The Tale Of Xavier (PT 1)

YeaR 204 (Month 6)

Narrator:

Before we return to Drew's story, there's someone you need to understand first.

Xavier Nara.

A name feared across the country. The current Sword Master of the Nara Clan. A man who didn't just rise to power... He carved his way to it.

But he wasn't always that way.

YeaR 179. In the City of Smoke (West Capital)

The City of Smoke was a hellhole. Nobody made it out... not alive, and barely even sane. You had to watch your back at every moment. Trust didn't exist. Eyes were always on you.

A place where no child should grow up.

That same year, Amber gave birth to her only son.

Xavier Nara.

She gave him his father's last name… Even though that man wasn't there.

YeaR 178 (Month 2)

A year before Xavier was born.

Amber worked in a brothel just to survive. It was one of the few ways someone like her could make money in a place like that.

One night, a man walked in.

He paused at the entrance, scanning the room before calmly taking a seat.

"Bring me the owner!" he said.

They spoke quietly for a few minutes.

Then...

"Alright, ladies! Line up!"

The women gathered quickly. Amber frowned, unsure what was going on. 

Was someone in trouble? Or was someone being bought?

The owner grinned.

"Listen up. This here is the leader of the Nara Clan. He's looking for company tonight. He's picking one of you."

Amber's eyes widened slightly.

The leader of the Nara Clan?

Money flashed through her mind. Enough to survive… maybe even enough to leave this place.

Too good to be true, she told herself.

The man stood and walked down the line, his gaze sharp, deliberate.

Then he stopped.

Right in front of her.

"This one," he said. "What is your name?"

"Amber… sir."

"Amber," he repeated. "Good. Let's go."

They stepped outside and entered a blacked-out SUV.

"So," he asked, "where do you like to eat?"

Amber blinked, caught off guard, but answered anyway.

"There's a place down the street. Take a left up here."

That night… didn't go how she expected.

They ate. Talked. Walked through the park. Even went shopping.

It felt like… a normal date.

Amber found herself smiling more than she had in years.

By the end of it, she wanted more.

"Let's go back to my place," she said.

He smirked. "So I'm in there?"

Amber laughed. "Wow. You really just said that."

Her apartment was small. Dark. Barely anything inside.

He looked around.

"…Is this all you have?"

Amber didn't react.

"Yes. I'm a woman in the most dangerous city in the country. Jobs don't come easy—and the one I do have takes most of what I earn."

He was quiet for a moment.

"…I didn't think the world outside my city was this bad," he said. "That's why I came here. To help."

A pause.

"But honestly… there's no fixing this place. It's rotten to the core."

Amber looked down.

She already knew that.

She would die here. Just like everyone else.

Without thinking, she stepped forward and grabbed him.

"Then just… make me forget," she said quietly.

His expression shifted.

"You don't have to tell me twice."

When Amber woke up the next morning, he was gone.

For a moment… she felt empty.

Then she noticed a note.

She opened it.

Amber,
I had a wonderful time last night. I paid your boss—and left something extra for you.

Her eyes snapped toward the table.

A stack of money.

Her heart raced as she grabbed it.

She kept reading.

Sorry for leaving without saying goodbye. I had to return to my city.
That money should last you a while.
I'll come back someday. Maybe we can see each other again.

She paused.

Then the final lines read...

I wish I could have taken you with me.
But my family expects me to marry someone of status.
Give me time. I'll find a way.
Wait for me.

I care about you, Amber. Truly.

Her hands trembled.

Tears began to fall.

For the first time in her life…

Someone had cared.

That morning, she made a promise.

She would wait.

YeaR 178 (Month 11)

Xavier Nara was born.

A child with natural talent and potential.

Amber had no way to contact his father… but deep down, she believed he knew.

YeaR 189 (Month 2)

*Xavier Nara 11

"What's wrong, Mom?"

Amber smiled softly.

"Just thinking about dessert. Ice cream… or cake?"

Xavier grinned.

"That's why they make ice cream cake."

She laughed. "You might be a genius."

As the day went on, the sky darkened.

Rain began to fall.

Xavier stared out the window.

"It was nice earlier… What happened?"

Amber walked up beside him.

"Someone once told me…" She puts her arms around him and continues, "When it rains like this, something sad is about to happen. But when it ends… Something amazing will be born."

