"Damien is Ingolf's second son! Won't you spare us a day without creating trouble for us?" Jason yelled, getting up from the stairs he sat a while ago.

Mr. Chisel pulled his hand into the air.

"You don't understand, dad! You think that the problems he had created for us just popped out of nowhere? He's determined to distress us!"

"Jason, please."

"But dad..."

This time, Ermand knew Jason had every right to taunt him and the reason why Jack didn't come to his rescue. It was all his fault, he should've kept quiet.

"Forgive me all of you. Tomorrow, no matter what, I'll try to change Damien's decision. I'll pay the price I had neglected when--"

"What was the reason for fighting with him?" For the first time in Ermand's life, Mr. Chisel asked him a question in a stern voice.

"He jeered and hurt an innocent boy belonging to the low clan. It made me unsteady when I saw it happening before my eyes."

"As if you're the one to save everybody from the discourteous acts of the high clans," Jason muttered with a mocking chuckle.

"It harassed me mentally."

"So, you're going to beg before Damien tomorrow?" Jack finally opened his mouth.

Ermand nodded. His eyes were fixed on the floor.

"I won't let you," Jack stated.

"Excellent brother! Let me guess now... Yes, you'll probably take the blame and beg at your knees before the Qorder to save your brother from lowering himself over anybody, huh?"

"Jason, stop. This is not the time for your funny assertions. Ermand, you did not do anything wrong with your actions--"

"I just can't believe this. You'll praise him even if he set fire in this house!" Jason roared before climbing up the stairs and slamming shut the door to his room.

"Forget him. Ermie, we don't belong to the high clan or the upper-middle clan. We couldn't stand up for anybody, we can't even stand for ourselves."

"Yes, dad. But I'll fulfill my promise," Ermand replied, climbing into the stairs.

That night, he couldn't sleep. He didn't want to go to college. He wished he remained in the house like he used to before he received the Marene's ball.

"I'm telling you, you don't have to do this," Jack's dark figure stood between the door frame in the low light that lit the space outside Ermand's small room.

"I'm eighteen, Jack."

"And I'm twenty. I know--"

"I don't want to be in the shade anymore. If I have to face it, I just have to. No one could protect me forever."

"You're right..." The figure slowly walked away from the door.

"You've gone through hell and worse to protect me, Jack. Now I can't bear to see you do the same again," Ermand mumbled as he quietly tried to fall asleep.

The next day, without having breakfast, Ermand set from home to college. The truth was, he couldn't eat even though he was hungry.

"Hey, you look kind of... upset," Timothy grabbed Ermand's shoulders.

"Damien was determined."

"What are you saying?"

"Remember that I told you he promised me a deadly surprise? It happened."

Charlie pulled Ermand's shoulder and stared at him, his eyes bulging out so much that it seemed his eyeballs would fall off it's socket.

"What was it?"

"He asked his father -- Ingolf Qorder to send me a knocketer stating some worthless reasons to vacate us from our home."

"How can he do that? It's your plot of land," Charlie lightly bit his lip, his brows furrowed.

"Actually, the plot is not ours. It's a plot that was abandoned long ago but the property belonged to some high clan member. We actually paid him the rent every three months he visited there. However, it was as if the house belonged to the Chisels."

"I see. Why don't your parents take this matter to the court?" Emile suggested.

"Power plays the game. It's useless."

"Damien's father holds influence very much in the senate. There's nothing impossible for him," Timothy muttered.

"So, what's your plan now?" Charlie focused his eyes on Ermand.

"Beg him--"

Timothy interrupted with a low gasp.

"Beg him? You must be crazy, man."

"You think this because you're a Chestnut, Timothy," Odin muttered.

"Here he comes. Probably to humiliate you," Emile grasped Ermand's arm.

Ermand gulped as Damien and his friends approached toward him.

"Hey, Gavril. Guess our fighter boy had his good news yesterday," A devilish grin appeared on his face.

Ermand's lips twitched but he tried to control himself. Before Ermand tried to speak anything, Timothy held his shoulder.

"Just because you're born a Qorder doesn't mean that you've control over the world," Timothy fought.

"Aren't you ashamed, Chestnut. Can't believe you keep company with these people."

"I don't want to start a fight, Damien. To whom should I start company and to whom should not keep company, all depends on my choices."

"But I like fighting," He flashed a wicked smile.

"This isn't the problem here. Damien Qorder, I'm extremely sorry for talking to you like that yesterday," Ermand interrupted.

"We'll, well, well. Ermand Chisel has come to--"

"You, come with me--" Timothy grabbed Ermand's arm and moved to a corner, away from Damien.

"I have a home in the outskirts of Tawarn. It's not new but not bad too. Your family can live there for as long as they want. We give it for rent, you don't need to. If you feel so low about this, pay my father the rent. Alright?"

The words took a while to register in Ermand's mind.

"You will?"

"Of course. It's empty now, dad will ask someone to clean up the area and the house. No repair works needed and--"

Ermand grasped Timothy's hands.

"Thank you," he breathed.

"Hey," Timothy smiled through his eyes.

"We'll clean up, don't bother with that."

"Nice idea, Tim," Charlie chuckled.

"It's Professor Alexander Chestnut's Renovated Alchemy, today," Emile reminded them.

"Students! Everybody listen to me!" An instructor shouted across the hall, grabbing the attention of all the students from their business. "Today, classes have been dismissed, all of you can go back home. There had been fulmination in some parts of Tawarn. Hopefully, everything is over. Authorities of our college will be having a conclave on this incident. So, head back home. The college will provide the necessities for those whose houses had been damaged."

"Oh, no. My mom!" Odin shuddered. He hurtled out of the hall without even bidding goodbye.

"I must get back home!" Ermand said.

Ermand searched for his brothers among the crowd. He looked out for them when all the students were cleared off from the hall. Finally, with all his efforts in vain, Ermand headed toward the exit from the hall but something grasped him to his knees.

"Ahhh!" He cried helplessly when something crawled from his legs and toward his thighs. It didn't take long for the pain to reach every corner of his body, for the same hammering pain to conquer all over his body again. This time, there was no one in the hall to help him.