Fall had reached its middle stages as the air became more chilled and dry with each passing day. Short-sleeved shirts and tank tops transitioned to long sleeves and sweatshirts. Some students, however, still insisted on bringing iced-coffee to class despite the winds nipping at their exposed necks.

Riarshi had been in the Hero Program for two months now, with the past month seeming to have flown by at light-speed. To him, it didn't seem like it was only two weeks ago that he carried Hara, drunk off her rocker, home from the club to her empty single apartment.

In the weeks since that eventful night, Hara returned to her normal self, albeit with a few subtle changes. Her icy demeanor towards Riarshi had melted slightly, and they could share a few words during walks on campus or on breaks without fear of violence. 

Her avoidance of Riarshi had dissolved, and she now exchanged pleasantries with him in passing. She even began accompanying him and Tabito to Merino's more often than before, although she still quietly surfed through her phone the entire time. 

Riarshi, who returned her attempts at being civil with his own, enjoyed these slight changes.

Did this change come about because of her gratefulness for his help that night? Or had she softened because of the second piece of blackmail Riarshi had against her? Maybe it was because he forgave her for the tree mishap during the third exam? Whatever the reason, he enjoyed this new - slightly warmer than freezing - side of the sapphire-eyed beauty.

These thoughts ricocheted through Riarshi's head while he packed his bag at the end of class. The ground underneath his feet spread its stone-like cold through the soles of his shoes. Even the bright afternoon sun couldn't dispel the fall's chilly blanket with its warmth.

Riarshi stood up with a grunt and tossed his bag over his shoulder. He didn't hear Tabito approach.

Tabito slid to Riarshi's side. "Hey, you wanna stay after today and spar? I wanna go over today's lesson again," he whispered through a cupped hand.

Taken aback, Riarshi glanced at him sideways. Tabito had shown no issues with today's assignment. Come to think of it, Riarshi couldn't remember the last time Tabito struggled in practical class, or any class for that matter.

"Uh, sure, I'm down."

The fourth and final practical exam - the Internship Tryout - was looming over the two of them like a dark storm cloud refusing to pass. Riarshi, although greatly improved in terms of magical potency and utilization, still lacked the confidence he desired to succeed. In the last few weeks, he saw any extra time for improving his magic as valuable as gold.

Tabito ran over to Professor Khohn, who stood on the side of the field with his arms crossed, surveying the class as they left. He wore a white, collared shirt with a thick green sweater, clearly prioritizing warmth over style. Tabito asked him if they, pointing to Riarshi, could use the field to practice.

Khohn had become accustomed to this request from Tabito, since he and Riarshi would often stay after once or twice a week to work on their magical skills. Khohn would usually let them do as they pleased. He'd give the nod to any student putting in the extra effort to get stronger.

Today's response, however, was unexpected. Accepting Tabito's request with a decisive nod, Khohn had a request for them in return.

"If you boys don't mind, do you care if I observe your spar?"

Tabito and Riarshi looked at each other sideways, then returned their eyes to the professor.

"Uh, yeah, sure!" answered Tabito.

Riarshi didn't oppose either.

Professor Khohn clapped his hands together and smirked. "Excellent, let me see how much you two have grown. You know what? I'm feeling very generous today." Khohn tossed his leather bag to the side, where it landed on the white sideline of the field. "I'll also give you both some critiquing once you're done."

The boys agreed.

Considering their practices a spar was a gross overstatement. Riarshi and Tabito had never truly fought in a one-on-one duel before. 

Their usual after class training would normally consist of experimenting with various styled attacks and unique move combinations. These typically involved throwing attack after attack at each other until one person tired out - Riarshi being the one about ninety percent of the time.

Were they prioritizing efficiency over anything else? Not at all. But they both got one hell of a workout each time they stayed after, leaving their muscles screaming for rest and laziness the next day.

Tabito and Riarshi walked into the center of the worn out field. Classes had beaten the plush green grass - which once covered the fields all the way to the treeline in the back - into a battlefield-like state. Dusty dirt patches, tiny ant hills, and yellowed dead grass dotted the field, erasing its original beauty from the beginning of the semester.

