Chapter 109: Comfort

Time went on, Staxius made it out of the stadium without anyone catching the sight of his body. Eira was left shocked and so were her comrades. Sophie remained in the middle without a clue of what to do. Her breathing was erratic, given her mana was nearly depleted; that sort of breathing wasn’t normal, peculiar was best fit to describe it. The third-year sat with nothing more than regret. Rosalinda’s senses came to the norm, she realized that she had unwillingly stepped into dangerous territory. She acted in a very condescending and disrespectful manner towards that demon. Huon’s eyes were but an empty shell; Staxius truly displayed what true strength meant.

“Ysmay,” Eira managed to snap her friend out of her dream. She had lost herself in the dense, powerful screams and pain of the souls the sword unleashed. Nothing hurt more than the screeching screams of an unrested spirit. Ysmay was special in her own way, her boon from birth was spirit sight. Her eyes and senses were very sensitive – thus her shy demeanor. A hypersensitive mind meant always being alert. Every little thing scared her, but she had learned how to differentiate between evil and good. What she saw on that day wasn’t either – it transcended the rather limiting concept of conduct. Good or evil, it didn’t matter, she witnessed what most would have killed to see. True clarity and true wisdom about the nature of life after death.

“Master,” the sun shone mildly; people got ready for work. Time was around ten – though late in some people’s eyes; the place wasn’t that crowded. “Yes?” Staxius asked. The car drove to the academy’s town. “Are you sure it was wise to reveal that you were immortal. I mean, wasn’t it supposed to be a secret? Sorry for assuming things, but don’t you always make it a point to hide your true strength?” Avon, being Staxius’s personal aide, defender, spy, and other things he could have wanted; became familiar with how the master thought. “It’s not a matter of hiding my strength, I just like to have my cards hidden from play. I find dealing with situations, people, a fight or anything in that matter rather tedious. I have to both think and outthink the other – it’s a guessing game. I may be smart, but I’m no mind reader. Sure, I can sense a person’s private information; emotions and manipulate them – sadly, I can’t always read what they think at that particular moment in time. Thus, the reason I like to always have various opportunities to get out if ever things go out of hand. A back-up is better than not, I’d rather be prepared than getting ambushed.” The car pulled next to a tailoring shop, “enough talk, I need new clothes. I’m going to miss wearing that grey suit, but tis not a quandary. I’ll just have the tailor make one back in Arda.”

The brown door with a small window onto which, “Clareville’s tailor,” was inscribed, opened. ‘Very imaginative,’ he thought sarcastically, a small bell rung in a jingle fashion. “Good morning, how may I be of servi...oh my god.” The lady who ran the store quickly turned away. “I apologize for my exposed self, but could you please help with garments.” He asked in a childish tone, it made her think less about him being someone undesirable. “I apologize as well,” she faced around and smiled, it held the comfort of a mother’s compassion. “Thanks for understanding,” Staxius smiled and tilted his head as if he were a playful kid. “Come this way,” she led him to a small stool. “Sit right there, I’ll get you an outfit.” She seemed blissful, occasionally while walking, she subtly added a little hop. Staxius watched as she went from right to left picking and matching shirt and pants. The lady hummed as if putting a child to sleep – the feeling of this shop was what he imagined being raised with a caring mother would have been like.

historical

“There,” she handed him many outfits, in the end, he settled for the simplest looking one. A long-sleeved buttoned-up white shirt with checkered tight pants. The latter was of a greyish color while the top was white. “I had a feeling you’d have picked the simpler looking ones,” she spoke softly as she did some work over the counter. “How so,” he checked if the clothes looked proper in the mirror, “you have the feel of someone who has to deal a lot on a daily basis.” They held a normal conversation while being ways apart. The shop wasn’t that big thus their soften tone. “- you may be wondering how I know these things.” She stopped and stared, “the manner in which you speak and act. They’re peculiar – your shoulders seem tense yet you push to give out a smile. The way you always have a friendly and welcoming tone; it’s admirable. I like that attitude, the blasé way to live and not care about the things bothering you. If I had been your mother, I’d be very proud.” She continued to speak till Staxius came to the counter.

“I’m sure I’d have been blessed to have someone like you to be my mother.” He said honestly, the hatred for the lady who abandoned them long ago hadn’t left his mind a single bit. “I appreciate the sentiment but you should not look down upon your mother; I’m sure she’s a good lady.” Staxius shrug at that comment, “if you say so,” the price indicated twenty silvers for the pants and ten silvers for the shirt. “Here,” he handed her a gold coin, “-this is a pleasant surprise, but I’m afraid I don’t have spare change.” She tried pushing away his hand but Staxius insisted. “No, it’s the correct price.” He placed the coin on her right palm, “-this is just a token of my appreciation. You made me feel at ease, you can’t understand how much that means for someone like me.” She unwillingly accepted. *Click,* the door opened, “excuse me,” she called for him to stop. “Yes?” he asked courteously, “-I care not if you’re being generous. It made me feel nice when you said you appreciated my compassion. If I remind you so much about mother’s, why not come by later in the evening. I’ll treat you to a homecooked meal as a token of my thanks.” Her tone was overwhelmingly pure and caring, before such a great lady – who in their right minds would have refused. “I’ll be here faster than you know it,” he winked and left, Staxius’s mannerism genuinely changed to one of a boy who loved his mother.

