***

Characters from original VG series are copyright of Nintendo.

Inspirations and other themes are owned by Square Enix.

Original Characters are owned by me. Please don't use them without permission.

All third party characters owned by their respective owners, please respect their ownership by not using characters without their permission.

***

Chapter 39

I had awoken in a jolt of pain. I kept my eyes closed through jagged breaths, as my brain began processing my body’s condition. During this ordeal I slowly began recounting the day’s prior events, and it slowly began to return to me. Soon I remembered everything that happened on MacBeth, and began to dwell on it. That was all I was up to doing for the time being. I quietly opened my eyes and surveyed the area. I was in sleeping quarters that were foreign to me. I didn’t have the energy to worry about it though, especially when I could feel bandages all over my body. Whoever’s ship it was, they patched me up, but it seemed I was in stable enough condition to not need an IV of any kind.

Despite the fact I just woke up, I was completely exhausted. The battle from before had pushed me to new limits I had never faced before. I began to think about how far I had come from when I first arrived in the Lylat system. If I had fought a battle like this when I had just arrived, I would not be standing here today.

“I never expected any of this to happen to me,” I told myself. If I hadn’t have arrived here, I’d probably still be in high school teaching kids chess in my spare time. My mind trailed back to yesterday’s events again. I recalled everything that happened, from the riots, to the fights with Angulo, and even more importantly…

“Fox and Wolf,” I muttered again, “why did they fight like that? I thought we were all allies.” I didn’t understand. Old rivalries aside it really wasn’t an appropriate time for such a match. Not that I could have done anything to stop it. I still felt a little guilty for yelling at them the way I did. Despite my feelings they were all still my friends, both of those teams. I held my hand out, pretending to grip the Star Fox sword I had been gifted from the team. It was no use though, it was gone the moment Angulo kicked it into the lava. It was almost symbolic for the way our relationships ended up. As I thought about the blade I immediately jolted my brain as I remembered.

“Bahamut!” I shouted. I remembered that he had lost his energy in the battle. I cursed myself for being so careless, both in the battle and now as I had forgotten about my companion’s well-being. I reached out for him inside my head, but to my horror, I had gotten no response. No, he couldn’t be gone, I told myself. I didn’t want to believe it.

“Well well,” I heard a deep voice begin, “You’re finally awake. We were worried about you.” I looked up as I saw both the President and Nordic come in. Both had stoic yet worried expressions on their faces. I felt guilty for worrying them, especially Nordic.

“I’m sorry,” was all I could muster for the time.

“You should be thanking Mr. Icewolf here,” he patted his guardian on the shoulder, “He sensed you were in danger and immediately came to your aid.”

“You have a real knack for getting into serious trouble,” Nordic began, “for an intelligent young man you can be very irresponsible.” During other times I would have taken it tongue and cheek, but this time he was right, and I felt really guilty for it. Would things have gone differently if I had been more careful? I wondered to myself, then spoke up.

“I’m sorry Master,” I began, “but Bahamut, he’s-”

“Bahamut is alright,” he interrupted.

“But I can’t talk to him.”

“I may not understand it all myself,” the President began, “but from what I’ve heard, these blades of yours can withstand much more than just a simple battle.” He pointed at the bedside table and I turned my head. Resting against it was Bahamut, secure in its sheath. I looked at the blade in worry, until Nordic stood next to me and I turned back to him.

“Bahamut is not dead,” he explained, “when his energy reserves ran out, he retreated into a deep crystal slumber. They encase their heart and soul in crystal, and rest as long as is necessary to fully recover, and then some. While in this state their sword will lack the magical properties they have until the dragon reawakens. Despite that, nothing can touch them in this state, and their blades remain indestructible. When we found you unconscious on MacBeth, the President’s men retrieved the sword from Star Fox for you.”

“I see,” I felt relieved that Bahamut would be alright, and was grateful for them retrieving him for me. “How long will he sleep like this?”

