Chapter 7: Curiosity of Dungeons.

"So...what you're trying to say is that...can you repeat what you just said?" asked Aunt Fiona, after trying to understand what was going on and failing badly.

Xavier turned away from her perplexed face to look at Master Kim Sao. He was smiling good naturedly as always. It didn't matter that two toddlers had decided to use the flares of his coat as a play thing. Don't mind the three boys sitting on his laps and gazing up at him in awe while fiddling with his beard and long hair. The last two were keeping a safe distance from him, probably still not trusting him enough to interact with.

"Your nephew, Xavier here, is a Mystic. As you know, Mystics are granted access to the Celestial System when they turn fifteen."

Fiona frowned. "Xavier won't be fourteen until much later in the year."

Xavier cleared his throat in embarrassment. "Eh...actually, today is my fifteenth birthday."

"Oh...why didn't you say anything before?" She asked. "I've been so preoccupied with the boys that important things like this escape my mind. I'm really sorry, Xavier."

"It's nothing, Aunt." He said quickly. He meant it sincerely. There was no need troubling her beyond what she already worried about.

"It's actually something of great importance considering what nature of being you are." said Master Kim Sao. "Every Mystic's fifteenth birthday is a ceremony of their elevation into the strange and mysterious things of the universe. As you know, each year only a hundred Mystics are born. Being part of that small, very small number is an honour and privilege above every other." He rocked his knees and grinned down at the children around him. "Though I can't see it yet, your nephew will change the course of things in ways none of us can imagine. That change could either be good or bad. It all depends on him."

Aunt Fiona nodded, even though there was still a crease on her forehead. "What happens now? I mean, now that Xavier is a Mystic. I've heard about them on the news and from tabloids, but I've not been really invested in their doings. What is a Mystic?"

Xavier leaned from the chair so he could get a good hearing angle. Aunt Fiona had just asked the very question he had been entertaining since he woke up today and discovered that such things actually mattered.

Master Kim Sao was happy to reply. "A Mystic serves as the bridge between the physical world we know and the Ethereal. With the Celestial System, they can progress through the levels of life existence; Novice all the way to Immortal, Human to Celestial."

"Level up? That makes it sound like a game." She observed, glancing at Xavier for confirmation.

"Eh...it's not actually a game." He looked at Kim Sao Chen. "It is not a game, right?"

Master Kim Sao nodded at that. "Like Xavier said, it's not a game. Whatever a Mystic does affects the universe in ways that may seem subtle but are actually mind blowing. Levelling up means they get to increase themselves in every way: Mentally, physically, emotionally and cosmically. They have to vanquish the monsters and bosses that dwell in dungeons. You are aware of dungeons, right?"

"Yes, I am. One popped up in Havinna Village last week, and Mystics had to come and destroy it before the monsters inside could escape into the village to cause havoc. The whole thing was all the news stations talked about for days." said Aunt Fiona. "You mean that one day Xavier would have to do something like that?"

Xavier didn't mind the unbelief in her voice. It was glaringly obvious that he lacked everything that being a Mystic required. He would probably end up behind an AI system, giving updates to the Mystics who went out to do the gruesome work. That was safer...and less tasking.

"I believe that with the right training and routine, anyone can do anything."

Aunt Fiona blushed in embarrassment. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm just worried about his safety. He is like a son to me. Has been so since...since his mother, my sister, got diagnosed with a rare blood disease. I need to know that he is going to be safe wherever you may need to take him."

At the mention of his mother, Xavier's countenance dropped. He had been battling with the thought of being away from her already. Ever since her admittance at the hospital, he had made sure to visit her everyday.

Going to the Academy would mean staying for months without coming back. What if she finally woke up and he wasn't there to hug her? What if something went wrong while he was gone? How would he be able to help her if she needed him?

He looked up to see Master Kim Sao staring at him intently, those eyes sparkling as if they were lasers.

"I'll see to it that Xavier would not be put at risk unnecessarily." He said afterwards. "The life of a Mystic is unpredictable, just like the universe is. But if I could survive my years at the academy like most other Mystics, then Xavier can do it too. You have my word."

Aunt Fiona kept silent for a while, thinking through what he had just said. Just then, the two boys who had been hiding behind the couch, toddles out to join their brothers around Master Kim Sao. There was just something about the Mystic that spoke fascination and goodness.

"Xavier would have to decide for himself." She said afterwards.

Master Kim Sao smiled. "Xavier doesn't mind coming along. There's just the worry he has about his mother."

