A chilly breeze of mid-November air blew past Riarshi's face as he walked along his usual route through the middle of Westray. No leaves remained on the trees that lined the winding, suburban roads, instead electing to flood nearby lawns. The families that usually hung around their yards during the summer heat now huddled inside by blazing wood stoves.

Late fall was always beautiful throughout each corner of Aginem. The weather never became too cold, and snow didn't come until much later in the year - more so in the northern towns. People still enjoyed their fireplaces and sweatshirts, though. Despite the slight nip of the passing winds, these next few months would be the perfect time for calming, thoughtful walks.

Riarshi smiled as he passed by a few houses, noticing the little wafts of smoke floating above red brick chimneys. The childish jealousy he once held for the children of these households was no more, replaced by a warm sensation in his chest, as though he himself was by the fire with his own family. 

Or maybe the warmth was his mind fantasizing about chowing down a hot, fried sandwich at Merino's.  Riarshi chuckled at his wondering thoughts. He had shopping to do, so he shoved the pleasant but distracting image away until lunchtime.

The Westray Marketplace was about a ten-minute walk from Riarshi's apartment. However, with a few timely sparks surrounding his feet and a goal in mind, his commute would be a mere seven.

Wet leaves littered the ground - colored red, yellow, and orange - whose damp surfaces glimmered in the morning sun. Riarshi's sparks crackled throughout the piles as he jogged through them, creating hints of mist that made the air smell somewhat damp and earthy. Unfortunately, Riarshi had little time to wander and soak in the views. He had to get his shopping done before noon, as he was to meet Tabito and Hara for lunch.

With sparks flying in his wake, Riarshi screeched to a halt at the entrance to the Westray Marketplace. On a normal weekday, youngsters, parents, and grandparents of the small town would pack this large common, filling every row.

He had purposely set his alarm for eight o'clock that morning, knowing that the market wouldn't be as busy with all the town's children in school.

Riarshi secretly thanked the Hero Program's kindness for giving him off the two days before the Tryout. This allowed him ample time to rest his over-trained body and complete some overdue chores.

Because November brought a sudden wave of raw and cold weather to Aginem, vendors supplied stalls with pies, pumpkins, candles, and other fall goods that warmed the senses. The pleasant smell of nutmeg and cinnamon radiating from steaming-hot pastries filled his nostrils and awakened a spice-driven energy within his brain as he walked the aisles.

Looking around the marketplace, Riarshi noticed the number of booths and shops had dwindled along with the temperature, leaving the aisles and its normally plentiful options more scarce than usual.

Sufficing with one paper bag of produce, meats were the last thing written on his grocery list. And he knew exactly where to go.

"Hmm," the gray old lady hummed, her sky-blue eyes looking Riarshi up and down when he walked up to her stall. "I've been wondering when I'd get to see your handsome face again, young man."

"Oh, come on, I was just here last week," said Riarshi playfully. "Can't go a few days without seeing me?" A clever smirk spread across his face. He wanted to try his hand at teasing the old lady, just like she did to him every time he visited her stand.

Her eyes flicked up to him, and one of her eyebrows arched. The look on her face showed that she accepted the silent, unspoken challenge.

"Ho-ho, my boy, I think I get a year younger every time I look at you. Of course... I can't go long without seeing you. If you stop visiting my stall, I may poof into a cloud of dust and fly away in the wind."

"I don't know how that's possible," Riarshi said with a quick chuckle, "a young lady like yourself could never die so soon."

For a few moments, the old lady didn't reply.

It had been only three months ago when she watched this young man storm off after the confrontation with that despicable and rude high magic user. This young man, despite his youth, was clearly fighting something dark for quite a long time. The exhaustion was evident on his face - the same exhaustion she noticed in many other commoners during her years at the marketplace.

There had been something else revealed behind his heavy, sunken eyes - emotions that broke her old little heart. Sadness, despair, and loneliness.

She saw these emotions lessen after her brief talk with the young man. The way his features perked into a hopeful smile brought a comforting warmth to her chest.

The negative emotions quickly returned, however, once the rude man shoved him to the ground. Demons may have been the evil that lurked in the shadows, but magical discrimination was the evil broadcast for everyone to see. He was just another unfortunate victim in this corrupt country.

