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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Another week of classes had flown by, and Riarshi was still miraculously in the Program. His classroom grades were well above average, and his practical grade was just over the passing threshold. In a matter of a few days, Riarshi's class had already been cut down to twelve students, with about 500 Newbies remaining from the initial count of 1900 in the entire program.
The Program had placed impossible odds against Riarshi, and he was fully aware he would have failed all of his assignments if it wasn't for his partnership with Tabito. Throughout the last couple weeks, their duo relied heavily on Tabito's inextinguishable power. Since Tabito carried most of the load, and Riarshi only helped when needed, they had passed all the daily exercises Khohn could throw at them.
It was now Week 6 of the program, and the third practical exam was minutes away from starting. Riarshi was performing his routine warm-up stretches when Khohn approached him from behind. Riarshi initially noticed a tall shadow hovering over his shoulder, lengthening along the grass, but he paid it no mind. He only stopped his warm-up once the professor called his name.
"Have you been pushing your power like I asked you to?" Khohn's usual playful tone was more serious and strict than ever before. "You've been doing well in your assignments, but it's been clear to me that Tabito has been taking the brunt of the work."
Shocked by this random question, Riarshi didn't answer immediately. It was rare for Professor Khohn to approach a single student, let alone give them advice, so why was he asking him something like this?
Instead, Riarshi pushed himself off of the ground and rummaged through his thoughts.
"Er - I've been trying," he replied awkwardly after a while, not knowing what else to say. "I think I've definitely gotten a little faster and stronger, but that might be my body becoming more conditioned..."
Riarshi and Tabito had spent the last few weeks training their magic after class. With the extra training, the amount of magic Riarshi could use to boost his speed and reflexes was slowly increasing, but not fast enough that he'd be confident fighting without Tabito's help or taking the lead in their assignments. That black wall, his demonic power, still haunted over him every time he wanted to let loose.
He vowed he would never reach into that wall of darkness looming over him. He would use his own base power no matter what.
This didn't mean he was free from second guessing himself, though. His slow progression over the last month made him wonder why he was running from his powers in the first place. Did it save him from turning into something he couldn't manage? Would he end up like the demon he fought when saving Tabito's sister? These were the questions Riarshi hoped to never discover the answer to.
"...Other than that," Riarshi continued, "I'm trying to do my best with what I have." He couldn't tell anyone about the dark thoughts polluting his head. This internal battle was his, and his alone.
