Chills

The next day, Xaloc got up late. This has become the new norm, the more he practised his powers, the more he slept. Initially, he has been upset to miss breakfast but now he had to pray to wake up in time for lunch.

He glanced at the wall clock on the wall, 1:43 p.m. He stretched and left his bed, going through the familiar routine of brushing and washing.

Next, he got dressed in jeans with a blue coloured cashmere sweater and a white canvas. 

He glanced at his reflection in the bathroom mirror to make sure that everything was okay when he noticed something off again. His eyes! Something about them has been increasingly weird as the days went by. 

It was as if they were getting dull. His eyes were inherited from his grandmother. Someone had described them once as two pieces of obsidian stars that seemed to glow but now they were changing.

It was not just his eyes, everything was changing. He was getting slimmer and even his hair was longer now, reaching past his neck.

He needed a hair cut but there was no salon here.

There should be something like a salon in Shangri-La, his father always liked his hair very short, if it even reached his neck. He would probably freak out and his mom, she would probably be at a loss. 

The twins, Maya and Mason would need to make new friends. The other gods should have descendants that have children, right? They can't be the only young children there.

Maya would be angry that there is no ballet but she would move on to other things.

Orson and Oscar would have it better, at least they did not have the mortal realm to be attached to.

There was a knock on the door and Xaloc sighed.

What was he doing? The moment he stepped into the pod, he did not look back, he severed every relationship with his family. Hadn't it been what he had wanted for so long?

~~~~~~~

"Let's have a deal. I will donate everything that the twins need, even my organs. If I die then I die, if I live then I live but Dad, in exchange I will not owe you any filial duty and you don't owe me either. Just focus on your precious children."

~~~~~~

He had said those words himself, hadn't he? Leaving was best. Like mother can let go of her anger, his father would no longer need to feel guilty while talking to him, never would his hands tremble while touching him and he…he…

The knock came again, this time louder.

Xaloc shook his head. What was he doing thinking of such messy matters? That was unlike him.

He opened the door and almost closed it when he saw the person behind him.

Before Xaloc met Selene, he felt that he was patient, and could tolerate and endure but after meeting her, he came to a new understanding that his level of patience was not as low as he thought.

She had a cheerful smile on her face. Was it possible that someone was that happy all the time?

"Hey! I checked in the morning but it seems like you were sleeping." She laughed without reservations, "Xal, you like to sleep a lot, don't you?"

That nickname hit too close to home that Xaloc froze. "Don't call me Xal." Xaloc said.

The girl rubbed her hair before clasping her hands as if in prayer. Weird. "Sorry. Sorry. It is just that Xaloc is too long so I felt it would be better to shorten it, and we are so close so I felt it would be okay."

"We are not close." Xaloc harshly interrupted her, "and my name is just five-letter words. It is not difficult to pronounce." 

Xaloc regretted he might have been too harsh on the girl but she was still smiling at him. Very Weird.

"Xaloc. You are pretty blunt. Don't worry I would try my best so we can become friends before we live." Her eyes were ablaze with determination.

"Let's go have lunch. I heard that they made pounded yam and fisherman soup." She declared.

Xaloc could not see the way out of it so he just closed the door behind him, walking beside her while she a

Chatted away.

"Selene. How are you doing?" A busty middle aged woman called out.

"Selene. I got the book you were searching for." This time it was a man of about sixty five years.

"Selene."

"Selene."

Selene smiled, greeting each one as they walked down the long corridor.

"You have a lot of friends." Xaloc said.

The girl seemed to be happy with his question as her eyes brightened even more, "I can share if you want."

Xaloc shook his head and continued to walk forward, glancing at the girl from time to time. He did not know why he felt chills but the way that Selene had said it, almost as if they were not talking about fellow human beings made him very uncomfortable.

Suddenly the route before him was blocked by a very muscular man about six feet five and tattoos running through his entire body.

"Selene. You did not come for training today." The man said as he smiled at Selene, treating Xaloc as if he was just air.

Selene chuckled, "I have not recovered from yesterday's workout. Chad, this is Xaloc, my friend. Xaloc this is Chad, he is helping me train. It is my goal to become one of the strongest warriors in Atlantis. Chad is helping me, I am very grateful to him."

Chad fixed Xaloc with a very hostile glare. His green eyes were akin to a snake, poisonous and deadly. He did not say a single word to Xaloc but just smiled at Selene.

"I think you can do it. You are one of the most talented people I have ever met." 

"Thank you."

Watching the two of them flirt, Xaloc wondered if it would be considered rude, if he just left. Probably not.

So he moved away from them and continued on his way to the dining hall, Selene shook off her suitor and rushed to join him while pouting and complaining about his manners.

Xaloc just continued to walk, ignoring her and the hot glare he could feel burning through his back.

He would come to regret his actions.