Olivia stood outside the house, at the archery training ground Grandma Luu had built. She placed an arrow into the bow, raised it, aimed for the bullseye—and missed badly.
Her thoughts were clouded.
"She was banished for trying to make sure the weapon was safe…" Grandma Luu's words echoed in her mind over and over again.
Frustrated, she shoved another arrow into the bow and fired. Another miss.
"ARGH!" she shouted, flinging her hand. With a sharp wave, the target board exploded into splinters.
"You know that's not how to train," came Zavier's voice from behind.
He leaned casually on the doorframe, arms folded across his chest, one foot resting against the wooden post.
"And what do you care?" Olivia shot back, spinning to glare at him.
"Ouch," Zavier teased. "Alright, reset the board. Let's go a few rounds."
He stepped down the short flight of stairs and entered the training ground.
"You think you're a better shot than me?" Olivia growled.
With a flick of her hand, another board materialized in place. "Challenge accepted."
Zavier picked up a bow, flipped it around in his hand, and inspected it. "Hmm. Maybe this will do."
He pulled an arrow from the rack, slid it into place, closed one eye, and let it fly. The arrow zipped across the yard and struck the smallest inner circle.
"BULLSEYE!" Zavier shouted with pride. "Now that's what I'm talking about. My father trained me when he was still alive."
"Don't flatter yourself, boy," Olivia muttered, pulling back her own arrow. She released it—and missed again. This time, she didn't even hit the board.
Zavier lowered his bow and walked toward her.
"You wanna talk about it?" he asked gently, knowing full well what was bothering her. He had just seen Chloe crying earlier and figured the same thing was eating Olivia alive.
"No," she said, her voice cracking. Her eyes were damp, and she blinked fast, struggling to keep the tears from falling.
"Then don't," Zavier said softly. "But hey… look at me."
He placed a gentle hand on her cheek, turning her face to meet his eyes.
"It's going to be alright. Trust me."
Olivia stared into his eyes, searching for reassurance.
"You think so?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
"Yeah, I think so. And I know so," Zavier replied, his voice gentle but confident."Now, put that arrow in that bow," he added with a soft smile.
Olivia chuckled lightly, doing as he said. She stretched the string and raised the bow again.
"You see," Zavier said as he stepped closer, "it's all in your stance."
He moved beside her, their fingers briefly touching as she held the bow. He slid his hand just above her waist, steadying her form. Then, with the other, he helped guide the arrow.
Olivia looked up into his eyes. Zavier met her gaze with a smile, and for a moment, she found herself completely at ease in his presence. She could feel the warmth of his body behind her, and his soft breath brushed against her neck.
"Just let your worries and anger fly with the arrow," Zavier whispered.
Their bodies aligned, the bow drawn tight between them.
"Now aim..." he instructed calmly.
Together, they released the arrow. It zipped through the air—and struck the bull's-eye dead center.
"You did it!" Zavier exclaimed.
Olivia laughed, a genuine, joyful laugh that echoed across the training field. Without thinking, she threw her arms around Zavier in a warm hug. It wasn't until the hug ended that the awkwardness hit.
"I–I–I think I've got to find Chloe," Olivia stammered, her face flushing as she stepped back quickly, trying to escape the moment.
"Y–yeah, you definitely... definitely have to do that," Zavier replied, equally flustered.
Meanwhile, in a clearing beyond the woods, a horse trotted out onto an open field. A pair of booted legs dismounted—boots polished to a mirror shine, trousers tucked in neatly. The figure wore a black jacket under a high-collared cloak that swept the ground with every step. Two swords were crossed in an "X" on his back, and twin daggers hung at his hips.
"Lord Murray, their trail leads into the city," one of his men reported.
Murray took a long drag from his cigar and exhaled a swirling cloud of smoke, striding forward with a cool, calculated swagger.
"Then ready the horses," he said. "We go hunting. And remember—Zavier is mine. Mine alone."
"My lord... I fear he may not be alone anymore," the man added. "It appears he's traveling with others."
Murray exhaled another thick jet of smoke.
"Kill anyone with him," he ordered coldly. "But leave Zavier for me. I must avenge my brother."
Back at Grandma Luu's, Zavier and the others had gathered around a round wooden table. A worn-out map lay spread before them as they discussed a strategy to retrieve the weapon from the realm.
"So, according to the map, the weapon is inside the Citadel," Zavier explained, pointing. "We need to find a way in without being seen. Once we're in, retrieving it should be easy—humans don't have powers, after all."
"We'll need a plan. And a proper order," Katelain said, her arms crossed.
"Exactly," Zavier agreed. "Any thoughts?"
"Well, whatever the plan is... I'm in," Jessica said confidently.
"Yell yeah, you are," Zavier grinned.
Olivia glanced at them, wondering what was so special about Jessica's comment.
"There's a feast tomorrow evening," Richard chimed in. "We could use it as a disguise to sneak into the Citadel."
Zavier looked at him in surprise—again.
"I think I'm going to adopt you," he joked, ruffling the boy's hair.
"You still want to pretend this was your idea?" Richard replied, smirking. He had read Zavier's mind.
"On second thought, I might just strangle you," Zavier muttered, only half-joking.
"Alright then," Katelain cut in. "We've got a plan. We sneak in disguised as guests. Zavier and Richard will approach the king—"
"With a gift," Zavier added.
"Yes, and Richard will use his gift to read the king's mind and learn how we can retrieve the weapon," Chloe said, arriving with a weak smile.
"Smart," Zavier nodded. "Now we just need to know what kind of celebration it is."
"It's the prince's birthday," Richard said with a shrug.
"Then it's settled. Here's how we do it," Zavier continued, assigning roles."Jessica, you'll be our eyes on the inside. Olivia and I will be on guard—watching for anything suspicious. Katelain, you'll blend in with the crowd. If anything goes wrong and we're captured, you're our backup. You come and get us out."
"Any questions?" he finished.
Richard's hand shot up.
"Yes, kid?" Zavier said.
"How exactly is Jessica going to be our eyes?"
Everyone burst into laughter.
"Don't worry, Richard. I got this," Jessica said with a wink.