Xander approached the table, a kind smile on his face.  "Akachi, Josh. Good to see you back from your mission."  Spotting Hisato, he stopped short and massaged his temples. "What went wrong?"

By the time Akachi finished retelling the events, Xander had taken a seat beside Josh, leaning back against the table to watch the stars come to life.

"Living through an ogre encounter without losing a limb? I've gotta say, I'm impressed," Hisato said. He'd finished healing Josh halfway through the tale but stuck around. His eyes gleamed with excitement the entire time.

"Thanks, though can't say I want to try it again," Josh said. He flexed his muscles. Hisato had rid him of the pain, but it remained fresh enough in Josh's mind to make him shudder.

"Joshua." Xander's hard tone cut through Hisato's cheerful atmosphere.

Josh averted his eyes. Akachi had been understanding about the situation, but what about Xander? Unlike Cale, Xander could do more than just scold him. "Yeah?"

"Did it seem like the Phoenix Dragon already knew you'd be there?" Xander asked.

"Oh." Josh shifted through his memory. His present thoughts tried to tug him from the past. He didn't know why Xander would ask such a question, but it left a heavy ball in the pit of his stomach. "It seems like she had the ogre ready to attack us, but it surprised her that I knew she was possessing the woman."

Tension lifted from Xander's shoulders, even if only a little. "Good, good. She knew Paladins would be there, but not which ones then. There's that, at least..." He stared up at the sky for a moment before finally tearing his gaze away. "Akachi, could you please ask the cooks to set aside a plate for me? I need to do some research in my office." 

"Would you prefer I bring the food to you?" Akachi asked.

Xander hesitated, a hand drifting toward his stomach. "If that's what you want to do, but don't feel you must." With that said, Xander walked away, the weight of the new information hanging from him.

Josh stared down at his clenched hands. One of these days, he'd stop being part of reports that brought more bad than good. Perhaps that same day he would stop running into possessed people.

Possessed people like Darren. He swallowed back a sigh as that subject rushed to the surface of his mind again. More guilt, just what he wanted before dinner.

As if the thought summoned them, the kitchen staff began to trickle out from the kitchen, carrying plates, silverware, and food platters with them.

"I'm going to assist them," Akachi said. He squeezed Josh's shoulder. "Get some food and then go rest. You still have classes to get back to tomorrow."

"And I'm sure you're not going to cut me any slack," Josh guessed.

That got him a small smile. "Like I said, get your rest."

"I'll join you soon," Hisato called to Akachi's retreating form. "I want to ask Josh a question about our own lessons tomorrow."

Akachi gave a simple, small wave to show he heard.

Josh leaned against the table and turned a tilted head to Hisato. "What do you need to know?"

Hisato's tone had been light when speaking to Akachi, so when he turned to Josh with concern in his eyes, Josh was taken aback.

"I'm sorry, but when I take control of someone else energy, I can't help but get a feel of it. Our energy reflects a lot about us. When we're happy, it's alive and vibrant. However, when we're troubled..."

Josh winced and averted his eyes. "I'm guessing it shows that as well?"

"You don't have to talk to me," Hisato continued. "But if something is wrong and you want to talk..."

Josh watched as the kitchen staff brought in cups and strawberry lemonade. It called to him, offering to rid him of the dryness in his throat. He gulped, but that didn't help much.

Just talk to him, Boomer nudged. You feeling like this sucks.

Gee, thanks for the support. Josh rubbed his face, then dropped his hands in front of him.

Stop being such a sourberry. You know how I meant it.

A what? Josh asked. I've never even heard of that.

Of course not, Boomer said, pride in his voice. Because sourberries never do until they find out they're a sourberry.

Josh snorted and shook his head. Fine, if it'll make me not a sourberry, I'll—

"Well," Hisato said, his smile evident in his voice, "if you want to keep talking to Boomer, I can let you be."

"Wait." Josh held out a hand, stopping his magic teacher before he could stand. "If..." His throat tightened around a ball of words trying to crawl back down. He swallowed hard. "If I might have done something really bad, but I meant to do the right thing..."

"Oh," Hisato said when Josh didn't pick back up right away. "Oh. I thought this would be from almost dying, but this is about the mistake with the woman."

Well, not what he meant, but a similar enough concept. Josh nodded.

Hisato considered, bobbing his head back and forth. "We don't always know everything going into a situation. That's how life works. All we can go in with is our intentions and our view of the situation. But," he stressed, "if we learn that our view of the situation is wrong, it doesn't mean our intentions were. You wanted to save a woman. Would your intention have changed if you knew she was possessed?"

"Of course not," Josh said instantly. "I may have acted differently, but the woman being possessed still needed help."

"Exactly." Hisato smiled. He slung a leg over the seat, letting him face Josh fully. "And although intentions don't always make us right, we learn from the times we were wrong so that we can better get our intentions and situational view to line up. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, it does." It sounded a lot like what Akachi had said before, but Hisato added another piece of the puzzle. Situational view. Nothing about his intentions had needed to change.

Before he could figure out how that worked with Darren, a familiar voice called, "Josh!"

His mom and dad approached with Eli. Others had made their way into the courtyard and found seats at other tables. Josh had been so caught up talking to Hisato that he hadn't noticed.

