The Divine Demon - Book 1: A New Beginning

31. Mr. C

"Are you able to get yourself home?" asked Khohn once they found the edge of the woods. "Using that much of your power at once was sure to cause some extent of damage to your body."

Their tired feet, soaked through the shoe by the morning dew, crunched on the barren practice field's mixture of dirt and stone.

"Yeah, I'm good," Riarshi assured, rounding his shoulders with a brief squeeze. "Just a little sore. Nothing I can't handle."

"Good. I guess it's true that demons have naturally insane healing. Ha. Didn't mean to beat you up too badly!" Khohn jeered, throwing a playful elbow into Riarshi's already sore ribs.

Riarshi winced, brought his hands to the spot, and yelped.

"Ha - me, get beat up too badly?" he chuckled, the sting in his ribs fading. "Look at how you turned out!"

Khohn snorted. "Riarshi, I've been a Hero longer than you have been alive. I've fought demons, criminals, and battled in a war. A little tickle like the one you gave me is nothing new," he said, tossing a wink at his naïve student. A scruffy smile grew across his face, wrinkling his cheeks.

"Now," he added, more seriously this time, "if you master that power of yours, you actually might stand a chance against a Pro Hero. Your potential is there. And the power is at your disposal."

"But how can I control it?"

"Use it," Khohn replied instantly. "Simple as that. It's your magic. Not a demon's and not your parents'. It is yours and yours alone. It's like your mother said... You need to stop running, turn around, and clock that darkness right in the face."

Khohn paused for a second, as though he was thinking his words over. He straightened up.

"It's not your fault you were born with demonic power, Riarshi. I know it's a dark cloud that haunts you daily. There's no denying that. But everyone has some amount of darkness swirling inside of them, eating at their insides. However, keep in mind that it should never turn into a competition concerning who has it worse or who suffers the most. The only thing that matters is that we try to fight our darkness, no matter how big or small in magnitude, rather than allow it to consume us. Because demons, whether they be ones we battle physically or ones we tackle mentally, will only grow stronger if we feed into them."

Riarshi's eyes met the dewy grass. A black beetle crawled nimbly over a blade, evading a swooping bird.

How could he have been so blind? He truly had been running from himself for his entire life. Every time that black wall and its inky hands crept toward him, he'd try to get as far away as possible. He wanted to throw aside his demonic side, ignore it, and pretend it never even existed. In the same way demons strengthened their magic, this avoidance only intensified his darkness, allowing it to feast hungrily on the negativity of his bottled emotions.

Now things were different. He wouldn't succumb to the darkness without a fight. He couldn't allow the black wall to grab him from behind and transform him into a monster. He had to fight back. Despite the seemingly impossible odds placed against him, this was a battle he was determined to win. Not only for himself and his own mental freedom, but for Tabito and Hara, too.

The darkness wasn't his master; it was he who would learn to control it, tame it, and master it.

Riarshi chuckled at his own stubborn blindness.

An early morning gust blew past his face, carrying the earthy scent of crisp, wet grass. The coolness of the air was rather refreshing on his sweat-caked skin. The sun, now beginning to rise over the jagged tops of the trees, blinded him slightly.

How did he not see this sooner?

Riarshi stared aimlessly at the ground beneath his feet. He just had an extreme amount of information revealed in such a short amount of time. His mind buzzed like a swarm of restless bees with questions about himself, his parents, his past, and even Khohn's past. He looked at Khohn with hopeful eyes.

"Hey, Khohn. You were friends with my parents, right?"

Khohn's cheeky grin melted into a warm smile, brightened by the yellow slivers of morning sun sneaking through the trees.

"Yes, yes, I was. Very much so. I was one of your father's friends during our time in the Program. We even became teammates during our internships. We went to clubs together, tried to pick up girls together, and vented to each other when we could no longer maintain our stupid veil of masculine toughness. The friendship lasted for years. Your mother on the other hand was always a quiet one, a huge contrast compared to the social likes of your father. Opposites attract, though. She was loving and caring, contrary to what her race portrayed. She loved you and your father with everything she had. I met your mother - well... after your father rescued her. But that's different story for another day."

Riarshi went to reply, but Khohn hushed him by raising a hand.

"Speaking of friends," said Khohn slowly, arching a brow, "I think you have a couple you need to have a talk with right about now."

Riarshi's eyes darted to the side in shame. After having said some awful and spiteful things to Hara and Tabito just hours ago, he wasn't sure if they ever wanted to see him again. Looking down at the ground, Riarshi felt something unpleasant swim through his stomach. They wouldn't want to talk to him, no matter what his reasoning was.

"You're not alone anymore, Riarshi," Khohn reassured softly, placing a hand on his student's shoulder. "Even though you had a pretty intense argument, I'm certain that Tabito and Hara are still there to support you. It's only fitting you show them the same courtesy. Reach out to them and say whatever comes to mind."

He then patted Riarshi's shoulder. "I trust you'll do the right thing. You always have."

Riarshi shyly nodded his head without a word. Khohn was right.

"Good," Khohn cheered, clapping his hands together. "I'm gonna go before the Commish somehow sees us talking. That freaking old man knows almost everything that happens within the POH, especially on campus grounds. I got lucky that I could even pull tonight off without him finding out beforehand. Don't worry, I repaired the stadium's stage and walls, so it's unlikely he'll find out."

Khohn turned and started walking away. "I'll be seeing you at the Tryout next week, okay?"

Riarshi suddenly lifted his head. "Wait, I'm not expelled?"

Khohn stopped on his heel and looked at Riarshi quizzically. "Are you serious? Of course not. The owner of The Grimoire isn't pressing charges. Seems like Tabito saw to that already. I'm simply taking the liberty of overlooking what transpired," Khohn responded with a convincing wink.

Riarshi snorted loudly and nodded. And with that, Khohn spun on his heel and trotted down the path toward the main street.

Riarshi had a million other questions spinning through his mind. One stood out from the rest. "Hey!" he shouted through cupped hands before Khohn walked out of sight. "Why did I say your name as Mr. C? Your name starts with a K."

Khohn stifled a laugh, barely audible from the distance. A few cars were now speeding by on the street, their tires kicking up puffs of mist as they splashed through puddles. He kept on walking. "You couldn't spell for shit when you were a kid!" he hollered back. "So I told you to just call me Mr. C!"

"Hey!" Riarshi shouted again. He had one more thing to say to the man that helped raise him - the first person to ever make him feel like he belonged in this world. The one he lost, but now regained.

Khohn turned around again, tossing up his hands. Riarshi couldn't hear him, but the body language was as though Khohn was saying, what now?!

"Thank you." Riarshi mouthed, ensuring he formed each syllable carefully.

He was sure Khohn didn't hear it. Nevertheless, the emerald-eyed man smiled, brought two fingers to his brow in a salute, and twirled around again. He walked out of sight down the long, hazy city street.