Early in the morning, Xavier lay asleep on his bed, covered in bandages for his wounds. But then, a voice repeatedly called for him, asking him to wake up already, because he had been asleep for 3 days.
As Xavier slowly opened his eyes, he vaguely saw a cat with silver and gold fur, standing above his face. With his eyes fully awake, the cat said, "Oh, finally! I have been screaming at you to walk up for 5 minutes now".
To which Xavier jumped up, terrified, saying, "An ugly talking cat?".
"Who are you calling ugly, you brat?" the talking cat replied, irritated.
"For your information, I have fairly beautiful fur, Xavier", it continued with a bold and confident demeanor.
Xavier then asked worried, "How do you know my name, you ugly talking cat!", as he took out his hand, ready to call upon Excalibur.
The cat answered with a menacing grin, "How would a handsome night-omniscient being like me not know who you are?".
Menacingly laughing, the cat continued, "That's right, Xavier, I am all-knowing and I know everything about you. Even your deepest darkest secrets".
Xavier murmured to himself, "All-knowing?".
"Wait, Lord Alcmena?" Xavier said as he finally realized who the talking cat was.
The cat snickered and replied, "The one and only..."
But before he could say more, Xavier suddenly hugged Alcmena tightly, his voice filled with a sad longing, "I missed you, Master."
Alcmena smiled, petting Xavier's head with his paws, "I missed you too, Kid".
"But you sure took your time in remembering who I was, huh?" Alcmena joked.
Xavier laughed and replied, "Well, I did immediately realize it was you. Since you're the only person I know who always brags about being night-omniscient all the time".
Alcmena chuckled, stating, "You sure know me well, huh?".
"Of course I do, you are my teacher after all!", Xavier answered in a cheerful tone. This made Alcmena feel a sense of happiness, as he noticed how big Xavier had grown.
At that moment, Anastasia walked into the room, carrying a tray of Xavie's favorite dessert, chocolate caramel pancakes. And Xavier immediately tried to cover Alcmena with his pillow, so Anastasia couldn't see him.
But Anastasia calmly and swiftly stated, "You don't have to worry, Young Master. Lord Alcmena has already told me who he was beforehand".
"Wait, really?" Xavier questioned, surprised. "Did you really tell Miss Anastasia your real identity?".
And Alcmena responded, "Of course, I did! She already saw me in my true form. How do you expect me to lie to her?".
"How would I know?" Xavier retaliated. "Didn't you say you were all-knowing?".
Irritated, Alcmena blushed embarrassingly and replied, "Why, you lousy brat".
Placing the tray of dessert on the table, Anastasia calmed everyone down and expressed her relief at Xavier, to him finally waking up and being full of energy.
Xavier smiled brightly, scrunching his head, and said, "Well, I'm sorry for worrying every one of you".
Gently petting Xavier's head, Anastasia replied, "It's okay, Young Master. All that matters is that you are finally awake and safe".
Swiftly slipping away from Xavier and Anastasia, Alcmena hopped onto the table and sank his teeth into Xavier's untouched pancake.
"By Origin's breath—this is divine!" Alcmena exclaimed, chocolate smearing the corner of his whiskers.
He turned to Anastasia, eyes wide. "Did you make this?"
"Yes," Anastasia answered softly, her tone calm but curious.
Without hesitation, Alcmena devoured another bite, humming in delight. "This is the best thing I've tasted in millions of years."
He licked his lips dramatically before declaring, "You're an incredible cook, beautiful lady!"
Anastasia's cheeks pinkened, and she lowered her gaze. "Thank you very much, Lord Alcmena. It's… actually my first time baking Young Master's favorite dessert, so I'm relieved you enjoy it."
With chocolate still stuck to his face, Alcmena grinned at her. "I shouldn't even be surprised. Only the hands of a goddess could create something this divine."
Her blush deepened as she held her cheeks. "Stop it… I'm not that beautiful. I'm thirty-four already. Hardly young anymore."
Alcmena leaned closer, voice dripping with smoothness that somehow sounded both regal and ridiculous. "Then time itself must envy you. If this is thirty-four, beauty has already conquered age."
She glanced away shyly. "…You're far too kind."
"You're welcome, radiant goddess," Alcmena replied with a sly flick of his whiskers.
Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he asked, "Tell me, are you already promised to someone? It would be a tragedy beyond words if so."
Anastasia giggled lightly, her cheeks still burning. "No… I've never been in a relationship before."
Alcmena clutched his chest dramatically. "Oh, merciful heavens… You mean to tell me the throne of your heart lies empty? Then rejoice—the Dragon Kingdom has found its queen."
