Timothy's eyes widened. He gaped at his friends with the bow held in his hands. He noticed that his classmates gazed at him with astonishment.

"Well done, Chestnut. You've proved that you're a true Defender," Professor Chisel said, tapping on his shoulder.

It was a prideful and stupefied moment for Timothy. He glanced at the bow and arrow, his Aslehm. He's the third Defender to gain an Aslehm within the third month of the academic year. All he has to worry about is his finals that'll come at the end of the year and the Defenders' Challenge Test.

A lot of students congratulated him, especially girls, which delighted him more.

"I just couldn't help standing there without doing anything while Arawn was battling for his life, clutching on to the shaft of the spine. His grip could've been lost any moment. Then, I didn't think anything, I just jumped over the wall. I had no plans devised, I just knew I wanted to be dauntless. After all, it's a matter of life and could you imagine such a dread happening to one of us?" Timothy narrated his story of audacity.

Girls were all surrounded around him, closely listening to him with great curiosity in the mess hall.

Charlie turned his head backward to the flock of girls around Timothy. "I didn't know he could exaggerate things this far," he laughed.

"We should admit he was brave to do that," Odin said, nibbling on a piece of roasted chicken.

"I wouldn't mind admitting it too. But this?" Charlie raised his brow.

"By the way, we should learn something from him to achieve our Aslehms faster," Emile said.

After all the classes were over that day, Emile was walking toward his room with a few books in his hands that he borrowed from the college library. He was with Ermand in the library after the final class to teach him some more spells and laws while he collected more information from countless books stacked on his table. His mind was on the postulations of modern magic that were hypothesized by the great magitrate Ganread Lewcent.

Ermand was following him with a piece of parchment in his hands. He noticed Emile paused in his tracks.

"Hey, Emile. Can you please explain to me the way this spell can be useful?" He asked.

But Emile's eyes were fixed toward the entrance to their room. Ermand turned his head in the direction where Emile's eyes were affixed.

Timothy was engaged in a deep kiss and cuddle with a gorgeous girl.

"He could've done it somewhere else. We'll, let's spend more time in the library then," Ermand sighed.

Timothy noticed the two figures quite a bit far from him,he slowly broke off from the kiss and turned his head toward them.

"Sorry, I--"

"We'll be in the library," Ermand informed, waving a hand.

"Alright," Timothy replied, scanning if no one else was in the place.

"Why do you hang out with these boys?" The girl asked.

"Lucinda, they're the best company of guys I could find."

"I've heard that they belonged to lower middle and low clans?"

"So what? They're beautiful people. Emile helps me in any assignments or stuff, Ermand is one of the pure innocent guys I had ever seen, Charlie is truly a spectacular one with whom you'll never feel lonely, Edwin rarely speaks but he's goodhearted and Odin is a reliable person. There's nothing wrong in them." He shrugged.

"Why don't you hang out with the high rankers, Timothy?"

"They're all conceited and pompous that I rarely feel like keeping company with them."

"It's because you don't truly understand them, Timothy. You can--"

"Can we not talk about this," he muttered, distancing himself a bit from her.

"Okay, we'll not. I'll see you around dinner then," She said before walking away from him.

Timothy watched her walk away and sighed.

"So, how did you guys meet?" Charlie asked, munching a bite of egg sandwich.

"One of my admirers," Timothy replied with a playful smile.

"You're lying."

"No, no. She said she admires me and my bravery."

"What I don't understand is why these girls are taking it into such a big thing. You'll have to risk something to gain your Aslehm anyway," Emile said, scribbling something into his notebook.

"What you should see was that Qorder's face," Charlie chortled.

"I'm sorry I couldn't congratulate you Timothy. Congratulations for your accomplishment," Edwin said.

"Thanks, Edwin. Just as Emile said, it's an essential accomplishment for each and everyone of us, so I don't think there is much to congratulate."

"Spill the beans, Timothy. How did you do that? I don't want to hear your over-exaggerated series of your daring actions," Charlie stated, finishing his last piece of sandwich.

"Alright. I actually felt kind of guilty and embarrassed if I didn't do anything since I was the one who was close to Arawn. So, I jumped unconsciously and the rest was my efforts to get back on two feet."

"There comes the truth. However, you deserve the compliments, Tim. Because, to achieve your Aslehm, there are a set of criteria one has to surpass. Most of them are quite daring, simple on the outside but intricate inside. You may have to break through your fears and the barriers you put before yourself. And a lot more principles are to be abided to gain an Aslehm. Which part of your fears did you escape, Timothy?" Emile asked, turning at him.

"Well... I'm scared of being the first to take a risk. Risk is something my mummy would never let me do and even the lightest of the ventures. Maybe, I've started to overcome them?"

"Overcoming your fears and breaking your own barriers is just a part of it, there are a whole lot more rules to be followed for the completion of the Aslehm quest. I've read it that an Aslehm can give you extra power in times where you somehow get trapped in your fears, and a lot more benefits. First of all, you have to get to deeper study of your Aslehm. Try the book "Bows and bolts, a complete journey through the eminence of archery" written by Howardspell Qorder. His Aslehm was a bow and an arrow."

"I can't even read the one that I should be studying and you're telling me to read extra?"

"Only if you want to lay hold of better powers than you already have," Emile shrugged, turning his attention on his notebook.

"I would really want to," Timothy mumbled, his head down.

"Hey, does one hear unfamiliar sounds echoing in his head before he gains an Aslehm or some signs of that?" Ermand asked curiously.

"None that I know of. Did you hear something like that in your head, Timothy?"

"No," he shrugged.

"What did you ask, Ermand. Did you find anything like that?" Emile pondered, still scribbling on his notebook.

"Uh... no, I just asked," He lied. This answer from Emile increased his curiosity about the voice that he heard. Ermand knew that there was something odd in the voice and he made sure he wouldn't dare to trust it even if it saved his life two times. It can be a bait for him. What if it suddenly closes onto him when he believes it for the third time? Ermand couldn't sleep that night, thinking of the voice.

Who was he? And why did I hear him?