Chapter 83 The breakdown
Chapter 083
RAVENNA
Martins's words had cut deeper than I wanted to admit.
Being called a liability in front of all these other schools, being mocked publicly for being female on a male team, it brought back every insecurity I had been fighting against since I first joined.
I made up my mind right there in that moment.
I would practice harder than anyone else.
I would push myself beyond every limit until I proved Martins and everyone else who doubted me completely wrong.
I would serve him exactly what he deserved on the ice during the actual tournament.
But what surprised me more than Martins's insult was watching Darius immediately step forward to defend me without hesitation or even being asked.
He stood up for me in front of everyone and declared that I had earned my place through talent and skill.
The entire Midnight Academy team started concurring with what Darius said, their voices rising in agreement as they began raining insults at Martins and his team.
"She will crush the competition."
"If you don't know she's very valuable."
"She belonged here, assholes."
I leaned closer to Dorian and whispered, "Do they not hate me anymore? When did that change?"
Dorian laughed quietly. "They all value you, Ravenna. They have seen what you can do. So enjoy the attention and support whilst it lasts, because once this gathering ends, they will probably all go back to their usual hostility towards you. Except for me, of course. I will always have your back."
The get-together eventually ended with all the directors emerging from their meeting to announce that official tournament schedules would be distributed next week.
Yhe other schools began filing out, heading back to their respective academies whilst exchanging final glares and challenges.
I left the stadium feeling emotionally drained and headed straight back to my room to rest.
But I could not stop thinking about Martins's words and how they had made me feel small and inadequate.
Later that evening, I returned to the ice rink when I knew it would be mostly empty.
I needed to train.
I needed to push myself harder than ever before. I started running through drills, pushing my body to go faster and work harder with each repetition.
Every day after that followed the same pattern. I trained relentlessly, pushing my limits further and further.
My muscles screamed in protest, my lungs burned, sweat poured down my face, but I refused to stop or slow down.
Darius appeared one evening whilst I was in the middle of a particularly brutal training session.
He stood at the edge of the rink watching me for several minutes before skating over.
"You are pushing yourself too hard," he observed, his voice carrying a note of concern that caught me off guard.
"You need to rest and let your body recover or you are going to injure yourself."
"I am fine," I shot back without stopping my drill. "I know my own limits."
"Do you?" he challenged. "Because from where I am standing, it looks like you are trying to kill yourself through exhaustion."
I finally stopped and turned to face him properly, breathing hard. "You can either join me and help me train, or you can get lost and leave me alone. Those are your only two options right now."
Darius studied my face for a long moment, clearly debating what to do.
Then he sighed and began removing his jacket. "Fine. I will stay and train with you. But we are doing this properly with actual technique, not just you running yourself into the ground mindlessly."
Relief flooded through me, though I would never admit it out loud.
I did not want to be alone right now, and having Darius there made everything feel slightly less overwhelming.
We trained together for hours, long after everyone else had left the rink for the night.
He pushed me hard but also made sure I was using proper form and not just exhausting myself pointlessly.
He corrected my stance, adjusted my movements, offered suggestions that actually helped improve my performance.
By the time we finally stopped, my entire body was trembling with fatigue.
I skated towards the bench to grab my water bottle, but my legs gave out halfway there.
I collapsed briefly onto the ice, my vision going dark around the edges.
But I forced myself back up immediately, refusing to let Darius see any weakness.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Darius watching me. He had definitely noticed the collapse.
But he did not say a word about it, did not call me out or insist I needed to rest or treat me like I was fragile.
And for that, I was genuinely thankful.