The Divine Demon - Book 3: Your Hero

2. A New Burden

"Jeez, man. That thing carried on along longer than I thought it would," Tabito groaned, stretching his arms overhead as he, Riarshi, and Hara walked out of the auditorium.

"Aryl really does ramble on forever about a ton of unnecessary stuff," Riarshi sighed, feeling the slight pull in his back from sitting for so long.
"He's the commissioner, boys," Hara noted sternly, "and it's our orientation. We needed to know about all of that stuff."

As expected, and to everyone's displeasure, Commissioner Aryl used every second of the last hour to explain the full details of the Hero Internship.

Monday to Friday, the POH would assign every squad several missions to complete under the supervision of the squad leader. The schedule would be busy, and they would receive a small stipend for their work, but other measures had to be taken to ensure compliance.

Due to the wide range of commute times for the interns, everyone was offered housing within a wing of the HQ that contained dormitories. The migration would hopefully eliminate the probability of tardiness and allow the interns to be on call if need be.

Riarshi didn't have to think twice. He would immediately sign up the second he got home.

Cheerfulness from the prospect of moving out of his slum apartment brought a smile to his face as the trio walked along the landing of the third floor and started down the steps.

All three were hungry and decided to take a trip down to the cafeteria for a bite to eat. They could have easily transported there with their newly acquired personal ID cards, but Aryl urged to not become too dependent on its magic. Instead, they took the long and old-fashioned way down the flight of stairs.

Thoughts and fantasies of the future clouded Riarshi's mind, and before he knew it, the three of them strolled into the swarmed cafeteria. The digital clocks plastered around the HQ's walls had just struck noon, so the lunch rush was crazy busy with Heroes, local visitors, business people, and HQ staff trying to fit in quick meals during their criminally short break.

Riarshi, Tabito, and Hara made their way into the long line, grabbed some food, and sat down at a nearby table that had just cleared.

Rather than shoving food down their throats like all the other workers had done in mere minutes, the teens took their time eating. Neither had to be anywhere that day.

All three watched the quick, coordinated movements of workers and Heroes alike. There was little over a week left before they would be in the same position.

Is that what it's like to be fully working? Riarshi wondered with a hint of concern as the juices from his chicken sandwich splashed down onto his plate.

"Think we'll end up like that?" A voice joked from behind Riarshi. He spun around in his seat to see an all too familiar head of teal hair and a pair of deep yellow eyes staring back at him.

Leon Craft stood just feet away from Riarshi with a full tray in his hands. "Mind if I sit here?" he gestured to the unoccupied seat next to him. The corner of his mouth slanted into a small, but wary grin that matched his conflicted body language.

For the first time since they met, Riarshi heard a genuine tone of friendliness in Leon's voice. "Sure, plenty of room," he smiled back.

Leon nodded and sat down next to him. "Adachi and Helga are still in line," Leon said, placing his tray down. He then glanced up to Tabito and Hara. "Mind if they join, too?"

Both teens gave an approving but silent nod. Leon and Adachi had said some horrendous things to the three of them in the past, whether it be about their strength in magic, or deep familial issues. It would've been completely understandable if the trio told him off or cursed him out, but neither had the desire to stoop to that level. Both Leon and Adachi played a role in the defeat of the Tryout Demon. Fighting side by side against a deadly foe could break down even the strongest of self-imposed walls.