Youm sorry, Hero. But it seems we have on no choice but to cast you away."
Xavier's throat tightened as confusion and fear washed over him, staring at the boy—no, the prince—across from him.
"What do you mean?" he asked, his heart racing.
"You know exactly what I mean," the boy replied with a smug grin. "You're not welcome here. You're to be exiled, sent to the same fate as the F-ranks before you."
"You're bluffing!" Xavier shot back, his voice rising in indignation. "You can't just do that! Who do you think you are?!"
The boy leaned forward, the smirk never leaving his face. "I am Prince Adrian, and this is the kingdom of Neoterr—the very kingdom that summoned you here. We are the ones who ended the life of the woman who brought you here, the beacon for your unwelcome arrival. Believe me, I can do whatever is necessary for the greater good of our world."
Xavier's mind raced. "What? Was that woman real?"
"Shouldn't that have been obvious?" Adrian laughed, a twisted brightness in his eyes. "She was rather... delightful in certain ways. But she had her flaws. A pity, really."
"You're sick!" Xavier spat, rage igniting within him. "Just because I got a lousy ranking doesn't mean you can treat me like garbage!"
"Our tradition dates back ages," Adrian replied casually. "We cultivate warriors of power, not the weak like you."
Panic surged through Xavier. "At least send me back! I didn't even ask to be here!"
"If I could, I would," Adrian said matter-of-factly. "But you're stuck here now. You need to accept your fate."
Xavier clenched his fists. "That's not going to happen. I won't let you toss me aside like rubbish! I'm a human being!"
For a moment, Adrian's amusement faded. His eyes narrowed, and an edge crept into his voice. "How dare you challenge my authority?" A sinister smile returned. "You forgot one important thing—you didn't prostrate."
"Forget it!" Xavier replied defiantly, fury coursing through him. "I won't do that."
"Oh, you will," Adrian stated, pointing a finger with a cruel glint in his eyes. "Kneel!"
In an instant, Xavier felt an unimaginable force yank him from his feet, slamming him to the ground. Bones rattled, and the marble beneath him cracked under the pressure. It felt as if an entire mountain had settled upon him, pinning him like a mere insect beneath a giant's foot.
Gasping for breath, he lay there, helpless.
"Feeling it?" Adrian taunted. "That's true power—something your pathetic summoning ability will never allow you to grasp."
Xavier remained silent, struggling but finding no strength to fight back.
"Stop resisting," Serena chimed in, a mocking smile creeping onto her lips. "The others saw what's best for you and accepted your fate."
Xavier's heart sank. "What?"
Serena's feigned confusion was almost comical. "Oh dear, did I forget to tell you? Silly me. Your classmates agreed to your exile."
"They did what?" Xavier croaked, disbelief spiraling within him.
"See for yourself," Adrian gestured dismissively.
Turning with dread, Xavier saw his classmates emerging from the shadows. Some wore mocking smiles, others looked away, and a few regarded him with cold indifference.
"Tell me this is a joke!" Xavier shouted, panic shivering through his voice. "You couldn't have agreed to this betrayal!"
"We had no choice," Bella murmured, her eyes glued to the ground. "I'm so sorry, Xavier."
"You had every choice!" Xavier cried, fury and despair in an agonizing mix. "I'm your classmate! I'm your friend! You should've refused—any one of you should have!"
"Why?" Dennis sneered, shrugging nonchalantly. "Why would we help you? You're useless now! Back in our old world, you mattered; here, you're just a pawn—discarded, worthless trash!"
"You coward!" Xavier snapped, unable to contain his rage. "You were too scared to say this back then. But now you act like some kind of king!"
Dennis chuckled, basking in his vindictiveness. "Easy, man, don't wear yourself out. I hear Carragis has a way of draining your energy. Too bad for you!"
Xavier turned to Derek, desperate. "Derek, please! Talk to them. Tell them this isn't right!"
Derek adjusted his glasses, chuckling lightly. "Look, man," he said, feigning sincerity. "I appreciate everything you did for me back in school. Really."
