Xavier

Xavier’s elven mother, Dayla Xander, opened her front door one night after a gentle knock. The Solar Angel, Lashrael, stood before her and told her she had been chosen to birth one of Corellon’s Aasimar, a boy. Lashrael promised to guide her son, to shape his path in a way that would bring more balance to the solar system. She thanked Lashrael for the fortune she had been blessed with. That night Dayla went to sleep with her life feeling like a blur.

The next morning, Dayla awoke feeling a warm tingling sensation running through her body like tiny snowflakes dotting her skin. Something was indeed different. She patted herself all over, as if making sure she wasn’t in a dream. She moved through her day, unable to ignore the feeling of being more fulfilled, emotionally, spiritually, and of course, physically. Lashrael visited on occasion to ensure Dayla was well taken care of. His visits did not go unnoticed.

Due to the prophetic nature of the new Aasimar to be, the kingdom granted Dayla the deed to a large piece of land. A house was built in record time, giving her all the comforts a mother-to-be could ever want, along with servants to aid her. It quickly became very clear to Dayla that her life working as a seamstress, barely getting by, was over. She was officially a noble. Dayla was grateful to finally have time to create draperies and clothing for herself, an artistic endeavor she longed for. She started with clothes for her new son, Xavier, whom she had named a couple of months before his birth.

Xavier was born to great fanfare, dubbed “The Day of Blessing.” He grew up fast in his head, but his body took years to catch up. Lashrael visited him in his dreams, showing him the way of Good, the way to serve the Light, but also how to go on the offensive should the need arise. Young Xavier was a good student, but he was also mischievous.

He attended school with the other elves and even a couple of humans, gnomes or halflings here and there. He took classes of nobility, learning how to be proper when needed. His silver skin and glowing blue eyes attracted more attention than he was comfortable with. The dark blue hair didn’t help either. Boys teased him here and there, and he dealt with them as needed. But the girls didn’t seem to mind his unique features. All through the years, the studies in Xavier’s dreams kept him mostly out of any real trouble, satisfying Lashrael.

Soon after Xavier hit adulthood, he promised his mom he’d visit every couple of years and then left his home world of Yral to venture out. After several tests and trials over six months, he accepted an offer to work on a transport ship, a career Lashrael had asked of him. He was given a dark gray uniform, and a device was implanted behind his ear that allowed him to communicate with the crew, a technology he had never seen. “The humans have some impressive equipment,” one of the crew members told Xavier when he asked how it worked.

Xavier showed a genuine interest in the ship, mesmerized by its power and mechanics. Its name was Venture. His first job was to watch the cargo, make sure it was accounted for, wasn’t tampered with, and the inventory was up to date. Simply put, he was a spaceship warehouse manager. And not all of the exchanges were clean ones. At times fights broke out, or the ship would be hit by a missile while trying to flee pirates. At one such delivery, a fight broke out and one of the ship’s crew was killed. It was the first time Xavier had ever seen magic or a Tiefling. Since then, thoughts of magic consumed him on a daily basis. When asked, Lashrael promised him the gift of magic when the time was right.

Xavier was promoted to the bridge to replace the fallen crew member. He learned how to operate and read the scanners that searched space as his first duty. A couple of years after that, he was shown how to navigate and then ended up working the off-shift as the ship’s navigator slept.

A week after Xavier’s promotion, Adreil Soulguard, an Air Genasi, was hired onto the ship to take over the loading dock duties. Xavier trained him on how to run things and Adreil taught Xavier how to play poker, a game they practiced a lot. With one of them half-genie and the other half-angel, they found a lot of similarities in the challenges of growing up. They became great friends over the next year.

A few years after Adreil joined Venture, the ship’s captain, a human named Tilar, approached Xavier. Tilar told him about a secretive group of people who were working to balance the solar system, a phrase Xavier knew all too well after occasional reminders of the balance for which he was destined. Tilar offered to get him into the organization, where his talent for learning and fighting would be better put to use. Xavier didn’t accept right away; he was quite happy where he was, learning about ships and space travel. He went to Adreil to tell him the news and was surprised to hear Adreil had been approached too. Adreil convinced him to take the offer, telling him that life only in space was no life at all and that they would be able to spend time on different planets and make a real difference.

Xavier accepted, apprehensive but happy to have a fresh outlook with a great friend. A month later, the two of them stepped into a well-secluded spaceport. Xavier and Adreil were assessed and immediately placed into an undercover position. They were told to seek out an artifact called the Phasing Stone on a planet named Cardia. No one knew where the artifact was on the tiny planet, and they didn’t even know what it looked like. The only way to get onto the planet was to join Those of Justice, the security sect that kept the locals at bay while the Founders extracted resources against their will. Not many in the solar system liked the Founders, the part of humanity taking planets against the will of their people. So hearing that they had an outpost on Cardia unsettled everyone.

A week later, Xavier was taken aside and had an update installed into his earpiece.

“What is this?” Xavier asked.

“It’s an AI. I am told it is extremely advanced. You have people out there who seem to think you’re the answer to all this.”

“All what?”

“You’re about to find out, kid.” He handed Xavier some javelins, armor and a few other items. “Good luck.”

Xavier and Adreil were placed on a ship that flew them through space, where they were processed and taken to an empty holding room.

“Xavier?”

Xavier jumped up at the sound of his name in his ear. “Hello?”

Adreil looked at him curiously, his eyes squinting. “Who are you talking to?”

“Hello, Adreil,” the AI voice said, sounding gentle and smooth.

Adreil jumped as he covered his ear. “Who is that?”

“I am Aria, and I will be your guide.”

Seconds later, Xavier and Adreil passed out. While asleep, Lashrael entered Xavier’s dream to tell him that Xavier had finally earned the use of magic, something he sought to achieve ever since that fateful encounter with the Tiefling on Venture. “You will awaken as a Paladin in service of Corellon,” Lashrael said. “Your path from here on will be up to you. And I will continue to do all I can to guide you.”

A day later, Xavier and Adreil mysteriously woke up in a cell, not remembering how they got there or where they were.

And this is where our story begins…