Early in the morning, Xavier's private maid, Anastasia, came knocking on the door, asking if she could enter his room.
But this time, to Anastasia's surprise, Xavier replied, telling her she could come in. Which greatly surprised Anastasia and left her speechless.
As she entered Xavier's room with his breakfast, Anastasia bowed her head to Xavier, giving him a good morning greeting. Xavier smiled and greeted Anastasia back.
"Did you sleep well today, Young Master?", Anastasia asked with a smile.
"I did, how about you?", Xavier replied smiling back.
Surprised, as Head Master Graviil was the only one who ever asked about her day, Anastasia shyly answered, "I slept great, Young Master".
"That's great to hear", Xavier responded.
Anastasia then placed Xavier's breakfast on one of his tables that was far off his large bed. Xavier stood out of bed, and then said to Anastasia, "Miss Anastasia, would you please prepare my school uniform for me".
"Because I will be attending school today".
Hearing Xavier say that, Anastasia was utterly delighted, as it had been months now since Xavier had attended school.
With a broad smile on her face, Anastasia excitedly said, "I'll go prepare your suit uniform immediately!".
But before Anastasia could exit the room, Xavier held one of her hands, stopping her in place.
"What's wrong, Young Master?", Anastasia asked confused.
Xavier remained silent, with his head down before saying, "I'm sorry".
"I'm sorry for being cold towards you, and mistreating you", he continued.
Lost for words, Anastasia knelt, petting Xavier's hair, and replied, "You don't have to be sorry, Young Master".
"I understand, what you were going through. And it is normal for one to become cold and distant towards someone after something bad has happened to them".
"So you don't need to be sorry, because it is my job as your maid, to be by your side till the end of my breath", Anastasia continued, gazing into Xavier's beautiful vast celestial eyes.
"Now then, let's go get you ready for school, Young Master", Anastasia said with a warm and loving smile.
Xavier, no longer feeling guilty, smiled broadly, saying, "Okay!".
A couple of minutes had passed, and Xavier was standing outside of the palace, wearing the Visor of Time and dressed in his school uniform, which was different from before, as it was completely customized with lavish designs.
"I think this is a bit overdue...", Xavier said to Anastasia who stood beside him.
Anastasia replied, "It's only normal for a royal member to dress up in more expensive clothes".
"Every noble and royal member does", she added.
Xavier sighed and said, "Fine, but just make it less flashy next time".
To which Anastasia replied, "As you wise, Young Master".
At that moment, Violet stepped out of the palace with her maid, Irina Kuznetsova, dressed in her school uniform which was more lavish and beautiful than beautiful.
Violet warmly greeted Xavier, "What's up, little brother, how did you sleep?".
Her maid Irina, greeted Xavier and Anastasia as well, "Greetings Master Xavier, and Miss Anastasia"
"Greetings to you too", Anastasia replied.
Xavier giggled, replying "Good morning big sis and Miss Irina".
Xavier smiled, complimenting Violet, "You look very beautiful in that dress, big sis".
With her cheeks blushing as red as a tomato, Violet responded, "Thank... you Xavier...".
Afterward, a grand and royal steam vehicle, guarded by royal knights, arrived before them. But before they could enter to head to school, Xavier realized that Aleksander was nowhere to be found and asked Violet, "Big sis, where's big brother?".
Violet answered, "Oh yeah, about that, Aleksander already graduated from the academy".
And Xavier said in shock, "Wait, really?".
"Yeah!", Violet replied.
"He's 18 now, so it would be weird for him to still be attending school".
"Though he is probably at the training grounds as we speak...".
Violet then grabbed Xavier by the arm, excitedly saying, "Let's get going already before we're late!".
As Violet and Xavier got into the royal car, Irina and Anastasia weaved at them as they left, and they did so back with great joy.
The royal car traveled to the center portal in Moscow, which was built to help people travel to other countries faster, using the portal gate.
Arriving at the Pennsylvania Royal Academy, many students stood in awe, as Xavier and Violet were escorted out of the vehicle, dressed in lavish clothing, and into the the academy.
