Xia didn't like what was happening.
It wasn't as if anybody would have been able to blame her. The circumstances were far from being favorable, and everyone was fully aware of such a fact. Ever since Lex had mentioned that there was something on her mind, it had felt as if there was something constantly grating beneath the surface that drove Xia absolutely mad. She was constantly resisting the urge to bring it up even in situations where she knew it wasn't appropriate. Her boredom in class always seemed to prompt her brain to remind her of what Lex had mentioned.
Xia wasn't a fool; she could see loud and clear that whatever it was that was bothering Lex was a big deal. She hadn't ever seen Lex so anxious and worked up, and if that wasn't a bad sign, Xia didn't know what was. She felt her leg begin to bounce up and down as she waited for the minutes to pass by for the end of the school day. Various factors, most notably homework, had kept the teenagers from being able to visit Hyperion for quite some time, and Xia hated it. She certainly preferred being in Hyperion to spending time on Earth, yes, but her worry over Lex was only making the wait more agonizing than it had any right to be. Xia was desperate for the world to throw her a bone and either let her know about what was going on or to make sure that she knew everything was going to be fine. The anxiety was starting to get to her, and that was something Xia never thought she would say.
As a rule, Xia rarely got anxious about what was taking place in the world around her. She wasn't the type to allow her nerves to get to her, and having it suddenly strike her when she least expected it was beyond irritating. Xia didn't like being upset, whether it be with the world around her, those she cared for, or herself. Oftentimes when she was worked up, it was through anger rather than simple anguish that she found inescapable, and Xia had to say that she certainly preferred the rage that regularly flowed through her veins. That wasn't to say that she liked being mad or anything, but it was easier than being forced to comb through sensations of helplessness that made her feel as if nothing was going to be able to help her feel better.
By the time the bell finally rang to signal the end of classes for the day, Xia pushed herself away from her desk with a scowl on her face. She packed up her bag and other miscellaneous items swiftly, not bothering to give anyone a second glance. She simply didn't see much of a point to it, and as Xia made her way to the front of the classroom she was in, her point was proven. Nobody bothered to look at her beyond a passing gaze, and she was relieved for it. Xia was desperate to get out of the school building so that she could do something to let off steam without upsetting those around her.
Xia had only managed to take a few steps out of the classroom before the potential of a painless afternoon drifted away from her. She felt somebody knock into her shoulder before she could see them, and Xia's head whirled in the direction of the offender. "Watch it!" she snapped. Her grip tightened on the straps of her backpack, and she suddenly had a burning urge to be in Hyperion. She would have loved to be able to summon an attack made of Death energy before hurling it into the sky. That would have helped her to feel better, and it likely would have frightened the one who dared to get so close to her as well.
As soon as Xia realized who the culprit was, she felt a growl forming in the back of her throat. Allison Camden looked back at her, and Xia resisted a dramatic roll of her eyes, knowing that it wasn't going to help anything. She had tons of reasons to despise Allison, but it wouldn't get her anywhere if she was openly petty. In fact, it would likely only put her in a worse mood, and Xia had more important things to focus on. If she could get all of her homework for the next day finished early, then she wouldn't have anything to worry about during the Clan Leaders' next trip to the Galaxy of Hyperion. Xia didn't want to have to concern herself with matters of Earth if she could avoid it.
Unfortunately, Xia's hopes at a quick escape were dashed a moment later when Allison's fingers lashed out to grab tightly onto Xia's wrist. It took every instinct that Xia had in her body to shove down the urge to summon a small blast of energy to get Allison away from her. Xia knew that she wouldn't be able to do it in a public space such as a school hallway, and that wasn't even factoring in the matter of the Portal. The barrier that covered the space between Earth and the Galaxy of Hyperion censored magic, and that wouldn't have made it easy for Xia to summon the power that she was desperate to call upon. It would have only drained her energy and left her in a worse mood than she had started the afternoon in.
Allison's determination was easily able to outlast Xia's shock, and the blonde girl dragged Xia far from the prying eyes of others in the school. "Xia, you're making a mistake, you know," Allison told her. Xia resisted the urge to shoot back that Allison's voice was just as irritating as it always had been. She was trying so hard to keep from lashing out in full, and she knew that such restraint would only be able to last for so long given her crappy mood and endless concern for Lex.
