The sun had not yet risen when three Radien Stallions took to the sky and later convened at HQ. In fact, it was far from its time to rise, with the sky still a heavy veil of midnight black. One might wonder why a group would choose to meet at two o'clock in the morning, but unfortunately for some, there was no other time at which they could converge.

It was 1:45 a.m. when Arden's car slowed to a halt in her designated parking spot: a lot in the basement of the administration building. It was a convenient spot too, for it was located a few paces from the elevator. Arden climbed out of her car, closed the door, and locked it. She checked her phone. The meeting was in Room 209.

She strolled towards the elevator and pressed a button. As she waited, she sifted through her thoughts. There was no doubt that there were guardians who wanted Edin removed from his role immediately, or perhaps they had been wanting to even before the latest incident. She wondered how they would react once they found out that their wish could not be fulfilled.

The doors slid open and she rode the elevator to the second floor. She arrived at the meeting room a moment later. The room was dimly lit, and there was only one other person: a fair-skinned man who appeared to be in his thirties, with slick black hair and dark monolid eyes. He was seated on the left side. His elbows rested on the tabletop as clasped hands supported his chin, and his gaze fell on the table as he pondered. As she entered, he turned his head to look up at her.

"Arden Mægenstern."

"Riven Bioreth," she greeted him. She took a seat.

"Have you seen Norman yet? We're supposed to start in ten minutes."

"He should be here soon. He told me he's on the way."

There was a brief silence.

"You were there along with Norman when he had his test, right?"

"Indeed I was."

"Did you notice anything... off about him, if you know what I mean?"

"Off in the sense that he was bloodthirsty, not at all. Quite the opposite. He looked deathly scared of a beast that was shorter than his knees."

"I see."

"Why?"

"I was just wondering. I've never seen him fight like yesterday before, until that incident."

Riven tilted his head. "The majors at Irien told you about it, yet you refused to believe them."

"I've watched over him for nearly three years, and he had never acted that way, until..."

Their conversation drifted into silence. Arden lifted her hand to her mouth as she yawned, then dipped it into her pocket to fetch a thumb-sized vial. She popped it open and gulped down its contents.

"A potion?"

She nodded.

"How much sleep did you get last night?"

"Roughly three hours."

Before Riven could respond, the door swung open to reveal the third participant of their meeting. Norman marched to the empty spot at Arden's right. "Good morning, Arden, Riven," he greeted.

Arden responded with a short salutation, while Riven only acknowledged him with a nod. They waited for him to settle into his seat.

"As it has been stated in the message that we've all received, we're here to discuss an issue involving one of the recruits," Riven began, casting sideways glances at Norman and Arden. "The Guild has concerns about Edin's bursts of bloodlust and unnecessary violence. For the safety of everyone, he must be dismissed from the Guild."

"That has been on my mind, but we can't just dismiss him. We can't let Rowan defend Stoll alone."

"Have you not checked the records, Arden? From the looks of it, Rowan is already defending Stoll on his own."

"But policy dictates that every recruit, regardless of capability, must not be unpaired," she reminded him. "And besides, have you not seen that a glæsseling has neared Stoll recently? Not even the most powerful recruit should face such a beast alone."

"And yet we sent a hanafiend after them for the inspection."

"A move that she protested," Norman interjected. "We had never sent anything this deadly to a pair of recruits before. Anyway, regardless of whether Rowan's capable of defending a small village on his own, I think we can agree to follow policy. Arden, have you found a replacement for Edin yet?"

"Unfortunately, I haven't. All the recruits and comrades are paired, and most of the sentries are working alone. If I've already found one, I would've dismissed Edin by now."

"Or perhaps we don't need to dismiss him yet," Norman proposed. "It's only two weeks before Promotion Week. I say we let him go to his post as usual, except this time, he'll serve only as a backup in case Rowan needs extra help. We can then dismiss him later. It saves us the hassle of rearranging everyone's schedules."

"But why must we wait?" Riven asked him. "You don't have any afternoon shifts as far as I'm concerned. You can take Edin's afternoon shift now, fire him, then Rowan will still have a partner."

"I would, but as a senior, I have far more dangerous posts to look after than Stoll. Plus, I'm just as busy in the afternoon as I am at night or morning with all the backup calls I have to answer."

