Chapter 47: Learning to Waste Less (Part 1 of 2)

  Laurent stopped chasing the numbers.

  The load frames were there—heavier than before—waiting for him to prove something he already knew he could reach. He didn’t take them. Instead, he watched where the strain gathered.

  Movement drills resumed on the same uneven ground as the previous week. No reduction in density. No easing of pace. Laurent kept his load just below his limit and focused on what failed first.

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  It was never the muscle.

  The pull came earlier in the tendons behind the knee. Instability showed in the ankle a heartbeat before the step landed wrong. When he struck, the shock traveled clean through his arms—but scattered on the return.

  He absorbed as always. Fast. Quiet. Excess settling inward, the pool staying full.

  This time, he refused to reinforce everything. He guided essence into the weakest link and let the rest ache. The rebuild was rougher than before, slower to stabilize. The next rotation hurt more.

  But the failure moved.

  By the end of the session, his load had not changed. His numbers hadn’t moved. His stance had.

  Ms. Eira corrected another student nearby and passed him without comment. Mr. Aren noted the slate once, then erased nothing.

  That night, Laurent finished recovery later than usual. Not because he lacked essence—but because he spent less of it broadly and more of it exactly.

  The waste was still there. Just… less.