The suspiciously beaming professors led the sixty Newbies down the tunnel and into the center of the arena. Riarshi's eyes, adjusting to the light of the fireworks exploding in the bright blue afternoon sky, were met by a packed and sold out Spiritfield Stadium - sixty thousand strong.
Hundreds of the country's Heroes, dressed in their official POH uniforms, sat in the stands with their arms crossed. Commissioner Aryl looked over the entire stadium from a box seat at the North end of the arena. Third semester students who had the day off filled a small, lower section of the seats, all jeering and hollering at the scared and tensed Newbies pacing gingerly behind their professors to center stage.
"What do you think we'll be doing?" Tabito asked. His head spun in circles, looking around at the roaring crowd. "Pretty wild that they're putting on a huge event like this."
"Uhm, not sure, to be honest."
Tabito chuckled, seemingly unbothered by the entire ordeal. "Eh, who knows? Going off of what Professor Khohn and the others said, whatever they have planned can't be too bad if every Hero did the same when they were students."
Despite these encouraging words, Riarshi resisted letting his guard down. Tension rose in each of his muscles and his pulse throbbed in his eardrums. He continued in line with the other students and stepped onto a raised platform that resembled a fighting stage.
Following the professors' directions and gestures, the Newbies formed into four long rows of fifteen. After a brief pause, a section of the center stage they stood on shifted in the shape of a circle, like two curtains being drawn open.
Suddenly, a huge eruption of yellow-green laser beams exploded from the opening, and thick, black smoke piled out as though a rocket had just launched.
A small girl, bursting through the hole and leaving streams of yellow-green beams in her wake, swirled through the air. Her round face and big forest-green eyes resembled that of a young child, but her long, curly, neon-green hair and smug face indicated otherwise.
The magic flowing from her heels sputtered, then vanished, allowing her a smooth descent to arena stage. Her tall, knee-high heeled boots clicked on the tiled surface of the stage flooring.
"What is up, everybody? How's everyone doing today?!" The girl shouted into a microphone, facing and addressing the crowd. Her voice boomed through speakers surrounding the stadium, loud enough so even the oldest spectators could hear.
"You all know who it is... third semester student and future spokeswoman of the POH, Zita!" the girl hollered while performing a jumping - probably well rehearsed - acrobatic pose. Her slim features and overlong hair that curled at the tips earned some catcalls and whistles from the more rowdy male spectators seated throughout the front rows.
She continued with her speech, scoffing off the useless yells and pushing back her hair with her hand.
"Welcome, everybody, to this year's Newbie Showing! Standing on the stage currently is the first batch of Newbies to participate today. They're young, eager, and filled to the brim with untapped and possibly unseen magic. I bet you're all excited to see what these program beginners have to offer this year!"
Thousands of spectators belted an agreeing roar, slapping their hands on the arena wall and twirling their shirts over their heads. Some fans had the letters POH painted on their beer bellies.
"You all know how this works. However, these Newbies have zero clue what the heck is going on."
She glanced over to the sixty Newbies crowded along the stage. She clicked her heels, and with another burst of yellow-green magic from her feet, she flew toward the Newbies, landed with a screech, and stuck the microphone into the face of a shorter, blue-haired girl.
"Isn't that right?!" Zita yelled.
"Uhm... y-y-y-yeah...." the girl stammered, her face nearly as white as paper. She clenched her trembling hands in front of her chest. She looked as though she might faint.
"Exactly!" Zita screamed happily, turning the mic back to herself. "Well, lemme explain the game plan here for today, folks. All of you are prospective Heroes, right?"
The Newbies nodded together.
"Well, to become a Hero, you have to be strong. Like, really strong!" She threw her fist into the air. "What we're going to do today is show these thousands of people just how powerful you all are. Each of you will come up to the top stage here and display your magic. But I don't mean a simple little spell. We want you to break past your limits and give us all the strongest magic you have to offer!"
Riarshi looked around the lines of other Newbies. The nervousness had melted from their faces.
"The professors in attendance will evaluate your displays today to gauge your current baselines. Using this, they can efficiently plan their lessons for the rest of the semester. Essentially, they want to know what each of their students is capable of before you fully begin the Hero Program." Zita turned to the crowd again. "But more importantly, this wild, loud, and uh-may-zing crowd wants to see a freaking epic show!"
The spectators shouted in agreement.
Zita's thumb flicked the switch on the side of the microphone. Her bubbly persona quickly swapped to a more serious and sensible tone, one not fitting her appearance, but more so her professional position.
Her voice was no longer bouncing throughout the stadium. Instead, she was bent at the waist and addressing only the Newbies.
"A Hero must be able to perform under pressure, whether that be when fighting demons, robbers, or any other criminal. The public eye will be on you constantly. Every action you take will no doubt be scrutinized, critiqued, and talked about for years on end. The public's faith will fluctuate, mold, and possibly disappear depending on if a Hero performs their duty, or fails miserably. You all needa be ready for this. This is the first step to becoming a Hero, little ones."
