Due to my ice powers, my body was very stiff. I exercised a bit, to counter that coldness. 'I don't know when the guy is going to return. I should pretend nothing happened, just in case' I thought. I sat back on the chair, and stayed still. The guy was gone for quite a while, before the doors to the room opened. The old man returned. Fortunately, he wasn't alone. Fox was with him. Fox quickly made hare way in front of me, and exclaimed "It's really you!". She wasn't dressed in the clothes, I would usually recognise her by. She wore more casual clothing, a long blue coloured dress and light shoes. Her mask was still there though, which made me wonder. 'Perhaps she really does have a scar on her face. She wears that mask even here' I thought. I smiled at her, and I stood up. "Yep, it is me", I said.
The old man stared in shock. He mumbled "How did you get out of…". Fox told him, that I was her friend, and to leave us alone. The old man obliged, and left. I sat back down, and asked "It's a bit cold here, but it should be fine soon. Anyway, how are you doing?". She sat down as well, and replied "Your medicine was great. Thanks to that, I'm about to break through my Inner Limits". I smiled, and didn't say anything. She also sat there, not knowing what to say.
We stayed like this for a while, until I remembered something. "I had no clue you studied Formations", I stated. She shook her head, then replied "My father made me. I have no talent in that, so I'm quite bad at it. I prefer to go on adventures, than studying symbols and all that". I nodded my head, but I also realised something. I ran out of things, I wanted to ask her at this stage. Whenever I met with Fox, I had nothing to really talk about. The silence was awkward, I decided to try and tell her about my travels. "I came to visit, but I'm not sure what to talk about… How about me finding my family?", I asked.
She nodded her head silently, but then asked "You lost your family?". I smiled, and replied "Yea, my parents died a long time ago. Only a few months back, did I find my true family. It's a happy place, everyone is nice and welcoming. I also learned a few things". She seemed interested, so I narrated the story about my family. How my cousins didn't want to accept me, or how I learned to use a sword. Pretty mundane stuff, but she listened anyway.
After my story, I asked "So what about you?". She replied "I didn't have any adventures like you lately. I sat here, and studied Formations… Oh right, let's go meet my father". I had nothing against, and agreed. We left the basement, and headed towards one of the towers. I asked "Is your father some sort of big figure here?". She laughed, and replied "You can say that. He is the Formation Master. He is mostly researching things, but also teaches Advanced Students. He lives at the top of this tower". I asked "What about your mother?". She shook her head, and replied "She is no longer around".
We continued in silence. The tower was very tall, I grabbed Fox and sped upwards. She exclaimed "Ah!", but didn't struggle. We soon reached the top, where I let her go. I smiled, and said "Why walk like normal villagers, when we can get to places faster". She shook her head, and didn't reply. Fox knocked on the doors, then entered. I followed her inside, and noticed a messy office. A 50 year old man, sat behind the desk. A stack of papers, notes and books laid on top of his desk. A pile of books laid on the floor, near the desk, together with clothing and dirty plates. This already told me one thing. This guy didn't care about order and organisation.
The man looked up, and asked "Who is that person darling?". Fox introduced "This is my friend from the North". She then turned towards me, and introduced her father. "This is my father, Philip". I greeted Philip by nodding, and he returned the gesture. Fox pushed me onto a chair, and sat down next to me. I was a bit confused, but fortunately Fox's father was more talkative than her. He said "My daughter talked a lot about you. You even helped her out, which I'm very grateful for. Tell me boy, what can I do for you?".
'Eeee… I'm not here for a reward though…' I thought. After a while of contemplating on that question, I replied "I just came to visit my friend. I don't want any rewards". He said "Of course. Either way, I'd like to help you out still. Do you perhaps want to study Formations? I can enrol you to the Academy". I shook my head, and replied "No. I have too many things on my head. Adding Formations into that mix, would not be such a good idea. Maybe in the future, when I master my own things". Philip nodded, and said "That is very good. You shouldn't bite more than you can chew. If you need my help in the future, be sure to come by".
I thought about it, and said "I don't know if you can help me, but I'm looking for a sword. The sword belongs to me, but it was stolen a long time ago. It looks something like this". I took out the replica of Moon Blade, and showed it to Philip. Philip was about to say something, but Fox said "I've seen such swords. They are quite popular", before he could start. I replied "That is the problem. The woman who stole it from me, paid some blacksmiths to make replicas of that sword. There is no way, she is aware of me, and about my journey. I think someone is searching for it as well".
Fox asked "Woman?". I nodded, and replied "The woman I fell in love with, when I was like 18 years old. She of course wasn't interested in me, but my sword. She stole it, and the rest is history. She is lucky I haven't found her. If I do, she will die a miserable death". Fox didn't ask anything else. I turned towards Philip, and said "That's why I said, I don't know if you can help me. You specialise in Formations, not swords". He shook his head, and said "I can still ask around, but I can't promise you anything. As you said, I don't specialise in sword".
I nodded my head, and added "Someone else might be in its possession now. It's been many years since I lost it. I will find it sooner or later, one way or another". I looked around the office, and asked "So, Formations?". Philip smiled, and replied "You seem interested". I smiled, then replied "Of course, Formations are interesting, I never claimed otherwise. I simply don't have the time to learn them. I know a Formation Master, she told me it takes a very long time, to learn everything properly". Philip replied "That is true. Even if someone is talented, becoming a Formation Master is a long and winding road".
Fox suddenly said "You can give it a try, right? At least, for as long as you are going to stay here". In overall, this wasn't a stupid idea. I couldn't train my sword here, and using my Arts around the people, was a big no no. I nodded, and replied "I will stay for a few days only. I will then head towards the Imperial City". Philip replied "Great. You can try out learning something, while I will try to find some information about your sword. Can you leave that sword replica with me?". I replied "Sure", and handed him the replica of the Moon Blade.
Fox grabbed my arm, and said "Let's go, I will show you around. We can be in the same class, I'm still a beginner after all. Father will take care of everything". I nodded, and we left the office. I again grabbed Fox, and ran downstairs. She wasn't as surprised, like last time. While we walked through the open area of the Academy, Fox said "You must've been through a lot… Without your parents, and then that betrayal… I meant to ask earlier, where is your turtle?". She reminded me of my old friend, and all the time we spent together. I sighed, and said "Shelly… is no longer here. Shelly saved my life, in exchange for its own... Yea, I've been through some dark times in my life".
I didn't want her to feel bad, so I continued "But, I also met a few interesting people, and made some friends. Although I went through some hardships in my life, I'm happy to be here". She nodded her head, replying "That's good to hear". We were going towards the large building in the middle, I guessed it must've been the place where students, well, studied.