Soon after, I continued to do their bidding, and the Death List appeared out of nowhere, telling me that I may ask him to restore my memory. I agreed, and the next morning I awoke remembering everything that had happened. Remembering what I'd done was driving me insane. I accepted my fate soon after and never requested them to wipe my memory again. So I kept doing their bidding without question, never bothering to inquire about the origins of the names they provided me; all I had to do was kill them and go on.

Years passed, and I occasionally remembered the man's two children. Curiosity got the best of me, and I resolved to track them down and find out what happened to them. They'd been placed in foster care, and they were shortly separated.

The older sister became involved with drugs and was greatly influenced by them. She had many overdoses and attempted rehabilitation, all to no avail; she died as a result of an accident while inebriated.

When the younger daughter turned eighteen, she was no longer in the foster care system. Fortunately, she found a nice family who helped her pay for college. She quickly graduated, acquired a job, and settled down in her life, so she started seeking her sister. Her sister had died, and she was the one who was expected to go identify her body when word got to her.

Her sister's funeral was paid for by her. I couldn't bear it any longer and went to the funeral. It was filled with her sister's friends, drunkards and addicts. People sniffing drugs and drinking booze directly in front of her grave made the burial a nightmare show. It wasn't like there were a lot of them; there were probably around twenty of them, and half of them didn't even make it to the conclusion of the burial.

They arrived because a buddy of theirs who was selling drugs was going to be there, and they didn't even know her sister's name. I sat there, watching the horror I had inflicted on these youngsters, and there was nothing I could do about it.

That memory will stay with me for the rest of my life. Because it was I, not the watchers, who did everything. And you must learn to bear that responsibility on your own. It's preferable to try to forget about it.

I was present when you returned, and you stated that you attempted to assassinate your master. I saw the agony and dread in your eyes, the same agony and dread I felt when I realized what I had done to that poor family.

Kid, you have to learn to deal with it, and accept the consequences; you won't be able to wipe your memories forever, and it's best if you learn to deal with it before you run out of options," the old man said. He set his cup down and peered down the route that led to his house. Sam, the young kid Nelanian had seen the day before, was racing excitedly towards them, arms spread. He was yelling at his grandfather.

Nelanian wondered if the same thing had occurred to him if he had slain an innocent man or woman and deleted his own memories to forget about it. As he contemplated the situation, he took another long sip of tea, realizing what the old man had said. slain his own master, he was about to go through the same cycle of pain that prompted him to have his memory erased, for it was him and no other, who had taken the life of his own master.

SUNSET CITY

Luciana, Jalon, and Norval stood at the hotel's reception desk, awaiting the keys to their rooms from the receptionist. Once they had the keys in hand, they thanked her and headed toward the elevator.

As they proceeded down the hallway, they encountered a tall, imposing man. He sported a well-fitted suit with the emblem of a renowned Seolara corporation on his jacket's breast pocket.

The emblem was familiar to the candidates – it belonged to the same corporation sponsoring Eadmer Todd. They recalled seeing him with Eadmer Todd at the airport, assisting with loading luggage into a cab.                                                                                                                                       
Inside the elevator, Jalon spoke up, "I bet the little guy must be around here somewhere."

The elevator ascended several floors before stopping to admit another passenger. This newcomer was clad in a long brown robe adorned with intricate embroidery on the collar and sleeves. The robe flowed down to his shins, and its fabric seemed to reflect light, suggesting a unique, silk-like material.

A substantial bead necklace adorned his neck, and he held a thick book in his hands. Despite the cold, he was barefoot on the concrete floor, seemingly unaffected by the cold. As he stepped in, he greeted the candidates and positioned himself alongside them. Opening his book, he withdrew another bead necklace, which he wrapped around his hands. 

"Pardon my lack of formality; I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Wardric Waller, pleased to make your acquaintance," he introduced himself while extending his hands to the students. Luciana and Jalon instinctively gazed at him, momentarily taken aback.

Wardric had a warm smile that had the ability to light up the entire room when he chose to smile. His voice exuded calmness and tranquility, and his foreign accent lent a touch of exoticism to ordinary words. Contrary to popular belief, Wardric had short hair on his head, unlike the common practice of Yulcite monks shaving their heads clean. This detail surprised the students, as they had assumed all monks would be completely bald.

"I'm Luciana," she replied, shaking his hand. "Thank you for your kindness."

"Luciana? The princess of Ithea?" Wardric inquired, his arm lingering after the handshake. Jalon enthusiastically grabbed Wardric's hand and shook it vigorously, nearly causing the bracelets on his wrist to slip off.

