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“Are we there yet, Xavier?”
The man in question knits his eyebrows in annoyance. If he counts right, this is already the 13th time Melissa asked the exact same question today. Yesterday? Don’t ask. He’s nowhere in the right mind to count anyway.
Xavier sighs, eyes still focused on the far stretched land, “Not yet, Melissa.”
The half elf could hear a small chuckle behind him, probably from the two trouble makers. He can’t blame them though. Their destination takes almost two days on foot, of course the young bloods would be bored. It doesn’t even make sense on how Julian still has his composure after being squished by Yin and Melissa who always wants to mingle.
Yin seems to fasten his steps, walking ahead of the two to reach Xavier’s position. Yin still has that gleeful smile plastered across his face. It’s cute, Xavier has to admit. But that’s not the point (for now).
Xavier raises an eyebrow, “What is it, Yin?”
“I’m still curious,” Yin eyes averts to the view of the hills, “Where are you taking us?”
At the question, Melissa chirps in, “Yeah! You haven’t told us since we first started, you’re not trying to kidnap us, are you?” And Julian scoffs at the snark. He seems to be enjoying this, huh.
“You’ll see.” Xavier answered shortly.
“You said that yesterday.” Yin and Melissa groan in union. And that’s true still, Xavier refused to tell them as to avoid any further question that would indeed get personal. Moreover, the older man thinks it’ll be a quite nice surprise for the three.
Xavier smiles, amused of the antics these two could pull off. Then he looks over at Julian, the boy seems to have developed a small smile at the view of Yin and Melissa bickering. And that puts Xavier in relief.
She’ll love the younglings for sure.
-
The high grass starts to get lower and lower as the hills begin to allow them the view from behind. A field full of flowers of various colors and specieses seems to be hugging a small village that's placed just right in the middle. Like some sort of a shield perhaps. Otherwise, the sight is simply mesmerizing.
Xavier is familiar with the view. He remembers running through the field, who was taller than his little self, back and forth. Sometimes, he’d even pick some flowers to take home. Or if he had enough time, he'd make a flower crown for himself.
He looks over at the others and oh, his heart dwells in pride. Yin looks at the view surprised, he further comments that the fragrance of the flowers is already reaching his nose. Both Melissa and Julian were stunned by the sight. This is probably their first time finding a place that offers luxury such as peace. And Xavier is glad he could make it happen.
“Where.. Where are we?” Melissa mutters, admiration fills her eyes. And before Xavier could answer the girl, another voice interfere,
"It's so beautiful!" Yin practically screamed out his lungs. And with all of their heavy lounge behind his back, the boy decides that he should run to the small village. And so he did.
Melissa follows suit, "Wait up!" She exclaimed with glee. The two run to the field rather than the village though, avoiding the main entrance to it. Xavier wants to stop them but he doesn't have the heart to do so. He lets them go for now.
Yin is surprisingly a gentle guy, despite the fact that he's a martial genius. Or despite that he has the god of destruction inside of him (in which none other than Melissa knew of). Or despite that he's carrying at least ten kg of their belongings. None of that will take away the way he treats others. Including the floras, which he refuses to step on once he gets close enough.
Melissa is kind of different. She's a craft artist. She makes the unrecognizable to be the thing they are now, fabulous and ready to sell.
If Yin's the genius in martial arts, then Melissa would be the genius in arts itself.
She picks some of the withering flowers into her hands and slips it on Cuddles, the floating doll she has around her. Then, she slips some in between Yin's braid. The boy smiles even more at the gesture.
The older man smiles fondly at the two playing. He’s sure this is the closest big brother feeling he’ll ever feel.
Julian looks at Xavier, then the village, then Yin and Melissa, and back to the half elf born. He finally speaks up, “Is this… Home?”
Surprised, Xavier averts his eyes to the raven. It’s not everyday that he speaks, and when he does, he stutters most of the time. He’s trying his best, Xavier knew, but he wished he could help more.
“Home?” Xavier pauses, taking in the familiar scent, “Yes, This is my home.”
