It was Rebecca who had hugged Alex and fallen asleep on him comfortably.
He looked at her, sighed, and whispered,
"Let's just leave her like that."
Carefully slipping out from under her, he tiptoed outside—only to find Leo and Darcy sitting there, staring at him with the most tragic, betrayed expressions.
"What happened, guys?" Alex asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he walked toward them.
As he approached Leo, the little beast turned his head away dramatically. Alex then turned to Darcy—who also turned away and scooted closer to Leo.
Leo gave Darcy a tiny growl.
Darcy growled back.
They both started growling at each other like they were arguing... but in beast language.
Alex blinked, confused, trying to talk to them.
"Guys, seriously? What's going on?"
They ignored him like he wasn't even there.
Just then, Rebecca walked out of the cave, stretching.
"Did I miss something?" she asked.
Alex reached for his blade, resting his hand on it like a tired dad.
"Brave, status report. Why are my furballs mad?"
Brave appeared in a soft shimmer of light.
"Master, they are upset... because the girl took their spot."
"What?"
"They wanted to sleep beside you. She pulled you in her sleep and cuddled you the whole time. They've been sitting here, sulking and staring ever since."
Alex turned to the two puffballs, utterly stunned.
"Wait... are you seriously upset because she took your cuddle spot?"
Both Leo and Darcy turned away again, growling under their breath like whiny children.
Rebecca tilted her head.
"Did I... miss anything?"
Alex pointed to the two creatures.
"They're mad because you took their cuddle spot."
She looked at Leo and Darcy—both glaring at her with tiny, betrayed eyes.
She stepped closer.
"Guys... you're not seriously upset because of me, are you?"
They turned their backs to her in perfect unison.
Rebecca blinked, then started laughing.
"Alex, why are they acting like toddlers?"
Alex nodded, arms crossed.
"Because they are toddlers. Darcy's three weeks old, and Leo's not even a year yet. Welcome to parenthood."
She knelt, trying to pet Leo gently.
Alex chuckled and walked off toward his training area.
Later, after some belly rubs and playtime, both Leo and Darcy forgave Rebecca.
Meanwhile...
Alex stood in the clearing, sword in hand, eyes closed.
His aura swirled faintly as he moved through his forms, each swing of his blade carving wind into the air.
Hours passed.
Back at the cave, he roasted meat using a tiny bolt of lightning. In one flash—crispy perfection.
After they ate, Alex sat quietly, still searching. Searching for something. Mana. Aura. Power. He meditated, reaching inward... but it always ended in failure.
Frustrated, he walked back home and started checking all the traps he'd laid. Resetting wires. Cleaning junk. A quiet ritual of control.
Rebecca spotted him and ran over.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
Alex glanced up.
"Trap maintenance. Cleaning junk. You know, normal forest chores."
Golden flames sparked from his hand.
As he touched a beast's corpse, it turned to ash instantly.
Rebecca's eyes widened.
"What... is that?"
Alex calmly replied,
"Golden Flame. Burns anything impure. Touch it, and poof—instant purification."
He looked at her seriously.
"So yeah... stop thinking any weird thoughts, or it might burn you."
Rebecca raised a brow.
"Pretty sure it's you who should be worried, pervert."
That night, Alex went back into the cave, sealed the entrance, and nestled in between Leo and Darcy like a tired dad with two clingy cats.
He pulled out a thick book on swordsmanship and footwork and began reading, eyes darting across the pages, hungry for growth.
The cave was silent, save for the occasional flicker of the flame.
Then a voice called out behind him.
"Hey, Alex!"
He groaned.
"Mmm... what now, princess?"
Ruby stepped into the light, arms crossed.
"How did you even end up here? Who lets a guy like you into a place like this?"
Alex closed his book with a sigh, staring into the fire before answering.
"I thought adventure was supposed to be beautiful."
He chuckled dryly.
"Grandpa hyped it up. Said it'd be magical. Said I'd see the world. Cool stuff like ruins, forests, helping villagers..."
He looked at her, eyes tired.
"Instead, he just shoved me into the woods and said, 'Have fun, kid.'"
He shrugged.
"So yeah. Basically camping... but with emotional damage."
Ruby burst into laughter, hands on her hips.
"Don't tell me that old man actually had a brain! How could he leave his own grandson in the middle of a deathtrap forest?!"
Alex nodded, smirking. "Thanks for sharing my anger. But… he must've had his reasons."
He looked at her, eyes softening under the flickering cave light.
"Maybe fate brought us together—through him."
Ruby blinked. Her smirk faded just a little.
Alex closed his eyes, voice fading with a yawn.
"Good night, flame girl."
He drifted off, peaceful for once.
Ruby glanced at the snoring heap that was Alex, then slowly sat down beside him. She curled up next to him, resting her head against his shoulder.
"I'm only sleeping here because Leo's warm," she mumbled to herself.
In his sleep, Alex murmured, "Okay… you're not a pervert…"
She rolled her eyes. "Idiot."
Days Later...
