.

Because she had gotten sleep, Roseline had recovered her mental energy and was ready to try again.

The image of the drake appeared and Roseline continued what she was doing before.

It took her 5 more times before she was able to she part of its torso.

The more she looked at them and farther she got, the harder it was.

Already an hour in and Roseline was tired.

But she continued.

After 8 more times she was able to see 3/4 for its torso.

Roseline opened her eyes for a break and realized she had already here for 3 hours.

Her stomach growled and Roseline took out something from her shadow.

A flask of blood appeared in her hand and she opened it up, drinking it.

It was refreshing, having her fill with the blood.

Roseline oh the flask back in her shadow and closed her eyes again.

She had about 4 more hours before she had to get back for curfew.

Using the time she had, Roseline spent it all in the training room.

After more then 10 times, the drakes torso fully came into view.

It's scaly body and dark color armor absorbed all light that came into contact with it.

Its claws were white like bones.

Scars and cracks spread sliver it's body.

All she had to look at now was it's face.

The terrifying face.

Just in her first try of looking at its face made her almost throw up from fear.

'This is going to take a long time..'

She tried 3 more times before she got up and left to go back to the dorm.

But in the next day, she came back and tried again.

This time was 15 times before she could see 1/4 of its face.

Memories of the destruction it brought resurfaced in her mind as she tried to look at its face, making it much more difficult.

20 more times and she saw 2/4 of its face.

25 more for 3/4 of it.

Roseline came back day after day to fight against her fear of it.

After what seemed like a week of fighting against her trauma, she came back once more to look at it's face one last time.

Roseline had already tried 36 times to see its full face and failed everytime.

Sitting down the same way she had for the long week of coming here, she closed her eyes and the image of the drake came.

Looking at its bottom face, Roseline moved her head up.

Her eyes turned into pin holes and bloodshot but she didn't stop.

She pushed herself to face it.

The image of the drake's face came into view and her eyes finally landed on it.