Khidon stared in awe at the majestic structure towering over them, for it was the grandest, most extravagant construct he has ever seen.

Great marble buildings were supported by mighty ivory pillars. Regal golden domes glistened in the sunlight. The place looked more akin to an oversized palace than a school.

Khidon was still taking in the beauty of the school when he heard an unfamiliar voice speaking in a tone he knew all too well.

"Never seen a big building before? You got the looks of someone from a piss-poor countryside."

Khidon studied the source of the voice, it was a handsome, slightly older teen with blond hair and sea-green eyes. The most noticeable thing about him was the uniform he adorned. Navy blue clothes lined with streaks of grey, on his chest was a sigil in the image of a whirlpool. It was the uniform of Wilborne.

He didn't come with them on the carriages either, this could only mean one thing, that he was already a student at Wilborne.

Khidon opted to stay silent. As much he wanted to punch this guy in his pretty face, it might jeopardize his chance at Wilborne. It was obvious which was more important.

"Is this your girlfriend?" He eyed the girl who sat with me during our travel and switched his attention to her, "Oh come on babe, you can do so much better than this guy."

"Oh? Such as?" The girl spoke for the first time since her appearance.

"Me, obviously."

"You?" she chuckled in contempt, "I'd rather be with a drooling bucket of camel spit before going anywhere near your ugly face."

Khidon laughed silently at the absolute shock on the teen's face and made a note to never mess with the girl's killer tongue.

"Ugly!? Me!?" The teen snarled.

"At least self-awareness is the one redeeming quality you have, but you should also learn to stop running around scaring people with that face."

"You...you bitch!" He swung wildly at the girl.

His punch was caught mid-way by Khidon's iron grip, he felt as if his wrist was getting crushed in a steel clamp.

"Do you know who I am? Let go of me this instant, you filthy peasant!" He tried to wriggle his hand out but failed miserably against Khidon's inhumane strength.

"I don't give a shit about who you are, but I'll make sure you remember who I am." Khidon has had enough, he can no longer resist the urge to teach the arrogant brat a lesson.

"You? That's the most hilarious thing I've ever heard!" His expression shifted to a sinister smile as a yellow glow began to emanate from his body, "You think you're stronger just because you have muscle? I will show you what true power really is!"

It was too late when Khidon realized that he had underestimated his opponent. His eyes widened as a flurry of stones flew off the ground and threw themselves at him, he was sent flying by the impact before he even had a chance to react..

Khidon got back up and ran at the teen, hoping to get into melee range in order to utilize his advantage in physical strength. Yet all was for naught as he was helplessly forced back by the continuous hails of stones.

"I'm gonna kill you!" The teen screamed, eyes reddened by anger.

Silika was nowhere to be seen. She had gone inside the school to inform the headmaster of their arrival. The remaining students, having no power of their own yet, didn't dare to get in the crossfire of his rampage.

"Choris! Stop it!" A voice sounded from among the students.

Hearing his name being called, the crazed teen finally stopped his barrages of stones and shifted his attention to the person who called out his name. "Stay out of my way, Carmen. This is none of your business."

Carmen shrugged his shoulders, "I mean, if you want to get expelled from the school, by all means, keep going. Taking advantage of your age and bullying newcomers that haven't awakened their powers yet, the headmaster is going to be thrilled when he hears about this."

Choris weighed his options. After some time, he seems to have come to a conclusion and tread back into the school. But not before turning back around to give the trio a threatening look, "You three better hope you don't pass the trials, or I'm going to make sure you experience hell inside the school."

The girl walked over to Khidon and finally introduced herself, "My name's Aeri, thanks for your help back there."

"Sorry to get you involved, he was going for me." Khidon acknowledged.

"Hey Hey Hey! You two! Stop getting all lovey-dovey over there. Aren't you thanking the wrong person? I was the one who saved your ass." The voice that convinced Choris to back off yelled from behind them, "Name's Carmen, by the way. No need to thank me. After all, not every hero wears a cape!"

Khidon and Aeri both turned to him, the same word echoed through their mind...shameless.

But considering he did spare Khidon from a beating, they do owe him a thank you.

"Thank you for your help, Carmen"

"Haha! I just said no need to thank me, after all, this is what friends are for! Right?"

The corner of Khidon's lip spasmed. Aeri raised her eyebrow. What's with this guy? When since were they friends?

"You seemed to know that person, who is he?" Aeri questioned Carmen

"He's my half-brother, same father, different mother. We're from House Willan..."

"House Willan!?" Khidon gasped in surprise.

"Huh? What's that?" Aeri asked at the same time.

"House Willan is one the most powerful family in the Wilborne Territory, their influence and network extend throughout business, military, and pretty much anything you can think of. They are also one of the biggest sponsors for the Wilborne School of Magical Combat." Khidon has heard of the power and prestige of House Willan even from Whirland, a city on the very outskirts of the Wilborne Territory.

"Bingo! As I was saying, Choris and I are half-brothers. However, he only sees me as a thorn on his side, since I am the only one who threatens his position as the heir to our father, the Head of House Willan." Carmen explained his relationship with Choris. "So don't worry, I'm on your side."

"Who wants you on our side? Don't get us involved in your family feuds." Aeri uttered with a hint of distaste.

"Uh..." Carmen flushed as his plan to gain allies was exposed by Aeri.

The awkward silence was broken by a ripple in the air as a middle-aged man with grey streaks in his hair appeared at the entrance with Silika by his side. Three more instructors trailed behind them.

Even from a distance, the students can feel the immense pressure from the waves of power given off by the newcomer.

"Welcome, youngsters. My name is Ruo, the headmaster here at the Wilborne School of Magical Combat." The man in the lead introduced himself to the students, "As all of you probably know, being here doesn't mean you are students of Wilborne yet. You will all be going through a trial, and only the best of you gathered here today will become a part of the best school in all of Wilborne Territory. Next up, these three instructors acting as judges will explain to you the details of the trial."

The first man who stepped forward had a defined face that wore a serious expression, "My name is Xaphon, the first test you will be going through is the physical exam. To be a great Elementalist, you must have a strong body to back up your power. Elemental powers, no matter how great, is useless, dangerous even, if you can't control it."

The next judge was a woman with blond hair and a face that reminded Khidon of a fox. It was hard to tell if it was his imagination, but he felt as if the woman kept glancing hostilely in Carmen's direction. "I am Caren of House Willan, the second test you will be going through is the knowledge exam. Elements can only be used to their maximum potential when you have the knowledge of how they function. This test will also reflect your ability to learn and absorb information in the past years"

The last judge looked the youngest of them all, perhaps in his mid-twenties. "I'm Yasen. The last test, and perhaps the most important of all, is the Awakening Ceremony. All of you will try to awaken your elemental power with the help of the Awakening Stone. It will determine what kind of power you have as well as how strong your talents are.

Before Headmaster Ruo departs with Silika, he explained the rules of the trial, "In order to pass the trial, two of the three judges must deem you worthy of learning at our school. However, each judge has a chance to preserve one student that the other two deemed unworthy. With that said, I wish you all the best of luck, I will be seeing some of you soon. From inside the school this time!"