Grandpa Philip

I drew a few Runes for grandpa, but he was extremely silent throughout the time. "Did… Did I do something wrong? I'm sure they are alright, after all they worked when I drew them into a Formation", I asked. Grandpa grabbed the paper and asked, "Anna, how old are you?". 'Right, I never said', I thought and replied, "I'm nine years old, why?". He asked another question, "And how long did you study Formations for?". "A bit over two years… Is it that bad?", I asked. Grandpa looked at me with watery eyes, "Anna is so talented… I wish others were as talented as you. These Runes are perfect, and you studied them for only two years… Grandpa feels useless…".

"Huh? But sister Suly is much better than me, and aunt Alicia is a Master. She can make snow appear with a tap of her leg", I replied. Grandpa almost cried when he said, "What type of monsters live in the North?… I was considered a Master, yet a nine year old child has such perfect Runes… Times change, times change". I wasn't sure why he praised me so much, Suly or aunt Alicia didn't need to draw Runes at all. They simply used their energy. "I'm sure grandpa is great too. Why don't you show me some of your Formations then?", I asked. Grandpa's mood changed the next instance. "Oh! So you wanna see what this old man is capable of? Alright!", he said and took out a sword from his storage item. "This is just a plain sword, but I can make it better!", he explained.

Grandpa used his hand to draw invisible Runes atop the sword for a while, until the sword shone a bit. "It's nothing complicated, as I wanted to do it quickly. Here, you can test it", he said. "I can't use energy, so I can't activate the Formation", I replied. Grandpa looked at me for a while and asked, "Why?". 'Well, I'm too weak to use it right now, and I haven't learned how to do it yet...', I thought and replied, "I don't know how. Mom said I need to train myself first. When I do, I will be able to use my energy". "Huh? Why would…", before grandpa could finish, mother stepped inside the room. "Father, what are you teaching little Anna? What's up with that sword?".

"Oh! I just tried to show her some Formations. More importantly, why didn't you teach Anna how to use her energy?", he asked. "She is too weak right now. She will be able to use it naturally, after she completes her training", mom replied. "But…", grandpa stopped as mother glared at him. "Alright, in that case, here take it", grandpa said while handing the sword to mom. "Since Anna can't use energy, you show her… I'm already old and frail after all", he added. "Would you like a massage, father?", mom asked in a sinister tone. "Ha… Haha.. No, I'm fine", grandpa replied.

Mom took the sword, and asked what sort of Formation was placed on it. "Activate it and you will find out", grandpa replied. "Come on mom, show us!", I added. "Sigh… Alright", she said and activated the Formation. "Whoosh!", the sword turned into a large blaze. "Crack…Bam!", "Mom!", I shouted and closed my eyes as the flames were about to hit us. "Swoosh!...", a cold breeze brushed through my body. When I opened my eyes, the flames simply disappeared. Mom stood there unharmed too, but she wasn't pleased. "Your Formations became this sloppy, father?", she asked.

"But… That was", grandpa mumbled. "No buts. At least you acted quickly enough and took care of the aftermath", she added. "Huh? But I…", grandpa started but didn't finish. "Are you alright Anna, did you get hurt?", mom asked and checked my body. "I'm fine mom, I really am. How did you make the sword burn like that?", I asked. "Eh? Oh that is because your grandpa there is incompetent. That is one of the dangers when making Formations, they can explode. That is why it is crucial for you to study well and train your body. That way, I won't have to worry in the future", she replied. I nodded, but something felt fishy to me. 'Would grandpa really make such a mistake? Hmm, he did praise me a lot on my Rune drawings alone… Maybe North is really good with Formations?', I asked myself.

"I'm sure grandpa didn't mean to do that. Right grandpa?", I said. "Ah! Yes of course, that was never my intention", he replied. "See mom, you don't have to be angry", I added. Mom picked me up and said, "I'm not angry… You only have a few Runes left, right? I guess it's time to make some preparations. I promised, didn't I?". "Yep!", I replied with a smile. "Eh? You will receive some sort of reward for learning those Runes?", grandpa asked. I nodded, "Yes! Mom will take me to the Land of Sand where we can watch others perform. I'm not sure what they perform, but little Leran likes it a lot… Mom… Will grandpa go with us too?", I asked.

"If he behaves well", mom replied with a smile. "What? Grandpa behaves really well, right Anna?", he asked. "Maybe, hihihi", I teased. "Alright lady. Time to do your exercises", mother said and shooed me outside. 'Mom seems really happy though…', I thought. Although she got angry or shouted at grandpa, she smiled much more often. 'I hope grandpa stays for a while…', I thought and wore the boots and gloves.

Mom's friends were setting up a camp outside. Since we had only two bedrooms, there was no way we could fit inside the house. While doing some push-ups, one of them asked, "Oh, are you doing some training?". I didn't stop but replied, "Yes...I need to...train…Otherwise… I won't be… able to… use energy!". "Heeeh, little Anna is so hardworking", a woman said. After twenty repeats, it was time to do sit ups. After that some more running, and other exercises. By the end, I was really tired and simply wanted to rest.

"You really push yourself Anna child. You should take it easy, I mean you are <msreadoutspan class="msreadout-line-highlight msreadout-inactive-highlight">still just nine", grandpa said when he saw me. "It's fine <msreadoutspan class="msreadout-word-highlight">grandpa</msreadoutspan>. I got used to it a bit, and as long as </msreadoutspan>I finish all the basic Runes, we are going for a trip!", I replied. "Hmm, your mother is really stingy, isn't she?", he asked. I replied seriously, "Yes! Very!". "I can hear you guys. Food's ready", mom said from the kitchen. The day I met my grandpa for the first time, was very hectic and full of emotions, <msreadoutspan class="msreadout-line-highlight msreadout-inactive-highlight">but I didn't mind that. Happiness came from many things in <msreadoutspan class="msreadout-word-highlight">life</msreadoutspan>.</msreadoutspan>