Zita stood up tall and again raised a fist into the air. "You all ready to show these people what you got?!" she screamed, speakers shaking the entire stadium.
The Newbies around Riarshi cheered at the top of their lungs with star-filled eyes. This was their chance to show off their powers to the various members of the POH and Commissioner Aryl himself. Here, they could set the foundation for their brand and their view in the public eye.
This sudden change in mood failed to occur within Riarshi. He wanted to keep a low profile during his time in the Hero Program - learn how to strengthen his magic and discretely become the greatest Hero he could be. But now, in front of a packed stadium, he had to show the lackluster power that had plunged him to the murky bottom of society.
His eyes slowly drifted over the thousands in the stands.
I'm screwed.
After a few minutes of thunderous cheers and hoots from spectators nearly spilling from their seats, the massive crowd settled, preparing for the first student to take their turn. Although the crowd had simmered to a more sensible volume, the atmosphere was still just as electric.
Zita looked around the stadium and put her lips to the microphone. "All right, let's finally begin the Showing! First up-" she pointed at the first person in line, "-is this guy right here!"
This boy's eyes sprung open, and the tips of his ears flushed red. He didn't move at first, and Zita cocked an eyebrow.
"Come on up here! Don't be scared, think of it like an ice breaker event! No pressure at all!" She waved her hand toward the higher end of the stage as though she was calling a pet, trying to beckon him from the safety of his spot in line.
Some ice breaker this was, being displayed in front of sixty thoudand people as though they were animals at an auction.
Up first was a male classmate of Riarshi's named Adachi. He had fire-red hair with flickering eyes to match. A black sport headband wrapped around his forehead kept hair from falling in his face. He was slightly taller than Riarshi, and just as well built.
Adachi usually sat in the back of class with Leon, so Riarshi never dared to speak to him. But from what he could tell, Leon and Adachi were especially close. He could overhear their laughs in the classroom's corner, cackling over how weak some people in the Program were. He had the slightest feeling they were talking about him.
The red-haired teen slid his hands into his pant pockets and climbed his way to the higher part of the stage. Thousands of anticipating stares from the crowd sized him up, along with the curious eyes of the other Newbies.
His face showed a slight smirk and relaxed brows. His pockets, though, hid his trembling hands well, but the jiggling watch on his wrist was still easy to spot. At least for Riarshi.
Once he took his place next to Zita at the top of the stage, she leaned the mic in front of his lips and asked, "Okay bud, what's your name?"
Keeping on his fearless mask and trying his best to shake away the bead of sweat creeping down his brow, the teen cleared his throat and answered with a loud, confident, "Adachi Rivera."
The microphone angled back toward Zita's lips. "Now, tell the crowd why you wish to be a Hero!" she asked excitedly.
This Newbie Showing really was a nightmare icebreaker from hell.
Thousands of eyes stared at him. Without hesitation, Adachi put his mouth up to the mic and said, "Because I want to be the strongest and richest Hero to exist. I don't care who or what I have to go though, I'll make it into the Top Ten."
Zita tilted the mic. "Wow! What confidence you have for a Newbie! A bit cliche with your answer, but that's all right. No judgement here! Okay, Adachi, what I need you to do is unleash your magic. And by that, I mean power up to your maximum. Use any spell you want. Just make sure that it won't hurt anyone, kay?"
"So... just show off my strength?" Adachi asked, finishing his question with a stifled laugh.
Zita nodded to confirm. "Mhmm."
"All right."
Zita lept out of the way.
Adachi smirked and closed his eyes. He spread his feet and clenched his fists. Then, each muscle in his legs and forearms tensed and bulged through his clothes. His teeth mashed together as his red eyes glowed with a fierce fire.
Several flickers of red flame ignited along his shoulders, knees, and hands. Each quickly grew into a roaring inferno, eventually spreading and engulfing his entire body. The temperature of the surrounding air rose high enough to produce sweat on everyone's skin. As the fire expanded along the stage flooring, a loud roar unleashed from Adachi's gut.
Adachi screamed as the rippling flames surrounding him rose and flew toward the crowd in a wide burst of power.
Before reaching the stands, each flare spun into a whirlwind, creating a swirling cage of bright, red flames dancing around Adachi's body. While the whirlwind delivered its flashing show, Adachi stood tall at its center with sweat drenching his brow and the back of his shirt.
A large, satisfied smirk stretched across his face.
Thunderous cheers from the stands met this spinning circus of fire. Awing shouts such as, "Holy shit!", "That's awesome!", and "If this is just the first kid, I knew this Showing would be worth the time!" filled the arena.
These various praises and shouts accumulated to form an enormous, buzzing roar. Some Newbies grumbled to each other, jealousy burning as hot as Adachi's fire.
Once his flames vanished, Zita jumped and erupted into the microphone, "Wow! That was amazing, Adachi! Setting the bar high for everyone else, huh?!"
Still slightly out of breath, Adachi snickered to himself. "Heh, well, I'd like to see anyone top that."
