Chapter 7 {Sage's POV}:

 We arrived at Xenos' tavern, and I could barely keep the shock off my face. The place was a disaster. Broken plates, shattered vases, and what seemed like the remnants of glass littered the floor. It looked like a storm had swept through. Alohi sighed loudly beside me, crossing her arms as she took in the scene.

"Really, Xenos?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "You couldn't have cleaned up? You knew she was coming."

Xenos, who had already made his way to the bar, barely spared her a glance. "It's my tavern. I'll do whatever I want," he muttered, pouring himself a drink. His tone was dripping with indifference, and I could tell Alohi was about to snap back.

Before they could get into it, I stepped forward, my voice soft but firm. "I don't care about the mess," I said, trying to defuse the tension.

That only seemed to make things worse. Xenos' grip tightened around his glass, his eyes narrowing in irritation. He set the drink down with a little too much force, the sound of it clattering against the wood echoing in the room.

"You don't care?" he said, his voice low and cold. "That's good, because I wasn't about to clean up for you anyway."

I held back a sigh, realizing I'd only added fuel to the fire. Without another word, he spun on his heel. "Follow me," he ordered, already walking toward a set of stairs. Alohi and I exchanged a look, but we followed him up the creaky steps.

When we reached the top floor, Xenos led us to a room at the end of the hall. He opened the door with a swift motion, stepping aside to let me see inside. It was surprisingly beautiful. The large bed was draped with soft linens, and there were flowers and plants everywhere, making the room feel almost like a garden. A small bathroom was tucked into the corner. It felt warm and inviting—completely different from the chaos downstairs.

"Thank you," I said quietly, stepping into the room. I hesitated, then turned to face Xenos. "And… I'm sorry about earlier. For asking to hold your hand. I wasn't—"

"Just shut up," he snapped, cutting me off. His voice was harsh, but there was something behind his eyes—frustration, maybe? I couldn't quite place it. "You're annoying. There are rules in this house, and if you break them, you'll regret it."

I blinked, taken aback, but stayed silent as he began listing the rules, his voice sharp and commanding.

"One," he said, holding up a finger, "your fairy stays with you at all times. I don't want it flying around causing trouble."

Aurora, who was perched on my shoulder, bristled at the comment but stayed quiet.

"Two, no exploring. You stay in your room unless I say otherwise. Three, don't touch anything in this house except for what's in your room. And four," his eyes narrowed, "don't bother me. If you do, there will be consequences."

I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his words. "Okay," I said softly, my voice barely more than a whisper. I didn't want to make things worse, but the sharpness in his gaze didn't fade.

He stood there for a moment longer, as if daring me to challenge him, but I just kept my eyes down, hoping it would end. Finally, with a frustrated huff, he turned and stormed out of the room, his cape swirling behind him.

As soon as he left, Scael, his ever-annoying lizard, decided to make his presence known. He slithered off Xenos' shoulder and hopped onto my bed, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

"So, your fairy's name is Aurora," he sneered, dragging out the name as if it were the punchline of a joke. "How quaint."

Aurora puffed up, glaring at him. "Better than being named after a snake," she shot back, wings fluttering with agitation.

Before their banter could escalate, Xenos' voice thundered from the hallway. "Scael!"

The lizard froze, eyes wide for a split second before scrambling off the bed and scurrying out the door. "Duty calls," he muttered, vanishing into the hallway.

I sighed, sinking onto the bed as Aurora flew over to perch beside me. "Well," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "this is going to be fun."

I couldn't help but smile a little, despite everything. "Yeah," I murmured. "Fun."

As soon as Scael was out of the room, Alohi leaned against the doorframe, watching me with a faint smile. "You know," she began, her tone softer than usual, "Xenos may act like the world's biggest jerk, but he's not really that bad. At least, not deep down."

I glanced up at her, not entirely convinced. "He seems like he hates me."