“I can’t say for sure,” Nordic said, “I’ve only ever had it happen to me once. During that time both blades were asleep for 2 months. It could take longer or shorter depending on the strain the dragon went through during the time. On top of that, I could never summon a dragon to their original form like you have accomplished, so I’m not sure how that would factor in. Do not worry about for the time being though.”

“For the time being,” the President began, “things are only getting messier as time goes on. We are quickly approaching the deadline Cougar had announced before the attack, and we are not any closer to discovering the location of their headquarters. The public will be in a panic before too long.”

“What can we do?” I asked.

“For now,” the bear continued, “you need to focus on your rest; you are in no condition to continue fighting right now. Despite that however, we could use your help if you are willing to report on what happened during your time there. We need all the information that we can get our hands on.” I was still very exhausted from the ordeal and would have preferred to rest, but I knew how important it was and recounted the events for them. I made sure not to miss a single detail. Both Nordic and the President listen for close to an hour about what happened, and when I mentioned the data files Angulo gave me, the president stopped me.

“Would you mind if we examined those files first?” he asked, “We’ll give it back to you immediately after we’ve copied it.” I saw no reason to deny them this request; any info they could dig up would only be beneficial to finding out their secrets. Nordic dug the drive out of my clothes, which despite torn were folded neatly onto the bedside table. I was aware I was naked at the time, but busy focusing on other things, and on the pain my body wracked to be concerned by it.

“Things never stop being complicated do they?” Nordic began. “I don’t understand Angulo’s motives, but I guess in the end he proved to be of help after all.”

“Considering his power,” the bear spoke, “the fact that Ryan has inherited such power now makes him a key force in fighting these terrorists off. I hope we can count on you again shortly Ryan.” I blushed a bit at the compliment, but didn’t know how to respond at the time. I thought back to the words I shouted at the other teams and felt my will to fight fade. That battle just took too much out of me to consider fighting again immediately. My state of mind and body was not ready to make that commitment yet. I knew I couldn’t say no however and knew once I did recover that I would be asked to fight again. Before I could speak however a big red blur barged right into the room.

“OH HELL NO,” He shouted, and I recognized Zio immediately. The dragon was huffing and puffing, “Ryan is still recovering and in no condition to fight.”

“Zio I-”

“He’s a human being, not a piece of meat. I won’t let you send him to an early grave.”

“But Zio-”

“You can’t expect him to fight all of your battles for you. No one can do that, especially with what he’s gone through, a lesser man would have broken under the pressure by now. Can’t you consider his feelings for once? Understand what he’s going through.”

“Zio Sephis,” I began, “that’s enough.”

“But Ryan,” the dragon started.

“I understand you’re upset,” I started, “I’m exhausted, and not well, and in a lot of pain from the last battle. But you don’t have to speak for me. I’m capable of making my own choices.”

“Ryan, I-”

“I know,” I said, “I’m not sure I’m ready to begin fighting again either. I need more time to think on it. But I need to be the one to make that choice.” There wouldn’t have been any point if someone else made the choice for me. I had to make the decision for myself. Zio quietly tucked his hands behind his back and looked down a bit.

“Sorry Ryan,” he said.

“It’s ok,” I replied. The President listened in and nodded.

“You’re correct,” he began, “I was putting too much focus on the good of the system to put your feelings under consideration. I want you to fight for us, to help us. But if we had forced you to fight, we’d be no better than the enemy. Take all the time you need, we too shall continue fighting as long as is necessary. Please forgive me.”

“In the meantime,” Nordic began, “I think we all need some rest, especially you Ryan, those injuries need time to heal, so don’t you dare strain yourself, for all of our sakes.”

“I won’t let that happen,” Zio said regaining his posture. “I’ll be watching him like a hawk.”

“I thought you were a dragon,” I smiled and teased, and he responded by poking my nose with a claw. Nordic chuckled.

“I need to keep up my duties with the president, but I’ll be back in to see you later.” He nodded and stepped out the door following the president, leaving me and Zio alone together. I laid myself back down into a comfortable position.

