《Reincarnated as the Night Shade》


 Chapter 1: Lets Make One Thing Clear

    Xavier liked his life. He was happy and content. He was a fiction writer with the biggest hit novel series, "The Hero''s Journey." (Yes, it was named that.) Xavier worked hard. He found love in a time where he didn''t think he would make it. His wife, Nicole, came into his life at his lowest point.


    She read his early work and fell in love with it. He had a way with words. Xavier and Nicole''s love bloomed just as quick as Xavier''s exposure suddenly grew. The Hero''s Journey grew into a big hit and Xavier and Nicole got married, had three kids, and Xavier spent most of his time at home, writing and being involved in his family''s lives.


    Xavier had to go into the office for some deadline work with his manager. Christopher, or as Xavier liked to jokingly call him ¨C Heirs ¨C spent the whole day reviewing Book 6 of The Hero''s Journey: The Hero''s Call: Ultimatum. The book was the last book in the series. It would be the biggest "Ultimatum" for a long story that spanned twenty years.


    The car zoomed through the dark mountain road. Xavier yawned as he rubbed his neck. He felt stuff from going through the rest of the pages with Heirs.


    "Get some rest, Xavier." Heirs had told him. He was following the curving upwards road of the mountain road. The road was dangerous during the day, so Xavier took extra caution with it at night.


    "God, I can''t wait to get home." Xavier mumbled. Music quietly played in the background of his car as he started to follow the curve of the road upwards. He began to curve when a car in his rear-view mirror started to grow close and fast.


    "Someone''s going a little too fast. Slow down buddy." Xavier commented as he continued to follow the curves. The car quickly tailed him. Xavier felt anxious with the car being so close so he decided to pick up a little bit. Every inch he gave, the car behind him went faster.


    Xavier was panicking. The car behind him just wouldn''t stop! He and the car behind him curved quickly up the mountain path. His focus was split hard.


    ''I need to focus on the road. If this guy hits me, we''ll both be dead, though!'' Xavier thought. A car''s lights illuminated on the other side of the bend. ''Crap, someone''s coming.'' He immediately tried to slow down as the car behind him sped up and hit his rear. Xavier''s car lurched forward into the opposite lane.


    The car rounded the bend and smashed straight into him. He spun, screaming and holding onto his dear life. He spun as he hit the other car behind him. The car flew off the mountain cliff as his car began to spin straight towards the cliff-side.


    "No!" He screamed. The car lurched to a stop. It hung halfway off. The front half of his car on the mountain road while his back half was sticking out. He had seemingly stopped with enough balance.


    Xavier cursed and pleaded for his life. He hugged the steering wheel. Another car rounded the corner, zooming straight for him.


    "Shit, stop!" He cried. The car screeched, trying to stop. It slammed into the car that hit him head-on, blocking the path for the car coming at Xavier. The car swerved, hitting Xavier''s car just enough that he felt gravity pull.


    "No!" Xavier cried. Everything happened slow after that. It felt like an eternity. Memories flashed about his family. His wife, Nicole, laughing and smiling at him as they embraced each other on the hammock and watched their kids run around in the yard.


    Victor and Sara, the twins, leading their younger brother, Damon, up the tree house. Memories flashed. The twins being born. Three years later, Damon was born. The twins'' first day of elementary school. Damon making a mess in the kitchen and playing with flour.


    Memories continued to play as tears fell from his eyes. He wouldn''t be able to see them grow and find someone to love¡­ He wouldn''t be the father that got to experience the jealousy of his daughter being with a boy.


    Xavier and the car slammed into the bottom of the mountain. All the memories suddenly stopped and everything went black.


    <hr>


    Xavier sucked in air as his body lurched up into a sitting position. He coughed and pounded his chest as he sucked in air. The adrenaline and panic of him falling had shocked him awake. He accessed himself. His arms were okay. His legs weren''t crushed.