He paused, and the grin returned. "But let's be honest: it was all an act. I was just trying to get your attention, and it worked. Now, though? You're completely useless to me."
Stunned, Xavier's heart shattered. The betrayal stung far deeper than any physical blow. Frantically, he searched for Brian's familiar face, hoping for solidarity, but Brian looked everywhere but at him.
"Brian, please!" Xavier called, his voice breaking, tears welling in his eyes. "I'm your best friend! You can't let them do this to me!"
"I... I can't go with you, Xavier," Brian said softly, his demeanor set in stone.
"That's not what I'm asking!" Xavier pleaded. "Just say something! Stand up for me!"
"I'm sorry," Brian's tone was final, remorse turning his voice steady. "It's for the best. I truly am sorry."
Defeated, Xavier sank into despair. This was it—outright betrayal from those he once considered friends, all because he was deemed weak.
"Serena," Adrian called, irritation creeping into his tone. "Prepare the portal. I'll dispose of him."
With a flick of her wrist, a swirling, bluish portal materialized beneath Xavier, ready to consume him.
"Any last words, weakling?" Adrian mocked, his voice oozing with disdain.
Xavier was silent, his mind a whirlwind of fury and sorrow as he felt the abyss reach for him."I'm sorry, Hero. But it seems we have no choice but to cast you away."
Xavier's throat tightened as confusion and fear washed over him, staring at the boy—no, the prince—across from him.
"What do you mean?" he asked, his heart racing.
"You know exactly what I mean," the boy replied with a smug grin. "You're not welcome here. You're to be exiled, sent to the same fate as the F-ranks before you."
"You're bluffing!" Xavier shot back, his voice rising in indignation. "You can't just do that! Who do you think you are?!"
The boy leaned forward, the smirk never leaving his face. "I am Prince Adrian, and this is the kingdom of Neoterr—the very kingdom that summoned you here. We are the ones who ended the life of the woman who brought you here, the beacon for your unwelcome arrival. Believe me, I can do whatever is necessary for the greater good of our world."
Xavier's mind raced. "What? That woman was real?"
"Shouldn't that have been obvious?" Adrian laughed, a twisted brightness in his eyes. "She was rather... delightful in certain ways. But she had her flaws. A pity, really."
"You're sick!" Xavier spat, rage igniting within him. "Just because I got a lousy ranking doesn't mean you can treat me like garbage!"
"Our tradition dates back ages," Adrian replied casually. "We cultivate warriors of power, not the weak like you."
Panic surged through Xavier. "At least send me back! I didn't even ask to be here!"
"If I could, I would," Adrian said matter-of-factly. "But you're stuck here now. You need to accept your fate."
Xavier clenched his fists. "That's not going to happen. I won't let you toss me aside like rubbish! I'm a human being!"
For a moment, Adrian's amusement faded. His eyes narrowed, and an edge crept into his voice. "How dare you challenge my authority?" A sinister smile returned. "You forgot one important thing—you didn't prostrate."
"Forget it!" Xavier replied defiantly, fury coursing through him. "I won't do that."
"Oh, you will," Adrian stated, pointing a finger with a cruel glint in his eyes. "Kneel!"
In an instant, Xavier felt an unimaginable force yank him from his feet, slamming him to the ground. Bones rattled, and the marble beneath him cracked under the pressure. It felt as if an entire mountain had settled upon him, pinning him like a mere insect beneath a giant's foot.
Gasping for breath, he lay there, helpless.
"Feeling it?" Adrian taunted. "That's true power—something your pathetic summoning ability will never allow you to grasp."
Xavier remained silent, struggling but finding no strength to fight back.
"Stop resisting," Serena chimed in, a mocking smile creeping onto her lips. "The others saw what's best for you and accepted your fate."
Xavier's heart sank. "What?"
Serena's feigned confusion was almost comical. "Oh dear, did I forget to tell you? Silly me. Your classmates agreed to your exile."
"They did what?" Xavier croaked, disbelief spiraling within him.
"See for yourself," Adrian gestured dismissively.
