Damien produced a green flash around his hands and fitted the light into a dark bottle which contained some liquid inside. He chanted some spells that made the bottle levitate in the air.

"What's he chanting?" Charlie whispered.

"Probably a Scettrian spell," Edwin replied in the same quiet way. "Although I don't know the language, I know what it sounds like."

Damien sat on the floor in a meditating position with the glimmering bottle levitating around him, and chanted something in a hushed voice. It took him half an hour to complete all of the process. The four boys pinned themselves against the wall, holding their breath when Damien came out of the room, perspiring and nervous.

"I told you he's up to something. Only a trickster can spot a trickster's true intention," Charlie said, watching him sneaking toward his dorm, hiding the bottle inside his sweater on his back.

"You know what I'm thinking. He's behind that streakfall," Timothy said seriously.

"Protectors of the sun and the moon! You're thinking way too much," Charlie chuckled. Edwin and Ermand agreed with Charlie.

"You don't see it. He was sort of doing dark magic. Do you know of any magic that we learn like this? Moreover, the confined space with burning candles that don't melt. All of this makes sense."

"You've been going to drama theatres too much, Timothy," Ermand said, shaking his head, stifling a laugh.

"You people are hopeless," he grumbled, folding his hands and turned his back at them.

"It's Spells and enchantments now, I guess. Let's go Tim and see if it really were dark magic," Charlie said, placing a hand on Timothy's shoulder while trying to stifle another fit of laughter.

"You're not believing me, are you?"

"Of course not."

"Charlie!"

Charlie and Timothy strolled forward to Ermand and Edwin.

"Hey, how is Odin's mother's condition? Did he send a knocketer?" Edwin enquired Ermand.

"No. It's actually more than a month since he has attended classes with us. Professor Chestnut was busy finding faults with it despite our explanation of his mother's deteriorating health."

"Professor Chestnut is sulky at times," Edwin mumbled.

"Not just at times, it's every time."

They kept on chatting until Professor Mitbroom Estrel started her class. Within a couple months after the first DCT, students had started understanding the value of finding their Aslehm and catching up with their theory classes.

A month had passed, the final DCT was a week away for the boys. In the meantime, Ermand and Jack had rebounded with each other although Ermand still believed there was something the Chisels were keeping away from him and Charlie had gained his Aslehm, but the reason for this, he was not willing to reveal. He said he wanted to keep the reason to himself, and was glad that his friends respected his privacy and went about doing their businesses. His Aslehm was a golden Scythe with one of its blades longer and sharper and the other blade shorter adorned with red jewel that was embedded in a depression between the blades.

"The DCT is just a week away," Charlie whined, his head in his hands. "What am I ever gonna do without the Preparer."

"Think of me, Charlie. At least you have the Aslehm, but I don't. I'm worried what I'm ever going to do. I'll probably mess up this time too," Ermand told him, biting his lip.

"I never thought that. What would you do? I've heard the third DCT is a deadly game we're going to play," Charlie replied, his lips curled down.

They sat speechless for a short while until Timothy sauntered into the room.

"Hey, what's with these long faces?" He asked, slapping on Charlie's shoulder.

"Defenders' Challenge Test," Charlie muttered.

"I see," he said, resting on Charlie's bed. He took Charlie's pillow and squeezed it onto his chest, hugging.

"I could've done better if it weren't for my Preparer to go missing at the right time," Charlie groaned, punching hard on the pillow Timothy squeezed into his chest.

"Ouch!" Timothy squealed.

"Would that help?" Ermand asked Charlie, raising a brow.

"Yeah. No way that I can buy another one, I only have three Twoks from all of what I have in my collections, including yesterday's payment received through a Knockman, from the factory for the work I did before I joined the dorm. It costs fifteen Twoks. Too expensive."

"Not as much as my chocolate," Timothy commented. "I can lend you the money, Charlie bud."

"No thanks, Timothy. I can't pay it back anytime around now, I'm in a tight situation."

"My brother could help," Ermand suggested.

Charlie turned toward Ermand, he raised a brow while a smile played on his lips. He knows Jack is known to be the naughtiest boy in the college and his parents earn at least a knocketer every month from anyone of the Professors.

"Let's go then," Ermand said, jumping from his bed. Timothy followed them.

"You want what?" Jack asked, tilting his head at Ermand. His friends were behind him, eavesdropping into the condition of their room. Everybody loves to take a sneak peek into the room of Jack and his friends, they say it's filled with wonderful and unbelievable stuff inside.

"You bought it, right? Mum scolded you for that, and dad grabbed it from you. But I'm sure you must be having it with you now."

"Wow, you're smarter than I thought. Yes, I have it. Why do you need it anyway?"

"It's not me who needs it," Ermand replied, revealing Charlie and Timothy who, a moment ago, were bending to take a look at their room between the gap of Ermand and the door frame. "It's Charlie."

"You're the Daller boy, right?"

"Yes."

"Why do you need it?" He asked, frowning.

"For my last DCT."

"You know that you can't carry these things with you, especially if it's the Preparer. Those guys will catch you."

"I know, and I'm going to smuggle it along with me."

"How would you use it even if you smuggle it along with you? The Professor's will be watching you through the crystal." Jack asked, taking a sudden interest in him.

"I'm going to mix it with food. Eating something won't trouble me, would it?"

"Spectacular, man. I like you," Jack said, nodding his head. His admiration for Charlie was visible in his eyes. "I'll get it. Make sure no one else sees it."

"All set."

Jack walked toward a wooden chest and dug deep into it with his hand and produced a small casket from inside. He opened the casket which was empty. Jack blew three times on it and a bottle with a bright orange-red-coloured solution filled in it appeared. He picked it along with a cloth and walked back to the boys.

"You know how to use this, right?" Jack asked, covering the tiny bottle with the dark blue cloth.

"Two years of experience."

"Perfect. Keep it safe and sound, away from light and use it well. Just make sure you don't use all of 'em. I'm in need of it everytime," he said, winking.

"Thanks, Jack. Will see you around," Ermand said, walking away. Jack immediately grabbed Charlie's collar, leaving Ermand and Timothy to walk back to their dorm.

"Teach your same trick to that idiot too. Or else, he might not make it," he whispered, winking.

"Of course I would," Charlie replied, giving a thumbs up and grinning.

Charlie made sure no one watched the bottle covered in the dark blue cloth escape into his pocket and dug his hands in the pocket of his jeans and followed his friends as if he's strolling around the dormitory without any devious intentions.