Location: Starforge Nexus - Green's Garden Sanctuary | Luminari Artifact Dimensional Fold
Time: Month Two, Week Four (Day 71 of Training - Three Days Later)
Three days of Forgeweaving practice had confirmed Green's prediction.
Sixty-three minutes.
That's how long Jayde had held the barrier formation this morning before her concentration finally wavered. Twenty minutes longer than before, burning the degradation trauma. Twenty minutes of improved focus, sustained channeling, and mental clarity that hadn't existed when shame was weighing down her psyche.
Quantifiable improvement. Mental Resilience at 5.0 is demonstrably superior to baseline 2.5. Theory confirmed.
(And no flinching when White cracked his whip during combat drills yesterday,) Child Jade added. (We heard the leather, recognized the sound, but didn't freeze up.)
Progress. Real, measurable progress.
But Green had made it clear: one trauma burned wasn't enough. The degradation had been substantial, but there were deeper wounds. Older scars. Traumas that cut to the core of who Jayde thought she was.
Now, sitting cross-legged in the garden sanctuary again, facing Green across the cleared circle, Jayde prepared for the next layer.
"Helplessness," Green said without preamble. "Are you ready?"
Tactical assessment: Physical recovery complete. Crucible Core stable. Mental preparation... adequate. Proceed.
"Ready," Jayde said aloud.
Green nodded. "This one's different from shame. Shame attacked your self-worth—told you that you were worthless. Helplessness attacks your agency—tells you that even when you have worth, you can't act on it. Can't affect outcomes. Can't protect what matters."
She traced patterns in the bare earth between them.
"It's the memory of watching bad things happen and being unable to stop them. Being too weak, too small, too powerless to intervene. That feeling roots deep. Makes you doubt your ability to affect outcomes even when you have the capability."
Tactical analysis: Helplessness conditioning creates hesitation in crisis scenarios. Reduces the likelihood of decisive action. Increases risk of freezing under pressure.
(I remember...) Jade's voice was quiet. (Watching the guards hurt other kids. Knowing if I tried to help, they'd just hurt me too. Choosing to survive instead of protect.)
"You were six years old," Green said flatly. "A malnourished child against armed adults. Intervention would've been suicide. But your child-mind didn't understand that. It just recorded: I could've helped. I didn't. I'm a coward."
Inaccurate self-assessment based on an impossible tactical scenario. Survival choice was correct. Guilt is illogical.
"Find the memory," Green commanded. "The worst one. The moment that defined your helplessness."
Jayde closed her eyes.
Reached inward.
***
The Aspect was thorny. Sharp. Dug into her Core like barbed wire.
Memory accessed.
Age seven. Main pit chamber. Morning lineup.
New slave brought in—boy, maybe nine years old, crying. Fresh capture from some failed clan, sold to Freehold estate for debt payment.
Guards dragging him to the center. Overseer Garek with his favorite whip—leather studded with small metal barbs.
"Lesson time," Garek announced. "Fresh meat needs to learn the rules."
Jade watching from the lineup. Knowing what was coming. Wanting to look away but forced to watch—guards made everyone watch the "lessons."
First lash. The boy screamed. High, terrified, breaking.
Second lash. Begging. "Please, I'll be good, please—"
Third lash. Just sobbing.
Jade's hands clenched at her sides. Wanting to run forward. Wanting to shout "Stop!" Wanting to—
But Old Man Zhek's hand on her shoulder. Quiet voice: "Don't. They'll kill you and him both. Survive, little one. That's all you can do."
Thirteen lashes. The number burned into her memory. Same as her first beating.
The boy couldn't walk afterward. Guards dragged him to a cell. He died three days later—infection from the whip wounds.
And Jade had stood there. Watching. Doing nothing.
Choosing survival over protection.
Over and over and over again. Different slaves. Same lesson: You are powerless. You cannot help. You can only endure.
***
Jade's hands were shaking in the real world. Tears streaming down her face.
(I let them die,) Jade sobbed. (All of them. I just watched and let them—)
"You survived," Green said, voice hard. "That's not cowardice. That's intelligence. A seven-year-old child cannot fight armed adults. Trying would've accomplished nothing except adding your corpse to the pile."
Tactical assessment concurs. Intervention probability of success: 0%. Probability of death: 100%. The choice to survive was mathematically optimal.
"But it doesn't feel like that," Jayde whispered. "It feels like I'm a coward who—"
"Then BURN IT," Green commanded. "Burn the feeling. Keep the lesson—keep the understanding that sometimes survival requires patience, that heroic sacrifice without tactical advantage is just waste—but burn the guilt. Burn the helplessness. Burn the belief that you're powerless."
