HelpTHE OTHER WORLD
THE PROPHESIED ONE
XAVIER'S ARC
BOOK ONE
CHAPTER 2
A GUY NAMED XAVIER
THE OTHER WORLD
THE PROPHESIED ONE
XAVIER'S ARC
BOOK ONE
CHAPTER 2
A GUY NAMED XAVIER
THE OTHER WORLD
THE PROPHESIED ONE
XAVIER'S ARC
BOOK ONE
CHAPTER 1
MARCO'S TEST
....
"Slow down, Trickles... Now talk calmly."
"Lord Julio, your room vault has been breached."
The count was provoked by the mention in his vault that he didn't wait for Trickles to end his sentence. He sped straight to his room, entered his closet room, and stepped in front of his opened vault. He jostled past the servants, tidying up his room and closet. His other trusted footman, Timmy Kleaves, was already present and stood staring into the empty fault.
"They're both gone, the map and the pearl." Gwennessa and Trickles Kleaves sped upstairs to join them both.
"Gather our people in the courtyard and announce to them that the hunt for Xavier begins tonight and there'll be a special reward. Who can bring him back here alive? Let's find the rascal."
...
WATER and FIRE
"Robert, pick up the pace."
"Bright, block better."
"Stephanie, …Use your water shots wisely," yelled the professor.
"Hhh..." he sighed.
"Joseph, fortify your earth shields better."
Professor Mulder and the other teachers roamed about studying the student's spar inside their chambers and tossing them advice when necessary.
Mulder walked up to the central platform and climbed onto it to get a better view of everyone else.
"Utilize everything you've learned over the past couple of years. Including your element manipulation, elemental battle techniques, element weapon forgery, and skill development," he announced to the multitude of sparring kids surrounding him.
Then he turned his attention to his far left, where his star student was showing off all he'd learned.
"Whoa..." Victor huffed, "too close."
Victor had just dodged flame shots from another student's fire pistol.
"Victor, try to master your speed skill more properly to dodge incoming attacks more swiftly."
The professor yelled over in his direction.
In Victor's moment of distraction, this other student had switched his pistol for a flaming katana and thrust it at Victor's protection suit. The katana dissipated, and there was a bang in the background that made Victor mad.
"Victory lost 30 safe points. A hit like that would have hurt."
Mulder had gotten off the platform and was walking in their direction.
"Don't give in to distractions. You can listen to the advice, but keep your other senses sharp on your opponents and their attacks. That goes for everyone as well."
Victor had dashed backward after his hit but was also up against another speed-skill opponent. He was right on his tail. With every dash or zip he made, Victor could tell he was losing. He had been pinged seven times and had pinged his opponents none.
After giving his opponent a good enough distance, he began to forge his most prized weapon. It began by manipulating a rush of water into the palm of his hand and forming a pole, ending in a long cone. His opponent was coming at him with great speed.
Victor wanted to win. He needed more points to pass the test. He had a Plan B other than his rush-water jousting stick.
He dashed straight at his opponents, then thrust his lance. His opponent boosted himself over the stick by blasting the flamepower to the ground. Just what Victor had anticipated, right where he wanted him above.
Like a reflex, he thrusts his other hand above him in the opponent's direction. In a split second, Victor blasted him with a stream of water. He thought he had finished him off when he had his ping. Until.
He looked up and saw a fireball heading in his direction. Then he blacked out.
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Victor awoke suddenly, sitting in a hospital bed. He looked around and realized he was in the school's infirmary. Wasn't the first time he'd been here, but certainly the first he'd been because he lost in a fight?
"Oh, Victor, you're finally awake," a nurse said as she walked in.
A familiar-looking nurse.
"It looks like someone finally put the beast into a coma," she joked sarcastically.
"How long have I been out, Tatiana?" he asked, frustrated she would joke about her patients in such a situation.
"Err..." she thought with the end of her pen in her mouth.
