Chrysalis

Breathe.

In. Hold. Release. Hold.

Breathe.

In. Hold. Release. Hold.

Slowly. Patience was required. The sharpest blade couldn't be forged in a day. The metal had to be unearthed, refined, smelted, shaped, heated and cooled over and over again until the final temper had been achieved. The perfect weapon was the work of a lifetime.

And so was Orrina.

She was the Legion's weapon, its sharpest and most perfect. She had been forged over many years, placed in the fire, moulded, quenched, then thrown back into the heat once more.

Breathe.

In. Hold. Release. Hold.

As she repeated the mantra and controlled the air that flowed into her body, so too did she influence the mana around her. It pulsed, rising and falling along with her lungs. Vast quantities rushed into her body, were contained, and then released. Each time she drew it in, the energy within her grew that little bit more rich, more vibrant. It wouldn't be long now.

Breathe.

In. Hold. Release. Hold.

and deeper she sank. Her worries fell away. Her past fell away. Her joy. Her sorrow. With each breath, more pieces of her heart and mind were released into the dark, where they could not reach her. All that would remain was the pure

rolled off her in dense waves felt as

A final time.

Breathe.

In. Hold. Release. Hold.

in a violent torrent. A storm of energy that begged for release. Her mind had been reduced to the point of a blade, nothing remained to cloud her judgement. It was

opened

plates of steel stood before her. An impossible construct of complexity and engineering so profound it was nothing short of a miracle. A fitting partner for her. She was the greatest the Legion could produce, an example of martial perfection. Her equipment should

engaged in the same ritual as she. Those thoughts were ignored, allowed to drift away without touching her singular focus. With measured steps, she moved towards her armour, her

shimmering pool of intense light, so vibrant and filled with power it almost overwhelmed

Liquid mana.

One last time. Breathe.

In. Hold. Release. Hold.

placed her hands on either side of the opening and smoothly

Agony.

concentrated mana flooded her pores, seeping into her body and threatening to rip her apart. But it didn't happen. The vast rivers of magic that flowed through her came into contact with this new power source and found a delicate equilibrium. If she were any less saturated with mana,

that bound her in place, tying them off expertly before she reached up to pull the opening shut above her, sealing

armour hummed

meld with the metal, her unique skills, possessed only by the chosen few within the Legion, coming alive. The pain continued, but she didn't feel it; these

and suddenly she could see through the thick plates of metal in front as if they weren't even there. Her body moved, the armour

fierce grin that split her face as she reached out to her right, the gauntlet closing around the hilt of her beloved sword. Blade in hand,

her left and right as her fellows emerged from their pens, ready to fight. This was a rare occasion, one that hadn't happened in her entire career.