Leiya peered down at Xerxes, who sat on the floor, and decided to sit next to him. She wrapped her arms around her knees, which were raised, and peered into the endless expanse of trees and mountains that the fallen kingdom held.
The wind bristled across the small hairs of their bodies, creating an uneasy silence, with the only noise being the subtle howl of the wind.
Xerxes glanced over at Leiya, who seemed to be troubled despite her gleeful mood before he had arrived. Xerxes could not help but think that maybe it was because of him. He asked, with concern in his voice, "Is everything alright, Leiya?"
She returned his look, but she appeared tired. No… tired was not the word, but defeated? She then muttered a few words that made Xerxes realise her immediate look of trouble, "How is it that despite putting in the same effort, despite doing all the same things you do, I am not making the same progress as you?"
His face was stunned in shock. He had never really thought of their dynamic as such. Leiya was far more of an incredible warrior and mage than he was, so how could she possibly hold the worry?
Any words that Xerxes wanted to say were instantly dragged from his thoughts, because he did not know what to say.
"I train so hard, I put my life on the line helping father fight those wretched beasts, but I still cannot surmount someone like you. When you came here, you were just a wimpy crybaby, but you have changed so much, you have become such a great person, but I feel like when I see you training with father, with grandfather, the lieutenant...it is like I am not changing, like I am not growing even though they tell me I am."
A strange, unfamiliar ache settled in Xerxes' chest.
This was a side of Leiya that Xerxes had not witnessed. Vulnerability. It took storms of mana to shatter such walls that people had created for emotions, or it could be as gentle as a gust of wind, but Xerxes knew Leiya. She wasn't the type that just displayed it to anyone.
Xerxes put a hand on his throat, 'So why are the words turning into ash, why can I not speak?'
Tears started falling from her eyes, "But look at me now."
She tried to manage a smile, pushing the hair from her face back her ear, "Whilst you've been becoming so amazing, I've been turning into the crybaby you were."
Xerxes understood how weak that must make her feel. He was once that vulnerable and defenseless and if she felt like that then it wasn't anything synonymous with 'good'.
'Perhaps I can't speak because of this chilling, unshakable feeling of the 'message' which was given to me, potentially alluding to something dreadful, or is it something else?'
He gazed at her more clearly; he could hear her heart thudding fast, and he could see her emotions raw and clear. 'Or is it because I am afraid of something else? I have grown to care for Leiya so much, this side of her. After all she saved me, and I am forever indebted to her, but what if this same trust she holds in me turns into hatred...'
Xerxes then felt frustrated keeping his mouth sealed; he had just broken from his shackles of fear, and he would not make any more boundaries on his own body and mind. If she would come to hate him, then the least he could do was make her feel confident and proud of the person she was.
"Stop being an idiot!" Xerxes blurted.
Leiya immediately stopped crying and looked at Xerxes in surprise.
"You have not stayed the same, not in the slightest. Do you think strength is the whole root of change? Well, maybe to others, but I do not believe so; it is more than that. I have changed so much because I knew being the same Xerxes I had been was simply a burden. It was a harsh reality to face, but I am glad I faced it because if it were not for you, if it was not for the entire Truth family..."
Leiya's eyes slightly widened as Xerxes kept on speaking, her body feeling warmer by the second.
"...Then I would never have been able to help you all, so, Leiya, do not give me that crap. Of course I would get to tier five fast, it is only because I had people to look up to and I worked my ass off, but you have been a tier five mage, for heaven's sake, do you not know how awesome you are, you will be a tier four mage in a year or two at this pace."
Xerxes took a moment to ponder, "That is something people do when they are in their twenties! And you are only turning fourteen. You are more amazing than you could possibly know, and it is hard to see that sometimes, but truly Leiya, I think going on that mission all that time ago is one of the best things that has happened to me, so do not cry, you are growing and doing the best that you can and sometimes that is all you need to do."
Xerxes then deeply exhaled and continued to look at Leiya. She felt strange, not because of her previous worries, but because she held a strange feeling in her chest. Xerxes did not often compliment her abilities; he did not really do much.
Part of it was the fear instilled into him from her family, after all, phrases that were misunderstood almost ended in death... Another reason was that he did not really know how to articulate it; he never thought she would need to know how great she was.
But hearing it, with the full weight of his emotions, invited more joy to her being than her first-ever mana beast kill.
Leiya wiped her eyes and lightly slapped her cheeks with both of her hands, waking her up to reality, "I am okay, thank you, Xerxes. But seriously, do not get cocky with being a tier five and all, because I will kick your arse!"
Teasing him, she pulled on his ear and sat slightly closer to him, as they both leaned on each other in silence for a while.
