It was an early morning. The sun's light wasn't as bright and the blue sky looked grey. There were hardly any clouds either. It was also extremely cold. No one dared to go outside yet. The people of Rivermouth hid themselves in their houses. Was it because they were asleep or was it too early to start working. Xavier was on his cold bed. He wasn't even awake yet he trembled from the cold for he was still sleeping. It wasn't long until he got up from his bed.
" I feel better than ever." Xavier stretched his body as he got ready for the morning." And I'm not going to almost drown again."
Xavier dashed through his room, brushed his teeth, took a bath, and changed his clothes. He stood in the mirror looking like a new person. He opened the door to show he was back once again.
Baron having walked by saw Xavier out of his bed," Good morning, Xavier," Baron said.
Xavier smiled happily as he said," Good morning to you too."
Xavier walked the long hallways to the stairs. Going from one floor to another. Then Katherine passed down right next to him as he was going up," She seems better."
Xavier looked through a small window at the curved stairs to see the town. It looked like everyone was up and running for work mode. It was a common thing in Rivermouth. As he saw a family, Xavier thought,' I wonder how everyone is doing.' Xavier was feeling a bit homesick.
He missed them, he missed them more than ever now that they were far away.' I promise after I'm finished training I'll rush back to you guys.' He clenched his fists as he thought this. Xavier knew better than anyone about the saying,' strength comes with loneliness.' But he couldn't stay weak, could he? Xavier worked hard every day to get stronger. Magic was a hard thing to get the hang of yet he tried so desperately to. Maybe the strength he wants to protect everyone he loves comes with his own selfish desires. Xavier had been moving forward his whole life and now was the time for him to progress quicker than ever. He saw how weak he was and needed to be saved by someone else. He didn't like that feeling, he despised it. Xavier glanced at his venombite daggers as he point them at the glare of the sun." We'll both get stronger!"
Xavier walked back up the stairs, determined by will. But as he was in a sorry mood, he bumped into Sophia once again. And just like last time, he packed up all her things." Don't let weakness provoke you, soon enough you'll be stronger than ever." Sophia said as she walked downstairs.
Xavier's face lit with confusion,' Perhaps my mind caused me to think she really said that. Where is that old butler anyway?' Xavier hadn't seen Sophia's grandfather for days.' Maybe next time I see Sophia I'll ask her.'
Xavier then started making breakfast. Since both Sophia and Baron were away, he could only make for Katherine. He started mixing eggs, while he made fruit juice for Katherine. Of course, since they were both young they couldn't drink alcohol. He then placed the eggs in the small pot also adding salt and the seasoning salt he saved along with black pepper on the eggs. While the eggs were being made he took his time and made steak. As breakfast was finished, he carried it to the dinner table. As he placed it on the table, he summoned Katherine. He watched as she ate the breakfast aggressively.' I've never seen a messier eater.'
She became embarrassed as she noticed that she was being watched eating that way," It tasted good."
Xavier then started laughing, he couldn't hold it in. Just looking at someone eat was enough to give him a good mood.
***
As Xavier met up with Baron at the river once again. Baron looked serious.
" Xavier, if you can do a strong flame spell I'll let you off with something. You wouldn't need training from me again once you get it."
" So I can go home?" Xavier asked.
" Certainly!" Baron answered instantly.
" Well then, I'll see what I can do," Xavier said.
Xavier channeled his mana into his palms. As the mana circled in his palm, he rotated it over and over while making the temperature hotter. As the spell absorbed mana from the surroundings, the air became hard to breathe in. The vortex of air in his hands slowly changed into that of a flame. As Xavier kept channeling mana and absorbing more from the environment subconsciously the spell turned bigger. It started as a small gust of air, to a vortex, then to a small flame ball and now the spell it is.
An incantation he never heard then suddenly came to mind," I command thy spirit of flames to burn thou who stands in thy path, Salamander!" Xavier's accent was a bit off but he got the incantation correct.
As the flame spell left his palms, it transformed into a lizard half-dragon creature known as Salamander the flame spirit. What Xavier did was a summoning spell. They watched as Salamander went further and further till all one can see was a small flame in the sky. Baron looked at Xavier's salamander as if it was weak. And the moment he became judgemental, Salamander exploded into the skies making the skies look as if it was on fire. The explosion was so huge they could hear it even though they were far away. Xavier did a flame spell yet it transformed into a summoning. Xavier felt off. It felt like he was drawing mana from something else and not the environment. He couldn't even draw mana from the environment until now.
' Perhaps I'm overthinking things.'
" Excellent!" Baron shouted.
" Now what do I get?" Xavier asked.
Baron then opened a huge bag from behind his back. It was so big he had to fit his head inside to search through it." There it is!" Baron gave me a huge dusty old book to Xavier.
" What's this, an old book?" Xavier was confused, he expected something more exotic than a book.
" What! I'll remind you that this thing is a grimoire, not some dusty old book!" Baron shouted." As you get stronger new pages will be formed!"
As Xavier opened the grimoire it shined. The light was blinding. The pages all disappeared and
turned into new ones except there were only four pages. Even the book looked different. While the book was gold and brown it turned black with gold decorations. It looked brand new.
" Hey, why did the book change?" Xavier asked.
" What? Only the pages reset not the book itself. You're only seeing things!" Baron replied.
Even the spells were different. Something was wrong. Xavier had been feeling weird ever since he fell in the river. And just who was that voice?
' Somethings off, I could never fire such a spell at this level. That was a middle-class summoning spell yet I pulled it off. Whatever's going on, I'll find out soon enough.' Xavier looked at the river as Baron departed.