Alohi shook her head. "He hates a lot of things, but you're not one of them. Trust me, he's been through a lot. You'll figure him out eventually."

I didn't say anything, but I appreciated her attempt to make me feel better. With a small wave, Alohi pushed off the doorframe. "Anyway, get some rest. You've had a long day." She gave me one last reassuring smile before slipping out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

I sat there for a moment, feeling the silence settle around me. Aurora fluttered over to the windowsill, her small wings glowing faintly in the dim light. "What do you think?" I asked her. "Is Alohi right? About Xenos?"

Aurora tilted her head, considering it. "Maybe. He's definitely got a chip on his shoulder, but it could just be the curse talking. I wouldn't trust him too much, though."

I nodded, getting up from the bed. "Yeah… maybe. But for now, I just need a shower."

The room's small bathroom was cozy, and the warm water felt soothing as I stood under the spray, letting the tension of the day wash away. My mind drifted back to earlier—how strange it had felt to use magic. I was still so sure I didn't have any of my own, and yet… somehow, I'd done something. I could feel it, like a flicker of energy inside me that I couldn't quite grasp.

It made no sense. How could I have magic when I'd never shown any signs of it before? My mother had never said anything. And now, here I was, wrapped up in this whole mess with Xenos and the gods, with powers I didn't even understand.

After I finished showering, I dried off and climbed into the soft bed, sinking into the plush blankets. Aurora hovered near the edge of the bed, watching me with curious eyes. "Still thinking about the magic?" she asked.

"Yeah," I admitted, staring up at the ceiling. "It doesn't make sense. I shouldn't be able to do any of this."

Before Aurora could respond, the door creaked open slightly, and I looked up to see Scael peeking his head in, his usual smirk in place. "Talking to yourself again, little flower?" he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

I groaned, sitting up. "What do you want now, Scael?"

He slithered further into the room, hopping onto a nearby chair. "If it were up to me, I wouldn't be here. But Captain's orders," he said with a dramatic roll of his eyes. "He told me to come watch over the little flower. Make sure she doesn't get into any trouble."

I glanced at Aurora, and we both exchanged a look. Without warning, we burst out laughing, the sound filling the room as Scael's face twisted in confusion.

"What? What's so funny?" he demanded, but we couldn't stop laughing. After a minute, I finally caught my breath, wiping a tear from my eye. "Nothing, Scael. It's just… it's been a long day."

Scael narrowed his eyes, clearly unimpressed. "Whatever. Just don't get me in trouble with the Captain." He slid off the chair and scurried out of the room, leaving me and Aurora alone again.

I sighed, lying back down as Aurora settled next to me on the pillow. "Well, at least we have someone to keep an eye on us now," I said, still smiling from our shared laughter.

Aurora chuckled softly, her glow dimming as she curled up to sleep. "Yeah, lucky us."

I let out a small breath, feeling the weight of the day finally catch up to me. My eyes fluttered shut, and within moments, I drifted off into sleep, the warmth of the room and the soft glow of the flowers surrounding me like a comforting embrace.

_______________________________________________________

I woke up to the sound of knocking—loud and impatient. My eyes fluttered open, and I groaned, pulling the blankets over my head. It was too early for this.

"Sage," Xenos' voice came through the door, sharp and commanding. "Get up."

I muttered something unintelligible into my pillow, trying to ignore him. There was no way I was moving from this bed. Not after yesterday.

Apparently, Xenos wasn't the type to be ignored. The door swung open, and I felt the air shift. "Last chance," he said, his tone low and threatening.

I burrowed deeper into the blankets, stubbornly refusing to move. "Just five more minutes…"

Silence followed, and for a brief moment, I thought I'd won. But then, out of nowhere, I felt cold water pour down on me, soaking the blankets, my clothes, and every inch of me. I shot up, gasping in shock, water dripping from my hair as I glared at Xenos standing by the bed, an empty glass in his hand.

