Chapter 108 108 Entrust

Chapter 108 Chapter 108 Entrust

She scoffed.

"That is actually true- well, at least in part. . .when my husband died, he left behind a huge power vaccum. Both his daughters were extremely young, and weren't expected to rise to the occasion. . .the brunt fell on me. . .so, I went all out."

Her voice cracked slightly;

"I spent days and nights in the cave beneath the castle- alone, in the dark, in the cold, without any kind of sustenance, I tried to push through my physical, and spiritual barriers- in hunger, and in thirst, naked as a newborn, I tried to ascend. . ."

Her weight shifted- resting roughly fifty five percent of her body mass on her right bum.

". . .and I ended up making significant progress in the first month. . .but there's only so much that can be done. . .especially when fueled by grief. . ."

The faint cackling sound from the fireplace continued in the background like an itch.

". . .the toll began to tell on me. At first, it was dehydration, then emaciation, then constant weakness. . .by the third month, my ambition to revitalize my family became my downfall. . .I simply collapsed one day and never got back up. . .I kept telling myself how lucky I was to have been out of the cave when it had happened. . .else. . ."

Nexus boomed;

"They would have found your corpse."

Her fingers continued to strike against the surface of the brown mahogany desk, tapping softly, with a dreamy look in her eyes;

"Exactly."

Nexus leaned forward, arching his full eyebrows;

"But if this technique is so dangerous, why did you practice it? I'm assuming it's a family heirloom, so there were probably records of it."

"Oh trust me there were records- more like warnings if I do say so myself. In fact, the technology is- in a way- technically forbidden."

"What?" the shadows around his eyes lengthened as he squinted his eyes at her; "Then how–"

"Those who wish that path always find a way." she said; "Trust me, there's very little a couple of dead ancestors can do in the way of stopping a person that wants it."

Nexus' lungs collapsed as his eyes darkened once again. Curiousness displaced understanding;

"This is a lot-" he muttered

Her eyebrows dropped and her face strained empathically;

"I know I know, I'm sorry for dumping my whole family's medical and magical history on you. I planned to die with this secret, and maybe tell her about it on my deathbed or something."

"Well, you're clearly not dying anytime soon. So- why are you telling me this? What's the move here?"

Holding her breath and his gaze, she pursed her lips and said a single word;

"YOU."

Confusion set in; "Ma'am?" he said.

"You came along. You healed me doctor. You were the turning point."

In Nexus' mind, multiple thought processes began to blast all over the place- like multiple rockets.

Mrs. Russell was running circles around him. Also, she was being annoyingly cagey about the abilities that came with this banned technology she was speaking of.

What exactly could it do? Just how dangerous was it?

Something she had said earlier on echoed in Nexus' mind over and over again. . .

'Something about pushing past her physical barriers. . .?' Nexus' face suddenly lit up with the glow of a dying star; "PHYSICAL BARRIERS?!"

In a flash, Nexus remembered the way she had entered his room in a black smoke- despite it being locked! She had sunk him into a powerful illusion by blowing smoke up his arse- literally. The way he had barely managed to escape being held mentally captive.

Waves of nausea winded through his gut.

That was a bloody dangerous ability to have. And he had only seen a fraction of its power that day. He gulped. Beneath his fabric, lines of perspiration began to streak across his entire body. Shit, this wasn't good.

As he felt the gust of the early evening air blow directly in his face, seating there, eyes wide open and unblinking, Nexus connected all the dots in an instant;

This forbidden technique seemed to enable its users to harness (unconsciously), an excessive amount of Yin qi in their bodies. But it also seemed to be a double edged sword. The excessive Yin qi undoubtedly made the harnesser more powerful. But, this strange power demanded a great sacrifice- it feasted on the harnesser's life force, destroying them from within.

It made sense.

It made perfect sense.

People of this isekai knew jack shit about the matters of qi. So, maybe. . .

". . .and besides, I know what you're doing."

Barely following her monologue, Nexus only managed to catch those last few words.

His head cocked to the side; "What I'm doing?"

"Yes. With that girl Crystal. . ."

Nexus' heart sank. How in the hell did she–

". . .you told her to keep an eye out for Nora didn't you?"

The tense cloud paused momentarily over Nexus head. He looked at her- directly, brazenly, searching her deep blue eyes, waiting to see if she was holding out on him;

"Yes." he added; "I did."

A look of gratitude flashed through both her eyes- lighting up her face, and coloring her countenance;

"When I found out she was tailing Nora, to be frank, I was a little disturbed. But then, I realized that that girl does absolutely nothing on her own- without it coming from you. She's acting out your orders aren't you?"

Nexus nodded.

"But why?" she asked quietly. So quiet, Nexus doubted for a moment if she had actually said anything.

"Nora's a decent girl. I simply figured out that she might do with the assistance. . .it's nothing really."

On the looming tower of book shelves to his left, first edition books were stacked in horizontal rows, and in vertical piles, brooding in the shadows, while the flames from the? fireplace danced wildly in its marble-lined cave.

Her voice, laden with emotion, sincerity, and a little bit of guilt, she said;

"You're a good man Nexus. You really are."

Nexus smiled. But warmly- not in a creepy, over eager grin. He replied her softly;

"My Lady, I believe that is truly the first and only time you've called me by my name, and did not refer to me as 'doctor'."

She laughed. Her rich bubbly face, and deep blue eyes also laughed with her.

"I meant what I said though," she said after the peals of laughter died down; "You're one of the good ones Nexus- a rare gem amongst the throng of vile, dishonorable men of this generation. Promise me you'll retain your spark Nexus, promise me. . ."

With an understanding smile, and with a blank expression in his eyes, Nexus simply nodded.

That was enough for her.

Clasping her hands together and interlocking her fingers, the blond haired matriarch leaned forward on the table. There was a sudden look of seriousness in her eyes now;

"Nexus," she started softly; "You care about my Nora- don't you?"

"I do."

"Well, I have a favor to ask of you- as a mother who cares very deeply for her child. Please do not turn me down."

Nexus leaned forward as well. His face reflecting her seriousness.

"What is this favor ma'am?" he asked non-commitantly.

"I've been doing some thinking, I don't think I want Nora to be powerless and defenseless anymore. She's been in the shadow of mediocrity too long. I intend to give her a shot at becoming an A-mage, by passing on this exclusive technique."