Her eyes widened. "W-Wait… you wish for someone like me to be your wife?"
"Of course!" Alcmena declared proudly, puffing out his chest and swishing his tail. "I would grant you any power, any desire you could dream of, the moment you accept."
Anastasia fidgeted with her hands, cheeks crimson. "…You're awfully smooth, Lord Alcmena."
He tapped his temple smugly. "Naturally. I carry millions of years of charm, all stored in this brilliant artifact of a mind."
Meanwhile, Xavier sat frozen on his bed, eyes wide. Did he just propose to Anastasia?
But then his gaze drifted back to the empty plate.
That pancake… was meant for me.
His fists trembled. "You ugly, fat, talking cat…" he muttered darkly.
Alcmena whipped his head around, eyes narrowing as he telepathically snapped, "What did you just say, you brat?"
Spooked at how Alcmena read his thoughts and was able to communicate with him through his mind, Xavier questioned, "Wait, we can speak telepathically?".
And Alcmena, annoyed, answered, "Of course we can!".
"That's awesome!" Xavier excitedly said to Alcmena telepathically.
Remembering that she had something important to tell Xavier, Anastasia smiled, clapping her hands together, and informed Xavier, "Oh, Young Master, I forgot to tell you, but there are a few visitors who came to meet you today".
Surprised, Xavier asked, "Really? Who are they?".
Anastasia giggled, stating, "It would be better to come to see for yourself, Young Master".
Curious about the visitors at the Ivanovich Royal Palace, Xavier quickly dressed and headed downstairs. Just a few minutes later, he descended the grand staircase, with Alcmena perched on his shoulder and Anastasia following closely behind.
Reaching one of the palace's lounge rooms, Xavier was shocked to see that the children he had saved from the bandits that kidnapped them stood before him with smiles of joy.
Noticing Xavier, all of the children immediately ran up to him, jumping with joy and excitement to see him.
The parents of the children came up to Xavier, thanking him for saving their children, showing their deepest gratitude.
Xavier laughed it off, saying that it was only natural for one to help others who are in a dire situation.
Kneeling to the children, Xavier asked, "It's been a while, hasn't it? How have you all been doing?".
The children eagerly answered, "We've been doing great, Mister".
With a little chuckle, Xavier continued, saying, "Oh, by the way, we haven't really properly exchanged names with each other".
"My name is Xavier Ashford. What about you all?".
Anastasia was a bit taken aback to hear Xavier call himself an Ashford and not an Ivanovich. But she remained silent, as she knew it was not her place to speak against His Majesty.
"The name's James," one of the children said, a proud look on his face.
"My name is Nyla," another chimed in.
"I'm Nollan," added a boy, nodding towards the girl beside him. "And this is my little sister, Mireille."
"Hi, mister!" Mireille waved cheerfully at Xavier.
Finally, the girl Xavier had feared had died at the hands of the bandit leader, stepped forward, her voice barely above a whisper. "My... my name is Kiana."
Xavier's smile brightened as he gently petted Kiana's head. "Nice to meet you, Kiana."
Noticing the absence of any scars on her neck, he added, "I'm glad to see you've recovered from your wound."
"Yeah, me too," Kiana shyly responded, nodding her head.
Nollan's little sister Mirielle pulled Alcmena by his tail, making him jump in pain. "Wow, your cat is so beautiful, Mister".
Xavier smiled and replied, "Thank you. His name is Ark".
"Ark? That's so cool!" all the children shouted in awe.
Anastasia quietly giggled to herself, which embarrassed Alcmena, and scratched Xavier's face—angrily shouting at him telepathically, "Really, Ark?".
"How of all the names you could have given me, you chose that?".
Xavier laughed and replied, "Relax, it's not that big of a deal".
"Plus, I think it's a cute name", Xavier added tauntingly.
Alcmena's veins pooped out in anger, murmuring to Xavier, " You cheeky brat".
"You sure know how to boil my blood, huh?".
The children then eagerly gave Xavier a token of gratitude, which was a bracelet they had hand-made for him. That was made up of different vibrant colors and had tiny, cute little drawings of Xavier and all of them eating Pirozhki together.
Xavier was deeply moved by the gift, and the children quickly embraced him, exclaiming, "Thank you for saving us, Mister. You'll always be our hero!"
With a broad smile, Xavier hugged them back and replied warmly, "You're welcome!"
Alcmena and Anastasia, the children's parents, stood by, their hearts filled with warmth and their faces lit up with smiles as they watched the touching moment unfold.
