Different Views

With the project completed, I had much more time on my hands. Of course, I didn't plan to abandon my Formation studies, but there were other plans in my mind. I wanted to return to the Endrosian Empire. During my previous trip, I only saw the forest, one village and one town. I wanted to see the Endros Imperial City, visit my grandpa at his academy, and even see my family once more.

The difference was, I wouldn't be going alone. For that to happen, I had to come up with Formations that could mask my friends' appearance. Just like my father said, people wouldn't act kindly to other races, especially since they never encountered them before. There were other possible issues, such as those who captured people or animals to turn them into slaves. We didn't need the attention, especially from these sorts of people.

I wasn't a tailor though, but my mother was. "Mom, can you make a few sets of clothes for me?", I asked her one day. "Why do you need a couple of them? Did you run out of clothes, or something?", she replied, confused. "Oh, he didn't tell you? I'm planning to go back to the Endrosian Empire. After all, I'm not a child anymore, and I broke past my Half Step. There shouldn't be any problems, right?", I explained.

She didn't seem to like the idea though. 'I'm happy she's still protective of me, but seriously… I'm nineteen years old already'. "I don't think you are ready to go on such a trip yet… I thought you'd spend more time with your brother too. Besides, you've been there a while ago", she argued. "... I'm not saying right now. Moreover, I will not be alone. Dawn, Tara and perhaps Suly will come with me. Besides, the two masters placed large constraints on me. I couldn't use my Formations at all, to give you one example", I argued back.

She considered it for a while, then as always, came up with a condition. "Once you control your second Aura, I'll let you go", "Wait a minute. I have no clue how long this will take. I can be stuck here for years", I complained. "Well, that is my condition. These two idiots will be absent, therefore the trip isn't the same thing. They might be goofy and stupid at times, but they are strong enough to guarantee your safety. That was the only reason I agreed back then", she added.

There was no point arguing any further. She wouldn't let me go, as long as my second Aura didn't awaken properly. 'I've been neglecting that due to Formations, but that doesn't change anything. This thing will take a while, and any proper control will take even longer…'. With no other options left, practice was the only solution.

Other than the trip, I promised Leran a course. "Since I'm not allowed to leave, I'm going to Obsidian Mountains", I announced to my mother. Of course she immediately inquired as to why? "Because I promised Leran a course? Now that the Formation is finished, I have time to fulfil that promise. I wasn't asking for permission, as far as I remember, Obsidian Mountains are part of the Great North", I replied before walking outside.

I found Dawn before leaving, and told her about my plan. "I might be gone for a month or two, depending on what sort of course will come to my mind. Can you take care of the wolves for me? They don't need that much attention. Just let them out once in a while, and pet them sometimes. They should take care of their own food, but you can give them treats and whatnot. I stored them in the cupboard downstairs".

"Sure, I'll take care of them… Did something happen? I mean, you are leaving quite suddenly?", she asked. "Don't worry about it, I'll just make that course for Leran and return. Don't overwork yourself too much, alright?". Dawn didn't probe any further, and simply nodded her head. A short farewell later, me and Curly headed straight to the Formation room.

"Why are you behaving like this?", my mother's voice came from within the room. "I don't know what you mean", I dismissed her question. "Are you angry that your mother worries about you? Which mother wouldn't worry about her child?... I know you are an adult, but..", "But what? Do I have to live the rest of my life under your shadow? I couldn't go anywhere, do anything for most of my life. I couldn't even visit the cities here in the North, without your prior permission…", I stopped there and looked at her.

"What about Dante? Are you going to deny him everything, or forget about the things you denied to me. Doesn't that seem unfair? Are you picking favourites now? Because he's more like you, than me or father?", I continued. "Anna, don't talk like that. I love you as much as I love Dante. I don't have favourites, the times were different back then", she replied. "Yea, maybe, or maybe not. I'm an adult now, and you can't tell me what to do. I can earn my own money, and live my own life. I'm no longer a brat with a snot hanging from her nose", I said, then stepped onto the Formation.

