Chapter 8: The First Class

Together, they will face the trials ahead, united by their determination to push through the pain and emerge as formidable Flame Dancers, ready to dance amidst the flames and conquer the challenges that awaited them.

…

As the sun began to rise, casting a glow over the training compound, Virgo, Roman, and Remus gathered at the designated meeting spot. Anticipation was practically radiating off them in the crisp morning air. The training grounds before them was filled with trainees preparing for their first class.

The trio couldn't help but feel another surge of excitement and nervousness within them. The compound itself was a labyrinth of training areas, each designed to challenge and refine specific skills required of Flame Dancers.

…

In the distance, a bright light seemed to dramatically grow in size until it stopped right above them, before suddenly dropping to the ground. Instructor Charon stood tall, having an aura of wisdom and power. The suddenness of the entrance startled a few of the trainees, but they quickly recovered, as first impressions with your teacher for the next couple of years are very important. Her presence commanded respect, and her eyes gleamed with an intensity as she prepared to impart her knowledge and guide the trainees through 'The Inferno'.

Virgo felt a mixture of admiration and slight fear, knowing that under Charon's teaching, he would be pushed to his limits…and seeing the excitement in her eyes, perhaps even more?

A distant memory of his brother and Captain Athena surfaced in his mind. Virgo had snuck into the training room to watch Brutus mercilessly beaten in the name of training. He could never forget the look in her eyes. It was very similar to the look he was seeing now.

Virgo whispered beneath his breath, "…I fear we might not live through this."

"Live through what?" a smooth but soft voice questioned. Virgo looked over to find Roman gazing at him questionably. He sighed as he explained, "Allow me to paint you a picture. Pretend that a person, who has basically been near traumatized by living as close to death as possible, is given the opportunity to share such grievances with the next generation. One that is yet to partake in such a rich experience."

"Okay…and?" asked Remus as she wasn't following, though her brother seemed to be sweating a bit.

Virgo placed his hand on her shoulder, and looked dead into her eyes, "Are you perhaps familiar with the term 'passing on trauma to the next generation'?" A darkness seemed to wash over her as she realized their predicament. The most powerful Flame Dancers are synonymous with those who have suffered the most. Understanding this fact, the trio performed a silent prayer, but were soon interrupted.

A booming voice ended all whispers that were taking place at the time, "By dancing through hell, one can always walk to Paradise!" Instructor Charon stepped out and begun her lecture.

"First, to become a Flame Dancer, you must have endurance! You must persist in everything you do. Persist through pain, sadness, and the flames that will burn all weakness in your body away. You must do this through your passion. If it is weak, the flames shall consume you. But if you can make your passion strong, the flames will only serve as your strength."

The area was quiet as the trainees tried to engrain the words spoken into their hearts and minds. Instructor Charon nodded her head as she saw all were taking her lesson seriously. After giving them a few seconds of thought, she continued, "I will show you a set of movements. You will perform them until they reach perfection. After that, you will continue to perform them until the sun falls. If it is seen that you cannot complete this task, it would be better for you to drop out sooner rather than risk your life later."

The instructor, seeing that no one took the initiative to leave, continued, "I will show you the movements now. Don't blink!"

She began to stomp on the ground rhythmically, but after a while she stopped. Strangely though, the beats could still be heard, as if there was activity beneath the ground. The temperature quickly picked up, which seemed to be the signal Instructor Charon was waiting for. She immediately started to enter into strange poses. These movements were carefully synchronized with the activation of her rune tattoos. Each starting to glow and pulsate with energy as her flames were summoned. Although she did her best to confine her power, the trainees were showered in extreme heat as they tried to keep track of every move.

Each movement in the Flame Dance holds its own significance, representing different aspects of fire manipulation and expression. From graceful sweeps and spins to swift grabs and throws, the Flame Dancers engage in a captivating dance that would truly be completely unique when compared to each other. This is despite the base of their move-set being the same.

As Instructor Charon finished the dance, leaving all who were watching awestruck. The sound of the drums beneath their feet quieted away and the glow beneath her numerous tattoos faded to black once again.

"Now, it's your turn my dear students, though I did forget one tiny detail…" A smirk arose from her lips as she watched the exited faces around her…all except for one. The young Virgo seemed to be quite nervous. This caused her smile to deepen as she broke the suspense, "…you will be performing this dance on this ground."

Looks of confusion were on their faces, until someone pointed out that their feet were sweating. At that point, everyone paled as the heat from the floor beneath them rose to such a degree that no one could stand in one place for long. "Well, I wish you luck!!" she said as she walked away as if it wasn't her problem. With her back turned as she was getting further away, the instructor did give them a clue on how to survive, "If you can complete the dance, the heat will become bearable, so if I were you, I'd get to dancing."

The trainees, Virgo and his friends included, desperately began practicing the movements. Hours passed and though all of them were tired, one thing everyone had was willpower. The will passed down from generations of warriors and fighters. Surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly, Remus was the first to complete the dance. Although none of the trainees had received their rune tattoos, they could still further the connection to the divinity of Flames but could not yet call them forth. She seemed to have an incredibly strong connection as her strong powerful movements sent gusts of heat towards those around. Virgo was happy for her while Roman complained, "It should have been me. I might just lose my big brother privileges at this point…" despite them being born at the same time.

This encouraged everyone present to practice even harder, and eventually, Roman completed the dance as well, "Finally! My feet were about to burn off!" He laughed and encouraged Virgo while giving some pointers. Virgo accepted, but he was somewhat disappointed that he was still so far from completing the dance. Although he wasn't swallowed by hubris, it would be a lie to say he wasn't used to the title of genius. The encouragement of his friends cheered him up though, and he began an even harder round of practice.

Above the training grounds, a figure with a sheet of paper could be seen hiding behind the clouds. She was silently taking note of everyone's performance, not seeming shocked at all at the twins being the first to complete the dance, "It seems we have quite the talented pair this time." As her eyes drifted to Virgo, she merely smirked slightly at his struggle before turning her attention to the next trainee to complete the dance.

It went on like this for a while, and before long, everyone had completed the dance and were practicing without much bother for the heat beneath their feet. But heavy breathing could still be heard as glances kept landing on a young boy who's sweat had formed a boiling puddle around him. Virgo was still fighting desperately to attain even a fraction of his fellow trainee's success.