You're insane

When I woke again, the first thing I noticed was how much better I felt. My muscles ached faintly, like a dull echo of the chaos I'd endured, but the sharp, biting exhaustion was gone.

My limbs felt light, and my head was clear. I blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the dim light of the room, and when I stretched, my joints cracked in satisfying relief.

I sat up, rubbing my temples and letting my senses slowly come alive. I could faintly hear voices no, arguing coming from downstairs. The muffled sound of Carlos and Valeria's bickering seeped through the walls.

"Are you insane?!" Carlos's voice carried, indignant and exasperated. "You nearly killed her!"

"Oh, calm down, Carlos," Valeria replied, her tone a mix of annoyance and amusement. "It's called training. She'll thank me later."

"Training? She's ten years old! Not a dragon like you, you lunatic."

I groaned, pressing a hand to my forehead. This again? Their constant fighting was starting to feel like background noise in my life.

With a deep breath, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood. My body protested a little, but nothing unbearable. I took a moment to stretch, letting my muscles ease into movement, before padding barefoot toward the door.

As I descended the stairs, the voices grew louder.

"I'm not apologizing," Valeria snapped. "She needs to learn discipline."

"She needs to learn to live, not be roasted alive by your methods!" Carlos shot back, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Your 'discipline' is just sadistic."

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, I turned into the kitchen to find a sight that could only be described as chaotic.

Carlos, in his human form, was being strangled by Valeria, who had him in a headlock. He flailed halfheartedly, his long black hair trailing around them like ribbons, while Valeria grinned with unsettling glee.

I paused at the threshold, taking in the absurd scene. Nope. Not my business. I decided right then and there to pretend I didn't see anything.

I'd only known Valeria for a short time, but I was pretty sure getting involved when she was like this was equivalent to poking a sleeping dragon literally.

As I stepped into the room, Valeria's sharp gaze snapped to me. She released Carlos, who staggered back dramatically, clutching his neck. "Well, look who finally decided to wake up," she said, her grin widening. "Three whole days later."

I froze. "Three… days?" The words came out as a whisper, disbelief washing over me. Three days?! I slept for three days?! How was that even possible?

My mind raced, trying to comprehend how I could have been out for so long. I mean, sure, I'd fainted, and I was tired, but three days? That sounded more like a coma than a nap.

What the heck did she do to me? I thought, a little horrified. But then again, it was Valeria. I probably should have expected something like this.

"Don't look so shocked," Valeria teased, walking over to the counter and grabbing a plate.

"You earned it. Here." She slid the plate across the table to me, the scent of freshly cooked eggs and toast wafting up. My stomach growled loudly, reminding me that, yes, I had been unconscious for three days and hadn't eaten in just as long.

I sat down at the table, picking up the fork and stabbing at the eggs with practiced hunger. The first bite was heaven, the warmth and flavor flooding my senses. I didn't even realize how hungry I was until I'd cleaned half the plate.

"We'll be picking up where we left off," Valeria said casually, leaning against the counter with her arms crossed. "Two hundred candles. Monsters. Controlled flames. The usual."

The fork paused halfway to my mouth, and I slowly looked up at her. "You're joking," I said flatly. But her expression told me she wasn't. Of course, she wasn't.

"Nope," she said with a smirk. "This time, you're going to get it right."

Carlos groaned dramatically from where he'd slouched against the wall. "You're insane," he muttered. "You know that, right? Completely and utterly insane."

Valeria ignored him, her focus entirely on me. "Eat up. You'll need your strength."

I returned to my meal, chewing slowly as my mind began to wander. Lighting two hundred candles while fighting off monsters. Again.

The thought alone made me want to cry. My first attempt had been a complete disaster, and even without Carlos inside me draining my energy, my magic was still wild and unpredictable. How was I supposed to pull it off?

I stabbed at my toast, my frustration mounting. But then I stopped, my fork hovering over the plate as a thought struck me. Maybe it's not impossible.

I replayed the events of the previous attempt in my mind, dissecting every mistake. The problem wasn't that I lacked power I had plenty of that now.

The problem was focus. I'd been trying to do too much at once, letting the chaos overwhelm me. If I could just find a way to channel my magic more efficiently, to keep it steady and controlled, then maybe…

I leaned back in my chair, tapping the fork against my plate as I thought. What if I broke it down into smaller steps?

Focus on lighting the candles one at a time while keeping the monsters at bay? Or maybe create a barrier of fire around me first, then use the rest of my magic to light the wicks?

The more I thought about it, the more ideas started to form. I wasn't sure if any of them would work, but it was better than going in blind like last time.

I'd have to experiment, see what felt right. But if there was one thing I was certain of, it was that I needed to stay calm. Panicking only made things worse.

Valeria watched me with a knowing look, her smirk never fading. "You're plotting something," she said, her tone amused.

I shrugged, finishing the last bite of my toast. "Maybe."

Carlos snorted, muttering under his breath. "Good luck with that."

I ignored him, setting my fork down and standing up. I stretched again, feeling a newfound determination settle over me.

Valeria's training might have been hellish, but I wasn't about to let it break me. If anything, it made me more stubborn. I'd survived this long, hadn't I? What was a little more chaos?

I squared my shoulders, meeting Valeria's gaze. "Let's do this."