"I don't want to hear it from you right now! In fact, I would advise you to step out of my way before I start preparing to do something drastic, because I am not in the mood to have you act like you have any sort of power over me," Xia snapped back. She tore her wrist away from Allison's grasp, and the air around her seemed to buzz with the promise of violence. She wasn't going to be able to keep herself under control for much longer, and Allison would only be able to get away unharmed thanks to the influence of the Portal keeping Xia's magic from running rampant.
Allison let out a thin huff of a sigh. "Xia, I know what you're doing here," she said next. "I know all about your dirty little secret. You can pretend that it doesn't exist all you want, but that doesn't change the truth of the matter. If you want to stay out of trouble, you're going to have to do what I say. How does that sound?"
Xia laughed. "You don't know anything about me, Allison!" she cried out, almost finding it hilarious that Allison was so desperate to pull her back under her control. "You're just mad because I've got somewhere else to be that's better than crawling around in your shadow and doing whatever you tell me to. I'm happy now, and that's apparently a threat to your very existence. After all, if people find out that there's more out there than groveling at your feet, then your entire popularity and reputation is at stake. We can't have that, can we?"
Allison's glare was piercing, but it did little to deter Xia from her retort. In fact, she could feel a small piece of pride swelling in her chest at the fact that she had actually managed to stand up to Allison without feeling even a morsel of regret. Allison continued to stare at Xia for a long moment, and Xia shook her head as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her black jacket. "I think that we're done here. There's nothing more to discuss unless you suddenly decide that you're done being a piece of trash to me. I highly doubt that though, so I'll give you one final warning. Don't speak to me ever again, or there will be consequences," Xia told her. She pivoted on her heel soon afterwards, and her deep auburn hair swished behind her as she left the space fully.
"You're making a mistake," Allison told Xia, her voice low and threatening. "You have no idea what I'm capable of. You don't know what I know about you. If you don't want to listen to me, then fine. I was going to give you one last chance, but if this is how you want to act, then so be it. The instant that I decide, you will be ruined once and for all. Do you understand?"
Xia didn't even bother to dignify that with a response. Instead, she allowed the crowd that came with the exit of the school to close in around her. The other occupants of the hallway created a solid curtain between Xia and Allison, making it impossible for them to interact the way that they had been previously. Xia once again felt pride begin to rise inside of her at the idea that she had managed to stand up to Allison. Once upon a time, she never would have dreamed of doing such a thing, but all of that had changed since her return from the initial quest in Hyperion. In a way, everything about Xia's life had changed since the adventure on Daragon.
Well, many things had changed, but a few things had still remained the same for better or worse. Xia didn't like to think about it that way, but she knew that some of the most important facts of her life, the foundation for each day that she drew breath, stayed the same as always. She did her best to block out such thoughts though, knowing that she couldn't associate with them if she wanted to keep her head on straight. The day had been nerve-wracking enough as it was, and she didn't want to make things any worse for herself. She was simply trying to weather the storm, not push the universe into mocking her any further.
When Xia arrived outside the school, she saw a streak of dark hair in her peripheral vision. Xia turned to see that Ocean was approaching her, and when Xia glanced up to meet the other girl's eyes, she could see that Ocean was smiling lightly. "We're going to Hyperion. Tuila said that the Fearbringers might have found a lead on where Alba could be," she explained softly, just barely loud enough for Xia to hear around the bustling of the crowd around them.
There was something to look forward to. Xia nodded and allowed herself to follow in Ocean's shadow. She grounded herself with a careful breath, forcing all thoughts of her interaction with Allison as far from her mind as she could manage. She deserved better than to be swallowed by her thoughts of the past, and Hyperion was waiting for her. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard to get out her frustration after all. That was what she was hoping for, at the very least. If they got a clue about Alba's location, then that would only make everything better. Xia knew that they could use all the information they could get.
