Back to the Present

  The frustration of being powerless and shy... it still haunts me.

  But I want to be the best version of myself.

  So I train. Every day. For hours.

  I’ve been studying martial arts for years—started with online videos. I thought I was doing pretty well…

  One day, I was standing on one foot on a post along our fence, trying to improve my balance.

  Eyes closed. Arms out. Breathing steady.

  Then, out of nowhere—

  “Hey kid, what are you doing? Clowning around on that fence?”

  “AAAH!”

  I flailed, lost my balance, and crashed to the ground.

  An old man stood on the sidewalk, staring at me like I was a complete idiot. He had gray hair, a mustache, and a neatly trimmed goatee. And he’d scared the crap out of me.

  “You scared me, old man!” I snapped, brushing off my shirt.

  He raised an eyebrow. “Why were you standing on one foot with your eyes closed like some kind of fool?”

  “I’m not a fool! I’m studying martial arts!”

  “Oh yeah?” he said with a smirk. “Then show me what you’ve got, kid.”

  “…What, you want to fight? Seriously? You’re a senior!”

  “I’m only sixty. What’s wrong? You scared?”

  “Tch. Bring it on, old man. You’re gonna regret this!”

  I lunged at him.

  But in a blur, he dodged—and with one smooth motion, he flipped me onto my back like I weighed nothing.

  I blinked up at him, winded.

  “How… how did you do that?”

  He grinned. “That’s real martial arts. If you want, I could teach you.”

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  I didn’t even hesitate.

  “Yes! Please!”

  That was years ago.

  Since then, thanks to the old man, I’ve learned to fight like a pro.

  I still train with him whenever I can. And yeah, he’s way stronger than he looks.

  But one day—a day that started just like any other…

  My life changed forever.

  It was late afternoon.

  The sun was starting to set.

  Like we often did, Arlen, Arvian, and I went to the forest to play.

  Arvian fired little ice shards into the trees.

  Arlen shaped small fireballs, trying to perfect his aim.

  And me?

  As always, I just watched.

  We laughed, raced, and chased each other between the trees, swords in hand. Wooden, harmless, but still fun.

  Then... something changed.

  The wind stopped.

  The birds fell silent.

  A heavy, black fog began creeping through the trees like a living thing.

  My chest tightened.

  My voice shook.

  “What is this…?”

  Arlen narrowed his eyes. “This… this is demon energy.”

  He took a step forward.

  “Something’s coming.”

  Then we saw them.

  Three dark figures emerged from the fog, glowing red eyes slicing through the blackness. Their bodies were twisted and wrong — like nightmares come to life. Their hands ended in long, hooked claws. One of them let out a horrible roar, and the ground shook beneath our feet.

  “Toma, run!” Arvian shouted, throwing up a shield of ice.

  “Go! Now!” Arlen yelled. Flames erupted from his hands as he blasted at one of them.

  I ran.

  I didn’t think.

  Didn’t look back.

  Just ran.

  My heart pounded. My legs were jelly. I could barely breathe.

  Then—

  Screams.

  “AAAH!”

  “Arvian, watch out!”

  I stopped.

  My knees trembled. My lungs burned. My whole body shook.

  “Keep running,” fear whispered.

  But another thought hit me like a slap to the face.

  What if they die… and I just stood by and let it happen?

  I turned around.

  I sprinted back into the fog, wooden sword in hand — even if it was useless. Even if I was useless.

  The demons towered over my friends. One of them raised its claws, about to strike.

  “LEAVE THEM ALONE!” I screamed, and threw myself between them.

  I hurled my wooden sword at one of the monsters. It didn’t even flinch.

  It slashed me across the back, lifted me off the ground, and slammed me against a tree.

  Pain.

  Shock.

  I couldn’t move.

  It stepped forward, jaws open wide, ready to finish me.

  I closed my eyes.

  Raised my arms.

  Trembled.

  Helpless.

  And then—

  It happened.

  Something exploded inside me.

  A force I didn’t know I had.

  A brilliant, bluish light burst from my body like lightning.

  The demon disintegrated instantly — blown apart by the blast.

  I didn’t even have time to think. I just moved.

  I turned to the others.

  Power surged again.

  In a blink, the other two demons were gone — scattered to the wind.

  Leaves rustled.

  The earth trembled.

  Silence.

  And there I stood — glowing, panting, shaking — between my two best friends.

  Alive.

  Arvian stared at me, wide-eyed.

  “…Toma?” he whispered.

  “That… that was you?”

  I couldn’t answer.

  Because I didn’t understand it either.

  But in that moment…

  Everything changed.

  Later, I found out what it was — the power that saved me.

  Blue Nova.

  Stronger than Arlen’s fire.

  Stronger than Arvian’s ice.

  A rare power, almost unheard of.

  But that day… it was just the beginning.

  Just a burst of raw, untrained energy. I couldn’t use it again for a long time.

  That first time was only the awakening.

  Still, from that moment on, my life was never the same.

  My brown eyes turned blue.

  My hair too.

  And everything — everything — changed.

  I kept training with the old man.

  Arlen and Arvian helped too.

  Learning to control my power wasn’t easy.

  It was hard.

  Painful.

  Frustrating.

  But I trained every single day.

  And still... I’ll never forget that moment.

  The day I almost died...

  Was one of the happiest days of my life.

  Because that was the day my powers awakened.

  For a long time, I thought I had given up on my dream.

  But I hadn’t.

  Not really.

  Somewhere deep down, I still believed in it.

  And when I turned around…

  When I ran back into the fog, powerless and afraid…

  I proved something.

  Not to the demons.

  Not to my friends.

  To myself.

  Because a true hero never abandons their friends — even if it costs them their life.

  Even without powers, I had a duty to protect them.

  And maybe that’s where my strength really came from — not the power itself, but the choice to fight.

  The mindset of someone willing to stand up...

  Even with nothing.

  That was the moment I became a warrior.

  More than any Nova burst or magic spark could ever make me.

  That’s what I learned that day.

  And it changed me forever.

  Since then, I haven’t feared anything.

  That quiet, daydreaming boy who used to watch from the sidelines….

  He’s not so quiet anymore.

  Because those dreams I used to whisper to myself?

  They’ve become goals.