“I’m sorry for worrying you Zio,” I said tiredly, and suddenly felt him hug me, best he could from the side of the bed.

“I’m just glad you’re alright,” he said, “It’s my job to be concerned about you.”

“Why are you here anyway?” I asked, “I thought you were with Star Fox.”

“Well,” Zio began, “when I heard you were being taken back to Corneria on the President’s ship, I asked to come along. Nordic was nice enough to put in a good word for me thankfully.”

“Nordic,” I said, “he really is a wonder. He’s powerful and strong, intelligent and wise, he always knows what it is he needs to do.”

“You really admire him,” Zio said, “Don’t you?”

“I suppose I do,” I answered.

“Maybe you have a crush on him.” He chuckled and I rolled my eyes.

“I don’t like him like THAT,” I said, “I don’t know how to describe it. Nordic is like… Like a father to me.”

“You see him like that?” Zio asked looking out the door, “I never would have guessed, but he has the right qualities I suppose. I’m sure he’d be very happy if you told him that.”

“I can’t tell him that,” I replied, “he’s my teacher, I don’t think that’d be appropriate.”

“I’m not so sure,” Zio replied back, “either way he does a lot for you. Letting him know would be a way of expressing gratitude.”

“I don’t know, maybe,” I said and turned my head to face the Bahamut sword again.

“You do have to acknowledge that he is good looking though,” Zio chuckled, “I’m just saying is all.” I chuckled and could agree with him on that. I thought about my feelings for Nordic a bit, then turned my focus on resting as directed by Zio, he helped adjust pillows and grab water as needed and soon I was back asleep.

***

I was the only one worn out by the battle. Back on the Great Fox, everyone aboard was quietly going about their business, Slippy was busy keeping maintenance on the Arwings, Falco was working out in the Gym, and Peppy was studying some records. Krystal was with Fox, quietly consoling him. Fox had taken this battle the hardest, feeling really guilty for letting events unfold the way they did. The blue vixen didn’t say anything however, understanding that he knew he was wrong, and just wanted to be there to console him.

“I’m really sorry Krystal,” he began, “things just kind of gotten out of hand.” Again she said nothing, but hugged him from behind gently as he sat at the side of his bed.

“I hope Ryan can forgive me,” he said.

“Give him some time,” Krystal said, “he’ll come around eventually, and he just needs to think it over for a bit.”

“I suppose you’re right,” he said with a sigh, “doesn’t make things any easier though.”

“Well perhaps I should give you a nice distraction to put your mind at ease.” She gave a smile and leaned in to kiss him, gently pulling him backwards onto the bed.

***

I took an entire day to rest and recover. Zio had given me some painkillers which helped to an extent, but my dosage was limited as he said they could be very addictive. It didn’t matter much though, as I was pretty much bedridden on everyone else’s orders. Resting was the easy part, but there wasn’t much for entertainment when I was doing nothing but lying in bed. The president came by for another visit, but it was fairly short, but the chess game he played with me was a nice distraction. Zio would play too when he wasn’t too busy, I think he’s gotten a little passionate about wanting to beat me.

Nordic would come by too on occasion, to take over the dragon’s duties when he needed to rest. We didn’t play any chess, but we would converse regularly whenever I was awake for it.

I awoke early the next morning to the sound of some beeping. I sat up a bit to see what it was, and felt something clamped to my finger. Zio had attached a monitor to take my vitals with, but it seemed he fell asleep halfway through. His head was laying sideways on my legs, some handwritten notes in his claws, most likely my vitals. I was worried he was getting a little obsessed over his duties, but was certainly grateful for his help. I looked around the room and saw that my torn up clothes were replaced by a brand new set, in the design similar to my Star Fox uniform.

I reached over and grabbed the clothes and examined them closely. It was then I noticed how I was able to move a lot more than the previous day. In fact, the majority of the pain was gone. I wasn’t sure if it was everything I did yesterday that helped or not, but my progress of recovery was astonishing, at least to me anyway.