Xavier scoffed.

"That sounds dumb."

Amber smirked. "Says the kid who still picks his nose."

"AYE! Come on!"

They both laugh, but the fun ends quickly.

A knock at the door.

Amber turned, stood up, and walked toward the door, exclaiming...

"I got it."

Minutes passed.

"Mom?"

No answer.

"Mom?"

Still nothing.

Xavier stood.

Something felt wrong.

He walked over to the front door...

He slipped.

His hands hit the floor.

Wet.

He looked down.

Red... Warm... Thick..

It's blood.

Slowly…

He raised his head.

His body froze.

"Mom...?"

Pinned to the wall with multiple blades.

Limbs torn off.

Blood, pouring from multiple openings.

Xavier's stomach began to twist and turn.

He collapsed, choking, screaming, unable to breathe.

Somehow...

He forced himself up.

Quickly ran back into the apartment.

Grabbed his training sword.

And ran.

As he reached the lobby, he saw a figure through the glass door.

Xavier rushed through the door.

A figure stood in the rain.

A hooded man.

A sword dripping with blood.

Xavier screamed.

"It was you! Wasn't it?!"

No response.

"Doesn't matter!"

He charged...

And slipped again.

His legs trembled.

Fear.

Rage.

Emptiness.

Everything hit at once.

"Why…?" he choked.

"Why my mom…?"

The man finally spoke.

"…What's your name, boy?"

A face full of snot and dirty rainwater ran down his face as he answered.

"…Xavier."

His voice shook.

"Xavier Nara."

The man laughed.

"She gave you my name… This makes 12."

He pulled back his hood.

"The names Jack... Jack Nara."

"Do you know who I am?"

"…No."

Jack scoffs at his answer.

"I'm your father."

The heavy raindrops, crashing against the city buildings, speeding cars, and nightlife. Fill the silence between the two.

Jack clears his throat and continues...

"I travel the country searching for strong women to create stronger offspring."

Xavier's grip on his blade tightened out of anger as he spoke.

"…Why kill them?"

Jack smiled faintly.

"To create purpose."

A pause.

Police sirens began to go off in the distance as Jack spoke.

"I kill the mother… So the child grows to hate me..."

"So that one day, that hatred becomes strong enough… To bring you to me."

The rain fell harder as he spoke.

"That's when you learn..." Jack calmly continued, "That suffering isn't punishment."

"It's a necessity."

Xavier stared at him.

With each second passing, many emotions passed through his heart

Sadness.

Anger.

Disgust.

But slowly...

He stood and nervously spoke.

"I'm going to kill you."

Jack paid no attention to his threat and started to turn and walk away.

Xavier started to panic.

Was this it? Is this all he could do or say? Just empty threats..."

He clenched his sword and raised it at Jack.

Took a deep breath and steadied his voice.

"I'll take your head… and fix what you broke."

Jack stopped and looked over his shoulder. His eyes locked with Xavier's...

He couldn't help but smile.

"…We'll see."

He turned and continued to walk while saying...

"And when you do… show them."

"Let them see your true strength."

And just like that...

He vanished into the dark city.

The rain began to ease. Light broke through the clouds.

Xavier looked up.

"…You were right, Mom."

YeaR 189 (Month 9)

*Xavier 11
*Dom Leon 15
*Xifier 14
*Mr. Manji ?

Late spring had settled over the City of Smoke.

The trees slowly shifted into deep reds and shimmering golds, one of the few beautiful things left in that rotten city.

For the past three months, Xavier had been living alone using the leftover money from his mother. He survived by helping local shops around the city, usually getting paid in loose change and scraps.

And whenever he wasn’t working… He trained.

Sword swings. Footwork. Stances.

Over and over again.

As Xavier struggled to survive, he slowly began to understand how the world truly worked. The weak suffered while everyone else looked away.

It disgusted him.

And that disgust fueled him.

Jack Nara had to die.

As the months passed, Xavier noticed only small improvements in his strength. Worse, the money he earned barely covered food, let alone a journey across the country.

He needed more.

So he started searching the South Side of the City of Smoke for better-paying work.

The money improved slightly.

Unfortunately…

Other people noticed, too.