Violet bid Xavier bye, as she left for her classes, and Xavier walked to his class, guarded by knights. Approaching his classroom, Xavier began to feel a bit nervous, as it had been a long time since he had been there.
Xavier then ordered his knights to leave, as he could manage to go to his classroom alone, and the royal knights obeyed his orders.
Standing in front of his classroom door, Xavier took a deep breath, before slowly opening the door to the classroom.
As the door slowly opened, everyone was left speechless to see that it was Xavier, as it had been months since he hadn't attended school.
Everyone immediately rushed to Xavier, asking him how he was doing and if he was alright since they had heard that his father had died in a tragic accident.
Xavier nervously reassured his classmates that he was fine, thanking them for their empathy.
"You're finally back, you cheeky mise", Miss Seo-Yeon said grinning in joy at seeing Xavier in a while.
Xavier chuckled a little embarrassed, and replied, "Yeah, and I did miss your scary threats".
"You loudmouth brat", Miss Seo-Yeon said in annoyance.
"You're lucky that you are a royal member now, or I would have punished you by now for just thinking that", she added.
All of Xavier's classmates began showing their surprise and amazement at Xavier being a royal prince all this time, questioning him why he never told anyone about it. And Xavier laughed it off, stating that his father had told him to keep his royalty secret from everyone else.
Miss Seo-Yeon stood there with a happy expression on her, happy to see Xavier back at school, with a smile on his face even though his father had died.
"I never expected him to be the grandson of the renowned, Saint of Light. I guess there are some things you'll never expect in life", Miss Seo-Yeon thought to herself.
She then clapped her hands together, regaining all the students' attention, telling them to get to their sits as class was about to begin.
Taking the neat he has always set at, Jupiter was utterly joy to see his best friend back.
With a big smile on his face, Xavier weaved at Jupiter, saying, "What's up, Jupiter? It's been a while".
Jupiter excitedly replied, "Xavier! You're finally back".
"Yeah! And I'm sorry for not being in touch with you for so long", Xavier answered.
"You don't need to be sorry, I understand what you were going through. And I am deeply sorry for your father's death", Jupiter said, sympathizing with Xavier's loss.
"Thank bro", Xavier replied with a sad tone.
To light up the mood, Jupiter joked, "Oh my the way, I just found out that you are the son of the legendary Grand Monarch of illumination, Saint Grvaiil Ivanovish'".
"So should I now start calling you Prince Xavier?".
Xavier laughed joyfully, answering, "I feel very uncomfortable with you calling me a Prince".
"Just stick with Xavier, because no matter who I become, you will always be my brother".
Jupiter smiled, putting up his fist, saying, "You too, brother".
Xavier grinned back, fist pumping with Jupiter.
A few hours went by, and Xavier was sitting on a bench in the school's royal park, fatigued from all the work that Miss Seo-Yeon gave him for missing several months of school.
Xavier rested from all the work on the bench by himself, Princess Jasmine came behind him asking, "My a have the honor of sitting next to you, your majesty?", which greatly startled Xavier.
Who replied shyly in seeing her face, "Yes... of course".
Taking a seat beside Xavier, Princess Jasmine showed her condolences to the news of Xavier's father's death, saying, "I heard about what happened to your father, and I am deeply sorry for your loss, Your Majesty".
Xavier replied a bit more saddened, "It's okay, and you don't need to call me your majesty, Xavier would be fine. Because it makes me a bit uncomfortable to be called that".
Princess Jasmine giggled and said, "I see you're a modest one, huh?".
"Well, in that case, you can cut the Princess part when addressing me as well".
Xavier replied blushing, "Oh alright... Jasmine".
"That's the spirit, Xavier", Jasmine said cheerfully.
As the winds blew, birds shipping in the trees, with her head facing towards the beautiful sky, Jasmine then asked Xavier, "Xavier, what do you plan on doing from here now on?".
"Like for the future? Who do you wish to become?".
Surprised by the question, Xavier answered, "Well, I don't really know what I will do from here on".
"Because I am still lost, and saddened by my father's death. And I know that, as much as I want him back, there's nothing I can do".
"So I just have to live with that fact".
