Lily's expression dimmed, the pride in her voice slowly giving way to something heavier.
"But… no path stays clear forever," she said. "Even Azalea's didn't."
I leaned forward slightly.
"She reached Level 283. That number haunted her. No matter how many Abominations she tore apart, no matter how many Phantoms she destroyed… she couldn't push past it. Her progress bar stopped moving. Completely."
Lily looked down at the floor as if watching the weight of time press into the wooden floor.
"At first, she thought it was just a temporary block. That she'd break through it if she kept going harder. She doubled her training. Took riskier fights. She pushed herself beyond exhaustion again and again."
"But nothing worked?"
Lily shook her head. "Nothing. Her class, this incredible, powerful class she'd once been so proud of—had become her cage. But there was a requirement, one that had to be met for her to advance to the next rank. And it was something she simply couldn't fulfill.
