The projector buzzed, and the scene of the marketplace faded, leaving a somber silence in the classroom. This was a heavy close to the last day at the Academy.

  “Thirteen years ago. The Orion Storms. The largest storms recorded at the time,” said Professor Lilah, her voice filling the quiet room. “What happened after?”

  Shon raised his hand.

  “The Orion Storms showed that Stormrunners alone are not enough,” said Shon, hiding the quiver in his voice. “So the Republic constructed the four Storm Stabilizers.”

  “Very well,” said Professor Lilah. She looked at the exam prep material in her hand, and with a sigh, tossed it onto the table. Then, she began pacing the room.

  “Five hundred lives,” she said. “Five hundred lives were lost in the marketplace alone. The ensuing storms killed half a million.”

  She paused, gazing forward with her wise blue eyes. Shon looked up, along with every pair of orange eyes beside him.

  “These aren’t just numbers,” she continued slowly. “They represent our loved ones, our families, and in my case, my son and daughter.”

  Professor Lilah looked like a typical old Valerian lady, with graying hair and a slightly crooked back. While her demeanor was always calm and kind, one would need to look past her thick eyeglasses at her sharp eyes to decipher her true thoughts. She always spoke slowly and confidently, never saying too much to flaunt her knowledge and never too little to perplex her audience.

  However, what truly earned the students’ respect was her care for everyone, Valerian and Fraxian alike. Even away from the frontline of social activism, she made sure to help Shon and others through the unique struggles that only Fraxians would face.

  In the distance, the clock chimed four times, signaling the end of class. However, the usual commotion was nowhere to be found. Everyone sat in silence to take one last look at the Academy. Once they left, they would part ways, never to return again.

  Professor Lilah turned off the projector. The room slowly sank into darkness. The only remaining light came from a candle, dimly illuminating her visage. She took a deep breath. The candlelight flickered a bit, making the shadows dance along the wall.

  “Can someone tell me how hot the flame is?”

  Shon raised his hand, along with many others. This was a simple question for the Fraxians, even simpler for an Academy student prepared for the exam tomorrow.

  “It’s 1923.78 degrees,” said Shon.

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  “That sounds about right,” said Professor Lilah. She slowly glided her hand over the flame, as if she wanted to caress the heat.

  “How difficult would it be to extinguish the flame?”

  Shon slowly dropped his hand, not quite understanding the question.

  “Let me clarify,” said Professor Lilah. “Would an ordinary Valerian like me, with no capacity to transfer thermal energy, be able to extinguish this flame?”

  The class nodded in silence. Shon could not see where this was going.

  “The answer is yes, no doubt.”

  Professor Lilah raised her fingers over the candle. She quickly pinched her fingers together, and the flame immediately died. With the last bit of light gone, Professor Lilah’s contour disappeared into the darkness.

  Shon could hear a few students’ breathing quicken. Shon inhaled and exhaled slowly, like what he had been taught. The fear of darkness, he had learned, was not unique to Fraxians. The only difference was that Fraxians perceived the world a little darker. While Valerians could fumble their way in the dark, Fraxians would be absolutely blind.

  Time in the darkness seemed to stretch forever. After an eternity, Professor Lilah spoke again.

  “Now tell me. How difficult would it be for me to reignite the flame without any help?”

  “It would be impossible,” someone muttered.

  “And why is that?”

  “Because you are a Val — I mean — because you do not have the capacity to transfer thermal energy.”

  “Yes, precisely,” said Professor Lilah. “It is impossible for me because I am not a Fraxian.”

  Shon sat in silence, pondering her words in the absolute darkness.

  “Now, what about you guys?” continued Professor Lilah. “Can you try to light up the flame?”

  Shon closed his eyes and concentrated. He sensed some residue heat in the projector and reached for it. His heart began to beat faster, and sweat beads started to form on his forehead.

  Suddenly, he felt a surge of momentum, as if he was pulling a heavy cart that suddenly lost half its weight. He opened his eyes and saw a few pairs of eyes glowing faint orange, signs that his Fraxian classmates were also performing thermal transfer.

  With their joint effort, a few sparks formed at the candle wick, and the candle lit up again. As the candlelight permeated the room, Shon regained his full vision. He looked around. A few of his other classmates were panting. Shon tried to put on an effortless look, but he felt sweat beads rolling down his back. He must not be fatigued by such a small thermal transfer task, or he would have no chance to beat his classmates in the exam tomorrow.

  Professor Lilah lifted the candle from the table. Everyone’s eyes followed suit.

  “Even if you were to forget everything from the Academy, I hope you would remember this.” Professor Lilah used the candle in her hand to light up several others. The room brightened up, and the shadows receded into the corners.

  “Anyone can extinguish a candle, but all that does is leave everyone in darkness. It takes strength to light up a candle in the dark.”

  The class sat quietly. All eyes were on the professor.

  “I know that even if I gave all my heart, I would not be able to comprehend even a fraction of the pain that you all endured from the injustice in our society. But I want you to know that, in your blood, you are blessed with a gift, and you can use it to do great things.

  “As you take your Stormrunner Exam tomorrow, and as you journey through life, please use your gift to serve others around you, and most importantly, serve our great nation. Use it to save lives and bring hope to others. No matter the color of our eyes, no matter if we are a citizen or an auxiliary, it is our duty to make our nation a better place.

  “And never, never forget. When the world is plunged into darkness, you are the ones who can reignite the light.”