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James led the way over to the infirmary as soon as he and his friends could politely leave the stadium. The building was located on the other end of Rioyda's complex, but luckily it was only a short walk due to how small the school was. When they arrived, they walked in and were greeted by one of the healers, a small man with an Alchemist affinity.

"Hello, how might I be able to help you today?" His voice was quiet, but still brimming with vitality and underlying strength.

"Hi," James said. "Our friend Delta just got taken here after his match at the stadium; is there any way we could see him?"

The Alchemist smiled. "Of course, please follow me."

He led them up to the second floor, where there was a large general ward. Opening the door, he stood aside to let James, Algon, and Lydia rush into the room.

"Delta! What's wrong? Are you going to be ok?"

The boy sitting in one of the chairs smiled. "I'm perfectly fine, you big goofs." That didn't stop them from piling on top of him. "Hey, get off me! You didn't give this sort of attention to Algon when he was hurt."

"That's because he was actually injured. You look fine, so you can just suck it and take it."

Delta rolled his eyes and failed to hide a smile at his friend's words.

Eventually, they tumbled off of him and started asking questions.

"So what was wrong with you. You still haven't told us."

"Nothing too serious. I just overused my magic a bit. Strange too, I've never had that happen before, even when I've gone all out in training."

Algon turned to glare at Lydia. "See? I told you it was your bullets."

"Whoa, whoa, calm down Algon. I don't think this was Lydia's fault."

Algon paused and turned back to Delta. "How can you be sure about that?"

"Because I have complete trust in her. And besides, knowing her, she'll be testing everything she's made me by tomorrow, just to make sure."

Lydia, who was already thinking about the possible issue, didn't even nod in response.

"See?"

James decided to change the subject. "So if it was just energy exhaustion, then why are you still here? Didn't they release you already?"

Delta smiled sadly. "They did, but I stuck around for her."

He pointed and they followed his finger over to a bed on the far side of the room. Aurra was sleeping in it with a large portion of her body in what looked to be a cast.

"My final attack hurled her against the wall and broke quite a few things. I want to help her out with anything she might need."

James was obviously concerned. "Will she be ok? There is a consolation bracket that starts later; can she still fight?"

"The Alchemists said that she will be fine once she heals up." He sighed, glancing once more at Aurra. "I just feel absolutely terrible for putting her in that condition in the first place."

"You do realize that it was a fight, right?"

Delta nodded. "Yeah, but that doesn't stop me from feeling bad. It was still a friendly match and I just think I went over the top."

Lydia went to say something, but James pulled her back. "Alright, Delta, we'll leave you to it. Let us know if you need anything at all."

"Thanks, guys."

As they walked back to the dorms, Lydia turned to James in confusion. "Why did you do that? I was going to offer him some advice or something."

He shook his head. "Delta's pretty stubborn and this is very similar to his match at the Celestial Tournament. Only, that time, he felt that he hurt Algon instead. Algon himself was there to reassure him, though, so it was resolved easily. This time, he feels worse because he physically hurt someone, even if it was by accident, so he'll do everything he can to make it up to her. Delta's a big softie at heart when it comes to his friends and even those he doesn't know well."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way. That sort of thing is what makes him such a good person."

"Exactly."

After arriving at the dorms, each of the friends went their separate ways, largely focusing on their own projects and agendas. Because of their busy schedules, they didn't see much of each other for about a week, but as they had no matches and weren't forced to watch, it wasn't much of a problem. Algon worked a bit more with his Alpha powers and Lydia got to work on figuring out Delta's energy problem. Delta himself was rarely seen, spending much of his time getting to know Aurra and helping her out whenever he could. As a result, they became close friends. James, on the other hand, went on a bit of a scavenger hunt.

After seeing Delta's match, he finally got what his friends had been telling him since they had arrived on Rioyda. Delta wouldn't have been able to win his match without his pistols, and Aurra wouldn't have been nearly as powerful without her bracelet. Weapons were obviously an important part of a mage's kit, and James still had none. Even with his Pure Elementalism, James would have an incredibly difficult time if he had to go up against either one of them in a real fight, and he figured the same would most likely be true for other mages as well. Remembering the specific comment about his blade as well, he decided that it wouldn't be too much of a hassle to partially learn the basics behind swordplay, as it would give him an additional way to attack during a fight, even if it was only a distraction. So, James took a stroll around the school to see if there were any magical swords available.

