"Man, I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I hope I'll make it before the finals," Timothy sighed.

"We're all in the same situation. By the way, Ermand, when are you ever gonna join the dorm?"

"No idea."

"You gotta see Emile's face after the class. He was so determined that he went straight into the dorm. Must be researching it till midnight," Timothy chortled, shaking his head.

"Everybody is concerned about it."

"I think why people care to stand in this college is because the high clans wanted pride in the society rather than learning something from here. While other clan members like us are more to these luxuries we get," Charlie shrugged.

"That's true. My mum is not okay... she's still ill. I need to get home faster, so bye guys," Odin tapped on each of the boys' arms and hurried out of the corridor.

"Guess what our Aslehms will be?" Timothy asked.

"I just want something useful."

"Yeah... me too--ahh!"

Ermand bent and clutched his stomach as if he had been punched there.

"Wha--is--hap--" Timothy bent down to hold Ermand's arm as he fell on his knees.

"I guess it's the same thing that happened the day before yesterday," Charlie told Timothy, nodding.

"We'll take you to Professor Zaugustus. He's the only nice Professor as far as I've known. Come Charlie, let's hold him."

"Th-thank-s," Ermand stuttered while trying to get up. He staggered toward the stairs to the High Professor's office with his friends holding him from either side.

"What was the pain like?"

"It's shredding me... It feels as if a large hammer is hitting-- against all of my bones."

Ermand's breathing rate increased rapidly, causing him to gasp and pant continuously.

When they were heading toward the narrow stairs, Professor Lewcent emerged out of it.

"Professor! Ermand has this..." Timothy didn't know how to explain the situation.

"He looks debilitated. What has happened to him?"

"We actually don't know, Professor. He had the same kind of state a day back," Timothy explained.

"Get him to my office straight away. I'll see if I could do anything." The Professor immediately climbed up the narrow, steep stairs.

The boys somehow managed to get Ermand into the Professor's office. When they rested Ermand on a royal blue coloured chaise, Professor Lewcent poured some lemon-yellow powder into a cup of water. After stirring the liquid, he brought the cup to Ermand.

"This would give him relief from all sorts of lethargy and exhaustion."

Ermand immediately grabbed the cup from the Professor and guzzled it, causing some of the drink to ooze out of his nose.

"Feel okay?" The Professor asked.

Ermand felt the shredding pain fading gradually as the bitter drink slid down his throat. The room was silent except for Ermand's heavy breathing.

"Better... What did you do Professor?"

"I told you. This drink works better for exhaustion lethargy. Although I'm not a great Healer, I've learned a few things from my father who was a Healer," the old seeming man smiled through his eyes.

"Tell me, Ermand. Is there some potion that you shouldn't gulp?"

"No. I didn't drink any potion. This feeling came a few times the day before yesterday and now."

"That's strange... Go home now and take rest. And as for you two. Friendship between clans is rare these days. Let me give you two something."

The Professor turned towards an old chest of drawers. He pulled out a small white packet from the drawer, and sauntered toward the boys.

"It might come handy, sometime. I hope there shan't be a need for it to come handy. Pull out the ball inside from the packet and smash it on the ground when you're in extreme need of me. Alright?"

"Thank you Professor," the boys smiled.

The Professor chuckled and nodded at the scintillating faces of his students.

"Thank you, Professor," Ermand replied in a low voice.

His smile didn't fail to show how grateful he was to the Professor. Ermand felt as if he had been released from hot iron chains that restricted his movements and burned him within.

When Ermand reached home with his brother, the smile didn't last long on his face.

"A knocketer had been sent from Greatman Ingolf Qorder. It says our house will be demolished within three days. The reason, he says, is due to our unhygienic living conditions that can cause harm to the high clans in our locality," Mrs. Chisels explained when Ermand asked her the reason, perceiving her dejected face.

"That's not a reasonable judgement. How can they--"

"Nothing is fair in the world we live in, Ermand. We have to live with our eyes blindfolded, plug our ears deaf, tape over our mouth, all by ourselves when the masters that hold power commands us," Mrs. Chisel muttered, her face was dry of emotions. The words and her expression was enough to comprehend what was coming ahead.

"So, we... have to..." Ermand tried to keep himself away from the thought of leaving the impoverished house he had lived for fifteen years.

"We should move before the third day that is stated in the knocketer. I had written a knocketer on this to Helmuth," she finished for him.

"Move? Where?" Agony filled Jack's tone.

"We don't have any idea. Let Helmuth come home," Mrs. Chisel held the tears that welled up in her eyes.

A sudden thought hit Ermand's mind. Damien's words.

He said he'll be creating trouble for me before I reach home. So, he actually did that.

Ermand couldn't accept the fact that Damien's words actually came true and his family is at the brim of being homeless.

"Mum, everything will be okay," Jack whispered as he wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her arms, his gleeful green eyes were miserable then. He knows that when it means homeless for a Chisel, it is the literal meaning.

Until night, nobody even bothered to drink a drop of water. Their throats were dry but their mind that had a droplet of hope before, had been entirely shrivelled by the knocketer they received that day.

When Mr. Chisel reached home, he was barely closing the door. It seemed as if his arms were weak.

"Hel-helmuth," Mrs. Chisel quavered.

Mr. Chisel shut his eyes for a while before he tried to calm her down.

"I've asked one friend of mine and hopefully he said he could arrange us a home for rent somewhere around Galert street. After a few days we'll try to reside somewhere better," he patted her back as he held her tight toward his chest.

"Dad, so we're moving from here forever?" Jason finally spoke.

"Get your things ready," he replied without daring to turn at his son.

It's all my fault. I shouldn't have interfered. It's me that always brought trouble to the Chisels. I should be ashamed of myself.

Ermand wasn't able to hold the guilty in him.

"It's because of me," he revealed.

He gulped as the Chisels' face was horror struck at Ermand's statement. Their eyes were widened when they slowly turned their heads at Ermand.

"Forgive me... I had a fight with Damien Qorder today-and-and he told me that I'll be receiving bad news when I reach home... Honestly, I didn't know he was really talking..."