**TWO WEEKS BEFORE WINTER SOLSTICE**
"You want me to do what now?"
Kieran Cross stood in the underground training complex, arms crossed, looking at me like I'd lost my mind. He was a third-year student—nineteen years old, stocky build from years of earth magic training, with brown hair that perpetually looked dusty no matter how much he washed it. His eyes were an unusual amber color, almost gold in certain lights.
"I want you to sense vibrations through the stone," I repeated patiently. "You've told me you can feel movements from up to a mile away. I want to see it."
"That's... that's not really combat applicable," he protested. "It's just a thing I can do. Useful for finding water sources or detecting cave-ins in mines. My family runs mining operations in Nordholm—it's a practical skill, not a fighting technique."
"Everything is a fighting technique if you're creative enough." I walked to the center of the training floor. "Close your eyes. Tell me where everyone in this room is standing."
He sighed but complied. Pressed his hand to the stone floor, closed his eyes. After a moment: "You're fifteen feet in front of me. Celeste is at the eastern wall, leaning against it. Luna is... nowhere? No, wait, she's there but not touching the ground. Hovering? That's weird."
"She's an anomaly. Physics don't apply. Continue."
"Sarah is in the observation room above us. Seraphina is... also in the observation room. Raven is at her usual spot taking notes." He opened his eyes. "That's everyone. So what?"
"So that's reconnaissance that doesn't require line of sight. That's advance warning of ambushes. That's the ability to track enemies through solid stone." I summoned one of my knights—Mordain materialized behind Kieran. "Did you sense that?"
Kieran spun, startled. "What the—no. No, I didn't. He just appeared."
"Because soul constructs don't have physical weight until they choose to. They don't create vibrations." I dismissed Mordain. "That's your weakness. Anything non-physical is invisible to you. We need to fix that."
"How do you fix a fundamental limitation of the technique?"
"By expanding what you're sensing. You're feeling vibrations through stone because stone conducts physical movement. But what if you could sense magical vibrations? Energy signatures? Mana disturbances?"
Kieran blinked. "That's... I don't think that's possible."
"It is. I've seen it done in Loop 78. There was an earth mage—her name was Terra, unimaginative but accurate—who learned to sense both physical and magical vibrations simultaneously. Made her nearly impossible to ambush."
"And what happened to her?"
"She died fighting Azkaros. But she survived until the final battle, which is more than most people managed."
"That's not encouraging."
"I'm not here to encourage you. I'm here to make you useful." I pulled out a small mana crystal from my pocket. "This is radiating magical energy constantly. Close your eyes. Can you sense it?"
He pressed his hand to the floor again. "No. Nothing. It's just... there. No vibrations."
"Because you're only sensing physical disturbances. The crystal is stationary—no movement, no vibrations. But it's absolutely radiating power. You just can't perceive it yet."
"So how do I learn to perceive it?"
"The same way you learned to sense vibrations in the first place. Practice. Repetition. Pushing your limits until something breaks through." I set the crystal down. "You told me you developed your earth sense as a child. Mining accident nearly killed your father. You were trapped underground for three days. Your magic awakened trying to find a way out."
"How did you—that's private—"
"I researched everyone I'm recruiting. Backgrounds, strengths, weaknesses, traumatic origin stories." I met his amber eyes. "Your magic was born from desperation. From needing to sense danger you couldn't see. We're going to recreate that desperation in a controlled environment."
"That sounds terrible."
"It's going to be terrible. But it'll also make you into something more than just a mining consultant with a neat party trick."
Celeste spoke up from the wall. "He's not exaggerating. Marcus's training methods are nightmare fuel. But they work."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I said dryly.
"Just being honest. You're terrifying but effective."
Kieran looked between us. "So what exactly does this training involve?"
"For the next two weeks, you're going to spend three hours every morning with your hand on the stone, trying to sense magical vibrations. I'll start with small things—mana crystals, minor enchantments. Gradually increase complexity. By the end, you should be able to sense soul constructs, demons, and magical attacks before they hit."
"And if I can't?"
"Then you'll have wasted two weeks of your life. But at least you'll know your limitations." I shrugged. "Or you could walk away now. Go back to being a third-year student who's decent with earth magic and has a useful but limited sensory ability. No judgment."
He was quiet for a long moment. Then: "Why me? There are other earth mages. Better ones. Professor Hendricks could do this technique in his sleep."
"Professor Hendricks is an alcoholic who can barely function before noon. You're nineteen, desperate to prove yourself, and have a chip on your shoulder about being underestimated." I smiled slightly. "Also, you've been following my training sessions for three weeks. Watching from the observation room. Waiting to see if I'd notice."
