Chapter 11: First steps

Leiya peered at the rattling egg. "Woah, it's really moving about in there. You're like its mum!" Xerxes shot her a strange look but then started to trail his fingers across the egg, feeling its coarse shell as well as the subtle but growing flame within it.

"What do you think it could be? Shouldn't you have a better idea than me? I mean, I haven't exactly been living in the Fallen Kingdom for a long time." Leiya tried to inspect the egg upon Xerxes' question.

She did what she had been doing before, which was holding the egg, and as soon as she tried holding it again, she quickly pulled away, putting the egg back on the bed, swaying her hand up and down rapidly while applying a layer of water magic. "Hot, HOT! Hey, you don't feel the heat of it or something? I know there are magically imbued blankets in this place, but that feels like it will begin to burn it."

Xerxes began to hold the egg. Could it be the Orc soul shard that was having an effect? No, that couldn't be it, and Xerxes knew that. He had a good assumption of what the Orc soul shard would give him—probably an increased degree of strength and a further spread of mana. Heat resistance was very unlikely. People like Dorian had a sense of that, but Dorian didn't conventionally use mana.

His mana was regulated and concentrated through his sword. He couldn't expel attacks from the mana points, even though mana did run through his body.

"I can't be too sure what's happening or what's in it, for that matter. I think I should put this somewhere safe; I'm feeling ready to get up anyway." Xerxes stretched his arms and began to hold the egg.

Leiya, questioning his ability to move, asked, "Are you sure you can move yet? I mean, didn't you die? And does this mean Grandpa strategically did this so I could be the tour guide?!"

Xerxes shrugged, thinking, Was I really that intolerable? Leiya frowned, raised a fist, and then roared.

"THAT SNEAKY OLD MAN! HE RUNS AWAY FROM HIS COMMITMENTS!" She then grabbed Xerxes' hand. "C'mon, I want to be home before lunch, and I guess you're going to have to get used to life here, so get your ass up."

A weird sense of nostalgia surged through Xerxes. It felt similar to the day when Aya had dragged him out of his room. The only difference was that these were Xerxes' baby steps for his new journey. A new adventure.

Foreign to Xerxes, there was a new sense of urgency that rushed through his blood; he was eager to get stronger. He didn't want to be the one who had to be punished for being weak—he wanted to be someone who punished those who threatened his life or his peace.

Leiya dragged him out of the room and began showing him around the castle, pointing out the medical room, which had a staff room situated on the right. It housed four healing mages who were being instructed by a prestigious woman. She wore a white silky dress that accentuated her figure, with a long golden-embroidered robe draped from her shoulders down to her chest. Her hair was a baby blue—similar to Leiya's—and her features were smooth, with slight wrinkles that didn't affect how youthful she still looked.

Leiya released her grip on Xerxes' wrist and ran into the room. "Mum, Xerxes is awake!" She jumped towards her mother with open arms as her mother embraced her child, the mages surrounding her mother slightly bowing their heads.

Leiya's mother giggled, her azure eyes fixing on Xerxes. It was clear to him where Leiya got her looks from, but as for a 'gentle' attitude, Leiya had definitely not inherited that.

Leiya's mother addressed both Leiya and Xerxes, "I knew he was awake, my dear. Who do you think involved your grandfather? As for you, young man, you had my medics shocked by how beaten you were. Your mana system was extremely damaged. As for your physical body, though it had healed a lot, strain and exhaustion were obvious. Do not push yourself like you did—because if I hadn't had Leiya's grandad teaching me healing magic, you would have been as damaged as the monsters my daughter exterminates."

Xerxes gulped. Her appearance isn't as soft as her lectures. I should be sure not to damage myself anymore. "Yes, ma'am, I'm sorry for the trouble I have caused you and the other healing mages. I promise not to almost die again," he exclaimed with a bow.

She walked to Xerxes, patting him on his head. "It is okay, though. From what Leiya's grandad told me, your reasons were chivalrous, which I can respect. Doing it for a girl—oh, Leiya, it reminds me of your father and me when we were younger. An act of love born in the midst of chaos." She reminisced about her and her husband's love story.