"So, you wanted to go over today's lesson, right?" Riarshi asked. "What was it exactly you wanted to go over? You looked like you had everything down pretty well."

"Yeah, I do!" Tabito leaned in toward Riarshi and muttered through a cupped hand, "To be honest, I kind of spaced out in the middle of class". He stared at Professor Khohn, who remained standing on the sidelines with his arms crossed over his chest. "I sorta winged it in class today. In fact, I followed your lead with whatever the assignment was."

Riarshi face palmed and provided Tabito with an abbreviated rehashing of the lesson. Today's focus had been on magic weaknesses and how to exploit them in battle.

"No matter what type of magic a person uses, each magic has some kind of weakness."

"For example, Tabito, you use flame magic to strengthen your attacks and burn anyone that touches you or comes close to you. If you were, say, underwater... your magic would be practically useless. Your flames would immediately be doused and you would be unable to relight them. Same goes for fighting someone with water magic. You would be at a severe disadvantage against any of their spells."

"Oh, that makes sense. Well, what about you?" Tabito asked curiously, rubbing his chin with a hand.

Riarshi arched a brow. Come to think of it, he hadn't ever thought about his own magic weaknesses. He believed his demonic power was a weakness, preventing him from living up to his potential, but he obviously couldn't tell Tabito this.

"Well, my magic doesn't work externally. I can't shoot sparks or lightning at people. So I guess my magic only works internally by affecting my bodily functions... like senses and speed," said Riarshi, studying his palms and the back of his hands. "My weakness would probably be some kind of magic or spell that stops my sparks or limits my internal usage."

Tabito rubbed his chin more vigorously. "Well, neither of us really has magic that goes against those weaknesses, huh?"

Riarshi nodded his head. Tabito had a point.

"Yeah, I guess not."

"Well, that plan's squashed," sighed Tabito, placing his hands on his hips. After a few seconds, a smile lit up his face. It seemed as though a light bulb suddenly flickered on in his head. "Hey, I have an idea. Let's spar, like Khohn alluded to, for real. We might as well with Khohn watching and all, and we kinda can't leave him hanging. He's been watching us since we stepped onto the field..."

Riarshi took a step back. "Wait for real? Like an actual fight?"

"Yeah man, I know you've gotten stronger!" said Tabito as he pumped his fist.

Riarshi took a moment to ponder the idea. His magical strength and control had improved drastically since joining the Hero Program, but he knew he had practically no chance of beating Tabito one on one, especially with his current power. Thinking otherwise would have been unrealistic optimism.

"Fantastic idea, you two!" Khohn shouted from the sideline, having overheard their conversation. Both teens twitched. 

"I'll tell you this, because you two have been staying after so often. How 'bout I up the stakes for you, gentlemen? We'll keep this safe and quick. Whoever lands the first real, powerful hit will be crowned the winner and-" he paused for a second, pursed his lips, then raised a finger, "-I will tell this person a secret about the next big lesson I have planned for class. Think of it like a small head start."

Tabito and Riarshi shared an understanding look.

"That's an awesome idea! I'm game," declared Tabito, an intense look suddenly flooding his face.

"I'm down, too. Let's do it," Riarshi answered. He didn't mind. It was not like he'd fail if he lost. He also assumed Tabito would probably tell him this secret after, anyway.

***

Although the back-and-forth battle of punches and dodges was much closer and evenly matched than Riarshi had expected, one foolish kick left Riarshi with an enormous opening. 

Tabito, with a sparkle to his orange eyes, took full advantage of Riarshi's mistake and landed a flame powered punch into Riarshi's jaw, immediately ending the spar.

The two Newbies shook hands at the middle of the dust-ridden field. The cloud of dust kicked up from the fight faded away. With fatigue riddling their bones, they plopped their rears onto the sideline's soft green grass.

