I Became The Pope, Now What?

The worst feeling in the world was seeing your loved ones grow old. Even worse was knowing that while they wrinkle, you remained the same.

Sylvester didn't do anything but build the massive tomb castle and spend time with Xavia and his friends. Spending time teaching his adopted daughters. Helping Ella with her science projects, helping Xylena train her reality-altering, dimension-manipulating powers.

He gave a little extra attention to Xylena. She needed it. She saved him from that infinite void. Her powers could change the world. But they were also utterly dangerous, for Sol wasn't the only habitable planet in all of existence.

There were others out there that Sylvester was aware of. Worlds far more ruthless, advanced, and powerful than Sol.

Eighty years had gone by, over a hundred since Sylvester was born. He woke up on the right side of the bed, as he had done for decades. The sun was bright outside the window, his residence the same all those years—the top floor home in the Bright Mother Housing.

In a rare sight, Miraj wasn't sleeping on top of his chest or face for once. He was sitting on the windowsill, looking out at the sunrise, letting out sniffles every now and then.

"Don't cry, Chonky. Try to cherish these last few moments with her." Sylvester said and walked over to Miraj, and caressed his white fur. "It's not the last time we get to see her. I promise."

"But…" Miraj choked and jumped onto Sylvester's shoulder. "But I don't want her to go. Can't you stop it?"

"I could, sure. But the fallout would bring death and ruin somewhere far off, in ways you can't even picture. Even this body of mine has its end coming," Sylvester said, stepping out of his room. "It's not easy to grasp, Chonky. Everything in nature—it's got a start and an ending."

Knock! Knock!

Sylvester opened the door to the house and let the crowd walk inside. There weren't a lot of them. Felix, Gabriel, Aurora, Isabella, Ella, Amy, King Rathagun, and a few more. They were the closest people in Xavia's life.

"I'll check her." Sylvester stopped them in the living area and walked to Xavia's bedroom with just Chonky in tow. Before opening the door, he took a deep breath, a habit since he had no internal organs.

Creak!

He pushed open the door and looked inside. It was bright, the window curtains had been spread wide, and the glass was left open. He turned his head and saw Xavia sitting beside the dressing table, wearing her Bright Mother robes as she combed her hair.

She looked not a single day over thirty, the age at which Sylvester had frozen her body, but it didn't change her fate. It allowed Xavia to live a happy, painless, and energetic life, all the while knowing her day would come nonetheless.

"Don't just stand there, Max."

He may be a god, but to his mother, he was just Max, and to him, she was the only mother he'd ever known. He was prepared, and logically, the moment shouldn't affect him. He was above all those things.

But they did. Seeing Xavia's face, that smile, his nonexistent heart shook. He felt like a human again for once.

"We have one hour, Mum," Sylvester said and walked behind her. He took the comb from her hand and worked on her red hair himself, gently smoothing it before finally making a single thick braid. "They're all waiting outside."

A moment of silence fell between them. Xavia put on some gentle perfume and got up. She walked back to her bed and lay down flat on her back.

Sylvester put the quilt over her legs and added some pillows behind her back so she could sit comfortably and look at everyone while talking.

"Big Mum!" Miraj meowed right then and landed on Xavia's legs. "I sit here."

"Of course, Lord Chonky." Xavia caressed the white fur with love, still smiling. "Let them in. I'm ready."

Sylvester opened the door and let in all the visitors. By then, the girls had tears in their eyes. Ella and Amy rushed in and hugged Xavia quickly, weeping. Aurora was more used to it; the experience of loss was nothing new to her. But still, her eyes seemed a little hazy.

"I'll miss you."

"Me too!"

Sylvester stood back and let them say their last goodbyes to Xavia. And as expected, Felix and Gabriel also joined him on each side.

"I'll miss her terribly," Felix said, arms crossed as he gazed at the bed. "And she always fed us like pigs—Never really saw her as a stranger."

"She never let us," Gabriel added from the other side of Sylvester. "We sure made her worried too many times. Sylvester off brawling with some Bloodling, or stumbling into a fight he had no business winning."

Sylvester smiled, reminiscing about the old days. They felt insignificant now, but the memories were everything to him. "We did make her worry a lot. But we were the lucky ones. Not all of us made it this far."