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    ¡®Did I live?¡¯ Xavier let out a sigh of relief, soon realizing he was naked. ¡®Why am I naked? Don''t I usually wear a white t shirt and my boxers to bed?'' He asked himself.


    A flashing light caught his attention. Xavier''s eyes glued onto the light. He could feel an odd warmth radiating. It grew as he sat there.


    Snow fell all around him as the warm light grew closer. Sounds of bare footsteps echoed around him.


    "It seems you''ve arrived." A soft female voice spoke. Xavier watched the light dissipate and there stood in its place was a tall woman with blonde hair in a bun. She had pale skin and wore an all-white dress that covered her feet.


    ''No, it couldn''t be.'' Xavier thought.


    "But it is." The woman answered. The man in front of her widened his eyes. She took a step forward, "Even your stories reach far here. I wonder where you got your magnificent stories from, Xavier."


    "Y-you can''t be h-her." Xavier stuttered. "Y-you''re just someone I made up in my head."


    "Or did you?" The woman asked. "Let me let you in on a little secret, Xavier." The pale woman folded her hands together. "Every story you have written has stemmed from some truth. Every word you wrote because you believed it to be true. Would it be shocking to think a goddess you wrote about is standing in front of you?"


    Palia, the High goddess stood in front of Xavier, poised in a specific position he always imagined her to stand in when she was being authoritative. She was everything Xavier had thought about. Down to the simplest mannerisms.


    Xavier began to stutter, blurting out nonsense that didn''t make sense to him nor Palia. Palia waited for the human to collect his thoughts. She was curious about Xavier yet knew everything she needed to know about him.


    He wrote stories of the world she watched over with great pleasure. He wrote about a hero who would vanquish the evils in this world, but little did Xavier know, everything he wrote about was merely fed to him with little information.


    He was a good writer in her eyes. He wrote beautifully and she had watched him from afar, interested in what he would conjure up in his wonderful mind. Unfortunately for her, he died in a horrific accident and she felt pity for him so she decided to intervene with the soul.


    "I am here to offer you something." Palia told Xavier. Xavier''s mumbling and stuttering came to a pause. He looked up at her. She knew he was interested. "I can give you a second chance at a new life in my world. In Estra."


    "E-Estra¡­?" Xavier stuttered. His face darkened. "So I did die¡­?" Palia watched the poor man start to cry. His last moments flashed in his eyes.


    "You have a chance to do it all over." Palia''s calming voice reached his ears. It pulled his attention. He knew her powerful aura could do such a thing but feeling it felt exactly like he thought it would. "Do you want another chance to live a happy life in Estra? Maybe even meet the children you left behind and your wife?"


    "M-m-meet them again? A-are they okay?" Xavier scrambled to her feet. Palia let out a calm smile and nodded. She lowered herself down to his level and put a finger on his chin, pulling his attention to her.


    "If you hear me out, maybe I can pull some strings for you? How does that sound?" She smiled at him. For a moment, he saw Nicole in front of him. He knew Palia''s effect made people see their loved ones. It was her way of speaking to people.


    He nodded at her. The scene immediately changed around them. His naked and spectral form sat in a chair. Food laid spread out on the table befor ethem. Palia, the High goddess, sat on the other side.


    "Please, have some food. It will be a long explanation." She motioned. Xavier picked through the food and set a lot of it on his plate. He starts to go at it. He always had a big appetite and he began to remember his wife always telling him, "For a guy your size, you''d think you would be fat from the way you eat." He ate his sorrows away, keeping them in check while Palia picked at some food.


    "Let''s get to it shall we?" Palia spoke after she watched Xavier quickly eat a lot of the food.

 Chapter 2: Lets Make a Deal

    "You are well aware of Estra, correct?" Palia asked, already knowing the answer. Xavier nodded. He knew Estra was made up of five continents. Each continent worshiped a different god. They, most of the time, lived in harmony. Each having their own set of problems, rules, people, etc.


    "The five continents and each representing a god. Yes, I''m well aware." Xavier nodded.


