The days that followed passed in a steady and almost monotonous rhythm.
From the outside, the secret military facility still looked like nothing more than a massive industrial factory with gray walls, reinforced chimneys, and the constant hum of machinery that blended seamlessly into the surrounding infrastructure of the remote mountain.
Trucks came and went on fixed schedules, personnel rotated in carefully controlled shifts, and nothing about it drew unnecessary attention.
Underground, it was a different world.
The candidates returned to their routines without complaint. Training halls echoed day and night with controlled detonations, clashing energies, and shouted corrections.
Some focused on refining control, they did it while standing motionless as they forced volatile Magic to circulate without spilling a single trace beyond their skin.
