The Tale of the Guardian

13

"And she didn't even told me?" I shut my mouth. Feeling guilty when I didn't even thought of telling her earlier.

"We could still catch them up" I told her while she's busy sulking.

"She didn't tell me, so she don't want me bidding her good bye. Well, I don't want to bid her goodbye either!" Now she's arguing with herself. Symptoms like this isn't normal.

"She told me, so she must have trusted me to tell you this. And she might have been waiting for us. Ano nalang iisipin ni Ashly kung hindi tayo pupunta? Anong iisipin niya sa'kin?"

Asha turned to look at me. Now she's giving me that almost-convinced look.

"And you haven't apologized to Leven yet. Remember you didn't bought his meals?" And now she's fully convinced.

"Okay. Let's go"

I secretly smiled.

Bumaba kami sa dorm and a lot of casters were already circling around them. Asha blatantly push some of the casters so she could get in front. I didn't bother moving and was just watching her get pass through the crowd.

"What are you doing? Let's go!"

There was already a huge distance between us but she still return to grab my hand and pull me towards the front. When we arrived, they are getting ready to get through the portal.

"Leven!" Asha shouted.

Leven almost immediately turn so he could face us. He smiles widely after seeing Asha. And as if it wasn't enough just seeing her, he walk towards us.

"Friend mo din sila, Ellie?"

I turn to look at someone beside me. It was Arthur, a caster from Level 2. I remembered sparring with him a few times and we could already talk to each other with a first name basis. A simple 'no' is what I just said.

"Thought you wouldn't even wish me luck, Miss!" He was smiling widely, though I could still see fear and worry in his eyes.

"How could I not?" Then one by one, they walk towards us. Ashly and Flame. Light was giving me a weird look, I just felt like I did something terribly wrong.

"Please be safe" Asha said like a whisper. Leven smiled and just can't help himself, he ended up hugging her.

"I'll be" Asha hugged him tight too and release the hug with a smile. Then she proceeded in hugging all of them and hug Ashly last.

"I'll still have to beat you so don't get injured and go home in one piece" Ashly smiled and nodded her head.

"I will, Ma'am"

"Walang hug, El?" Nilingon ko si Flame, he was spreading his arms widely.

"No--" before I could finish my sentence, he already hugged me.

"Be careful" I tapped his shoulders and he nodded.

"We will" then Leven also came to hugged me. I told him to also be careful and said he will.

Ashly came up next.

"I'll take care of--" before I could even finish my words, she already cut me off.

"You take care okay? Always carry the thing Ms. Norris gave you. I also told Asha to lend you some of her mana" the last words was like a whisper.

I really really thought she would asked me to take care of Asha while she's gone. But instead, it's the other way around. She envelopes me with a hug.

"You should be careful too. Don't get injured and always be safe" she let me go and give me a small smile.

"I will"

Then the group looks at Twilight, who is in a distance and was just looking at us. He tilted his head, probably asking why they are looking at him.

"Okay let--", and when he walked towards us, Flame stopped talking and immediately gave me a sly smile.

"Be careful Kuya" Asha hugged him and slightly pushed him towards me.

When we were face to face I had the urge to step back when...

"Your friend?" He wasn't looking at me, but he's looking at the back. Lumingon ako only to see him looking at Arthur.

"Hmm", was my short answer and his brow immediately shot up. He is just looking at me weirdly, and strangely I could decipher want he meant with that look.

I tightly closed my eyes and when I opened it again, I saw how his eyes reflected some of my memories. I shared some of it with him. He wasn't a Mem'rist so he couldn't read my memories. But he is a descendant of Night and could twitch Space and Time. I just allowed him to twitch some of my time too. When it was completely over, a ghost of smile appeared.

"I'll be extra careful", is what he said and lean in for a hug. A heard a deafening silence.

"You know this isn't necessary, right?" He chuckle near my ear and let me go.

Only a week left 'til the next sorting takes place. And it's been 2 weeks since Ashly and the kids left for the dungeon raid. Each day, Asha tries to concentrate for the sorting yet she can't. She's too worried for her friends.

"Ms. Norris told you to get the flasks in the infirmary?" Tumango ako.

"Bakit? Paubos na ba yung stock mo? I could still lend you some mana, 'tho" umiling ako at hinila siya bahagya sa kanan dahil muntik na siyang may mabangga.

She wasn't looking at the way, she was looking at me while talking. Hinihila ko nalang siya pag may possibility na may mabunggo siya o maapakan.

"I told you not---" naputol ang sasabihin ko ng may tumamang sampal galing sa kung sino.

Asha was shocked, nakabuka ang labi niya at malalaki ang mata. While I blinked a lot of times and pushed my hair back. That slap stings.

"How dare you!" And a screaming blond haired girl was in front of us. She's with her two other friends who's blatantly eyeing us from head to toe. I guess she was the one who slapped me.

Bakit ba palagi akong may issue sa may kulay na buhok? First was the kids, then Loisa the white-haired girl, then this blonde one.

Asha got her senses back and her eyes turned cold. Now I sense danger from her.

"How dare you" May diin ang bawat salitang binibigkas ni Asha. She wasn't screaming, she's almost whispering but I got chills just hearing her. The other two girls stepped back while the blond haired girl didn't.

"Learn you d-mn places b-tch-s! How dare you flirt with my fiancé! A lowly level 2 have the audacity to flirt my man?!" She's seriously getting a lot of attention by screaming.

Everybody started whispering and looking this way, that makes it a bit annoying.

"Who the hell is it?! And did you just called us lowly level 2?! F-ck you bijjies! I am a Bellue!" Asha's now screaming too. Sumasakit ang ulo ko dahil sa sigawan.

This is seriously getting dangerous. I was just stopping Asha to release her skills or cast a spell. But her stating she's a Bellue pushed the blond girl back.

"Twilight and I are engaged!" She was stuttering but that made Asha shut up. And her voice sounds like a static inside my head.

"Engage?" Asha said like a whisper. That made the blond girl braver.

"Yes! We are engaged!" The casters around me doesn't seemed surprised, instead they are looking at us with their brows up. So everybody knows, except us?

Did Asha tought he doesn't like girls kasi may nagugustuhan na naman talaga siya? Did he tried to avoid girls because he needed to.

Tumingin si Asha sa akin at sa paligid.

"We...are his friends!" the last part sounded like a whisper. Then she looks at me like she's sorry.