    "Good, then you are also aware that there''s also a 6th god amongst our ranks?" Palia asked. When she mentioned the sixth god, his head couldn''t recall it.


    "No, I do-don''t remember that. A sixth god? Who''s that?"


    "The darkness god. The God that exists because of my very light. Nura, the god of darkness, is a god that is shunned from the five continents. The people think darkness is an element of evil but it is not." Palia explained. "Frankly, my younger brother likes the reputation. He''s neither good or bad but¡­ he has a¡­ Suspicious amount of followers that do varying deeds in his name."


    "He''s a major god?" Xavier asked. Palia nodded.


    "One of the major gods that hide well in Estra. He doesn''t like the title but enjoys playing around with life on Estra. Probably why so many demi-gods pop out from him and are¡­"


    "Interesting?"


    "You could say that." Palia nodded. "My children, the four elements, are the other major gods. Each of them knows my brother. They know his intentions aren''t bad. He does whatever he wants and frankly, the fire god has picked up some of his uncle''s bad habits as well.." Palia sighed.


    "Well, when you eventually reincarnate, you¡¯ll have some time before the Hero needs help. A dark force is on the rise and I''m worried my brother might be up to something."


    "Have you talked to him about this, uh, prophecy?" Xavier asked.


    "I have." Palia nodded.


    "And I''ve told you it won''t be me." A husky voice appeared behind Xavier. Palia watched as a man of pure darkness appeared out of the chair''s shadow. A black haired man with tan skin, no shirt rippled with abs and black pants, appeared with his arms resting on top of the chair Xavier was occupying.


    Xavier could immediately feel the god''s power. He smirked at his sister. Palia sighed and motioned for him to sit. A seat appeared as Nura moved to the chair and spun on his heel to give Xavier a hello.


    "This is the brat you''ve decided to give me?" Nura asked, sitting down. A plate appeared and filled itself. Nura began to grab a large chicken piece and take a bite out of it.


    "If you really have nothing to do with what''s about to happen in the future, you''ll gladly take Xavier and bless him. Make him your Shade and let him do the good work for you." Palia told her brother. Nura scoffed.


    "As easy as that, dear sister?" Nura looked over at her. She nodded. Nura took another bite of his chicken and set it down. He stood up and appeared in front of Xavier. He was checking Xavier out.


    "If he''s gonna be my Shade, I want you to approve some personal requests." Nura told Palia. Palia sighed.


    "What?" She asked. Nura grabbed Xavier''s thin arms and waved them.


    "He must have more muscle than a sickly child." Nura let go of Xavier''s arms and then peered into Xavier''s eyes. "Eyes and face definitely need to catch anyone''s attention as well. Scarlet like mine." Nura smiled and winked at Xavier. Xavier could feel the lust pouring out of Xavier.


    "Anything else?" Palia asked, rolling her eyes. Her brother definitely had a specific "type" for his followers. That''s probably why they all caused so much trouble.


    "And I will personally give him a gift, too." Nura lifted himself away from Xavier and spun on his heels, looking at his sister.


    "You want to give him a Divine Blessing as well?" Palia raised her eyebrows. "I thought this would be way harder."


    "Oh, not a Divine Blessing. I don''t think he deserves it, frankly. I wanna give him a gift. A token of our new relationship." Nura turned to look at Xavier, giving him another wink. "If he passes my expectations then maybe I''ll give him a Divine Blessing, too. Hell, I''ll make him a demi-god!"


    "No demi-gods!" Palia shouted. "We agreed on no demi-gods. If this is gonna work, brother, we must play by the rules of Destiny. You know how it is."


    "But it''s so boring when we play by the rules! Let me make it interesting!" Nura pouted. Palia shook her head.


    "Or we could get Father and Mother involved."


    "No." Nura immediately shook his head. "Don''t bring the Elder Beings into this! They must slumber for at least another five eternities."


    "Then that''s our answer."


