Prince of Gluttony: Born from Betrayal

The air shifted the moment Jayden stepped forward. The training hall seemed to shrink around her as she rested the massive crimson greatsword across her shoulder. The weapon radiated raw aggression, a contrast to Jayden's sharp grin as she stared Mira down.

Cain's brows rose slightly. He knew Jayden's strength better than most. That weapon was no ordinary blade. It required a level of physical power and magical reinforcement few could manage even to lift, let alone swing at the speed Jayden was known for.

"Are you sure about this?" Cain asked.

Jayden nodded once. "Absolutely."

Her tail swayed lazily behind her, a deceptive gesture that masked the tension gathering in her muscles.

Mira said nothing. She only lifted her shield and planted her feet, calm and silent. There was no hint of fear in her eyes. No sign of uncertainty in the way she held that massive slab of blackened steel. Her stance was loose yet unshakable, like a mountain waiting for the wind to try its luck.

Cain stepped back, giving them space. He crossed his arms, his expression carefully neutral, though inwardly he was curious. He knew Jayden could cut through stone walls with that blade. He knew she was far faster than her casual posture suggested. And yet Mira stood there with the same quiet confidence, as if she had no intention of moving no matter what came next.

"Whenever you're ready," Mira said simply.

Jayden grinned. "Don't regret that."

She moved.

The greatsword that should have been slow and clumsy blurred through the air with a speed that made the air crack like thunder. Her first strike came down from above like an executioner's blade, carrying enough force to split the training ground in half.

Mira's shield rose at the last second.

The sound of metal meeting metal rang out, sharp and violent. The ground under Mira's feet cracked from the redirected force as the energy bled harmlessly into the stone instead of her body. Mira herself did not budge an inch. Her arms absorbed the blow, the runes across the shield flickering faintly as they dispersed the remaining shock.

Jayden's eyes gleamed. She was already moving again.

Side swings, thrusts, diagonal cuts. The crimson greatsword whirled in her hands like it weighed nothing at all. She struck with the speed of a predator and the strength of a siege weapon, yet every single attack slammed against Mira's shield and went no further.

Cain's expression betrayed a flicker of surprise.

He knew just how fast Jayden was when she got serious. He had seen her cleave apart dungeon beasts twice her size before they even realized she had moved. But Mira… Mira was meeting her strikes perfectly. Her shield always turned at just the right angle, always caught the blow at the exact point where the force would bleed harmlessly away.

And she never once moved her feet.

The ground cracked under the redirected power of Jayden's attacks, but Mira stood there as steady as the foundation itself. Calm eyes, steady arms, perfect timing. It was not brute strength that kept her rooted. It was precision. Discipline. An understanding of impact and balance so deep it looked like instinct.

Jayden snarled in frustration as her blade slammed against the shield yet again, sparks scattering across the stone. Mira caught the strike near the shield's edge, twisted slightly, and the force of the blow rolled harmlessly into the floor between them.

Five minutes passed like that.

Five minutes of Jayden attacking with everything she had while Mira stood in place, turning aside every single strike as if she had all the time in the world.

Jayden's speed only increased as her frustration grew. Her crimson hair whipped wildly as she attacked again and again, sweat starting to bead along her brow. Her strikes dug shallow trenches into the floor where Mira redirected them, but nothing reached the woman herself. Not a single blow landed cleanly.

Cain watched it all in silence.

He had expected Mira to be durable. He had not expected this level of perfection. Every swing Jayden made was faster than it had any right to be, strong enough to cut through most opponents in a single blow. Yet Mira deflected every bit of that power away from herself and into the ground with flawless control.

Jayden's breaths grew heavier. Her tail lashed in irritation as another strike was turned aside with infuriating ease.

"Hold still!" she snapped.

"You have yet to touch me," Mira replied calmly, almost softly, as if noting a simple fact.

That calmness drove Jayden up the wall. She pushed harder, her swings coming faster, heavier, her frustration boiling into the magic crackling faintly across her blade. She was a moment away from activating it, from going all out just to break through that maddening shield.

But Cain moved first.

One blink and he was there beside her, his hand settling lightly on her shoulder.

"That's enough," he said.

Jayden froze. Her crimson eyes cut toward him, conflicted, breathing hard.

"But I can—"

"You were amazing," Cain said simply.

The fight left her shoulders all at once. Her ears flattened against her head, tail giving an involuntary wag at the words.

Cain hid his amusement behind a calm expression, though he could feel Kiyomi watching nearby with a faint smirk curling at her lips. The fox girl's sharp eyes flicked between Jayden's eager tail and Cain's neutral face, clearly entertained.

Jayden, oblivious to all of it, rested the greatsword against the floor and gave Mira a grudging look.

"You didn't even move your feet," she muttered.

Mira lowered her shield at last, her expression as steady as it had been at the start. "You definitely scared me a bit there. In terms of Attacking though, I can't hold a candle to you."

Cain stepped forward then, looking at the shieldbearer with open respect. "Welcome to the team, Mira. That was more than enough to prove yourself."

Mira inclined her head slightly, her voice bright and cheerful yet utterly steady. "Haha! Thanks Boss!"

Jayden huffed, kicking at a crack in the floor, though her tail was still wagging faintly behind her. Mira said nothing more, but the faintest curve touched the corner of her lips as she looked at the younger woman's restless frustration.

The test was over.

And Mira had passed without ever taking a single step.