𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧

21 - phoenix reborns

a.n: this chapter happens during the timeline of the events of chapter 20, not the prologue.

**********

Xenon awoke with a jolt, as he felt a wave of nausea wash over him and a searing pain that bloomed from the back of his skull.

"Shit," Xenon said.

A thin film of sweat had settled on his forehead and his heart raced, thumping against his ribcage. He clung to his seat, trying to regain his composure as he felt the eyes of the other passengers boring into him. He met their stares with an icy glare, and they quickly turned away, mumbling amongst themselves and busying themselves in their own affairs. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Xenon closed his eyes and started to relax, the intense pain slowly fading away.

After Xenon arrived at his destination and he got out of the bus, he sluggishly walked back to his home.

"Shit," he said again, wondering why he could have such a headache, when it had already stopped around the age of nine. He'd been diagnosed with chronic migraines, but no doctors had been able to figure out the reason why. He'd tried different medications and therapies, but nothing had helped. Despite this, his father remained unfazed, assuring him that the condition would eventually pass - something that seemed to be true, knowing his father's typical lack of concern. Nevertheless, he was glad to find that Freyr's prediction was right.

Xenon was acutely aware that he and his family were not like the rest of the people in the world. His sister was a lazy genius who doesn't give a shit about the intricacies of social norms, while his father was a criminal mastermind, who was always so relaxed that it is kind of creepy. His mother however, was a mystery. All Xenon knew was her name, Kira, and that she was friends with Cleo's mother. Not only had his family been g̶i̶f̶t̶e̶d̶ c̵̜̍́͠u̸̯͛̅r̶̗̀̑͆͘s̵̮̻̔e̵̛͙͂͋͛d̶̝̬̯̾̐͘  with extraordinary memories and a fucked up sense of morality, but Xenon also lacked any recollection of his own life prior to the age of four. Despite its quirks, Xenon had given up on fitting in with the rest of the world a long time ago.

Xenon made it back to his home, and he quickly slammed the door behind him. He let out a sigh of relief and then collapsed onto the couch, feeling drained and exhausted.

**********
(a few hours later)

"Xennnn! I'm back from woooork! I bought takeaway!"

Xenon sighed, rising from the couch and trudging towards the front door. His father was standing there, as he always did, wearing his usual plain white t-shirt and dark sunglasses, and he had a plastic bag in his hands that contained the familiar smell of take-out noodles. Xenon's stomach grumbled, despite the headache he had and the worry he felt over his missing sister. He followed Freyr into the kitchen, where they sat down to enjoy the dinner his dad had brought home.

"So, how was skating?" Freyr asked cheerfully as he set the bag of food down on the table.

Xenon let out another sigh.

"Fine. I had to practice my routine a million times. Spins, steps, the usual." He shook his head. "But how can you be so chill about all this?"

"About what?"

"Y/n! She's literally missing for one fucking month and the entire world forgot about her!"

Freyr shrugged and smiled as he set the bag of food down on the table. "Well! You know, it's how I deal with things," he said. "You know how I am. It's fine! I know exactly where she is."

Xenon rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in disbelief. "Yeah, I know how you are. So where is she then?"

"Teyvat, of course!" Freyr said.