"Now, come, Julian." Xavier walks ahead of the red head as he slowly follows suit. His walk stays in composure as the oldest, and basically the caretaker of the three. But deep down, he wants to run.
The hybrid wants to run down the hills, rolls down until he reaches the flower patch. He'll probably take a nap as soon as possible, letting himself be selfish for once and not care of the hypocrisy of the world he had lived in. Even the mere thought of it got him shivering.
He can't rest just yet, not when his name is wanted dead or alive.
Xavier calls for Yin and Melissa's attention. The two who have been so mesmerized by the view immediately respond.
And once they are together again, Xavier braced himself to enter the village. There’s no going back, not like he wanted to, anyway.
The rocky road is nothing out of odd for Xavier. He's more surprised that the folks haven't changed it in years after his disappearance. Has it been ten years? Or eleven perhaps? Xavier is not sure. But he sure loves the nostalgic touch to it.
"Do tell, Xavier.." Melissa broke the silence, and now all eyes are on her, "Where are we? What is this village?"
Xavier hums, "This village has no name, yet a lot of options to call it. Some call it the berry village. Some call it flower village. Just anything that can be associated with the town."
"Berry?" Yin asked, curious about the random name.
"Yes. Oh, I'll show you, the fruit candies here are the best." Xavier chuckles, amused at their expressions. "I used to eat those whenever I have an upset stomach, or when I'm home sick during my stay as The Arbiter of Light."
"Home.." Julian mutters again, louder this time. Taking Yin and Melissa's attention. At that, the two looked surprised. No, not at Julian, but rather at Xavier.
"Home?!" Melissa shouts, making some town folks bats an eye at the girl.
"This is your hometown?" Yin asked afterward. His voice is not as loud as Melissa, but he can't hide the enthusiasm in his tone. Xavier appreciates him for that manner, but still, he also loves Melissa's excitement. The duo is the one that's keeping the group's mood in check.
"Surprised?" Julian quietly throw sarcasm at them, in which Xavier laughs. Huh, who knows the raven can joke too!
"Hey! It's not like Xavier's being so obvious about it!" Melissa tries to retort back, but all she got in return is an eye roll from Julian.
"Aren't we just stupid at this point?"
"No we're not, Yin! C'mon!"
"But Mel–"
Xavier coughs, praying for the attention of the three, "Enough you three. We're almost there."
Yin raised an eyebrow at the man, "There?"
"Yes." Xavier responded simply to the boy.
They walked deeper into the town, passing through the rustling market that's so full of the folks doing transactions. Lots of people were surprised at the sight of Xavier. Though, the man only smiles politely at them.
The half elf knew every one of them, this is a small village after all. Xavier knew the aunties that would sit every evening and play cards until they've gone berserk over small things. Xavier knew the twins that would hang out by the balcony, though now he sees them with their partners. Xavier knew the uncle that would kick a boy out from the bar because he kept playing with the stray cats.
That boy was him, by the way, if you're not getting the hint.
The crowd starts to thin in, revealing a more calmer, cozier, residential area. A few children pass them by saying hello, and while Xavier and Julian simply nod, Yin and Melissa answer back their greeting happily. Ironic.
A new –but familiar only to Xavier– sight comes to their eyes. A mediocre house on the right side of the road. It stands out though because of the amount of plants surrounding it. Various kinds of calathea color the house exquisitely. Orchid flowers gracefully hang from the window. And not only that, a gentle tune can be heard from the wind chimes.
If heaven is in the form of a small house, this house would describe it perfectly.
Xavier’s legs feel heavy. He wanted to come in, obviously, but is he allowed to? He’s a fugitive, along with the rest of his group. Is he supposed to be here?
Is he endangering his village?
Is he being… Egoistic?
The voices behind his head are getting louder each second, and Xavier hesitates. His hands tremble a little. He’s scared that he’ll make another vatal mistake. He can’t have another soul go because of his blindness. Julian’s mother would be his last, and he’ll keep it that way until his last breath.
“Hey… Xavier?” Yin calls for his attention in concern.
“Meow.”
The four immediately looked at the source. Shock and already on alert. Julian brings out his chains out of instinct.
