The next several weeks became a flurry of activity for Amber, a strict schedule that she learned quickly to either adhere to or be put back into the holding chamber. It made her angry, but it also gave her the drive that she needed to learn what they taught and the determination to excel and beat them at their own game.

New faces were introduced, some younger than she would have ever expected of acolytes of the Dark Temple, but she learned that their age did not reflect a lack of skill. Two of the youngest acolytes were the ones who taught her archery, every day for almost two hours after breakfast. Jongup at eighteen was the older one, though he stood half a head shorter than Junhong, and his manner was quiet while Junhong was loud and hyper. Jongup's style of teaching was steady and calm, quiet and a little unsure, but she found that his bearing helped her to focus more on actually trying to master archery. She learned much easier from him than she did from the boisterous and over-confident Junhong. After almost three weeks of training with the two of them she was able to hit a good amount of the targets she was presented with, though she still occasionally missed. Jongup said that time and practice would take care of that.

Right after archery, she had the chance to learn to use a sword. As soon as she saw her teacher she couldn't help but to fight off a scowl; Yongguk stood amongst a myriad of wooden practice swords, a smile on his face as he beckoned her closer. She'd done so hesitantly, and before she had reached him, she felt a swift movement from behind. She moved to dodge but was too slow, and was knocked off of her feet by a sweep to her legs. A beautiful girl had stood over her with a slight smile on her face as she offered Amber a hand up, then introduced herself as Krystal.

Yongguk and the girl worked together, a well-oiled team, teaching Amber not only how to use a sword but how to fight hand to hand. At the end of the first day Krystal had turned to him and told him that he was right, that Amber was a natural fighter, and Amber had to fight down the blush that threatened to spread over her cheeks as she realized that he'd been bragging about her. Yongguk avoided her gaze and told Krystal yes, but didn't elaborate. They practived every day, and they pushed her hard with training but she could tell that she was growing better under their combined tutelage, and finally only two weeks in she beat Krystal in a hand to hand match. The surprise that the beautiful girl had on her face must have been echoed in Amber's own, but Yongguk only smiled to himself as if he knew a secret.

Another new face was a dark-eyed man named Himchan. He had a surprisingly deep voice that seemed at odds with his almost pretty face, but he was a harsh task-master who pushed her to learn. His point of expertise was apparently potions and minor spells, both of which she found to be terribly boring. She would rather spend her days outside with the two young archers than stuck indoors mixing ingredients to help people sleep. She told him at one point that his teaching was enough to put her to sleep, but it didn't even draw a laugh from him.

It was during the second week that she learned how to make a blindness potion, and she gave him a sharp look that he returned with a blank stare. He'd been the one to make her blind, then... From that point on she made it a point to be careful and pay attention to what he showed her, knowing that he could easily turn his knowledge to forcing her to do things. She still didn't enjoy it, but soon she knew how to mix quite a few useful potions and cast a minor healing spell. She didn't have much skill at spellwork, unfortunately, and that was actually something that seemed to surprise Himchan. He'd left the room after learning that bit, and when he'd come back he had been accompanied by Daehyun. The hazel-eyed man simply sat on one of the stools and watched her fail at casting