Early in the morning, Xavier lay asleep on his bed, covered in bandages for his wounds. But then, a voice repeatedly called for him, asking for him to wake up already, because he had been asleep for 3 days already.
As Xavier slowly opened his eyes, he vaguely saw a cat with silver and gold fur, standing above his face. With his eyes fully awake, the cat said, "Oh finally! I have been screaming at you to walk up for 5 minutes now".
To which Xavier jumped up terrified, saying, "An ugly talking cat?".
"Who are you calling ugly you brat?", the talking cat replied irritated.
"For your information, I have fairly beautiful fur, Xavier", it continued with a bold and confident demeanor.
Xavier then asked worried, "How do you know my name, you ugly talking cat!", as he took out his hand, ready to call upon Excalibur.
The cat answered with a menacing grin, "How would a handsome night-omniscient being like me not know who you are?".
Menacingly laughing, the cat continued, "That's right Xavier, I am all-knowing and I know everything about you. Even your deepest darkest secrets".
Xavier murmured to himself, "All-knowing?".
"Wait, Lord Alcmena? Xavier said as he finally realized who the talking cat was.
The cat snickered and replied, "The one and only..."
But before he could say more, Xavier suddenly hugged Alcmena tightly, his voice filled with a sad longing, "I missed you, Master."
Alcmena smiled, petting Xavier's head with his paws, "I missed you too, Kid".
"But you sure took your time in remembering who I was, huh?", Alcmena joked.
Xavier laughed and replied, "Well I did immediately realize it was you. Since you're the only person I know who always brags about being night-omniscient all the time".
Alcmena chuckled, stating, "You sure know me well, huh?".
"Of course I do, you are my teacher after all!", Xavier answered in a cheerful tone. This made Alcmena feel a sense of happiness, as he noticed how big Xavier had grown.
At that moment, Anastasia walked into the room, carrying a tray of Xavie's favorite dessert, chocolate caramel pancakes. And Xavier immediately tried to cover Alcmena with his pillow, so Anastasia couldn't see him.
But Anastasia calmly and swiftly stated, "You don't have to worry, Young Master. Lord Alcmena has already told me who he was beforehand".
"Wait really?", Xavier questioned surprised. "Did you really tell Miss Anastasia your real identity?".
And Alcmena responded, "Of course, I did! She already saw me in my true form. How do you expect me to lie to her?".
"How would I know?", Xavier retaliated. "Did you say you were all-knowing?".
Irritated, Alcmena blushed embarrassingly and replied, "Why you lousy brat".
Placing the tray of dessert on the table, Anastasia calmed everyone down, and expressed her relief at Xavier, to him finally waking up and being full of energy.
Xavier smiled brightly, scrunching his head, and said, "Well, I'm sorry for worrying every one of you".
Gently petting Xavier's head, Anastasia replied, "It's okay Young Master. All that matters is that you are finally awake and safe".
Swiftly and soundly getting away from Xavier and Anastasia, Alcmena jumped on the table where Xavier's dessert was, taking a bit at the pancake.
"This is incredible!" Alcmena shouted in amazement after taking a bite.
Turning to Anastasia, he asked, "Did you make this?"
"Yes," Anastasia calmly replied.
Alcmena then proceeded to devour Xavier's dessert, stating afterward, "This is the best thing I've eaten in over millions of years".
"You are an incredible cook, beautiful lady!", he added.
Anastasia blushed and shyly replied, "Thank you very much, Lord Alcmena".
"It is my first time baking Young Master's favorite dessert, so I am very thankful that you think it's good".
Alcmena, with chocolate bits still clinging to his whiskers, complimented Anastasia, saying, "I shouldn't be surprised. It's only natural that the hands of a beautiful young goddess like you would bake something so out of this world."
Embarrassed, Anastasia held her now blushing cheeks and tried to downplay the praise. "Oh, stop it. I'm not that beautiful."
"I'm 30 years old, practically ancient now. I can't imagine being called young."
Alcmena smoothly retorted, "Well, it seems the concept of aging is a thing of the past for you, to be so beautiful and youthful at such an age."
"Thank you," Anastasia replied shyly.
"You're welcome, oh blessed goddess," Alcmena added with a cheeky smirk.
Jumping off Xavier's table, Alcmena then asked, "My goodness, are you by chance already in a relationship with someone? It would really be a national loss if so."
Anastasia giggled, her cheeks still red, and answered, "No, I'm not married. I've never been in a relationship before."
With a confident look, Alcmena continued, "Oh my, it seems the heavens have blessed me."
"I wonder how content the dragon kingdom will be to hear that a new Dragon Queen will reign."