His face flushed. "I wasn't—"
"East observation room. Same time every morning. You think you're subtle. You're not." I walked toward the exit. "Training starts tomorrow at 4 AM. Bring water and low expectations. This is going to suck before it gets better."
"4 AM? That's insane—"
"That's when I train. Take it or leave it."
I left before he could protest further. Behind me, I heard Celeste: "He's always like this. You get used to it."
"Does he actually care? Or is he just collecting people like weapons?"
"Both, probably. But the caring part is real. He just doesn't know how to express it without being terrifying."
"That's deeply concerning."
"Welcome to our group. Everything is concerning and nothing makes sense. You'll fit right in."
---
I found Sarah in the observation room, watching through the glass.
"You could have been gentler," she said without turning. "The poor boy looked terrified."
"Gentle doesn't prepare people for demons. Terror does." I joined her at the window. "Did I push too hard?"
"Probably. But that's what you do. Push people past their breaking point and rebuild them stronger." She looked at me. "Just remember—not everyone is you. Not everyone can handle being broken and rebuilt."
"I know. That's why I research them first. Kieran has the right temperament. Stubborn, determined, used to hardship. He'll survive the training."
"And if he doesn't?"
"Then I misjudged. And he goes back to mining consultations." I pulled her close. "But I don't think I misjudged. He reminds me of someone from Loop 56. Same energy signature, same stubborn pride. That person became one of my best scouts."
"Until they died?"
"Until they died fighting Azkaros in the final battle. But they saved dozens of people before then. That counts for something."
Sarah was quiet, leaning into me. "You're collecting people again. Building something. It's different from the other loops, isn't it?"
"Very different. Other loops, I either worked alone or inherited existing groups. This time, I'm actively choosing people. Building from the ground up." I looked down at the training floor where Kieran was still talking with Celeste. "It's more work. More responsibility. But maybe that's what's needed. Not inheriting someone else's army. Building my own."
"Your own army of traumatized students and demon descendants."
"The best kind of army."
"Your standards are concerningly low."
"My standards are realistic. We're all traumatized here. Might as well weaponize it."
She laughed despite herself. "I love you, but you're terrible at inspirational speeches."
"I'm not trying to inspire. I'm trying to prepare."
"I know." She kissed my cheek. "That's why it works."
---
**THE NEXT MORNING - 4 AM**
Kieran showed up.
Tired, grumpy, but present.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered, setting down his water bottle.
"You can leave any time."
"I know. That's what's annoying. You're not forcing me. I'm choosing this torture voluntarily."
"Welcome to the club. We have matching trauma and terrible sleep schedules."
I set up the training area. Five mana crystals, each one radiating different types of energy. Placed them at various points around the room.
"Hand on the floor. Close your eyes. Tell me what you sense."
He complied. "Nothing. Just normal stone. Cold. Stable. Very boring."
"Now expand your perception. Don't just feel for vibrations. Feel for disturbances. Places where the energy doesn't flow quite right. Where reality is slightly warmer or denser than it should be."
"That's... I don't even know what that means."
"Neither did I the first hundred times someone explained it. Just try."
He tried. For thirty minutes, he tried. Sweat beading on his forehead from concentration, hands trembling from the effort of pushing his magic in new directions.
"I've got nothing," he said finally. "This isn't working."
"It's been thirty minutes. I said two weeks. Did you expect instant results?"
"I expected something."
"Then your expectations are unrealistic. Magic doesn't work on schedules." I knelt beside him. "You're trying too hard. Forcing it. Earth magic is patient. Steady. You don't conquer stone—you ask it for information. Be patient."
"Easy for you to say. You've got SS-rank power and three soul fragments."
"I've also died 127 times learning to use that power. Your point?"
He went back to trying. This time, more patient. Less forcing.
After another twenty minutes: "Wait. Something. There's... it's like a warm spot. Northwest corner. Am I imagining that?"
I checked. One of the mana crystals was there. "No. You're not imagining it. That's one of five crystals. Can you find the others?"
He concentrated harder. "Another warm spot. East wall. And... maybe something south? It's faint."
"Three out of five. Not bad for first day." I stood. "That's enough for today. We'll do this again tomorrow. And the day after. Until you can sense all five without strain."
"This is going to take forever."
"Two weeks. Then we'll see if you're worth keeping around." I headed for the exit. "Same time tomorrow. Don't be late."
"You're a terrible teacher."
"I'm an effective teacher. There's a difference."
Behind me, I heard Celeste: "Told you. Terrifying but it works."
"I'm starting to think you're all insane."
"Oh, absolutely. But we're productively insane. That's what matters."
I smiled as I left. One recruit down. Two more to evaluate.