That cadet looked exhausted.
Angry.
Small.
The young man lowered his head.
He had done everything he had been told to do.
He had followed his instructors' advice, trained until his body could barely continue, and spent every available moment trying to improve his ability.
Yet none of it seemed to matter.
There was always someone better.
Someone more talented.
Someone whose accomplishments made his own efforts look insignificant.
He clenched his jaw.
"Just once..."
His voice broke off.
Just once, he wanted to walk into a room without feeling that he had already lost.
Just once, he wanted someone to look at him without silently comparing him to someone else.
Just once, he wanted to be enough.
The lights overhead flickered.
He glanced up.
A thin shadow stretched across the floor, extending from beneath the training console toward his feet.
He frowned.
The lights flickered again.
When they stabilized, the shadow had returned to normal.