Turning with dread, Xavier saw his classmates emerging from the shadows. Some wore mocking smiles, others looked away, and a few regarded him with cold indifference.
"Tell me this is a joke!" Xavier shouted, panic shivering through his voice. "You couldn't have agreed to this betrayal!"
"We had no choice," Bella murmured, her eyes glued to the ground. "I'm so sorry, Xavier."
"You had every choice!" Xavier cried, fury and despair in an agonizing mix. "I'm your classmate! I'm your friend! You should've refused—anyone of you should have!"
"Why?" Dennis sneered, shrugging nonchalantly. "Why would we help you? You're useless now! Back in our old world, you mattered; here, you're just a pawn—discarded, worthless trash!"
"You coward!" Xavier snapped, unable to contain his rage. "You were too scared to say this back then. But now you act like some kind of king!"
Dennis chuckled, basking in his vindictiveness. "Easy, man, don't wear yourself out. I hear Carragis has a way of draining your energy. Too bad for you!"
Xavier turned to Derek, desperate. "Derek, please! Talk to them. Tell them this isn't right!"
Derek adjusted his glasses, chuckling lightly. "Look, man," he said, feigning sincerity. "I appreciate everything you did for me back in school. Really."
He paused, and the grin returned. "But let's be honest: it was all an act. I was just trying to get your attention, and it worked. Now, though? You're completely useless to me."
Stunned, Xavier's heart shattered. The betrayal stung far deeper than any physical blow. Frantically, he searched for Brian's familiar face, hoping for solidarity, but Brian looked everywhere but at him.
"Brian, please!" Xavier called, his voice breaking, tears welling in his eyes. "I'm your best friend! You can't let them do this to me!"
"I... I can't go with you, Xavier," Brian said softly, his demeanor set in stone.
"That's not what I'm asking!" Xavier pleaded. "Just say something! Stand up for me!"
"I'm sorry," Brian's tone was final, remorse turning his voice steady. "It's for the best. I truly am sorry."
Defeated, Xavier sank into despair. This was it—outright betrayal from those he once considered friends, all because he was deemed weak.
"Serena," Adrian called, irritation creeping into his tone. "Prepare the portal. I'll dispose of him."
With a flick of her wrist, a swirling, bluish portal materialized beneath Xavier, ready to consume him.
"Any last words, weakling?" Adrian mocked, his voice oozing with disdain.
Xavier was silent, his mind a whirlwind of fury and sorrow as he felt the abyss reach for him.
Xavier stood frozen, shock etched across his face, his wide eyes reflecting disbelief. Dennis couldn't help but chuckle, a smirk playing on his lips. "Looks like the bro's really lost it," he remarked, amusement dancing in his tone.
Adrian's voice cut through the tension, commanding attention. "I'll ask again—any last words?"
An uneasy silence blanketed the group until Xavier erupted.
"Fuck all of you!" he roared, his voice piercing through the air. Panic and disbelief rippled among his friends as they recoiled from the intensity of his anger. This was not the calm, composed Xavier they knew; this was a storm unleashed.
"This isn't the end for me!" he shouted, his fury igniting the atmosphere. "I will have my revenge! I swear, I'll ruin every single one of you! You'll wish you never even drew breath!"
Before he could finish his thought, the ground beneath him shifted. In an instant, Xavier vanished into the swirling depths of a portal, his fierce words hanging in the air like a fading echo.
A heavy silence descended upon the group, forcing them to grapple with the shocking turn of events.
"He really curses too much," Prince Adrian said with a yawn, breaking the tension. "I'm never agreeing to this request again."
"Alright, everyone," the goddess intervened, her voice steady and reassuring. "Now that the chaos has settled, it's time to grab some breakfast before the best trainers kick off your training."
"Finally," Dennis sighed, stretching lazily. "That was way too long."
As the others began to chatter and disperse, the weight of the situation seemed to lift from their minds—everyone except for Brian. He lingered, his gaze locked onto the spot where Xavier had vanished.
"I'm sorry," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. "I truly am sorry, Xavier."