Forged In Fire

Milo sat with his head hung low, staring at the ground in silence. Everyone around him could feel the weight of his defeat. The other tamers passing by cast quick, awkward glances in his direction but said nothing. 

Their discomfort seemed to hang in the air, making the moment feel even heavier.

Ryder, was the first to break the ice, knelling down beside him.

His smile looked a little forced as he patted Milo's shoulder. 

"Hey, don't sweat it, buddy, It was just one match. You'll bounce back in no time."

Milo looked up, but only briefly, his eyes dull and tired.

"I'm fine, really," he said quietly. 

His voice lacked conviction, the words empty. Ryder frowned, trying to find the right thing to say next. 

"Look, we've all been there. One loss doesn't mean anything in the long run. You're still a great tamer, man."

Eratz stood nearby, shifting awkwardly. Normally, he was good with words, but seeing Milo like this left him a little troubled. 

Milo didn't respond to Ryder. His gaze had dropped back down, and his hands tightened slightly around the small fairy in his arms. 

He was holding her close, almost protectively, but the way his fingers gripped her said more than his words. He looked defeated in every sense of the word, like someone who'd lost more than just a match.

At that moment, Roger, Mercury and Zara arrived. Mercury, in particular, looked flustered. The moment she saw Milo, she rushed over to him, dropping to her knees in front of him, her hands immediately reaching for his shoulders.

"Milo! Are you alright?" 

Her eyes darted over him, checking for any signs of injury. 

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let you fight. I should've known… I'm so sorry."

Milo shook his head, though his movements were sluggish, almost mechanical. 

"I'm fine, Mercury," he said again, though the words were no more convincing than before. He tried to sound tough, like he was unaffected, but his face told a different story. 

Mercury ran her hands over his arms, her worry growing as she checked him for bruises or any signs of damage. 

"I should've seen this coming. It's my fault, Milo. I should've stopped it." Her voice wavered.

Milo shifted slightly. 

"It's really no big deal," he mumbled, his voice barely audible. "I lost. It happens."

Zara stepped forward next. 

"You did your best, Milo," she said softly, her eyes steady on him. "No one expected that there was someone else with that level. That wasn't something you could have predicted. You'll get him next time."

Her tone was calm but carried a warmth that seemed to cut through the tension. 

Roger, who had been standing back, finally spoke up as well. 

"Exactly, kid. That guy was just cocky. He got lucky. You've got a lot of potential, Milo." He gave a nod, trying to offer some encouragement, but even his words felt like they were falling flat against the silence.

Milo remained quiet. His gaze dropped to the ground again, his shoulders slumping even further. 

He was starting to look like a shadow of his usual self, and the energy he usually carried had completely disappeared.

The group exchanged uneasy glances. This wasn't the Milo they knew. He was too conscious of his surroundings, too wise for his own good. 

After what felt like an eternity of silence, Milo finally spoke again, his voice so soft it was almost a whisper. 

"I think… I think I forgot something at home." He paused, as if struggling to find the words. "I… I should probably leave."

The words hung in the air, silencing everyone. It wasn't just that Milo had lost the fight, there was more behind it, he was giving up altogether, and everyone could feel it.

Eratz's eyes completely shifted, losing their light.

"So… you're giving up?"

Milo blinked, thrown off by the casualness in Eratz's tone. 

"I... I'm just thinking it over," Milo stammered, clutching his fairy a little tighter. "I mean… maybe it's for the best. Maybe I wasn't ready for that?"

"For the best?" Eratz's eyes glinted. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Milo opened his mouth, struggling to find the words. 

"Lily got hurt, Eratz… I-I can't keep letting her fight for me and get hurt because I'm not good enough... I was wrong trying to.... To fight. I'm not as good as you all..."

Eratz's eyes narrowed slightly. He took a slow step forward, lowering himself to Milo's level. 

"So that's it? You're going to walk away because you couldn't handle one loss? You're going to let an idiot remember he ended your career?"

Milo looked down at the ground, his lips pressed tight. 

"It's not just about losing..."

"But that's what you're doing, isn't it?" Eratz cut him off, his tone now sharper. "You're running."

Milo flinched at the word. 

"No, I'm just..."

"Running away, like a perfect coward. You lost, and now you're running away, you were all fine and confident, but now you're trying to run tail between legs... Well, in your case it's even bold to assume you have a tail."

Milo's eyes widened in surprise. The harshness of Eratz's words seemed to catch everyone off guard, even Ryder, who usually had a joke ready for every situation. 

Mercury's breath hitched, and she looked like she was about to intervene, but something in Eratz's tone made her pause.

Milo clutched his fairy, Lily, in his arms like a small child holding onto a beloved toy. Tears formed on his eyes as he held her close to his chest. 

"I'm not mad for me," he whispered, his voice trembling. "I'm mad for Lily. She doesn't deserve this. I don't want her to get hurt again."

"You think you're protecting her by giving up? You think quitting is what she wants?"

Milo's lip quivered. Eratz's red eyes flared as he loomed over Milo, the anger in his voice growing. 