    "W-what gift do you want to give me, uh¡­ N-Nura?" Xavier stuttered. Nura spun around to look at the human soul standing from his seat. Palia watched with interest. She had a feeling she had made the perfect choice by choosing the Author.


    "Lord Nura to you, pipsqueak." Nura corrected. Xavier immediately nodded. Nura sighed and shook his head. "You''re way too passive. If you''re gonna really be my Shade, you need to represent me well."


    "Chaotic and a sl*t?" Palia retorted. Nura smiled at the last word.


    "I don''t think he needs to keep most of his memories either, dear sister." Nura pointed.


    "W-what? N-no, L-Lord Nura! I must remember!" Xavier pleaded.


    "Why? Got someone in that head of yours you wanna see?" Nura asked.


    "Y-yes, my wife! My children! I wanna see them again! L-Lady Palia promised!"


    "Why would you promise him that? You know it can be messy if you do that, sister." Nura turned to look at Palia.


    "I told him I''d give him an opportunity but that''s up to him to find out." Palia commented. "For now, Xavier, you''ll at least keep intact what we promised. This whole conversation and at least your knowledge about your wife and kids from your precious life will be with you when you reincarnate. Everything else is up to my brother."


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    "So do you want to prove yourself to me or not?" Nura asked. Xavier gulped. He definitely didn''t think it would be anything like this. He just wanted to find his wife and kids, again and live a full life.


    "What do I have to do then?" Xavier asked.


    "My followers are devout to me. They work in the shadows and make sure things aren''t a total fiasco on Estra. Your job as my Shade is to physically represent me and my will. You could say you''re a vessel for me when and if I choose to ever use you. You''ll get benefits from being a Shade like the rest of the Shades. I should probably ask if you know what a Shade is before continuing¡­" Nura raised his eyebrow at Xavier.


    "A-A mortal being who acts upon the will of their god who has marked them. They''re blessed and come with divine powers." Xavier recited the information off the top of his head.


    "Exactly." Nura nodded. "You''ll get to use my powers and I get to use you for whatever Divine intervention is needed, whenever that happens. But, I would like to simply give you a test for my amusement and to finish out this deal."


    Xavier watched as the table and chairs disappeared in front of him. He looked behind him and noticed nothing behind him. Nura stood right in front of Xavier and stuck his fists out.


    "Pick one. Depending on what you pick, it''ll be my gift to you." Nura smiled. Xavier gulped and looked at both of the fists.


    ''There''s no way to tell what I''ll get, so I just gave to go with my gut on this¡­ Argh, I wish I knew about the sixth god sooner! It might''ve prepared me for this!'' Xavier thought. Nura raised his eyebrows and smirked.


    ''It''s cute that he thinks learning about me in his previous life would prepare him for this moment. He doesn''t know what my other titles are, either.'' Nura thought. ''Nura, god of Darkness, Pleasure, and Tricks.'' He smiled as he watched his Shade hover his hand over the two fists.


    "Which will it be? Left or right?" Nura asked with a smirk. Xavier went back and forth for awhile but ended up choosing the first to the left. Nura opened it. Palia raised an eyebrow. She didn''t think her brother was capable of wielding and creating something intricate like that.


    A pair of Black and silver daggers hovered in his hand. Xavier was immediately interested in it, but Palia knew it was only the first part of the gift. She had already seen what else Nura was hiding. She knew exactly what he was giving Xavier.


    "Ah, the Daggers of Shadowbane. Very exquisite taste you have." Nura smiled. Xavier grabbed the Daggers and studied them. "Not the only gift. But you''ve chosen your answer well!"


    "W-what answer?" Xavier asked. Nura''s open hand reached up to Xavier''s head. He pressed his index and middle finger into the side of Xavier''s head. Xavier could feel a shock to the side of his head. "Ow!"


    "And done!" Nura took a step back, folding his arms together as he watched Xavier.