What he found was quite depressing. Unfortunate, Rioyda was, as Lydia had already pointed out, a research school first and a combat school second. This meant that in the entire complex there were no swords to be found, either to borrow or to buy. There wasn't even an official weapons master on the school grounds, primarily because all of the students that came to study had already completed basic training programs on other planets. Not having many other options, James went to go ask the Headmaster or Mr. Teilion if they could possibly provide him with a weapon.

Walking into the main administration building, which was one of the coldest-looking buildings on campus, he approached the guard that was manning the front desk.

"Excuse me, sir? Hello?"

The guard turned to face him, clad in the schools' uniform and wearing a small glare on his face. "What do you want, kid? I'm busy."

"I was wondering if it would be possible to talk to either Mr. Teilion or Headmaster Nu. I have a request...

"Not possible." The guard cut him off midsentence. "Both of them are in an important meeting at this moment, and they will be observing the proceedings of the tournament for the remainder of the time. Take your request elsewhere."

"Please, sir, it is important. Is there any way I can see them, even if for a brief moment?"

After failing to find a weapon after many hours of search, James was a bit desperate. He understood that if he couldn't, he would be at a disadvantage during the rest of the competition.

The guard shook his head and began to turn back towards his work, dismissing James, but stopped after thinking about something.

"Out of curiosity, what school are you from?"

"The Arcane Quintessium. Why'd you want to know that?"

The guard fell silent, grumbling to himself. He knew that he'd get in trouble if he disturbed Nu and Teilion right now, but if he sent the kid away it could come and bite him in the rear later. The Arcane Quintessium was one of, if not the, most important schools in all of Reality, especially in their sector of space. They could most likely pressure him later for not allowing this boy to ask for a small thing.

"Fine, follow me."

The guard walked out from behind the desk at a high pace, with James struggling to keep up. He led him through the building until they stopped in a large room, lightly furnished and overall very dreary.

The guard pointed down the hall at a large set of doors. "That is the place where both of them are meeting right now. They are not to be disturbed, but in one hour they will emerge. You may wait and voice your request then; if it denied then you shouldn't pester them further. Understood?"

James nodded. "Yes, sir. Thank you."

The guard left, continuing to grumble, and James sat down in one of the chairs, not having anything else to do. If he left, there was a good chance he would miss the opportunity to ask for a weapon, but after seeing the guard's attitude and remembering both of their personalities at the opening announcements, he began to have second thoughts.

After waiting for around 30 minutes, he began to entertain the idea of leaving, due to not wanting to face Mr. Teilion and the Headmaster and simply finding another way to solve his problem, when a gentle voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Hello, young man. Could you please point me to the meeting room where Mr. Teilion and Nu are?"

James pointed at the doors. "It's right there, but the guard told me that they shouldn't be disturbed until they were finished. They should be out in about 30 minutes." He looked over at the speaker, discovering that he was a very elderly Gryphon.

The man sat down in one of the chairs across from James. "Well, then," he said with a soft smile. "I suppose that I'll just have to wait patiently for them to emerge. Headmaster Nu can get quite into his projects, I've seen the consequences of distracting him firsthand and well, it was entertaining, to say the least. I assume that the fact you're sitting here means that you wish to speak with Nu as well?"

James found that the man gave off a very positive aura, practically radiating kindness, so he decided to give an answer. "I'm from the Arcane Quintessium and I'm looking for a sword to use while I'm participating in the Inter-School tournament. There were none to be found in Rioyda, so I came to ask for one."

The Gryphon smiled broadly and clapped his hands, which roughly resembled eagle talons. "Marvelous, marvelous, you must be that student I have heard so much about. The Pure Elementalist that made such a grand showing in the Celestial Tournament, even managing to block a Sharplight Blade. Most impressive indeed! If I remember correctly, your name is James, correct?"

James nodded. "That's my name. That tournament just happened though, how did you hear so much about it already?"

"I will admit, I am a bit surprised that you don't recognize me, but that's nothing to get too worried over. I am High Chancellor Phanes, head of this entire region of Reality. Because I am so high up, I naturally hear the most important news, especially when that news comes from a prestigious school like the Arcane Quintessium."