"Are you out of your mind?!" I shrieked, shaking the water off like a drenched cat. Aurora darted out from under the pillow, sputtering in annoyance as her wings flapped wetly.

Xenos shrugged, completely unfazed. "I am. Now get up, or you'll be late for your classes."

I wanted to throw something at him—preferably something sharp—but before I could even think of a retort, he turned and walked out of the room, the door shutting behind him with a definitive click.

I sat there, dripping wet and fuming. There was no way I was getting out of bed after that. I grabbed the soggy blanket, intending to fall right back into the warm, if slightly damp, comfort of sleep.

But just as I was about to drift off, I felt a strange sensation—like the ground was moving. My eyes flew open, and I realized with horror that I was floating.

Before I could even react, I dropped back to the bed with a thud, the impact making me yelp. "Xenos!" I screamed, knowing it had to be his magic.

From the hallway, I heard his voice, smug and infuriating. "Next time, get up when I tell you."

I growled under my breath, seething with frustration, but I knew I wasn't going to win this battle. He clearly wasn't going to let me sleep, and I wasn't about to endure more of his tricks. Against my will, I dragged myself out of bed and started getting ready, grumbling the entire time.

Aurora hovered beside me, shaking her head in disbelief. "He's really something, isn't he?"

"Something is an understatement," I muttered, pulling on my clothes as quickly as I could. "I'm going to get him back for this."

Aurora giggled softly. "Good luck with that. You'd have to outsmart him first."

I shot her a look, but couldn't help the small smile tugging at my lips. "Challenge accepted."

I finally finished getting ready, still muttering under my breath about Xenos. Aurora, dry and fluttering beside me, perched on my shoulder as I headed out of the room. I was in no mood to deal with him, but I had no choice. Today was class day, and like always, I was running late—thanks to someone.

As I stepped into the hallway, Xenos was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised as if he knew exactly what I'd been complaining about. "Ready now?" he asked, his tone mocking.

I bit my tongue, refusing to give him the satisfaction of another argument. "Yeah, let's go," I muttered, tugging my cloak tighter around me.

Without another word, he led me outside. The cold morning air hit my face, waking me up more than I wanted it to. The teleportation tree loomed ahead, its eerie glow already making my stomach flip with unease. I felt my chest tighten, that familiar dread creeping up on me. Teleportation still freaked me out, no matter how many times I went through it.

We stopped in front of the tree, its gnarled branches twisting in the air like some sort of ancient, magical monster. I hesitated, not wanting to take another step. My palms were already clammy, and I glanced at Xenos, hoping he'd teleport with me. At least then it wouldn't feel so terrifying.

But, of course, Xenos had other plans.

Without so much as a warning, he placed a hand on my shoulder, and before I could react, the world around me started to warp. I felt the familiar, unsettling pull of teleportation magic begin to take hold of me.

"Wait, Xenos—" I started, panic rising in my chest. "Don't leave me alone, I—"

But it was too late. In an instant, the world shifted, and I was flung into the teleportation. My body felt weightless, like I was being pulled through a tunnel of swirling light and energy, my vision blurring as the magic surged around me. My heart raced, and I gripped at the air, trying to steady myself. But there was nothing to hold onto, just the overwhelming sensation of being lost between worlds.

When I landed, it was sudden and jarring, my feet stumbling as I caught my breath. The familiar sight of the school courtyard came into view, but I barely noticed it, my mind still reeling from the teleportation. I stood there, breathing hard, trying to shake off the dizzying feeling.

Aurora fluttered around my head, her little face full of concern. "You okay?"

I nodded slowly, though my heart was still pounding. "Yeah, just… give me a second."

I knew Xenos had done that on purpose. He knew I hated teleporting alone, and yet he'd sent me through it without a second thought. Typical.

As the dizziness faded, I clenched my fists, irritation bubbling up inside me. He'd better hope I never figured out a way to get him back for this.

But for now, I had no choice but to go to class, fuming the entire way. One day, I'd get him for this.

One day.