Despite the fact that Leiya was feeling great again, she could not shake what she had noticed before. When he told her and Aemon about reaching tier five, he did not have the slightest bit of happiness. She was sure her grandfather had picked up on it, which is why he had probably summoned him, but Xerxes had just helped her.
The least she could do was help him.
Leiya then asked, with softness in her voice, poking at his cheek, "I am good now, but what is up with you. For a tier five mage, you seem down in the dumps."
Using his sword to pick at the grass, Xerxes sighed. It was not just Layne; it was the fact that he felt nervous about the 'immediate warning' that was nearing. "I do not know Leiya, have you ever felt as if you are powerless, powerless against your destiny?"
Leiya seemed to think on the question; she never really had to think too philosophically about things, but Xerxes sparked a new line of thinking, "Destiny, it is hard to feel frustrated against such an abstract thing, but I do understand, take time for example, we cannot control it and maybe we wish for moments where we felt time would just slow, you know, when you are in bliss, but I think it is just about acceptance."
"And what if I cannot accept my destiny? What if I want to shape it, mould it and carve my blade through it? All my life, I have felt like a stranger, an outsider, and I just want to have some sort of 'idea' of controlling my path."
Leiya asked a question in return, "How do you know you are not already doing that? Think about it: you have put hours into polishing your swordsmanship, excelled in magic, and spent time with us to push forward. You have your ambitions, and I have mine. Being conscious of such a thing as 'destiny' can sometimes drive someone crazy, at least for someone as stupid as you." She teased.
Xerxes chuckled at Leiya's tease, but somewhere on his face there was some sadness. "Let us say hypothetically, if you could, how would you want your life to turn out, Leiya?"
"Hmm, I would want Grandpa Aemon to live long enough to see my kids and then theirs, I would want to be able to unite the world I have known to the one you have known, I think even if I did go to the outside world, I would be an outcast and that would be fine for a while, I know I would need to prove my worth, earn their trust and I do not have a problem with that."
"Something that Father had said to me once, you cannot have ambition without the strength to reinforce it, but even more than strength, you need to possess an unshakable will that drives you through hardship, loss and anguish. Something like that, at least, so what about you?"
Clenching his fist, his expression tightened. "When I have that strength to back up my ambition, then I would like to change the world, be a symbol for those who are like me and become renowned, uncover more about who I am and move forward."
Leiya nodded her head, "Well then, a promise to those dreams, may we carve and mould our destiny or something along those lines."
Xerxes held Leiya's hand and shook it, sealing the deal, "A promise it is."
Peeking out of Xerxes' inner pocket, "What is your dream, Airi? What do you want to do?" Airi asked rhetorically, feeling left out.
Leiya laughed, whilst Xerxes jumped; he could have sworn he had put her to sleep. Airi began chuckling too, as the three talked for a lot longer about various topics, mainly the outside world and other abstract philosophies, which were new to Leiya.
Eventually, they returned to the castle, and Xerxes had to explain roughly what had occurred. Of course, he left out the details between what had occurred within his soul core and the external abilities he had gotten. One of them being the fact that he had a new sword style, belonging to some thing or person known as 'Ezurewrath'.
The conversation harboured a lot of relief for Xerxes; however, it all but confirmed it was anomalous, as Aemon had discussed that passing onto other tiers was simply a matter of the physical world. Or as the person in Xerxes' soul core says, 'Woken Realm'.
But before leaving, Aemon had one last surprise for Xerxes, something he knew Xerxes would appreciate very much. "I am sure you have noticed my frequent absence these past few months, have you not questioned my whereabouts?"
Xerxes chuckled nervously, "I just thought it was not my place to ask to be frank with you, Aemon, should I have asked?"
Aemon smiled, and placed his head on his palms, "The truth of the matter is that I have known for a long time that you would definitely achieve tier five; your body had been practically ready for that change, but your destiny had not brought you to where you needed to be, what you needed to know or something that you were required to do, but it seems as if that task has been done. So, as a man who loves a good old celebration, would you perhaps want to share it with me."
Xerxes tried to understand where Aemon was going with this; he didn't even know how to answer his question, so he voiced his confusion, "I appreciate that and of course! I would love to celebrate it with you all, with the entire city for that matter, but what do you mean?"
Aemon nodded his head, "Celebrations require a gift, so this is my gift to you; there is a raven that I have known for many years, and every few years it will gather some news regarding Elaijya, that is how I am quite well informed, but for the past few years I had seemed to have forgotten about the raven; time gets increasingly more pressing when you have so much to focus on."
Xerxes took a step forward with anticipation. If Aemon had truly received some sort of newspaper, then he could know how things were like in Layne, in the rest of the continent for that matter.
And as Xerxes took another step, Aemon grabbed a paper from his robe, and slid it across the table, and as it glided across. Xerxes caught the names of a guild that was unforgettable.
"The Crossed Seas Guild.."