By the time that Xia had managed to pull herself away from her previous concerns, she was standing in the regular spot. The football field was still abandoned thanks to the colder weather. The temperature was slowly starting to creep up to something actually bearable, not that it particularly bothered Xia either way. She wasn't a Fire or Ice mage, but she had almost come to enjoy the cold in a strange way. She hadn't anticipated it, but at the same time, she hadn't been expecting to travel to Hyperion either. Just a few short weeks ago, Xia would have complained about the cold, but she didn't see a reason to anymore. She could have sworn that Death magic increased cold resistance slightly, so perhaps that was what it was. Since the cold wasn't as severe, perhaps it was impacting her less, allowing her resistance to take over for what her body wasn't able to handle on its own.
Tuila was waiting for them just as Ocean had said she would be, and the other Clan Leaders were gathered around her. Luke frowned as he addressed Xia with his gaze. "Are you okay?" he questioned, his abilities of observation notable as they always had been. He always seemed to pick up on more than he had any right to, and while Xia would have once been irritated with his powers of perception, she had left such a thought process in the past. It was one of the things about her that had changed, and she wouldn't have had it any other way. Returning to the past would have been painful in this respect.
"Rough day," Xia responded simply, not in the mood to go into detail beyond that. Besides, she was confident that her companions would be able to figure it out if they watched her for long enough. This was a tone that she only ever seemed to take when Allison decided to get involved with her personal business almost to the point of finding out too much. Xia didn't know what it was that Allison claimed to be aware of, this large secret that she had touted like it was a jewel to be loved and cherished for all eternity, but she also found that she didn't particularly care. There were more important things for them to focus on.
Tuila didn't wait for a further explanation about Xia's day either, and she snapped her fingers together when she was sure that nobody would be able to see what they were doing. As they disappeared from view, the Clan Leaders underwent the regular process of teleportation. Xia closed her eyes, allowing the sensation to take her over and block out her previous thoughts. The pride from her confrontation with Allison was fading, leaving behind only a sickening sense of anguish that it had been a problem in the first place.
Luckily, those thoughts mostly vanished when Xia caught sight of the castle that towered above her. She let out a sigh and began to walk into the building. She could save her homework for later in the night. Besides, for all she knew, it would be a while before the Fearbringers returned with their information. Then again, if that was the case, she would have to talk to Lex. Xia would have preferred that outcome given how anxious and worked up she had been in her concern for the past few days, so she glanced over to Lex, waiting for a signal that their discussion would go on as planned.
"We'll reunite in an hour to hear about what the Fearbringers have found," Tuila declared, giving a nod to the Clan Leaders. "Take your time in looking around the castle for now. We're going to have a lot to talk about when the time comes."
Xia wasn't able to ask any questions aside from what she had already stated, as minimal as it was, before Tuila walked away with a flourish. Xia let out a sigh and looked over in the direction of the other Clan Leaders. "Alright, you guys. Let's go and see what we can get through as far as talking about all of this," she suggested. Her gaze fell on Lex, and Xia watched as the other girl's eyes shrunk away from hers, a clear sign that Lex was still nervous about the conversation that was going to come next.
In the end, all other concerns were shoved to the side in favor of other matters, and Lex started to walk into the castle. The other members of the group began to follow after her, and when they made their way up to the higher floors of the building. They had time before Tuila needed to see them again, and they were going to take advantage of it to the best of their ability for the time being.
Lex's room was hidden away in a corner of the building that Xia had only visited a few times. The Clan Leaders' rooms were all in the same area, but Lex's was still the most isolated out of the bunch. Xia would have appreciated the privacy, and yet, it seemed ominous as she walked into the room. She found herself shuddering, and she hated the sensation of her anxiety manifesting physically.
Xia was new to the sensation of anxiety. She didn't know what it was that Lex had to talk about, but she absolutely hated. Xia normally took care of her concerns by ignoring them or facing them with all the rage and determination that existed inside of her, but this was something that she couldn't simply power through. It was a matter of the heart, something that Xia had admittedly never been the best with. She could only pray that it wouldn't wind up collapsing beneath her.
By the time that everyone had been settled into the room, Lex's expression had fallen into something that was simultaneously passive and worried. She shook off her fears to the best of her ability, though there was still only so much that she could do without completely crumbling. Xia hated seeing Lex worked up this way; she had seen her friends at low states in the past, but something about this was different. Lex's personality was so bright and cheerful, almost as if she manifested the sun itself. Seeing her so upset felt wrong somehow, and Xia couldn't help but wonder if perhaps she was witnessing something private that she was never meant to bear witness to somehow.
