The Superior Rebirth: A Hero's Awakening

Heir to the Anvil

The two figures finally reached a safe place—the apartment they had rented in London. The same one they shared with all of Xavier's friends, who had come all the way from another continent to save the friend they believed was in dire need of help.

Alcmena and Xavier gently tucked Anastasia into bed. She remained unconscious, her body still battered though partially healed thanks to Alcmena's efforts.

Xavier wanted to go search for his friends, but Alcmena firmly reminded him how out of form his body was. He warned him not to push himself anymore—his body was already exhibiting the early signs of core corruption.

Xavier knew he was right. Every part of his body ached. His muscles screamed in pain, and his head felt light and dizzy—each step was like treading across fractured realities. Still, his heart couldn't rest. His friends meant everything to him, just like Anastasia did.

Alcmena sighed, frustrated. He knew too well that once Xavier made up his mind, there was no changing it. The boy was like a tree grown too deep to be uprooted.

"Fine. We'll go look for your friends," Alcmena relented at last, giving in to Xavier's persistence.

"Really?!" Xavier lit up.

"Yes. But only on one condition—you follow my instructions without arguing. Withdraw from any conflict. I'll handle the fighting. Your body is already at its absolute limit."

"Okay!" Xavier answered with a grin.

Alcmena couldn't help but smile, seeing the light return to the boy's face.

Before heading out, they carefully secured the apartment, locking every door and scanning the neighborhood from the windows. Outside, chaos reigned. Injured citizens stumbled through the streets, fleeing the inferno and devastation they had just escaped. Others helped carry the wounded toward whatever help they could find.

Both Xavier and Alcmena watched in silence. Their expressions were grim and shaken. For Xavier, it was a horrifying sight. But for Alcmena, who had lived through darker ages and bloodier eras, the devastation, while tragic, was not unfamiliar.

They moved through the crowded streets, heading deeper toward the heart of the destruction. Alcmena, now perched on Xavier's shoulder in his feline form, observed the broken city. The blend of tradition and industry that once defined London had now been reduced to smoldering ruins.

"I can't believe he would do this in the open," Xavier murmured, stunned.

Alcmena heard him, but remained quiet. A monster like Percival committing such atrocities? It didn't surprise him.

Suddenly, they noticed a glowing butterfly fluttering through the smoke and wreckage. It seemed so out of place amidst the chaos.

It glowed faintly, ethereal, and hovered closer to them, swirling around Xavier's head.

"Go away, you damn bug," Alcmena hissed in annoyance.

Xavier chuckled at his reaction. The butterfly began to float away.

"Should we follow it?" Xavier asked.

"No," Alcmena replied flatly. "Something's off about it. It doesn't feel right."

"But it might lead us to something."

"Yeah, something dangerous."

"But—"

"No buts, Xavier. You promised not to argue."

Xavier puffed his cheeks and muttered under his breath, "I'm not arguing... just suggesting."