The sun had sat behind the academy walls, leaving behind a faint orange light that slowly faded into dark blue. The courtyard which was filled with shouting and clapping earlier, was now quiet and peaceful. The training track still stood in the middle, but the blades that moved during the day were still now, and the moving poles hung there motionless.
Students walked back to their living quarters. Some were laughing, some were still nervous about their results, and some were quiet, lost in their own thoughts.
Kaen walked with Fin, Darren, Riku, and Draxion. No one talked much. Everyone was tired, not just from the training but also from the pressure and the stress they had experienced during the day.
Fin stretched his arms and finally broke the silence.
" Well, it was a tough day."
Darren smiled faintly.
Riku walked with her arms crossed thinking about something.
Kaen could tell something was wrong. Darren was usually calm and cheerful but today it seemed like something was bothering him.
When they reached the living quarters building, most students entered. Kaen walked forward, and Darren stopped there, still staring at the stairs as if deciding something.
Fin noticed him and gave him a small elbow push.
" You coming?"
Darren let out a fake smile.
" Yeah just need some fresh air first."
Fin nodded.
" Okay then see you afterwards."
Fin walked inside.
Draxion moved quietly. Riku stared at him for a few seconds and then walked inside.
Kaen didn't go inside. Instead, he stood there waiting for him.
Darren began walking towards the corridors.
Darren didn't ask Kae to follow him, but he knew he would follow him.
Darren walked toward the back stairway and climbed all the way up to the quaters roof, the place which some students secretly used to relax when the instructors weren't looking.
The door made a creaking sound as Daren opened it. A cold breeze passed him. The sky was dark now, except for the glowing cracks that glowed like scars on the sky.
They glowed softly brighter than stars.
Darren sat at the edge of the roof, stretched his legs, and relaxed. He didn't speak a word. He just stared ahead.
Kaen didn't speak either. He sat beside him quietly.
Minutes passed.
Wind moved their hair, and the academy light shone below in the courtyard.
Darren exhaled and finally broke the silence.
" That test today it felt like the world was watching me."
His voice wasn't shaky but tired.
Kaen heard him waiting patiently.
Darren looked at his hand clenching and unclenching his fingers.
" You know everyone did great."
He laughed slowly, but it was not a smile.
"Fin was fast. Riku moved like she was born for it. Draxion looked like he planned every step before taking it."
He swallowed.
"And you… You weren't even thinking. You just… moved. Like your body knew exactly what to do."
He turned his head slowly.
"And I... I barely made it."
Kaen finally broke the silence. His voice was calm.
" But you still finished, you didn't quite as others did."
Darren smiled weakly.
" I barely did it."
Silence again.
Darren looked at the glowing sky with cracks in it.
" You know what scares me the most?" His voice soft.
Kaen looked at him.
"Not failing the exam."
His voice became faint.
"But failing when it matters the most."
He hit his chest once.
"When real beasts attack… when people need help… when someone might die if I'm slow or weak…"
He stopped speaking.
His breathing grew uneven.
"I don't want to be the one who is protected by others. I don't want to slow down my team."
His voice cracked as he spoke.
"And most of all."
His hands curled into fists.
"I hate being afraid."
Kaen looked at him, but he didn't try to comfort him immediately.
He listened to him quietly.
Darren continued to speak.
"Everyone has something special in them."
He pointed towards Kaen.
"Fin has talent. Riku has discipline. Draxion has a strategy. And you have something inside you that's waking up."
His voice grew softer.
"And me?"
He just gave out a weak smile.
" I am just ordinary."
Kaen finally turned towards him.
"Darren."
Darren didn't look at him.
Kaen spoke slowly, as if each word mattered, and yes, it did matter.
" Ordinary people save lives too."
Darren blinked and looked confused.
Kaen continued.
"Not everyone who survives a battlefield is powerful. Some survive because they refuse to give up."
Darren's breathing slowed down.
Kaen spoke again.
"You didn't win today because you glided perfectly or moved perfectly."
Kaen paused for a moment.
"But you didn't give up, which shows you're never giving up no matter what the consequences are."
Darren finally looked at him.
"That's what matters the most."
The rooftop felt warm, not because of the air but because something burned inside Darren.
Will of fire.
Hope.
Kaen continued again.
"Strength isn't only speed, talent, or instinct. Sometimes strength is standing up even when everything feels impossible."
Darren stared at him.
Like someone finally understood his feelings. The pressure he was going through.
He felt a moment of relief.
His heart felt lighter.
Wind past them.
After a moment, Darren laughed.
" You are really bad at speeches."
Kaen blinked his eyes.
Darren wiped his eyes before the tears could fall.
"Thanks for it. It really helped him."
Kaen looked ahead again.
Darren leaned back on his hands and exhaled deeply.
"You know sometimes I wish I could be like you."
Kaen shook his head.
"Don't think about it, never"
"Why not?"
Kaen looked at the glowing sky.
"Because I didn't know what was happening inside me."
He placed his hand on his chest. It felt warm.
"And sometimes I'm afraid of it."
Darren looked surprised.
He laughed this time, a real laugh.
" That means we are both the same."
Kaen nodded, "Yeah, I guess so."
Finally, Darren stood up and stretched his body.
"Alright. If we stay here longer, Fin will probably come searching for us and would probably destroy the door."
Kaen laughed and stood up.
They walked back to the roof exit together, not as students who passed the exam.
But as friends who finally understood each other.
Before reaching the stairs, Darren stopped and looked at Kaen one last time.
"Thanks… for sitting with me."
Kaen nodded.
"You would have done the same thing. Wouldn't you?"
Darren smiled.
"Yeah. I would."
They walked down the stairs together laughing and joking.
But deep inside the mark pulsed again.
Not burning.
Not dangerous.
Just warm.