Training the Sun-Blessed
743 Words
The morning sun rose over Amazu Kingdom like a golden crown, warming the dew on the grass and filling the air with soft light. But Zuri barely noticed the beauty around her. She was too focused on the training that awaited her.
For three days, Somadina pushed her — not harshly, but steadily, determined to awaken the warrior hidden inside her.
Learning the Ways of a Warrior
The first lesson was about stance.
Somadina positioned her feet carefully on the sand.
“Your feet,” he said, “are your roots. If they shake, you fall.”
Zuri copied him, though her legs wobbled.
Next was balance.
Somadina stepped behind her and lightly tapped her shoulder.
She nearly toppled over.
“Again,” he said.
Ten times he tapped her.
Ten times she fought to stay upright.
Ten times she grew a little stronger.
By noon, she could stand firm even when he pushed her with full force.
“You see?” he said with a nod.
“There is more strength in you than you think.”
Zuri gave a small smile — her first that day.
---
The Spear of Amazu
After lunch, he placed a spear in her hands.
The wooden shaft was smooth but heavy.
“When danger comes,” he said, “your spear must be an extension of your body.”
He guided her through the motions — thrust, sweep, dodge, spin.
At first, Zuri moved awkwardly, hitting her own foot, stumbling, and almost dropping the spear into the river.
But Somadina did not laugh.
He corrected her grip.
Adjusted her elbows.
Stepped back and watched with patient eyes.
“Good… again. Faster… again. Stronger… again.”
By evening, her arms ached, her shoulders burned, and sweat drenched her clothes — yet she felt a spark of pride. She was learning.
---
The Light Within
But the hardest training was controlling the bracelet.
They sat by the riverbank as the sky turned orange.
The bracelet rested on Zuri’s wrist, silent and dull.
“Lift your hand,” Somadina said.
Zuri lifted it.
“Call the light.”
She closed her eyes.
Nothing happened.
Again she tried.
Nothing.
A knot formed in her throat.
“What if the light has left me?” she whispered.
Somadina shook his head.
“It is waiting for you. But it will not answer fear.”
Zuri swallowed and tried again.
Still nothing.
Frustrated, she slammed her hand into the sand.
“What kind of chosen one cannot even call her own power?”
Somadina knelt beside her.
“Listen to me, Zuri. You survived the first attack. You saved a child’s life. The light answered you once, and it will answer again. But only when you trust yourself.”
His voice was gentle but firm.
“Courage,” he said softly, “is not the absence of fear. Courage is moving forward despite fear.”
Something inside Zuri shifted.
She closed her eyes, breathing slowly.
She remembered the little boy she had saved.
She remembered the villagers bowing.
She remembered the warmth that filled her when the light appeared.
Her heartbeat steadied.
She lifted her hand once more.
A faint glow formed — tiny, but real.
Somadina’s eyes lit up.
“Yes. Hold it. Believe.”
The glow grew brighter.
A golden spark danced above her palm.
Zuri gasped — not in fear, but in joy.
For the first time since this journey began…
she felt hope blooming inside her.
---
Training Under the Moonlight
That night, they continued.
The moon rose high and full, casting a silver path across the river.
Somadina circled her.
“Again.”
Zuri raised her hand — spark.
She spun the spear — swish.
She stepped forward — firm.
She breathed — steady.
The golden light flickered brighter each time.
Fireflies drifted around them, glowing in rhythm with the bracelet. The river shimmered like melted silver. The entire world seemed to be watching her.
After her final burst of light, Zuri fell to her knees, panting.
Somadina stepped forward and held out his hand to help her stand.
“You are growing stronger,” he said.
“Soon, the darkness will fear you.”
Zuri met his eyes and smiled — tired, but proud.
For the first time, she believed him.
The prophecy was not a burden anymore.
It was becoming her purpose.
And with each spark of light,
the Sun-Blessed was slowly, steadily awakening.
- Writer
