The Garden of The Phoenix.

"Hand me it."

Chase said, holding his hand out, and stepping in front of the bench.

Equan gave him the book casually, and then looked around before speaking in a quiet voice.

"What is it?"

Chase grinned, and easily opened the first page of the book, obtaining a strange look from his younger friend.

"A gift."

Equan shrugged, and leaned his head back against the wooden bench.

"I'm guessing it's about swordsmanship and stuff, since your out here training in the middle of no-where."

Chase nodded.

"How come your here?"

Equan just shrugged again.

"I used to come here a lot, it was my place to be alone before academy classes started. Guess I gotta find somewhere else now."

He said, in a joking tone.

Chase just shook his head.

"I can find somewhere else to train if it bothers you that much."

Equan tried to lift his bandaged arm, but instead just winced in pain.

"I'd try to train with you if I could, I personally need too myself, but ya know."

Chase scratched the back of his neck, and sighed.

"Why did you push yourself that hard anyway, you said it yourself: You're an archer, not a swordsman."

Equan didn't answer for a moment, but eventually he just grinned.

"Expectations, and dumb stuff like that."

Chase stretched his sore arms, then threw his training sword over his shoulder, walking back to his original grass clearing for more training. 

"I wouldn't know." 

He said, behind a sarcastic chuckle.

Chase sat down, placing his sword at his side in the grass, opening to the second page of the torn-leather book, he began to read quietly. 

Eventually, Equan broke the silence, and asked.

"You're not a Stray, are you Chase?"

Of course, he did not answer for what felt like a while, completely immersed in 'The Essence of War'.

"I'll give you an answer too that question, when I find it myself."

Chase said quietly, placing the book gently on the ground.

He stood up, and began to enact very specific motions with the training blade. 

Up, Left, Diagonal and down, etc. 

There were several different thrusts, and jagged styled cuts he had been trying to perform. It was very complicated, because at the same exact time, he was also doing common math inside of his head.

Barren had told him of the man who sleeps with both eyes open. So, Chase was simply going to become the boy who could think separate thoughts, as he fought off powerful soldiers. 

At first it was awkward, but overtime it gradually became more and more comfortable, until he was able to do it at a decent pace.

Chase didn't have the best hand-eye coordination, but he figured he could improve that overtime.

Even after about thirty minutes of swinging the sword in abstract motions, the difference became night and day.

He set the sword down, leaning against its hilt tiredly. He brushed his sweaty, and long hair out of his eyes. 

It had grown much longer, since his time in The Dark Forest. He had been thinking about taking the topaz dagger and simply cutting most of it off, but actually decided against it for more personal reasons.

Eventually, he looked at Equan who had been watching the trees flow with the breeze, since Chase had taken a break from his training.

"Any thoughts? You are a noble, so you've got to have some type of insight I could gain from this."

Equan just shook his head, and spoke in an almost sad tone.

"Nope, if I'm being honest, you would probably destroy me in a fight, even with your current skill."

Chase frowned.

"You landed more then a few good hits on that Gabriel guy, with just a sheathed dagger the size of your arm."

Equan seemed to be lost in thought for a moment or two.

"Maybe it would help if you had a sparring partner."

Suddenly, Chase's eyes lit up, and he tried to recall the room number Michael of House Everfrost had given him if he happened to need something.

Picking up his sword, and setting the book underneath his shoulder, he motioned toward Equan.

"Come on, I have an idea."

He winced as he stood, but he did indeed follow the older boy, as they walked across the stone pathway that led into the academy's halls.