Surprised, Anastasia questioned, "Wait, you wish for someone like me to be your wife?"
"Of course!" Alcmena replied with a sneer. "I will offer you any power and desire of your heart once we are married."
Anastasia giggled shyly, blushing as she said, "You sure are smooth with your words, Lord Alcmena."
Tapping his head with pride, Alcmena confidently stated, "I possess millions of years of experience with women, all contained in this artifactual mind of mine."
Xavier sat on his bed, utterly speechless at what he was witnessing. His thoughts raced, "That pancake was meant for me. And he ate it all..."
"You ugly, fat, talking cat..." he muttered under his breath.
Alcmena whipped his head around, eyes narrowing as he telepathically snapped, "What did you just say, you brat?"
Spooked at how Alcmena read his thoughts and was bel to communicate with him through his mind, Xavier questioned, "Wait, we can speak telepathically?".
And Alcmena annoyed answered, "Of course we can".
"That's awesome!", Xavier excitedly said to Alcmena telepathically.
Remembering that she had something important to tell Xavier, Anastasia smiled, clapping her hands together, and informed Xavier, "Oh, Young Master, I forgot to tell you, but there are a few visitors who came to meet you today".
Surprised, Xavier asked, "Really? Who are they?".
Anastasia giggled, stating, "It would be better to come to see for yourself, Young Master".
Curious about the visitors at the Ivanovich Royal Palace, Xavier quickly dressed and headed downstairs. Just a few minutes later, he descended the grand staircase, with Alcmena perched on his shoulder and Anastasia following closely behind.
Reaching one of the palace's lounge rooms, Xavier was shocked to see that the children he had saved from the bandits that kidnapped them, stood before him with smiles of joy.
Noticing Xavier, all of the children immediately ran up to him, jumping with joy and excitement to see him.
The parents of the children, came up to Xavier, thanking him for saving their children, showing their deepest gratitude.
Xavier laughed it off, saying that it was only natural for one to help others who are in a dare situation.
Kneeling to the children, Xavier asked, "It's been a while hasn't it? How have you all been doing?".
The children eagerly answered, "We've been doing great, Mister".
With a little chuckle, Xavier continued, saying, "Oh by the way, we haven't really properly exchanged names with each other".
"My name is Xavier Ashford. What about you all?".
Anastasia was a bit taken aback to hear Xavier call himself an Ashford and not an Ivanovich. But she remained silent, as she knew it was not her place to speak against, his Majesty.
"The name's James," one of the children said, a proud look on his face.
"My name is Nyla," another chimed in.
"I'm Nollan," added a boy, nodding towards the girl beside him. "And this is my little sister, Mireille."
"Hi, mister!" Mireille waved cheerfully at Xavier.
Finally, the girl Xavier had feared had died at the hands of the bandit leader, stepped forward, her voice barely above a whisper. "My... my name is Kiana."
Xavier's smile brightened as he gently petted Kiana's head. "Nice to meet you, Kiana."
Noticing the absence of any scars on her neck, he added, "I'm glad to see you've recovered from your wound."
"Yeah, me too" Kiana shyly responded, nodding her head.
Nollan's little sister Mirielle pulled Alcmena by his tail, making him jump in pain. "Wow, your cat is so beautiful Mister".
Xavier smiled and replied, "Thank you. His name is Ark".
"Ark? That's so cool!", all the children shouted in awe.
Anastasia quietly giggled to herself, which embarrassed Alcmena, and scratched Xavier's face—angrily shouting at him telepathically, "Reall Ark?".
"How of all the names you could have given me, you chose that?".
Xavier laughed and replied, "Relax, it's not that big of a deal".
"Plus, I think it's a cute name", Xavier added tauntingly.
Alcmena's veins pooped out in anger, murmuring to Xavier, " You cheeky brat".
"You sure know how to boil my blood, huh?".
The children then eagerly gave Xavier a token of gratitude, which was a bracelet they had hand-made for him. That was made up of different vibrant colors and had tiny cute little drawings of Xavier and all of them eating Pirozhki together.
Xavier was deeply moved by the gift, and the children quickly embraced him, exclaiming, "Thank you for saving us, Mister. You'll always be our hero!"
With a broad smile, Xavier hugged them back and replied warmly, "You're welcome!"
Alcmena and Anastasia, the children's parents, stood by, their hearts filled with warmth and their faces lit up with smiles as they watched the touching moment unfold.
Afterward, the parents gathered their children and prepared to head home, each of them bidding Xavier a fond goodbye. Just before leaving, Kiana quickly planted a kiss on Xavier's cheek, catching him off guard and leaving him momentarily stunned. With a shy smile, she waved and said her farewell, leaving Xavier touched by the sweet gesture.
