The next day, Slade entered the training room half an hour before his session with Terra in order to practice sparring. He paused when he found Terra sitting in the middle of the room, idly balancing a small stone on her nose. When she saw Slade, Terra leapt to her feet with excitement.
"Can we start training?" she asked.
She was so eager to get better, Slade mused. So eager to please him. Not one to disappoint when it directly benefited him, Slade nodded. "We will begin immediately."
Terra let out a shout of joy as she punched her fist into the air. Right away, she took a fighting stance, unable to hide a grin of pure joy. "Check this out, Slade. All last night, I've been practicing this new technique!" She glanced his way. "Are you ready to see?"
It was as though she were waiting for either his approval or his blessing. Slade, hardly one to give either, merely nodded.
With a shout, Terra slammed a hand into the ground before retracting it. Then she stood up, her grin even wider.
Slade, however, felt no change. No earthquake or boulders were hurling his way. Did she actually do anything, or was this move that she'd been "practicing" a complete fail?
Suddenly, from where Terra's hand struck, a fissure sprung. Slade dodged out of the way, mildly impressed that she was able to contain the fissure to their training room only. She was progressing faster than he'd excepted. He glanced over at Terra to see her looking his way, watching him.
" . . . was it good?" she asked, digging the toe of her boot into the ground.
Slade considered. After a moment, he answered. "Fairly."
Terra's eyes beamed, and she jumped a clear three feet into the air. Just as she was letting out a laugh, however, the ground began to shake. The earthquake wasn't dangerous by any means, but Slade still braced himself just in case. Slade easily held his ground; Terra, meanwhile, let out a scream and fell down.
Terra gripped her head as the earthquake began getting stronger. "No, not now," she moaned. "I don't want to hurt anyone anymore!"
Slade, knowing the potentially dangerous situation both he and his apprentice were in, was at Terra's side in an instant. He laid a hand on her shoulder. "Calm yourself," he commanded.
"I can't," Terra whispered.
The ground gave a violent shake, throwing Terra to her face and forcing Slade to widen his stance even further. This time, he grabbed both her shoulders and forced her to look at him. Terra looked up at him, her expression panicked.
"Child, I believe that you have the power to control what is yours," Slade said.
Terra blinked twice, nodded, then took a deep breath. After several seconds, the earthquake stilled completely.
Slade nodded. "Now that the earthquake is — "
Abruptly, Terra threw herself against him, forcing the man one step backward. The accidental earthquake had placed her under so much stress that she could barely stand, and Slade had to literally hold her up to prevent her from collapsing to the floor.
"Thank you," she muttered.
"I am your master," Slade said simply, patting her head. "I will protect you from your powers."
Terra looked up at Slade, her eyes wide. She opened her mouth to say something, but Slade pushed her away from him before she had a chance.