"And for what I wish to become in the future, I wish to be a knight, but not just a knight, a hero".
"I want to be a hero that people can rely on, a hero who is selfless and loving towards those in need".
"I want to use my powers and be someone who will prevent other kids like me, from going through the same pain I'm going through right now".
Utterly speechless at what Xavier had just said, Jasmine slowly turned her head towards Xavier, with her eyes sparkling with admiration.
"This boy, at such a young age, can stand back up and push through even after watching his father die", Jasmine thought to herself in awe.
"And the fact he is even thinking about helping others even in his lowest moment is just, ... unreal".
"I... I admire you Xavier. Your willpower and selfless nature, are the first of a kind I have ever seen".
Xavier noticing that Jasmine was gazing into his gaze in awe, looked away shyly, trying not to keep eye contact, and asked, "Why did you suddenly ask me that question out of the blue?".
Jasmine calmly replied, " I just wanted to see what kind of person you are".
"Now I know that you are not only the brave type but a selfless and heroic one at that".
Xavier embarrassedly said blushing, "Tha... thank... you".
Jasmine then thought to herself, "I can't tell him the reason I asked him that question".
"I can't tell him that the reason I asked him that, was because of the vision of the future I saw in my dream yesterday".
"I can't afford to mess up the future by telling him about what I saw in that vision, nor can I just tell anyone about it. Since I am not sure if it was even a vision or just a dream". she continued, as she began to remember the vision she saw.
Jasmine found herself drifting into the memory of the vision of the future she had, suspended before a city in ruins, engulfed in flames and destruction. The landscape was a testament to the aftermath of war. The skies were darkened, stained red by the smoke rising from the inferno below, and the ground was littered with bodies.
Screams of terror and sorrow echoed in Jasmine's ears as she stood before two figures locked in battle atop a devastated mountainside. The first figure was a man with a lean, muscular build and long golden hair tied back. His red and gold cloak was torn, draped over his shoulder and his armor was now battered and broken. And lastly, the man had a jagged scar that ran from his right chest up to his neck.
He grasped the hilt of a sheathed sword, its blade embedded in the ground. The weapon was adorned with royal blue, gold, and red ornamental designs. The man took slow, measured breaths, focusing his mind as he prepared to continue the fierce battle.
Jasmine then noticed the second figure, partially obscured by ash and smoke. What she could see was a man with short white hair, exuding a dreadful aura from the weapon he held.
"What's wrong, Reinhardt? Or should I say Xavier? Cat got your tongue?" the white-haired man mocked, laughing coldly.
"That scar suits you. Consider it payback for the burn you gave me on my left hand," he added, his voice dripping with malice.
Xavier sighed and replied, "You talk too much, you bastard."
The man taunted further, "Oh, are you in a bad mood? Still upset that I killed your best friend? Don't worry, you'll be seeing him soon enough."
Xavier's expression hardened as he spoke, "The shadows of death could not defeat me, the hands of fate couldn't hold me down. Many powerful foes have fallen before me, and you will not be an exception."
The white-haired man sneered, "I'd like to see you try, 'Great Star of Hope,' Reinhardt."
Jasmine couldn't make out their words clearly, drowned out by the wails of innocent lives lost. But what shocked her most was seeing how much Xavier had grown—and how strikingly handsome he had become.
Xavier slowly unsheathed his sword, Excalibur, as his hair began to glow. Golden markings and ancient runes appeared on his right hand, gradually extending up the right side of his face.
In an instant, the two men rushed at each other, their speed beyond what Jasmine could perceive. When their blades clashed, the impact unleashed a massive shockwave that not only hurled Jasmine back but also obliterated the mountainside beneath them.
Xavier noticing that Jasmine was completely dazed, snapped her back out of her daydreaming, asking, "Are you alright, Princess... I mean, Jasmine?".
Jasmine replied regaining her composure, smiled, and answered, "Yeah I'm fine, just a bit hungry".
At that moment the school bell rang, which signified that it was lunchtime. Xavier nervous and shy, got up and gave his hand to Jasmine and asked, "Would you like to go have lunch with me then?".
Surprised, Jasmine blushed and replied, "Sure".