One evening, Xavier took a hidden route toward his secret training spot after finishing a side job.

Halfway through the alley, a group stepped in front of him.

Five men total.

One smirked.

“Hey, kid. Wanna make some quick cash?”

Xavier kept walking.

“I’m good.”

“Aye!” another voice snapped, “He wasn’t asking.”

Xavier stopped.

Slowly, he turned around and counted them again.

Five.

The leader in front stepped forward.

“Here’s how this works,” he said. “You drop all your money. And every time after this, you pay us a fee to pass.”

A grin spread across his face as he looked down at Xavier’s waist and pointed.

“And if you got no cash…”

The others laughed.

Xavier tightened his grip on his sword.

“Why would I do that? I earned this money.”

The group burst into laughter.

The leader shook his head.

“That was funny, kid. But seriously… Drop the money.”

His eyes shifted to the blade and back up to Xavier’s eyes.

“And leave that wooden sword too! Looks better in my hands anyway!”

The group laughed even more.

Xavier’s chest tightened.

His body was filled with pent-up emotions.

Fear.

Anger.

Humiliation.

He rushed forward with zero hesitation…

With a shout, he swung downward in a vertical slash…

But before the blade could land…

The leader caught it with one hand.

No effort.

Xavier’s eyes widened.

Fear started to fill his heart.

The man yanked the sword away and threw him across the alley.

“Thanks for delivering it to me, dumbass.”

The group laughed again.

Xavier slowly pushed himself up.

“…Give it back.”

“Hm?” The leader mocked. “Did somebody say something?”

Xavier glared at him.

“I said… Give my sword back…”

His voice cracked.

“NOW!”

The leader laughed harder.

“Man, this kid is hilarious.”

He stepped forward slightly. And whispered in his ear…

“Alright, enough playing around. Drop the money.”

Xavier’s hands started to shake.

Slowly… He reached into his pockets and emptied them.

Three months of work hit the ground.

Just like that.

Gone.

Xavier used what little courage he had left and spoke.

“…Can I have my sword back now?”

The leader stared at him blankly.

“The hell would I do that for? It’s mine now.”

He turned away and started to walk.

“This is getting boring.”

The others followed him.

Xavier froze.

That sword…

His mother had saved for months to buy it for his tenth birthday.

His breathing became uneven.

He grabbed a rock from the ground and clenched it until his knuckles turned white.

“Aye!”

The group partially turned…

But Xavier only cared about one person.

The leader.

SMACK.

The rock shattered against the man’s face, blood bursting from his nose.

“I SAID GIVE ME BACK MY SWORD!”

The leader’s expression twisted instantly.

“Alright, you little shit.”

He pointed toward Xavier.

“Beat his ass.”

The four rushed him immediately.

Xavier’s legs trembled.

Rain slowly began to fall.

They beat him mercilessly.

Punches.

Kicks.

Elbows.

Anything, no restraints.

As Xavier curled up beneath each blow, memories flooded his mind.

His mother.

Jack.

The guts

The blood

Her lifeless face stared back at him.

“…Why me…?”

Another kick slammed into his ribs.

“I didn’t do anything…”

A punch cracked against his face.

“Maybe Jack was right…”

The thought disgusted him the second it appeared.

Desperate…

Xavier screamed.

“HELP!”

Another punch.

“HELP!”

A kick to the stomach.

“HELP!”

The leader walked over calmly and squatted down next to him.

“Nobody’s helping you.”

The others stopped attacking.

The leader rolled Xavier over and grabbed him by his neck.

Pinned him against the alley wall.

“This city is hell,” He sneered. “Nobody cares about anybody but themselves.”

He tightened his grip.

“LOOK AT ME!”

Xavier’s swollen eyes barely opened.

The leader leaned closer.

Xavier could feel each breath as the man spoke

“You are NOTHING!”

Rain poured harder.

“Nobody cares about you. Nobody ever will.”

Tears mixed with blood across Xavier’s face.

With the last bit of strength he had left, he spoke.

“…H…help…”

The group laughed hysterically.

The leader grinned.

“Oh? You still got energy?”

He slammed Xavier against the wall and began choking him harder.

Xavier clawed at his arm desperately.

His vision faded.

“So this is it…”

His thoughts drifted.

“I’ve done nothing…”