SOON AFTER HE left Stella alone at the magical board, he pushed his way through the sea of blue and white so that he could plant his feet in front of AcA counter. He heard a few unfriendly whispers because of his rude behavior but it made him all the more desperate. He kept on pressing the silver bell on the counter until one of the staff attended his depressing needs.

"Yes?" said the staff without the commonly use smile and friendly tone of office worker he usually received when he came visiting the counter. His nonsensical behavior must have ticked off the staff and he does not feel sorry about it.

"I wanted to know why I have to repeat a grade. My final result last grade was fantastic and to add, I received an offer letter! Please explain this absurd situation I'm facing right now," Gitto shoots out his dissatisfaction that he had been holding back since he saw his name listed with his fellow 12th-grade junior.

The only response that he received was, "name?"

Hearing it made him wanted to explode a mouthful of colourful curse words that he can come up with but he held his tongue. "Gitto Lee," he answered fast enough for the staff to capture.

Very loud screams and shouts made him turned his head to where the damned magical board was. A name that he did not know was called or rather shouted repeatedly. Several other students busy with whatever business they had on the counter were also doing the same as he was, trying to unravel the unknown reason for these noises.

"I guess the exchange students are here. The Kimberly's," said someone on his back.

Kimberly's?

He then remembered before that when he was trying to find his name on that damned Advanced Class list, he saw two names with the mark K.I.S.E. It was the Wisdoms twin from one of a very prestigious family that held power to govern on this valley. Knowing it made his skin crawled. He did hope that Stella did not meet them in the hall though thinking of the possibilities of that to happen was worrisome. His instinct told him to run to Stella at this instant –

"Mr. Lee?" called the staff making him snapped his attention back to the matter at hand. Yet he cannot hide his anxiety away. His feet kept on tapping the floor. He even pushed an innocent junior girl aside so that he could have more room to let out his anxiety and that he could hear clearly the answer to his problem.

"Sorry," he offered feeling guilty for what he had done to the girl and she just brushed it off.

He did not know if he should felt annoyed that he got that kind of treatment or that he should felt grateful that the girl acted cool considering his rude behavior conquering the counter like he owned that place. Though this place was crowded at this time of year, he or anyone should know that such an accident did happen and one needed to learn how to cope with one own hurt feeling for the whole day. He did prepare for that and as he slowly turned his head back to face whatever reasons AcA would throw, he did not anticipate this.

A man in the middle of his twenties stepped out from the administration office caught Gitto's attention. He barely saw that man and it was three to four paces away with students milling in between them yet he saw that man. When he could not even handle his anxiety of not being in the same class with Stella and the possibility of the Wisdoms twin meeting Stella on this hallway, their eyes met. And at that moment, he could feel his spines aligned and his body hair on his limbs stuck out.

That eyes.

Those dark green eyes that seem almost swallowed him alive in the sea of never-ending torture and anger.

He cannot move. Both his legs stubbornly planted his body straight on that man's eyesight and both of them suddenly in a weird combative staring contest. As if that man really wanted Gitto to look at him. To stare and to feel the despair in his eyes – his soul. Upon seeing it he knew of what he had seen was bad news. That supposedly he remember something that he long forgot or that he wanted to forget.

"Mr. Gitto Lee!"

"Yes!" he snapped. His head turned to see the staff that held his answer to his fate. The staff's eyes went smaller and smaller by the minute he ignored him before. "Sorry," he offered.

A piece of the paper slide under the counter glass that separates him and the AcA staff. The staff finger was pointing at something on the paper he gave. "It seems that your credit hour for co-curriculum and social service did not meet the standard," he said bored.

Gitto's forehead wrinkled and his nostrils flared. "What do you mean by that? I never skip class... and I finished the required social service time. I have proof. My friend Stella, we finished it together," he argued. How ridiculous he felt to be pushed a year because of this stupid thing. "We did it together, darn it! Please, sir, I can't be held back a year. There's must be a mistake," he begged.

If Lily Ghotham ever saw this she would condemn him for years to come yet he did not care. Not now. He may act like a clown and admittedly sometimes he took things for granted but he never fails in performing his tasks. Not if it means Stella's safety in jeopardy.

"Sorry to disappoint you kid but if it's what the board says, then you have to accept. The offer letter is just a formal process but it is not decided until the board decides for you. You're a genius kid. Everyone knows that. But you can't fight the board. Any dissatisfaction you want to say while I'm feeling pity?"

The staff turned to face other students when he shakes his head. He grasped his hand tightly. His world starts to crumble one by one. He could feel it and all of this was because of that stupid magical board. He wanted to lash and kick but doing all those could not change the fact that Stella would be far away from him. When things started to take turns now that Stella had celebrated her birthday last week, she could be in more danger than she ever had years before. He was Stella knight after all.

Her black knight and she was his pride.