    "What did you do to me?" Xavier asked. The Shadowbane daggers dissolved in his hands. Nura nodded his head like he was satisfied and then turned to his sister.


    "Can I really give him a Divine Blessing?" Nura asked, ignoring Xavier''s question.


    "Do whatever you want. As long as you don''t make him a demi-god, we''ll be fine. I''m sure my children won''t mind their uncle giving his first Shade a little something extra." Palia answered. Nura frowned immediately when he heard the mention of his sister''s children.


    "What do those pests have to do with this?" Nura asked.


    "Not everyone can just give out Divine Blessings all willy-nilly. And you''re adamant on this?"


    "This one interests me. Might as well give them something that''ll influence their growth."


    "Whatever you do, the others will know."


    "It''s not like they already haven''t dumped a Divine Blessing on someone else." Nura brushed it off. Palia simply nodded and watched her brother turn back to Xavier.


    "Before you go, I''ll give you some of my own power. Maybe this''ll help influence your looks and strength." Nura gave him a wicked grin. Darkness stretched and wrapped itself around Xavier. Xavier began to panic as the two gods simply watched.


    "This''ll remind you of who you serve." A burning pain flared on his chest and shoulder. The darkness pulled away. A large black ink mark was all that was left behind by the sea of darkness. A black circle with the wings of a crow were burned onto Xavier''s body. Feathers fell off to the side of his shoulder and the Darkness god nodded in satisfaction.


    "That''s it?" Xavier asked.


    "That''s it." Nura nodded. Palia moved to stand next to her brother. Her hand raising as a large white portal appeared beside Xavier.


    "With that, we are done." Nura spoke. "Go through the portal and start your new life. You will retain your will to see your wife and kids. It''ll always be there for you. You will remember this conversation and your mission. I''ve given you some help because I think you''ll need it. Don''t want you to mess with my image." The God of darkness chuckled.


    Xavier turned to look at the portal. It shimmered and he felt it pulling him towards it as if he was in a hypnotic state.


    "Go now, Xavier. Be reborn in the cycle of life and start your journey in Estra." Palia waved her hands and the two gods watched Xavier disappear into the portal.


    "You did something else to him didn''t you?" Palia finally asked after the portal closed.


    "What makes you think I did something?" Nura raised his eyebrows.


    "You''re deflecting my question. What did you give him? I know you gave him aid with the Daggers but you did something else to him."


    "I only wish to aid my first Shade with the utmost care, dear sister." Nura smiled. He turned as a black sphere appeared before him and his sister. "I wonder how he''ll do in this life. Can he help the Hero and stop that calamity that will happen?"

 Chapter 3: A New Life

    The cries of a child echoed through the dilapidated room. A woman was exhaustingly trying to suck in air as the man tried to aid her. The child''s cry grew loud as the woman''s face quickly grew paler.


    "Please, Rose, stay with me! Stay with me and the baby!" The man pleaded. He clutched her hand tightly. Rose gave her husband a weak smile.


    "P-please¡­ Protect¡­ Xylus¡­ D-don''t be sad¡­ He is¡­ Our pride, Alex¡­" Rose weakly croaked out. Alex''s eyes were watering. His own wife was dying in front of him while his newborn child continued to cry.


    "P-please don''t leave me, Rose. Don''t leave me with our child! You can get through this! We can do it together!" He cried for his wife as she weakly smiled at him. Life in her eyes slowly faded and she was no longer there.


    The cries of the father and his newborn child echoed loudly through the room. Xylus cried being born into this world and leaving his wife and kids behind while his father cried for the loss of his wife.


    8 Years Later


    The raven haired boy rushed through the streets as screams followed behind him.


    "Xylus, get your ass back here!" A man shouted.


    "This no for good nothing kid!" Another man shouted.


    "You go that way and we''ll go this way!" The first man ordered. They split in different directions. Xylus rushed through the crowd of people, flying by as he giggled. He had gotten his hands on a huge load of bread that wasn¡¯t rock hard.


