NOVEL WEB The Divine Encounter
Within his vast and extraordinary imagination, Xavier had the same dream he had for many years. A mother in a hospital ward, holding her newborn baby and singing to it as her husband entered the room.
The dream concluded as usual, with Xavier unable to hear the newborn's name before waking up.
As Xavier awoke, sweating profusely, he was perplexed to see that he was in a gigantic cave beneath the ground.
Xavier attempted to get up, but he yelled in anguish as his bandaged wounds slowly reopened and bled.
He then grabbed a nearby stick to assist him in standing up and exploring the cave.
As Xavier investigated the cave, he noticed various carvings on the walls and an incredible amount of gold, jewels, and valuables that would drive a man wild.
Xavier then came upon a portion of the cave, including a magnificent metallic royal gate. That looked like the one he saw during his fight with the varmint.
However, a powerful earthquake shook the entire underground cave, and the dragon returned to its lair.
Xavier, feeling that the dragon had returned to its home, hid in dread to avoid being captured by it.
The dragon began to stroll around the cave, hunting for Xavier, and each step shook the entire cave.
Xavier did his best not to make a sound as the dragon went right past his hiding spot.
"Found you," the dragon snarled, glaring at Xavier from behind his hiding place with ferocious and menacing draconic eyes.
When Xavier realized the fearsome dragon had discovered him, he shouted at the top of his lungs, fell to the floor, and crawled away in fear.
Xavier hid his face, shivering with horror. However, upon seeing Xavier's reaction, the dragon burst out laughing.
"You don't have to worry, child, I won't eat you," the dragon said.
"Humans aren't my favorite snack, to begin with," the dragon added amusingly.
Surprised that the dragon could speak, Xavier cautiously removed his hand to examine the dragon's appearance.
Xavier was utterly astonished as he peered at the massive and majestically-divine dragon.
The enormous dragon possessed snow-white skin, extremely strong scales, and gold patterns all over its body. But it appeared to be way smaller than when Xavier first encountered it.
It had six heavenly, magnificent wings that were attached to its extraordinarily muscular body.
Its tail was as long as a sequoia tree. With its razor-sharp long horns, which stretched out and curved in. Its second pair of razor-sharp horns, which were much smaller, followed the same pattern.
However, the dragon appeared injured, with numerous terrible scars on its body.
Xavier was completely taken by the dragon's stunning golden sky-like eyes, which radiated like the sun.
"Who are you?" Xavier inquired, speechless.
"And where am I?" Xavier continued.
The Dragon, seeing how mesmerized and in awe Xavier was by its magnificent and divine-like appearance, grinned and replied, "I am the mighty, Dragon King Alcmena.".
"The King of the Dragons; the Grand Herrscher of the Cosmic Realms; the Patriarch of Kings; and the Prince of Stars," the dragon declared proudly and confidently.
Xavier stared there, absolutely perplexed, wondering how such a beautiful and mighty creature could exist.
He never imagined dragons could be so beautiful, despite their reputation as havoc and devastating monsters.
Dragon King Alcmena, observing that Xavier's wounds had reopened, tenderly took him in his hand and began slowly healing his wounds.
"Your battle against that intermediate-level varmint was quite challenging, wasn't it?", Dragon King Alcmena smiled as he said.
And Xavier said, "Yeah!"
"I thought I'd die."
Dragon King Alcmena chuckled and remarked, "Well, you're quite lucky that I was there to save you in time.".
"Because you began to show symptoms of having the Black Death," he continued.
"The Black Death?" "What is that?" Xavier questioned, perplexed.
Dragon King Alcmena responded, "The Black Death is a virus that is contracted when coming into contact with a varmint."
"But luckily for you, you were only in the early stages, and I was able to remove it from your system and ethereal core.".
Xavier smiled and bowed his head in appreciation, saying, "Thank you very much, Sir Dragon King.".
Embarrassed, Dragon King Alcmena told Xavier that he preferred to be addressed as King Alcmena. Xavier shook his head in compliance, now addressing him as King Alcmena.