Riarshi's jaw throbbed, burned down to a layer of glossy red skin. He refused healing, again wishing to not look soft in front of Tabito and the professor.

Khohn gave them a round of applause for a well-fought fight. Smiling at Tabito, he commended the teens on their efforts and the growth they had shown with their improved techniques. As he promised, Professor Khohn provided some feedback on how to further improve their skills.

Riarshi didn't listen to Tabito's feedback, instead trying to distract himself from his painfully burned jaw with thoughts of Nurse Jayne. He'd definitely go visit her after Khohn and Tabito left. 

His attention, however, was directed fully at Khohn once it was his turn for feedback.

Khohn's smile faded, replaced by the solid, expressionless mask of stone. "So, Riarshi. Tell me something... Why aren't you pushing your power more?"

Riarshi, confused by the familiar question, furrowed his brow. Khohn had asked him this almost every other class, and Riarshi couldn't believe he was hearing it again.

"Pushing my power?" Riarshi repeated. "What do you even mean? You keep saying that every class."

Khohn's long nose wrinkled, shifting his glasses which glinted in the falling sun.

"Your movements make it obvious that you are holding something back. You may be slightly quicker thanks to your magic, but every single one of your movements is stiff. You seriously look like you're a walking water balloon ready to burst, or that you're holding in a great one."

This analogy made Tabito burst into a roaring laugh, but he promptly stifled it with a hand once Riarshi failed to join. Riarshi didn't find this analogy amusing at all. In fact, he was deeply offended. Khohn was wrong. This was all the magic he could muster.

"I am though, Professor," urged Riarshi, raising his voice. "You tell me this before every other class, and trust me... I'm trying to. You saw how I fought just now. My magic is getting stronger with each week I train. I feel like my reflexes are top notch out there."

Khohn maintained his gaze. He remained silent for a few seconds, his glasses still focused on Riarshi. His response was blunt, quick, and straight to the point. "Bullshit."

Tabito's lasting chuckle squealed to a stop. Riarshi glared angrily back at his professor, wrinkling his nose and forehead. A rush of brisk cold burst through his veins.

"What do you mean, bullshit?" he snapped.

Khohn crossed his arms, and his top lip arched in a disgusted snarl. He wasn't affected by Riarshi's heated words in the slightest.

"Come on, Riarshi. You know damn well that everything you just said is bullshit. You're stiff, slow, and couldn't even land a single attack during that entire five-minute fight. You ran. That's all you did. And the one time you actually tried to do anything, you threw a stiff, sloppy attack, which Tabito easily countered." He pointed to Riarshi's jaw, still bright red, but now somewhat cooled by the chill air. "You're trying to convince yourself that what you just showed was enough to make it as a Hero."

The words struck Riarshi's heart like a flaming arrow, burning everything in its path. No, it wasn't heat. It was cold, freezing, frostbite. A monster roared within his chest, the echo pounding in his ears. He wasn't raving on the insides just because these words were so blunt, but because deep down - he knew they were true.

Whenever Riarshi used his magic, he sensed his demonic side hovering over him like a storm cloud, its ominous darkness ready to unleash a violent torrent of destruction. It took every ounce of self-control while using his magic not to let this storm cloud burst and rain down over him, sucking him under the depths of an inescapable flood.

Riarshi wasn't sure how to respond to Khohn. Rage sealed his lips, froze his tongue. But after what seemed like ages, he finally built up the strength to make his lips move.

"I'm trying the best I can with what I have though," he muttered, eyes staring gloomily at the ground.

"Well, trying your best isn't good enough."

Khohn grabbed his bag and strode toward the boys. Once he was at Riarshi's side, he leaned in toward his ear and whispered, just loud enough for only him to hear, "You better kick your ass into gear soon, or you won't even make it to the Tryout."

Before Khohn stepped onto the web of field pathways, he turned around again and beckoned Tabito with a hand. "Tabito, I almost forgot... Come over here and I'll tell you what to expect during the next big assignment."

Tabito, with a rare frown, glanced sadly toward Riarshi before running off to speak to Khohn.