    "Father is gonna love this!" Xylus smiled. For an eight-year old child, Xylus was already well known for his antics. The village blamed his dead beat father. He had lost his wife and tried his best to support Xylus but Xylus'' scarlet eyes only made him hate his own son anymore. His father eventually started to neglect him. He grew sick, so Xylus did what he thought was right and started to spend a lot of time on the streets, stealing to survive.


    He easily picked up sneaky ways to get things and quickly found out he was good at it. Instead of being honorable in the eyes of the people, he used his ways to get food and clothes. He stole them.


    People screamed as Xylus rushed past them. He flew straight through two women, landing with a hop in his step as the women started to curse at him.


    "That''s no good for nothing, Xylus!" One of the women shouted.


    "What did that kid do this time?" The second woman asked.


    Xylus gave them a small curtsy and spun around. He noticed a cart was coming up in his path and quickly hopped on it to continue through his path. He spotted three men following to his left, three men following to his right and two men behind him.


    "Looks like today is going to be a fun day!" Xylus chuckled. He quickly darted into one of the alleyways, blocking sight from the group chasing him. He quickly started to make his way up the side of the rundown building.


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    "Xylus, git your ass back here, boy!" One of the men shouted. They began to follow him up the wall. Some of the men rocketed themselves up with wind while others began to try to pelt Xylus with ranged attacks.


    Xylus narrowly dodged the hits, only being hit with a small fireball that made him go flying over the top of the rundown roof. He skittered across the roof as he groaned in pain.


    "Ouch." He pushed himself up and noticed the bread off to the side. He grabbed the bread and started going, again.


    "Enough boy!" A gust of wind blocked his path. The wind users were now behind him as he turned.


    "Dammit." Xylus gave the men a look of disappointment. He didn''t like that he was being cornered, again.


    "You need to pay for that bread! If you ain''t got the copper for it, then you need to give it back." The man in the middle scolded him. They continued towards him as he backed himself up into the gust of wind.


    It sliced at his clothes and skin. He winced in pain, trying to hold his bread.


    "Fork if over, thief!" The men shouted. They all began to barrage the kid with attacks. Wind sliced into his arm, forcing him to drop the bread. They wind pushed him past the wind barrier, tearing at him as he slammed into the ground, sliding closer to the edge.


    "A dirt poor kid like you shouldn''t have even been born!" One of the men shouted. They took a step forward. "Maybe we should do what your father always wanted to do and kill you. At least then you can pay for your sins for killing off your mother!"


    Wind ripped out of their hands, flying straight for Xylus as he threw his hands up.


    "The time has come." A familiar male voice spoke in his ear. "Guard yourself with your abilities and grow strong. Your journey begins." A black wall flew up, blocking the wind attacks.


    "What in the gods is that?" One of the men questioned. Xylus didn''t feel anything hit him. He slowly peeked and noticed pure darkness in front of him.


    "W-what''s going on?" Xylus asked. He scrambled closer to the edge and helped when his hand moved off the edge. He looked backwards and gulped.


    Men shouted from below him. He turned back and scooted closer to the dark wall.


    "What the hell just happened?!?" One of the wind users wondered.


    "D-darkness?!?" Another asked, scared. "Th-that devil child really is evil! He-he''s gonna get us all killed!" Xylus heard the men rush off.


    "Run! He''s a dark user!" A man shouted below. The men began to grow in fear and run. The darkness lingered for a while before it fell.


    "By the gods¡­ What just happened?" Xylus whispered, staring at his hands. ¡°Who was that voice I heard¡­?¡±

 Chapter 4: Dark Spawn

    Xylus opened the door to the run down building. He closed the door behind him and quickly locked it. He clutched the bread in his right arm as he spun around to access the situation.


    His home was a mess like usual. Chairs weren''t on their legs but lying on their sides. The table wasn''t flipped over for once and it kinda reeked. The only other door in this house led to a bedroom. That''s where his father probably was in this dark home.