Aunt Fiona gave him a pitiful look. "She'll be fine in the hospital. You don't have to worry about her since I'll be checking in on her every chance I get. Besides, you'll be allowed to visit her some times. He would, won't he?" She asked the Astral Level Mystic.

"That's sure. The Academy is not a prison cell. Yes, the goings and comings of the Mystics in training are regulated by some rules, but he would have the chance to visit once in a while." He looked at him. "Are you ok with that?"

"Yes, but can I see her before we leave?" asked Xavier.

"We were going to stop by the hospital on our way to the Academy. That was sure as well."

Xavier stood up. "I'll go upstairs and pack my things."

"I'll advice that you carry only what you deem important to you. The Academy takes good care of its own."

Xavier reached his room only to discover that he didn't need to pack much. All his pictures, best books and identification digits were stored on the Weta cloud in his smartphone. According to Master Kim Sao, the academy would provide appropriate materials and books for studying.

He arranged his few clothes into his backpack before changing into what he hoped was appropriate for a first day at a place like Celestial Academy. It consisted of his normal baggy hoodie and fitting pants, gloves and sneakers. All of them black. All his clothes were either black or in shades of gray.

Kim Sao was already waiting in the hallway when Xavier returned downstairs. Aunt Fiona stood beside him wearing a strange look on her face.

He was a little surprised when she hugged him. She had never done something like this before. It was a few seconds more before he got over his shock to hug her back.

"You'll be fine, I promise." She said quietly. "You are a nice person with a good heart. Don't let anything change you from who you are, Xavier. Know that no matter what happens, you have a family here."

Xavier didn't know how to reply to that so he simply nodded, trying to endure the burning in his chest. He would forever be grateful to her for taking care of him when he had no one to turn to. He said goodbyes to the boy and followed Master Kim Sao out of the house.

"You ready for your adventure?" asked Master Kim Sao excitedly.

Xavier shrugged, clutching the straps of his backpack. "I'm not so sure I'll ever be ready for anything."

Master Kim Sao patted his shoulder. "Don't sell yourself short. You never know the stuff you are made of until you apply yourself. Now, I believe you normally take a street train to the hospital?"

As they started through the street towards the bus stop, Xavier felt the eyes of the usual watchers on him. He bent his head down, trying to shrink into himself to avoid the judgements and hatred. None of them came out this time. He didn't know if it was because of Master Kim Sao walking in step beside him, but he was grateful for that slight reprieve all the same.

They were within range of the bus stop, just few paces from it, when Master Kim Sao halted. He stared up into the sky with a suspicious frown on his face.

"What's wrong?" asked Xavier, getting apprehensive.

Master Kim Sao took in a long sniff. "The air around here smells wrong all of a sudden. Something isn't right."

Xavier glanced around but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. The place smelt of the delicious aroma of fresh bread and cakes from the bakery across the road. There was no one else waiting to get on the train but that was normal for this time of the day.

The street train honked to a stop in front of them. Xavier noticed that the inside was dark and the shades over the windows tightly closed. It was also deadly silent and almost lifeless, as if there was no one on it.

"Wait here." said Master Kim Sao before inching forward carefully. He tapped the doors of the train and it slid open. It was a world of nothing but darkness beyond it.

Kim Sao stepped steadily over the threshold and disappeared into the gloom.

"I wonder what has got him worried. It's just a train...the same one I take every day to the hospital." muttered Xavier.

He was curious to see what could be inside, so despite Master Kim's warnings, he crossed the threshold too and stalked into the train.

The doors shuddered to a close behind him the moment he was inside, plunging everything into darkness.

Regret attacked him immediately. He should've stayed outside. Now he was in total blackness and scared. An unease built up in his stomach, raising goosebumps on his skin.

"Master Kim Sao?" He called into the gloom. It was like speaking in an empty room.

An orb of light lit up just in front of him and he jumped back in fright.

Master Kim's face appeared beside it. "I told you to stay outside, Xavier." There was hardness in his voice for the first time.

"I just wanted to see what was wrong." said Xavier.

Kim Sao sighed. "There is no going back now. Once you enter a dungeon, you must completely vanquish it to gain your freedom and rewards or die inside as you try."

"A dungeon? We are in a dungeon?"

"Yes, Xavier. And it's not just any dungeon." Kim Sao leaned closer. "It's a Grade B dungeon, one of the worse of its kind and very few Mystics have ever been able to conquer it."