"A few hours, either two or three and a half, and it's Nurse Tatiana. Show some respect, Victor," she said.
"Quit your frowning. You've done way worse to others," she quipped at him. Now on to business." She placed her pen on the paper and on the clipboard she was holding.
"Do you remember anything from the end of the fight?"
He glared at her, unwilling to answer.
"Well, if you won't talk, you can't leave, and it's your choice if you want to stay in that bed forever." She stared at him eagerly.
Tatiana finally broke the tense silence.
"Well..." she turned around to walk away.
"I was asked to give you a checkup and discharge you afterward if you don't want to comply. I can't discharge you," she continued, walking leisurely to the door.
"The last thing I remember is seeing a fireball falling from the sky. Knocking me out." He said it reluctantly. Tatiana was shaking with mirth at the doorway and turned around, smirking.
"Now. How hard was that?" Victor turned away. "OK..." she tried her best not to burst into laughter. "Are you sure that's all you remember?"
There was silence again, then she said, "I'm only asking because of that 'fireball' you saw," she said, air-quoting, "was Marco."
"It's a fireball blast. I know I'm not stupid."
"Well, actually, you are. It was Marco wearing flame-forged armour." Victor was shocked, and it showed.
"But that's one of the..."
"...the most powerful elemental weapons to forge. I know I'm not stupid," she continues sarcastically, but Victor was lost in his thoughts. Tattyanna snapped her fingers at him.
"Earth to Victor. Earth to Victor. Hard to take it in, right?"
"He landed on me with his big, heavy armor and knocked me out, so what?"
"He didn't land on you. You saw him coming and dashed out of the way before you could. Make your next move. He blasted you with a flame wave. Flame armor Powered Flame blast. If it hadn't been for Mulder."
"What did he do?"
"He reinforced your protection suit, but the blast was still powerful enough to pin you against a wall, knock you out, and, from my analysis, give you mild amnesia."
Tattyanna was writing down short notes about the check-up on the clipboard.
"But I have to say you two put on quite a show. I was entertained and impressed."
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KNOCKOUT
Marco had been sitting still in the same place for over an hour. He had been called by the headmaster to talk about what had gone on at the test today. He didn't know why he had been the only one to be called and why they hadn't also called Victor. Since they sparred together, he wondered if he was in any sort of trouble. He clenched his fist, folded his arms, and shivered at the thought.
"Marco Carvero, Master Franz-zimmer, will see you now."
The school receptionist called out the siren. He stared at her, perplexed, wondering why she hadn't just told him when he was sitting just across from her.
"Marco," she waved her hand at him. He snapped out of his thoughts.
"Did you not hear me?"
"Oh, no, sorry. Yes, I did."
He got up and headed toward the headmaster's office.
"How come you didn't tell me that through the siren?"
Marco thought as he walked past her.
When he entered the master's office, two others were sitting across from him. They turned to look at him, and Marco realized who they were.
.....
....
KNOCKOUT PT2
When he entered the master's office, two others were sitting across from him. They turned to look at him, and Marco realized who they were.
Professor Mulder Sem, Head Professor of Elemental Training, and Nurse Tattyanna Reina Ravas, Head Nurse of the School Infirmary.
Mr. Zimmer asked Marco to take a seat between the two adults.
"So, I assume you know why we've called you here." Marco shook his head.
"Don't be afraid, dear boy. You're not in any kind of trouble. Why don't we begin by you telling us everything you remember about today's sparring test? "
"OK, well, I had been paired up. To fight…"
"Victor Lucas Lennox, a water element wielder, is a strong student. But is lazy, stubborn, and infamous. The class bully type of student, he's given me more. I have more kids to care for in a day than I have at home. Does he pick on you, Marco?" Nurse Tattyanna cut in, staring at Marco after asking the question.
Marco was perplexed about whether to answer her or to go on with his report.
