Sylvester's heart sank, and he glanced at Xavia, who was stealing gazes like a child. She wanted to look at him but, at the sa ti, couldn't muster the courage.
"Which healer checked her?" Sylvester inquired, though a hint of defeat was now in his voice.
"The best of the best. Saint dico, Cardinal Charles Nos Leeds, the Pope's Chief Healer. The Holy Father brought him himself." Raven revealed.
Sylvester's fist clenched so hard that his nails dug into his skin and made it bleed. 'Those bastards! As I sensed back then through lies, Saint Seer is behind the attack on her! Since the Pope knew about the sche of putting the Shadow Knight behind , he must know of this too. Shaless lunatics! How can they now act as well-wishers when they are the evildoers!'
He took a long breath, rubbed his face and dragged a chair to sit beside Xavia. He then held her hand tightly while caressing his other hand on her hair as if she was a child.
"What did they say? Can she be healed?"
Raven nodded strongly. "Of course, in fact, she has already started to recover. Saint dico said that her muscles just need to rember the feeling of all the movents again. But it will be a gradual process."
Sylvester stared into Xavia's eyes with a hundred thoughts erging in his mind, trying to make sense of the sickness. 'So is it sothing akin to Ataxia? But… Does that an her spinal cord or a nerve was sohow hard?'
He honestly didn't know what to do. Could solarium alone heal soone like that? He could only hope that, eventually, he would teach her body movents again.
But, for now, he had sensed sothing else that made him sad more than anything else. He slled the scent and sensation of fear from her. 'S-She's… Scared of angering ? Is it because of my outburst at her after Rol's death?'
He rembered not talking with her nicely for so ti after what had transpired back then, which had made her very depressed. But, now that he thought about it, killing Rol started a chain reaction that benefited him deeply in terms of influence over Riveria.
'She… I have many friends, goals, and wishes but to her… I'm everything—her world starts with and ends with . Her loyalty to is undying… And she fears ?'
Sylvester glanced at Xavia again, staring into her blue eyes akin to an ocean. She tried to look away but could not.
Pat!
He tapped her head and chuckled. "Hah, I guess I'm the mother now. I will have to teach you to walk and eat now."
That imdiately relaxed Xavia. 'Good… Let go of that fear and anxiety, mother. You need not fear … Rather, it should be those who dared harm you.'
Xavia chuckled and faced Sylvester nervously. "You're not angry?"
"Why would I be angry at you? Instead, I'm angry at the administration that allowed this to happen. But, for now, let's not talk about that. Have you eaten?" He asked while letting her rest back.
Knock! Knock!
But just then, knocks on the door resounded, and two female healers entered in their white robes. But they seed annoyed seeing so many people in the room and tried to send them off.
"Only one person can stay. The rest of you go and wait in the lobby. It's ti for Mother Xavia's muscle training." The two healers busied themselves and tried to push them out. Since Raven was a regular, Sylvester and Isabella were being pushed.
But Sylvester didn't even budge and glared into the eyes of the brown-haired, black-eyed, middle-aged woman. His golden eyes shined as if a predator was looking at a lowlife whose neck he could break at any mont. "Dare not touch , healer. I am Xavia's son. I will remain here for as long as I desire, and if you deny, then I will have the Holy Father write to you if you need so."
"Y-You are the Lord's Bard! Oh god! Can I hear a hymn—'' She went into fangirling mode. But soon felt a tap from her partner and shut her mouth. She then turned to Isabella. "You, out of here."
"I am Isabella Gracia, Crown Princess of Gracia. I shall stay here for as long as I wish." Isabella repeated Sylvester's words.
"..."
The poor healer rubbed her palm on her face and turned around. "Alright, I'll shut up. Let's go, Mother Xavia."
In front of Sylvester's eyes, the two healers worked hard to help Xavia slide to the edge of the bed. They were very delicate, and there were montary frowns of pain on Xavia's face.
Sylvester felt a fire rise in his heart as he saw Xavia's body trembling completely. Her thin legs didn't move unless the healer moved them. Her arm movent was limited to the point that only her wrists could move.
Certainly, her injury was much deadlier and deeper than anyone had reported to him.
Sylvester felt his heart go cold seeing her state. 'I should start plotting for Saint Seer's painful demise. Or if I can't even defeat a re rival spy, then I should stop dreaming of becoming the pope.'
Then, he saw as the two healers lifted Xaiva, held her arms over their shoulders and tried to help her walk in the long corridor outside. They tried to mimic the walking movent by tying Xavia's feet with theirs.
Sylvester just shook his head at their crude thods and had already planned a healing treatnt for Xavia. But, he didn't disturb them as they only did their job—A tiring one from the looks of it as they kept going for half an hour.
After that, Xavia was placed back in bed to rest. By then, Raven had also taken Isabella to the food court, so Sylvester remained by Xavia's side alone—her hand firmly held in his.
"Dear, who is this Shane Kolt?" She picked the old-looking book from her side and asked suddenly.
Sylvester recognised it as he had left it at ho, on the bookshelf. He liked to read it as it contained a mory that always reminded him why he couldn't ever give up.
Xavia continued. "He wrote such a cute hymn about you in this old journal… So I wrote one for you, too, taking inspiration from this talented man."
Sylvester's mind suddenly had a thousand flashbacks of the past, of the day his dreams changed from just surviving to wanting to conquer and build a world of his own choice.
