Chrysalis

The agonising pain had long faded, leaving in its wake a vast lassitude, as if every cell in her body had been ripped apart and now had to pull itself back together. She felt tired on a level that she hadn't known existed. Beyond her bones and down into the deepest recesses of her marrow, she felt exhausted. The spark of stubbornness in her mind refused to allow her to sink into unconsciousness, and though it was the hardest thing that she had ever done, she forced her eyes open. She still lay in the stone basin, the hard stone unyielding beneath her. Above her the dull light of the enchanted stone was slowly fading, pitching the space into twilight. Morrelia grimaced hard and stretched out her hands. Her body screamed at her not to move, every muscle aching, but she wouldn't listen.

With the gradual movement of an invalid, she pulled herself upright and supported her weight against the wall. Below her, the final drops of concentrated mana were draining away, falling beneath, doubtlessly to be recycled and used again to torment the next trainee to qualify for this hellish process. She took a deep breath and slowly turned around, her bare feet shuffling against the stone. When she finally managed to set her feet and took a moment to steady herself, she looked up to find her father looking at her, a rare show of emotion showing on his face. Pride radiated from eyes but also great sorrow and she knew that he was mourning his son all over again in this moment.

"Congratulations Legionary," Titus voice was rough and tired as she was, Morrelia swore she could she moisture in his eyes.

Morrelia could barely find the energy to smile, but she did.

"Thank you commander," she said.

She couldn't remember what happened next. Later Titus would tell her that she'd passed out on the spot, he'd had to leap forward to stop her from smacking her stubborn head against the rock. When she awoke she was in a small room, on a hard bed. As she groggily took the room in, she realised the furniture was austere, basic. The bed was large enough, but hard, unyielding and the walls were unadorned, bare, except for one thing. On a simple steel hook hung the black leathers of a full Legionary uniform and the moment she saw it she cried. When she gathered herself and put it on, she left her chamber to find her father leaning against the wall in the corridor.

with me,"

had since she was a child, the dream she'd shared with her brother. She wasn't sure how to feel, or what to say. Likewise, her father didn't trust himself to speak. His chest was full of emotions and he

the twisted corridors they walked, passed soldiers standing silent and tall on sentry duty, and auxiliaries working hard to fulfill the thousands of tasks that the fortress needed to keep itself running, until finally they came to an inscribed wall covered in carved script. She threw a confused glance at her father and he dropped his chin to his broad chest, his

and talk to your brother,"

closer, her eyes trailing through the list, searching for one that was familiar. The closer she came to the end, the more she began to recognise. Seniors who had gone delving when she was still a trainee, even some in the year directly above her. Finally she found what she was looking for. Romanus Marius. She raised one hand and let her calloused fingers trail through the grooves that made her brother's name. Even now, years later, she felt as if she could never forget his face, his voice. He'd been such a presence, able to lift others up and make them want to be the best version of themselves. He'd been charismatic, charming, somebody people wanted to follow, everything that she wasn't. She'd hated him for that,

you're being ridiculous," he would smile and say, "don't you

could she possibly do better than him?! He must have read her expression, because he shook his head, stepped forward and placed a hand on the top of her head. "Trust me, Morr. By the

hear her father step up

"carries the names of all

Morrelia at this and her head flew up to stare at her father. Titus met her gaze and slowly shook his

could believe it. He had passed every trial, every test, every measurement with flying colours. He was so far above the minimum levels, he was practically assured to succeed. Your mother was devastated, I was lost. We just didn't imagine that it would happen to