Darius stared at him, stunned for several seconds.
A high-grade purity in this garbage district? From the dying kid he rescued last night?
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
But at the same time.....this was perfect.
He now had a legitimate reason-no, an obligation to take this kid away. He had to take him to the association before those powerful families swooped him up.
The association always needed promising talents. And Darius needed an excuse to provide for losing the butcher's trail last night.
He suddenly smiled, "kid, take my card". We'll talk after the test.
Xavier nodded politely and stepped away, returning to his seat.
Immediately he felt the weight of stares on him. This was the first time in his life that he had ever been in the spotlight.
And then he felt a sharp gaze piercing through his back.
He turned.
The girl with dual-element was staring at him immensely. Her expression wasn't hateful, well it was more like shocked. And irritated. And a little impressed.
"What was her name again? He whispered to himself. Of course he knew her. He was a quiet person but he pretty much knew all the important characters in his class.
Then he remembered.
MIRANDA LESTELLE
A quiet girl with sharp eyes and a talent that teachers droll. And beautiful too, not that I have ever cared.
Apparently now she wasn't the top talent anymore.
One look at her and he could guess what she was thinking.
"He stole my spotlight ", that would probably be it.
He sighed.
"Humans were emotional creatures.
The rest of the ceremony felt painfully slow.
No other surprises.
Only Xavier and Miranda stood out.
Towards the end, the principal was practically bursting with pride-walking around with his chest puffed, behaving like he birthed the two of them himself.
The good news was that most of the students awakened on their first try. The rest would have to try again next year.
Sincerely, the chances of awakening again after failing the first one was slim. There had been cases of success but it was not likely to happen to these guys.
Xavier waited until the commotion died down and slipped out of the hall. It was time to speak with Darius.
He already had an idea of why this fellow wanted to see him.
Probably recruitment.
The association was always hungry for fresh talent.
And honestly.... Xavier needed a place to grow.
He walked to the back courtyard where Darius stood alone waiting. He had told him to meet up there.
The mage approached him with long strides.
But the first words that came out of his mouth were not in any way what I expected.
"Kid...what happened to you last night?
His heart skipped a beat and he stiffened.
A cold dread ran up his spine.
Shit...he cursed internally.
This was a conversation that he wasn't ready for.
For a split second, he was sure the mage knew something. The way his eyes narrowed, the weight in his voice, it all hinted at suspicion. But then carefully he replayed the question in his head.
There was no hidden meaning. He was probably thinking too much.
Then it suddenly hit him-
The nurse at the hospital said a stranger took him in....was it him?
If then his question actually made sense.
Only he knew what happened to him that night.
So he answered calmly "I was walking home after my shift ended, I think something hit me from behind and I blacked out ".
It was a perfect excuse and therefore believable. The only thing not in his favour was the blood at the scene, but it should be already dried up. He can always deny having anything to do with that, after all there was no signs of injuries in his body.
Darius frowned....the lines in his forehead drew into a sceptical knot.
"Someone knocked you out? His voice dripped doubt.
Then can you explain how you were soaked in blood, he asked.
Xavier having expected this kept a straight face and answered.
"I don't know about that , it probably happened after I was unconscious ".
The mage clicked his tongue softly...he knew this kid was talking nonsense.
The butcher's was at that crime scene, that much he knew. But whatever happened next eluded him.
So either this kid was lying and had actually met the butcher, surviving by some weird miracle .....
Or something even stranger was at play.
Either way, he would get to the bottom of this.
Sooner or later.