Felix and Gabriel instantly remembered the fourth one they had lost so early in their life. Markus, they hadn't forgotten him, never would.

"I suppose I'll join Mother Xavia and Markus soon," said Gabriel. "I'm just a Master Wizard and a diamond Knight. Look at my face, I'm already starting to wrinkle."

Compared to him, Sylvester and Felix were as if still in their late twenties, young, rugged, powerful.

"How is Markus' family?" Felix changed the topic right then. "Last I heard, they'd taken root in Green City. Isabella lent them a hand in settling in."

"His mother crossed over some decades ago," Gabriel said, the light catching his eyes just so. "But his siblings are thriving. His sister's married now, has a boy of her own. I gave the little one my blessing when she and her husband came through on pilgrimage. And his brother? Gifted, already a Master Wizard."

It was perhaps the best life they could have helped Markus' family achieve. Markus joined the Church to help his family as his main goal. If Sylvester, Felix, and Gabriel had done nothing, the three would have probably died in the hunting games of their local noble.

Sylvester, as if waking up from a trance, patted his two friends on the back. "Go on, say what you need to. King Rathagun's just outside. Then I'll see her through."

Together, Felix went over and stood beside his wife, Isabella, and gave a deep head bow to Xavia. "Thank you for everything, Mother Xavia. I've called you 'Mother' for years, never quite noticing when it stopped meaning 'church title' and started feeling… well, rather fond. I'll pray for your smooth journey to the afterlife."

Getting a little emotional, Xavia rubbed her eyes and nodded. "I'm sure Solis won't discard me now."

On the other side of the bed, Gabriel, with a reflex, eyed Sylvester and smiled wryly. "Indeed, Mother Xavia, I'm sure Solis will guide you through it all. If any, you bear the most virtuous deeds amongst us all."

Xavia shook her head at those words. "Go now, you all. Gabriel, you're the Pope, you must not leave your duty. Felix, take good care of Isabella and the girls."

Taking their names, Xavia sent everyone away, aware that her time was limited. Then, she gave Sylvester a look, and right away, King Rathagun Xeek Eldaron entered the airy room. The tall, black-haired elven man hadn't aged a single day. Nor would he going forward for thousands upon thousands of years.

But the elven man had tears in his eyes. Tears which glimmered like glass under sunlight. They flowed gently through the corners of his eyes.

"Xavia…"

Xavia smiled towards the man and let him hold her hand. "You can cry?"

King Rathagun shook his head as he sat down beside her bed on the floor and nestled his forehead on Xavia's palm. He verbally made a small prayer first and then looked back at her face. "I'm not here to seek forgiveness. I deserve the hate for what I did. I should have fought harder for you."

"I forgive you," Xavia said softly, smiling. "Back then, I was young… and shattered. But time has a way of showing us grace. Losing you gave me something greater, a son who filled my world with light. I've known the love I always hoped for. That's more than enough for this life. Rathagun, don't carry guilt. Love your family. That's the path you were meant to walk. You're an Elf… and I was only ever human."

King Rathagun wept more at her words, his tears, likely magical with potent effectiveness, wasted in Xavia's hand. He stayed like that, speaking nothing, just wept for a long time, and finally stood back up.

"I don't know how long I will live, but I will never forget you, Xavia."

"Longer than me," Sylvester commented from the side. "You have a lot to accomplish, King Rathagun."

King Rathagun nodded, his eyes gently widening. For others, it was unnoticeable, but for another Supreme Wizard, it was noticeable that Sylvester had far exceeded the ceiling. He didn't clearly know what Sylvester was now, but on a core, molecular level, King Rathagun knew he was but a fly.

"Goodbye." King Rathagun said one last time and turned, closing the door as he left.

Xavia finally focused on her son and then glanced at the ticking clock. "My last hour with my son—Let me cherish this moment."

"Me too!" Miraj meowed from her lap, still crying, his snout making a mess out of the quilt.

"Of course, Lord Chonky as well." Unbothered, Xavia kept patting Miraj's head, consoling him.

By then, Sylvester walked around the bed, took off his shoes, and climbed up. He shifted closer to his mother and then rested sideways, resting his head gently on her shoulder, all the while her hand softly caressed his scalp.

