February 27th, 1810
A day had passed since Xavier returned home to the Tsarigrad Citadel, yet his mind remained restless. Adam’s proposal lingered in his thoughts, an unshakable weight pressing down on him. No matter how much he tried to dismiss it, the uncertainty gnawed at him.
Seeking clarity through action, Xavier made his way to the training grounds, hoping to silence his thoughts with rigorous exercise. If nothing else, he could use this time to test the true potential of his vector teleportation—an ability Adam had dismissed as useless, even dangerous.
Focusing intently, Xavier manipulated the vector forces acting upon his body, redirecting them with precision. In an instant, he vanished from his spot and reappeared several meters away. The process was seamless to an outside observer, but Xavier felt it—an ever-so-slight delay.
Staring at his hands, he exhaled sharply. Adam was right.
"There’s a lag," he muttered to himself, frowning. "How did I not notice this before?"
He clenched his fists, frustration simmering beneath the surface. His mind was faster than most—his Cosmic Eyes processed information at an astonishing rate. And yet, he had overlooked a flaw that could have cost him his life.
Was I too confident? He swallowed hard. Too arrogant to see the limits of my own power? His battle against Adam replayed in his mind—the ease with which Adam had pierced through his vector shield, the so-called impenetrable defense he had believed to be flawless. Only two people had ever known its weakness: his brother, Aleksander, and his master, Alcmena. And now, Adam had exposed it too.
He let out a deep sigh. "Even if my teleportation has drawbacks, it’s saved me more times than I can count. So I don’t care if it’s useless." His voice faltered slightly before he added, "But if it really is... then I need to rely on the skills that will keep me alive."
Bracing himself, he shifted his stance and channeled his vector abilities once more. This time, he focused on acceleration. Power surged through him as his velocity skyrocketed, launching him across the training grounds in a blur. He stopped abruptly, testing his control.
"It’s still slower than teleportation," he noted, "but at least it doesn’t drain my ethereal energy as fast."
Teleportation required precise calculations and extreme focus, even with his Cosmic Eyes doing most of the work. And the combined strain of teleportation and acceleration only worsened the fatigue his eyes placed on his brain.
Stretching his arms, Xavier murmured, "Vector acceleration is more versatile anyway. I can boost my strikes, amplify force, and even apply it to weapons like Excalibur. Plus… I can steal velocity."
He recalled his fight against Prince Magnus—the moment he had stolen a small amount of Magnus's velocity, to somewhat keep up with his ridiculous speed. The ability to siphon kinetic energy and transfer it elsewhere was an invaluable asset, but it, too, had limits.
"I can’t just take infinite velocity, that's impossible!" he admitted, "And absorbing too much at once puts a strain on my body. Unless I offload it immediately, I risk tearing myself apart."
With a sharp exhale, he steadied himself. Adam was right. If teleportation was unreliable, then he would lean on what worked. His acceleration, his shield—his raw speed. He would push them beyond their limits, refining them until they were second nature.
Closing his eyes, he gathered the vectors around his body once more. Then, with a single step, he vanished, reappearing at impossible speeds across the training grounds. Over and over, he repeated the motion, each burst of movement faster than the last.
If I can’t teleport, I need to be fast enough that I don’t have to.
For hours, he pushed himself, refusing to rest, unwilling to be weak. He dashed around the whole training ground at incredible speed with his vector acceleration skill, aiming to increase its speed amplification continuously. As to not be lacking in the one department he specializes the most in—Speed and agility. Every second counted—every improvement mattered. If another fight awaited him, he would be ready.
As he finally slowed, catching his breath, a familiar voice rang out.
“Good afternoon, Xavier!” Violet greeted, her voice brimming with energy as she stepped onto the training ground. “How’s your day going?”
Xavier turned to her with a smile. “Good afternoon, Sis. I’m doing great. What about you?”
“I’m fine,” Violet replied, though her sharp eyes quickly noticed the dust clinging to his clothes, the sweat dripping from his brow, and the bruises marking his skin. “I got curious about what you were up to and decided to check in.”
Xavier chuckled, a bit surprised. “Just training… trying to improve myself, of course.”
Violet folded her arms, tilting her head. “And what exactly are you trying to improve? Because your incredibly talented and intelligent big sister is always here to help!”