Many hours after that, Xavier sat on the balcony handrail of his room, gazing at the bracelet the children had made for him.
"You seem to like it a lot don't you", Alcmena said, sneaking behind Xavier.
"Yes I do", Xavier responded. "Never in my life did I ever think I would not only be awarded for fighting against a terrifying beast, let alone be called a hero my kids".
"Maybe this is what my Father wanted to show me about using my powers for the good of others".
"Your father sounds a lot like my old man", Alcmena jokingly said. "Always going on a rant about love; how to be a King; and using your powers for good and not for evil".
Xavier laughed and said, "Well he isn't wrong tough".
Taking a deep breath as he gazed towards the setting sun from the horizon, Xavier then said, "I don't know how to describe this feeling, but I feel at peace and accomplished".
With a proud look on his face, Alcmena then knocked Xavier's head with his tiny cute paws, and said, "Before you get all up with your emotions. We should first keep them and your powers in check".
"Before you end up doing something even more foolish like you were about to do to that bandit".
"Because it's easy to become a villain yet hard to be a hero. So keep that in mind, brat".
Xavier laughed and replied, "Alright, alright, whatever you say, Master".
Far away, deep into one of the secret chambers of the Russian Imperial Kingdom. The bandit leader was being interrogated by the imperial knights, about the reasons behind Xavier's assassination attempt, but he would budge.
Suddenly, Aleksander came walking into the cell, accompanied by royal guards, and his Nikolai Petrov.
The knights that were interrogating the bandit leader informed Aleksander that they had tried everything to get the man to talk, but he refused to.
Aleksander calmly walked up to the bandit leader, who began to mock Aleksander, saying, "Who's this your leader?".
"I won't talk, even if you sent this wanna-be king to interrogate me".
The knights wanted to kill the man right there and then for bad-mouthing the future King of Russia, but Aleksander immediately stopped them from doing so.
Aleksander sighed, then unleashed his monstrous and terrifying aura in an instant. The overwhelming force slammed the bandit to the ground, paralyzing him with fear and sending a wave of dread through everyone present.
"What's happening? Why can't I move?" the bandit thought, panic rising as he struggled to comprehend the situation.
With great effort, the bandit slowly lifted his head, only to be met by a cold, unyielding gaze from Aleksander. His heart nearly stopped as he caught sight of those eyes—dark red, like the richest wine, now glowing with a vibrant intensity. Within them, golden symbols resembling keys shimmered ominously.
"No... it can't be!" The bandit's mind raced, recognizing the legendary eyes from countless stories—the Eyes of Supreme Authority. These were the unmistakable marks of the Ivanovich family, a clan said to wield absolute control over all they surveyed.
"The Eyes of Supreme Authority!" the bandit whispered in terror, the realization crashing over him. "This man... he's from the Ivanovich family!"
As Aleksander's aura began to manifest as a mighty, fearsome lion, its presence dominating the space, Aleksander spoke with a calm yet commanding tone that brooked no defiance. "Speak. Who sent you to try and assassinate my brother?"
To the bandit's astonishment, words began to spill from his mouth uncontrollably, every detail of his mission laid bare under Aleksander's command. The room fell into stunned silence as the bandit revealed the shocking truth: it was Prince Magnus of the Flashstride family who had ordered Xavier's assassination.
As Aleksander released his grip over the bandit's will, his butler, Nikolai Petrov, stepped forward, his voice thick with concern. "I can't believe someone from the Flashstride family would dare to target an Ivanovich. Do they not understand the consequences? This could spark an uproar, even lead to war between our families!"
Aleksander remained calm, his voice steady as he replied, "If war is what they seek, then they will face the full weight of their actions."
Turning his attention back to the bandit leader, who had begun to shout defiantly, Aleksander's expression remained cold and unreadable. "Do you think revealing who sent me will stop me or my allies from going after that disgrace of a brother of yours?" the bandit leader sneered.
In an instant, without a word, Aleksander's eyes flashed, and the bandit leader's limbs twisted and contorted unnaturally, snapping with a sickening sound. The man's defiant screams quickly turned to cries of agony as he realized his body had been irreparably destroyed. Aleksander watched with cold indifference as the bandit leader writhed in pain.
With a final, emotionless glance, Aleksander turned and strode out of the cell, his butler and guards following closely behind. As he wiped the bandit's blood from his royal coat, he issued a chilling order to one of the knights. "Dispose of his remains once he bleeds out."
Without another word, Aleksander left the cell, the echoes of the bandit leader's screams fading behind him, a grim reminder of the fate awaiting those who dared to cross the Ivanovich family.