Ep.22 Trial by Fire

"You ready, Kai?" Maya's voice carried across the grass field, her usual playfulness replaced by an intensity that made my stomach tighten. We stood fifteen feet apart outside Ms. Vera's house, the morning dew still clinging to the grass beneath our feet.

"Y-yeah," I managed to reply, trying to keep the nervousness from my voice. The wooden sword in my hand felt heavier than usual as I adjusted my grip.

"Begin!" Ms. Vera's command cut through the air like a whip.

I didn't hesitate. Against a magic user like Maya, distance was death. My feet pounded against the earth as I closed the gap between us, muscles burning with effort. The wooden sword whistled through the air as I brought it down in an overhead strike, putting every ounce of strength I had behind it.

Maya didn't flinch. Her expression remained confident, almost serene, as she shifted her body slightly to the left. My blade crashed into empty air, biting into the grass where she had stood moments before. But I wasn't done. Training with Ms. Vera had taught me never to commit fully to a single strike.

In one fluid motion, I redirected my sword's momentum, bringing it up in a vicious uppercut. For a split second, I saw surprise flicker across Maya's face—but then her hand shot out, wreathed in brilliant orange flames, catching my wooden blade bare-handed.

Got you.

I released my grip on the sword before the flames could spread, driving my fist into her exposed stomach. The impact knocked the wind from her lungs, her concentration breaking just enough for her to drop my sword. I snatched it from the air before it could hit the ground, using the momentum to deliver another strike while she was still recovering.

Maya tried to block, but she was still gasping for breath. The force of my blow sent her stumbling backward several feet. When she looked up, her eyes blazed with an anger that made my blood run cold. I fought down the instinctive fear rising in my chest and charged forward again, swinging for her side.

She caught my blade once again, but this time I knew I'd made a mistake. A small sphere of flame coalesced in her palm, and before I could react, she thrust it into my gut. The world exploded into heat and force, launching me backward through the air like a ragdoll.

The last thing I saw was the sky spinning above me before my head struck the ground, and darkness filled my view.

When consciousness returned, I found myself still lying in the field, but my head now rested in Ms. Vera's lap. Soothing green light pulsed from her hands, washing away the pain and healing my injuries.

"That was a very good match, Kai. You did well," she said softly, approval warming her weathered features.

I let out a bitter sigh. "Good? I got my ass kicked."

Her smile didn't waver as she looked down at me. "Oh, Kai, it's best not to compare yourself or your progress to Maya. She..." She paused, choosing her words carefully. "She's in a whole other category when it comes to talent."

Her words, though meant to comfort, did little to ease the frustration burning in my chest. It wasn't Maya's strength that bothered me—if anything, her power was reassuring. What ate at me was my own weakness, my inability to be truly useful to them. Even Rowan, whose sparring matches with me were more competitive, still won nine times out of ten.

I've been here training with Ms. Vera for three months now but In this world where magic reigned supreme, trying to forge ahead with nothing but a sword felt like attempting to tunnel through a mountain with a spoon. The odds were insurmountable, the task impossible—and yet, what choice did I have? I couldn't allow myself to become deadweight, a burden they had to constantly protect.

As the healing magic continued to knit my wounds, I stared up at the endless blue sky above. My path forward might be harder, longer, and more painful than most, but I would walk it nonetheless. I would get stronger. I had to.

There was no other choice.