The Messenger of Death

In the blink of an eye, 3 weeks had gone by. Alex had been in the library going through Nana's training.

Every day, he spent 10 hours replenishing and solidifying his core and foundation, respectively, and then recreating models of different shapes that Nana handed to him. He spent another 10 hours using his telekinesis and learning alchemy.

When he had reached a satisfactory level, Nana thought him a martial skill, one that he saw her use in the ordain plain realm. She taught him how to use a martial skill called – Ice age: Explosion.

This is the martial skill that Nana used in the ordain plain realm that was trigger by an insect. The one that exploded and turned everything it touched into ice.

The one that Alex could use wasn't as devastating and terrifying as the one that Nana showed in the ordain plain realm. It wasn't even a quarter of that.

If she was to grade him on this martial skill, she would give him a C. The snowflakes that Alex was able to create nearly destroyed one of the floors of the library, but that was all. His ice couldn't freeze whatever it touched to the core.

And when the QI he used to create the ice wears off, the ice starts to melt and also fails to melt with the victims or objects within it.

If it was Nana, her attack would have frozen her target to the core, and unless her opponent is strong enough, or she chooses to free that person or thing, they would either end up as an ice sculpture or pure water.

This was the real after-effect of the Ice age martial skill that Nana taught to him. Nevertheless, Nana was satisfied and proud of what he was able to accomplish in a short time. However, she didn't show or say that, nor did she do anything that insinuated any of those.

Within these 3 weeks, Al became an amateur alchemist. He was enjoying the classes that he had been having with Nana, despite the stress and pain that his body was going through.

When Alex and the rest had the 4 hours to themselves, they spent it training. Alex wasn't able to learn an AOE attack, but his control over two of his bloodline elements increased exponentially.

Al learned a new AOE attack and so did Lex. Xander spent his time chanting the Buddhist sutra that Mr. Guardian gave to them, he wanted to find out if there were other things or scenarios that he could use the sutra in.

He found a new trump card with the help of the sutra. The sutra itself became a separate trump card, apart from using it when they want to increase their bloodline purity.

Alex had just finished the last objective of his training.

-Thud.

He fell to the ground and stared at the ceiling with dizzy eyes.

"Congratulations Alex, you survived – I mean completed the training." Nana walked to his side.

From where he was, he could see Nana's face. 'She's smiling? Kek, she looks better when there's a smile on her face.' He thought.

Alex chuckled when he noticed that. "You know, I thought that you had forgotten how to smile." He uttered.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't smile during your training. You would not have taken it seriously if I did. It was hard to watch you suffer." She whispered the last part.

"Do you hate me?" She asked.

Since the second day of the training, Alex didn't speak to Nana, nor did he retort, argue or disagree with the things that she said. He did everything that she asked of him. It was then that Nana thought that he had started to hate her.

She waited for his answer, but Alex stayed silent…

Nana sighed as her heart ached a bit.

"Hate you? Why should I hate you? It seems like you don't know me as you much as think you do. I am arrogant, conceited, stubborn, weird as shit. Annoying sometimes-"

"I understand, you possess every negative quality there is, get to the point already." She interrupted.

"I am a lot of things but, ungrateful I am not." He finished. ['Well, I am only ungrateful to the universe.'] He added in his mind.

-Pffft!!

Nana held her laughter back. "You have a weird way of consoling people."

"Weird or not, it works." He closed his eyes. "Nana, hand me a pill, I need a boost." He requested.

"I don't think so. You have been taking a strengthening pill more than 10 times every day for the past 3 weeks. Taking anymore might result in otherwise. The training has ended, you should go to your suite and rest. Regain your strength." 

"I feel like I won't be able to make it there with the strength I have left, so hand me one." It was true that he didn't have the strength to make it there, Alex had another reason why he wanted the pill. He was getting addicted to its effects, and Nana could tell.

"Don't worry, I'll take you there myself."

-Whoosh.

Nana picked him up took him to the reception of the severance academy guest inn. "We are here." She let go of him.

"I thought we agreed in giving heads-up before doing anything like that." He felt like vomiting, but there was nothing but QI in his stomach. Alex hasn't tasted food in over a month.

"Oops, sorry, my bad."

-Whoosh.

Nana said and vanished from his sight.

"This woman." He shook his head with a smile present on his lips.

"Alexander, don't absorb any more energy from the Midas petal until I give you the permission to. And also, check your back pocket, I left a talisman there. If you are in danger, or you have found another petal, you can use that to contact me. Just burn the paper and I will know." Nana's voice reached Alex's ears.

"Yeah, whatever," Alex whispered in response to what she said.

"You're back." A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. It was Xiao En.

"I can't believe that I'm about to say this, but it is nice to hear your voice," Alex uttered.

"You look like shit, as usual." She added.

"I take back what I said, why are you still an employee here?" He asked grumpily as he began walking away.

While he was walking, he could tell that someone's eyes were on him. When he turned and took a look at the direction he sensed the look from, Alex found out that it was the steward.

What felt weird to him was the fact that the steward still had his eyes closed but to Alex, he felt like it was open.

Alex gave an awkward nod to the steward and he received no response. ['I don't remember offending him'] He thought as he left for his room.

In minutes, Alex reached the door of his suite. He unlocked it and pushed it open. As he stepped in, Alex was expecting to hear the familiar voices of his teammates in the living room or dining.

Surprisingly, he didn't hear a sound coming from within the suite. The familiar feeling of loneliness enveloped him, he had gotten used to having his teammates in his suite.

"Those noisy bunch, where might they be? Did they go on a mission without me? Did they even participate in the selection competition?" Alex wondered.

['You can go ahead and lay your head now. Once we have recovered we can think about things like that.'] Xander interrupted his thoughts.

"Yeah." He agreed and lazily walked to his room. Alex intended to take a bath before he lays his head to rest, however, his fatigue overwhelmed him the moment he stepped through his door.

-Thud!

Alex fell to the floor as he passed out. He had fallen asleep, peacefully…

…

An unknown time had passed by the time Alex regained consciousness, he turned and rolled on the ground until he hit his head on a stool.

"Ouch." He muttered and used his hand to rub the side that made contact with the stool. "Who the hell drops something that hard in the middle of the road?" He complained in his half-sleep state.

['I don't know, maybe because you are not on any freaking road but the floor of your bedroom. Fool.'] Al said and sarcasm could be heard oozing off his tone.

"Someone's unpleasant voice woke me up from a good sleep. Terrific." Alex opened his eyes, he was fully awake now.

['The two of you have been going at this for the past 3 weeks, are you guys not going to reconcile?'] Xander questioned. He was fed up with their fight.

['I am not going to do anything of the sort.'] Al refused.

"And I am not going to reconcile with him, even if I don't know what I did or what I didn't do that prompted this. His childish attitude is worse than that of a child." Alex refused too.

['Hello!! My name is the pot, nice to meet you, kettle. Hypocrite.'] Al uttered.

"Can say the same about you." Alex stood up and stripped. He proceeded to make his way to the bathroom. He hasn't taken a proper bath in a while and he was craving one now…