Chapter 80 Combat Training Begins
POV: Luna
Cole's advanced combat class starts the morning after the amulet incident.
I'm still shaken from the vision, but I force myself to show up. Missing class would only make me look weaker.
The training grounds are different from the ones Ryder uses. These are deeper in the forest, hidden behind additional wards. More private. More intense.
Only ten students were selected for this advanced course. Me, Nova, Darius, and seven others. All second years or above who showed exceptional ability.
Cole is waiting when we arrive. He's dressed in simple training gear, but there's something about the way he carries himself that commands attention.
"Welcome to advanced combat," he says. "This isn't like your regular classes. Here, we don't pull punches. We don't hold back. You will be pushed to your absolute limits and beyond."
He paces in front of us like a predator sizing up prey.
"Combat isn't just about strength or speed. It's about instinct. About reading your opponent. About syncing your wolf nature with your magical abilities." His eyes land on me. "Some of you have raw power. Others have precision. The goal is to combine both."
We start with warm-ups. Basic drills that quickly escalate into something much harder.
Shifting exercises. Partial transformations while maintaining control. Full shifts while keeping human awareness.
I struggle with it.
Every time I let my wolf forward, I feel the power from the amulet still pulsing in my mark. Like it amplified something that was already there.
My shifts are faster than they used to be. Stronger. But harder to control.
"Eclipse," Cole calls out. "You're forcing the shift. Let it flow naturally."
"I'm trying."
"No. You're fighting yourself. Your wolf and your human side are at war. They need to be allies."
Easier said than done.
We move to partner drills. Cole pairs us up for sparring.
I'm matched with a third-year named Marcus. Not the Marcus who helped us escape last year. Different person. This Marcus is tall, muscular, and known for his combat skills.
"Don't hold back," Cole instructs. "I want to see what you're actually capable of."
Marcus grins. "Heard you channeled the moon itself. Let's see if you can channel it against me."
We circle each other. My wolf is alert, reading his movements.
He feints left, then strikes right.
I dodge easily. Too easily.
My enhanced senses pick up his intent before he even moves. I can see the micro-expressions. The shift in weight. The tension in his muscles.
I know what he's going to do before he does it.
"Good," Cole says. "Now counterattack."
I strike. Fast and precise.
Marcus blocks, but barely. His eyes widen with surprise.
"You're faster than yesterday," he says.
"The amulet," I mutter. "It did something to my mark."
We continue sparring. Each exchange gets more intense.
Marcus is good. Really good. But I'm better.
My instincts are sharper. My reactions quicker. And the power flowing through me feels limitless.
Too limitless.
"Eclipse, control your strength," Cole warns.
But I'm already mid-strike when he says it.
My fist connects with Marcus's defensive block, and there's a sickening crack.
He cries out and drops to his knees, cradling his arm.
I've broken it.
"I'm sorry!" I rush forward. "I didn't mean to—"
"Stand down," Cole orders. He's already moving to Marcus, assessing the injury. "Someone get Professor Willow from the medical wing."
One of the other students runs off.
I stand there, horrified, as Marcus grimaces in pain.
"I lost control," I say. "I didn't mean to hurt him."
"That's the problem with power," Cole says, his voice calm but pointed. "Without discipline, it's just destruction waiting to happen."
Professor Willow arrives within minutes and takes Marcus away for healing.
The rest of the class watches me with a mixture of fear and fascination.
Even Nova looks worried.
"Let's take a break," Cole announces. "Eclipse, stay behind."
Everyone else disperses, whispering among themselves.
I'm alone with Cole.
"I'm sorry," I say again. "I didn't know I was that strong. The amulet yesterday, it changed something—"
"I know. I felt it." Cole moves closer, studying my mark. "May I?"
I extend my wrist reluctantly.
He doesn't touch it. Just observes it carefully.
"The Eclipse mark is reacting to multiple stimuli. The goddess's blessing. The amulet's resonance. Your own grief and rage." He looks up at me. "You're carrying too much unprocessed power. It's making you volatile."
"So what do I do?"
"You learn to sync it. To harmonize your wolf instincts with your magical energy instead of letting them compete." He steps back. "I'm going to teach you a technique. It's advanced. Most students don't learn it until fourth year. But you need it now."
"What technique?"
"Energy channeling. Instead of suppressing your power or letting it run wild, you direct it. Give it purpose. Focus it through intention rather than emotion."
He demonstrates. His own mark glows faintly on his wrist. Not Eclipse. Something different. But powerful.
He raises his hand, and energy flows from his mark into his palm. Controlled. Precise. Beautiful.
"This is what mastery looks like," he says. "Not raw power. Refined power."
"How do I learn that?"
"Practice. Meditation. And accepting that you can't do it alone." He disperses the energy. "You need to stop trying to be invulnerable. Stop trying to carry everything yourself. That's what's making you unstable."
His words hit harder than they should.
"I don't know how to do anything else."
"Then learn. Because if you don't, you're going to hurt someone you care about. And next time, it won't be a broken arm that can be healed."
He's right. I know he's right.
But the weight of it is crushing.
"We'll work on this tomorrow," Cole says. "For now, go apologize to Marcus. And Luna?" He catches my eye. "Someone is watching your abilities more closely than you realize. Be careful who you trust."
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said. You demonstrated extraordinary power yesterday with the amulet. Today you broke a third-year's arm without trying. People are taking notice. And not all of them have good intentions."
A chill runs down my spine.
"Who's watching me?"
"If I knew that, I'd tell you. Just be aware that you're under more scrutiny than you think."
He dismisses me, and I head back toward the main Academy.
My mind is racing.
Who would be watching me? Faculty? Students? Someone outside the Academy?
And why does Cole care enough to warn me?
I find Marcus in the medical wing. His arm is already healed, but he still looks shaken.
"I'm so sorry," I tell him. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
"I know. You were just sparring. It happens." But he won't quite meet my eyes. "You're stronger than you realize. A lot stronger."
"That's the problem."
"Yeah." He finally looks at me. "Luna, be careful. That kind of power makes people nervous. And nervous people do stupid things."
"Like what?"
"Like trying to contain you. Or control you. Or eliminate you." He stands. "I'm not saying that to scare you. Just... watch your back."
Everyone keeps telling me that.
Watch your back. Be careful. Someone's watching.
But no one will tell me who or why.
I leave the medical wing feeling more paranoid than ever.
And when I see Cole watching me from across the courtyard, his expression unreadable, I can't shake the feeling that he knows more than he's saying.
About who's watching me.
About what they want.
About what's really happening at Silverwood Academy.