Today was special.

She placed her knife down on her cutting board and gazed at the young man in front of her - the young man she'd seen dozens, if not hundreds of times here at the Westray Marketplace. To her, he looked different. She'd complimented him more times than she could count on her calloused fingers, but the usual tension he held in his face each time he visited her stand was wonderfully absent that morning.

"You're doing better, aren't you, my boy?" she asked softly. A big, bright smile beamed over her wrinkled face.

A powerful heartbeat pulsed through Riarshi's body, warming him down to his toes. She didn't have to explain her question. He knew what she meant.

"Yeah... I am," he smiled back at her. A prolonged tension suddenly eased in his chest. "Thank you."

She nodded and smiled. Continuing her duties, she weighed two cuts of chicken in her hands by casting a light-blue glow over them. One eye squinted as though hundreds of calculations jittered around her brain. Opening both eyes, she placed both cuts of meat in a bag.

Riarshi grabbed the bag and turned to leave. But before he was out of earshot, the old lady inquired, "May I ask your name, young man?"

Riarshi paused for a moment. It wasn't a particularly odd question, yet it did come out of nowhere.

"Sure, it's Riarshi Thomas," he said casually, stepping toward the stall.

The old lady lifted her bright eyes. "Ah, I see," she said. "Very fitting."

"I don't suppose you can give me your name in return, ma'am?" Riarshi asked.

"Adaile," she answered, continuing her precise slices of meat at the counter.

"Nice to meet you, Adaile," Riarshi replied with a warm smile.

"You as well, young man."

***

Riarshi passed by a series of vendors selling gloves and special scar-remover cream on his way out of the Marketplace. Ignoring the stall keeper's sales pitches, he took his phone out from his pocket and unlocked the screen.

9:02 AM

Okay, perfect. If I get this stuff home, I can get a quick workout in before leaving for Merino's.

He shifted his feet toward his apartment and continued walking, carefully dodging the other people on the path.

Riarshi made his way down the street, passing a series of boarded-up buildings to his right he hadn't ever seen occupied. It wasn't long until he noticed a familiar alleyway to his right, between two tall apartment complexes.

He glanced down its lengthy depths, darkened by the shadows cast by the sun's low angle. Memories flooded his mind, sending icy shivers down his spine and stopping him in his tracks.

In this same dark and pungent alley a mere three months ago, he battled a fellow demon to save a little girl from a horrible fate. The damage from the fight was still evident. Shards of concrete and random blood spots still lay spread across the ground.

The metallic taste of blood in his mouth, the crippling pain of a shattered forearm, and the undeniable surge of rage surged through his body. Staring into the alley's distance, all three sensations returned to him in a nasty mixture.

It was here he succumbed to his demonic powers for a few brief minutes, letting the darkness rush over him. The power surge he had felt was admittedly amazing and addicting. His magic was stronger than ever before, its potency enhancing his senses to insane levels.

He had despised himself for doing so, but only recently realized it was for the best. If he hadn't used his birth given powers, the demon would have easily killed him. Worst of all, Tabito's sister might have suffered a fate even more horrifying than death.

This was why he chose to fight that day- that was why he used that power.

After he saved her, she had unexpectedly enveloped him in a tight, warming hug. With tears in her orange eyes, she proclaimed he was her hero, no matter who or what he was. Little did she know that these brief but powerful words dragged him out of the icy pit of despair he had fallen into.

If he never heard those words, or if Tabito never learned a low magic commoner saved his sister, neither he nor Tabito would be where they were today. If it wasn't for this dark alley, Riarshi might have already succumbed to the darkness by now - transforming him into an evil monster just like the demon he fought - alone, angry, and full of hate.

Thankfully, he didn't hear any screams or cries today. Riarshi tore his gaze away and shifted his feet, continuing his journey back home.

Jeez, I don't even know what Tabito and Hara would do if I ran late because of another fight.

He couldn't lie to himself, though. He knew that if the situation came about again, he would repeat everything he did in a heartbeat and without hesitation. His friends would understand.

Riarshi hurried his pace, his sparks glowing around his legs like thin ribbons of blue. He couldn't afford to miss this important meeting.

Two days separated them from Wednesday's Hero Internship Tryout, and they needed a plan.