BloodStar

Chapter 12: Departure

Xenia had once again arrived at the White House. She arrived via Ferrari with Mr. Jenkins chauffeuring her around per usual. Nero stayed behind at the Hotel preparing for their departure.

She strolled into the White House and underwent the familiar security measures. She was then escorted to the Oval Office of the President.

The room was filled with lawmakers and journalists ready for the momentous occasion, the signing of the United States-BloodStar Empire Treaty.

She walked in, and she immediately drew the attention of the entire room. She wore a red and blue cocktail dress with white boots bearing the colors of the nation she sought partnership with, and her brilliant smile radiated across the room.

The President stood up from behind his desk and walked over to greet her, “Princess BloodStar, I quite literally owe my life to you, and I will never be able to thank you enough for what you have done for both me personally and our nation.”

Xenia curtsied and then said, “That is what allies do. They help each other out. In fact, that is what great allies do. They help each other out when no one else can.”

She smiled and said, “And that is why, on behalf of my Empire, we are so keen to partner with the United States. A country that understands what it means to be allies. Lest we forget that you are the first, and as of now, the only nation to welcome me to their lands.”

The President nodded his head and said, “You are quite right! Great allies indeed! Now let’s sign this treaty.”

The two walked behind the presidential desk and sequentially signed the cover page of the treaty. They then posed with other lawmakers in front of the signed treaty for a photo-op with the photographers present.

She then turned to the President and said, “President Calvin Monroe. You and your country have been such graceful hosts on my visit. So graceful in fact that I am saddened that I must depart today back to my country.”

President Monroe nodded saying, “Our lands will be a little less radiant when your energy and smile leave us.”

She reached for a briefcase she had brought along with her and said, “I hope that I may leave a gift to remind you of my presence. In particular, I would like to leave this gift to Senator Davis who has gone to great lengths to make me feel at home in my first trip to a foreign country.”

President Monroe motioned for Senator Davis to come to the front of the gathering and then turned to Xenia and said, “Why of course you may. It would be our honor.”

Journalists and photographers gathered around as Xenia took the spotlight. Something she had come quite accustomed to since arriving.

She began, “Senator Davis spent many nights making this trip possible. He coordinated with my people for months and shredded the red tape surrounding the idea that the Princess of the BloodStar Empire is never welcome on any foreign soil, an idea that has become uniform throughout the world in today’s age. Not only did he overcome that hurdle at great risk to himself and his career, but he then also arranged the logistics of my stay here making me feel right at home the entire time. He has done so well, in fact, that I am sorrowful to leave. For his hard work, determination, perseverance, and kind heart, I gift him this…”

Xenia unlocked the briefcase as the latches flipped up simultaneously. She then opened it slowly. As she raised the lid, a glowing red aura filled the room. The entire room buzzed with curiosity as she reached in to grab the item.

Everyone in the room, save for Senator Davis, had their minds racing as to what she might be gifting. Until finally, she removed the object from the briefcase and lifted it up.

She raised the item up and out of the briefcase outstretching her arms for the entire room to see. In her hands, she held what looked like a blood red raw geode crystal with uneven and asymmetric projections of crystalline polygons extending from a central core. The crowd was confused as to what it was but also knew it must hold great value.

Xenia then continued, “This… is a BloodStone. It is quite literally a piece of me. I have imbued this stone with my ki. The energy and concentration needed to achieve such a feat with a complex and fragile ki such as my own is no easy undertaking, and as such, the amount I could imbue is limited. However, the energy within this stone holds enough of my healing ki to perform 3 full healing spells.”

The crowd began to buzz with awe and excitement. She motioned for Senator Davis to approach to receive the stone. He smiled as she greeted him, and she said, “Arthur, might I just call you Arthur?”

He nodded saying, “Yes, please. We are certainly on a first name basis after all of this.”

She smiled and said, “Arthur, I give to you this BloodStone from the BloodStar Empire. Use it wisely. I leave it in your capable hands, so that you may help your country in my absence when the time comes.”

Arthur outstretched his hands as he received the geode crystalline stone from Xenia, and he cupped it gently. He then turned to the crowd which flashed with photography as he said, “This stone may yet be just as important as the treaty signed here today. I promise to the American people to use this stone for the good of others just as Princess BloodStar would if she were always here. In her absence, this stone will be guarded and treasured by our nation to be used only in emergency situations. May it also stand as a symbol of the great alliance formed here today between our two countries.”

The crowd cheered as Xenia and Arthur posed with the stone for another photo-op. This day was now solidly cemented in history.

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No more than an hour later, Xenia had arrived at the airstrip with her enormous private jet awaiting her. Mr. Jenkins bid her ado and thanked her for the opportunity to chauffeur her around in such a magnificent machine.

Nero and her servants were already aboard along with all of their items from the Hotel. As she walked from the car to the plane, a veritable sea of people screamed and waved at her. The crowd for her departure was well over 10 times the size compared to the crowd for her arrival. Thousands and thousands of people had come to see her off.

She waved and blew kisses. She stopped to sign autographs. She took pictures with little kids. She even stopped to speak with a mother and her disabled child. She knelt to the ground to speak with the child at eye-level as he sat in his wheelchair. The child could not speak and had deformed limbs; however, the child and Xenia shared a precious embrace.

Xenia asked the mother, “What ails your child?”

The mother responded, “I do not know. From birth, he has had numerous chromosomal breakage events. His condition continues to decline due to his unstable chromosomes. He is expected to pass within a few months.” The mother then bowed her head and said, “This is not a plea to heal him though. You have done enough.”

Xenia didn’t answer. She knelt down and said to the boy, “May I have one more hug before I board my plane?”

The boy gave a smile and made a noise of excitement as he rushed back into her arms. With her arms embraced around him, she shed a tear as her hands turned bright white. Her healing ki slowly entered the boy’s body correcting all chromosomal aberrations including the mutation responsible for chromosomal instability.

The mother cupped her hands over her mouth and screamed with joy. She knew exactly what was happening. Xenia then helped the child stand from his wheelchair, and she said, “Now go give your Mom a big hug.”

The child ran to his Mom yelling, “Momma! Momma! I can walk again!” The mom and son hugged each other tightly knowing their lives had just been blessed.

Xenia then began to ascend the staircase to her plane. She turned around with a teary eye and waved goodbye to all of her admirers before disappearing into the plane. Only moments later, the plane had departed with its course due west to the BloodStar Empire.

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