"I'm also busy with backup calls," Arden said. "Things are getting more drastic up north. We've been having more incidents of beasts attacking vehicles on the highways recently."

"And in the east too," Norman added. "Thankfully they're out when at least one of us is available. Can you imagine what'd happen if any of us or the majors aren't around to help?"

"We're getting off-topic," Riven huffed. "Edin's shift starts in seven hours. We have to find a replacement for him, whether it be a sentry or one of us."

"Can't we leave him there for two more weeks like what I suggested?"

"And risk him killing another guardian during one of his frenzies?"

"To be fair, he hasn't harmed a single human in any of his past 'frenzies.' Even when Rowan bled yesterday, it was still the hanafiend he chopped up instead of his colleague."

"Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't."

The air thickened with silent tension.

"Believe me, Riven, we are also greatly concerned about his tendencies," Arden said, "but we don't have a choice. There's simply nobody who can replace him now."

"Not even one of you two? Are the attacks on the highways that bad?"

"They are," Norman said. "In fact, I witnessed a glæsseling maim a recruit just yesterday. He's in the hospital now and lost an arm—thankfully, just an arm."

"And I nearly witnessed something similar just a few days ago. Two comrades were trying to fend off a horde of nagahunds while watching over a highway near Beor. There were dozens of cars going through that route, and had I not stepped in quickly enough..." Arden shuddered.

"Then replace him with a sentry. You said that not all sentries are working alone."

"The ones who are paired are stationed at more dangerous posts," she told Riven. "They've also experienced a rise in attacks, and I don't think it's wise to remove them from where they are."

"Then put a sentinel in his place, or even a major."

"That can't be done either; they're also seeing more beasts. I've even gotten a backup call from a major in Ildor."

Riven shook his head. "There has to be at least one guardian available."

He splayed his right hand and let it hover over the table, its palm facing the floor. He swished his arm over the surface of the table. A holographic map emerged from the tabletop. On it were several points; each point represented a post, and their colors marked how dangerous they were. The lighter and greener a mark was, the safer the post was.

"I say we look at these"—Riven pointed at the points that were the lightest shade of green—"and see if we can pluck anyone from there."

He pinched a point with his right thumb and index finger. A small screen popped up from it, displaying a profile of the post as well as the two comrades who were stationed there. Riven scrolled through the reports.

"One of the posts bordering Asdur and Sorien," Arden said. "They've called for backup twice the past few days. Ætterlings have been spotted more frequently around that area."

"Around Asdur and Sorien? Then we'll take a look at"—he poked at another spot—"Azaren."

"Lots of activity there too," Norman told him. "Had to go there three times this week."

They continued to screen through the map, only to find that Arden was correct: there was no guardian available to take up Edin's shift.

Riven sighed. "I guess we really have to keep him there for now."

"It'll only be for two weeks, then we can fire him."

"Only two weeks? You say that as if it's not long at all, Norman."

"Considering the fact that Stoll is one of the few places that hasn't called for backup—and the fact that Rowan was able to defend it mostly on his own—I doubt Edin will have to fight anytime soon. He'll mostly sit there to monitor the panel, and maybe help in case Rowan needs assistance."

"Well, he has only fought twice in three months," Riven said. "But in case you've forgotten already, this is how he fought."

He reached under the table to fiddle with the controls. The screen on the right side of the room expanded till it filled the whole wall, and the image it showed was instantly recognizable.

It was from the day before. Writhing on the ground was an eight-limbed beast that had been bound by metal rope. A distance from it stood two men: one who appeared to be controlling the rope, and another who was his partner. They talked as the beast squirmed on sand—what they were discussing, Arden did not know, for they could not be heard.

As the two recruits engaged in conversation, the creature extended an arm and lengthened it. It swung, and before Edin could warn him in time, its fist pounded Rowan in the chest. Edin stood in shock as his partner skidded across the sand, his arm scraping the desert soil. There was a small scrape on his skin.

Arden's skin crawled as she witnessed the change in Edin, the bright spark in his eyes overpowered by a sanguine glow. His sword took shape in his hand as he turned his glare toward the beast.

And then the assault began. Edin charged at the beast, cleaving the body part nearest his blade: the arm that struck his partner. His body soon dissolved into a blur of blaze, blade, and blood.

Black swept over the screen before it shrunk back to its initial size. Riven eyed his fellow seniors. "That is the man you want to keep."