"Alright," Lex sighed with a shake of her head. "Let's go on and get into this... I talked to Zelda after the last battle, and... She told me something that I don't have a way to respond to. I've been thinking about it a lot recently, and I have no idea how to reply to her. I know that already sounds like a bad sign, but... I just need you to hold on and listen to me for a while, okay?"
"Understood," Gemini told her, not hesitating for even a beat after hearing Lex's words. "Tell us everything that you're comfortable with saying. Don't push yourself too hard if it can be avoided. We understand needing to take a step back for the sake of your own boundaries."
When Lex took a grounding breath, the entire room seemed to fall under her control. It was difficult to describe, but Xia could feel something in the atmosphere change. She forced her concern out of her mind, and she could tell that the rest of the group was able to do the same. There was no point in winding herself up under the influence of her own paranoia. Xia might not have been acquainted personally with anxiety, but she hated it regardless.
"Zelda's a member of the Deadly Flame Clan," Lex managed to say after a long moment of heavy silence. "That was what she told me. I'm part of it too, and that's where my Fire magic comes from. Mersall was the one who established the group, and all of his descendants... He was trying to revive another Lakinya. The reason that Zelda was taken into the Fearbringer army in the first place. And... All of that comes together to mean something that I didn't want to hear about, and yet, here we are."
"What is it specifically?" Luke asked carefully, not wanting to probe if it could be avoided but still trying to be as helpful as possible. He swallowed dryly in preparation for Lex's explanation.
"She's my older sister," Lex told him quietly. The room seemed to grow statuesque for a long moment before Lex continued. "I know that siblings are supposed to be close and all of that fun stuff, but... I really don't know what to do as far as she's concerned. I mean, she used to be in the Fearbringer army, and while I'm aware that she's done everything to make it clear that she's changed... I don't know. I don't think I'm ready to trust her completely yet."
"You can trust her on a surface level, but where personal matters are concerned, you struggle to articulate everything," Gemini said, and Lex responded with a nod. "I understand why this would be concerning to you. This is a lot to hear about all at once, and I can certainly see why it would shock you so much. It's a lot to grapple with all at once, after all."
"I... I guess that I was hoping that you would be able to help me figure out what to do about this whole thing," Lex confessed. "I want to hear what each of you have to say about this. I mean, I know that Jayler was able to reunite with Jay recently, but... I believe that the situations are pretty different. Jay was never fighting on the side of the enemy, and even if Zelda has switched sides, I just... I don't know how to respond to all of this. I guess it almost feels wrong of me to say that I want to keep my distance for the time being. It feels cruel on my end."
For a long while, none of them seemed to be willing to say much of anything. Xia found herself turning Lex's words over in her mind for a long time as she tried to figure out how she should respond to all of this. It wasn't as if she was experienced as far as siblings were concerned. She had been an only child all her life, and as far as Xia knew, this was the best option. She didn't think that she would have been willing to see any other child live in her family after what she had seen in the past. There was no way that she could offer advice of any sort of value as far as Xia was concerned. Empathy was not her strong suit due to her general philosophy of simply ignoring the pain until it went away. This was something that she didn't know how to navigate, so she pressed her lips together tightly and decided to wait until after the others had provided their own suggestions first.
"You shouldn't have to do anything that you don't want to," Gemini said, pulling Xia away from her own thoughts. "This is your decision to make, and nobody can get in the way of that. Shove aside everything that you feel would be best for others. Instead, concentrate on what you believe to be the best for you. I know that you enjoy helping others and cheering them up when you get the chance to, Lex, but that isn't all that you have to do. Take some time to look after yourself every once in a while. This seems like the perfect chance to try."
Lex smiled carefully at Gemini's words, and it was clear that every part of her grin was being manufactured to ensure that she didn't completely fall apart. "Thank you, Gemini," she murmured. "I really do appreciate that... I guess that I have been thinking a lot about what I should do for Zelda. She told me that she isn't expecting a response right off the bat, but... I don't know. I hate having to wait for my emotions to catch up with my head. I want to tell her what's going on already just so that I can get it off my own plate. It feels like I can't escape this weight."