I moved my legs carefully as to not disturb him and crawled out of bed quietly. I removed the device from my finger and turned the machine off, before dressing completely, the clothes draped over the bandages. After finishing that I walked over and grabbed the Bahamut sword in its sheath, and tied the strap around my right shoulder over my torso so it was hanging from my back. Normally I would have sent the blade into the space of my mind to retrieve later when fighting, but I wanted to keep his physical presence close for the time being. Since everyone else was watching over me, I felt the least I could do was watch over my friend as he slept, however long I needed to.

After a quick pit stop in the bathroom to wash and straighten my hair among other things I stepped out into hall, wandering quietly. Being so early in the morning I made sure to stay quiet along the metal hallways, knowing people would still be asleep. Being out of that stuffy room gave me some time to think clearly and let my mind wander, it felt nice.

My mind wandered enough to not notice when I entered the doorway to the president’s office. I stopped about halfway in the room when I noticed and looked around in awe. For a temporary office it had the homey look and feel of a high class study. The bear certainly had a classy taste. All the furniture in the room was of carefully constructed ornate wood, complementing the color of the dark carpet very nicely. Ordaining the shelves on both walls were several flags hanging upwards in a 45 degree angle, each representing each planet in the Lylat system. The only flag not on his shelves was the one on his desk sticking straight up, representing Corneria. When I did notice and looked at the desk I was a bit surprised.

“I’m a bit surprise to see you up and about already,” The President began with a chuckle, turning on his large swivel chair to face me. “Not that I’m complaining any.”

“Why are you in here alone?” I asked in realization, “Nordic and your guards aren’t stationed here right now.”

“There’s no one aboard the ship that would put me in any danger right now,” the bear responded, “besides, just like you I hate sitting around when there’s work to be done.” I looked to his desk to see piles of tablets and paperwork, most likely pertaining to various policies that the cornerian government deals with every day.

“Don’t you ever take a break from that?” I ask, “dealing with politics all day has to be a drag sometimes doesn’t it?” He merely gave a hearty chuckle.

“Politics is always a drag as you put it” he said, “but someone has to do it. Being the president of an entire solar system requires a lot of responsibility. But I am a politician, every single minute of my time counts, especially when the paparazzi always show up whenever you don’t tie your shoes with absolute perfection.” I chuckled and scratched my head a bit. I guessed politics here was just as crazy as it was back on Earth.

“You sound a lot like Nordic for a second there,” he continued, “maybe more than just his teachings have been rubbing off on you.”

“Where is Nordic anyway?” I asked him.

“He’s in the training hall two floors down. He reserves the largest VR room for his intensive training. You should probably go down to see him now, I’m sure he’ll be glad to see you.”

“Okay I will,” I nodded and turned to leave but stopped, “Don’t forget to take some time to yourself every once in a while. You may be a politician, but even you need to take it easy sometimes.”

“You might be right,” he smiled, “but it’s certainly not easy.” I turned back around.

“How about I come to visit every once in a while,” I said, “I can’t do much but maybe I can help put your mind at ease.” He smiled and nodded.

“You’re very kind Ryan,” he said, “I’ll take your advice to heart. Now off you go, as much as I’d like to relax right now I really do have a lot of work to catch up on.”

“I understand,” I said, “I’ll drop by later to see you again then Mr. President.”

“Ben.”

“I beg your pardon?” I asked.

“Call me Ben,” he stated, “That’s my name. Mr. President just seems too formal for the both of us wouldn’t you agree?” Ben huh, the name has a nice ring to it. It just seems to scream strength and wisdom.

“Sure thing Ben,” I agreed, “Until later then.” I waved before stepping back out. The president gave another hearty chuckle before returning to his work.