Finally, his shoulders fell a little, and the exhaustion showed its effects. Since being born, month after month, crisis after crisis, he'd been battling foes, demons or uncovering nasty sches—With his life constantly on the line.
It was bound to take a toll. 'I… I feel so tired… But if I relax, it'll be my neck and their deadly axe.'
So he took the journal from Xavia's hand and put it on the side. "Not a man; he was a little kid, mum. A very good child… Who lost the fight against the darkness that lurks around us. Now, let's not talk about this. You sleep and rest, as I will start your baby-walking classes tomorrow."
Xavia warmly smiled and rested down. But she didn't let his hand go and slept on her side, facing him the whole ti.
"Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere before I see you heal completely. Now close your eyes." Sylvester assured her, sensing the worry in her heart.
Soon, the room got engulfed in silence except for the tweeting of birds outside. He caressed his warm palm on her head and ensured she felt safe, happy and calm.
Though, he could see she wasn't sleepy from all the excitent. So, he decided to sing a hymn. "Since you're the baby now, I will sing a lullaby."
♫Once, there was a mother.
So pretty like none other.
She lived with her son.
Mighty like none other.♫
♫He was born so fat.
Shined wherever he sat.
Rode like a knight on a cat.
But, the cat was also fat…♫
"Pfft! Ahaha… Stop." Xavia laughed uncontrollably. "I'll sleep, okay? You're terrible at lullabies."
Sylvester adored seeing her smile and being happy. "Of course. Usually, I sing about death, god and burning heathens—So this is the opposite of my profession. Now, go ahead and sleep like a baby."
Xavia held his hand tighter and made herself comfortable. "Don't worry. This baby won't cry too much."
'It's alright if you do, mum.'
Before long, as he kept caressing her hair, she fell asleep, likely tired from her exercise a while ago.
"Maxy! I'm not fat! Also, I sleep with my big mum here." Miraj soon jumped from Sylvester's shoulder and tucked himself beside Xavia's chest, putting his fluffy head on her arm.
Sylvester pulled the sheets over the two and patted both their heads softly. "Yes, lord Chonky, you're not fat, and it's just the fur. Now don't snore and sleep like a good boy."
"Aye, Aye!" Miraj closed his eyes and started snoring, thankfully not very loud.
Sylvester stayed with the two, caressing their heads for an hour or so. Then, when he ensured they were asleep, he picked up the journal and walked over to the balcony with a chair. The sun was still an hour from setting, so he had ample light to read.
First, he opened it and found the hymn. 'O' Great King of Bards'. Then, he turned the page and found what Xavia had written with her uneven handwriting.
In the calming breeze of the evening, he read it under his breath, trying to understand its aning. Each line, each word related to him directly. He felt it was all written so lovingly—intentionally.
He read it once, and then he read it twice. He didn't even know when it happened thrice. In the middle, however, he stood up and glanced back at Xavia, sleeping happily. Then the journal fell from his hand, and the anings of the rhys he began to understand.
In his mind, the hymns rhyd. It contained no Xavia's wishes or demands. Instead, it was a proclamation—of her love, her life, and how she'd not be hindered by a re sharp knife.
Woosh!
All of a sudden, for unknown reasons, in the Solis' holy season—the halo appeared. Sylvester didn't sing in words or breaths, yet it remained behind, shining brighter than ever. But that wasn't all; his eyes appeared with an unnatural golden glow as if they, too, shined as he stared at the sun.
The aura surrounding him didn't seem warm anymore, as even the glass door in the back seed to turn white and crack. This was pure destruction, threatening all who sought his mind's corruption.
"They ca after with the Shadow Knight, and I said nothing. Now they raise blades against my mother and erase her smile, and I'm supposed to still serve you? Sing your praise?"
Against the dusking sun, whose light slowly beca frail, Sylvester's eye and halo seed to arrogantly prevail. But at Solis, no hymns, only questions he could exhale.
"This halo of yours, this talent in —you gave it? You made ? You say you're real? Then answer —Is my simple dream of a little peace so impossible?"
Halo-clad, Sylvester knelt and saw the sun hiding behind the horizon. "Coward! Answer if you're real! Is it too much to ask to coexist willingly? Must I take the world for peace to exist? Or must I burn it all so none are left to resist?!"
In utter silence, his unanswered words were echoes of the future. An echo that was heard by oracles of far and closer. But no one could understand what it ant or who it represented.
However, the world's actions were now going to define its fate. Will they realise their mistake? Or will it be too late? Will they die—Or kneel when Sylvester arrives at their gates?
It was an answer that only the mythical master wizards of ti could state.
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O' My Handso Bard
♫When the tis were sad, when the days were dark.
In my sorrow, you appeared—like a cheerful giggling spark.
You filled my life with joy; the difference was stark.
Who knew, with you on this thrilling journey—I'd embark.♫
♫O' My Handso Bard, my life's greatest blessing.
For you, your mum is always so obsessing.
Yes, I can sotis be very unpleasing.
But for your well-being, I can't help stressing.♫
♫O' My Handso Bard, my peace of mind.
Thank god, our fates are forever intertwined.
So never worry when you're feeling confined.
Rember, mum will always be standing behind.♫
♫O' my handso bard, I know life has you vexed.
Embarrassing, but let get these words off my chest.
I wish to be your mother in this life and the next.
If more, then that too, and the next, and the next, and the rest.♫
— Xavia Maximilian, the proudest mum in the world.
[End of Volu 2]
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[Next Volu - The Brightest Light]
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