The thing mews again, followed by a rustle in the bush. A minute of silence, and suddenly it comes out of its hideout! Yin’s rings already shine out of the boy’s adrenaline, Melissa and Julian got both of their sharps out. And Xavier’s magic already on the tip of his fingers. They’re already on their fighting stance and then–
A cat with blue eyes and white fur comes out of the thick bushes. Its hair is messy with a drizzle of berry leaves hanging. A cat. A totally normal cat! Gosh, they’re already so on edge, even a mere rustle would shake them awake from their slumber.
“Sophie..!” Xavier called for the feline. The cat meows back at the older man and swiftly jumps to his open arms. Her white fur sheds on his uniform, but he could care less.
“Sophie? Awhh, look at this cutie!” Melissa squeals when she sees the feline. The girl scratches the behind of her ears and it instantly purrs, making her adore it even more. Sophie, as usual, is a socially invested cat. It never changes even after years.
Julian puts out his weapon and scoffs. Yin could only chuckle at the embarrassing moment.
“Look at you, so big already.” Xavier lightly cuddles Sophie who seems to be used to the affection. The cat purrs loudly, successfully grabbing Yin and Julian’s attention. The Cardian boy immediately inspires in awe. Julian hesitates to touch the creature, but upon noticing it, Xavier brings it closer to the former raven.
Sophie somehow gets the cue and jumps to Julian’s arms, who fortunately catches it in time.
“I’m… Hello.” Julian awkwardly greets the feline. And Sophie responds with a little meow, and that succeeds in taking the boy’s heart, “Fluffy..”
Yin pets it gently, “She is!”
Xavier simply wants this moment to continue for longer. Maybe he can prolong their announcement of arrival with Sophie. His nervousness is getting ahead of him and he can’t think of their initial plan of coming to this town.
And as if the gods know his sufferings, the door knob of the house turns, letting out a sharp clicking noise. Xavier almost jumps. He turns his head toward the house and,
|
“Xavier?”
She’s there.
His mother is there at the doorstep.
His mother is there with a face full of surprise.
Her eyes are on the verge of crying.
His mother is calling for him and Xavier didn’t realize that it’s the only call that he had been needing this whole time. Ten years in the abyss falls into meaningless silence when his mother calls for him.
The world seems to stop when his mother runs to him with open arms. And Xavier for once doesn’t care that he’s oldest. He doesn’t care that he’s the former Arbiter of Light. He doesn’t care about the corrupted world.
Xavier is a child once again.
He’s not the stoic man he was once under her mother’s embrace. He’s nothing but a crying mess, saying that he’s sorry for every fault he has done in his life.
The mother gently shushes her only child, then brings his face up and kisses his nose, then his temple, and finally brushes away the tears that fall from his eyes. He’s here hugging his mother so tightly afraid that she’ll be gone for another ten years. Afraid that he’ll forget what she looks like, or how similar he looks to his mother.
“Welcome home, my little Xavier.” His mother warmly embrace him.
“I’m home, Mother. I’m home.”
“My child, oh, it must’ve been tough for you.” she voices with worry as she cups his face and tidies the hair that covers his face. He mentally reminds himself to cut it later. “I’ve heard about the telltale… You’re…”
“On the run, yes,” Xavier looks down in shame, “I’m sorry, Mother.”
She shakes her head, disapproving of his apology, “No. If I had known the rust behind those bars, I wouldn’t have encouraged you to go.”
Still the same kind and beautiful woman she is. Xavier’s thankful to himself that he didn’t give up during his time in the abyss. He can’t bear putting misery onto that face. The first time he had seen her mother cry, elf-ear lay low as she shed tears, he cried too. He swore he would not let it happen anymore.
“Ah,” Xavier’s mother yelps in surprise, letting him go from her hug, “You brought friends!”
For a moment, Xavier questioned who she thought was his friends. He almost forgot that he has them now. Wow.
Xavier’s mother examines them with warm smiles. Her ears perked up in happiness, not only that Xavier is back into her embrace, but the fact that he brought friends, finally, brings joy and relief to her heart. Her son is not alone in this journey.