Dragon King Alcmena then began to walk back to the main portion of the massive underground cave, before flying out through a large fracture in the cave's ceiling.
Xavier grabbed on for dear life as King Alcmena sailed high into the stratosphere, stopping to give Xavier a breathtaking perspective of their surroundings.
"You asked me where you were, so I showed you exactly where you were," Dragon King Alcmena explained, still holding Xavier in his left hand.
Xavier's hair flowed in the breeze as he admired the beauty of the magnificent forest they were in.
The sun's rays were brighter than ever, and the heavens and stars were much more stunning than those seen on Earth.
Dragon King Alcmena, sensing Xavier's excitement, informed him that they were currently in a reality he had constructed that was independent of the Realm of the Humans.
Xavier was in amazement at King Alcmena's ability to construct such a lovely realm complete with a wide variety of fantasy-like creatures.
Dragon King Alcmena took Xavier back to the cave, encouraging him to rest.
But Xavier refused, insisting that he was fine and did not need to sleep.
Dragon King Alcmena sighed as Xavier disobeyed his instructions for his well-being.
Xavier, still unwilling to sleep, spotted more carvings on the cave walls and inquired, "King Alcmena, what are those carvings?"
King Alcmena stated to Xavier that he made those engravings to remind himself of the stories he had witnessed.
Surprised and astonished that King Alcmena could draw as well as his best friend Jupiter, Xavier pointed to a carving of a warrior lugging a brimming sword, accompanied by his comrades.
King Alcmena grinned and asked Xavier, "Xavier, have you ever wondered why I live in such an isolated place like this?"
"No", Xavier responded.
"Not since you mentioned it," he continued.
King Alcmena responded, "Well, that's because this world contains the most powerful weapon ever created."
"And that weapon is the Legendary Blade of Excalibur".
Surprised by the revelation, Xavier eagerly inquired about the Legendary Blade of Excalibur.
According to King Alcmena, Ulfberht, the Father of Blades, a legendary blacksmith who created all other ethereal instruments to exist, is the one who forged the legendary blade.
As Xavier sat stunned, King Alcmena went on to explain that the Legendary Blade of Excalibur was created in response to many cries heard by Origin, the One Above All.
Origin had granted Ulfberht a piece of His powers and told him to create a weapon from the Dragon God Eldora's last bones.
So He could give the mortals a blade to help them fight against the varmints.
But there was a major issue, the Blade of Excalibur couldn't be wielded for thousands to millions of years since its powers were too immense for mortals to possess.
Until many millennia ago, the blade had chosen a worthy master to wield it, who was Saint Sebastian Akintola, the Legendary Hero.
Who utilized the Blade of Excalibur not only to kill and defeat Emporer Julius, the Harbinger of Havoc, but also to fully eliminate the varmints from the mortal worlds forever.
"That's incredible!" Xavier said in amazement.
King Alcmena smiled and said, "I know, right!"
Regaining his composure, King Alcmena revealed that he was in this isolated world, because Origin had tasked him with guarding and protecting Excalibur after Saint Sebastian Akintola died from injuries sustained during his great battle against Emperor Julius and the varmints.
And that's why varmints haven't appeared for many years, until now.
Xavier was captivated by the story King Alcmena had told him, as well as the fact that he was now in the world where the Legendary Blade of Excalibur was guarded.
"King Alcmena," Xavier said.
"Yeah? King Alcmena responded, "What's wrong, Xavier?".
"Why were you chosen to be the guardian of the Blade of Excalibur?" Xavier inquired.
King Alcmena smiled and replied, "Well, that's because I am the son of the Supreme Being of Dragons and Beasts, the Dragon God Eldora."
"Wait, you're the son of the Dragon God Eldora?" Xavier asked, bewildered.
And King Alcmena responded, "Yes.".
"I am the son of Eldora D. Regaliath.".
"Prince Alcmena D. Regaliath," King Alcmena added.
