In his grand lavish room, Xavier woke up light-headed with a mild headache. Seeing that Xavier had finally woken up, Anastasia hurriedly ran to his assistance, helping Xavier get out of his bed properly.
"Why do you seem so worried, Miss Anastasia?" Xavier asked, a bit curious.
Anastasia answered gently, "It's nothing, I'm just happy to see that you are alright."
Xavier was taken aback by her overly caring demeanor, but the moment was quickly cut short. Alcmena, sitting at a distance and watching the exchange, suddenly burst into laughter.
"You seem to have lost a few brain cells, kiddo!" he teased, grinning widely.
Flustered, Xavier shot back, "Shut it, you ugly cat!"
"Who are you calling an ugly cat?!" Alcmena snapped, his tone shifting from playful to sharp.
Sensing the rising tension, Anastasia quickly intervened, her voice calm and soothing. "Xavier, are you hungry? You should eat something."
Still fuming, Xavier muttered, "No, I'm not hungry."
Alcmena scoffed and smirked. "Get over it, kid. No need to spread your bad vibes around my woman."
Xavier, under his breath, grumbled, "You're the one spreading bad vibes with that stench of yours."
"I heard that!" Alcmena growled, his sharp ears catching his murmur.
Rolling his eyes, Xavier turned to Anastasia. "Oh, by the way, Miss Anastasia! Is Grandpa here today? I haven't seen him in a while."
Anastasia replied, "Lord Graviil? Oh, he's at his office right now. If you would like, I could take you to him."
But Xavier immediately cut her off. "No need to do that. I'll go see him myself." He ran out of his room, grabbing the Visor of Time, while Anastasia and Alcmena were left behind in disbelief.
"That brat..." Alcmena muttered in frustration.
"You sure care about him a lot, don't you?" Anastasia teased, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
Alcmena let out a long sigh before replying, "It'd be a lie to say I don't."
Anastasia giggled softly. "That explains it. You two act like a father and son."
Alcmena paused, reflecting for a moment. Father and son, huh? he mused. After a brief silence, he shrugged and said, "I guess you could say that."
————
Xavier, who dashed through the palace's hallways, greeting many servants and guards along the way, finally reached his grandfather's office, heavily guarded by knights.
"Good evening, Young Lord," one of the knights greeted warmly. "How have you been today?"
"I've been doing great!" Xavier replied cheerfully.
Another knight stepped forward, his tone respectful yet curious. "Young Lord, are you here to meet with Lord Graviil by any chance?"
"Yes, I am!" Xavier answered, eyes gleaming with excitement.
As the door to Graviil's office opened, Xavier eagerly rushed inside—only to freeze in surprise at the sight of Violet already there.
"Xavier!" Violet exclaimed, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. "How have you been? Are you feeling alright?"
Xavier laughed nervously, caught off guard by her enthusiasm. "I'm doing great, big Sis. How about you?"
"Fantastic!" Violet grinned, her eyes shining with joy.
Graviil, watching his grandchildren with fondness, chuckled softly. "You seem to be doing well, Xavier," he said with a gentle smile. "What brings you here?" His eyes twinkled with curiosity.
Xavier shifted slightly before responding, "I just wanted to check on you, Grandpa. It's been a while since we've had a chance to talk."
Graviil's smile grew warmer. "I appreciate that, Xavier. I'm sorry I haven't been able to spend much time with you both lately." He sighed, glancing at the piles of paperwork on his desk. "Work's been overwhelming lately—it's doubled from the usual load, and I've been buried in it."
"You don't need to apologize, Grandpa!" Xavier said, a bright smile spreading across his face.
"Exactly," Violet chimed in with a reassuring smile. "We know you're really busy, so there's no need to feel bad about it."
Graviil then began to laugh at their response. Setting aside the paperwork that had consumed his attention, he pushed the documents away and looked at his two beloved grandchildren. "Well, since you've come all this way to see me, why don't we make it worthwhile?"
Rising from his chair, Graviil walked over to Xavier and Violet. Settling onto a nearby couch, he gently lifted Xavier onto his lap while Violet nestled close beside him on the plush cushions.
Placing a hand on Xavier's head, Graviil smiled warmly. "Xavier, have you ever wondered about the history of the Ivanovich family, and why we are born with unique-colored hair?"
"No, not really," Xavier admitted honestly.
Graviil nodded thoughtfully before beginning. "Well, to start, the Ivanovich family has been a royal house for thousands—perhaps even millions—of years, much like the other three grand families. But what makes us different from the others is that we weren't originally born with gifted powers."
