Page 116 of Promises in the Dark

“Today’s exercise is all about breath control and underwater endurance,” she yelled, cracking her knuckles and stepping closer to the barrels. “We’ll be practicing static apnea—holding your breath underwater for as long as possible. Push your limits. Find out what you’re made of.”

I felt the tension in the air, the nervous energy radiating off the medical staff. Good. They needed to be uncomfortable. Comfort bred weakness, and in our line of work, weakness got you killed.

Raven spotted me and, of course, wasted no time calling me out. “Since the Lieutenant decided to grace us with his presence,” she said with a smirk, “how about he gives us a little demonstration?”

I gritted my teeth, not particularly keen on being the center of attention. I hadn’t come here to put on a fucking show. I might have wanted to tell her to fuck off, but I wasn’t about to back down from a challenge.

Raven gestured for me to step forward and I gave her a nod, rolling up my sleeves and stepping up to one of the barrels.

I took a deep breath, locking eyes with her for a moment before plunging my head into the water. I closed my eyes, shutting out the world around me as I focused on holding my breath. It was just me and the water now.

One minute passed, then two. My lungs burned like hell, my body screaming for air as I fought to defy my body’s natural instincts.

Three minutes. The pressure was unbearable now, a vice squeezing tighter and tighter around my chest. But I didn’t give in.

My mind flashed back to the shitshow I called training as a kid, the kind where my old man’s hands clamped around my throat like fucking iron, until I thought my lungs would burst. I learned real quick how to hold my breath, slow my heart, conserve every last bit of oxygen just so I wouldn’t black out in his grip.

And if I could survive that motherfucker, I could survive anything.

It all came down to diaphragmatic breathing—none of that shallow, useless shit. You gotta dig deep, use your gut muscles, and focus.

In, out. In, out.

Real fucking controlled. I visualized the air hitting my lungs, expanding my ribcage with each breath, and I willed my body to relax, and forced myself to stay calm. No panic. Just surviving.

At the four-minute mark, my vision started to tunnel, black spots creeping in, but fuck that—I wasn’t about to give up. I held on for a few more seconds, pushing myself, just to prove I still had it.

At four minutes and twenty seconds, I finally came up, gasping like a motherfucker while the rest of the group cheered like they’d just witnessed some miracle. Bunch of amateurs.

Raven’s smirk was positively infuriating as she sauntered over, clearly enjoying the little show I put on.

“Damn, Rogue,” she began, her voice carrying over the sound of splashing water. “Impressive. Most folks would’ve tapped out way before the four-minute mark.”

I ignored her bullshit praise, focusing instead on the pounding of my heart and the burn in my lungs. I hadn’t done it for her approval—I’d done it to prove to myself that I could still push myself beyond my limits.

Raven went on, explaining the techniques I’d used—slowing my heart rate, staying relaxed, focusing my mind—but my mind had already checked out, scanning the crowd until my eyes landed on Red.

Fuck, she looked terrified. I knew what that look was about. Water freaked her out, big time. It wasn’t hard to miss—the way she tensed up, her eyes darting around like she was already drowning in her mind.

She caught my gaze, and I gave her a nod, like,You got this. You’re stronger than your bullshit fears.Hell, we all had our demons. Hers just happened to be water. I could relate to that shit. I’d been through worse.

I took a step back, blending into the background as Raven continued her spiel.

“Alright, everyone, get ready!”

The crowd shifted, nervous energy rippling through them. My eyes flicked back to Red. She was struggling, but I knew she’d pull through. We all had to face our shit eventually, and today was her day to eat it.

The training kicked off with a splash, quite literally. It was pathetic watching them flounder, barely lasting a few seconds before shooting back up to the surface, gasping like they’d just been through hell. Most of them had no fucking clue what they were in for. But Raven? She didn’t give a single shit. She paced along the barrels, yelling at them like a goddamn drill instructor from hell.

“You think the talis are gonna wait for you to catch your breath?!” she bellowed at a particularly scrawny guy who looked like he might pass out at any moment.

Good. They needed this. They needed to toughen the fuck up if they were going to be any use in real combat situations.

My gaze swept over the training area, landing on Red again, and fuck, she was in rough shape. Her hands weregripping the edge of the barrel so tight like it was the only thing keeping her from fucking drowning. This wasn’t just nerves—she was falling apart.

“Pony tail!” I heard Raven unleashing her fury on Red. “What the fuck are you waiting for? Dive in!”

Red was losing it, hyperventilating like she was about to pass out. But after a second, she sucked in a deep breath and shoved her head under the water.

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