Afterward, the parents gathered their children and prepared to head home, each of them bidding Xavier a fond goodbye. Just before leaving, Kiana quickly planted a kiss on Xavier's cheek, catching him off guard and leaving him momentarily stunned. With a shy smile, she waved and said her farewell, leaving Xavier touched by the sweet gesture.
Many hours after that, Xavier sat on the balcony handrail of his room, gazing at the bracelet the children had made for him.
"You seem to like it a lot, don't you?" Alcmena said, sneaking behind Xavier.
"Yes, I do", Xavier responded. "Never in my life did I ever think I would not only be awarded for fighting against a terrifying beast, let also be called a hero by my kids".
"Maybe this is what my Father wanted to show me about using my powers for the good of others".
"Your father sounds a lot like my old man", Alcmena jokingly said. "Always going on a rant about love; how to be a King; and using your powers for good and not for evil".
Xavier laughed and said, "Well, he isn't wrong, tough".
Taking a deep breath as he gazed towards the setting sun from the horizon, Xavier then said, "I don't know how to describe this feeling, but I feel at peace and accomplished".
With a proud look on his face, Alcmena then knocked Xavier's head with his tiny, cute paws, and said, "Before you get all up with your emotions, we should first keep them and your powers in check".
"Before you end up doing something even more foolish like you were about to do to that bandit".
"Because it's easy to become a villain yet hard to be a hero. So keep that in mind, brat".
Xavier laughed and replied, "Alright, alright, whatever you say, Master".
———
Far away, deep within one of the secret chambers of the Russian Imperial Kingdom, the bandit leader sat shackled and defiant. Imperial knights had spent hours interrogating him about the attempt on young Xavier's life, but he would not yield.
The heavy doors creaked open. Aleksander strode in, flanked by royal guards and his loyal butler, Nikolai Petrov. The knights straightened at his arrival, one of them speaking quickly, "My lord, we've tried everything, but the man refuses to talk."
Aleksander's gaze flicked to the bandit, who sneered with mockery. "And who's this? Your so-called leader? I won't talk, even if you've sent this pretender king to question me."
The knights bristled with rage, hands already reaching for their blades to silence the insult. But Aleksander lifted a hand, halting them with calm authority.
He exhaled softly, then unleashed a suffocating aura that flooded the chamber in an instant. The overwhelming force pressed the bandit to the ground, his limbs frozen by sheer dread.
What is this? Why can't I move? Panic clawed through the bandit's mind as he struggled against the invisible weight crushing him.
With effort, he raised his head—and met Aleksander's eyes. His heart nearly stopped.
They glowed with a dreadful majesty: dark crimson at first, then shifting into molten gold. Etched within the iris shimmered radiant key-like symbols, arranged in a seamless ring. Around them, the outer lens rippled like the mane of a great lion, and at the circle's core the golden sigils interlocked, their shapes gleaming with unshakable finality.
The bandit's breath hitched. No… it can't be… He had heard tales whispered across generations, of eyes that bent the world to their bearer's will.
"The Eyes of Supreme Authority!" he gasped in terror, voice cracking. "He… he's of the Ivanovich bloodline!"
Aleksander's aura swelled further, manifesting into the colossal image of a silver-white lion, its mane whipping with ethereal force. When he spoke, his words cut with the weight of command itself: "Speak. Who sent you to assassinate my brother?"
The bandit's mouth trembled. Against his will, words poured out, every secret ripped free by the golden gaze that brooked no lies. The chamber fell silent as he revealed the truth: it had been Prince Magnus of the Flashstride family who ordered Xavier's assassination.
As Aleksander released his grip over the man's mind, Nikolai Petrov stepped forward, his voice laced with alarm. "My lord… for the Flashstride family to target one of ours? Do they not understand this could provoke war between two great houses?"
Aleksander's voice remained steady, iron behind every word. "If war is what they seek, they will bear the weight of their folly."
The bandit leader, shaking yet still defiant, spat out bitterly, "Do you think naming my employer will stop me? Or keep me from hunting your brother again?"
Aleksander's gaze hardened. The golden keys within his eyes blazed, and in a single instant the bandit's body contorted. Bones snapped with sickening cracks, his screams echoing off the stone walls as his limbs twisted beyond recognition.
Aleksander watched in silence, untouched by the cries of agony. Then, with chilling indifference, he turned away. "Dispose of him once he bleeds out," he ordered one of the knights, brushing a speck of blood from his coat.
Without another glance, Aleksander strode out of the chamber, his butler and guards following close behind. The bandit's screams trailed into the darkness, a grim reminder of the fate awaiting those who dared to cross the Ivanovich family.