    "Dad, I''m home." Xylus called out. He set the bread on the table and wandered over to the cracked door. He opened it and screams came straight for him. Xylus quickly backed up, grabbing his father''s arm and tossing him into the ground. The older Alex groaned. Xylus forced the dull knife out of his father''s hands and shook his head.


    "Do you have to do this all the time, Dad?" Xylus asked. He tossed the knife into the table. It rattled as it bounced across the table and bumped into the large loaf of bread. "You wanna eat something? I got us bread." His eyebrows raised as Alex immediately sat up and looked at the bread.


    Alex leapt towards the bread as his son tackled him.


    "No! We''re gonna eat it with the soup from yesterday!" Xylus shouted. The adult man elbowed him in the face and shoved him. He went straight for the bread and started to wolf it down.


    Xylus touched his eye and felt a sting. His dad had hit him hard. It would probably leave a mark for awhile.


    "Dammit, Dad. Why can''t we just share the food? Why do I always have to watch you eat it?" Xylus asked. His father mumbled something with his mouth full of bread. Xylus sighed and stood up. He could feel his anger growing.


    ''No, don''t.'' He reminded himself. ''That gets us nowhere with him.'' He could feel something  oozing out of his hands. He looked down expecting blood to be there, but instead he saw pure black darkness oozing out of his hands.


    "Oh my gods!" He jumped backwards. Alex reluctantly turned to look at his son. He might''ve been crazy and a dead beat father, but he had enough sanity to know his son was surprised or scared by something.


    If anything, Alex wanted to see what it was and use it on his son later. Bread fell out of his mouth as he watched the shadows tangling around his son''s fingers and arms.


    "By the gods¡­" The crazy father whispered. "You are a Dark Spawn!" He immediately turned his attention to the large chunk of soggy bread on the floor and picked it up and ate it.


    Knock, knock, knock!


    Alex ignored the knocks while Xylus flung his arms around trying to stop the darkness from growing.


    "Open up! I know you''re in here, Alex! I need to talk to your son about the stunt he pulled!" A man''s voice shouted. It was a soldier. Tim Drake was at their door, once again, and he sounded spooked and pissed.


    "Open the door." Alex managed to speak. He pointed at the door. "Tim wants to chat, again." Xylus was baffled by his father''s shred of sanity. He could easily recognize his best friend and was sane enough to not be a psycho while Tim was around. The moment Xylus tried to do anything for his father, he got beat, pushed off, and/or locked out of the house.


    Xylus watched the darkness disappear and let out a sigh of relief before another set of knocks came to the door.


    "Come on, I heard you! Open the door, Xylus!" Tim shouted. Xylus sighed and moved to open the door. As much as he was scared of what just happened, he was more scared of his father. If he didn''t follow his father''s orders when it came to Uncle Tim, he would get a beating much worse than what those men did to him.


    Xylus unlocked the door and opened it. Tim was standing there in his soldier''s outfit. Silver armor with red. It was the color of their town, Nessia. Tim gave Xylus a serious look. He could tell the kid had been attacked and noticed the smaller sized bread being wolfed down by Alex.


    "Xylus, we need to talk about what happened earlier." Tim shifted and revealed there were loads more guards.


    "Sir, we are to retrieve the Dark spawn and lock him up." A woman told him. Tim ignored it completely and looked Xylus dead in the eyes.


    "Let me chat with the kid first and then we''ll deal with what comes afterwards, alright?"


    "But, sir¨C"


    "That''s my verdict." Tim stepped inside, forcing Xylus backwards as he shut the door. "Stand guard until then! He might just escape!"


    "Y-yes, sir." The woman''s voice responded. The sounds of people moving outside were heard and Tim let out a sigh.


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    "Xylus Silverfang, we need to really talk about what happened earlier, alright?" Tim finally loosened on his demeanor. He was one of the few people in Nessia that cared for the boy since his father was crazy and not able to.


