Xavier stood up straight and brushed the dust off his coat.
"Where did the ship go?" he asked.
The boy pointed toward the eastern cliffside.
"They camped there... left a big tal thing on the ground."
Xavier turned toward the girls. His voice was quiet, but his tone had changed—harder now.
"They’re trying to take the village."
Reva narrowed her eyes. "Spade Hounds?"
He nodded.
Lyra stepped closer. "What are you going to do?"
Xavier’s eyes burned cold.
"I’m going to make sure no one ever dares touch this place again."
Xavier turned, ready to storm off toward the eastern cliffside.
But his father grabbed his arm.
"Wait."
Xavier paused. "Don’t stop ."
"You just got here. You haven’t even rested. You think I called you here to die fighting in the middle of the night?"
"I ca here because you called to fix the problem. That’s what I’m going to do."
The grip on his arm tightened slightly. "And you will fix it. But not now. It’s already midnight. You’ve traveled for hours. Rest, Xavier. Just for tonight."
Xavier clenched his jaw, wanting to argue again... but the fire in his chest started to cool.
He knew his father was right.
Charging in half-dead with two asly charges of Telekinesis was suicide. He wasn’t a superhero. He was just a guy with a broken system and a bunch of thugs waiting to tear the village apart.
He sighed and slowly nodded. "Alright."
His eyes shifted toward Reva—sitting silent at the edge of the prayer chamber, her arms crossed, eyes glowing slightly under the torchlight. His mind wandered.
’Three charges... yeah. She called for the sa reason, so I don’t have to think over it.’
The villagers began to leave, chatting among themselves, slowly trickling out of the cave. So waved at him as they passed. His father gave him a gentle nod before walking away too.
Xavier turned to follow—then stopped.
He heard it.
A voice, soft and clear, drifting through the cave like a breeze.
"...Xavier."
He turned his head.
The girls paused and looked back.
"I’ll catch up. Go with my father," he said.
They didn’t argue and left.
And now, Xavier stood alone in the torchlit chamber, facing the small glowing altar embedded into the cavern wall—the Goddess Fragnts.
He stepped forward slowly.
And knelt.
"Goddess," he muttered. "You know everything I did in the city, don’t you?"
The stone glowed gently. "My fragnts in the city and the village are one and the sa. Our mory is shared."
"So... all that stuff with the System... that was you?"
"Yes."
Xavier stayed quiet for a mont, then looked up.
"Can I gain more powers from the other fragnts? Like... the other eleven?"
There was a pause. Then her voice echoed softly.
"No. The divine energy in those fragnts was spent long ago—used by your ancestors. There is nothing left for you to take from them."
"...figures," Xavier muttered.
The light shimred.
"Touch , Xavier."
Xavier reached out. Fingers brushed against the glowing surface. The mont his skin t the stone, a sharp surge of warmth shot up his arm.
And then...
A flash of light.
His vision blurred—he saw ancient battlefields, robed n kneeling in storms, a woman in gold armor holding the world in her hand. mories not his... power not his... but knowledge seeping into his mind.
When it ended, Xavier let out a long breath.
"...What was that?"
"Enlightennt," the goddess whispered. "Your burden has changed. You no longer need to complete tasks daily. You no longer have to fear losing your progress."
Xavier’s eyes widened.
"Seriously?"
"Yes. From now on, complete ten tasks—on your own ti. Ten total, not ten in a row. You may take twenty days... or even a month. As long as ten tasks are finished, the System will evolve."
He blinked.
"...thank you."
"You are welco."
He stood up slowly, gazing at the now-dim fragnt, like it had gone back to sleep.
No more hanging by a thread every day.
For the first ti since he got the System... he felt a little peace.
Xavier turned around and walked out of the chamber.
The cold wind slapped his face as he stepped out of the cave. He pulled his coat tighter and started making his way down the mountain trail, the dim moonlight guiding him back ho.
Xavier reached the bottom of the hill and spotted the familiar sleek shape of his car parked near the village edge, just outside the narrow stone path that led deeper in.
A small crowd had ford around it.
Villagers stood in a rough circle, keeping their distance, eyes wide and filled with curiosity. No one touched the car. They didn’t even get close. It was like so alien artifact had landed in their simple, tech-free world. A few whispered among themselves, heads tilted, pointing at the wheels and the tinted windows, but when Xavier stepped forward, they all turned to him.
One of the older n gave a warm grin. "That’s your machine, boy?"
Xavier chuckled. "Yeah. It won’t bite."
That made a few of them laugh.
The rest began chatting, patting his back, asking if they could visit him tomorrow. A few of the won insisted he stop by their houses for a al. Others said they had small gifts—so herbs, so wool, maybe a bottle of old honeywine.
Xavier nodded, smiling tiredly. "Tomorrow then."
"Introduce us to your wives too."
"Yes, I want to talk to them too."
The kid from before tucked Xavier’s jacket and asked, "You won’t leave us again, right?"
Xavier patted the kid’s head and answered, "I will make sure the village is safe. That’s my promise."
Once the crowd thinned and everyone left with smiles and waves, only Reva, Lyra, and Lilia remained by his side.
Reva stared off toward the dark trees. Lyra leaned on the car, stretching. Lilia yawned into her sleeve.
"So..." Lyra said, looking around. "Where are we sleeping?"
Xavier blinked at her. "My house. Obviously."
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