Extraction protocols ready. This will be more difficult than shame. Guilt has deeper roots.
(Do it,) Jade said. Anger bleeding through the tears. (I'm tired of feeling weak.)
Jayde grabbed the thorned shadow-memory.
And pulled.
***
The Aspect fought.
Harder than shame had. This one didn't just resist—it attacked. Threw other memories at her. Every moment she'd stood by. Every person she hadn't saved. Every time she'd chosen survival over heroism.
You're weak, it whispered. You'll always be weak. When it matters, you'll freeze. You'll watch people die because you're too afraid to—
(SHUT UP!) Jade screamed. (I was SEVEN YEARS OLD! I couldn't fight grown men with whips! I couldn't—)
And now you're fifteen, the trauma hissed. Stronger. Trained. But you'll still freeze. Because deep down, you know: You're that helpless child who couldn't save anyone. Not then. Not ever.
Jayde pulled harder.
The memory tore free—and gods, it hurt. Like ripping out a piece of her spine. The trauma had been load-bearing, part of how she understood herself. Remove it and—
Identity recalibration required. Stand by.
She dragged it toward her Core. Toward the Inferno essence. Toward the fire.
"Keep going!" Green's voice was distant, filtered through pain. "Don't let it win!"
We are not helpless, Jayde said with absolute certainty. We survived Xi Corporation. Commanded rebel forces. Fought impossible odds. Made choices that saved thousands. The child who couldn't intervene is gone. We are not her anymore.
(But what if I freeze? What if when it matters, I'm still just—)
Then we train until freezing is impossible, Jayde said coldly. That's why we're here. But first—BURN THIS LIE.
Jayde shoved the Aspect into the fire.
***
BURN
It fought even while burning. Tried to hook back in. Tried to convince her it was protecting her, keeping her cautious, keeping her—
Lies. All lies. Burn.
The helplessness dissolved. Piece by piece. The guilt evaporated. The paralyzing fear of inaction—the terror of freezing at critical moments—all of it burning away like oil in a furnace.
What remained was understanding.
I was a child. I made correct tactical choices. I survived when others didn't because I was intelligent enough to recognize impossible scenarios. That's not a weakness. That's adaptation.
And something else.
Something new.
I'm not that child anymore. I have the capability now. Agency. Power. When the moment comes—when intervention is tactically viable—I WILL act.
Her Crucible Core surged again. Massive influx of essence. The Aspect had been huge—years of accumulated guilt providing substantial fuel.
[ASPECT SACRIFICE COMPLETE]
[TRAUMA BURNED: THE HELPLESSNESS (MAJOR)]
[ESSENCE GAINED: +18.7 INFERNO]
[EMOTIONAL WEIGHT RELEASED]
[SIGNIFICANT PSYCHOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGH DETECTED]
[MENTAL RESILIENCE: 5.0 → 11.3]
[WILLPOWER: 6.2 → 13.8]
[FOCUS: 4.8 → 9.2]
[EMBER QI POOL: 169 → 187]
Jayde opened her eyes.
The garden was brilliant. Colors sharp. Details crisp. But more than that—
She felt different.
Straighter. Stronger. Not physically—mentally.
(I'm not helpless,) Jade said. Clear. Confident. No question in her voice. (I can fight now. I can protect people.)
Affirmative. Psychological barrier removed. Combat hesitation probability was reduced significantly.
"One more," Green said. She was smiling now—genuine pride in her expression. "Quick one. Then we rest."
"Which?"
"Garek's whip."
***
This one was easier.
Maybe because the first two had broken down her resistance. Maybe because this trauma was simpler—just pain and flinching, without the complex guilt of the others.
Jayde found the memory fast. Age six. The first beating. Thirteen lashes. Leather and metal tearing skin.
But not the shame of it. Not the helplessness. Just the physical memory. The flinching. The way her back tensed whenever she heard leather creak. The nightmares of whips cutting flesh.
"Burn it," Green said simply.
Jayde pulled. The Aspect came loose easily—almost eager to burn, like it knew its time was done.
She fed it to the Inferno.
BURN
The physical conditioning dissolved. Years of flinching gone. She'd still remember the whip intellectually—would recognize the danger, maintain tactical awareness—but the visceral fear?
Gone.
The scar on her back remained. Would always remain, probably. Physical reminder of where she'd been.
But the psychological scar?
Healed.
[ASPECT SACRIFICE COMPLETE]
[TRAUMA BURNED: PHYSICAL CONDITIONING (MODERATE)]
[ESSENCE GAINED: +6.3 INFERNO]
[EMOTIONAL WEIGHT RELEASED]
[MENTAL RESILIENCE: 11.3 → 14.7]
[WILLPOWER: 13.8 → 16.1]
[EMOTIONAL STABILITY: 3.9 → 8.4]
[EMBER QI POOL: 187 → 194]
Jayde stood.