"Must feel strange," Sylvester said, letting tears out of his eyes. But there were none, as there was nothing inside. Instead of tears, a strange golden hue shined in his eyes. "To know of your death in advance to the very last minute."

"No, it's comforting. I feel death isn't something to fear. Because of you, I have lived a long, healthy, fulfilling life. Wanting more would only mean I've forgotten to be grateful. And I haven't. I'm just thankful I get to go with you beside me."

Sylvester threw his other arm over her belly, where Miraaj was now. Circling both their bodies, he hugged them. "Thanks for being my mother, Mum."

Xavia smiled weakly, a soft laugh escaping her. "Thank you... for being my boy. I am scared of one thing, though. I don't want to leave you on your own. I know Lord Chonky's with you, but you two... you never think things through. Who's going to bake you those honey and banana cookies now?"

"We'll manage." He replied, for the first time in decades, feeling sadness. Sure, he was Solis, sure he knew where her soul would go. But he wouldn't be able to communicate directly with her ever again. For him to contact a soul would tear apart that soul. At best, he'll know of her existence, and she'll know of his, for who he really had become.

Her voice, her touch, her caress—He was feeling that for the last time.

For a few moments, a calming silence lingered between the mother and son. Xavia kept massaging his scalp while he hugged her.

"Max…"

"Hm?"

"Can you… sing for me once last time?"

The clicking of the clock was unmistakable. Mere minutes were left before her soul would leave her body naturally.

Sylvester nodded his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes. Immediately, that usual halo appeared behind his head, bathing the entire room in bright light and warmth.

With a flinch, Sylvester's arms hugged her tighter, and his mouth began to sing, albeit in a shaky voice.

"You slept in the dirt so I'd wake in the sky,

You broke for my wings, never asked why.

The world was a storm, and you were my shore,

I wanted for nothing, you gave even more.

"Now here at the edge, as your last breath takes flight,

I sing you to sleep in the fold of the night.

Let angels be quiet, let stars bow their flame,

There's no holier soul than the sound of your name.

"So sleep now, my mother, let go of the flame,

You gave me forever when you whispered my name."

Tick!

Tick!

The ticking of the clock finally neared its final mark.

Sylvester sat back straight on the bed, wanting to look into his mother's eyes. She wept, those blue eyes now muddled. She wept in silence and held onto his hand. In those last moments, she just wanted to see her son.

Right then, tears truly slid from Sylvester's eyes. Not water, but as if the essence of existence itself. A golden trail like molten gold trickled down his cheek. He didn't stop, wanting to show her the truth for one last time.

"But she birthed a god, she knew not,

She created me, the healing knot.

Not some wizard, not some warrior mighty,

I am Solis, I… am… the almighty."

Tick!

Tick!

In those final moments, Sylvester let her see his ultimate form. A formless being, just a void made of golden spiraling energy. Still humanoid in shape, barely. Still physical, holding Xavia's hand, as if guiding her soul.

The windows of the room cracked, and the entire earth began to shake. The mortal world wasn't made to handle his unrestrained form. But to Xavia, he wanted to show it once.

And yet, instead of disappointment, Xavia smiled brightly, as if she were always aware of it. Her grip clenched his formless hand harder, and she said her final words.

"I love you… Max… Miraj"

Tick!

Tick!

The clock on the wall continued to tick.

But the one that ruled over Xavia's life stopped in that instant.

And with that, the shivering of the Earth stopped. Sylvester regained his human body, golden tears spilling through his eyes still.

"I love you too, Mum," he whispered, and leaned closer to her lifeless body, and laid a kiss on her forehead. "Say hello to Ser Dolorem for me."

He held her body there for some time, tight in his arms.

"Big Mum?!"

"She's gone, Chonky."

Instead of throwing a tantrum, Miraj came closer and snuggled between his and Xavia's bodies, turning into a ball of fur before crying louder.

I wish I could pray for another life with you as my mum again. Pray to someone… not me.

Sylvester kept looking at her face, already missing her voice. He'd seen that moment coming countless times, but it still affected him the same. It confused him, but he didn't hate it. To feel like a human again, he cherished that last gift from Xavia.

Thank you for everything, Mum.