Riarshi watched from the back row with wide eyes. Adachi was clearly a strong flame magic user, but he had never seen such insane command over one's own magic. Although the show Adachi put on wasn't practical from a fighting standpoint, it took an immense amount of skill to contain such powerful flames.
Soaking in the thunderous applause from the spectators for a few savory moments, Adachi slowly stepped off the stage. He found his way back into line with the confident grin never leaving his face.
Riarshi could tell Adachi's performance had set the bar enormously high. However, each Newbie who topped the stage afterwards awed the audience nearly the same. Throughout the next hour, Newbies from the three classes made their journey to center stage, introduced themselves, then tried their hardest to create a show for the spectators with various types of flashy magic.
Explosions of green mist, beams of assorted colors, levitation spells, and dozens of other unique magic powers graced the arena stage. Each Newbie aimed for the loudest ovation from the stands, but more importantly, they attempted to impress the Heroes and Professors in attendance.
Forty of the sixty Newbies had completed their turn when Zita spotted the next participant in line. Once her forest-green eyes locked with a glowing sapphire in the distance, her face lit up.
Zita placed the mic right up to her smirking lips. "Well, well... look who's next on the list everyone! Come on Hara, get yourself up here and show everybody what you got!" she said, waving her hand at the next person in line.
Riarshi peeked over the heads of the next row. The girl in line took her time claiming her spot at center stage. Her midnight black hair and sapphire eyes shined under the lights of the stadium and the dazzling sun, sending the once rowdy crowd into a state of silenced awe.
It's that same girl from before - the one who ran into me.
He danced on his toes to get a better view.
Taking few seconds to soak in a long look at her, Riarshi suddenly realized this girl was another student in his class. She also sat in the back of the class like Adachi and Leon, but Riarshi had never seen her speaking to either of the boys.
Come to think of it, he couldn't remember her talking to anyone at all. Not that he was one to judge. Tabito was the only person he exchanged pleasantries with.
"Okay, hun, tell everyone your name." said Zita, tipping the microphone toward the girl's face.
"Hara Harper," she replied coolly. Her voice was soft and angelic, but not as high-pitched as Riarshi assumed would accompany her petite frame.
Rather than cheers and shouts similar to the ones the rowdy men in the crowd launched at Zita, the same people instead honored Hara with a quiet admiration of her appearance and chilly aura.
"You know what to do, girl. Have at it," Zita directed calmly. She moved out of the way to give Hara proper space.
Hara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. For about twenty seconds, she stayed this way, not moving in the slightest. This was an unexpected change of pace, since the students who went before had gone full-speed right out of the gate.
Is she going to do anything? Riarshi thought, confused from Hara's strange behavior.
Before he could finish the thought, Hara's eyes shot open, both glowing like supernova stars. Her black hair floated weightlessly into the air, and her body blazed with an intense blue aura.
Brooompt! A deep, bass-like sound dropped in the arena.
The entire stadium engulfed in a blanket of royal blue light. Instantly, gravity seemed like it had doubled, forcing Riarshi to drop to a knee.
He was being crushed. Using nearly all of his strength to keep his head up, his eyes bounced around the arena. Everyone else in the line of Newbies was in the same position as him - kneeling down and gritting their teeth. His stomach felt heavy, like he was screaming down the steepest slope of a roller coaster.
Gazing at her massive, glowing eyes while she stood with her arms extended, palms facing out, Riarshi noticed the same somber look from before accompanying her deep sapphire blue.
She was strong, much stronger than him or anyone else he knew. But despite having enormous power in this world run by magic, this girl's glossy eyes seemed empty and hopelessly vacant.
Thirty seconds had passed before the glow in Hara's eyes gradually faded. Her long black hair dropped to her sides, lightly flowing in the breezy winds still whirling around the arena. Before even receiving a reaction from the crowd, she turned and hastily made her way back to her spot in line.
"Wow... uh, that was insane! Huh, everyone?!" Zita yelled into the mic, picking herself up from a knee and fixing her long, curly hair with a quick finger comb. She blew a stray lock from her face.
A light, awkward applause sounded from the stands after a while. The crowd had wanted a show, but despite the obvious strength of magic just presented to them, it was clear no one expected to have felt such an effect on their own bodies.
"My gods, that was insane." Riarshi whispered, stretching his stiff neck.
"She's amazing, huh?" a voice responded next to him.
Alerted to the voice, Riarshi turned to find Tabito smiling. Riarshi must have spoken loud enough for him to hear.
"Uh, yeah... definitely," Riarshi replied stiffly.
In the small, rural town of Westray, it was rare to see powerful magic like what the Newbies had presented so far. Fate always reserved this magical blessing for the prestigious pedigree born and raised in the city. And now, right in front of Riarshi's eyes, it was plainly apparent that the students here today were the cream of the crop of the largest urban community in the country.
After what felt like hours of non-stop magical entertainment for everyone in the stadium, only two Newbies - standing in the last row - had yet to take their turns... Tabito and Riarshi.
Riarshi's turn was rapidly approaching, and he couldn't have been any less excited for what was coming.