THE WHOLE TIME she walked her way to the lecture hall that can be put as many as 100 students a time, where it usually filled with her best friend nonstop chattiness was replaced with silence. It was the first step of her normalcy that needed to change. She never cared about Gitto's never-ending nagging and whatnot but Lily sure was annoyed by it when sometimes they met her in between classes.

Maybe because Gitto had always been with her since they were little that the moment became incomplete. Stella had to admit that sometimes people cried because of his foul mouth and rough attitude but he would never act that way if he did not feel threatened. One day she did ask him why he needed to go such measures and he answered, "it was to protect the one that I love."

Love.

She never knew one. Or at least felt one. She did know her parents loved her, her sister too, and Gitto of course. But to have a feeling of such towards another and towards oneself, it was not an easy concept to understand and to experience. However, she did try to ask Gitto the meaning of love, to understand his view other than trying to gauge it through every book that offers very simple meanings yet complicated.

He said, "to me love is you."

"Me?"

Gitto smiled. "You're my friend and my family. You're someone I wanted to care for and protect. Most of all you make me feel complete."

Hearing it does not make it any easier to understand yet she had come to the conclusion that love was for those who had a friend and a family. Though she does not have a feeling, at least she understands it. 

Her best friend -her love, will slowly disappear from her moment. He that understands her needs without her knowing her own... and she, at that moment, was walking towards the lecture hall where she will let people devoured her.

"How can someone like her be in this class?"

"Wasn't she a non-magical wielder?"

"But her name is on the list."

"Then it's a mistake."

"You're a fool if you think it's a mistake. The board was a magical item. No one had touched that board ever since this institute was built!"

"Ergh, this castle always makes me feel creepy. Imagine a death note suddenly appeared on that board and boom! You're dead!"

"No!!!" One person was shouting dramatically while making a choking sound then followed by strings of giggles.

Stella took her place at the front row table. She could hear those voices whispering behind her not caring that their hushed whispered was not a whisper but more like a proclamation for all to hear. She knew they were going to say something about her sudden appearance for this Advanced Class whereas she was supposedly on her way to Apple-Borne Practical University at Apple-Borne city that situated a mile away from this valley.

Apple-Borne Practical University was one of the ten universities that served courses for those non-magical wielders or low aptitude magical wielder. Many that she knew that had more aptitude than her yet still considered low by society went to these universities to learn skills of practical knowledge. For instance, there are engineering, arts, medical, business management, and so on. She had been waiting for her offer letter since the start of her last year-end holiday. But her letter never came. 

Instead, she received an offer letter for Advanced Class at Chamberly Institute, an offer that she never applied for.

Her parents, her sister, and Gitto they were ecstatic. Their face showed how happy they were for her. Yet she was not a magical wielder. She cannot survive in this class but who can deny a letter for such a class. She might as well try and find reasons for this mistake.

She glanced at the two seats on her right. This was a seat that Gitto always occupied and now it's empty and vacant. No more jokes that she can understand and no more sharp glances to those who kept on bullying her. Still, she can still meet him later when recess came... yet, those two empty seats somehow hunting her conscience.

"Are the seats taken?"

At the end of the table, Stella saw the Wisdoms twin stands to wait for her to give a reply. While the brother smiled so sweetly, the sister still wore her cold expression that could freeze the whole lecture hall.

She nodded then paid her attention to the chalkboard. Lily might be good with people but Stella was one less friendly. That was why these years her only friend was Gitto and was the one that started this relationship. She took out her notebook and began to scribble. The instructors will enter once all the selected students were here.

"Please explain why the Wisdoms sat with her?"

"Where is the guy that always with her?"

"Heard that he got held back a year."

"Wasn't he supposed to be a prodigy? You're sure?"

"That exactly what will happen if you stuck with a stupid person. She'll suck all your brain cells and left you on the dirt."

"I bet that she magic him to be stupid and worthless."

"She can't even do single magic, you buffoon."

"Then how can she be in this class?"

"I guess the mystery lies in the magic board."

"Let's us see how she fare in the class later on."

Stella kept on scribbling her notebook without having any care of the world. Every word that they spilled was not even worth her attention. There was no need to get as low as they were just so that she can prove that they were wrong. The only matter most was that she knew how to appreciate herself. That was what Gitto taught her and that if they were ever tried to bully her with words then let it be. Let them spewed whatever nonsense they want. She just needed to be deaf, mute, and only let her eyes saw what was worth.

Besides, Gitto had always been reckless and that was so keen on being her protector.

A pen tip tapped on her notebook. Stella turned her head to look at Jacq's face. Since she saw him this morning, that guy had been smiling non-stop that it was a bit unusual to her. There was something that kept on tugging her heart. His smile although it seemed easy and gentle, it seemed as though there was another force that can make him smile like that the same way his hand gripped her before. And those eyes, it was the same as Gitto; the eyes that never judged a person.

"Just curious, are you always by yourself?" he asked.

Stella's eyes that were hidden behind the curtain of her long front hair continued to assess every wrinkles and line and the reasons behind his question. Back then he was so open and now he still was. Slowly, she shakes her head. "For now, yes."