She didn't say anything else, just stood there with a sad expression. She always assumed I'd abandon her, or some other imaginary reason that went through her mind. At my age, she travelled around, met people. Me? I had to sit at home. Mind wolves, my brother, study or practice. What about my own entertainment? What about my own choices? What gave her the right to decide my life. I didn't decide hers.

When I noticed tears in her eyes, the feeling of regret appeared in my mind. I wasn't wrong, but perhaps that could've been handled differently. That didn't matter anymore, the Formation activated and shortly after, I appeared in the room at Obsidian Mountains. "Arf…", Curly barked quietly at me, worried due to my obvious bad mood. "I'm fine, don't worry… Perhaps my words could've been different, but perhaps she'll finally realise I'm not a child anymore… Anyway, let's go. There's a lot of work in front of us", I said.

Uncle Lazar was a bit surprised when he saw me alone. When he heard about the course for Leran, the surprise changed into shock. "I thought Leran was only joking. Are you serious about that? Grey Lizards usually don't care about those things, and your course at Sedon is really popular. I don't see a reason why they wouldn't want that here... Let me ask the higher-ups", he replied before leaving his office.

Uncle took his time for sure. I've waited for a good while, before he returned with a few other Lizards. They were the Royals Lizards, since their scales were black with golden lines. "We heard that Princess Anna wishes to create a course here? Can you share more details with us?", one of them asked.

"I don't have the plans yet, and we'd need to decide on a place for the course. I'm not sure which area would be most suitable for that, nor how much space will be there. Since you are interested, why not show me a few empty areas? That'd be the best place to start", I replied. "Indeed, we have a few areas. Some of them are small, others are quite large... Follow us, we'll take you to see some of those areas", another Lizard agreed.

They showed me an open but rather secluded area inside the volcano. The area wasn't too big, but it surely wasn't small. "Was this like a storage area, or something? There doesn't seem to be anything of use here?", I asked. "Ah yes! That area was used in the past, but due to certain events, we don't like to use it anymore. This place has been empty for a long time, so perhaps creating such a course here would change the perception of this area", he explained.

Before deciding, they showed me a few other areas available. All of them were outside of the volcano. Some areas were even close to the other two cities namely Olrad and Erandar. Both cities were smaller compared to Arangard, since the volcanoes were smaller. They took me inside for a very brief visit, and they were right. Creating a course inside one of them was simply impossible. Both cities were packed, while any available space would be small and probably used for something more meaningful than entertainment.

Erandar was out of the way, and the most secluded city of the three. Olrad was fairly on the way, with good access to Arangard. One thing was certain though, the Royal Lizards wanted the course as close to Arangard as possible. They didn't tell me that, but one could guess from their way of speech. I could understand their reasoning. Arangard was the main and biggest city, most prestigious as well. All the important people gathered over there.

"I'll be working on this project alone, therefore the area you showed me in Arangard should be plenty enough. Besides, I'm sure you'd prefer the course to be there, rather than somewhere outside, right?", I voiced my thoughts. "...Princess is sharp indeed. Yes, we'd prefer for the course to be located at Arangard, but of course we can't force you", one of them replied. "That's fine, Arangard's area is great. I'll have to make some plans first, then decide how to structure the course. I'll let uncle Lazar know when it's completed", I said.

"Does Princess need anything? We'd also like to know how much this will cost", another Lizard asked. "I don't plan to take money from you. I've promised Leran to do it, but everyone's welcome to use the course once it's completed. As for any materials and such, I'll know that after my plan is completed. I'd like to say one thing though. This course will be for everyone, therefore access should be free for everyone as well", I said.

They probably expected that, since no one raised any objections. "With that out of the way, I'll check the location once more in detail. When the plan's ready, I'll let my uncle know", I added. Our meeting concluded with that, and the three Royal Lizards left. "Hehe, even if it's free, they are hoping to draw some people here and make them pay in various other ways. You don't seem to be bothered about that?", uncle asked.

"I don't mind if they set up businesses around the course. So long the course is free for all, I don't really care", I replied. "Just like your father. Anyway, you are free to stay with us. We have loads of space, and Leran would be happy to have you around. As you know, I work a lot", uncle said. Though my plan was to rent something out, I accepted the offer. Uncle had work to do, so me and Curly headed back to the chosen area for a proper look.