Alex was deep in training, driven and obsessive. His focus sharpened like a blade. Morning to dusk, he hunted for his aura—through pain, repetition, and bloodied hands.
Ruby, meanwhile, practiced her own spells, often using Leo and Darcy as magical test dummies… when she wasn't being used as a cushion by them.
But Alex… he took it further.
He had started lifting heavy stones, throwing them, slicing them mid-air. His hands were raw, skin torn and bleeding. He trained until the rocks cracked… and so did his bones.
One afternoon, Ruby, Darcy, and Leo tried to sneak a peek.
"Any problem, guys?" Alex grunted, slamming his training sword into the stone wall.
CRACK.
The wall splintered with sword-shaped cuts. Blood dripped from his glove. Ruby gasped and ran over.
"Idiot! Let me see your hands."
She ripped off his gloves.
His palms were blistered, bruised, and bleeding from friction. Deep red and pulsing with pain.
Alex just smiled. "It's nothing. It'll heal."
She tried healing him right there—hands glowing with soft energy. But nothing happened. The wounds stayed.
Darcy whined. Leo nudged Alex's hand, concerned.
"Hey hey, guys, don't worry," Alex chuckled. "I'm fine."
Ruby reached for his sword to move it aside—
But couldn't lift it.
"What… is this? It feels like bone… but it's heavier than steel. How are you even swinging this with injured hands?"
Alex didn't answer.
"Leave that damn sword," she snapped. "Come with me!"
He dropped it with a heavy thud. She dragged him into the cave and sat him down, furiously cleaning the blood off his hands.
When healing failed again, Alex reached into his pouch and pulled out a small, worn vial. He poured a bit over his wounds and drank the rest, wincing.
Then he wrapped his hands in cloth.
Ruby stared. "Why didn't my healing work?"
"Don't worry about it. My body's… a special case. This isn't the first time," he replied.
Ruby narrowed her eyes. "No. I am gonna worry. If something happens to you… I need to be ready. Tell me, Alex."
He looked at her for a long moment.
Then explained—how he'd been trained in brutal isolation, how his body was altered by ancient elixirs, how pain had become a daily visitor. Ruby's face turned pale.
"You're insane," she whispered. "How can you be so reckless?"
Alex just laughed and stood. "Nothing will happen. I'll be fine."
He began practicing the second form of footwork from the book, movements sharp but methodical.
Ruby kept watching. "What's the worst injury you've had?"
Alex didn't even stop moving. "Seventy percent of my leg muscles torn, three fractured ribs, and a broken left hand."
She choked. "Are you a maniac?! Or do you enjoy pain?"
"Neither. The elixir injections nearly killed me, sure. But they also made me heal faster."
Later, Alex cooked some meat using lightning — roasting it in an instant.
"Let me cut it," Ruby said, reaching for his sword.
The sword hummed with energy and repelled her with a spark of lightning.
She jumped back. "Seriously?! What kind of sword is that?!"
Alex laughed, sliced the meat easily, and handed it around. Ruby sat beside him, holding his plate while he ate.
She watched him carefully.
"Seriously… did your grandfather love you, or was he trying to kill you?"
Alex snorted, defiant.
"Who knows? But one thing's for sure... I'm one tough nut. I don't crack that easy."
"Alex!" Ruby's voice trembled — part fury, part fear. "Stop hurting yourself! You keep pushing like this, you'll break your body before your limits do!"
He looked up, surprised by her tone. Then he softened.
"Okay, okay… I'll chill out. If you say so, Princess Ruby," he added with a crooked grin.
Without another word, he sank cross-legged into the grass, spine straight, breath calm. His eyes fluttered shut as he slipped into meditation. The world quieted.
And then it began.
Mana around him stirred — not just stirred, but swirled. Threads of raw energy twisted through the air, drawn toward him like moths to flame. The grass rippled as if the ground itself breathed in time with him.
Ruby stared, stunned.
"He's... pulling in mana directly from nature? Is he insane? Wait—does he do this regularly?!"
She turned sharply to Leo. He didn't speak. Just nodded. So did Darcy.
She blinked, disoriented by disbelief. "No way…"
Worried, she tried scanning his mana flow — but what she saw made her breath hitch.
Not rings. Not circles. But two stars — spinning, pulsing near his heart, alive with impossible brilliance.
"Stars...? But that's... forbidden mana architecture. Not even nobles can stabilize those."
Her voice was barely a whisper. "What the hell are you, Alex?"
Hours passed. Alex sat unmoving, breathing slow, skin faintly glowing as his mana synchronized with nature itself.
When he finally opened his eyes, they gleamed like someone who had seen another world — and survived it.
He stood and immediately began scanning the perimeter, double-checking every trap, every line, every trigger string like a seasoned scout. Ruby tilted her head.
"You're paranoid," she muttered. "Why the overkill? Where did you even learn this stuff? Traps? Tracking? Survival?"
Alex stretched, then chuckled.
"Back when I was a brat, sneaking around my aunt's research labs — she worked with a military research and recovery unit. Me and my best friend James used to sneak into their field classes."