Her body felt the same—same height, same build, same scars. But something fundamental had shifted. The weight she'd carried in her spine, the tension that had lived in her shoulders for nine years—gone. She stood like someone who owned her space instead of apologizing for taking it up.
Physical manifestation of psychological healing. Posture reflects internal state change.
(We stand different,) Jade observed with quiet wonder. (Taller. Even though we're not.)
Correct. Confidence alters perceived height. Trauma removal affects physical bearing.
Not someone still trapped in it.
"How do you feel?" Green asked.
Jayde considered. Really thought about it.
Tactically: More capable. Psychological barriers to decisive action have been significantly reduced. Combat effectiveness increased without additional physical training.
(I feel...) Jade's voice was strong now. Clear. Certain. (...whole. Like pieces that were missing just came back.)
"I feel stronger," Jayde said aloud. "Not just my body. My mind. Like..." She struggled for words. "Like I was carrying weights I didn't know about, and someone just took them off."
Green nodded. "That's exactly what Aspect sacrifice does. You weren't weak before—you were strong despite a massive psychological burden. Now?" She gestured at Jayde's straighter posture. "Now you're strong without the burden. And that makes all the difference."
Mental stats show dramatic improvement. From the bottom 5th percentile to approximately the 15th percentile. Still low by cultivator standards, but functional. Capable.
"This is just the beginning," Green continued. "We have weeks more of this. Lawrence's betrayal. Your mother's execution. The reading ceremony. Zhek's death. Every major trauma, systematically processed and burned." Her eyes were serious. "By the time we're done, you won't just be physically strong. You'll be psychologically unbreakable."
(I'm not broken,) Jade said. Strong. Certain. (I survived. That makes me strong.)
Affirmative, the Jayde agreed. Survival is the ultimate victory. Everything else builds from that foundation.
Jayde looked at Green. At the trainer who'd spent weeks pushing her, demanding excellence, never accepting less than her best.
"Thank you," she said simply.
Green's expression softened fractionally. "Thank me when we're done. Right now, rest. Eat. Sleep. Tomorrow we continue."
She paused.
"You're doing well, Jayde. Better than most contractors manage. The psychological work—it's harder than physical training. Takes more courage to face your demons than to fight external enemies." Her fractured emerald eyes held genuine respect. "Most cultivators avoid this part entirely. Bury their traumas under power and pretend they're whole. You're actually healing. That's rare."
Tactical advantage, Jayde noted. Cultivators with unprocessed trauma have exploitable weaknesses. We're eliminating ours systematically.
(We're getting stronger,) Jade said. (Really stronger. Not just pretending.)
Jayde nodded to Green and turned to leave the garden sanctuary.
Behind her, the crystallized essence tree glowed softly, its branches swaying in impossible wind. Witness to transformation. To healing.
To a slave becoming something more.
***
In her quarters that night, Jayde reviewed her character interface one final time before sleeping:
╔═══════════════════════════════════════
║ STARFORGE NEXUS - CONTRACTOR INTERFACE
╠═══════════════════════════════════════
║ Name: Jayde (Jade Freehold)
║ Contractor Level: 1
║ Nexus Merits: 162.8
╠═══════════════════════════════════════
║ PHYSICAL STATUS:
║ - Strength: 28.2/100
║ - Agility: 31.4/100
║ - Endurance: 26.7/100
║ - Constitution: 29.1/100
╠═══════════════════════════════════════
║ MENTAL STATUS:
║ - Mental Resilience: 14.7/100
║ - Willpower: 16.1/100
║ - Focus: 9.2/100
║ - Emotional Stability: 8.4/100
╠═══════════════════════════════════════
║ CULTIVATION STATUS:
║ - Core: Flamewrought (Mid Stage)
║ - Tier Progress: 47% to Late Stage
║ - Essence Access: 1/8 (Inferno)
║ - Ember Qi Pool: 194/200
╠═══════════════════════════════════════
║ SKILLS STATUS:
║ - Sparkcasting: Proficient
║ - Runeinfusion: Adequate
║ - Forgeweaving: Basic
║ - Combat Integration: Advanced
╚═══════════════════════════════════════
Still low. Still so much work to do.
But incomparably better than three days ago.
Three major traumas burned. Mental Resilience tripled. Shame, helplessness, and physical conditioning were eliminated. Foundation solidifying.
(I'm not broken,) Jade repeated, like a mantra. Like truth. (I survived. That makes me strong.)
Yes, Jayde agreed. It does.
Jayde closed her eyes and slept.
Dreamless.
Peaceful.