"None of that, Tattyanna; you'll overwhelm him. Continue, Marco," declared Master Zimmer.
"Sir Mulder alerted us to start sparring. Victor came at me with his speed and attacked me with some basic water battle techniques. I dodged each attack easily enough, but he had me when he used this new technique; he'd been bragging about it in class. I think it was finger water. Or was it whip-tail water?"
"The fingered water tail whips. It is a complicated elemental weapon to forge a whip with each finger as its limit.
Sadly, for Victor, Head only used a four-fingered one. And I'm sure he would have done better if he'd mastered ten-fingered moves. Mulder sighed. I had passed by you two at that moment, remember? That's when I confronted you to fight back because it was an attack and defense sparring test," he added.
"Enough interruptions from the both of you. We had our talk before I called him in. I just want to hear his side of the story now. Please let him finish." Zimmer pleaded.
"Continue."
"So, I tried some attack moves of my own and pinged his suit a couple of times until, in the end, he finally won and knocked me out."
"A couple of times?." mumbled Mulder, laughing to himself.
"Knocked you out?" Tattyanna asked.
"I'm guessing that's when that was when his flame-forged armor kicked in," Zimmer added. "What do you think, Mulder? Mulder!"
The professor snapped out of his giggling fit.
"Oh, yeah, sorry, I guess it activated after he'd gone unconscious from Victor's blast. So, I'm thinking a feeling of rage, anxiety, or any other emotion sometime during the battle."
"or before. Remember Victor bullies, kids." Tatyana added
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. So, as I was saying, this feeling must have activated some kind of fail-safe kill switch attack function or something." Mulder continued.
"They do say such powerful forged elemental weapons do strange things when emotions are involved. Which leads me to my other question? Where did you learn this skill?" Zimmer asked the boy.
Up to this point, Marco was the only one still seated in his chair. All three adults had stood up during their discussion without even realizing it. Marco was even more confused than ever.
Mulder shook his head and smiled. "It looks like we'll have some more explaining to do. In the meantime, Tatiana, can you go to the hospital and check up on our little schoolboy one more time? See if he's awoken yet. If so, be sure to have him checked up. Both body and retrospect."
"Wait a second. Victor was knocked out too." Marco thought
"A battle where both contenders were defeated. Strange."
.....
WALKING HOME, ALONE
Hands in pockets, head lowered, and taking a step at a time, Marco dawdled home alone. He was deep in thought.
Master Zimmer had given him an early dismissal to go home and rest. That was a few minutes ago. He wasn't thinking about the odd meeting he was called to an hour ago. Neither was he happy about the praise he'd received at the meeting for learning the complex forgery of an element armor nor the fact that he'd won the sparring battle between with Victor and had passed the test with excellence.
His thoughts were on his best friend, Joher Thionne. Joher couldn't make it to the test. And he lay in a sick bed, and it was all Victor's fault.
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It happened at midday yesterday. It was cloudy, but it did not rain. The students of the Basic and Advanced Elemental Training School, the BAETS, had just been dismissed. The kids walked home in their usual peer groups.
"Joher, on a scale of 1 to 10, how prepared are you for tomorrow's test?"
"The full 10. Super prepared. I mastered five more rock elemental battle techniques and another forged rock weapon. I call it the sledgehammer but it's too lethal for the test. Anyways, it's cool. I'll show you later on Saturday. Come over."
"Well, I've been reading some good textbooks I found in the Attic. I found a lot of unique but difficult fire elemental skills."
"Awesome," Joher chuckled. "Sorry I cut in, but I just think it's ironic how hard I trained only to find out who I'll be sparring with on Friday. It's one-piece. Can you believe it? I'm surely going to win."
"Understatement of the semester you won't just win you'll grind him. I mean, the pieces barely even attend classes and with Victor hanging out with them.
Now I have a good feeling I'm coming. Out on top of the class again. "
Suddenly someone from behind touched them and stopped some distance ahead of them.
