SWNOVELXO CHAPTER 99 - Training And Realizations.
The early morning sun painted the garden in front of Alex's mansion with soft golden hues as Alex stood with his legs in the air, balanced effortlessly on a single finger, his body steady despite the amplified gravity he had set around him. His thoughts wandered to Vanessa, who lay asleep in his room.
Alex had made it look like he didn't think much about Vanessa's presence in her room and that he wasn't worried before, as he was sure that Vanessa must've already sensed his presence when he woke up.
Alex was sure that she was awake at that time, trying to see his reactions, so he didn't show much worry and just left to train.
Now, however, when he was alone, he had all the time he could, so he pondered about it.
'She seemed tired', he mused, recalling how her body remained tense even in slumber. 'And she was in pain,' he frowned, remembering how she trembled under the weight of the blanket. 'Then she was cold as well.' He frowned, replaying the moment she instinctively clutched the blanket to absorb its warmth.
Switching to his other hand, Alex transitioned into inverted pushups, his movements fluid despite the increased strain. "She's either training too hard," he muttered under his breath, "or she had a fight with someone."
His frown deepened as he considered the latter. Based on her condition, he concluded it wasn't a life-or-death battle. There were no signs of blood on her clothes, nor did he detect its scent—a detail his heightened senses would've easily picked up thanks to his powerful bloodline.
Alex's sense of smell was so sharp that even if Vanessa had been in an area with a little bit of blood, he could tell that, but that didn't seem to be the case as there was no lingering scent of it on her.
Meaning: She didn't kill anyone.
"Even if I consider the possibility of her killing the opponent from very far—so much that the scent of blood didn't reach her, then why is she in pain?" He pondered.
There was only one way to justify her injury...
'She was definitely struck by something...' Alex concluded as he recalled how there were no slash marks on Vanessa's clothes. Her opponent was, for sure, using a blunt weapon—likely a large hammer or something like that. Only those types of weapons could cause the type of damage Vanessa had.
As his thoughts churned, Alex increased the gravity around him to six times its normal force. His muscles strained visibly as he quickly corrected his posture.
Now standing straight, Alex summoned Verathian from his storage space. It was in the form of a black sphere, but as Alex willed for it, Verathian started to morph.
'The only conclusion I can come to is that Mother fought with someone who was stronger than her, equal, or just a bit weaker than her in strength,' Alex deduced as Verathian, now in the form of a sleek sword, shimmered under the soft light beams of the sun.
'But from what I know, she isn't the type to engage in friendly duels,' he frowned as he wondered the reason for the battle as he swung Verathian in precise arcs, imagining an opponent wielding a blunt weapon. Each strike was calculated and designed to deflect and redirect attacks.
With every imagined impact, he increased the gravity on Verathian, forcing himself to adapt to the added weight. The garden bore evidence of his rigorous training, small craters dotting the ground where he had practiced deflections.
Alex ran several simulations, sweat dripping down his brow. He imagined the opponent being a bit weaker—someone he defeated in a single strike. Then someone with equal strength, but the result was still the same.
As he tried the stronger variation, he faced a bit of difficulty, but in the end, being unable to imagine a very skilled opponent, he won, making him sigh.
After several minutes, Alex stopped, his breath steadying as he took stock of his thoughts, ignoring the fact that the garden, which had been turned around by him, was getting mended—all thanks to Originveil City's autohealing function, which although slow, was still very effective.
Vanessa was stronger and more skilled than him—Alex was sure of it. So, even if he took into account that maybe her opponent was very skilled, he still couldn't see her getting hurt.
'So why was she hurt?' Making him frown.
[What if your mother was the one on the offense?]
It was then that Sophie's voice echoed in his mind, breaking his concentration.
Sophie wasn't a skilled fighter, but she could still see that in all the stimulations Alex went through, he had mostly stayed on the defensive and never on the offensive, so she spoke up, but her suggestion froze Alex momentarily before realization struck. 'That's possible,' he thought, adjusting his perspective.
He replayed the battle in his head, imagining Vanessa attacking. If the opponent was highly skilled while wielding a big blunt weapon, it made sense that Vanessa might take a hit while pressing the offense.
"This changes everything," Alex muttered, his gaze sharpening. 'If there are people capable of harming Mother—who's said to be the strongest character of the novel—then either the plot of the novel has diverged completely, or such individuals always existed but were never revealed.'
This possibility worried Alex. It forced him to reevaluate his plans and strategies. His mind churned with adjustments, but one thought still nagged at him: What could have pushed Mother to attack someone?
He knew Vanessa's actions were rarely without reason. Both he and Sophie considered the possibilities, but none seemed to fit. The only times Vanessa acted so aggressively were when Alex or Mira were in danger—but both of them were perfectly safe.
What he didn't know was that it was precisely because Vanessa had judged Alex to be in danger—a danger which he wouldn't be able to overcome right now—that she had interfered. He didn't know that all of this had started right in this room yesterday night when an unknown woman—someone who had been keeping an eye on him since the election competition—entered his room.
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'So, what could it be—' Oblivious to all that, he continued to force his mind, only to have his thoughts interrupted by the sound of footsteps.
Step-Step-Step
He turned to see Mira approaching from the mansion, her blue-and-white dress fluttering in the breeze along with her cream-colored hair. There was a strange glint passing through her blue eyes as she saw Alex.
"Is it time already?" Alex muttered in surprise, failing to notice how much time had passed, only now noticing the sun going higher. He quickly deactivated the gravity multiplier so as not to harm her, and Mira, who heard his mutter, thinking that it was a question for her, nodded in response.
She stood before him, her face as blank and emotionless as ever. But Alex noticed her body fidgeting slightly as he fiddled with the helm of her dress, betraying her nervousness. He couldn't help but chuckle inwardly, guessing the reason.
"You look beautiful," he said with a warm smile.
Mira lowered her head, a small sense of relief washing over her. It was their first date, and for the first time, Mira—who had never felt anything due to her special physique—found herself nervous. Alex's words eased her anxiety, her fidgeting ceasing as she stood more confidently.
"I'll be back in a jiffy," Alex said, noticing her newfound composure. He headed back inside to check on Vanessa, clean up, and change into something presentable.
But as he walked away, he failed to notice Mira's gaze lingering on him. Her eyes fixed on the sweat-soaked shirt clinging to his toned muscles, the outline of his physique clearly visible.
A small blush crept onto her cheeks, the unfamiliar sensation of attraction stirring within her.