The Guardian Angel (The Guardians of Nine Heavens #1)

Chapter 15: Admission Test

The limousine arrived at the Angel Host Academy entrance. Robert Black and his family - his wife and two daughters - walked out of the car and entered the building. When Robert Black met the ministers and began talking with them, Lily silently slipped away and rushed into the admission room where young people were already gathered to test their and their angels' skills and fight to get accepted in the academy. The children of or above fifteen years could be accepted in the academy, so Lily was happy about her age - she was fifteen, so she was suitable. Before, she wouldn't get accepted because she had no angel, but in these last days everything had changed and now she believed she would manage to get in as her angel was the most powerful, as he was the twin brother of Archangel Michael himself.

Samael has to be stronger than all these guys... she thought, proud to have such a great angel at her side. As Linda's already graduated, Michael won't be participating, and other angels are no match for Samael.

Her heart was ready to jump out, so excited she was - there was only one step left to reach her life-long dream - enroll in the Angel Host Academy!

Soon the preparations were made, and the admission test started.

"The admission test will be held in form of an Angel Battle!" the anchorman cried through his microphone. The people clapped with excitement.

"Hmm... Where did Lily go?" Mrs. Black looked around. She knew Linda had already accessed the tribune of the judges, but where was her younger daughter?

"She probably went to have a snack or something. She was not enthusiastic about this event even from the beginning. You remember, don't you?" her husband shrugged.

"Yeah, you're right..." Mrs. Black sighed - it was so hard to raise Lily for all these years... She clearly seemed to have a darkened soul, and yet, it was their family's destiny to raise her.

"The first participants are..." the anchorman continued. The people bent forward, so eager they were to hear the participants' names, "Evy White against Lily Black! We ask the participants to come out on the golden ring!"

The Black couple gasped - Lily had entered the admission test?!

"What was she thinking? She has no angel, she will be disqualified. She cannot fight!" Robert Black almost sprang from his seat.

"Oh, dear, did she completely lose her mind?!" Mrs. Black worriedly covered her mouth with her hands.

As Lily and Evy walked out on the ring and stood before each other, Michael, who was standing on the tribune of the judges near his hostess Linda, puckered and whispered to his mistress, not getting his eyes off Lily:

"Linda, Lily's aura looks a lot darker than usual. I sense danger... She cannot possibly have an angel in that condition".

Linda frowned, hearing such words from her angel, and shouted through the microphone:

"I cancel this match! Lily Black has never had an angel. She cannot possibly compete!"

People gasped - the match would be cancelled? But it was so fun! And what did she mean, 'she had never had an angel'? Was such a thing even possible?

"Excuse me, Miss Black?" the anchorman was stupefied as well - why would they cancel the match? Had Lily Black lost her angel or anything? Did she lie when she sent the application?

"Lily Black has never had a guardian angel since she was born. She is my younger sister, so I know".

The people widened eyes - such an impure soul, never to have had an angel! She was even more dangerous than the Former Hosts!

"Lily Black, explain yourself!" the headmaster of the Angel Host Academy who sat in the tribune of the judges next to Linda, as he was one of the judges himself, demanded through his microphone.

Lily furrowed her brow and crossed her arms, staying calm:

"I do have an angel. Start this match, and I shall show you my powers".

People got totally confused now - what was going on here? Linda said Lily had no angel, but this latter denied it? Who was telling the truth?

"Do not dare lie to us young lady!" the headmaster puckered, "Everyone knows Miss Linda Black never lies. If she says you have no angel, then you have none!"

"Linda Black is simply misunderstood. When she last checked I indeed had no angel, but I awakened him now. So shall we start or not?"

"Huh?" Linda widened eyes - how come her sister had awakened an angel?! She glanced at her guardian: "Michael, I thought you said Lily was the reincarnation of Lilith, and no angel had chosen her... What does this mean?"

"I... I don't know, but I don't like this news. Lily having such a dark aura and claiming she has an angel, must surely be a very bad sign..."

"What should we do?" Linda was hesitant - she feared her little sister might cause danger in this hall.

"Let's allow them to battle," Michael suggested after some minutes of reflection, "Once Lily calls for her angel, we shall know who it is, and we will be able to take further measures more wisely".

"That's a good idea," Linda nodded and gave a sign to the headmaster that she consented to let the battle start. The headmaster understood her gesture and cried through the microphone:

"Alright, let the battle begin!"

So the opponents prepared, and people got excited again.

"Let the strongest one win," Evy kindly smiled, and drew the cross in the air, "Loriel, I invoke you!"

Instantly golden light shed around the ring, and the red-haired female warrior angel, Loriel, appeared, spreading her white wings.

"I am the strongest one. I shall win," Lily smirked and drew the sign of a cross with her usual opposite moves.

"Ah, what is she doing?" the people started whispering amongst each other - was that any manner to draw the cross sign?

"Wh... What is she doing?!" Robert Black got frightened at the manner in which his daughter drew the cross sign - with her left hand, from the left to the right.

Michael puckered and clutched his spear:

"I don't like the way she does it..."

"Something's not right about her..." Linda whispered back to him.

"My guardian angel, I invoke you!"

Black smoke shed beside Lily. The people gasped - it was the black energy!

"What?" Linda and Michael were frozen with terror - why did the black energy emerge?! What did Lily do?

"Can't be..." Robert Black trembled - such a gruesome sign!

But the worst was still forward - once the black smoke dissipated, a black-haired, cold-icy-blue-eyed, pale young man spread his torn black wings and clutched tightly his black, silver-headed dreadful scythe. People screamed seeing him. The Black couple - Lily's mother and father, were terrified, Linda was frozen, and Michael mumbled with distress:

"Brother..."