Orion's form blurred as he shot forward, Trilayered Bursting Musculature tightening like a coiled spring.
His strike missed.
Again.
This time, when he landed, he felt it. The micro-tears in his hamstrings. The burn in his calves. He collapsed to one knee, panting like an animal.
Sylvie didn't comment. She walked forward slowly, eyes steady.
"If I were using the Varkren's trait," she began, crouching beside him, "I'd spend a month retraining my nervous system.."
Orion's eyes narrowed.
She continued. "The Varkren's speed isn't muscle—it's timing. Its spinal cord has triple the synaptic efficiency of ours. That's why its muscles burst—because its nerves are ten steps ahead."
"So I'm just... supposed to speed up my brain?" he muttered.
"Yes and no," Sylvie replied, her tone measured but firm. "You're not trying to speed up your brain—you're rewiring it. The Varkren doesn't think faster; it reacts without thought at all. Its nervous system operates on pure instinct, bypassing conscious decision-making entirely."
She tapped the side of her temple with one finger. "Your problem is that you're still relying on intent. You decide to move, then execute. But by the time your mind processes what's happening, the moment has already passed. To use this trait effectively, you need to eliminate that lag."
Orion clenched his jaw, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. Every attempt he'd made so far had ended in failure, his body betraying him under the strain.
"What do I do?" he asked finally, voice low.
Sylvie stood, brushing dust from her hands. "Start small. Forget about fighting for now. Focus on reacting—not acting. I'll throw something at you."
Before he could respond, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a smooth stone. Without warning, she flicked it toward him.
Instinctively, Orion's hand shot up—but too late. The stone smacked him square in the forehead.
"You felt that delay, didn't you?" she said quietly.
He nodded, rubbing the spot where the stone had hit. "It's like my body knew, but only just after it was too late."
"Exactly," Sylvie said. "The trick is learning how to _let go_ of that. Instinct can't bloom if you keep interrupting it with thought."
She crouched again, this time setting the stone down between them. "Every motion, every pivot, is born from a sensory cue interpreted and executed without hesitation."
Orion stared at the stone, brow furrowed. "So how do I train that? Just let you keep throwing rocks at me until something clicks?"
Sylvie smiled faintly. "If that's what it takes."
He snorted, but there was a quiet fire behind his eyes now.
She stepped back, picking up another stone. "Ready?"
This time, when she threw it, his hand moved before the thought could form.
Orion clenched his fists, trying to steady himself as the flood of information threatened to overwhelm him. The world around him had transformed into a kaleidoscope of scents and intentions, each one vying for his attention like a cacophony of whispers.
"Focus," Sylvie barked sharply, snapping him out of his spiral. "You're not just absorbing data—you're learning to filter it."
She stepped closer, her movements deliberate but unhurried. Orion could feel her presence keenly now, not just visually or audibly, but through the shifting currents of scent she left behind. Sweat, determination, and something else—a faint undercurrent of concern? It was intoxicating yet disorienting all at once.
"You think this is raw power?" she asked rhetorically, her tone biting. "Until you learn to parse what's important from what's noise, you'll remain exactly where you are: drowning."
Her words stung, but they also ignited a flicker of resolve within him. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to slow down, to compartmentalize. One scent at a time.
Orion began by isolating the most immediate stimuli. Sylvie stood before him, radiating calm authority laced with calculated aggression. Through Stygareth's Olfaction, he could detect the subtle chemical markers of adrenaline beneath her composed exterior—an indication that she, too, was keyed up, though she hid it well. Was she excited to beat him up?
What a weird woman!
He shifted his focus outward. Beyond Sylvie, the training ground stretched barren and desolate, yet even here, traces lingered. The metallic tang of rusted equipment, the faint acidic burn of old sweat embedded in the soil, the residual anxiety of countless sparring matches fought on this very spot—all of it painted a picture far richer than sight alone ever could.
"Good," Sylvie said, noticing the change in his demeanor. "Now tell me what you see when I move."
Without warning, she darted forward, feinting left before pivoting sharply to the right. To Orion's heightened senses, her actions were accompanied by a cascade of signals: the sharp burst of adrenaline as she initiated the motion, the controlled release of lactic acid as she adjusted her trajectory, and finally, the subtle surge of dopamine as she completed the maneuver with precision.
"Your body telegraphs every step before you take it." Orion muttered, struggling to articulate the experience.
Sylvie smirked, though her expression remained guarded. "That's the idea. Knowing someone will strike doesn't mean you can stop them—not unless your reflexes match your perception."
Sylvie introduced a new exercise. She blindfolded Orion, leaving him reliant solely on Stygareth's Olfaction and Tyrradonic Hearing to navigate. At first, the task seemed impossible. Without visual cues, the sensory overload intensified tenfold. Every sound, every scent, felt magnified, threatening to pull him apart at the seams.
The first few attempts ended in failure. Orion stumbled, misjudged distances, and nearly collided with obstacles. Frustration bubbled beneath the surface, but Sylvie didn't relent. Instead, she pushed him harder, forcing him to adapt.
Gradually, something shifted. As Orion stopped trying to think his way through the exercise and instead allowed instinct to guide him, the overwhelming tide of sensations began to settle. Patterns emerged. Scents formed pathways. Sounds became signposts. When Sylvie lunged toward him during a mock attack, he sensed the shift in her intent—the sudden surge of adrenaline—and sidestepped instinctively.
"That's better," Sylvie acknowledged, though her praise was measured. "But don't get cocky. Real combat won't give you time to second-guess yourself."
As Orion grew more adept at filtering and reacting, Sylvie introduced another challenge: reading emotional states. This went beyond mere physical cues; it required interpreting the complex interplay of hormones and neurotransmitters that defined human behavior.
"People lie," Sylvie explained. "Their bodies don't. Learn to read between the lines."
To demonstrate, she engaged him in conversation while simultaneously observing his responses. Each word she spoke carried weight, designed to provoke a reaction. When she mentioned past failures, Orion's stress markers spiked. When she hinted at future battles, his adrenaline surged. And when she praised his progress—however sparingly—his serotonin levels briefly elevated.
"Interesting, even without my trait your facial expressions show it all, you are the kind to wear your heart on your sleeve." Sylvie remarked, noting the fluctuations. "Are you sure you are a noble?"
Orion frowned. "What does that have to do with fighting?"
"Everything," she countered. "In battle, your opponent won't just be watching your movements—they'll be studying your tells. Fear, anger, doubt—all of it leaves a trail. If you can't control your emotions, you're signaling your weaknesses."
By the end of the session, Orion was exhausted—but also exhilarated. For the first time, he glimpsed the true potential of Stygareth's Olfaction. It wasn't just about detecting scents or predicting attacks; it was about understanding people on a primal level. Intentions. Emotions. Biases. All laid bare before him like an open book.
But Sylvie wasn't done yet. Before dismissing him, she issued one final directive.
"Tonight, meditate," she ordered. "Focus on the scents around you—the air, the earth, and your own body. Train yourself to recognize patterns without overthinking"
Orion nodded, though uncertainty lingered in his gaze. As he walked away, Sylvie watched him go, her expression inscrutable.