Jupiter and Xavier laughed and joked as they left the school together, their backpacks slung over their shoulders. The day had come to an end, and most students had already gone home.
Just as they reached the school gates, a young woman approached them. Jupiter's face lit up, and he shouted, "Auntie Liza!"
Liza Cavendish smiled warmly and ruffled Jupiter's hair. "I'm so glad you're finished with school. How was your first day?"
Jupiter beamed. "It was great!"
Xavier, standing beside him, observed the interaction but remained silent. Sensing his curiosity, Liza turned to him with a polite smile. "Oh, where are my manners? My name is Liza Cavendish, Jupiter's aunt. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Xavier smiled back. "Nice to meet you too."
Jupiter hesitated for a moment, then added a bit shyly, "His name is Xavier Ashford… and he's my friend."
Liza's eyes widened slightly. "You made a friend on the first day?" she asked, clearly surprised.
Jupiter nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!"
Liza let out a small laugh, thrilled by the news. "That's wonderful!" She gave him a gentle squeeze before turning her attention back to Xavier. "Well then, Xavier, I hope you and Jupiter look out for each other."
Just then, footsteps approached, and Xavier turned to see Jonathan, Aleksander, and Violet walking up to them.
"Where have you been all day?" Aleksander asked, crossing his arms. "Violet and I were looking for you."
Xavier rubbed the back of his head. "I was with Jupiter and some of Jason's friends."
Liza, still holding Jupiter's hand, straightened when she noticed Jonathan. She coughed slightly and said, "Ah, excuse me for my excitement earlier."
Jonathan chuckled. "No need to apologize. It's nice to see someone so happy."
Liza gave a nervous giggle. "You're very understanding, sir." She composed herself and added, "I'm Liza Cavendish, Jupiter's aunt."
Jonathan nodded. "Nice to meet you, Miss Cavendish. I'm Jonathan Ashford, father to this one right here." He gestured toward Xavier. "And these are my other two, Violet and Aleksander."
Liza gave a warm smile. "A pleasure to meet you all." She then turned to Jonathan and added playfully, "And a pleasure to meet the father of my nephew's first-ever friend."
Jonathan raised a brow and turned to Xavier. "Wait, you made a friend?"
Xavier grinned. "Yeah, Father!"
Violet, delighted by the news, ruffled Xavier's hair. "That's great, little brother."
Jonathan chuckled. "Well, that's good to hear. I'm glad you're making connections."
Liza smiled at their interaction but checked the time. "Oh, we should be heading home. We have people waiting."
Jonathan nodded. "Same here."
With that, Liza gently took Jupiter's hand, and the two bid their farewells before heading off.
As they left, Jonathan hoisted Xavier onto his shoulders. "So, tell me, how was your first day?"
Xavier grinned. "It was amazing, Father!"
Jonathan let out a small laugh. "Glad to hear it."
Xavier then turned to Aleksander. "Brother, why didn't you ever tell me you and Big Sis were so talented?"
Aleksander smirked. "Let me guess—someone told you how much of a genius we are?"
Xavier nodded. "Yeah! And how you both have such strong ethereal cores. I learned about it from my training instructor."
Aleksander chuckled. "We never mentioned it because, well, you didn't even know what an ethereal core was before. We figured you wouldn't care."
Xavier snapped, "Why wouldn't I care about it?"
"It's so awesome being the little brother of two prodigies."
Startled by the unexpected compliment, Violet and Aleksander burst into laughter.
"Thank you very much for the compliment, little brother," Aleksander and Violet said in unison, wiping away tears of amusement.
Xavier grinned. "You're welcome!"
"But I'm not really on the level of a Grand Herrscher," Aleksander admitted.
Xavier blinked in surprise. "What do you mean, big brother?"
Aleksander sighed. "My contractor placed a seal on my powers so I wouldn't hurt myself. My body isn't strong enough to handle the pure-white ethereal core."
"Wait, your contractor?" Xavier echoed, confused.