I followed the president’s direction to a set of stairs leading down to the basement level. I could have taken the elevator, but walking was better for my health at the time, and despite my powers I preferred to keep as fit as possible. Soon I was at the training hall and headed all the way down to the largest VR room, VR-0 was printed on the door, and I checked the door to see that it was unlocked. I stepped in to see a large empty looking gymnasium setting. Various tools and objects were organized neatly around the walls for various exercising equipment, but none was being utilized for the time. Instead I saw Nordic, quietly meditating at the dead center of the room. Both of his dragon blades lay by his sides, as if in perfect harmony. To always see his level of dedication was something I greatly admired about Nordic. I was lucky to have him as a teacher.

“You’re out of bed early,” he said without turning around as I approached him.

“Guess I can’t hide anything from you,” I replied.

“Of course,” he said and stood up quietly, dusting his emerald robes off, “I could hear and sense you coming in. How are your injuries?”

“I’m still rather sore in places, but I can actually move today. It’s a lot better than yesterday.”

“I see,” he turned around to face me, “That is good to hear. Your aura is protruding much more energy than before, so I wonder if your recovery time is speeding up now.” I thought about it for a second and wondered if the power I inherited from Angulo had anything to do with it.

“I see Bahamut is strapped to your back this time,” he continued, “have you been able to contact him yet?” I shook my head; he was still as silent as ever. “I see. I’m sorry he hasn’t come around yet, but give him time.” I nodded, just glad that he’s still here, even if he can’t hear or sense us for the time being.

“Master Nordic,” I began, “I saw the president alone in his office. I was wondering if you knew he was there without protection.”

“Oh I know,” the wolf smiled, “he always does that even when on Corneria. It makes protecting him a massive pain in the dick. All his other security guards always get flustered about it.”

“Are you ok with it?” I wondered.

“Technically no,” he began, “especially when I started working as his guardian I tried to keep him in check, but he always does as he pleases. Despite that though his heart is in the right place, and I admire him for what he puts himself through.” I nodded in agreement.

“I can sense he’s in no real danger,” he continued, “as long as I can sense him from here and it’s safe I can forgive him not having any watch for a minute. Besides, he has little privacy as it is in his position.”

“Yeah,” I nodded, “being the president can’t be easy.”

“Indeed it isn’t,” he said, “now, let’s return to you shall we?”

“What about me?” I asked.

“I’d like a sparring match with you,” he said, “I want to see how far you’ve come after beating Angulo. It won’t be anything serious, think of it like lighthearted fun.” I still wasn’t feeling up to actual combat for the time being, but I couldn’t say no to my master. Plus a little sparring for the fun of it did sound like a fun idea. I nodded and he smiled and clapped his hands twice.

“ACTIVATING COMBAT ARENA,” A female robotic voice announced and the room began to change, creating a virtual environment for more fighting room. When the transition ended we were on an empty boardwalk overlooking a vast beach. What would normally be bustling with people was preceded by empty businesses and a trailing wind brushing over my hair and his fur. The virtual people setting had been turned off, so it was just us here like before.

“Don’t expect me to hold back just because you’re my teacher old man,” I jested and drew Bahamut from my back, and taking my traditional stance.

“Hmph,” he replied, “come and try.” He drew his blade and charged, as did I a second later. Soon our blades clashed, and his blade glowed in their respective elements. Mine remained in its slumbering state, but a blade like this is still a good blade. He swung Firatsume at my head, which I quickly ducked and spun to deflect Miratsume. We stepped quickly along the boardwalk and exchanged blows easily and efficiently. I was rather surprised at myself. Despite still recovering, I was moving a lot more quickly and fluidly than I had before. We matched blades again and I then began to notice that compared to before, his movements seemed a lot slower, as if time was slowing down for our fight but I was more aware of it somehow.

I deflected the blades with ease and pushed back, lunging for his side and slicing through with a spin attack. He dodged at the last second, leaping with a backflip several feet back. I swiped my blade back to my side changing stances.

“You’ve improved,” he said with a smile.

“Well I had a good teacher,” I replied and he laughed.

