Lena walked home, her thoughts a tangled mess. She couldn't wrap her head around it—why her? Why would Mr. Drevik, of all people, ask her to be his apprentice? It didn't make sense. She wasn't anything special. Just the girl everyone ignored, laughed at, or worse—pushed around. F-grade. A failure. And her ability? Practically useless. She'd stopped expecting anything from anyone a long time ago.
Mr. Drevik had always been different though. He never talked down to her like the others. Never called her names or looked at her with that same look of disappointment she'd gotten used to. Still… asking to take her on as an apprentice? That was insane.
She let out a dry laugh, the sound a little too bitter to be genuine. "Yeah right," she muttered. "I can't even get past second-level Kyrikan, and now I'm dreaming about hitting fourth-level?" She shook her head, laughing again, this time with more bite. "What a joke."
The street was almost empty, the sky dimming fast as the streetlights flickered to life one by one. The quiet was almost comforting. She'd stayed late at school on purpose, hoping to avoid Elara and her pack of monsters pretending to be teenage girls.
Of course, luck never liked Lena.
A sudden whoosh broke the silence, followed by the unmistakable sound of something catching fire. She stopped, her stomach twisting. That wasn't a campfire or someone burning trash. That was… something else.
Then she saw the flicker of orange behind her and turned without thinking, legs moving on instinct. She ran, her breath hitching in her throat. But she hadn't eaten much that day, and the exhaustion was already there before she even started.
Her legs gave out, and she hit the ground hard.
Footsteps. Laughter.
And then—her.
Elara stepped into the light like she owned the world, flanked by her ever-loyal group of followers. Lena didn't need to look to know who they were. She'd heard their voices in her nightmares enough times.
"Well, well," Elara sneered, arms crossed, eyes gleaming like she'd found a new toy to break. "That's it? That's all you've got?"
Lena tried to push herself up, but her arms trembled too much. She didn't even get a chance to speak before Elara raised her hand and then it started.
The fire hit before she could react.
Searing pain tore through her, and her screams cut through the air. Her clothes went first, then her skin, and she couldn't tell anymore where the pain ended and she began. Everything hurt. Everything burned.
The others didn't say a word. Some of them flinched. One of them maybe Sarah looked away. But Elara? She was smiling.
"More," she said softly, like she was asking for another piece of cake.
The fire grew hotter.
Lena's mind was splintering. All she could do was scream and hope it stopped. Eventually, it did. The flames vanished, and she crumpled onto the pavement like a broken doll.
"Turi," Elara called.
Soft footsteps. Then hands—gentle ones—touched her skin. Cool green light spilled over her. It helped, a little. But the damage ran too deep. Healing would take time, and even then… it wouldn't undo everything.
Lena forced her eyes open. Her throat was raw, her body shaking, but she was still alive. Barely.
"Again," Elara said.
Lena didn't even have time to react.
Turi hesitated—Lena could feel it. But she stepped back anyway.
And the fire returned.
This time, even Elara's crew looked uneasy. The fun was fading. This wasn't bullying. This was something darker. But no one stopped her.
Lena couldn't scream anymore. Her body was done. Her mind was fraying at the edges. It was all just fire and pain and darkness.
Then it stopped.
Turi rushed back in, desperate to keep Lena alive. Maybe even ashamed. Lena wasn't sure.
She opened her eyes again, barely. Her voice cracked as she spoke.
"Why?" It was more breath than sound.
Elara knelt down, her face close. "Because you're weak. Because you don't matter. Because I can."
Lena wanted to look away, but her head wouldn't turn. Elara was going to do it again. She could feel it. And this time, there wouldn't be anything left to heal.
But then the sky lit up.
A streak of light cut across the sky—bright, fast, wrong. One of the girls gasped.
"Is that…?"
A second later, Rachel screamed. "It's a meteor! It's coming right at us!"
Panic exploded.
The girls scattered, running in all directions. All except Elara, who stood there for a second longer, annoyed, like the universe had interrupted her favorite show.
"Tch. What a waste."
She turned and left.
Lena lay still. She couldn't move. Couldn't even raise her hand. She was trying to crawl, but her body wasn't responding.
The light grew brighter.
Then the meteorite hit.
A blast of heat. A wall of pain.
And then… nothing.