"And my name is Jalon, Jalon Barr. I'm sure you've heard of me. " he inquired. When he shook Wardric's hand, he seemed to be amused by the sound of the beads crashing against each other.

"I'm not sure I've heard of you before. Are you related to her?" Wardric inquired, confused and perplexed.

"Eww no. I am Jalon Barr, an international modeling sensation. You know, like the face of Social Media on Ithea, the next Champion? " Jalon inquired, surprised that Wardric had no idea who he was. Wardric, on the other hand, had no notion whose hand he was embracing.

"Hello, my name is Norval Greensmith," Norval pushed Jalon away and shook Wardric's hand, saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Greensmith. I've also heard a lot of things about you. Wardric praised Norval's non-aggressive handshake, saying, "They claim you are the sharpest man IAA has ever seen."

"What! You've heard of him but haven't heard of me? I'm more well-known than this guy?!"Jalon stated. He added, pulling out his phone and walking over to a corner of the elevator, "Well, it appears that you are not my type of company."

"Don't worry about him; we all choose to ignore him on occasion," Luciana explained.

"Well, I hope I'm able to make your time here as pleasant as possible. Wardric added, "I went around the amenities and they do have a good swimming pool."

"Excuse me if I ask, but don't you feel cold? I mean, it's freezing in this city, and you're not wearing any shoes? " Norval inquired, worried.

"It's nothing to be concerned about. We experience significantly worse winters in Yulcite, with colder temperatures. I'm also going with a group of monks from my monastery, who don't want me to deviate from tradition." Wardric remarked, slightly bowing at the conclusion, "Even if I am far from my home, tradition is still tradition, and it applies on foreign soil."

"That is a strange tradition," Luciana said at the end of her statement, eliciting a snicker from Wardric. The elevator fell silent once more, and they discovered that it was not as lengthy as they had anticipated. Wardric quickly went forward, punched the stop button, and exited the elevator.

"It was a pleasure to meet you. Wardric added, "I hope to see you in the trials," bowing slightly at the end before walking away.

The elevator doors closed as it resumed its ascent.

"Is that the man you'll be facing in the trials?" He appears to be extremely intimidating; it's always the polite ones who don't say much that terrify me the most. Mostly because they let their actions speak for themselves," Luciana explained.

"Don't be concerned. I have something under my sleeve that will help me battle him, and it isn't particularly alchemy; sometimes the best techniques are the simplest," Norval replied, confident in his abilities.

"Well, your opponent and my opponent have met. I suppose the only thing left is to meet the Lorth mage," Luciana concluded. They both returned their gaze to Jalon, who was scrolling through his phone. Before returning his focus to the screen of his phone, he peered up and poked his tongue out at them, making a strange face.

"Do you think he'll last long in these trials?"Luciana inquired of Norval, asking about Jalon.

"I give him the first day of the week. Trust me, if anything touches or destroys his hair, he'll be out of here before we know it," Norval said. As the lift came to a halt and the doors swung open, they both burst out laughing.

OUTSIDE THE ETHEL RESIDENCE

Outside the gates, a van adorned with a prominent emblem and the illuminated words 'Inter-Kingdom News' was parked. Two men occupied seats outside, one relishing his sandwich while the other meticulously cleaned camera lenses. Judy Ben Mor and Cecily stood by the gate's entrance.

A fleet of luxurious cars had been parked near the mansion's doorway. Cecily's mother had arrived to pick her up, and both were currently inside the mansion. Within, a heated verbal exchange was underway between Cecily's mother and her aunt.

"Do you think you can handle all of this?" Judy queried. "I'm pretty confident; I've been through worse tantrums than this," Cecily assured her.

"My mother will shout for a bit, then tire of her insufferable sister and leave," Cecily elaborated. Positioned behind her were three bodyguards, vigilantly observing the van and the two men beside it.

"Thank you so much for your support," Judy expressed gratitude. "I apologize for stirring up trouble within your home."

"Conflict is a constant resident here, and it's not going anywhere. So don't worry; we'll learn to coexist with the less-than-pleasant family dynamics," Cecily elucidated. "Have a safe journey, Judy, and please inform me if you manage to make contact with Nelanian," she requested.

Judy assured, "I won't forget; you'll be the first person I reach out to." After a warm hug, Judy proceeded to the van and engaged with the two men outside. As the van pulled away, Cecily reentered the premises, and the two exchanged a final wave of farewell.