“Let’s see to what extent you’ve improved,” He charged again and this time I held my ground. Each time he struck I caught the blade with my own and redirected it. The entire fight I only wielded my sword with a single hand. Despite Bahamut in slumber, my sword had felt much lighter than it had before. However much power I inherited from Angulo, I could feel the effects immediately. I brought up my blade pointed down to catch both of his swords, and slid it up forcibly to push both of us back and gain more distance.

We continued this exchange for a while. Only the sounds of our blades clashing filled the air of the empty area. After he deflected another leaping attack of mine, I flipped gracefully onto my feet and turned to face him again.

“Very good,” he said, “your progress is outstanding. But I think it’s time we stepped it up a little, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yeah,” I nodded and returned to my fighting stance, “I was getting a little bored of this state anyway.”

“Very good,” he repeated, “but don’t stay smug for long.” He clamped his blades and sent a burst of energy through them, intensifying their aura. He had obviously been holding back, noted by his sudden increase of speed. I changed to a defensive stance as he closed ground and our blades crashed again. I could feel the intense heat and cold simultaneously coming from both his blades. I deflected and countered, our swords meeting in a graceful dance, then flipped away at the last minute as he sent a burst of energy at me. Just as I landed he was right above me and continued the assault. I kept deflecting the blades more as they came, spinning a low kick with a slash and he leapt up at a great height, landing on top of one of the buildings, his robe kicking up a bit from the draft of wind when he landed.

It was my turn to charge, and I leapt up to one of the smaller building and continued my way up to him. When we met I made a fast stab, which he parried. I wasn’t going to let him get an offensive that easily and continued making offensive slashes and stabs at him. It didn’t stop him from the attempt though as with each defensive move he made he easily countered. I would either block, or dodge and counter myself. After dodging one of his attacks, he used Mira to coat the roof in slippery ice. When I landed and nearly slipped, I stabbed my blade in to keep balance and he charged at me. Within an instant, I threw a Thundara spell directly at him. He leapt and spun his body over the beam and closed the distance. I withdrew my blade and leapt up to keep the ice from messing me up.

His attack caught and launched me back. I flipped and launched a Fira spell midway through to melt the ice and land on a wet wooden surface. Nordic leapt up again and launched more fire and ice bursts at me. As he was midair I thought of my new abilities from Angulo and decided to try it out. I held my free hand up and shouted “Holy” at him. It worked, and with a sudden burst of energy from my body a beam of bright white light shot from my hand and hit its target spot on. The wolf grunted in surprise as his blades caught the beam and launched him high into the sky.

I smiled inwardly and chanted the spell into my blade infusing it with a white light. My runic blade technique still worked with Bahamut asleep fortunately. With the help of a couple spells to help launch my jump, I launched myself up to give the wolf chase. My master was no pushover though, he dispersed the blast to the sky and splayed his limbs to catch the air. I chanted another spell, this time going up a whole other level.

“Blizzaga,” I shouted, launching several large icicles out of my hand and at Nordic. My first third tier elemental spell was a great success. It didn’t stop him from deflecting some of the icicles while others flew past him. With some concentration, I clamped my free fist together and directed the icicles back at him. He turned and did the same thing he did before, and turned just in time to meet blades again.

We continued our assault midair and I slashed my brightened blade at him. He alternated the blades he used, showing off his ambidextrous fighting style like a pro. I got a little cocky and flipped with a follow up slash. He saw the opening and landed a kick against my gut, sending me back down a bit. During the fall he launched 3 shots of energy from each blade. I splayed myself during the descent in time to deflect the shot with my blade, using the rest of the energy within to send the energy careening to the ground, destroying a few of the shacks and bridges on the boardwalk. I landed on a major bridge, kneeling hard from the shock, and rolled away just in time as he landed, sending a combined shockwave from his blades out, forcing my end of the bridge to break and collapse into the ocean.

I stood up and watched him from a distance as I felt my end gave way under me. It was at the moment I had a moment of clarity. He watched me as I felt a surge of energy reach my blade hand. I looked down and saw a silvery aura surround my blade. I realized right then what it was and smiled. My power suddenly felt a surge, and my blade felt even lighter by comparison, light enough to feel lighter than a training rapier.

