In the hallway of Tamaran's school
"damn it, I wasn't called on the training list again… at this rate I'll never make it into Tamaran's elite"
"don't worry Judha, this is still the first list from the first day of training. Wait until the last two lists come out, you can still be chosen"
"I know Clark, but I wanted to be called on the first day so I could show how strong I am. They're afraid of me, that's what it is!" says Judha, turning her face away and crossing her arms
"hehe… maybe…" Clark replies awkwardly "hey look, the training list is on the board"
"oh right, looks like the first list is already out, let's check the names" says Judha
"huh? HUHHHH??????" Clark gets shocked at something "J-Ju-Judha… look who's in position 23…"
"what? alright, let me see"
"AAAHHHHH?????!!!!!" Judha also gets shocked
"B-BLACKFIRE!!" both of them shout in surprise
"HELLOOO!!!" Blackfire appears waving and smiling at them
"BLACKFIRE YOU GOT CALLED FOR THE WARRIOR CLASS TRAINING!!" Judha says excited
"I did? hmm lucky me" Blackfire says
"you're not happy? this training is the key to getting into the elite class, you'll be able to travel across the galaxy and fight enemies with other elite warriors!!" Clark explains very excited "this is the highest level we Tamaraneans can reach!"
"I don't really care that much, I think it's hard to be chosen for the elite. My powers are limited and I can't even fly without external impulse" Blackfire replies a bit upset
"come on, you don't need to think like that. Focus on how you'll do, not how they'll judge you" says Judha trying to cheer her up "we're happy for you"
"hehe thanks guys"
Blackfire smiles, but it doesn't last long. Her eyes drift away from the board, as if that simple piece of paper had suddenly become too heavy to look at for too long.
Later, at the empty training yard of the school
Tamaran's sky glowed in orange tones, and the warm wind moved slowly across the open field. It was a place where students usually trained their abilities, but at that moment, there were only three people there.
Blackfire stood still, looking at the ground.
Judha was sitting on a rock, watching.
Clark paced back and forth, clearly trying to think of something.
"So…" Clark starts "why haven't you gone to train yet?"
Blackfire doesn't answer right away.
"Blackfire?" Judha calls, more gently
"I… I don't want to go" she finally says, almost whispering
Judha frowns "what do you mean you don't want to go?"
Blackfire takes a deep breath, lightly clenching her hands
"Because I'm going to fail"
Silence falls between them.
"I know how these trainings work" she continues "everyone there is already strong, they can already fly, they already control their abilities… and I…" she looks at her hands "I can't even keep my energy stable for long"
Clark crosses his arms, now more serious
"You haven't even tried yet"
"I don't need to try to know!" she replies a bit louder, but quickly lowers her voice "it's always been like this. I start, I lose control, I mess up… and everyone notices"
Judha gets up from the rock and walks toward her
"So what?"
Blackfire looks surprised
"So what?" Judha repeats "do you think anyone there started out perfect?"
Blackfire hesitates
Clark joins in
"Training isn't for people who are already good. It's for people who want to get better"
"But what if I don't get better?" Blackfire asks, now clearly insecure
Judha gives a small smile
"Then you try again. And again. And again. Until you do"
Blackfire lowers her gaze again
"I'm afraid of disappointing you guys"
Clark lets out a small sigh, but smiles
"You'd only disappoint us if you gave up without trying"
Judha nods
"Exactly. Failing isn't shameful. Running away is"
Blackfire stays silent for a few seconds, then takes a deep breath
"…okay"
Judha raises an eyebrow
"okay what?"
"I'll try. But… will you train with me today?"
Clark smiles immediately
"that's exactly what I was waiting for you to say"
Judha lightly bumps her shoulder
"let's go then, elite warrior"
Blackfire gives a small smile, but this time it's more genuine
The training starts simple
Clark draws some marks on the ground
"First, basic energy control. No rush"
Blackfire raises her hand, trying to concentrate energy in her palm. A small purple flame appears, trembling.
"hold it… hold it…" Clark watches
The energy grows… unstable
BOOM
It explodes in a small burst, kicking up dust
Blackfire steps back
"I told you…" she starts
"AGAIN" Judha cuts her off immediately
Blackfire blinks
"no drama, just try again"
Blackfire takes a deep breath and tries again
This time, the energy appears smaller, more stable, but fades quickly
"that was better" Clark says
"it was?" she asks
"it was. You didn't blow everything up"
Judha laughs
"progress"
Hours pass
The sun starts to set
Blackfire tries to lift off with impulse, fails, falls, gets up again
Judha demonstrates combat moves
Clark corrects posture, breathing, focus
Blackfire fails many times
But she also succeeds in small things
Energy that lasts a little longer
A more controlled impulse
A strike that isn't completely wrong
With every small victory, Judha celebrates like it's something huge
"SEE?! I TOLD YOU!"
Clark just smiles, satisfied
At the end of the day
Blackfire is sitting on the ground, clearly exhausted
"I didn't know training was this tiring"
Judha drops down beside her
"and this isn't even the official training yet"
Clark sits on the other side
"but today was already better than just being afraid"
Blackfire looks at the sky, now getting dark
"I'm still scared"
"that's normal" Clark replies
"but…" she continues "I think now… it doesn't feel impossible anymore"
Judha smiles slightly
"that's how it starts"
Blackfire closes her eyes for a moment
Her body tired, her mind still full, but different
Lighter
"…thank you, really"
Clark stands up
"rest today. Tomorrow too. You're going to need it"
Judha points at her
"no running away next week"
Blackfire gives a small smile
"no running away"
Later, in her room
Blackfire lies on her bed, staring at the ceiling
Her name still echoed in her mind
Training list, warrior class, elite
But this time, along with the fear, there was something new
Expectation
She turns to her side, pulling the blanket
"I'm really going to try this time"
Her eyes slowly close
And for the first time since she saw her name on that list
She manages to rest
Knowing that next week
The real training would begin.