BXBX NOVEL Chapter 107 107 Double-Blade
Chapter 107 Chapter 107 Double-Blade
Nexus nodded- but with a faraway look in his eye.
That was how he had met the blond girl.
In the jungle, hunting a silver fox, surrounded by wild men who were clearly loyal to her.
Through the open window, dusk began to encroach. Twilight crept in slowly with a blanket of grey, snuffing out the remaining rays of sunlight, and ushering in the night on the wings of the late evening.
"She has always wished she could do more for the family. It has always been her driving force."
"But she has done what no one else could have possibly done." He raised his eyebrow; "It\'s because of Nora that you\'re healed. I seriously doubt Monica would have been able to pull it off."
She smiled- but only with one side of her mouth;
"That\'s sweet doctor. That\'s really sweet. But Monica has literally been the one sustaining this family. . ."
Nexus slumped even further into his seat, watching the woman spill.
". . .and now, with this recent news of her killing this foul B-rank beast, I think my daughter is starting to realize that the gap between their powers can never truly be bridged."
She pursed her lips, and freed her hands from grasping the length of the chair;
"Despite growing up under the shadow of her younger sister, Nora has always been a really optimistic child. . .but I fear this may be some kind of turning point for her."
Nexus listened aptly, and mentally rearranged his thoughts to filter the information.
This was the second secret he knew which she didn\'t- the truth about Monica\'s sucess.
Also, he now understood why Nora was being such a baby. However, what he couldn\'t seem to figure out is where Mrs. Russell was going with all of this. . .
Why was he here, alone with her, talking about this?
Why was she being so elusive with her point?
"I\'ve had a lot of time to think in that sick bed, and I\'ve come up with a theory."
She stopped pacing and faced him squarely;
"The answer is all in the genes."
Nexus shot her a confused look. She swiftly moved to explain;
"So Monica\'s talent was gotten from Lord Russell right? Then, that means Nora got her mediocrity from me!"
Her words rasped out into the air- echoing with a palpable excitement. Like an eureka moment.
Squinting his eyes, Nexus muttered; "Yeah, I\'m not so sure about that. Unless you\'re an expert, it\'s not exactly wise to–"
"Wait," she held her hands up; "There\'s more."
Seated opposite Mrs. Russell, hunched over in his chair- directly looking at the window, Nexus watched in real time as twilight loosed its grip on the landscape. Hot on its heels, night swooped in, and covered the terrain with darkness.
Alternating his attention between nature\'s drama outside, and the edgy woman standing before him, Nexus continued to listen;
"It was never my intention to pass this. . .this. . ."
Her face strained, and her blue eyes twitched as she paused, looking for the right word;
"–this thing!"
She looked at Nexus, vulnerable, fingers shaking, and eyes trembling in slight trepidation.
Nexus stared at her with blank eyes- searching.
"What thing?" he mouthed softly.
"This secret technology. . ." she answered with a regretful gaze in her eyes; "It was never my intention. . .I never would have intentionally passed on this exclusive secret technology to her. . ."
She raised her head, and drew in a deep breath. The quiet influx of air, rushed through her nostrils, inflating her lungs, and swelling her voluptuous chest in the process.
His vision shimmered- for a second.
"I mean. . .the side effects are intense. . .too intense. . . horrible even. . .you\'ve seen it haven\'t you? You\'ve seen the weakness. . .the pain. . .the powerlessness. . .and the slow decaying process of the mind, and organs. . ."
Nexus\' eyes flickered on the spot.
Hold on, was she referring to the diseases that had afflicted her? Why the fuck was she being so cryptic about it? Did she even realize they were both one and the same.
A dozen more questions followed- each on the rabid heels of the former. Each clawing away at his brain for answers.
In the orange light of the flickering flame, the altitude of his eyebrows took a dive- deepening on his forehead;
"Wait a damn minute, you\'re not saying. . .you don\'t actually mean. . . you don\'t actually think Nora might suffer the same cycle- do you?"
His voice, now urgent, rasped through the open air between them.
"I don\'t know anything for certain, but deep down, I fear for her."
Strands of Nexus\' slick hair fell across his face as a blast of cold air rippled through the window- directly in his face;
"Ma\'am, you need to level with me. What in heaven\'s name are you talking about? What exactly is this secret technology? And why do you think your sickness has been passed on to her?"
She shook her head bitterly, triggering her long wavy blonde curls;
"Pay attention doctor. The secret technology IS the problem. . .if I decide to pass it down, Nora will virtually inherit all my afflictions. It\'s a package deal- they both go hand in hand."
Nexus blinked.
He blinked again.
"I see," he slumped back into his chair; "You have a secret technique to teach her, that might lend her some abilities and boost her confidence. . .or. . ."
He looked at her squarely in the face;
". . .shorten her lifespan significantly."
"Exactly," she whispered; "Do you now understand?"
Nexus whistled;
"It could go either way. And even if she\'s somehow lucky and gets spared, there\'s also another issue you\'ve refused to acknowledge. . ."
As her eyes met his, Nexus said flatly;
"Nora might hate you for hiding this from her all this while. You watched her suffer all through childhood, you watched her struggle with the feeling of not being enough. You stole the opportunity for her to have made a choice–"
The Lady\'s voice hardened; "I was just protecting her."
"Nora will certainly see things that way."
"She will have too!" Her voice rose by a few significant decibels, and tore through the tranquility of the still, quiet room;
"Do you think I was always a sickly girl?! Do you think the Russell clan would have even looked my way if I was an average whore?!"
Nexus stiffened.
Like the rolling of thunder, her rising roar blasted through from her throat- complimenting her already flaming eyes;
"I was an A-class mage!"
Nexus eyes widened.
Her grip on the feathered cushion chair deepened;
"Oh please, don\'t looked so shocked. It\'s unflattering."
"My ba–"
"Don\'t apologize either, that is WAY worse."
Nexus closed his mouth shut. She in turn edged her way around the chair, gathered her dress, and sank into it. Her heaving chest began to pace itself. Both her eyes were like pools of water, sparkling with memories- and regrets;
"What everybody knows about my illness is that it happened as a result of Lord Russell\'s death, that it was too much for me to bear. . ."