Leiya stuck out her tongue. "Gross. I don't want to know about you and Dad's love story, Mum, nor do I want to hear about Xerxes'!"

Xerxes chuckled nervously, scratching his head—neither denying his feelings for Aya nor explicitly stating them. Leiya's mother sighed and said, "Well, Xerxes, we have a meeting tonight with the Truth family and our advisors. Leiya, be sure to be back before nightfall and do not take him out of the city. Also, young man, you don't have to call me 'ma'am.' Just call me Aliya."

"Ah, so that's where Leiya gets her name from. Well, thank you again, Aliya. I appreciate everything you all did for me."

With that brief interaction, Leiya showed Xerxes a few different rooms within the castle. He was quite astonished by the sheer architecture—it was magnificent and totally unexpected for the place they were in.

Eventually, they left the castle, which had seemingly endless stairs leading downwards. The descent felt daunting to Xerxes. "Leiya, do you seriously go up and down these stairs every day?"

Leiya scoffed at his question. "This is the simplest part of my day, Xerxes. If you can't handle this, how do you think your leg muscles will cope when we fight beasts—lunging, jumping, and all that other cool stuff you need your legs for? So stop whining."

Xerxes didn't feel inclined to argue, so he began walking down. What felt like an eternity later, he finally arrived at the bottom and gazed at the city. He and Leiya began walking through the bustling streets. He received quite a few stares—after all, 'visitors' weren't common in the City of Truth. Nevertheless, Xerxes embraced what it had to offer: a small tavern with lively music, training barracks, schools for the younger children, various shops catering to everyone's needs, farms, and finally, at the end of the tour Leiya had been forced to give, they arrived at the largest outpost near the barrier.

"Well, that's your tour pretty much done. Nightfall is approaching soon. I would like to introduce you to my dad here, but he needs to do some really important checks of the forest to make sure nothing is acting irregularly. So, we'll speak when we have the scheduled meeting tonight," she said firmly.

"I guess that's fine. Leiya, do you have any idea what they are going to ask me or even what this meeting is about?" Xerxes asked, feeling quite uneasy about the discussion ahead.

Leiya clasped her hands together while walking back to the castle, placing them behind her head. "Hmm, Xerxes, it's hard to say. Grandpa Aemon always thinks outside the box, but my dad may be quite defensive, so don't take anything he says personally. He doesn't have a good experience with outsiders."

Xerxes was alarmed. He had never considered the possibility of others before him. He probed cautiously, "You mean there have been people before me who stumbled into the city? How is that even possible? And why does your father dislike them?"

Leiya sighed, exasperated. "You ask too many questions. Can we save that for the meeting, please? I've already given you a tour—you're trying to run me dry, aren't you? Any questions you have can be answered there. Got it?"

Xerxes hadn't expected to be accepted or befriended instantly, but something about the mention of another outsider seemed to hit a nerve. He didn't want to press Leiya further and risk upsetting her. Instead, he clung to the hope that the meeting would provide the answers he needed—answers that might allow him to build a friendship with someone his own age. Someone who intrigued him. Leiya was strong, ambitious, and, most of all, the future princess of a land of monsters.

The rest of the journey was spent in silence until they arrived back at the castle. Leiya led Xerxes to the meeting room on the highest floor. By the time they reached the top, he was more out of breath than he typically was after a battle.

Leiya pushed open the door, revealing a dimly lit chamber. A lantern hung above a massive stone table, casting flickering shadows across an assortment of food—some familiar, some utterly foreign to Xerxes. Around the table, three figures were seated.

The first was Aemon Truth, the seer of the town, the most respected and powerful among them. Next was Leiya's mother, Aliya, wearing the same attire as before, though her robe now rested over her chair. And then there was someone new—an elder man, perhaps in his thirties, with chestnut-brown hair and a light stubble. He was clad in a gleaming suit of armor, streaked with blood. His thick brows furrowed as the door opened, his sharp warrior's gaze locking onto Xerxes.