“Good evening, Ma’am!” Yin greets her cheerfully, not caring about the emotional scene they just witnessed. Melissa and Julian stand behind him, too shy (or maybe embarrassed?) to approach the kind lady.
“Greetings, all of you.” She says as she bows slightly.
Xavier sets himself aside, allowing the three the full view of his mother.
The lady stands tall and confident, yet she has a friendly arua to her. Her wavy hair frames her face nicely. Both Xavier and his mother have the same indigo hair with a patch of lighter blue in the middle. One that sets them aside is the ears. While Xavier has normal human ears, her mother is a full blood elf, therefore her ears are pointy. It pokes cutely out of her hair.
“Oh, why don’t all of you get inside? You four must have been tired from the walk.” She welcomes them into the house, Xavier trails not far behind his mother, seemingly not wanting to leave her side too soon.
“You don’t mind, Ma’am?” Melissa asked, making sure that she’s hearing it right.
“Of course!” The lady hums, and the three now know where Xavier got that habit of humming, approving of her confirmation. “Besides, I’ve just made chamomile tea. I’ll get some sweets to go with it too!”
“Mother, you don’t have to bother, you know..” Xavier embarrassingly reminds his mother, who immediately shushes him. Gosh, he could never get his head around her level of hospitality.
“Xavier said that the fruit candies here are the best!” Yin exclaimes, which ultimately destroys Xavier’s image. Why must he bring that up now?!
“He’s right!” His mother nods happily, “Now get inside, alright? Xavier will lead you three.”
Great, now he has fallen for his classic mother's hospitality trap.
Xavier gathers his remaining confidence and looks at the three, who all show a face of admiration or some sort. Xavier is too embarrassed to want to know more.
And so they get in, Sophie immediately jumps from Julian’s arms to the sofa and gets comfortable,
“You three can sit here, or perhaps any of you wants to change to a more comfortable attire?” Xavier asked them softly. Time to go back to his responsible image.
“You didn’t tell us you’ll bring us to your house!” Melissa practically screams in confusion.
Xavier sighs, here we go again, “Just think of it as a surprise, Melissa.”
“You’re an elf?” Yin asked innocently.
Xavier shakes his head, “No, I’m half of it. A hybrid. My father is human.”
“Where’s your father?” He asked again.
Xavier shrugs, “Probably doing some errand at the market. He’s a businessman.”
“Are we going to stay here? Can I go to the market after this?”
“Just how on earth do you still have energy, Melissa?”
“I also want to go see the market with Mel!”
“Yin.”
Silence.
“Sweets…?”
“It’s going to be here soon, Julian.” Xavier softly answers the boy, already tired of the other two with their non-stop interview.
Xavier took a seat across from the younglings. He messages his temple, though a smile is apparent in his face.
Melissa excitedly lists the thing she wants to buy, Yin nods along with excitement. Looking enthusiastic as well. Julian silently observes them. Xavier can tell that he can’t wait for the treats to come. That’s adorable, he never realized that the boy prefers sweet things. Maybe he should pack more of it in the future.
‘The future, huh.’ The half elf thought deeply, more relaxed this time. He knows he can at least close his eyes now without having to worry. His mother came with the trays full of sweets and tea cups and Xavier immediately gets up and helps her get it ready.
The three express their gratitude before finally digging into the treats. Yin goes for the warm tea first, while Melissa and Julian grab the soft candies. Xavier chuckles when their eyes widen in surprise.
“It’s so good!” Melissa commented with her mouth still full. His mother laughs at her excitement, “Why thank you, sweetheart. It’s homemade only.” She said with pride.
“Sweet… I like it.” Julian quietly stutters. the tip of his ears turns red from shyness. Still, Xavier’s mother puts all of her attention on the boy, “Thank you, Ma’am..”
“Oh don’t be, little one,” She said gently, “Eat as much as you want.”
Yes, Xavier is now certain that he can rest easy after this.
In this world of lies, Xavier trusts one place. And that is, in the comfort of his home.