"Hey brainiacs, let's have a practice sparring session right here right now. Show me some of your moves."
Marco and Joe decided to ignore Victor and kept on walking "Joher spar with one-piece, at least before the final show tomorrow", six-piece said walking at Marco's side and pointed to one-piece levitating at Mark at your side.
Marco looked at them both and suspected something fishy was going on.
"My money's on Brainiac", 6-piece said at Victor, who was ahead of them.
Marco and John still hadn't said a word. The pieces stopped. Marco looked over his shoulder, wondering why. He saw a six-piece wink in their direction.
The signal for a trap. We fell right into Marco's thought.
Victor rushed forward with a large sphere of water and tossed it into Joe's face. He was completely soaked. Marco had had it. Victor run and Marco chased after him.
Right after they left, the pieces started to attack Joher.
They both were blasting him with their fire and wind elements.
Joher had forged some padded arm shields from rock to block the attacks.
"Hey, what's up with you guys?", Joher questioned them, the force of their blast pushing him backward slightly.
"Well, with other people we don't have a reason for bullying". 6-piece started. "But your case is special."
They walked closer to him, still blasting the elements at him.
Joher kept reinforcing the shields with more rock, but it was useless. Just as much rock was getting replaced was broken.
Joher was being pushed further backward. His feet were sliding across the sand and gravel. He could feel the soles of his shoes wearing and heating up.
They stopped to see what damage was caused.
Joher's rock pads glowed a fluorescent red-hot color and so he had to dispose of them. He cracked the shields into pebble-sized rocks and shot them as pallets at them both.
"I am not going down without having a good fight first."
On impact, a dark cloud had formed.
"Wrong move." He heard from the cloud.
Then one piece emerged from the cloud and flew past Joher. "It shall be your last as well", one-piece said as he blasted Joher with a wind wave. Unlikely Joher, he couldn't reform his armpads because his arms were mildly burnt. The hit knocked him off his feet and back a few meters.
.....
.....
On impact, a dark cloud formed.
"Wrong move". He heard from the cloud.
Then one piece emerged from the cloud and flew past John. "It shall be your last as well," One Piece said as he blasted Joel with a wind wave. Unlike Joher, he couldn't reform his armpads because his arms were mildly burned. The hit knocked him off his feet and back a few meters.
.....
He got up quickly, and he formed the rock wall behind him as quickly as he could. But it was too late. The fire blasted through the wall and knocked him back further in the other direction.
"We're going to finish you off right here, right now, so one piece doesn't have to suffer when taking the test on Friday.". A 6-piece t-shirt was pocketed with Jo's rock pellets. Luckily for his twin and himself, he was blessed with vulnerability skills.
Joher was down and tired. Fighting against both pieces at the same time was difficult. They worked well as a team, synchronized, and planned. Earlier, he was excited at the thought of picking up one piece the next day. But now the tables had turned on him instead.
Six pieces were coming at him, so he quickly formed a rock dome. Six-piece began blasting the dome with his flames, increasing the heat higher and higher with rage. The temperature in the dome was rising, and Joher was sweating profusely.
6-piece stopped. One piece flew back in their direction, up into the sky, and came down with a forceful single blast of wind.
The dome broke on Joher. He wasn't moving. I was barely breathing either. Six-piece raised a flame-forged serrated dagger over him.
"Look..." one piece tapped six pieces and pointed to the horizon.
People were running in their direction.
"Let's go; we've done enough.".
They ran away, leaving Johar beaten and bruised.
Marco had stopped at the ruins of Jo's dome. He got down and tearfully began to take him out of the rubble. He had brought along some other speed-skilled friends of his. The boys had gone to chase down the pieces while the girls helped take him out.
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THE PAST'S THE PAST
Earlier today, Marco had gone to the school infirmary to visit Joher. He was still in a coma. Marco vowed to him that he would take revenge.