"Judging by those dark circles under your eyes, I can say that you've been staying up late thinking about it without sleeping," Gemini remarked. When Lex recoiled in surprise, she sighed and shook her head, seeming to realize that she had been caught.
"I agree with Gemini here," Luke chimed in. "This is something that you have to decide for yourself, and you can't really force yourself to feel one way or another. Take your time and make sure that you're making the best choice for yourself. After all, this isn't really something that we can answer for you. It's a question that you have to respond to on your own terms, and you should do it how you think it would be best."
"It's hard to make myself wait when I constantly feel like I need to get this away from me," Lex confessed with a laugh that lacked anything comical. "I know that I should take my time, but... I don't know, it's harder than you'd expect. It's so easy for me to just say that I'm going to wait, but actually doing that is difficult."
"This is a lot to find out all at once, especially when you aren't expecting it. I don't think that all the preparation in the world would have been able to get you ready for this, if I'm being honest," Jayler told Lex with a sideways smile. "You should take your time though. I mean, if Zelda said that she's willing to wait, then you should trust that. I get being anxious about all of this given how much this is to hear about all at once, but if she wants you to take your time, then you should trust that she's fine with waiting."
"Zelda is a patient person as far as I can tell. Besides, she told you straight up that she would be willing to wait until you were able to offer a solid response," Gemini pointed out. "Just do what you think is best. We've all got your back no matter what you decide. That's what friends are for, and you're not in an easy position right now."
"What would you guys do if you were in my shoes?" Lex asked. Her eyes eventually settled on Xia, and the Clan Leader of Death winced upon realizing that she was the only one who hadn't done anything since the truth came out. Ocean was rubbing gentle circles on Lex's back, a gentle sign of comfort. Given the lack of shock in Ocean's reaction, it seemed clear that she had already been aware of this truth. Ocean had heard about what was bothering Lex before anybody else, likely by pure chance. When Xia looked back on their previous discussions about Lex's newfound stress, she found that it made a lot more sense than it should have that Ocean already knew. She almost hated that she hadn't seen it sooner given how clear it was.
But looking back with criticism in her intentions wasn't going to help anything. Lex was asking for her advice in the moment, and that was what mattered most. Xia took a moment to consider her thoughts before speaking, though she didn't think that her words would ever be sufficient given the situation and how inexperienced she was with everything that it entailed.
"I'd probably need a bit of time too," Xia finally said. "It's a lot to hear about all at once, and... I think that anything you do is a good decision at this point. I mean, you're entitled to your own response regardless of how you ultimately answer Zelda's words. You're going to have to be around her for some reason or another for a while given the fact that we're all living in the castle now when we're in Hyperion, so... I guess that you're at least civil with one another, and I doubt that will change even with all of this. Just take your time with it."
"Yeah," Lex agreed after thinking it over for a moment. She smiled in Xia's direction. "Thanks." Xia was surprised at the pride that swelled inside of her at that simple word, and she immediately found that it swallowed everything positive that she might have felt regarding her confrontation with Allison before traveling to Hyperion.
"Thanks for all of your help, as a matter of fact," Lex said, pulling Xia away from her brief moment of distraction. "I appreciate it a lot more than I could ever say, honestly. I was stumped for such a long time... Ever since she told me, I haven't known how to reply, and... I think that I'm feeling a bit better about it. I'm going to let myself relax for at least a little while since it's going to be a while before I'm ready to fully answer her. I think that's okay though, so... Thank you for everything that you've done."
"Why don't we go and do something fun to take our minds off all this?" Jayler suggested as he rose to his feet. "I can tell that you could use a pick-me-up, and I think that the rest of us wouldn't be opposed to taking a few minutes to enjoy ourselves before the meeting with Tuila and the Fearbringers either. Let's keep it just between our little group. We can talk to others later on, so... Clan Leader bonding hour, let's go!"
The laughter that filled the room at Jayler's suggestion was limitless, and Xia found herself chuckling shamelessly along with the rest of her friends. It was a good idea, and she was going to have to go along with it as well. Her previous concerns regarding Allison and her distant condescension mattered little in that moment, and Xia was fine with that. After all, she didn't need Allison anymore. She had the rest of the Clan Leaders at her side, and that was all she needed.
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Update time!
-Digital