"I will find you, and claim you. One way or the other."

The room fell silent. Killian walked in, adjusting his gloves and calmly bopping to the music playing from his headphones.

He didn’t notice the shift in the room, but he caught the stares. They looked away when he made eye contact and started to whisper.

Killian dropped into the only seat at the back, and whipped out his phone. He looked at the time, a serious expression on his face. "They will be here soon."

His older sister had woken up on the second day with a splitting headache that could only be silenced by a crystal choker necklace, courtesy of Mr. Jenovan.

In her dreams, she had heard the angel’s very specific threats. He would find her, and claim her no matter where she went.

Her predicament presented a painful reality to Killian. It didn’t matter if the chain was gone, or the Knight was eaten, he had to kill the bastard of an angel who was obsessed with his sister.

However, he wouldn’t be alone this time, because Quara was also personally offended by his audacity and promised a hint.

The door slammed open. Everyone in the room raised their heads, except for Killian who didn’t notice.

He spotted the red kitten heels beside him and pulled his legs away for her to pass.

The heels stopped at that spot. He raised his head, meeting the gaze of a young dark-skinned lady dressed in a red suit uniform, stretching a file to him. He took down his headphones.

"Grim Warden, I suppose?" Her accent curled over her words as she spoke. Killian’s back straightened. He nodded.

Killian dropped his eyes to the file, then back to the lady. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the others tapping the next person and whispering even louder.

"The bus will be here to pick up every student. Assist in taking the names of everyone. You’ve been assigned Region Leader."

’Huh?’ He finally looked at the direction of the other teenagers his age fully.

The room was filled with brown-skinned newbies, and Killian’s pale complexion stood out easily among them. He was clearly an outsider. They were only there because George had brought them to the closest hospital.

Yet since no one complained, he took the file. "This isn’t your role that you’re pushing to me, is it?" he asked to be sure.

The straight-faced lady slightly raised a brow, then smiled.

"No, it is tradition to have a Region Leader before entry to the trials. Your goal is to ensure Wardens from your region become amongst the twenty-four to compete in the trials."

’Right. The very first exam before trials is the selection.’

’But that was the training we did back then.’

The lady added just before he could speak. "And I know you went through a selection in your region, hence why you are the only perfect fit for helping the Wardens here. They are all newbies."

"All newbies?" Killian frowned. The trials consisted of talented newbies and low-ranked Wardens.

Which meant if one was joining that trial as a newbie, it was important to be ’talented’.

Killian believed he had the experience to compensate for his talent, but if these newbies were skipped for Region Leader position, to be given to a total stranger from another region...

"They aren’t talented, at least?" He whispered under his breath.

At least that part was valued more than experience, as in Keith’s case. Killian sighed, taking the file from the lady.

She flashed him a smile that disappeared when she looked away.

Killian flipped through the file. It had the passport pictures of each student but with blank pages, requiring information like Name, Rank, Nickname, and Element.

Killian glanced at the other newbies, realizing they were seated huddled at the end of the room, watching him carefully. He moved towards them confidently.

Upon closer observation, he found that they were actually all girls and half of them might be younger than he was.

Killian’s confidence dwindled. ’Do we even speak the same language? This region has its own local language, doesn’t it?’

"Um, hello?"

Silence.

A soft sigh left Killian. He quietly cursed at everything that brought him to this situation. He cleared his throat, and raised the file.

"We have to fill this up before we leave for the academy. We are leaving in a few hours. So the faster we get this done, the better."

Some of them seemed to drop their guard, but the majority still had stiffened shoulders.

It wasn’t working so he simply turned away to find the lady who had placed the burden on him.

The language barrier wasn’t something talent nor experience could solve in a few hours.

BAM!

The door slammed on his face before he could reach the doorknob. He had taken a step back quickly, and a glare formed on his brows.

His glare softened when he recognized her.

The girl had recognized him first. "Ah, it’s him! Grim Warden!"

Her friends surrounded her, then the next second surrounded him, looking into his face like they left something there.

Killian took more steps for self-preservation but behind him, the other students had risen up and surrounded him.

"Wait, what’s happening now—"

"Do you mean the Top Scorer?" one of the newbies, who were silent a second ago, chirped happily. "He’s taller than you said."

Killian slipped from their midst, standing behind them. "Wait?" He raised his hand when they almost closed the distance again. His breathing had become slightly heavy.

It was uncomfortable, being in the room with energetic young girls who didn’t know a thing about personal space. He looked at the one that had come in.

"Night Mirage, yes?"

Her eyes lit up. "Yes, that’s me!" She brought her palms together. "I’m glad you remembered me after that day. I never got to really thank you for helping me with points for my bone correction medicine."

"That’s okay. I need your help now." He raised the file. "Since this is your region, please be my assistant and get them all to sign this."

She nodded firmly. Her eyes sharpened as she turned to the crowd.

"Strat Lin! Seq!" She spoke a different language, pointing at the door.

The girls giggled, moving towards the door to start a line.

The line was formed in seconds.

She turned to Killian. "My name is Shania, by the way. Welcome to my region. May I know your name?"

"Killian." He answered, feeling pleased with the suddenly well-organized newbies. "Nice to meet you, Shania."