Xavier's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, really?! How's that even possible?"
Chuckling softly, Graviil replied, "To answer your question, we only began to be born with powers after a great being blessed our bloodline."
"A great being?" Xavier echoed, perplexed.
"Yes, a great being," Graviil confirmed, his tone reverent. "One day, this being chose our family to be its vessel, bestowing upon us divine, holy powers."
Leaning forward, Xavier asked eagerly, "Who is this great being?"
Graviil's expression grew serious. "This mysterious being is a god, known as The Purest One." He paused briefly before adding, "Though within our family, we often call it The Highest Will."
"The Highest Will?" Xavier repeated, half confused and half awestruck. "That sounds so awesome!"
"I know, right!" Graviil exclaimed with sudden enthusiasm, which made Violet laugh in amusement.
A bit embarrassed, Graviil cleared his throat and regained composure. "Anyway… The Highest Will is one of the two first beings created by Origin, long before the four great races existed. Not much is known about it outside our family."
Intrigued, Xavier leaned closer. "Who's the other being created by Origin?"
"That would be the Lord of the Outer Space, Voidless," Graviil answered casually.
Xavier's jaw dropped in astonishment. "Then that means the Highest Will must be incredibly powerful, right?!"
Graviil nodded. "We Ivanovich consider the Highest Will the third member of the Trinity of Supreme Beings. However, many historians and noble families reject this claim. But we continue to uphold it, for we alone have made contact with the Highest Will and witnessed its omnipotent, divine powers firsthand."
Xavier's eyes sparkled with excitement as his grandfather continued. Graviil spoke with solemn pride, "The Highest Will is the Father of Divinity, the Supreme Being of Holiness, and the Spirit of Authority. It blessed us with two divine gifts. The first is Divine LionHeart—an ability that grants access to all forms of divine and holy powers. The second is The Eyes of Supreme Authority, which allows its bearer to command anything they desire, limited only by imagination. When combined, these gifts made the Ivanovich one of the most powerful families in human history."
Xavier immediately asked, "Do you have both of those abilities, Grandpa?"
Looking a little sheepish, Graviil admitted, "I don't have the Eyes of Supreme Authority—I wasn't born with it. But in return, I was granted a unique ability of my own: the power to manipulate light beyond even what Divine LionHeart allows. It's called The Absolute Light. When I combine it with Divine LionHeart, it compensates for the absence of the Eyes."
With a playful smile, Violet chimed in, "I wouldn't feel too bad about it. The last person born with the Eyes of Supreme Authority lived over ten thousand years ago! It's not something you can just hope to inherit."
Xavier turned to her, eyes wide. "Do you… have the Eyes of Supreme Authority, Big Sis?"
Violet giggled. "If I did, Xavier, I would've shown you already. So no, I don't."
Feeling guilty, Xavier quickly apologized. "Sorry, Big Sis… I didn't mean to be rude."
Ruffling his hair affectionately, Violet reassured him, "It's okay, Xavier. You don't need to be sorry. Besides, it's not like I don't have my own unique ability, just like Grandpa."
Xavier blinked, surprised. "Wait—you do?!"
"Yes, I do!" Violet said proudly, her eyes gleaming. "It's called Divine Banishment. It allows me to temporarily block someone's access to their gifted ability—or, under the right conditions, even permanently disable it. Though meeting the requirements for a permanent block is… quite challenging."
Returning to her point, Violet added, "Since Divine LionHeart grants its user control over holy abilities, we essentially possess divine regeneration that heals any wounds we sustain."
"And that's one of the main reasons why I was chosen by the great Divine Saintess, Lady Tessia, one of the ancient rulers of the Elvin kingdom, to be her vessel," Violet continued with a proud smile.
"You're so cool, big Sis," Xavier said in astonishment.
Violet's nose metaphorically sharpened like a pencil as she felt a surge of pride at her little brother's praise.
Graviil chuckled softly at their bond, warmed by the strength of the relationship between the siblings.
Continuing his story, Graviil told Xavier that what Violet had said about the Eyes of Supreme Authority was true—that it was an incredibly rare gift for anyone of the Ivanovish bloodline to be born with. The only person alive who possessed it alongside the Divine LionHeart was Aleksander.
"Big brother Aleksander has them both?" Xavier asked, baffled by the revelation.
"Yes, he does," Graviil answered.
Violet jokingly remarked, "Why are you so surprised, Xavier? It's Aleksander we're talking about. For earth's sake, he's a born Herrscher after all."
"I see your point," Xavier admitted, pausing for a moment in thought.