“Master,” Avon waved, Staxius quickly got in the car and headed for the academy. “You seem pretty joyful,” the spirit wanted to know more, “-that lady in that shop was surprisingly very nice. I felt like I was back in the epoch where my family wasn’t a complete mess. But don’t worry about such things – we’ve got training to do. The car came to a full stop in front of a noisy establishment. It was break-time, the chattering raged on like heavy rainfall. A few students caught a glimpse of the black car, the reaction had become obvious and predictable. Rather than focusing on them, he walked to the office.

.....

There he met with Josiah and gave a brief summary of what happened. Josiah told him that the three students who witnessed him in action were left sick. Each one rested in the medical bay; they were affected mentally. Staxius only replied with, “that’s the price of watching a being who is cursed.” Josiah didn’t give any reaction; it remained neutral. Staxius was free to do as he pleased for he was the partner of a student in the academy for the two versus two. That basically gave him privilege as a temporary student as well as an instructor. “I must say that your choice of garments is a bit refreshing. Never have I seen you without a suit or something formal.” The remark changed to Staxius’s attire; his body shone through. The muscles filled the clothes nicely, though the latter looked cheap – his body and overall aura made it look as if it were something crafted by a master tailor.

“Before you leave, may I enquire to where you bought said attire?” Josiah asked, “I got it at the Claireville Academy’s tailor shop.” He left without saying a word, ‘what tailor shop?’ the director wondered. Seeing the academy was free for him to do as he pleased; Staxius walked and took a trip down memory lane. Time might have been short spent here, but the journey to where he stands now began on said ground. Students were intrigued by the new boy; mainly the boys. They were impressed by how well-maintained the figure was.

It didn’t catch many people’s attention, but the crest and guild rank hung around his neck. Most’s attention was on the dragon; a few spotted the silver plate but didn’t know what it meant. In said manner, Staxius walked and searched. He wanted to know what Eira did during her break. From the stadium to the training grounds, he checked to no avail. Her dormitory was out of the question for it was not permitted to go back when the bell rang. In the last attempt, he walked inside and headed for the cafeteria.

Long white hair, red eyes, a stance befitting a princess. She sat, alone, in the middle and had her food. Ysmay would have usually accompanied her but today was absent. The tables around her were filled completely, some students stood but none dared approach her. She had an invisible barrier raised; it was subconscious; people didn’t want to disturb her. A single glance from her made people both scared and ashamed. To that scene, Staxius chuckled and ordered some food.

Amidst the chatter, footsteps broke through. The sound of some rather expensive shoe hitting the tiled floor momentarily raised the curiosity of students who heard it. It still sounded cacophonous but those steps felt dignified. “Excuse me, but is that seat taken?” Staxius asked the footsteps were his. Eira looked, everyone stopped. Someone brave enough had the guts to ask her if he could sit beside her. “F-fa,” she tried speaking but Staxius blinked and gave her a muted shush. She understood what he meant and nodded. The platter landed gently on the table, and he began eating as if nothing had happened. The tension grew, especially the boys, some were furious.

“Who the heck is he?” question riled out of control. “Someone is awfully popular,” with each bite Staxius took, he glanced up and smirked – he teased her. Try as hard as she may, her serious and neutral face could not help but let a small grin. “You think so?” she began to speak. “Well yeah, just sense all the animosity, they want me dead,” he took a sip out of the drink. “I feel it too, it’s a shame that if it was to come down to a fight; the one walking out of here untouched would be none other than you,” she took another bite. “You give your old man way too much credit,” he added sarcastically. “Explain to me what part of you is old,” she fired back, Staxius chuckled.

“Joking aside,” her voice took a serious tone, “-why did you come to the capital, let alone the academy. I thought you were out doing god knows what,” her tone held resentment; Staxius had the bad habit of leaving without saying anything. “It all came together by fate, I guess. It all worked out in the end, don’t bother with the small stuff.” He didn’t answer her question, “if you want to be secretive that’s fine.” She ate her last bite, “-why is there a halo on the crest?” her eyes locked in. “About that, your old man might have gotten married,” he took another bite, Eira choked, “YOU DID WHAT?”