"Victor will pay for what he and the pieces did to you. I'll make sure of that."
And that's just what he did, but not in the way he planned for it. Beating him unconsciously with the help of a raging forge weapon wasn't as satisfying.
What ticked him off was the fact that they pinned one piece against another guy he beat and passed the test. Six Piece had also passed his test. Victor had only sustained minor injuries, while Joher had sustained lots of mild burns and bruises.
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It's been a fortnight since he'd escaped, and Xavier had just landed on the human nation about three days ago.
Xavier remembered visiting the human nation as a child. He remembers he'd been here before, but not for how long he stayed or for what reasons he'd left. How many friends did he make, or what other human family had he gotten to know?
All he knows is that once they were here, then they were back in the Mythical Beast Nation, where they lived the rest of their lives hiding in a castle away from the inhabitants of the land they were on—people who did not want them there.
Everybody made wrong choices, but Xavier could not understand his mother's wishes to leave her clan and her family's home for such a life.
Now he was older and wiser, dealing with the consequences of her actions; she wasn't around to answer him for her mistakes. She wasn't around to leave his bothered mind about the nerve-wracking question.
Their previous mother used to tell him stories of their clans, their culture, their people, and how they would all one day live to be with the humans, including Count Julio. He loved the idea as a child. How ironic now!
Now he was finally here with his own free will, curious to witness everything he heard about humans. He couldn't. It was like, as soon as free will was given, peace and safety were taken, he randomly thought. For now, he was on the run. No time for sightseeing, no time for exploring, no time.
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FIRST ENCOUNTERS
Xavier had been trying to keep a low profile, so he camped out in the woods to not draw any attention to himself. He knew very well that his father's school niece was everywhere, searching for him in every nook and cranny, leaving no stone unturned.
He'd already run. I went into a few of them in the last couple of weeks and was utterly exhausted. Roaming in the woods, he decided to take a short break. He stopped and lay in the grass amongst the trees, closing his eyes.
Xavier jumped up and looked behind him. Some rustling leaves gave him a start. "Speak of the devil. "
Lo and behold, before Xavier stood a vampire, ready to kill him and be rewarded. Count Julio.
"Lucky for you, I am no devil. Just a sole vampire sent on the bounty hunt, and now you are mine."
"Well, you haven't caught me yet, and I have already taken down three of his so-called bounty hunters," he air-quoted. "I can deal with one more. "
"Coming from you, who would have heard me from over a mile away, if you change your powers and senses, it will be better. Also, this fight would have been a lot fairer. "
"What fight? All I sense is an incoming beatdown. "
"Ha." He chuckled. "Well, I can't waste any more time. I have a task to do, so the quicker the better.". After he was talking, He sped forward and punched Xavier in the gut. He got knocked back far and slammed his back into a tree.
out of savior mode. "What's up with these suckers? The constant punches in the gut and slamming my back against something hard. What is it? Vampire Martial Arts 101." He thought to himself. Xavier was sure that by now his sore back had turned into a broken vertebra.
He thought he could stall the big mouth a little while longer. To formulate a quick plan to get out of the mess.
Are you always spineless? And continue to think about how he felt. The grass behind him for a stick "Even in daylight, under the partial cover of this canopy of trees, I have been slightly weakened, yet still."
"Bingo." Xavier thoughts. Heat frowned. That's weak, and luckily for him, it's hard-appointed. "Yeah, dude." He bellowed.
"How long is this going to take?" He yelled next.
"I'm going to die of boredom."
The vampire came closer, then Xavier got up. And thrust the stick for his chest. The guy grabbed his arm.
"Nice try," he quipped, and he punched Xavier through the tree into another.
"All right," Xavier said, getting up on his feet.
"I'm not going to lose to this guy. I won't. "
Suddenly, an Echo Howler flew to the guy's side and morphed into a female vampire. "Two of them, he thought.
"I'm bringing him. I didn't call for backup," the male said.
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