Aemon finally allowed Leiya to run towards Xerxes and congratulate him, while he went to collect his sword and the soul shards.
Leiya hurried towards Xerxes, not wanting to waste a single second in applauding his decisive victory.
"Xerxes!" she exclaimed, catching his attention. He looked away from the direction of the beast and began walking towards her.
The adrenaline was wearing off. "Ow! This arm is killing me," he whined, clutching his arm, which was streaked with blood and dirt.
Leiya finally reached him. "Well, look at you, Xerxes—you do have some fight in you! I honestly thought you were going to chicken out when you saw the first two beasts, but you handled it as well as I could. Well not as well as I could but y'know."
Xerxes replied to her snarky remark with a teasing grin. "Isn't someone complimenting me a bit too much? It's unlike your wild nature, Leiya."
"I am not wild! Do you really think I'm some sort of beast?" she huffed, jabbing a finger at his chest in frustration.
Xerxes caught her wrist and gently lowered it. "I'm only joking, Leiya. Don't overcomplicate things. Honestly, I'm surprised at myself—I feel freer than before. My path forward seems clearer, and for that, I'm grateful to you and the Truth family."
Aemon interjected, holding Xerxes' sword and observing the bloodstains on the blade.
"I damn well hope so. When I found you in that cave, you were lost. But I had a feeling you'd accomplish feats beyond my expectations."
"With this task, I took away your fear and showed you the path you always needed to take. You've outgrown your former shell, and for that, you should be proud."
Xerxes looked at Aemon, his gratitude growing heavier than the pain he was feeling.
"You should stand with the Truth family not as an outsider, but as one of us. What do you say, Xerxes?"
The question lingered in Xerxes' mind. It fostered an unshakable feeling unfurling inside of him.
All this time, he had longed to return home. Yet as days passed, the emptiness within him that had grown was replaced by something that he didn't even realise. It was them.
The truth family.
Memories flashed through his mind: Aemon's stern lessons, Conrad's growing warmth that started off as hostility, Aliya's mother like nature which reminded him of Vanessa and Leiya's tender smile and support, which had become a source of comfort.
Despite this task voiding the fear of monsters, a sinking dread settled in his chest, that made it tight. It was the thought of saying goodbye, and he knew it wouldn't be as easy as he'd originally imagined. How could it be?
They were treating him like family day by day. They fed him, trained him, sheltered him. And now, Aemon was acknowledging him as more than just an outsider.
He was recognising me as family.
Xerxes looked at Aemon and Leiya, raising his arms. Though weakened, he mustered enough strength to pull them into an embrace.
Aemon relaxed, understanding the depth of the gesture, and crouched slightly, drawing in Leiya, who hadn't expected the sudden hug.
"Even though I was a stranger, you've all treated me so well," Xerxes murmured solemnly. "And now… I'm afraid of the day I'll have to say goodbye. I fought the monsters and achieved one of my goals, but I never expected to feel like this."
Aemon knew the boy needed to unwind—he had just emerged from a battle laden with emotional weight. Yet he also knew Xerxes' words came from the heart.
"Don't overthink it, Xerxes. You're still a million miles from reaching half my strength," he laughed, clapping him on the back.
Xerxes nodded as Leiya ruffled his hair, her own reluctance to depart from him, evident in her touch. To Leiya, Xerxes was becoming someone she could feel comfortable with. She could train with him, talk about things that didn't involve getting back home, or training. There was a genuine companionship that she had never experienced prior to meeting him.
"It's time we returned home," Aemon said. "Xerxes, you can rest for now. Leiya, can you carry him? I'll need my hands free for the soul shards."
Leiya agreed, hoisting Xerxes onto her back. He rested his head against her, lulled by the rhythm of her steps as they set off for Truth City.
Aemon emanated a surge of mana potent enough to deter any beasts.
*An hour later*
They arrived at the outpost passage, where the guards bowed in unison, but there was clear unease plastered on their faces.
Aemon scanned the area, frowning. Conrad should've been waiting for me, we agreed to regroup here, he thought. That beckoned the question, where was he?
Lieutenant Mairon came sprinting towards them, sweat glistening on his bald head as he wiped his brow.
"Sir!" he gasped, breathless. "Conrad rushed back to the castle—Aliya was screaming. The entire left wing and the medical bay exploded in flames! I was about to search for you—hurry!
Xerxes was confident him or Leiya didn't even know they were being held. The world blurred around them as Aemon propelled them forward with wind magic. Gritting his teeth, Aemon clenched his fist, summoning streams of water within the air.
With a sweeping motion, he unleashed a torrent that engulfed the castle in a deluge.
But the flames still raged.
"A high level spell should have extinguished this," He muttered. "Unless.."
Understanding this approach wouldn't work. He propelled him self up in the air with a sudden movement. Letting go of Leiya and Xerxes once he was at the foot of the castle.
Aemon's heart sank in relief. Conrad was holding Aliya, there was a light burn upon her cheek, but she remained okay. Leiya witnessed this and began running over to them and quickly embraced them.
"What happened?" Aemon snarled.
Aliya coughed, the smoke from the flames had congested her lungs, making her speak weakly, "I - I don't know, it came from the medical room and Xerxes' room, one second everything was normal and the next there was an explosion of flames."
Xerxes stepped forward. "I think I know what's happening. Trust me - let me take the lead."
The others exchanged glances of worry, before Aemon put out a hand to dismiss their opinions. Aemon warned Xerxes, "I'll stay close in case you need help. And you may need this, the flames are blistering."
Xerxes shook his head and frowned, "Heat? I don't feel anything."
Aemon's expression tightened, "You can't feel this? It's hotter than any flame I've ever faced." They continued walking forward through the wreckage.
"If this is a monster that bypassed the barrier, you need to-"
"No, Aemon," Xerxes interrupted. "This isn't what you think and I think I know what it is." He pushed forward, the flames parting harmlessly around him.
Xerxes used mana to push the loose pieces of debris and beyond the veil of debris and wreckage, a creature stirred - a phoenix, newly hatched. It's wings fanned the flames with each frantic beat.
"Xerxes stay back!" Aemon commanded, but Xerxes was already moving. His feet carried him forward without any thought, like he was entranced by the creature.
He raised a hand that guarded his eyes as he walked closer, with everyone else watching in awe as he advanced forward, rising above the flames and with each step he took, the flames became more reactive.
Xerxes wanted to comfort it, he had a feeling that the phoneix was distressed and he pressed forward till eventually Aemon was forced to use mana to create a barrier between Xerxes and the rest of the family.
He reached out his hand that was guarding his face. It made contact with the phoenix and Xerxes' body radiated fierce crimson and auburn hues that shimmered within the air.
"It's you, you're the one who's been helping me all this time, you saved me when I came here, didn't you? Let me do the same for you, let me repay my debt."
The burning white flames pushed back everyone as Xerxes embraced them, they didn't feel hot.
They felt rejuvenating and gave him life, but then Xerxes had surges of memories flashing in his head.
They weren't his though, all that he saw was a man - whose face was obscured, as the words that left were,
"Go, You're too important to remain here, this war will only take and I can not lose you as well, retreat to the continent north from here and I promise I'll find you again." His voice strained with urgency and tinges of sadness.
Xerxes' senses cut back to reality, as a tear shed from his eye, the flames began subsiding as the phoenix's beauty became clearer. It had closed its eyes and rested in Xerxes' arms.
Xerxes dropped to his knees whilst cradling the phoneix like a baby. He felt a connection that wasn't bonded with blood but something deeper that he didn't know of.
As the last embers faded, Aemon stared in disbelief.
"He contained its power, Xerxes has tamed the phoenix..."