NOVEL NEXT Bonds of Comfort and Laughter
It was the end of class and every student was walking out of the Pennsylvania Royal Academy, chatting and laughing with their friends, as they planned to return home.
As Xavier and Jupiter walked alone, accompanied by his royal knights, Miss Faelwen, who waited for him at the front of the school gate, eagerly ran to Xavier, tightly hugging him, greatly surprising Xavier.
"What's wrong, Miss Faelwen?", Xavier asked flustered yet confused.
Miss Faelwen responded in a sad and sympathetic voice, "I am deeply sorry for what you had to go through Xavier".
Xavier paused for a minute, and replied with a smile, "You don't have to be sorry Miss Faelwen".
And Miss Faelwen then said, "I know, but, I just feel deeply hurt and guilty to know that one of my beloved students had to go through something like that at such young age".
"It's alright", Xavier replied.
Miss Faelwen then took out a gift, handing it to Xavier, who questioned, "What is this?".
And Miss Faelwen answered, "This is one of the many books I own, that helps you learn how to better control the flow of ethereal energy in your body".
"And since you have always had a problem with extracting energy from the pool of ethereal energy you have since you didn't possess an ethereal core, I thought this book would better aid you in fixing that issue".
"I can't take this", Xavier said as he pushed back the gift, feeling guilty.
To which Miss Faelwen replied, gently pushing forward the book towards Xavier, "It's okay Xavier, there's nothing wrong in taking the book".
"But...", Xavier replied feeling even more guilty.
But Miss Faelwen merely sighed and said, "If you don't take the gift I brought for you, you will really hurt your favorite teacher's feelings...".
Xavier reflected for a bit, before hesitantly taking the gift from Miss Faelwen, who smiled with joy as he did.
Miss Faelwen then turned to Miss Seo-Yeon who calmly leaned on the wall of the gate from afar, trying to act cool, and said, "Come here and come give Xavier the gift you bought for him, and stop trying to act all cool and collected and stuff...".
Taking a back by how Miss Faelwen saw right through her, Miss Seo-Yeon embarrassingly walked up to Xavier, handing him the gift she had brought for him.
"Is this chocolate?", Xavier questioned as he examined the gift.
Miss Seo-Yeon embarrassingly answered, "Yes!... And I heard from your elder sister, Violet, that your favorite kind of chocolate is camarel. So I bought you one, that was specially made from the best chiefs".
Reflecting on the unwavering kindness and warmth his teachers had always shown him, Xavier's eyes welled up with tears. With a voice trembling with deep gratitude, he whispered, "Thank you... Miss Faelwen, Miss Seo-Yeon."
Deeply moved by Xavier's tears and gratitude, Miss Seo-Yeon rubbed Xavier's hair, putting up a big smile and saying out loud, "You're welcome Xavier!".
"And don't ever forget that we, your teachers are here. So if you ever feel down and in need of someone to talk to, we will always be here for you, okay?".
"Okay", Xavier replied as he slowly wiped his tears.
Miss Seo-Yeon then to Miss Faelwen with a cheeky smirk, jokingly remarking, "Oh, and by the way Unni, I'm Xavier's favorite teacher, not you".
Miss Faelwen laughed and replied sarcastically, "Yeah right".
Xavier then cut them out, saying that both of them were his favorite teachers and that he didn't have one over the other.
Hearing that, Miss Faelwen smirked and gently petted Xavier on the head.
Xavier then questioned where Instructor Joshua was, as he wasn't present today at school. Miss Seo-Yeon replied, saying that Instructor Joshua was attending a wedding of his distant cousin, so that's why he was absent today.
Miss Seo-Yeon then continued, saying that Instructor Joshua had asked her to apologize to Xavier for not being there to gift his condolence for his father's death. And that he would bring him a souvenir when he comes back.
Xavier replied, telling Miss Seo-Yeon to reassure Instructor Joshua that he wasn't upset about him being absent. And that all of his beloved students are eagerly waiting for him to come back to school.
Miss Seo-Yeon gave a thumbs up, to tell Xavier that she would make sure that his message would get to Instructor Joshua.
Miss Faelwen, sensing it was time to wrap up their conversation, smiled warmly and said, "You should hurry and join your friends." She gestured toward Jason, Princess Misaki, Jupiter, and the rest of Xavier's companions, all waiting for him with eager smiles in front of the school.
With the gifts he had received from his teachers, in his arms, Xavier happily ran towards his friends with excitement, as he weaved back and Miss Faelwen and Miss Seo-Yeon, who weaved back at him.
Xavier then gave the gifts he had received to his knights, telling them to keep them safe, as he would be going on a little stroll with his friends. His knight immediately complied, taking Xavier's gifts with them, as Xavier headed towards his friends.
Elowen, Misaki, and the others immediately expressed their condolences to Xavier for the loss of his father. Xavier managed a small smile, quietly thanking them as he tried to keep his emotions in check.
Jason with a smirk on his face, placed his arm around Xavier, saying, "To make my cousin feel better, why don't we all go and have some fun around the city of New York all together?".
"That's a great idea!" Emily and Sophie chimed in together.
And Xavier then questioned, "Well in that case, where do you guys want to go explore?".
To which Aria replied, "Why don't we go to the small festival that's happening today?".
"I think that would do", Jason answered, "Though we will probably get crowded by people when they see two royal members just casually walking in the streets alongside them".
"You don't have to worry about that", Princess Misaki replied. "Because why knights will make sure that that doesn't happen, even if they have to use force".
"You sure are crafty Princess", Jack jokingly replied a bit nervous and surprised.
To which Princess Misaki stated, "Why do you guys still call me Princess? I would prefer you guys to dress me more formally".
"Formally huh?", Xavier pondered, "Oh, how about Sister? Since you are the more mature out of all of us".
"Muture?", Jason questioned surprised. "I'm the more mature here".
"Keep telling yourself that", Sophie retorted jokingly.
Think for a moment, Misaki replied, "Mh, I do like the sound of that".
"Yeah it suits you well", Elowen added with a smile.
A bit irritated, Jason interrupted the group, reminding them they should get going before the sunset. As they made their way to the downtown festival, Xavier turned to Jupiter and asked, "Yo bro, are you sure Aunt Liza won't freak out when she finds out you left without telling her?"
Jupiter shrugged, trying to sound casual. "Don't worry, it'll be fine."
Xavier eyed him skeptically. "You sure?"
"Yeah, yeah," Jupiter replied quickly. Then, lowering his voice, he added nervously, "But I'll probably get a beating when I get home."
In a dark, silent alleyway, the shadowy figure of Prince Magnus emerged, speaking in hushed tones to a group of armed men. He was there with a sinister purpose—hiring hitmen to assassinate Xavier Ivanovich.
Prince Magnus laid out his instructions with cold precision: the bandits were to ensure Xavier’s death appeared accidental, leaving no room for suspicion. In return, Magnus promised them a fortune large enough to set them up for life, along with a small piece of land to call their own.
The leader of the bandits eagerly accepted the deal, warning Magnus to keep his end of the bargain. With a solemn nod, Prince Magnus swore on his family's name that he would fulfill his promises.
As the bandits celebrated their newfound fortune, Magnus’s eyes burned with a vengeful fury. His thoughts seethed with rage.
"Xavier, because of you, I was not only brutally punished by my father, but my grandfather also stripped away a portion of my speed—forever."
"I will never forgive you for that."
"I’ll make sure you suffer for it!"