Xavier’s mood lightened at her enthusiasm. Glancing at his bruised hands, he sighed. “During my vacation with Miss Anastasia, I realized that one of my most valuable skills, ‘Vector Teleportation,’ isn’t as reliable as I thought. It has its flaws.”
Violet raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And what makes you say that?”
“I just… ran into a situation where it wasn’t enough,” Xavier admitted. “I’ve been trying to work around its limitations, but I keep hitting a wall. It’s frustrating.”
Kneeling down, Violet examined Xavier’s body before suddenly lifting his shirt.
“B-Big Sis, what are you doing?!” Xavier shouted, flustered.
Violet didn’t answer. Her gaze locked onto a bandage wrapped around Xavier's abdomen—the lingering wound from Adam’s ‘Pure Darkness’ dagger attack he had gotten stabbed with in their fight against each other. Despite Alcmena’s healing, the injury hadn’t completely faded, as there was still a small amount left that needed time to recover.
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“Did you get into a fight, Xavier?” Her tone shifted, now calm but firm, her expression serious.
Nervous, Xavier tried to lie, claiming it was just an accident. But the weight of her stare crushed his attempt before he could even finish the sentence.
“…Yes,” he finally admitted, turning his gaze away in shame.
Violet sighed, closing her eyes. Golden light enveloped her hands as she activated the healing abilities of both her Divine LionHeart and her Contractor, Queen Tessia Valandor, the Spirit of Immortality. The warm energy spread over Xavier’s body, permanently mending his wound and soothing his bruises.
“Whoa…” Xavier murmured, flexing his fingers. “My body feels so light now.”
Violet smiled, watching the spark return to his eyes. “I don’t know what kind of fight you got into, but as long as Miss Anastasia is with you, I won’t worry too much. I trust in her—and her formidable prowess—to keep you safe.”
Xavier still felt guilty for attempting to deceive her. He avoided her gaze, but Violet ruffled his hair roughly, grinning. “I’m not mad at you, Xavier. I know you’re growing up, and there will be things you don’t want to tell me—or anyone, for that matter. That’s fine. As long as you’re safe, both physically and mentally, that’s all I care about.”
She leaned in slightly, her voice softer. “So don’t worry. I won’t tell Grandpa or Big Brother, okay?”
Xavier’s eyes lit up with determination. “Okay!”
Violet giggled before stepping back. “How about we spar for a bit? It might help with that teleportation issue you’re working on.”
Xavier nodded eagerly. “Alright!”
Grabbing wooden swords, the siblings took their stances, facing each other.
“Ready, Xavier?” Violet asked with a teasing grin.
“Yeah!” Xavier tightened his grip on his sword’s hilt.
“Oh, and don’t forget to use your ‘Vector Acceleration’ skill, alright?”
“Got it.”
With a burst of energy, Xavier amplified his entire body with vectors and dashed forward, delivering a swift diagonal slash. Violet barely flinched, blocking it effortlessly with one hand.
Undeterred, Xavier immediately unleashed ‘Multi-Directional Echo,’ sending a flurry of rapid slashes at her.
Still smirking, Violet parried each and every strike with calculated precision, not even shifting her stance. Xavier pressed harder, continuously increasing his speed and the force behind his attacks. The air crackled with energy as his movements blurred.
Yet, Violet remained unmoved.
In one smooth motion, she shattered the momentum Xavier had built, throwing him off balance.
Xavier barely had time to react before she countered with a swift thrust. His instincts screamed at him—he had no time to dodge conventionally. Pushing his vectors to the limit, he attempted to accelerate out of the way, but he knew he was too slow. Out of habit, he gripped his sword tightly and teleported away in an instant.
Reappearing behind Violet, he swung for a surprise attack—
—but she was already facing him, blade raised to meet his strike.
“What?!” Xavier’s eyes widened.
Their swords clashed, sparks flying. Before he could recover, Violet suddenly threw a punch. Xavier barely managed to teleport out of range, reappearing a few feet away, panting.
He tried another approach—teleporting rapidly around her, striking from different angles in quick succession. Each attack blurred together, creating an optical illusion meant to overwhelm her defenses.
But Violet wasn’t fooled.
Effortlessly dodging and blocking every strike, she saw right through his feint. The moment he prepared for another teleport, she adjusted her stance, gripping her wooden sword with both hands.
Then, in a seemingly random direction, she lunged forward—
—and struck Xavier at the exact spot he was about to teleport to.
