Chapter 30) New Secrets to Guard.

A strange chill travelled all over Xavier's body as he stared down at the thing in his palm. Using his left thumb, he gently caressed the spot where the disc was. All he felt was the soft pad of his palm and the bones underneath. It was as if the disc was there but wasn't there at the same time.

Rushing back into his room in near panic, he shouldered his way into his bathroom, dipped his hands into the sink and hurriedly punched the dials close to the mirror to turn on the water taps.

SCRUB SCRUB SCRUB!

Nope, no result. Xavier groaned in frustration and dread. Surely all the despicable black disc needed was a little more violent approach, right?

He reached into the cabinet of soaps, creams, lotions and shampoo, to grab the avocado scented bath soap that Fiona swore was the best there was for teenagers and toddlers. Squirting a sizeable dollop into his palm right over the spot, he picked up a sponge and resumed the scrubbing again.

SCRUB SCRUB SCRUUUUB!

Xavier scrubbed until his hands went raw and funny from all the attention he was giving them. He smiled despite the discomfort.

"That should do the trick. No stubborn spot can withstand Aunt Fiona's Avocado Body Fantasy soap."

But when he rinsed the sods away, his fragile heart sank deep into his stomach. The spot stared back at him, taunting him like an annoying friend. In fact, it looked even darker than normal against the paleness of his skin. He looked up into the mirror to see his own scared face, pink eyes wide and sweat dripping from the front of his white hair.

Things just went from bad to worse. He knew it somehow. The black disc felt like something that should not exist or be seen by anyone else.

"Xavier? Are you in there?"

Xavier jolted in his body. "Master...Master Kim Sao?"

"Of course." There was the usual cheerfulness in the Astral Mystic's voice such that you would think the previous night never happened.

But Xavier was afraid to face anyone now, especially not an Astral Mystic who could Mind Surf through his thoughts. The moment Kim Sao saw him, he would know everything.

Wait a minute, maybe he already did. Xavier had been asleep throughout the ride from the hospital to the house. Kim Sao had had enough time and space to dig into his mind. He might've seen everything there.

"Are you alright?" Kim Sao called. "Fiona informed me that you were awake. I couldn't leave my cherry pudding halfway, so it took me a few more minutes to come up here. No wonder the boys troop after her like little minions, what with the wonders she can work in the kitchen. She packed some snacks for you to have on the way to the academy." There was a brief but thoughtful pause here. "Xavier?"

"I'm... I'm fine." Xavier sighed in resignation. There was no avoiding it anymore.

He cleaned up the sink before dragging his feet out of the bathroom. He knew Kim Sao was standing beside the window so he looked at every other place but there.

He heard the Astral Mystic moving around the room, taking in tiny details.

"I see you love books." He smiled at the shelf beside the bed filled with thick books that were mostly fantasy novels. Others spanned from sciences to maths, astrology and nature. "You are going to love the library at the academy. You'll find enough books to fill up ten skyscrapers in there."

Xavier remained silent because he couldn't form words. He was too anxious to think about anything else right now.

Kim Sao looked up at him for the first time. If Xavier was to bet on it, he would say that even the Astral Mystic didn't want to know what had really happened at the hospital. The Mystic was stalling the inevitable.

"You don't need to be worried when you're around me." Master Kim Sao sat on the bed, not taking his eyes off Xavier. "Mind Surfing may be an active skill I have, but I can limit it if I try hard enough. From the moment I found you and your mother alone in the destroyed research lab of the hospital, I knew whatever explanation there was you had the right to reveal them to me yourself. It's taking much mana sparks to surpress my skill from then till now. All I can sense at the moment are your emotions." He paused. "I feel uncomfortable being the reason why you are anxious. Whatever happened, it's your choice to tell me or not. I'm content with you being in one piece."

Xavier felt relieved immediately. Staring at the Astral Mystic, Xavier knew that everything he had said was the truth. Kim Sao Chen would surely help him through the mystery of the Dark Elemental powers.

"The Fire Affinity Phantom Mystic, she was sucked in by the void."

Kim Sao squinted in misunderstanding. "The void?"

"Ah... maybe I should start from the beginning."

"Yes, that would be highly appreciated. Come, sit beside me."

Xavier obeyed. He also told Master Kim Sao everything, from how he was imprisoned in the void, to finding his way out and gaining the strange ability. At the mention of the black mist, he noticed a shadow pass over the Astral Mystic's face.

"You controlled the black mist that obliterated the summoned volcanoes?" He asked in a small voice. Was that fear in his voice? Trepidation?

Xavier nodded. "I don't know where the ability came from but it was connected to the void. No, it was the void. Somehow I could do things with it. My system even changed during that time." He explained it in details.

When he was through, Kim Sao stayed silent for a while simply gazing at the centre of Xavier's palm.

"At first, the black disc is invisible." He scripted a few sparkly runes around Xavier's arm. It tingled over his skin before clearing away. "But after using a Revelation spell that can undo disguises and camouflage, it is revealed to me for just a few seconds before vanishing again." He glanced at Xavier. "You don't have to be worried about any other Mystic seeing it until you tell them it's there."

"Are you saying that I should keep what I told you a secret?"

"Yes, Xavier. You must never speak of it to anyone else." Kim Sao said, his face serious. "I know little about the void, but the powers you speak of...even among Mystics, they are extremely rare for a reason. When we get to the academy, I'll conduct more research about it." He smiled wryly. "I'm happy that you found me worthy to tell your secret, and I will do everything I can to make sure that you are well."

Xavier's heart filled with warmth towards the Astral Mystic. There was no telling what his future was going to be like, but he was sure that with Master Kim Sao Chen he would be ok.

Kim Sao rose to his feet. "I hear Elsa whistling at the front of your house. We have kept her waiting for too long already." He looked around. "Are you done here?"

Xavier nodded. He had said all his goodbyes already.

Kim Sao patted his shoulder. "Then let's begin our journey to Celestial Academy. Hopefully, no dungeon will ambush us this time."

Elsa materialized only when Kim Sao and Xavier had shut the front door behind them. She seemed delighted to see Xavier, rubbing him all over with her soft nose. Xavier was happy to see her again, too.

The two Mystics, One Astral and the other Novice, got on the back of the Snow Peacock, and she soared up towards the rising sun. It'll be a while before Ferling City would see their infamous Ghost Boy again.

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Back inside Xavier's room, a section of the wall close to his bed was rippling like water. Bronze sparks ignited over it as mana was released to form a series of triangular patterns. When the sparks cleared away, there was a form standing there.

The form was tall and broad with the obvious gait of a very powerful and muscular man. Nothing was describable about him because of the hooded black cloak he had on. But he oozed with mana sparks. It sizzled and crackled over his body like electricity.

As he ambled noiselessly around the room, a big gloved hand reached out to touch the very book shelf Kim Sao Chen had been admiring a few minutes ago.

He circled the room, his heavy boots barely making any sound, before stopping at the centre. He scripted runes in the air and a holographic screen appeared. The screen would've been blank if not for the featureless head glowing on it.

"I have found the Death Warden." The hooded Mystic said in a deep voice. "I followed him from the hospital to this house."

The featureless head glowed brighter. "Where is he now?"

"On the way to Celestial Academy. He has an Astral Mystic with him."

"You must not let him reach the academy." The featureless head commanded. "Once he gets there, it'll be difficult to capture him."

The mystic let out a cold laugh. "They will never enter the Academy. I swear it on my life."