    Xylus sighed and turned around. He grabbed a chair off the floor and moved it over to the table. Tim did the same thing and sat in his seat. He glanced at his scattered friend, Alex, and sighed as the man gave him a warm smile and ran off into the bedroom.


    "Is he getting worse?" Tim asked. Xylus sat on his seat and pointed at his eye.


    "He gave me this today." Xylus answered. Tim noticed the bruising earlier and assumed it came with the men who attacked him. "But yes, he''s even more crazy. I don''t know why you force me to be here. He doesn''t even care. He just tells me I killed Mom and I should''ve died instead." Xylus folded his arms together and looked off into a direction where he couldn''t see Tim.


    "Kid," Tim''s armor rustled as he set his arm down on the table. It was his soft way of reaching out for Xylus when he was angry. "I''m sorry that I have to do this but you could end up in an orphanage where they definitely won''t take care of you because of your antics and your father will just end up sitting in a jail cell for the rest of his life.


    "I know you''re mad but what''s about to happen after we chat, is going to worry you more." Tim sighed. Xylus looked at his Uncle. Tim was serious about that.


    "What do you mean, Uncle?" Xylus asked. "After today what''s going to happen?" Tim let out another sigh and folded his arms into each other.


    "You''re eight years old, right?" Tim asked. Xylus nodded. "You know that magic manifests as early as six right?"


    "Yeah and?"


    "And around eight years old is where most people get their elemental power. And what are those again?" Tim was quizzing the kid. He had spent a lot of time teaching the kid enough to pass by. If only he could teach the kid to be responsible and work hard for his money¡­ but his father''s reputation scared a lot of people away so Xylus resorted to stealing.


    "Fire, water, earth air, and light." Xylus answered.


    "But there''s a six element nobody likes to talk about. It''s shunned and frowned upon. Dark." Tim told him. "The magic you used that those three men saw earlier was dark magic."


    "Isn''t it kinda¡­ Taboo to talk about?" Xylus asked. He already knew about the six elements. He always knew Dark magic was forbidden and never really knew why he knew that.


    "Yes, but for the sake of your situation, I have to talk about it with you." Tim sighed. "Look, Xylus, for the sake of your life, you must just do what you''re told."


    "But¨C"


    "You have to¨C"


    "But¨C"


    "No buts!" Tim''s voice skyrocketed to an all time high. He slammed a fist into the table, instantly splintering it. "There isn''t time to talk about this. There isn''t time to explain! Do as your told and you might just live!"


    Xylus stood up, only to be met with resistance.


    "You try to run, I can''t help you." His uncle told him. Xylus tried to run but Tim easily matched him, blocking him and grabbing him.


    "No, Uncle! Let me go!" Xylus cried. He tried to pummel his way out of it. Soldiers poured in and the next thing Xylus knew, he was cuffed with Magicite cuffs. They didn''t want to risk the kid pulling any funny business with Dark magic, so they snuffed it.


    He walked through the streets with everyone looking at him. They all whispered things about him, all wondering if his string of "luck" had ended.


    "It serves him right. That''s what happens when a father is incompetent. Should''ve locked both of them up earlier."


    Xylus'' eyes were blurry with tears as he tried to not cry. He reached the middle of town square where everyone stopped what they were doing and watched as the soldiers forced Xylus into the raised platform.


    "Xylus Silverfang, so you know why you''re up there today?" Tim''s voice asked loudly. Xylus sniffled and wiped his eyes. He didn''t say anything. "You''ve been caught with the most illegal practice of magic known to man, Dark magic."


    The crowd gasped. They began to whisper as the woman besides Tim cleared her throat and yelled, "Silence!" The crowd whirred down as Tim cleared his throat.


    "With the added crimes of stealing food, clothes, money, and personal items, I bring the town Xylus Silverfang." Tim''s heart hurt saying those words. The kid didn''t know better but with the added information of Dark magic being his nephew''s magical attribute, he would be called biased if he tried to defend and cover it up.