“I’m training harder than ever.
Nothing changes.”
Atriya didn’t look at her when he said it.
“I’m not improving.
No one cares.
I don’t think they even see it.”
Silence.
Not dismissive.
Not comforting.
Just… space.
“You know how they are.
You’ve been there.”
Verus had.
But that wasn’t the point.
Because this wasn’t about effort.
Or talent.
Or time.
It was something else.
Something harder to admit.
“You had to open your mouth.”
Not cruel.
Just accurate.
“I’m curious…
what was going through your head?”
He hesitated.
Then—
“I may have said something… insulting.”
Almost a smile.
Not quite.
“Self-control is the chief element in self-respect.
And self-respect is the chief element in courage.”
He didn’t like that one.
He said so.
But that didn’t make it less true.
Because being stuck—
isn’t always about what you can’t do.
Sometimes…
it’s about what you refuse to control.
Continue Atriya’s Story
Atriya’s journey through war, hierarchy, and the hidden forces shaping his path begins in the Echo Saga.
New readers can enter the story here:
or start the full book:
Curious about the rest of Kent Wayne’s worlds?
Kent Wayne 
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