Arden's mind argued otherwise. The savage they had witnessed was not the quiet and diffident man she knew for nearly three years. She held her tongue. To argue would only prolong the discussion, and she hoped to head home as soon as possible; she needed what little sleep she could get before her morning shift.

He stood up and slid his seat back into its spot. "So we've all decided: Edin will continue to report to work during his usual shifts, but he shall not fight unless to serve as a backup for Rowan. He will then be dismissed two weeks from now, during Promotion Week."

"I will inform him of the arrangement once I get home."

"So I take it that this meeting is concluded?" Norman asked, standing up.

"Indeed," Riven affirmed. "I'll see the both of you a week from now."

He strode towards the right side of the room, where the coat hanger was, and picked up his jacket from the hanger. He left without another word to either of them. As he passed through the door, Arden rose from her seat and pushed her chair back in. She glanced to her right. Norman was still standing next to her.

"Arden?"

"What is it?"

"Are you alright?"

She sighed. "When they told me he was like that, I didn't believe it." She averted his gaze. "I should've. I could've helped him gain control of them sooner."

"Hey, it's not your fault. When I met him, he looked too innocent to be bloodthirsty. Nobody would've guessed he was cursed. Twice, even." Norman slid the chair forward. "Any chance of breaking it?"

Arden sighed. "I doubt so. It had the marks of a permanent curse. Some 'permanent' curses can be broken, but, this one's very old."

"How old?"

"He must've gotten it when he was about five."

"Five!" he exclaimed. "Who would curse a five-year-old with bloodlust?"

"A very twisted sorcerer. But there hasn't been one in ages, as far as I remember."

"Except for you-know-who."

Arden nodded. "He would've been a child when Edin was cursed, though."

"I guess." Norman checked his wristwatch. "Well, I have a shift at Zwaraven soon. Five hours of sleep should be good enough."

"Or three in my case," Arden said, yawning.

"You sure need more rest."

"So do you. See you later."

They paced towards the door. Norman opened it. "After you."

"Thank you."

"My pleasure."

***

The door creaked as Edin pushed it open. He peeked. Rowan was already inside the post, dressed in his guardian uniform. He lounged on a rolling chair as his dark eyes drifted across the control panel's monitors.

Rowan tilted his head and glimpsed his side. "Oh, hi Edin."

"Uh, hi." He stepped inside the post. His arm reached behind his back as he closed the door, eyes still focused on his partner's face. "I'll just, uh, change."

Rowan gave a thumbs-up, then turned his head to resume watching the panel. Edin walked towards the storage room to change into his uniform. When he came out after dressing, his partner was still seated in front of the screens.

Rowan spun in his chair to face him. "So, about yesterday"—he tilted his head—"what did she say?"

"She said it was a curse."

"A curse? Oh, great! I mean—I didn't mean to make it come off that way—I mean, uh—whatever. So you can break it, right?"

Edin bit his bottom lip.

Rowan frowned a little. "She can break it, right?"

"Well, we tried."

"Oh."

"She thinks it's permanent."

"Oh. I, I'm sorry."

"It's fine," he said, sighing. "Arden also told me, by the way, about our new arrangement."

"Arrangement?"

"So, the seniors talked about my situation early in the morning. They decided that I'll still be your partner technically, but in reality you'll be fighting alone unless you need backup, in which case I'll be your backup. They couldn't find a replacement." Edin fidgeted. "Sorry."

"No no no, it's fine," Rowan spluttered, landing a hand on Edin's shoulder. "It's not your fault. I mean, I don't mind."

"Not at all?"

"I mean, that's basically what we've been doing the whole time, am I right?"

"Yeah..."

"And hey, really, it's fine. That means more paychecks for me anyway," Rowan joked, patting him on the shoulder.

Edin chuckled. "I guess."

"Really, it's fine, I understand. I'll be upstairs to watch if you need me."

Rowan gave one final pat before he trod up the stairs to his usual spot, leaving Edin to be alone once more.

The latter sat on a chair and curled into a ball, swallowed up by his thoughts. What a burden he was to other people! First, Arden had to spend time taking care of him when she could have used it to help more people. And when he was finally able to put his training to use, his curse made him more hassle than help. His hands pressed against his temples as he stared at the screens. Keeping watch was the least he could do.