Xavier's jaw dropped at the revelation, prompting King Alcmena to chuckle in amusement at Xavier's reaction.
King Alcmena, wiping away tears of laughter, explained to Xavier that his father, Dragon God Eldora, was the left-hand man of Origin.
Origin appointed him as the protector of the Legendary Blade of Excalibur since he is the son of the Dragon God Eldora. And because of his excellent traits and tremendous and catastrophic power, he trampled upon all of his foes.
"It must be really fun being the guardian of such a legendary weapon," Xavier exclaimed enthusiastically.
To which King Alcmena jokingly remarked, "It's quite the opposite.".
"And why is that?" Xavier said, perplexed.
"Well, that's because of how many people have challenged me, and attempted to kill me to get their hands on Excalibur," answered King Alcmena.
"That's depressing," Xavier said sympathetically.
"Yeah, and it's even more depressing when your twin brother tries to kill you for it," King Alcmena added jokingly but with sorrow in his eyes.
"Wait, you have a brother?" Xavier questioned, shocked.
King Alcmena responded, "Yes, I do.".
"But we've never had the best relationship to begin with," he added.
Xavier then wondered why King Alcmena's brother would try to kill him over a weapon.
King Alcmena revealed that his brother was always power-hungry, which caused many fights between them growing up.
King Alcmena went on to say that his brother had always desired to be the next Dragon King and Dragon God, just like their father. But their father, Eldora, was always against it because he believed they were not yet ready to be Rulers.
Eldora, unlike the other dragons, was a very loving and kind-hearted dragon who showed compassion for beings weaker than him and the other races. As a result, he consistently advised King Alcmena and his twin brother that power was not the sole requirement for leadership.
But being compassionate, loving, and caring was what established a great and powerful monarch.
"Your father sounds like a very wise being," Xavier stated, admiring.
"Yes, he was," King Alcmena replied.
"And I am proud to call myself his son," he continued.
Placing his palm on one of King Alcmena's wounds, Xavier inquired, "So these scars were caused by your brother trying to kill you?"
And King Alcmena replied, affirming, "Yes, they are.".
"We got into a fierce and intense battle against each other that shook all of creation many millennia ago.".
"Because my brother wanted the power of the Blade of Excalibur.".
"So I had no choice but to stop him before he could get his hands on Excalibur.".
"But that fight took a toll on power and strength, as I am a mere shell of what I was before," stated King Alcmena.
Xavier wondered who King Alcmena's brother could be to be able to fight equally against and severely weaken such a powerful foe as King Alcmena.
And King Alcmena took a more serious tone, saying, "My twin brother is Destoroyah D. Regaliath."
"The Dragon King of Doom and the Grand Herrscher of Destruction and Chaos".
Hearing that name, Xavier felt a rush of dread run through his body.
But King Alcmena informed Xavier that he did not have to be afraid of his brother, Destoroyah.
Because Destoroyah had gone into hiding following their great battle, to recover from the severe wounds he had sustained in their fight.
Xavier sighed a deep breath of relief, knowing that such a monster was no longer walking freely.
But King Alcmena leaned over to Xavier and informed him to be careful where he traveled.
Because if he ever ran into his brother, he would be killed instantly by the Chaos Dragon, Destoroyah.
Wherever Destoroyah, the Father of Chaos, goes, death and destruction follow.
Xavier nervously nodded as he listened to King Alcmena's warning.
King Alcmena then smiled and said, "Now relax, Xavier."
"And go get some sleep to regain your strength.".
Nodding his head in agreement, Xavier suddenly froze when he realized he had never given King Alcmena his name.
Xavier immediately turned to King Alcmena, asking how he knew his name.
King Alcmena responded with a sly smirk, "I am a Herrscher, remember."
"We are nigh-omnipotent beings.".
Xavier, completely speechless, attempted to say something, but King Alcmena softly and slowly lowered his head to the ground with his razor-sharp claws, begging him to rest already.