"Do you know why Lily fights for you, Milo? Why she would gives everything for you? It's because one way or another, YOU decided to become her master, YOU made her serves you, and she became a tool for YOUR dream. You took her freedom for your own good and this is how you repay her? By turning your back the moment things get tough? You want her to be the reason her stupid master gave up his dream?!"

Milo's tears finally spilled over, his voice trembling. 

"I-I just don't want her to get hurt again! She shouldn't have to suffer because of me!"

"And you think quitting will stop that?" Eratz's words came out like a growl now, his patience snapping. "You're going to make her feel even worse! She'll think she failed you! What's so hard to understand? She's not a free monster anymore, she's a part of you! Your dream is her dream, and you're making her give up on everything! Is that what you want?"

Milo sobbed harder, his knees buckling slightly under the weight of his guilt. His tears fell onto Lily's body, soaking her as she nuzzled him in comfort.

Mercury's gaze fell on Milo, her hands trembling, but she stayed silent.

"If you can't take the heat of one loss, then maybe you really don't deserve to be a beast master? Don't just go home, release all your beasts! Give them a chance to not live with a coward!" His voice echoed around them, raw and intense, shaking everyone to their core.

The words hit Milo like a punch to the gut. His breath caught in his throat, and he choked on a sob. His tears fell harder now, and he hugged Lily closer as if she were the only thing keeping him together.

Everyone stood frozen. Mercury's eyes widened, her breath held. Even Roger seemed taken aback by the sharpness of Eratz's words. It was as if he was completely different person.

"You think you're the only one who's ever lost? The only one who's ever been afraid?" Eratz continued, his voice like thunder now. "Every single one of us has lost. Do you want to know how miserable he looked when I met Ryder? 

Ryder gave a slight nod before shaking his head in surprise.

"And Zara, don't you understand how desperate she is right now? Can't you see that it's probably her whole life who's on the line here?"

Zara gave a nod too, rubbing her fingers together.

"And I'm not even talking about every single one of us, tamers. This stench of defeat is sticking do much on our bodies that I can smell someone's defeat from a mile," as he said, his eyes wondered toward Mercury, but the girl was too focused on her brother to notice. 

"We all became familiar with defeat, we lost something, got insulted, but we got back up. We fought through it. We never stopped fighting, and even after today, the losers will fight harder... But you... You're trying to run away? You want to make a mockery of our names? Of the time I talked with you? Oh no... no...kid, you're not giving up. You're in the bath too, and you're going to go through it, until your bones are perfectly washed up! You will be their leader, their example. They trust you, they follow you, and you let them give everything to you, so now you owe them everything in return, for the rest of your life. If you lose, fine, you lost. But you stand up, you keep going, and you show them that their master is a leader worth following. You're going to rise your head now and your next line will be that you're not giving up. Now go ahead, say it!"

Milo's sobs became quieter, but his shoulders shook as he struggled to find his voice. 

"I... I don't want to give up… I won't give up..." he whispered, barely audible through his tears.

"Stop saying it like a toy, you have lungs and guts so use them."

Milo wiped his face with the back of his hand, his eyes still red and wet, but something had changed. 

The trembling in his hands had slowed, and a spark of life started to flash on his eyes.

"I'm not... Giving up!"

Eratz gave him a firm nod.

"And you will never. From now on, I'm looking forward your growth, and after I finish with you, you will track down and bury this bastard who insulted you. You hear me?"

"Yes... I will!"

The silence that followed was suffocating. Milo's tears had stopped, but his face was still wet, his expression shifting from despair to something more resolute. He took a shaky breath and finally stood calm, clutching Lily close to his chest.

Eratz's expression became calmer.

"That's the spirit, boy."

Milo looked at him, eyes still glassy, but now full of determination. 

The others watched in silence, still processing the intensity of what had just happened. 

Ryder looked both impressed and a little surprised, while Zara simply nodded in approval.

Roger gave Milo a firm clap on the back. "That's more like it, kid. You're going to be just fine."

As the tension in the air finally began to ease, Roger chuckled softly, shaking his head. 

"You sure don't pull any punches, do you, Eratz? Poor kid probably needs a second to breathe after that roasting."

Zara wiped a little sweat on her forehead, managing a small smile. 

"Yeah, I mean... you could've maybe been a little gentler, right?... By the way about what you said... did you just insult me?"

Ryder chimed in with a grin. 

"Seriously, man. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to break him, not help him." He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Remind me never to ask you for a pep talk!"

"Is there a difference?" Eratz furrowed a brow.

As the others engaged in the light-hearted teasing, Mercury remained quiet, her eyes fixed on Milo. 

There was a tenderness in her gaze, as though something in Eratz's words had resonated deeply with her. 

Her initial instinct had been to protect her brother when Eratz's words became harsh, but as the speech progressed, she realized it was exactly what Milo needed for so long.

She watched her brother, seeing the subtle shift in his posture, the way his shoulders no longer drooped in defeat but were now steadier, more determined.

She wanted to rush to his side, but seeing his resolve start to build, she held back, understanding that this moment was crucial for him.

With a slight smile on the lips, she wiped a single tear.