Even in the darkest of times, one can still find light. They just have to look at the stars.
Humans have been blessed by the Divines. For centuries, civilization has flourished, and mankind has rapidly progressed with the use of innate magical power...
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Riarshi sat himself down at a desk near the front of the small lecture-style classroom. The room was well lit from the morning sun piercing the windows, and the all too familiar scent of eraser board marker and freshly waxed floors floated through the air. Riarshi had thought a program revolving around the use of magic would have left these traditional schooling themes long in the past. But during his initial week of classes, the POH had proved him wrong.
Riarshi unpacked a pen and paper from his bag, placed them neatly on his wooden desk, and mentally prepared himself for the second week by closing his eyes and filling his lungs with a few deep breaths.
The first week of the Hero Program had flown by faster than anyone could have expected.
Intro classes had filled Riarshi's day from 8 AM to 4 PM while reading assignments ate up his time at home. The history of magic, magical science, and magic theory were all important subjects the POH claimed each Hero should be fully versed in. Riarshi had always been strong in conventional academics, so the first week failed to scare him away.
Although Riarshi was confident, he knew things wouldn't remain this easy. Today marked the start of practical classes, and the classroom he was currently sitting in was the meeting spot for his first. According to their professors, these non-traditional classes were meant to test each student's skill with magic rather than their knowledge.
Looking up from his desk, Riarshi noticed Tabito stroll into the classroom. He had a backpack flung over one shoulder and his orange eyes were bright with obvious excitement. They shared a look and waved to one another. At least there was one familiar face in this class.
Riarshi was checking his phone one last time before class started when someone walked over and stopped in front of his desk, casting a tall but skinny shadow over his twiddling thumbs.
He was wrong. There was another familiar face.
"Ah, still here? To be honest, I'm surprised. I thought for sure you'd screw up on one of the first assignments and be sent packing."
Riarshi lazily glanced up from his phone to see Leon standing just inches away. His yellow eyes stared down at him with a sense of unearned superiority.
"Well, I'm here, aren't I? Kinda answers your question," Riarshi said bitterly, trying his best to add the most obvious sense of sarcasm to his voice as possible.
Leon slammed his hands on the sides of Riarshi's desk. Frustration scrunched his face.
"Listen here, kid. If you act like a smart ass with me I'll kick your ass without hesitation. You should be thankful they even gave you a chance in the Program. You could have sat at home and let us take on the role of Hero. Instead, you decided to bog down our class numbers when there's already too many people here in the first place."
Leon leaned in closer. "Oh, did I hurt your feelings? Don't even think about fighting me. The professors would probably applaud me for showing a commoner some respect. In fact, I think my magic would impress them more so than the beating."