Graviil then added, "Yes, Aleksander is indeed a special case. He's the chosen one of our clan, beloved by the heavens, and blessed with tremendous potential. But that same blessing is also his greatest limitation. No matter how powerful one becomes, they are still mortal at the core.
"That is why your brother has a seal placed upon him—to prevent him from accessing his full power. If he did, the strain could destroy him. Even if he reaches the level of a Herrscher again, I doubt that would be the true extent of his strength. His potential goes far beyond what any mortal—or even a Herrscher—can contain.
"For Aleksander to truly reach his potential, he would need to ascend beyond the realm of mortals and Herrschers. He would need to step into the domain of the Supreme Gods."
He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. "And even then, he struggles with the Eyes of Supreme Authority. The ability requires complete calm—freedom from all emotions. If he tries to use it in any other state, it could endanger those around him, and even himself. In some cases, it might not activate at all."
"That's a heavy restriction," Violet admitted, surprised.
Xavier sat quietly, wondering how his brother could possibly bear such a burden. His thoughts drifted to the Highest Will, and curiosity stirred within him—what kind of divine being could it truly be?
Noticing Xavier's distant expression, Graviil gently pulled him back to the present. "Take a look at our family flag," he said, pointing toward the banner fluttering just outside the window.
The flag bore two angelic figures with white wings and golden hair, clad in flowing white garments trimmed with blue ribbons that draped over their shoulders. Together, they held a red and gold crown, lowering it onto the head of a majestic lion of white and silver, standing proudly at the center.
"That white-silver lion is what the Highest Will was described as in our family records," Graviil explained with a smile, watching Xavier's eyes widen with awe.
"He looks so cool, Grandpa!" Xavier exclaimed.
Graviil's smile deepened. "More than that—do you see now? The reason we are born with silver hair is because it is a symbol of the covenant our family made with the Highest Will. Our hair should have been closer to his pure silver-white, but since we are not absolutely pure like him, it took on only this shade of silver."
Xavier's mouth fell open. He had never paid much attention to the flag before, but now, knowing the story behind it, he could not tear his eyes away from the silver-white lion.
Just then, the door opened. Aleksander entered the room, arms laden with paperwork. "Grandfather, I completed the documents you asked for."
Xavier's face lit up the moment he saw him. "Big brother!" he shouted, rushing forward.
Careful not to drop the papers or let them harm Xavier, Aleksander calmly activated the Eyes of Supreme Authority. With a silent command, the stacks of parchment rose from his hands, floating gracefully through the air before arranging themselves neatly upon Graviil's desk.
Aleksander then picked up his little brother with ease, smiling warmly as he asked, "What's up, Xavier? How have you been doing?"
"I've been doing amazing, big Brother!" Xavier responded with uncontainable enthusiasm.
"That's great to hear, Xavier," Aleksander replied, his voice filled with genuine cheer.
Graviil, remembering that Xavier's birthday was approaching, leaned forward with a gentle smile. "And what would you like for your birthday, my boy?"
Xavier tilted his head in thought, then his eyes lit up with excitement. "I want a big cake of a white dragon!"
Graviil burst out laughing, his deep voice echoing warmly through the room. "Then that is what you shall have! I'll see to it that the greatest chefs in all of Russia create the largest dragon-shaped cake ever made in human history!"
"Yeyy!" Xavier shouted, bouncing with joy. "I can't wait!"
With a wide grin still on his face, Xavier waved goodbye to Violet, Aleksander, and Graviil before sprinting out of the room, already daydreaming about his dragon cake.
The door shut behind him, and almost instantly the mood in the room shifted. Aleksander's bright demeanor faded, replaced by a colder, more serious tone. He turned to Graviil and asked firmly, "Grandpa, do you really intend to let the Flashstride get away scot-free after attempting to assassinate one of your grandchildren?"
Graviil let out a long, heavy sigh, his features hardening. "Listen, Aleksander, it wasn't the Flashstride who gave that order. It was one of their family members—Prince Magnus. I know your anger, but if we strike now, without letting this heat die down, it will only escalate things. It could even place the burden on Xavier, making him believe he's the cause of a war between two powerful nations."
He shook his head, frustration seeping into his tone. "We will accept their apology and allow them to deal with their reckless prince. I already have my hands full trying to trace Percival's every move."
Graviil paused, exhaling slowly as his gaze drifted to the floor. In a low, bitter murmur he added, "I never thought it would be this hard to bring that bastard down. His influence, his political power… it's immense. Too immense. Even for a king like me to crush, not without igniting a great conflict."