I swept my blade up and threw a powerful line of wind right at him, breaking the rest of the bridge into pieces. He dodged away as I leapt up and followed him. With a powerful quick swing I caught his blades and launched him right into the ground of the main walkway and his back bounced off hard on it. He caught himself back on his feet and gave a serious look. I landed in front of him and dragged my blade across the wood, as he did the same, and clashed our blades together again.

We locked against each other and began a struggle, each side refusing to give an inch. We both let a burst of magical energy out and forced each other to back off. The resulting blast destroyed the nearby shacks and broke most of the walk way. He brought his blades up and charged. I stopped and did the same, bringing the blade up behind me as I charged one more time. Our blades making a loud echo of clanging metal as we locked again. We looked at each other in the eye for a minute, remaining dead locked on like normal.

After another minute we realized how serious the other looked and snickered, before bursting out laughing. This was supposed to be a friendly sparring match, and we both took it entirely too seriously. We let our blades down and caught our breath slowly. As we did I observed our handiwork on the virtual environment. If this was a real place, we’d have caused well over a hundred thousand credits in damage. As if that observation marked the end of the fight, the environment began to disappear, soon bringing us back to the training room of before. Unlike before however, the room was showing obvious signs of wear and tear now. We might have gone a little crazy with our match and damage the simulation module.

“So much for sparring,” I said and sheathed my blade behind me.

“Yeah,” Nordic said wiping his brow and sheathing his weapons too, “but I must admit I was very impressed by you. You have improved a lot from when we last sparred. Your reaction time was incredible, and your use of combined magic was very impressive. You still have a long way to go, but I’m very proud to have you as my student.” I stopped laughing, and couldn’t help but blush at the comment. To have someone I thought so highly of compliment me like that made me feel uneasy and weird.

“Thanks Master,” was all I could say.

“That sudden burst of energy though,” He began, “At the end you suddenly had more energy than before. I’m curious about that.”

“I’m not sure,” I said, “All I know was I felt the energy coming out of my…” I paused, then quickly drew my blade and examined it again. As if hearing an echo in my mind I heard an ancient voice laughing.

‘It’s about time you notice,’ Bahamut communicated into my mind.

“Damnit Bahamut!” I shouted, “Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

‘You didn’t ask,’ He replied and I shook my head. ‘I don’t remember what happened when I retreated to my slumber during the battle, but the fact you’re talking to me now shows you’re still alive. I’m very thankful for that. You must have somehow prevailed over Angulo. I’m very proud of you too Ryan.’ I was overcome with emotion seeing Bahamut back to normal in my mind’s eye again. I couldn’t help but let a few tears flow.

“I was worried about you stupid,” I chuckled, “I thought I had lost you.”

‘Don’t worry about that little one,’ he commented, ‘our bond runs deeper than any other. It’ll take more than a loss of energy to separate us. Just promise me that you’ll be more careful next time.’

‘I’ll try,’ I said in my mind, ‘but I make no promises.’ He laughed again.

‘I expected as much,’ he said, ‘I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ll catch up on the details with your memory, but for now know that I have my eye on you again.’

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I vocalized and sheathed him again, deciding to keep him on my back for a while.

“Looks like you’re not the only one who had a faster recovery,” Nordic said, “I’m happy for you both. Your bond has also gotten stronger through your trials and tribulations. You just might be ready for another potential trial.”

“What do you mean?” I asked him.

“I shall explain later,” he said, “for now though, I think we should go and have a talk with the President now, and catch up on the situation. I’m sure the data analysis of Angulo’s drive is complete now.” I nodded.

“Yeah,” I began, “President Ben is probably waiting for us by now too.”

“So he told you his first name too,” Nordic pointed out with a smile, “you’re becoming more popular Master Paladin.” I smiled inwardly at myself and followed Nordic out of the trashed training room. This was a nickname I still liked, and hope one day that I can live up to that name.