The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 197

First Class-3

The fourth student lunged.

Iva dropped to her knees-a move that drew gasps from the crowd, thinking she had given up. But she hadn’t. She used the momentum of her fall to roll beneath the student’s strike, came up behind her, and locked an arm around her throat.

Not hard enough to choke. Hard enough to hold

The student struggled. Thrashed. Tried to throw her off.

Iva held on.

And held on.

And held on.

Until the student’s hand slapped the mat three times in surrender.

Iva released her and fell back onto the mat, her chest heaving, her whole body shaking. She couldn’t stand. Couldn’t move. Could barely breathe.

But she was still conscious. Still fighting. Still alive.

The training hall was silent.

Then Marik’s voice cut through the quiet.

“That’s enough.”

Iva closed her eyes, relief flooding through her.

The students parted as Marik walked onto the mat. He stopped in front of her, looking down at her beaten, bloody, trembling form.

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then his lips twitched. Just once. Almost imperceptible.

“Good job,” he said.

The words hit Iva like a wave.

1

Around her, students exchanged stunned looks. Marik rarely complimented anyone. “Never* complimented anyone in front of the class. It simply wasn’t done.

But he had said it.

*Good job.*

“This doesn’t mean you can slack,” Marik added, his voice returning to its usual gruffness. “You’re still behind. You still have work to do. But…” He paused. “You’re not as soft as you look.”

Claim

He turned and walked back to his position at the head of the class.

tva slowly pushed herself to her feet. Her legs threatened to buckle, but she forced them to hold. She wiped blood from her split lip and met the eyes of the students around her.

Some looked impressed.

Some looked jealous.

Some looked at her with something darker-envy, sharp and green, flickering behind their eyes.

*A compliment from Marik,* those envious looks said. *Why her? What makes her so special?*

Iva didn’t have an answer for them.

She just wanted to sit down before she fell down.

“You’re dismissed,” Marik said, not looking at her. “Get cleaned up. Don’t be late tomorrow.”

Iva nodded, not trusting her voice.

She limped off the mat, ignoring the stares that followed her. Her body was a symphony of pain-every muscle screaming, every joint aching. But beneath the pain, there was something else.

Pride.

She had survived.

Not only that-she had won.

The gamma’s training, the years of being underestimated, the countless times she had been knocked down and forced to get back up… it had all led to this moment.

She pushed through the heavy doors and out into the sunlight.

The fresh air hit her face, and she closed her eyes, breathing deeply.

*Caleb,* she thought, sending the feeling through the bond-the exhaustion, the triumph, the strange mix of fear and exhilaration. *I survived Marik’s class. Barely.*

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