“Wha—?!” Xavier stumbled back, stunned. “How did you—?!”
Before he could process what happened, Violet knocked his wooden sword from his grip and pointed her blade at his throat.
“I win, little brother,” she declared with a victorious smirk.
Defeated, Xavier sighed as he collapsed onto the ground. "I didn't even land a hit on you this time..."
Violet giggled, resting her wooden sword against her shoulder. "Haha... Don't be like that, Xavier. You did great. Your attacks and the way you used your abilities were way more precise and well-calculated than the first time we sparred here."
Still catching his breath, Xavier frowned. "By the way, just how did you know where I was going to teleport? You've never done that before—not in all these years."
Violet tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Well, now that you mention it, I never really noticed the flaw in your teleportation until today. But when you brought it up, something clicked. Your teleportation has a slight delay, Xavier."
Xavier's eyes widened slightly. "A delay, huh?"
She nodded. "Yeah. And not only that—I can still sense your presence and ethereal energy during that brief moment before you fully disappear and even after. That made it ridiculously easy to predict where you were and where you'd end up."
She sighed, crossing her arms. "I guess I never noticed it before because you always caught me by surprise when you used it. But now that I was actually concentrating... well, it stood out."
Xavier groaned in frustration, ruffling his hair. "AHHHH! Just what am I supposed to do now?!"
Seeing his frustration, Violet planted her sword into the ground and leaned on it. "Don't rush yourself, little brother. It's not the end of the world."
Xavier let out another sigh but still looked tense. "I know, but... I really need this. I can't fight properly without my teleportation. It's my edge. I'm built for speed and precision, not brute strength or endurance. You and Big Brother know that better than anyone."
Violet studied him for a moment before an idea struck her. "Then why don’t you just combine both your Vector Teleportation and Vector Acceleration? Wouldn't that cancel out the delay?"
Xavier blinked. "Wait... what?"
She smiled. "I said, why don’t you merge both your teleportation and acceleration skills? That way, you'd refine your technique and remove the weak points."
The realization hit Xavier like a lightning bolt. His eyes widened. "That... that could actually work!"
Without hesitation, he lunged forward and hugged Violet tightly. "You're a genius, Big Sis! I love you so much!"
Violet chuckled at his enthusiasm, patting his back. "I love you too, Xavier."
She met his gaze, her violet eyes filled with warmth. "I know you'll overcome this. You're too stubborn not to."
Renewed determination filled Xavier’s chest as he nodded, his eyes shining with excitement. Then, without another word, he turned and bolted for the exit of the training ground.
"Where are you going?" Violet called after him, amused.
Xavier spun around as he ran. "To the forest! Gotta test your theory! I’ll be back for dinner!"
Violet shook her head with a soft smile. "Well, take care of yourself, then."
"I will! Cya later, Big Sis!"
—
Deep within the dense forest on the outskirts of Moscow, Xavier stood motionless, thinking.
Big Sis is right. If I merge Vector Acceleration and Vector Teleportation, I could create something better.
But doubt crept into his mind.
There’s just one problem… my body might not survive the process. If I mess up, I could end up either burned at an atomic level or torn apart completely. And not even RealmHeart would save me from that.
Taking a deep breath, he clenched his fists. Well, better to try than regret never trying at all.
Summoning a rush of ethereal and draconic energy from the Dragon seed within him, he activated RealmHeart to reinforce his body. Vectors surged through his muscles as he prepared himself for the experiment.
I can do this!
Breaking the process down in his mind, Xavier initiated his teleportation skill. Just before his body fully shifted, he channeled a tremendous amount of vectors into himself, amplifying his speed at the exact moment of teleportation.
A shockwave exploded outward.
Xavier rocketed forward, tearing through the air like a comet. The force shattered the sound barrier, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.
He landed, panting, his eyes wide with exhilaration. "Whoa...! It actually worked! And I traveled even faster than I imagined!"
He clenched his fists, ignoring the slight trickle of blood seeping from his skin—his body already feeling the strain. "With this... I can make up for my flawed teleportation technique."
Unable to contain his excitement, he repeated the process over and over again, pushing himself further with each attempt.
High above the treetops, Alcmena watched, a soft smile tugging at his lips. His eyes shone with pride.
That’s right, Xavier... Keep growing stronger. Faster. Because this is the only path we have left...