James, at this point, finally looked down at the Gryphon's outfit and was startled to see that it was magnificently decorated. He swallowed hard, he was in the presence of a very important figure, similar to a president or monarch!

Seeing James' change of expression, Chancellor Phanes laughed lightly. "Please, don't concern yourself with my status. The Gods only know how many people focus on that more than me as a person; it's refreshing to have a young soul such as yourself talk with me honestly. So, relax. Despite my beak, I don't bite."

Hearing this, James nervously smiled and did indeed relax slightly. He was simply so sincere, and even back on Earth, he had always had a soft spot for the elderly. "Thank you, sir."

He was cut off when the Chancellor shook a finger at him. "And no Sir either! I get enough of that every day. Phanes will do just fine."

"Understood Chancellor Phanes."

He smiled. "I suppose that's the best I'll get out of you, then." Crossing his knees, he leaned forward to peer at James. "So, you said you had an issue finding a sword, correct? Namely, one that would correctly benefit your fighting style as a Pure Elementalist?"

"That's right."

The Chancellor looked off, obviously running thoughts through his head, before brightening considerably. "I do believe I have just the thing for you! I possess an older heirloom that I would absolutely be willing to lend you for the duration of the tournament here on Rioyda. Supposedly, it was even made by the great Alcyrion himself, so it should benefit your affinity greatly!"

James was shocked. "I can't take something like that, even if I would be borrowing it. It's so important to your family, especially if it's an heirloom. What if I were to break it? What if I lost it? How would I even get it returned to you?"

"You don't seem like the type of person who misplaces their things, James. In fact, you seem like a very nice and caring young man, and I can say with honesty that the best thing you could do for me would be to wield my sword in the tournament." He smiled once more. "There have been no Pure Elementalists strong enough to use this weapon since the time of Alcyrion, so I've never seen its full power before. It would be a wonderful thing to see it used to its potential. And as for how you would return it, well, I will be watching the tournament myself, so when you are finished you can simply hand it back."

"Wait, you came to Dorian-5 to watch the Inter-School tournament? I know this even is large, but I didn't imagine it would be enough to attract the attention of someone with as much work as you must have."

"It's not too much of a stretch if you think about it. After all, I heard that Dragon-General Strike personally announced for the Celestial Tournament."

"But that was the Arcane Quintessium. It was huge. Compared to that, this planet is a speck."

"Truth be told, you are correct, James. There is, in fact, another reason I am here, and it partially has to do with the reason I am so eager to see you wield my heirloom. I was planning on announcing it to everyone in the upcoming days, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt for one mage to know early."

"And what's that, Chancellor?"

Phanes smiled sadly. "As you can probably guess from my appearance, I am very old. Even though magic has prolonged my life, most things must go in the end and it seems that I am one of them. I am close to death."

"You can't be dying!" Needless to say, James was more shocked by this news than the possibility of wielding an heirloom.

"No, I'm afraid it's true. I, however, have accepted this and have come to Rioyda to witness the might of the younger generation one final time. There is a large possibility that I will pass away peacefully as soon as I return to my home. That is why I wish for you to use my sword. Consider it the last wish of a dying man, if you would. I have heard tales of Lord Alcyrion but have never seen a true Pure Elementalist in action before, so you showing me your full potential would be a great gift."

James was a bit teary eyed. "Yes, Chancellor Phanes. I understand and hope that I won't disappoint you."

"Oh, cheer up and don't cry. You still have a good life ahead of you and I personally think you'll go far. There's no way you could disappoint me, just give the best showing you can!"

James could only nod in response.

"Now that you have a weapon, I do believe that you don't need to stick around here any longer, eh?" Phanes winked. "Now may be a good chance to get in some additional training; you do have a match coming up soon, after all."

"Yes, Chancellor!"

"I'll make sure to have Headmaster Nu send the sword to your dorm room so you can practice with it a bit before your showing. James, thank you for honoring my wish."

James waved goodbye at the Chancellor as he walked out of the room and left the administration building, much happier than when he had walked in. Now, he was fully determined to give the best demonstration of his skills that he possibly could, not just to give Algon good standing, and not just to show the universe what Pure Elementalism could do, but now with the additional goal of giving Chancellor Phanes something happy to think about for his final days!