The Tale of the Guardian

3

"Hi Ash" Lumingon si Asha Bellue sa tumuwag sa kanya.

Mabilis niya 'din akong nilingon. Nagkatinginan kaming dalawa, I know we just knew each other pero alam ko kung anong ibig sabihin ng tingin niyang 'yun.

"Hi Leven!" She wave and beam at the green haired kid.

"Sinabi kong tawagin mo kaming kuya, diba?" Asha rolled her eyes at the red haired kid. Umamba naman ang huli na tutusukin ang mata ni Asha. She then stuck her tongue out.

"Shut up Flame, ilang buwan lang ang tanda niyo sakin" the red haired kid stuck his tongue out too. It felt like watching 6 year-old kids fight.

"Hi Kuya Light! Upo ka dito!" Then she proceeds to offer the chair beside me. I just sigh with her delusions.

Limang upuan lang naman ang pwede sa lamesa namin kaya balak ko sanang tumayo na at umalis. Since they seemed to know each other, it'll be awkward if I stay here. But...

"'San ka pupunta, Ellionore? Hindi pa kami tapos kumain" Ashly  put me back ito the seat. Suot niya na ang gloves kaya malaya niyang hinawakan ang braso ko para hilahin papaupo.

Was it because they are siblings? 'Coz Ashly catches up real quick. They even gave each other a grin, pero nung maalalang hindi pala sila bati, inismiran lang 'din nila ang isa't-isa.

I didn't have a choice but to sit down and eat my meal. The red haired kid sat in the left chair beside me. And that kid sat on my right side.

Then they are off,  busy chattering about something, except me and him.

He was quite. Hindi ko tuloy mapigilan na lingunin siya paminsan minsan. Just to make sure he isn't dead because he choked at something. When I saw him still alive, I also resume eating. I still can't believe I'm seeing a stronger version of that frail kid.

Hindi pa 'din nag s-sink in sakin ang lahat. A small part of me doubts na baka hindi naman talaga ito 'yung bata sa hologram. But there's already a confirmation from mama, kaya wala  akong choice kundi ang paniwalaan siya ng buo.

"So Ellie, it's your first time coming to the Academy, right?" Asha's sister asks. Napabaling ako sa kanya, I just nod and continue eating. It's also my first time coming to this world, gusto ko sanang idugtong pero pinigilan ko ang bibig.

"I really hope you could be at Level 1" she's blabbering something and when I turn to look at the kid, I saw him mindlessly eating his food.

"Baka matunaw" muntik ko ng masuntok ang katabi kong may pulang buhok sa gulat. Magkasabay na tumawa 'yung apat dahil sa reaksyon ko.

"Like him?" Sabay nguso niya sa patpating bata noon.

"No" I abruptly said with a shake of the head.

"Naku, tulak ng bibig, kabig ng dibdib" the green haired kid said. I thought he's the silent type of this group, and I guess I'm wrong.

I am usually aloof to people I barely know, but this guys...is a different case. I am strangely comfortable with their presence. It just feels like, I've known them for a long time.

"You see those stars?" Asha pointed something in his head. They are something twinkling in his hair, like a star dust.

"That means he is off somewhere" Ashly butted in. Napakunot ang noo ko.

"But he is here and eating" I said, doesn't really know what they mean.

"Twilight is a direct descendant of Night. And as we all know, Night controls space and time. Light, inherited all of that" mabilis akong napabaling kay Leven, yung kulay green ang buhok.

"But a descendant could only inherit one skill" he smirk at me. Smiling proudly na para bang siya ang nagpalaki sa batang patpatin.

"That's why he is special." Since then, I  fell into a deep thought.

Was that the reason why his mana wasn't that great when he was a child? Is it because he inherited more than one skill from Night? Then he must have been very powerful now. And this must mean that he don't really need a guardian. Not now, and not when he was still a kid.

At that point, I already made my decision final.

"What do you mean he is off somewhere?" I looked at Ashly.

"It means he is traveling somewhere in the galaxies" nabalik kaagad ang tingin ko sa katabi. So he is in that level already. Kaya pala tahimik siya, could he also travel me back from my original time? But wouldn't asking help a bit risky? Lalo  na at hindi ko naman talaga natugunan ang offer  ng mga magulang niya to be his guardian.

Gusto kong guluhin ang buhok sa frustration.

"It's like he is here, but he is also somewhere else" napabalik ang tingin ko sa apat nung mag salita si  Leven.

"Like physically present but mentally absent" Flame said and then burst out laughing.

"Parang ikaw" Ashly immediately added. Then the banters started again.

"Like so close yet so far?" I was so out of it that I didn't even notice that I said that out loud.

"Oh?" Is what I only heard from Asha and the group fell silent. I tore my eyes off him  and saw the group staring at me. All of them. Tinaas ko ang kilay kay Asha, lowkey asking what's wrong.

"Confirm" biglang saad ni Flame.

"What?" I asks when they didn't stop looking at me.

"Light, crush ka daw nito" and the audacity of this red hair kid to put his hands on the top of my head? And even told the traveling black haired kid such lies?

Mabilis pa sa alas kwatro ko siyang natampal sa likod ng ulo. Nahulog din ang kamay niya galing sa ulo ko pero tatawa tawa lang ang huli. My eyes were big and I don't know the specific reasons why I smacked him in the head. Like it was a natural reaction when he's fooling around. I'm not a fan of violence but I guess he deserves that.

"Calm down, Ellie. Light can't hear when he's traveling" Asha's even chuckling too, so as Leven the green haired kid. While Ashly's diligently eating her food. Sobrang bilis niya na ngang kumain.

"Who?" Our eyes, big. And it's like we moved as one when we turned our heads towards the kid, synchronize.

Now back from traveling, his hair comes back as his usual black hair without the visible star dusts on his head. His chin resting on the palm of his hand.

Our eyes meet, and I'm immediately drawn. Drawn in his twinkling eyes, 'coz once again, he brought back the whole galaxy when he came back and store it in his eyes.

• Level 1- the highest level a caster could get in the academy's system. Means that a Caster is highly exceptional in terms of using mana and highly skilled in combat.
•Academy's System- from Level 1- 5