His mom, who had been the one to call out to him, examined him up and down. "Why didn't you tell us you were back?" Although her smile was genuine, a hint of suspicion brought her eyebrows together as she glanced at Hisato.

"They just finished giving Xander their report," Hisato said. He stood up, beaming at Josh's family. "I hung back for a bit to congratulate Josh on a successful first mission." With a wink, he patted Josh on the shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow, and don't forget to get your rest."

Josh smiled back. "Thanks, Hisato." For the advice and helping him escape a scolding from his mom. He'd almost race back to face a hoard of ogres to avoid that.

So, you're just going to lie to your parents? Boomer asked.

I just would like not to be grounded from going on missions until I'm sixty, Josh replied.

But you can't even fly—

His dad hooked a thumb in the food's direction. "How about we go fill our plates, and then you can tell us all about your mission?"

"Sure," Josh said.  

He spent the couple minutes it took to get back to the table explaining the concept of being grounded to Boomer—So one could be grounded from flying?—then retelling the events of the mission to his family while they ate. It got trickier when he arrived at the possessed woman, but he managed to dance around his own involvement there. In his iteration, Cale and Akachi finished off the other orcs before the one got away that chased the woman to an ogre trap.

Drawing to a close, he struggled not to wince. That probably would have been the outcome if Josh had just spoken up. His blunder could have been easily avoided.

No. There was no use going down that thought process. He needed to remember what Hisato said about situational view. He hadn't known at the time what he knew now. He released a quiet, long breath before the guilt could fester.

"Seems like a fun mission," his dad said at the same time his mom said, "Sounds pretty dangerous."

His mom shot his dad a dry stare. He smiled sheepishly in return.

"So how was your weekend?" Josh asked before either could remark further. "A lot less wet than mine, I'm sure."

"Pretty peaceful," his dad said. "Me and your mom didn't have work today, and Eli's been reading a book for school."

"It's lame," Eli grumbled as he stabbed his half-eaten chicken. "I have to read twice as much because everyone else is on the second book already."

"That sucks," Josh said.

It may not have been so bad if Eli had gone to school on the Sanctuary like most children his age there, but his mom had insisted he go to a normal school, so he'd started attending the one in a town where she took up a position as a nurse. They'd use a portal from Jodas in the morning and then return whenever they were done. His dad, on the other hand, had chosen to help out wherever the Sanctuary needed it.

"Tell me about it." Eli stabbed his food again before pushing it around on the plate.

He remained like that for the rest of dinner, despite multiple attempts by Josh and his parents to nudge him out of his grumpy state. It wasn't until a few hours after they'd returned to their room that he broke out of it.

Josh picked up his chain mail and weapons from the mission. "I know it's a bit late, but I'm going to return this to the armory and see Boomer for a bit."

"Okay, just don't fall asleep there again," his mom said.

"Pft, that's only happened twice."

"Four times," his dad corrected.

"Prove it," Josh challenged.

"You said see Boomer, right?" Eli perked up from his spot on the couch. A book lay in his lap. "Didn't you promise we could see him when you got back?"

Josh grimaced. He had promised that, but it was a promise made before he had something to talk to Boomer about. "How about tomorrow?" he said. "If you went with me today, it would be too dark to play."

"Oh." Eli might as well have been a balloon that Josh made into a pincushion with how quickly he deflated.

His mom walked over and ran her hands through his hair. "You need to read more before bed anyway, sweetie. The sooner you get the book done, the better," she said.

Josh studied the book in Eli's lap. The art on it looked familiar. He tilted his head, searching for the title. "Ah!" he said once he found it. "That's the book about a brother and sister who go around solving magical neighborhood crimes, right?"

Eli looked down at the book, as if trying to judge if the cover could have told Josh that much. "Yeah. How'd you know?"

"I read a lot of that series one year because I wanted my class to win a pizza party. Which," he added smugly, "we did win. How about when I get back, I tell you what happened in the first book so you can skip it?"

"Really? You can do that?" Eli sat up straight again, a large grin on his face.

Josh laughed. "Yeah, as long as it's okay with Mom."

Eli turned his hopeful eyes to their mom. Josh expected to receive a glare for offering to help Eli skip out on work, but when he turned to her, she smiled softly at him.

"Just this once," she said, voice stern despite her gentle expression. "But you're reading the second book on your own, and you're starting it tonight. Got it?"

"Awesome!" Eli said, pumping his fists and setting the book aside. Quite the shame, too, because it was one of the few series Josh liked as a kid. Maybe it would be better when Eli wasn't trying to speed-read it.

With a promise to be back soon, Josh left, first depositing his sword, shield, and chainmail at the armory, and then heading for the Sanctum. He had a very important discussion to have with his dragon.

Fun Fact: The story Eli is reading is actually based on an idea I've had before XD Left out the part about the brother and sister also being a wizard and witch though.

Josh may not always be the best brother, but at least he seems to be trying more.  One step at a time, eh?  Also, Josh's energy be messed up.  Hisato may have helped him get all of his internal stuff solved... But also maybe not :D

Let me know your thoughts on the chapter down below, and if you enjoyed it, don't forget to vote and comment! I also have a discord open to anyone who wants to join, and we have a section there to discuss the book :D It's in my bio if you'd like to join!