Chapter 29) Home Sweet Home.

The first thing Xavier Xerxes saw when he opened his eyes was a blue sky filled with too many white clouds. The first thing Xavier, the Novice Mystic, thought about when he regained consciousness was....

"Am I dreaming?" He muttered.

Don't get him wrong. The blue sky and clouds didn't mean he was outside. Xavier was actually in a small, almost round room with a ceiling painted in the pattern of a clear sky. The mostly gray walls had a few cartoon and anime posters on them. There was a reading table with a laptop and neat rows of books. Two doors stood closed far right. He knew that the right one was the bathroom, while the left a walk in closet that also served as a mini library/game room for reality game consoles and videos games.

The soft bed creaked as he threw his legs over the side and stood up to take one long look around the room.

"What am I doing here?" He wondered aloud. This days, especially since the morning of his fifteenth birthday, almost everything that happened in his life left him confused and wondering.

Xavier wasn't in a strange place. Infact, he knew where he was too well. He had spent most of his teenage years in here, conscious about going out because of his biological condition (Pale white skin, pink eyes and general weirdness, remember?). This was his room.

"I am back in my room again?" That didn't make any sense at all.

In what seemed like only seconds before, he had been battling with a fire elemental Phantom Mystic. Using Void Spectrum, he had closed the portal she opened, causing it to go haywire. While reducing, the portal had pulled in everything within range including the rogue mystic. Xavier had used the last of the black mist left in his body to protect himself and his mother. Once the portal became as small as a ball, it had...had what?

Xavier couldn't recall what happened next. Something significant had occured. He knew it, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember. Everything had gone dark after the portal...vanished? Exploded? Did what exactly? Now he was back here, in his room. As if everything had been a very vivid dream. Was it possible that all of it was just a figment of his strange imagination? Not for the first time, he was doubting the new twists his life was taking. Nothing made actual sense anymore where Xavier Xerxes was concerned.

"System?" He thought.

[System is ready to take your instructions or queries.]

When the holographic screen popped up, he heaved a sigh of relief. The screen had returned to the normal golden one with sparkling icons and shimmering runic scrips along the edges.

He hadn't liked the Dark Elemental one at all because it had looked creepy, what with the skull and cobwebs that filled it. Could this mean that he had lost the hidden special ability? Maybe it had disappeared with the void. The power has been connected with that dark, lonely place, after all.

While possessing the power of the Dark Element or the Infinite Void as the system called it, Xavier had felt too many strange emotions. Worst of them had been a raging anger. The anger had been so hot and potent that he had felt himself being consumed by it. The power itself had felt raw and fierce, like something alive. Xavier shuddered. He would rather not gain such an ability again. He didn't like how he had felt wielding it.

Despite this, the ability had helped him save his mother. Without it, he hated to think how bad the night would've gone. Speaking of mothers, where was she?

He heard light footsteps approaching his room and wasn't surprised to see Fiona emerge through the door with a tray of covered dishes. Trailing after her like an army of miniature toddlers were the boys, each of them dressed in a different coloured onesie. Together, they formed a rainbow.

"Are you alright?" Fiona asked immediately her eyes fell on him. She placed the tray on the reading table and rushed over to feel his head. "You looked so pale and sick when Kim Sao brought you in."

"I'm alright." Xavier forced on a smile. He didn't feel alright, but he didn't want to worry her more than he already was. "What about mom? Is she here?"

"Of course she's here." Fiona replied. "I'm not leaving her at any hospital anymore. Kim Sao told me about what went down at the hospital. It's all over the news. From the dungeons, to the clouds and the beasts. Ferling City made global news."

"Oh." That was all he could say. He had not known about the chaos outside the hospital.

The boys busied all over Xavier for a bit: Touching his face, his nose, playing with his fingers, and generally just welcoming him back home. They laughed and smiled brightly, all of them happy to see their biggest play toy. When they'd had their fill of him, they trooped back out of the room, probably to join Kim Sao somewhere around the house.

Fiona watched them leave with a fond smile on her face, before regarding Xavier to resume her explanation.

"When the earthquake started, I knew something was wrong. No dungeon appeared on this part of the city, but I gathered the boys with me into the bunker all the same. The destruction and carnage was centred mostly around the hospital, so we were safe."

She touched his cheek fondly. "Don't worry about anything. Your mother is doing ok. She won't leave my sight from now on. I've cleared Roderick's study to set up a room for her. She'll be there until you are ready to make her ok again."

Xavier's heart drummed in his chest. "He told you about that too?"

She nodded. "I like that Kim Sao is honest with me rather than hiding things. I believe in you. You will make a fine Mystic, and when the time is right, you'll heal your mother. Freya will be with us again."

Unable to resist the urge to hug her, Xavier threw his arms around her. The tears came without much prompting. All the fear and helplessness he'd felt during the entire ordeal with Selena came pouring out in torrents from his eyes. Fiona held him close, patting his back in a soothing gesture. She sniffed a couple of times too.

Pulling away some minutes later, Xavier's face reddened with embarrassment.

"Sorry about that. I was just...."

Fiona grinned. "There's no need to apologize." She wiped moisture from her cheeks. "I can't imagine the things you had to go through to bring my twin sister back. I'm really grateful." She touched his cheek again before ruffling his hair. "There's much more to you than you think, Xavier."

She reached over the bed to retrieve the tray she'd come in with.

"I brought some veggie soup for you. I prepared it just the way you like. It'll bring energy to your body and work some magic in there."

"Thanks, Aunt Fiona." Xavier meant it sincerely.

"There's nothing to thank me about. It's simply the way I love you and my sister." She stood up and looked around. "This room will forever be yours. No matter where you go, always try to check up on us whenever you can. The boys like having you around."

"I like having them around too." He smiled, recalling all the crazy childish stuff they'd put him through. Exciting stuff. "I'll miss them. I'll miss you too."

It was her turn to blush, but she was smiling even still. "We'll always be here. Whatever you need, always know we are here for you." She started out of the room. "Now go gently with the soup. Kim Sao is already raiding my kitchen looking for anything with a food stamp on it. How can someone so slim eat so much?" She chuckled before closing the door behind her.

Xavier tried to obey her instructions but he couldn't help rushing things up. He slurped the remaining liquid from the dish, placed the tray on the table to take downstairs later, before crossing the passageway outside his room towards what used to be his uncle's study.

Fiona had done what she could to make the room more cozy. The table and shelves of books had been pushed to the sides to allow room for a bed and a night cabinet. The curtains changed to warmer colours. Even the rug was different. Beautiful plants blossomed on the window sills and along the walls. Xavier couldn't see her doing all this alone, so the Astral mystic must've helped.

His mother looked peaceful tucked into thick duvets on the bed. Yes, she was still sleeping. But she was safe from Justins and Selenas of the world.

As he lifted his right hand to close the door, he caught sight of something strange. There, right at the centre of his palm, was a dense black ball the size of a big button.

"So that's what happened to the void portal." He muttered dryly.