Aleksander nodded. "Yeah."
"What's a contractor?" Xavier asked.
Violet answered, "A contractor is someone who grants you their power. You become their vessel, acting under their authority and guidance. They have to be stronger than you for the contract to work."
Xavier's eyes widened. "Whoa, that's amazing!"
"I know, right? Even I have a contractor," Violet said with enthusiasm.
Xavier's expression turned to one of envy. "Wait, you too?"
Violet chuckled. "Yep!"
Xavier pouted. "Why can't I have a contractor too?"
Aleksander ruffled Xavier's hair. "Don't worry about it. You might find one in the future."
"Really? I hope so!" Xavier beamed.
Just then, Jonathan interjected. "Speaking of cool, I got you a gift, son."
Xavier tilted his head in curiosity. "A gift? What is it?"
Jonathan smirked. "Open it and see."
Xavier eagerly unwrapped the present and gasped. Inside was a scarlet scarf with gold trim.
"A scarf? It looks so cool!" Xavier exclaimed, his eyes lighting up.
Jonathan's smug grin widened. "Yeah! Your sister and I made it by hand."
Xavier gawked. "Really?"
Jonathan nodded. "Well, your grandfather got the materials, but yeah."
Xavier ran his fingers over the fabric. "That's amazing, Father."
Jonathan crossed his arms. "What makes it special is that the materials are rare. The scarf is resistant to cold and fire. Just channel your ethereal energy into it, and you can change its size."
Xavier's eyes sparkled. "Fire resistance? That's so awesome!"
He turned to Violet and Jonathan, bowing his head slightly. "Thank you both so much!"
Blushing, they responded together, "You're welcome, Xavier."
-----
As Xavier and his family walked away, Miss Faelwen observed them from the academy gate. "That boy... he fascinates me," she murmured to Instructor Joshua, who stood beside her.
Joshua crossed his arms. "I already informed Principal Cedric about Xavier's lack of an ethereal core. He told me to leave the boy alone but monitor him from a distance."
Before Faelwen could respond, a figure suddenly leaped onto Joshua's back.
"Oppa! I've been looking for you! Where have you been?" Miss Seo-Yeon Park cried gleefully.
Joshua groaned. "Seo-Yeon, you shameless woman! Why did you tell your students to ask me about Grand Monarchs? That's your job!"
Seo-Yeon giggled. "Oh, relax, Oppa. It's not that deep. You don't need to get upset over it."
Joshua scowled. "Yes, I do. You annoy me every day!"
Seo-Yeon smirked. "Well, that's because I can't live without tormenting you, Oppa."
Miss Faelwen chuckled. "You two make a cute couple."
Joshua clenched his fists. "We're NOT a couple! Why does everyone keep saying that?"
Faelwen shrugged. "No need to play dumb, Joshua. We all know the truth. It's okay to admit it."
Joshua grit his teeth in frustration, but Seo-Yeon only smirked wider.
Changing the subject, Seo-Yeon asked, "By the way, why are you two just standing here, watching Xavier?"
Faelwen's expression darkened slightly. "Because that child is an anomaly. He lacks an ethereal core."
Seo-Yeon's eyes widened. "Wait, really?"
Joshua raised a brow. "Why are you surprised? Didn't you already know?"
Seo-Yeon crossed her arms. "Nope."
Joshua's jaw dropped. "How?! You're as strong as me! How did you not notice?"
Seo-Yeon flipped her hair. "Unlike you, I don't go around using my powers on children to see if they're geniuses or not. Talent isn't exclusive to those born gifted."
Joshua fell silent, taken aback.
Seo-Yeon turned to Faelwen. "Besides, you're the second strongest in this academy, only behind Principal Cedric. Why are you so concerned about a coreless kid?"
Faelwen remained quiet for a moment before responding, "You're right, but I'll keep my eyes on him."
Her gaze locked onto Xavier in the distance. "And if necessary, I won't hesitate to teach him how to harness that latent potential of his."