Reaching the hoard, Sia and I split up, and I headed straight to Sir Leonidas, who was at the moment sitting underneath a small tree and circulating his warforce.

I stood patiently in front of him as he completed his cycles and then when he opened his eyes, I stepped forward and said, “Teacher, I need your help.”

Raising his eyebrows, the teacher looked at me before he asked in a soft voice, “Is the sky falling down? My disciple actually willingly came to me for help?”

Coughing, I ploughed on and quickly outlined the thoughts that were running through my head.

Stroking his chin, the Teacher regarded me and said, “Are you sure? It’s a difficult path you are going to be walking.”

Nodding my head, I asked, “I just want to know if you’re fine with it.”

Getting to his feet, the teacher stretched as he said, “Fine? Of course I’m fine with it. My disciple is growing up!”

Then growing serious, he looked at me and said, “Faustus, do not forget that you will have to reach iron rank as soon as you can.”

I was about to agree wholeheartedly, when the teacher continued to say cryptically, “The sooner, the better.”

Now I also knew that the sooner it was that I reached iron rank, the better it would be for me. But somehow, I got the feeling that what he was talking about and what I was thinking about were two separate things altogether.

But leaving it aside for now I asked the teacher, “When can we leave?”

Looking at the sky, Teacher said, “Meet me back here in half an hour. Bring some food as well. I don’t want to be hearing your stomach growling the entire time.”

And so, there I was, hand outstretched in front of a distraught Madam Amee.

A few minutes later, supplies stored in my finite ring…. I returned to my room and sat down as I thought.

Raising my hand in front of me, I looked at the finite ring… the only thing of Sir James that I had.

But strangely, I felt as though he had given me many more gifts but I couldn’t think of any of them at the moment.

Banishing the thought, I started summoning other objects.

First were the gauntlets that my brother had given me.

Looking fondly at them, I resolved to find a blacksmith to repair them since they were dented and a bit bulkier than they should be around my hands.

Second was the box with the many scenes that Sia had drawn on it painstakingly.

Looking at the box fondly, I traced the memories that it represented.

From the moment that Sia used to stand in front of Harold for me, to the moment that I stood in front of Harold for her, to the time on the watcher’s rest, to the time when I put the hair-clip on for her, to the time we stood at the fountain, and finally the image where I was holding the box - much like now.

Thinking of all the memories that we had made since then, I smiled widely and then I opened the box and took out the objects that I had placed inside.

The third object was a brooch made of Ashwood. It had a dragon coiled around a straight spear and breathing flames upon it. The House Drayke brooch that Ares had made for me.

The fourth object was a shattered locket, blood still clinging to it stubbornly. The portrait inside though, had been carefully cleaned until not a speck of blood remained and the blood itself had seemed to oblige at the time of cleaning.

Looking reminiscently at the locket that Frizelda had given me, I hoped she was safe along with everybody else.

Then placing the brooch and the locket back inside the box, I took out my dagger in its sheath.

Looking at it with respect, I placed it on the bed in front of me and caressed it, thinking of all the battles that we had been in.

Then I took a long leather tube with a scroll inside it.

Taking the scroll out and unfurling it, I saw the painting of a magnificent dragon.

Remembering my mother’s words at the time, ‘If one day you find yourself truly lost and far from home, then look at it and remember - you are a Drayke’, I looked at it for a long moment in silence.

Then I unfurled the painting completely and gasped.

The Dragon seemed as though it would jump out of the painting. As though it was ready to roar and the world will shake when it did.

But that was not what caught my attention.

Instead it was the reverse of the scroll and the glimpse of the image drawn there that I had seen.

Hastily turning the scroll over, I sat dumbstruck as tears began falling from my eyes.

On the reverse of the scroll, was a beautiful tree under which stood my father and mother, clasping hands together and smiling out at me.

Reaching out and tracing their faces, I could almost feel them calling out to me, “Don’t worry, we’re safe. You must take care of yourself and your brother well!”

Then, as I looked in the corner, I noticed another figure who was sitting on a rock and smiling.... Looking closely; I saw it was Aaron but a much smaller, real sized Aaron.

Laughing now as I imagined my brother's affronted expression if he saw his depiction, I quietened down as I thought of my parents and everybody left behind.

New resolve filled me and going through my thoughts again, I firmly decided that my path was the right one.

Finally, I took out the leather armor, sword, and helmet that I had been using during the escape.

Fingering the many cuts on the armor, the notches on the sword, and the dents on the helmet - I sighed as I knew that I would have to either repair or replace the armor in its entirety.

Thinking back on that six story shop, I shuddered as I also thought of my coin pouch that was almost empty - or at least could be considered as empty when the objective was buying new armor from that particular shop.

Then, looking at the objects now laid across the bed, I let out a deep breath.

These were all the possessions that I had for the most part.

I also had a few knickknacks that I had accumulated over the years, but for the most part, this was it.

Oh, and the books.

Slapping my head, I laid out my book collection on the bed and regarded it with satisfaction before my face twisted as my head pained.

Clutching it, I had the vague feeling again that I had been given many many books as a present but no matter how much I thought, I could not recall it and the pain faded away as fast as it came.

Shaking my head to clear the vestiges of it away, I fell silent in contemplation.

Snapping out of my reverie, I swept everything back into my finite ring carefully and I went to where the teacher waited for me.

Then together, we left on our journey.

To Maeqil.

To a new path.