"Huff, that's enough for today," Sophia said, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.
Her cheeks were flushed, strands of hair sticking stubbornly to her skin.
I nodded, rolling my shoulders as the dull ache finally caught up to me.
"Yeah.
Let's go back."
The training grounds were quiet now, the dust settling where our feet had carved shallow marks into the earth.
The castle walls loomed not far away, their pale stone catching the last light of the afternoon sun.
As we walked side by side, the clink of our gear and the soft rhythm of our steps were the only sounds between us.
Sophia glanced at me from the corner of her eye.
"I wasn't expecting you would last this much."
I let out a small chuckle.
"That's supposed to be my line.
Don't you remember that day?
I put you down pretty easily."
"True," she replied, her voice trailing off.
