The atmosphere was tense when Xenovia suddenly appeared, breaking the silence with a wave and a mischievous smile. "Hey, little brother," she said casually, a tone that contrasted sharply with the seriousness of the situation. Her words lingered in the air for a moment but failed to soften Strax's expression.
He regarded her with a cold, indifferent gaze, clearly unwilling to engage in her playful banter at that moment.
"Stop messing with me, Xyn," Strax replied, his voice heavy with impatience. The weight of recent events still pressed down on his shoulders, and he had neither the time nor the inclination for games. Too much was at stake, and time was running against them.
Xyn, Xenovia's familiar, grinned with a mischievous glint in her eyes, her form floating in the air as her true appearance manifested. Unlike Xenovia, she reveled in provoking and testing Strax's limits. "Oh, if it isn't my dear Contracted Dragon," she said with false reverence, her smile widening. "How funny that you're no longer human.
What happened, did you lose your taste for the human side of life?"
Strax sighed, barely containing his growing irritation. "Are you testing my patience?" He watched her with a mix of frustration and exhaustion, knowing that the familiar delighted in pushing him to the brink.
"Well, we can always test, can't we?" Xyn replied provocatively, twirling in the air with a lightness that seemed to mock the emotional weight Strax carried. "It's not like you have any weapon that could kill me." She smiled, but there was a spark of challenge in her eyes, as if she were eager to see how far she could push him without awakening Strax's true fury.
Strax clenched his fists, restraining the urge to retort. He knew Xyn thrived on these provocations, but at that moment, every second felt too precious to waste on mental games. The only thing preventing him from exploding was the fact that, deep down, he recognized that the familiar was linked to Xenovia and could be useful, even if she acted like a constant thorn in his side.
"But all that aside, let's get down to business," Xyn finally said, dropping her playful tone. Her mischievous smile vanished momentarily, and her expression became more serious. Even with her provocations, she understood the gravity of the situation.
"Xenovia asked me to deliver a message to you, since she... well, she's probably halfway to the Capital by now," Xyn said, shrugging; she could really be annoying when she wanted to be.
"I'm just going to give you a warning: Don't go after her until you reach the King level. You'll be killed instantly. She doesn't know how you survived Kryssia, but I presume you used Dual Assimilation. That could kill you if you do it again at such a low level. So train hard." Xyn's eyes seemed to consume Strax as she spoke.
"Well, that's all," she said, raising her hands in the air. "And what about our contract?" she questioned, and Strax merely sighed. "I found the Alchemist decent; we just need the Blacksmith now." Strax stated, and Xyn's eyes sparkled.
"Oh... what a competent man," she smiled, playfully biting her lip. "Too bad I don't get along with dragons." She returned to her normal demeanor, stopping her playful antics.
Suddenly, her body became translucent. "Oh... I have to go back; I can't stay much longer," she remarked. "See you in a few months, kid." Xyn said and vanished.
The air felt heavy as Xyn disappeared, leaving Strax alone with his thoughts and an avalanche of emotions. Xenovia's message echoed in his mind like a distant bell, impossible to ignore: don't go after her until reaching the King level. It sounded like both a challenge and a sentence at the same time.
Strax's pride made him loathe the idea of waiting, of feeling inadequate, but at the same time, the wisdom of the warning did not go unnoticed.
Cristine nodded. "We're all worried, but he needs to understand we're here to help him. We can't let this obsession destroy him."
Samira stood up, her expression determined. "We need to face this together. We can't just stand by while he pushes himself to the limit. Let's talk to him now."
They agreed, and together, they left the room, driven by a shared determination. As they opened the front door and stepped onto the training field, the sight of Strax furiously striking a wooden stump froze them for a moment. He was drenched in sweat, his muscles tense and wounded, and his face was a mask of uncontrolled fury.
"Strax!" Samira called, her voice firm. He didn't respond, continuing to strike the trunk, completely ignoring them.
"STRAX!" Beatrice shouted, louder this time, and finally, he stopped, breathing heavily. He turned to face them, his expression still radiating contained fury.
"What do you want?" he asked, his voice hoarse from exhaustion but still filled with anger.
"We want you to stop!" Cristine said, her voice heavy with concern. "You're killing yourself with this training. We can't just stand by and watch this happen."
"I don't have time to stop," Strax retorted, his eyes burning with determination. "You don't understand! Xenovia is in their hands, and if I'm not ready, she'll stay there! I have to do this!"
"Not like this!" Samira shot back, stepping forward. "You're destroying yourself, Strax! This isn't the way. You won't be able to rescue her if you're completely exhausted and mentally unstable."
Monica nodded, approaching. "We need you whole, not just physically, but mentally as well. You're blinded by anger and guilt. This will end up destroying you before you even have a chance to save Xenovia."
"I can't stop!" Strax shouted, his voice echoing across the field. "I'm the only one who can save her! Don't you get it? If I stop now, I'll lose her forever!"
Beatrice looked at him, her eyes filled with sadness. "And if you keep this up, you'll lose yourself."
The silence that followed was heavy. Strax looked down at the ground, still breathing heavily, their words echoing in his mind. He knew they were right, but the pain and anger blinded him. Xenovia meant everything to him, and the thought of failing her haunted him every second.
Samira took another step forward, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Strax... we're here with you. You don't have to carry this alone."
He closed his eyes, feeling the weight of her words and her hand on his shoulder. For a brief moment, his anger subsided, replaced by a deep exhaustion.
"I just... can't lose her," he murmured, his voice finally wavering.
"You won't," Cristine replied softly. "But we need you whole. We'll get through this together."