Conrad stopped the motion of cleaning his blade when looking at him, hissing. "So, that's him, Father. The mysterious boy who just happened to end up outside our city."

A wave of pressure crashed over Xerxes. His hands trembled slightly as Leiya took a seat beside her mother. Aemon, noticing, placed a hand on Xerxes' forehead.

"Dammit, Conrad. Didn't I tell you not to intimidate the kid? And for the love of the heavens, have the decency to change before coming to my table, covered in blood." Aemon's voice was sharp with reprimand.

Conrad, Leiya's father, barely reacted, continuing to wipe his blade with a handkerchief. "With all due respect, Father, I don't see him as one of us. More like the monsters we kill. I said this last time, and I'll say it again—outsiders are nothing but trouble."

Aemon dismissed his son's remark with a wave of his hand. "Boy, take a seat."

Xerxes hesitated, unwilling to sit next to Conrad. Instead, he chose the seat opposite Aemon.

As Conrad continued cleaning his weapon, Aemon addressed him. "Xerxes, ignore my son for now. We'll return to that later. I'm sure Leiya gave you a thorough tour." He smiled, winking at Leiya, who rolled her eyes. "Now, you know how the city works. I already briefed the townspeople while you were unconscious—you were in a coma for days. I imagine you have many questions. How will life be here? What will training entail? Where will you stay? When do we expect you to leave?"

Xerxes nodded but hesitated. He had a more pressing concern. Lowering his gaze, he spoke carefully. "Thank you, Aemon, for your hospitality. But I need to ask, does everyone here truly accept me? I get that something may have happened with another outsider before me, and I'm sorry for whatever went down. If my presence is a problem, what can I do to not be a burden?"

Conrad didn't hesitate. "No. I don't believe our safety is guaranteed with you here therefore making you a burden."

Aliya reached out a hand, trying to calm him, but he pressed on. "Aliya, Aemon—you should be more cautious. The last time an outsider arrived, they somehow discovered our city despite the cloaking magic. And, Father, your eyes failed you then just as they seem to be failing now."

Leiya looked away, sensing what was coming. Conrad's voice grew bitter. "I won't let my daughter or our city be put at risk again."

Xerxes felt a heavy weight of guilt settle over him. This place, feared by mankind, was still a home to its people and it had nearly been taken from them. Now, he understood the hostile stares, the wary glances. His presence here was a risk, one that could lead to history repeating itself.

Aliya's voice cut through the tension. "But Conrad my dear, there is a difference - I remember when I examined the first outsider who came, his body and mana were both damaged. Soon we were able to discover that they were made deliberately to fool us, but with Xerxes although his body wasn't damaged his mana system was, this provides reason enough that this was actually anomalous, it had signs of exhaustion but what if it truly was a phenomena, that he was sent here just as he says, and look at him for crying out loud can't you see the truth in his eyes."

Conrad met Xerxes' gaze. His eyes were hollow—haunted by the past, burdened with sorrow. He didn't want to divide this family. He didn't want to endanger them. Most of all, he didn't want to be the reason they felt unsafe.

Conrad exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "You want to convince me, Aliya? Father?" His gaze darkened. "Then prove it. Use your eyes on him, Aemon. If we don't know his intentions, that is a greater risk than anything else."

Aemon's expression hardened. "Son—" he whispered, as if pleading for another way. But Conrad stood firm.

Leiya turned toward Aemon, her expression tense. Silence fell over the room. The walls trembled slightly, the lanterns flickering—until, suddenly, the lights burst.

Darkness enveloped them. Only the sound of steady breathing remained.

Aemon closed his eyes. Then, glowing blue runes traced beneath them, illuminating his face. Slowly, he opened them.

His pupils had transformed into an eerie, all-seeing blue, encased in a gleaming white cross of intricate markings.

His voice was a whisper, yet it resonated through the room.

"By the blessing of Atasis, God of Truth, heed my call. Rid Xerxes Draedon of any falsehood and allow me to know the truth."